Fang Yuan felt dizzy. She used to have strange feelings. Sometimes, she felt like she'd already done something she hadn't done before, and now she was just repeating it. Sometimes, she had a strong premonition of what was about to happen. Although these premonitions didn't always come true, the strange feeling did leave her feeling lost and doubtful, doubting herself and everything around her. She felt like Sisyphus, cursed by the gods in Greek mythology, rolling the boulder over and over again, endlessly.
If reincarnation really existed in life, was she constantly recurring in the same time period, mechanically repeating the same life?
Fang Yuan shuddered, afraid to think about it any further. The thought filled her with fear.
Li Rong's figure grew smaller and blurrier before her. She should have been thankful that Li Rong was wearing a conspicuous white dress; otherwise, Li Rong would have vanished into the darkness of the medical school long ago.
Fang Yuan stopped dwelling on it and took two quick steps to catch up. Li Rong's figure constantly loomed ahead of Fang Yuan, a strange presence in the solitude of the night. It seemed as if he wasn't walking on solid ground, but rather "floating."
Yes, "floating," as if he were a light, fallen leaf, drifting in the wind.
In fact, Fang Yuan's mind conjured another description: ghostly.
Drifting like a ghost.
His figure, devoid of any sense of solidity, seemed soft and feeble, as if the slightest breeze would deflate it.
Closer... closer... closer, Fang Yuan could clearly see Li Rong enter the Red Mansion!
The Red Mansion's corridor had those old wooden floors. A man's footsteps should have been especially clear, but she couldn't hear them.
No sound at all, only silence, a deathly silence, terrifyingly silent!
Fang Yuan stood outside the Red Mansion, hesitant.
She remembered the ancient saying: You can't step into the same river twice. She felt as if she were about to step into the same river—the Red Mansion.
Last time, she had followed Li Rong into the Red Mansion, only to be locked in the basement. Xu Yan, who had accompanied her, had inexplicably committed suicide.
What would happen if she went in again this time?
Fang Yuan suddenly had a foreboding premonition: a horrific nightmare awaited her.
She should leave this unsettling place as soon as possible.
But another voice echoed deep within her: Follow him in and find out the truth!
She had never been a coward.
Since her father's death, she had lived alone in the old house. At first, she was often awakened by terrifying sounds in her dreams. The barking of stray dogs, the grinding of rats, the hissing of wild cats, the venting cries of drunken peasants... How could a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl living in such a decrepit and empty house not be afraid? But she quickly adapted, acclimated, and settled into an independent life. She was no longer afraid of those voices. The old house was hers, like a long-time friend, protecting her.
Fang Yuan finally decided to go in. She walked slowly, eyes wide open, observing the front. Although the light inside the Red Mansion limited her vision to a mere one meter, she still tried to see further.
Darkness quickly engulfed Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan's steps were a little unsteady, constantly worried about landing on solid ground and falling.
She spread her fingers and groped forward with her hands.
But the Red Mansion was exceptionally dark tonight, and the already narrow passageway felt even deeper, bottomless, and devoid of any light.
Fang Yuan stopped, a chill running down her spine—someone was watching her from behind!
Her heart tightened, sweat began to form, and her face flushed red.
She felt nervous!
Who was watching her from behind?
Fang Yuan turned her head abruptly, but saw nothing.
A faint white light flickered at the entrance to the Red Mansion, like a deep, horizontal well.
No one?
Was I being overly suspicious?
But at the time, the feeling was so strong, it couldn't be wrong.
Fang Yuan turned around and groped a few steps forward. The feeling of being watched returned.
It wasn't an illusion! It was intuition, a woman's intuition!
Fang Yuan was more cautious this time. She didn't stop to look back, but continued groping forward, her head slowly tilted to the side.
She saw a long figure lingering at the entrance to the Red Mansion.
Who was it?
Fang Yuan's heart was pounding, her body trembling slightly.
Was Li Rong following her, waiting for her to enter the basement before repeating his trick and locking her in?
No way! How could such a foolish tactic as waiting for someone to come to her succeed again and again?
Fang Yuan, still groping, suddenly turned around!
The shadow seemed startled, dodged briefly, and vanished.
"Who is it?" Fang Yuan cried out, her voice echoing through the red building.
No one answered.
She panicked, took a deep breath, and suddenly ran out.
She reached the entrance, peered out, and still saw no one.
"I see you, come out!" Fang Yuan bluffed.
Still, no one came out.
Could it be just a shadow?
No, how could there be only a shadow and no person?
For some reason, she thought of Xu Yan.
Xu Yan was already dead. Could she have become a ghost?
They say ghosts don't have shadows. That shadow couldn't be her, could it?
But that was just a rumor; no one could be sure.
Fang Yuan was sweating, but her body was cold.
A gust of night wind blew by, a bone-chilling chill seeping through her clothes, making her shiver.
Fang Yuan retreated into the Red Mansion.
She leaned against the wall in a corner, hidden in the darkness, motionless.
If it was a ghost, she couldn't escape it no matter where she went.
If it was a human, he would come in sooner or later. Her eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, so she would definitely see him before he did.
Time ticked by, and Fang Yuan held her breath, waiting patiently.
She believed that the owner of the shadow would eventually come in.
She didn't believe in ghosts, but even if it was a ghost, even if it was Xu Yan in disguise, so what? She would face it all the same.
She hadn't wronged Xu Yan, nor anyone else. She had always followed her father's teachings, acting with integrity and honesty, living up to her conscience.
If she hadn't done anything wrong, she wouldn't be afraid of ghosts knocking on her door. Naturally, she wasn't afraid of ghosts coming to her door either.
Fang Yuan kept encouraging herself. Indeed, she shouldn't be afraid.
One minute, two minutes...
Five minutes later, the shadow finally reappeared.
The shadow's owner poked half his face out from the entrance of the red building, peering furtively inside.
Fang Yuan almost cried out. She recognized that face, even if it was only a partial one—it was Tang Tianyu!
Tang Tianyu, what was he doing here?
Why was he following her?
Fang Yuan watched all this silently, silent.
She wanted to see what Tang Tianyu was up to.
Tang Tianyu peered inside for a long time, seemingly seeing nothing—his eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the darkness, and he couldn't even see Fang Yuan hiding in the corner.
Tang Tianyu hesitated outside the door for what seemed like more than ten seconds before finally, slowly, entering.
His stance was the same as Fang Yuan's at the beginning: five fingers spread out, hands extended forward, groping forward.
Fang Yuan suddenly remembered something: she couldn't avoid Tang Tianyu.
If she continued hiding here, Tang Tianyu would eventually find her.
Unless—
Unless she went deeper into the Red Mansion, or to the basement, or onto the rooftop.
Before Fang Yuan could move, Tang Tianyu approached. He walked in much faster than Fang Yuan had.
Fang Yuan took a step back and accidentally bumped into a trash can. The "thump" sound was especially clear in the silent Red Mansion.
Tang Tianyu stopped, his eyes fixed on Fang Yuan.
He's found me!
Fang Yuan cried out inwardly.
Strangely, Tang Tianyu sighed and said softly, "Fang Yuan, are you okay? I know where you're hiding. Come out. I mean no harm."
Tang Tianyu said he meant no harm!
But why was he following her so furtively? What secrets were hidden in the Red Mansion?
Fang Yuan's heart was in turmoil, unsure what to do.
She couldn't convince herself to trust Tang Tianyu.
But could she hide from him?
She couldn't.
Tang Tianyu slowly approached, finally spotting Fang Yuan, huddled up beside a trash can, her arms folded.
He approached, a look of delight on his face.