If the person standing in front of me was Yingying, then who was in the dormitory?
The thought made my legs tremble. I didn't dare to look inside. I just knew that if I turned my head now, the scene would be something I could never forget for the rest of my life.
Yingying wasn't stupid. She instantly realized something was wrong and grabbed my hand. "Come with me."
I was too scared to speak, just followed Yingying forward in a daze.
But before we had taken two steps, a voice from the dormitory called out, "Gu Yan, Gu Yan? I'm still waiting for you. Where are you going?"
That voice was getting closer. I nearly pissed myself.
Then, the Yingying beside me shouted, "Run! Run now! Don't look back!"
Of course, I wouldn't dare to look back. Yingying's face had turned pale with fear. We both started running wildly, but we could hear footsteps chasing us from behind.
The commotion was huge, but strangely, none of the students in the nearby dorms reacted. No one even came out to check.
We ran around the dormitory building for what felt like forever. My heart had already been feeling unwell that day, and by the time we reached the main entrance where the lights were on, I just couldn't run anymore. I let go of Yingying's hand and gasped, "I can't… I can't run anymore. I'll die if I keep running."
To my surprise, Yingying slapped me hard across the face. "Are you stupid? Didn't I tell you to wait for me?"
I was stunned, still catching my breath. "Are you crazy? I saw you come out of the bathroom!"
She stared at me. "Did you actually see me come out?"
I wanted to say yes, but after thinking for a moment, I swallowed my words.
That was when I realized—I had been looking at my phone, and Yingying had tapped my shoulder. I never actually saw her coming out of the bathroom.
A chill ran down my spine. Trembling, I asked her, "What… what did I just see then?"
She shook her head. "How would I know? People have hanged themselves and slit their wrists in this school before. Who knows what that thing was? What were you thinking, taking this job?"
I sighed. "Well, it's not like I had a choice. I couldn't find another job."
Yingying gave me a serious look. "Did you know two dorm managers before you both had accidents?"
I froze. The principal never told me about this. "What do you mean?"
She explained, "At the beginning of the semester, an old man worked here as a dorm manager. He lasted about a week before they carried him out one morning—apparently, he had a stroke. The next day, a middle-aged guy replaced him. I heard he was a retired soldier, but he didn't last a week either. When he left, he was already showing signs of mental instability. And then there's you. You've actually lasted quite a while."
She then tried to persuade me to quit, saying this place was cursed and that if I stayed, something bad would happen.
Honestly, I had already been thinking about quitting. I had never experienced anything this terrifying in my life. And the principal had kept so much from me.
I was about to ask Yingying what we should do—should we just stand at the entrance until morning? But at that moment, I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder.
I turned to her. "Why did you tap me?"
Yingying looked just as confused. "I didn't."
We both froze. Neither of us dared to turn around.
"Ahhh!"
Yingying screamed and yanked me forward. I ran with her, and behind us, I heard a voice calling, "Gu Yan, why are you avoiding me?"
I was terrified. My heart pounded like it was about to explode.
And just when I thought things couldn't get worse, my phone rang. Who the hell was calling me at a time like this?
Afraid that the ringing might attract whatever was following us, I quickly declined the call. We ran for what felt like ages until Yingying suddenly kicked open a dormitory door. "Get in! Hide! Don't make a sound!"
My mind was blank. I instinctively wanted to follow her instructions, but just then, my phone rang again. Annoyed, I took it out, ready to curse whoever was calling—then I saw the caller ID.
It was Principal Wang.
Seeing his name made my blood boil. I picked up the call, furious.
"What the hell do you want?" I snapped. "Why did you set me up? What did I ever do to you?"
Yingying asked me, "Who is it?"
Before I could answer, Principal Wang's voice boomed through the phone. "Shut up! Don't say a word! I've been watching the surveillance cameras. Look around—where exactly do you think you are?"
His words confused me, but I still glanced up at the doorplate.
The moment I saw the number, it felt like I had been struck by lightning.
On my first day, Sister Wang had told me that the entire fifth floor was unoccupied.
And the dorm Yingying had been trying to pull me into was Room 514.
She was now standing inside the room, looking at me.
"Who are you talking to? Come in already! What are you waiting for?!" Yingying urged, looking panicked.
But at that moment, I didn't know what to do. My heart felt like it had turned to ice.
I suddenly felt the urge to cry.
Then I heard Principal Wang say, "I've been watching the cameras this whole time. You've been running around in circles alone. Can you tell me what the hell you're running from?"
My mind went blank.
If what Principal Wang said was true, then the Yingying in front of me was not real.
She was probably the one trying to harm me all along.
Seeing me hesitate, Yingying seemed to realize something. She stepped toward me and asked, "Do you trust me?"
I didn't answer. I just took a step back.
She smiled—an awkward, forced smile. "Gu Yan, can't you trust me? I would never hurt you."
Her voice was so sincere, but at that moment, I couldn't trust anyone.
I backed away a few steps, then turned and sprinted. As I ran, I yelled, "Screw you! You're all liars! You all want to kill me! Stay the hell away from me!!"
When people are pushed to their limits by fear, they sometimes react with anger.
I ran all the way to the first floor. I wanted to escape outside, but hesitated and decided not to open the door. Instead, I rushed into the security room and turned on every single light.
I tried calling Principal Wang again to ask what was really going on, but no matter how many times I dialed, his phone wouldn't connect. Frustrated, I wanted to throw my phone.
The room was deathly silent. So silent that I could hear my own heartbeat.
I couldn't stand it. I opened my phone's music player, turned the volume to max, and played Ode to the Motherland on repeat. The sound of a chorus filled the room, making me feel a little better.
But that night, every time I closed my eyes, I felt like someone was watching me.
A deep, unsettling sense of danger made me snap my eyes open. And whenever I did, the feeling disappeared—but my chest still felt tight, suffocating.
Eventually, I was too scared to close my eyes at all. I told myself that as soon as morning came, I would quit this job immediately.
Somehow, I made it to 6 AM. I shakily opened the door. Only when I heard students waking up and heading to the bathroom did I finally allow myself to rest.
In my half-conscious state, I thought I heard a woman's voice whispering—
"Sleep, sleep… When you wake up, everything will be fine…"
Then I jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat.
That's when I saw it.
On my desk, a pendant had appeared out of nowhere.