A young girl, not very old, entered the bathroom with her roommate.
Only the stall in the far corner remained unused. However, the chandelier near this corner had a broken bulb, making the entire stall appear particularly dim.
The girl hesitated for a long time outside the stall, feeling somewhat scared. But hearing the sound of water splashing from the other stalls, she felt it would be safer to shower now while there were still others around. If she delayed any longer, everyone might finish and leave.
"The rules say we must close the door when showering, but it doesn't say we have to lock it," she said, discussing with her roommate. "How about you wait outside, and I'll go in, close the door, but not lock it? That way, I'll feel a bit safer."
"Then you hurry up and finish. When it's my turn to shower, you can wait outside for me too," the roommate agreed after thinking for a moment.
The roommate stood outside the door, waiting for a long time. Others had gradually come out of their stalls, but the girl who entered the stall hadn't made any noise. All that could be heard was the constant sound of water dripping from inside the stall.
Unable to wait any longer, the roommate knocked on the door. "Are you done? Didn't you say you'd be quick? Everyone else is almost finished."
Inside the stall, the sound of water continued. Mixed with the water sounds, a low, muffled noise emerged. It was as if someone, shrouded in the steaming mist of the hot water, let out a vague, indistinct murmur.
The roommate didn't catch it clearly and froze for a moment, thinking she might have rushed too much, and that the person inside was upset.
Just as she was about to pull her hand away, there was another sound—"Glug—"
This time, it was much clearer. It sounded like a bag filled with water, unable to hold any more, and the sound of bubbles pushing out from it.
The door, which hadn't been locked, was slowly pushed open by a gust of wind, revealing the scene inside.
"Ah!!!" A piercing scream echoed throughout the bathroom.
The remaining people in the bathroom quickly gathered around, only to see a horrifying sight.
Inside the narrow stall, the girl had been turned into a water-filled bag, hanging from the showerhead. Her organs and flesh had vanished, leaving only an empty human skin.
The human skin was filled with water, causing it to swell up. The once rosy skin was now stretched into a semi-transparent white, and excess water leaked from the girl's seven orifices. The sound of water dripping never stopped.
"Ugh—" Such a horrifying sight made several people turn their heads, unable to stop themselves from gagging and vomiting.
The middle-aged woman covered her mouth with one hand, struggling to suppress the nausea, and asked the deceased girl's roommate.
"What happened? What rule did she break?"
The girl's roommate, a young girl, probably still a student, was completely stunned by the sudden turn of events. She collapsed to the ground, crying uncontrollably. After a long while, she managed to speak in fragmented sentences, offering some clues.
"She said she was scared, so she just closed the door, but didn't lock it."
The middle-aged woman pondered thoughtfully.
"It seems that the rule about closing the door actually means it must be latched. Or perhaps, she violated some other forbidden taboo?"
The girl who died was roommates with Wu Fei. Now, only Wu Fei was left. According to the rules, a dormitory cannot be occupied by just one person.
Coincidentally, the dormitory for middle-aged women happened to have only two residents, so they allowed her to move in. Having three people in the dorm doesn't violate the rules.
The middle-aged woman introduced herself as Tian Fang. "Just call me Sister Fang." She calmly reassured Wu Fei, who had been stunned by fear.
"The rules say you must bathe every day. You haven't yet, so go take a shower first. Don't be afraid, we'll wait for you outside."
In the bathroom, someone had just died. At that moment, when asked to take a shower, Wu Fei refused to go no matter what, almost crawling out of the bathroom in panic.
Tian Fang firmly held her shoulder, repeating the rules in her ear.
"Think carefully. If you endure your fear, you can survive. We've all showered, and nothing happened. As long as you follow the rules, nothing will go wrong. But if you don't shower today, you will definitely violate the rules."
In the end, Wu Fei, trembling with fear, gritted her teeth and forced herself to step into the stall to take a shower.
What happened in the bathroom, Wan Qian didn't know. After her shower, she was in her dorm room, drying her hair with a towel.
Seeing Wen Xirou and Xiao Lin return, she said, "I'm going out for a bit," and left the dorm.
Wen Xirou and Xiao Lin thought she was going out to look for more rules.
The two of them couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. As expected of a big shot, right after entering the haunted realm, she had the courage to run around everywhere. If it were them, they definitely wouldn't dare.
Wen Xirou had learned one important thing from she had made it through two haunted realms - staying low-key. That's why, from the very beginning, she had intended to find a big shot and attach herself to him.
...
At this moment, Wan Qian circled to the side of the dormitory. Ensuring that the position wouldn't be seen by others, she called for the butler.
"Ms. Wan, how may I assist you?"
After Wan Qian called for him, the butler arrived quickly.
He might have been freshening up before he came over. Though he was still in the black tailcoat he wore earlier that day, his gloves had already been removed, revealing pale hands with long fingers and distinct joints. The sleeves were a bit damp, leaving dark water stains.
Wan Qian's gaze lingered on the butler's hands for a few seconds before moving away.
"Ahem," she cleared her throat. "I called you here because I discovered something very serious and utterly heinous in the employee dormitory's bathroom."
The butler remained as polite as ever. "Please, go on."
"Do you know that someone has put something filthy into the shower gel in our farm's bathroom?!"
Just mentioning this made her angry.
"If I hadn't used the employee bathroom today, I wouldn't have discovered this! This is a matter of our farm's reputation. It needs to be handled immediately!"
She shot the butler a side-eye. "Do you understand?"
The butler nodded calmly, his face unchanging. "I understand, Ms. Wan. I will take care of this matter promptly."
After a pause, he asked, "Is there anything else, Ms. Wan?"
Wan Qian shook her head. "No, that's all."