The night had passed uneasily for BingXue after she returned from the music room. The walls seemed to watch her as she walked back to her room. Cold sweat dripped down her face as she pretended she hadn't just seen an unusual figure staring at her in the music room.
The footsteps grew louder as she made her way back, unease creeping up her spine. She tried to dismiss it as her imagination, but the eyes those eyes were watching her every move.
The next morning, the room was silent, and the atmosphere had grown heavier after what had happened yesterday. She sat up and opened the blinds. Sunlight spilled into the room, the rays hitting her face as a soft breeze brushed against her skin.
Her new life had just begun, and finding a dorm within her fixed budget had been difficult she was painfully poor. Shaking off her thoughts, she began packing her school bag, trying to push away the memory of the figure that had stared at her so intensely.
The familiar path across campus didn't bring her the comfort she'd hoped for. Whispers from the night still echoed in her mind, and the face of the boy she'd glimpsed in the music room haunted her.
That figure had looked at her with dark eyes that seemed all too real. His body had been surrounded by smoke. His features especially his eyeshad captivated her. "Was that ChengRen? Or Is he a ghost? Will he hurt me?" The questions flooded her mind.
After a long day of lectures and trying to distract herself, she returned to her dorm, hoping for a quiet night. But as she stepped into the hallway, something felt off. The air was thick, still, and cold. The silence pressed in around her.
Her fingers gripped the doorknob. She hesitated.
It was as though the entire building had taken a breath and was holding it, waiting.
BingXue turned the knob slowly and stepped inside. From deep within the walls, the faint sound of a piano played distant, yet familiar. It was like a lullaby from a dream.
She froze.
It wasn't her imagination. That melody was real.
It was the song. The one her grandmother had composed for heronly for her. They were the only ones who knew about it.
She shook her head, reassuring herself. It's just a coincidenc.This is just an old building, filled with strange noises. But the beautiful notes filled the air with dread, like a warning of something darker.
She moved toward the music room, each step quieter than the last, almost swallowed by the creaking floor. Her shadow stretched across the wall as the piano music grew louder.
Her heart pounded. The sound was coming from the common room not the music room, which had been abandoned and dusty. She reached for the door, her breath caught in her throat.
As her hand touched the knob, the music stopped.
A cold breeze swept past her. Her palms were slick with sweat, and her pulse thundered in her ears.
Then came a whisper, just behind her.
"You're not supposed to be here."
Her heart skipped a beat.
The voice was low, guttural familiar. She had heard it before, on the cassette player. It came from somewhere just beyond her sight, buried in the shadows. A chill shot down her spine. She was frozen in place.
"This isn't real. It's not real. It's just my imagination," she whispered, shaking her head. But the voice had been too clear, too close to ignore.
She backed away, her eyes scanning the darkness. The figure from last night she couldn't see him.
The piano began again, softer this time, as though calling her forward. But this time, there was something more a presence. She wasn't alone.
A cold breath touched the back of her neck, stealing the air from her lungs.
And then, in the farthest corner of the room, she saw him.
The same boy. The one who claimed to be ChengRen. The one from the picture hanging in the room.
His gaze pierced through her, like he could see into her soul, uncovering things she wasn't ready to face. BingXue swallowed hard, stepping back. Her mind screamed at her to run, but her body refused to move.
She couldn't scream. She couldn't speak. ChengRen stared at her with a cold, sharp intensity. He didn't move. Didn't blink. He just watched.
The only sound was the haunting piano melody filling the space between them.
Then the music stopped.
ChengRen's image flickered like a flame struggling to stay lit.
She blinked.
He was gone.
Silence returned, thick and heavy. Her breath came in shallow gasps, her thoughts swirling in panic. She wanted to believe it had all been a dream. But she knew it wasn't.
The whispers, the music, the connection this was only the beginning.
In that moment, BingXue understood one thing: she was no longer alone.
And whatever ChengRen was… he wasn't just haunting the halls. He was waiting.
She turned and walked away quickly, not daring to make a sound.
As she left, she heard the whisper again, softer this time.
"You can't leave… not yet."