Starting with dissecting ghost stories

Shen Yuan lay on the corpse, crying her heart out.

On this day, she lost her last remaining relative.

Wu Xiaoting looked at Shen Yuan, who was crying bitterly, and took a few steps back.

There's no way around it... That's reality... People can't be brought back to life... There's nothing we can do...

Seemingly wanting to escape the scene before her, Wu Xiaoting turned and ran away. She hid in the bathroom, locked the door, and crouched on the floor, burying her face in her hands. A person is dead, that's it... Xiao Ba... there's nothing we can do...

She repeated the sentence to herself over and over again, as if trying to persuade Shen Yuan.

She slowly lowered her hand, staring blankly at her palm.

But... what if this is another precognitive dream?

If I wake up early, can I prevent everything from happening?

No, I'm already awake; this is reality.

My father is still alive, and my mother doesn't have to bear all the pressure alone. If I do well in my studies and sports, I will live a very happy life.

The school bell rang, and along with it came the sounds of sirens and ambulances.

It's so noisy... so noisy...

The sharp, piercing sound seemed unbearable to her. Wu Xiaoting wanted to escape this place as soon as possible. She opened the bathroom door and rushed towards the school gate.

Only when she was completely exhausted and could no longer hear the sounds behind her did Wu Xiaoting slowly slow down, panting heavily.

Several images flashed through her mind.

That was Shen Yuan, who chose to believe in herself during her most desperate and helpless moment.

And then there was Shen Yuan's brother, who came to take her out when she was locked in the interrogation room.

Shen Yuan is very strong, stronger than me. She will get through this...

Didn't she always dislike her brother? And she's still confiding in him...

but..

The image of Shen Yuan breaking down and crying flashed through Wu Xiaoting's mind once again.

Is it really okay for me to be like this...?

Shen Yuan chose to believe in herself and help herself unconditionally.

She still remembers what Shen Yuan said: "Because I heard it, I can't ignore it."

Shen Yuan was a busybody, so after hearing some terrible things, she not only believed him but also helped him, even inviting him to stay at her house.

It's okay. We've only been friends for a short time, less than a day... our feelings aren't that deep yet...

Before anyone knew it, Wu Xiaoting had arrived at the bottom of her apartment building.

She looked to her left, where the chains of the swing were rusty.

She seemed to see a father playing with his daughter.

Then I saw a cool girl standing next to the swing, hands on her hips, saying, "I'm going to help you."

Wu Xiaoting turned her head and looked towards the stairwell.

A man, supporting a little girl riding on his shoulders, swayed and laughed as he walked upstairs.

"dad."

Wu Xiaoting instinctively ran towards the stairwell, chasing after the figure until she reached the third floor. When she stopped, the illusory figure had vanished without a trace. Countless memories echoed in her mind, assaulting her brain.

She stood in front of that door, her hands trembling.

"Why are you back so early?" A gentle male voice came from behind. "You must have had a hard day of class. How about we go out for dinner today?"

Wu Xiaoting turned around and saw a man with a blurred face standing behind her, smiling and extending his hand.

"Xiaoting, Mom will help you get in touch with a good hospital... Don't be afraid, Mom has sold the shop and the house, and I will always be with you. Mom will cure you..."

Through the green glass of the security gate, her mother, with her white hair and wrinkled face, spoke to her with a pained yet gentle expression.

mom. ..

dad..

Wu Xiaoting was almost completely exhausted and knelt down on the ground.

She was like a madwoman, banging her head against the security door again and again. Her forehead was cut open, and blood and flesh stuck to the metal frame of the security door.

Which side is reality? Which side is a dream?

She cried and wailed, her hands gripping the doorknob.

Behind her was her gentle father, and in front of her was her mother with tears in her eyes.

Wu Xiaoting was both crying and laughing, and her hand, which was on the doorknob, slowly slid down.

"Time to go home for dinner... Mom's going to be angry..."

"Come on... Xiaoting... help Daddy open the door..."

It was as if the voice from her dream was ringing out again, and she could even faintly hear the little girl's happy laughter.

"It's okay, it's alright, Xiaoting."

A gentle voice came from behind.

Wu Xiaoting had already cried all her tears, and her face was covered in horrific bloodstains.

"Ah ...

She was practically screaming, using all her strength to press the doorknob down.

With a "clatter".

She reopened the door that her hazy childhood self had opened in her dreams.

Everything around them shook violently and began to collapse.

Floor tiles, ceiling, steps, doors... everything began to crumble into fragments, falling into the endless darkness below. Wu Xiaoting knelt in this pure black space, her head bowed, hands hanging limply, hair disheveled, as if she had lost all strength. Until a sliver of light pierced the darkness.

Her mind was buzzing as she slowly opened her eyes, and the blurry scene before her began to solidify.

As the tinnitus gradually subsided, she was finally able to hear the words beside her.

"Brother, she seems to be awake!"

"Huh? So fast?"

Wu Xiaoting slowly propped herself up and sat up in bed, staring blankly at what was in front of her.

Shen Yuan was standing by the bed, looking at her with some concern, while her brother Shen Xing had set up a DV camera in front of the bed, wearing gloves, and it was unclear what he was planning to do.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying? Are you alright? Is anything bothering you?" Shen Yuan looked at Wu Xiaoting and seemed a little anxious.

For some reason, compared to Shen Yuan's anxiety, her brother Shen Xing seemed to be a little... disappointed?

"It's nothing..." Wu Xiaoting's voice was hoarse, and her breath seemed weak. She seemed to still be in a daze, sitting on the bed with her back hunched over, letting the tears on her face drip onto the quilt.

"You had that kind of dream again?" Shen Yuan asked, puzzled. She frowned and analyzed, "Why? Didn't you say before that it only happened when you were at home..."

"Yes, I was dreaming."

Wu Xiaoting nodded, interrupting Shen Yuan.

The images from the dream still lingered in her mind; she had to tell the two of them the information within… This was also the reason she woke up. “Brother Shen Xing,” Wu Xiaoting looked up at Shen Xing and said, “In the dream it was the school clinic, and they used guns… But in reality, I don’t know where it will be or what they’ll use. However, the fact that you will die will not change…”

"In the future... you will be killed."