Chapter 023: I Foresaw Death

Upon seeing the empty mirror, Li Tianque was rooted to the spot, frozen in terror.

Soon enough, he discovered something even more horrifying. As he looked closely at Wu Xiaonan, he realized she was not wearing the floral nightgown he had thought, but instead the usual white one she often wore. But that nightgown was spattered with mottled bloodstains, resembling flowers—almost as if she had just slaughtered some small creature.

Li Tianque rushed inside, running to Wu Xiaonan’s side. “Xiaonan, what happened to you?” he cried.

But his hand grasped nothing—Wu Xiaonan before him was as insubstantial as mist. “Good heavens!” Li Tianque exclaimed uncontrollably, so frightened he collapsed to the floor.

From this angle, he saw that the “woman” before him, so resembling Wu Xiaonan, was utterly terrifying. The profile of her face bore a long gash, the flesh open and bloody, as if pierced by something sharp. Her skull was split, the wound gaping deep as though struck by an axe, blood still streaming down her cheek...

Hearing Li Tianque’s shout, the lights next door flicked on. Soon, Hu Jiangsheng and Wu Xiaonan came running from their room, and the ghostly figure before Li Tianque vanished through the wall.

“Buddy...what’s going on in the middle of the night? Did you see a ghost?” Li Tie joked.

Li Tianque trembled as he turned, staring at Li Tie—wearing only his underwear—and Wu Xiaonan beside him in her white nightgown. He felt as if a great stone blocked his chest, and after a long moment, managed to say, “I...I think I really did see a ghost!”

All the lights in the apartment were now on. The three sat in the living room, any trace of sleep banished.

Li Tianque told them what he had experienced, including the ghostly shadow of Wu Xiaonan. He knew how absurd it sounded, but it had truly happened to him.

Hu Jiangsheng listened, frowning as he muttered, “Tianque, this sounds so bizarre, but if it’s really as you say, do you mean... Xiaonan could be in danger, just like that child before?”

“Yes, I think so. If all the ghosts I’ve seen are omens before death, Xiaonan, you might be in peril. Judging by last time, that ghost’s head was injured by something heavy!” Li Tianque asserted with conviction.

Hu Jiangsheng and Wu Xiaonan normally trusted Li Tianque, but such trust was limited to everyday neighborly interactions. This was far too strange to believe.

Hu Jiangsheng himself did not believe any of it, but Wu Xiaonan, being a woman, was already trembling. She clung to Hu Jiangsheng’s arm, sobbing, “My god, this is so frightening. What should I do?” Her eyes were red, voice quivering on the verge of tears.

Li Tianque was even more nervous than they were, rubbing his eyes as he said, “What’s happening now is just like the movie ‘Final Destination’. I can hardly believe it’s real—it feels like a dream.

But if all this is real, maybe we can use the characteristics of these ghostly shadows to prevent disaster. The shadow I saw just now had injuries on the face and head, but the fatal wound was to the head.

Xiaonan, if you want to avoid disaster, you must protect your head. Be especially careful about anything above you.”

Hu Jiangsheng found Li Tianque’s words amusing, but could not bring himself to laugh. “Tianque, what kind of logic is that? Are you saying Xiaonan should wear a deliveryman’s helmet every day?”

“Yes, I think that’s a good idea,” Li Tianque replied solemnly.

“Oh, come on! You can’t be serious. I think it’s all just coincidence, or you saw it wrong.

Honestly, I grew up in the countryside, and heard all sorts of strange stories from elders, many scarier than yours. Especially my grandfather, who worked in the northeast as a young man. That place is full of tales of monsters and spirits—every story is enough to keep you awake at night.

But after all these years, I’ve never experienced anything supernatural. No matter what, I think this is just coincidence. My advice is...” Hu Jiangsheng trailed off.

“You think I’m mentally ill, don’t you?” Li Tianque asked quietly.

Hu Jiangsheng saw the look on Li Tianque’s face, and hesitated. “Well...maybe you’re under too much stress at work. I suggest you see a doctor,” he said.

“But...I’m still so scared. What if Tianque is right? What should I do then?” Wu Xiaonan was trembling with fear, and after hearing Li Tianque’s story, she remained terrified.

“Don’t worry, darling. I’m here,” Hu Jiangsheng said, wrapping his arm around her.

Hu Jiangsheng lit a slim Yingchun cigarette, handed one to Li Tianque, and patted his shoulder.

“Listen, brother, I mean no offense. But I suggest you find time to get checked at the hospital tomorrow. An experience like this can have a psychological impact. Sleep well tonight, and don’t overthink it.”

“I’m not...I...” Li Tianque took the cigarette, wanting to say more, but seeing Hu Jiangsheng’s disbelief, he could only nod helplessly.

“All right, sorry to disturb your rest.”

“No problem, no problem. Get some sleep,” Hu Jiangsheng replied.

The couple returned to their room, Wu Xiaonan still whispering anxiously to Hu Jiangsheng, whose voice was too low to be heard through the door.

But just as they closed their door, Li Tianque caught a glimpse of that eerie ghost again, drifting past the window. He stared in that direction, but saw nothing.

In a daze, Li Tianque washed up, closing the bathroom window and glancing outside—no ghostly shadow in sight.

He did notice, however, that the curtain on the neighbor’s windowsill was caught, as if they hadn’t noticed when closing it.

Returning to his room and lying on his bed, Li Tianque felt exhaustion for the first time—perhaps because everything that had happened kept his nerves taut.

He never expected that his first return to filming store visit videos would lead to such terrifying events.

It seemed that recently, store visit streamers were truly being targeted by some uncanny force.

The stifling atmosphere in the room made him feel suffocated, so he got up and hurried to open the fridge.

After rummaging for a while, he found a can of cold cola in the freezer compartment, likely just placed there by the couple next door. It wasn’t very cold to the touch.

Li Tianque drank it in one go and lay back down.

He turned off his phone, forcing himself to shift his thoughts, but sleep eluded him.

He even thought, perhaps the most reasonable explanation was just as Hu Jiangsheng said—maybe it was all coincidence, and his mental state was the real issue.

He had no idea how long he spent lost in thought, but eventually, he drifted off into a troubled sleep.