Once more, the surroundings were adorned with milky-white lily petals. Despite the white, boundless floral rain, there was no overwhelming fragrance. Fang Chen continued to tread forward, uncertain of his destination.
In this realm of silence and scentless-ness, even the petals falling upon him lacked any tactile sensation. Suddenly, the fallen white petals on the ground began to seep blood, gradually intensifying and painting the surrounding crimson red.
Fang Chen raised his head in confusion and caught sight of the couple again; they were lying in the middle of the road. The woman was convulsing with her mouth wide open, and more blood continued flowing out from her mouth…
His ears were instantly filled with clamour. People were walking, vehicles were driving, and everyone coordinated to bypass the couple with their gazes fixed forward, heading towards their respective destinations.
A couple on the street were still discussing which restaurant to patronize… An old lady was taking her grandson for a walk… The surroundings buzzed with an unusual liveliness, yet the couple lay there, enduring torment until the embrace of death welcomed them.
Fang Chen should be frightened, but he stood there motionless, as if his blood had turned cold. Faintly, a sigh reached his ears, and he observed his dream self lowering his gaze, concealing the emotions within.
…
Fang Chen was already awake—a lot earlier than usual.
He didn’t open the windows last night, and the curtains were tightly drawn, creating a stifling atmosphere within the apartment.
His mental state wasn’t great. He really should see a doctor, but perhaps… He turned over and gently exhaled. Perhaps it wasn’t him who was going crazy; maybe there was something wrong with this neighbourhood instead?
Fang Chen flipped through the blank contact list and pressed the screen gently with a slight force, his thumb revealing a whitened imprint. He then curled up and buried his head in his arms. He would rather be the crazy one.
Heading out, he instinctively entered the stairwell and descended a few steps before realizing he hadn’t taken the elevator again. Reaching the second floor, he heard a cat meowing, looked up, and vaguely saw a fluffy ball. For some reason, his heart skipped a beat.
His visit to the hospital for registration and treatment unexpectedly led him to encounter Xie Ying, who lived above him.
Xie Ying was in a flamboyant red dress, looking elegant and stylish. She chewed her gum and waved at Fang Chen upon noticing him.
“…What a coincidence,” only after a long pause did Fang Chen manage to utter these three words.
Xie Ying raised an eyebrow, tilted her head, and scrutinized him. “Indeed, quite coincidental. Do you grapple with mental issues too?”
Fang Chen: “……”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Xie Ying patted his shoulder. “Why are you acting so hesitant and fearful?”
Fang Chen was dazed for a second.
His number had already been called, and Xie Ying reminded him, “They’re calling you, go on quickly.”
After coming out of the hospital, Fang Chen didn’t feel relieved at all. He filled out a long questionnaire and told the doctor a lot, but in the end, the doctor just told him to pay more attention to his sleep.
Was it genuinely as simple as that?
He couldn’t recall the questions the doctor had asked anymore, only the memory of the doctor’s somewhat icy gaze and voice remained. Then, he thought of the man whose entire body was in decay from his dream, causing his stomach to churn.
Upon returning to the neighbourhood at noon, not a soul was in sight downstairs, just like before. Fang Chen had never felt so desperate. He yearned to run into Mrs. Wu, hoping she could reassure him that all those experiences were mere illusions, entirely fabricated…
A ‘ding-ling’ sound of a bell echoed in the corridor. Fang Chen turned around to see a black-and-white cat standing on the step of the staircase. Its left eye was surrounded by black fur, while its right eye had half black and half white fur. It seemed unafraid of people, staring directly at Fang Chen, then lifting its paw to start grooming its face.
“Are you… lost?” The empty corridor caused his words to echo. Fang Chen remembered Mr. Xu on the second floor having a pet and moved his feet a bit.
The cat sensitively lifted its head, turned around, and leapt up the stairs.
Fang Chen was a bit worried. He walked over and glanced up the stairs, only to find the cat had already vanished. It probably returned home.
Just as he turned around, a woman in a white dress appeared behind him—it was Fan Yingying.
She asked, “What are you doing?”
“Just saw a cat, probably one of the pets upstairs.”
“A cat?”
“Yeah,” Fang Chen paused, “Don’t you know? Someone upstairs has a pet.”
Fan Yingying shook her head.
“Then maybe… Well, it’s just a cat. There’s no need to bring it out for a walk.” Fang Chen said with uncertainty.
There was still no one downstairs at night. Fang Chen couldn’t maintain his composure and contain his restlessness. Coincidentally, he ran into a middle-aged woman who often chatted with Mrs. Wu. Unable to hold back, he asked, “Auntie, did you see Mrs. Wu today?”
The middle-aged woman stopped and asked, “Who are you talking about?”
“The one living on the first floor. She even chatted with you the day before yesterday.” Fang Chen felt an unexplainable anxiety.
The middle-aged woman furrowed her brow as she recalled, “The one in Unit 3?”
“No… it’s Unit 1, in our building.” He felt his breath getting difficult.
“Then, I don’t recognize them. Are you sure you’re not mistaken?” The middle-aged woman glanced at their building. “Does anyone live on the first floor? I remember there’s only a young lady.”
Fang Chen couldn’t control himself and asked several familiar faces again. Their responses were consistent—none of them remembered a middle-aged couple living in the first floor.
Was it his own problem? Were all the occurrences in these days products of his imagination? Was the couple just a figment of his imagination?! The day had barely dawned, and Fang Chen was already drenched in sweat, yet his fingertips felt cold. He squatted down, continuously retching, vomiting out a bitter, acidic fluid.
Someone handed him a tissue, which he received and thanked. When he looked up, he found it was Wang Huiwen, the woman from the third-floor couple. She was carrying a bag of apples. “Are you okay? Heatstroke?”
“Just feeling a little unwell.” Fang Chen’s face turned pale, his eyes reflecting a layer of watery gloss.
Wang Huiwen glanced at him a few more times, then handed him an apple. “Have an apple to cool down?”
“No need, thank you.”
Fang Chen was in a state of disarray. Fan Yingying, standing by her own door, also appeared to have some concerns on her mind. Seeing Fang Chen and Wang Huiwen enter the building without greeting her, she could only remain leaning against the door and watching…
Wang Huiwen felt uncomfortable under that gaze, turned her head, and caught Fang Chen bowing his head in thought. Looking at his side-profile, she noticed his long eyelashes and the prominent dark circles under his eyes.
Wang Huiwen’s impression of Fang Chen began from a certain afternoon when she and Zhang Rui were leaning against the door frame, indulging in a passionate kiss. Fang Chen happened to be walking down from upstairs. She felt a moment of oddness in her heart. Of course, it wasn’t that her heart suddenly caught feelings for Fang Chen; after all, she had no intention of going for younger guys. It was simply perplexing that she didn’t have any impression of Fang Chen in the past despite his attractive appearance. Their next meeting was when Fang Chen took the initiative to ask if they knew his name…
Around two in the morning, strange noises echoed through the corridor yet again—somewhat resembling a baby’s laughter but in a sharper and thinner tone, repeatedly calling out “aah, aah.”
The room was very dark, and Fang Chen lay in bed without falling asleep. He was insomniac and could no longer think clearly. No one remembered that couple, so it could only be that something was wrong with him.
Suddenly, there was a scratching sound coming from the entryway, as if sharp nails were scraping against the door. Fang Chen remained motionless and listened with an almost numbed demeanour. Shortly after, he heard a short and sharp scream, and the knocking sound suddenly ceased.
His heart pounded wildly. He felt someone approaching and getting closer with every passing second. Fang Chen could almost sense the chill on their body. The approaching party lifted the blanket; it seemed like they were about to get onto the bed too.
Fang Chen wished he could pass out immediately, but he didn’t. He remained in a state of painful awareness until he could no longer bear it and ultimately retreated back.
“……”
A dead silence followed.
Then, it was gone—no chill, no decaying person. Fang Chen opened his eyes, finding himself surrounded by pitch darkness, with nothing in sight.
Fang Chen was unsure about how to approach the upcoming day or in what emotional state he should be. As he rose from bed and looked in the mirror, he almost dared not acknowledge the gloomy reflection as his own.
If none of these were real, when would he wake up?
“Ding-ling.”
He heard the bell sound again and found himself already reaching the second floor in a moment of absent-mindedness.
Coincidentally, Xu Wenluo came out of his home and was momentarily stunned to see Fang Chen looking so haggard.
“Mr. Xu,” Fang Chen mustered a resemblance of liveliness and greeted.
Xu Wenluo nodded, and the two fell into silence.
Almost reaching the exit of the corridor, Fang Chen suddenly remembered. “Yesterday, I saw a cat in the corridor, black and white with a bell. I wonder if it’s yours?”
Xu Wenluo had already stepped out but turned back upon hearing him, and replied after a short pause, “…Probably not.”
“It’s not?” Fang Chen hadn’t expected that. “Then who around here also owns a cat… I wonder where it went.”
Just as Xu Wenluo was walking away, Fang Chen followed and took a step before having his wrist grabbed once again. This time, Fang Chen remained composed; he had no strength left to be afraid.
Fan Yingying, on the other hand, seemed quite distressed. She clutched Fang Chen’s wrist with some force and asked, “Fang Chen, Mrs. Wu and Mr. Wu haven’t come back for two days… have they met with an accident?”
Fang Chen stood frozen.
Oh something is definitely wrong the house ? The people? or his brain?
Oh, super interesting!!!!
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙