Chapter 6

Zhou Huaixia had only been home for two days when she decided to return to school. Her father initially disagreed: "Why do you suddenly need to go back today?"

He had gone out early that morning to buy groceries, intending to cook some of his daughter’s favorite dishes for lunch.

"If Xiaoxia wants to go back, let her go," her mother said. Worried that yesterday’s events were affecting her daughter, she felt that returning to school might actually be a good thing—it would get her away from the chaotic neighborhood; even this morning, those parents were still causing a scene at the main gate.

Zhou Huaixia had already changed her ticket and would be flying to S City at noon. She shouldered her bag and said, "I made plans to hang out with a classmate."

Since it was rare for their daughter to take the initiative to see friends, her parents had no reason to refuse. They immediately grabbed their keys to drive her to the airport.

On the plane, Zhou Huaixia thought a great deal.

Lü Jin must have mentally rehearsed these scenarios countless times; otherwise, those two dreams could not have been so vivid and logical.

Yes, vivid and logical.

Human dreams are usually disjointed and jumpy, where illogical events occur as if they were perfectly natural.

It was like the girl in Building 23 whose arm was bitten off by a pig, only to have it grow back out of thin air; or the boy who committed suicide in the residential complex, his body pierced by two twisted alarm clocks, yet he continued to live against all reason, ink flowing from the pencil in his hand, while the two proctors before and behind him had oversized surveillance cameras for heads.

In dreams, such absurd people and events are commonplace, unnoticed by the dreamer.

But the dream about torturing the cat had been so clear it felt like reality. The space she perceived had no distortions; even the serial numbers on the sewer covers were real.

Zhou Huaixia wasn't sure if those two dreams were Lü Jin's fantasies from before the incident or her memories from after, but there were bound to be clues to a psychopath's mind.

She had to see that staff dormitory.

Once she found suspicious evidence, she would report it immediately!

...

"Why are you back?" Lü Jin moved slowly toward the door of the staff dormitory, forcing a smile. "Weren't you at home this morning?"

In that moment, various news headlines flashed through her mind: *A female college student stalks her roommate for years—is it madness born of love or hatred born of resentment?*

Zhou Huaixia looked melancholic. "I had another argument with my parents about my major this morning, so I just decided to come back to school early."

Lü Jin let out a sigh of relief; it wasn't because she had hung up on her video call earlier.

"Since it's the holiday and I don't know anyone else at school, I wanted to come find you," Zhou Huaixia said, suddenly clutching her stomach. "Could I use your bathroom?"

Lü Jin hesitated for a moment, but seeing the genuine pain on her face, she kindly led her upstairs.

There were only two apartments on each floor of the staff dormitory, facing each other. Each was eighty square meters, consisting of two bedrooms, a living room, and a small balcony. It was a very comfortable setup for a single person, and the hallway was clean.

Lü Jin pushed open the door on the left, which was decorated with a spring couplet, and put on her mother’s slippers. Before she could even bend down, she saw Zhou Huaixia reach out and open the shoe cabinet, staring into it thoughtfully, as if considering which pair to wear.

Lü Jin: "..."

She began to regret bringing her in. Was there actually something wrong with Zhou Huaixia's brain?

Zhou Huaixia’s gaze finally shifted from the shoe cabinet to meet her roommate’s eyes, looking completely innocent. "What’s wrong?"

There wasn't a single pair of shoes with black laces in the cabinet, but Zhou Huaixia keenly sensed the worry Lü Jin couldn't hide.

She was afraid of what she might find!

"Slippers are here," Lü Jin said expressionlessly, kicking her own slippers toward Zhou Huaixia. "The bathroom is down the hall to the left."

Once Zhou Huaixia was done, she had to get her out of here immediately.

"Thanks."

Zhou Huaixia noticed the shift in Lü Jin’s mood, which only confirmed that she hadn't come for nothing. This apartment was likely hiding something unspeakable.

"Left!" Lü Jin stood in the living room, watching Zhou Huaixia head straight to the right, and couldn't help but remind her. "That's the study."

Zhou Huaixia already had her hand on the doorknob, so she pretended not to hear, twisted the handle, and pushed the door open hard.

The study was clear at a glance: a row of shelves filled with medical books, a desk in the middle, and a human skeleton in the corner. That was it.

"Sorry, wrong room." Zhou Huaixia acted as if she had just realized her mistake and turned to head left.

Lü Jin, who had watched the whole thing: "..."

Zhou Huaixia entered the bathroom and closed the door. She looked around; it was even clearer than the chaotic glimpses she’d seen in the video. It was exactly like the scene in her dream. She reached out, pulled the glass partition door open, looked at the showerhead for a moment, then turned to look at the grab bar on the white square tiles.

This bar was supposed to be for the elderly and children to prevent falls while bathing.

Zhou Huaixia leaned in to inspect it. She remembered that in her dream, the white cat had dug its claws into the bar, leaving clear scratches.

...There were none.

The stone in her heart felt a little lighter. It seemed those two dreams were merely the countless fantasies Lü Jin had rehearsed beforehand.

Zhou Huaixia turned and walked out of the shower stall, then gingerly opened the mirrored cabinet to check. Inside were just a few simple skincare products and toothpaste; nothing else strange.

In the living room.

Lü Jin shielded her phone, glancing at the bathroom door from time to time, and whispered furtively: "Ms. Lü Zhihua, I would like to request a room change."

Professor Lü was still discussing surgery plans with students. She tossed back only two words: "Reason."

Lü Jin: "I think my roommate isn't quite normal."

Professor Lü flatly rejected it: "Request denied."

"Why?!" Lü Jin tried to seize the chance to exaggerate Zhou Huaixia’s problems. "She’s not motivated, and she’s just... weird..."

"Before the semester started, all freshmen took a psychological evaluation. I’ve seen your roommate’s scores; she is perfectly healthy," Professor Lü interrupted sternly. "Lü Jin, don't label people just for the sake of your own convenience."

Lü Jin felt a bit guilty. "I’m not."

Professor Lü didn't wait for further explanation and instead ordered: "Tomorrow is your cousin's birthday. I don't have time to buy a gift. You go buy it tonight—that stationery shop with the pink decor. She said she liked some co-branded princess bag they have."

Lü Jin didn't want to. "I'm already at the staff dorm; I don't want to go out."

Lü Zhihua: "Bring it tomorrow morning."

Listening to the dial tone, Lü Jin pulled at her hair in frustration. Ms. Lü Zhihua was determined to make her suffer. What was so good about communal living anyway?

*Click.*

The bathroom door opened. Seeing Zhou Huaixia walk out slowly, Lü Jin cleared her throat, pushed up her glasses, and said, "You done? I have to go out to buy something. You go back to the dorm first."

Hearing this, Zhou Huaixia became instantly alert. "Where are you going? What are you buying?"

In two more hours, it would be pitch black.

Lü Jin spoke quickly: "I'm going off-campus to buy a gift for my cousin."

Zhou Huaixia immediately stepped forward: "I'll go with you. I don't have anything to do during the break anyway."

Lü Jin wished she could sew her mouth shut.

"Do you not want me to come?" Zhou Huaixia seemed to see something, her already pale face looking even sadder. She lowered her eyes. "Sorry."

Not letting her go meant there was something fishy; she would just follow her secretly later.

Lü Jin was a pushover for guilt. After two seconds of silence, she said, "I didn't say that. Let's go."

Before leaving, Zhou Huaixia deliberately left her bag in the bathroom to create an excuse for entering the staff dormitory again.

However, Lü Jin was exceptionally sharp this time. Just as they reached the door, she suddenly turned to stare at her, adjusted her glasses, and said: "Where’s your bag? Did you leave it in the bathroom?"

She had successfully crushed her roommate's chance to get closer!

Zhou Huaixia: "..."

Xicheng District, the first floor of a large shopping mall.

Lü Jin glanced at Zhou Huaixia, who was following closely behind, and thought: *Ms. Lü Zhihua, you really should see this—your daughter is being stalked!*

Zhou Huaixia scanned the crowd with feigned boredom, her gaze landing on the pink, glittering storefront ahead. *So Lü Jin really is just out buying a gift.*

The two of them entered the trendy accessory shop, each with their own hidden agenda.

It was the National Day holiday, and the store was crowded with young women, with a few men accompanying them.

Lü Jin looked down at the messages in the family group to find out which co-branded bag her cousin liked, then took her phone to ask a clerk.

Zhou Huaixia wandered nearby, occasionally picking up strange toys to look at.

On the innermost shelf hung a row of plush animal backpacks. She found them interesting, walked over, and took down a pink fox bag. She raised an eyebrow, a flicker of interest in her eyes. But before she could look closer, her brain suddenly felt as if it had been split open, forcefully invaded by a chaotic image: a large, knobby hand wielding a kitchen knife, hacking frantically at a fair, fragile neck; blood sprayed wildly, a red mist filling her vision.

What was this?

Zhou Huaixia’s head throbbed with agony, her face turning ghastly pale. One hand braced against the shelf, the other clutching the plush bag tightly. She wasn't even sleeping—how could she enter someone else's dream?

She fought to steady herself, shaking her head hard, trying to clear her mind.

The next moment, another scene flashed before her eyes: two slender silhouettes walking hand-in-hand. They were wearing pink and blue sailor uniforms, black leather shoes on their feet, and behind them was a row of neatly arranged pink water cups.

"National Day discount: 50 off for every 500, 120 off for every 1000—buy more, save more..."

Two overlapping, sweet female voices from the store broadcast played in her ears. Zhou Huaixia blinked rapidly; one moment she saw the pink fox bag in her hand, the next she saw the backs of two girls.

Zhou Huaixia could even feel herself walking. She rubbed her eyes hard and looked at the panda bag in her hand. Before she could recover, a row of shelves filled with various pink, glittery pens flashed before her eyes.

"..."

This was clearly what she had seen when she first entered the shop, even the two large characters for "So expensive" on the trial notebook were exactly the same.

Zhou Huaixia couldn't react in time; her head felt like it was being split apart, as if her entire body had been thrown into a high-speed centrifuge.

"Ugh!"

Zhou Huaixia’s face was pale and wretched. One hand clamped over her mouth, her eyes forced out physiological tears. The next second, she "saw" a mirror.

Caught off guard, she met the eyes of the person in the mirror.

A man.

She saw him—a man with prominent cheekbones, his triangular eyes full of gloom and excitement, wearing a black jacket. One hand was tucked into his chest as he passed by the wall mirror.

Zhou Huaixia recoiled violently, gasping for air. Ignoring the chaos and sharp, stinging pain in her head, she turned around and stumbled out, holding onto the shelves from the innermost aisle.

That row of pink water cups... she remembered seeing them when she walked in...

Zhou Huaixia hurried past the familiar pen display, standing between two rows of shelves. Her gaze shifted from the bag-filled shelves on the left to the pink cup-filled shelves on the right. Then, looking at the man in the black jacket standing with his back to her, she looked past his shoulder toward the two girls in pink and blue sailor suits standing in front of the cosmetic counter.

There was a sudden, absurd feeling of a dream invading reality.

However, reality gave her no time to think.

From Zhou Huaixia’s angle, she could already see the man quickening his pace toward the two girls, and... a sharp kitchen knife being drawn from inside the black jacket.

"The Pink Monkey princess bag is a rare item in our store; there's a discount if you buy it today."

Lü Jin took the co-branded bag the clerk had found for her and prepared to head to the counter to pay. As she looked up, she saw Zhou Huaixia appear opposite her. Before she could speak, she saw Zhou Huaixia suddenly look determined, charging straight toward her.

"?"

Lü Jin was confused, shocked, and dodged nimbly.

As a result, she watched Zhou Huaixia rush past her position and leap, slamming heavily into the neighboring shelf.

Lü Jin turned her head, dumbfounded, watching as her crazed roommate knocked over the shelf filled with cups with a loud crash. The co-branded bag in her own hand fell to the ground unconsciously.

*Ms. Lü Zhihua, are you seeing this?*

*Zhou Huaixia is truly not normal!!!*

Everyone in the store was drawn by the massive crash and turned to look.

"Holy shit! You're crushing someone!"

Lü Jin suddenly noticed that there seemed to be a person under the collapsed shelf that Zhou Huaixia was pinning down. She rushed over to pull her away, trying to save the person underneath.

Zhou Huaixia felt blackness clouding her vision. Realizing the man under the shelf was struggling, she pressed down on the frame with all her might and, fighting to stay conscious, shouted to the approaching Lü Jin: "Call the police! He has a knife, he's trying to kill someone!"

"What?"

Lü Jin paused, focusing her gaze. Sure enough, among the scattered water cups, she saw a man’s hand gripping a kitchen knife. Without a second thought, she rushed forward, stomped hard on the hand, and bent down to snatch the knife away.