She stared at the living room corner for a moment, her mind full of wild thoughts.
"What's wrong?" her mother asked worriedly.
Pan Jie forced herself to look away, struggling to keep her voice calm. "...It's nothing, Mom. I must have seen things."
Her mother relaxed slightly, then patted her shoulder with a mix of chiding and affection. "You scared me half to death, you little troublemaker!"
Pan Jie forced the corner of her mouth upward, managing a faint smile. "Mom, I'm a bit tired. I don't feel like eating right now. I want to lie down for a while."
"You just got home—how can you skip a meal?" her mother frowned, but seeing how exhausted she looked, she sighed. "Alright, rest first. I'll make you noodles later."
Pan Jie nodded and hurried to her room.
The moment the door closed, silence fell.
She took a deep breath, leaned against the door, and slowly turned her head.
Her gaze landed on the shadow standing behind her!
Her breath hitched. Trying to stay calm, she turned on the light!
Brightness filled the room. The shadow swayed a little but didn't vanish.
Snap!
She yanked open her schoolbag zipper, dumping out its contents and rummaging wildly.
Soon, she found a pile of peace talismans, protective charms, and exorcism papers...
These were either bought from temples or given by friends. She'd carried them out of habit, never expecting they'd actually be useful.
She didn't hesitate to slap the talismans all over her body, even pressing a few onto her forehead. Finally, she curled up into a ball under the covers and tucked them so tightly around herself that not even her head was visible.
From the ceiling, Lin Yuan silently watched the girl bundled up like a rice dumpling in bed.
He couldn't help chuckling, his tone tinged with nostalgia. "...Just like when I was a kid, after watching a horror movie."
Jiuchong: "You were like this as a child?"
Lin Yuan: "Yep. After watching ghost operas, I'd pull the covers over my head, convinced ghosts couldn't see me."
Jiuchong: "..."
Lin Yuan crossed his arms and looked at the trembling quilt. He shook his head. "Forget it, I won't scare her anymore. Let her sleep."
He retracted his ghostly aura, letting the room return to stillness.
Before she knew it, Pan Jie drifted off...
The next moment, Pan Jie found herself sitting on a chair.
The surroundings were dim, lit only by a faint lamp on the table.
She snapped her eyes open, heart pounding. Her hands clutched the chair's armrests, her body tensing instinctively.
"Are you awake?"
A calm voice sounded from the other side of the table.
Pan Jie's pupils dilated. She looked up to see a man sitting opposite her.
He wore a dark long robe, his features handsome but faintly... ashen. His complexion was pale, unlike a living person's.
Pan Jie realized instantly: This was not reality!
Her breath quickened, and she instinctively shrank back.
"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."
The man smiled faintly, as if expecting her reaction, and asked calmly, "Pan Jie, right?"
Pan Jie didn't answer, just stared at him.
The man didn't mind, continuing casually. "I'll call you Xiaojie, then."
He paused, smiling faintly. "You can call me Mr. Lin."
Pan Jie's voice trembled. "W-who are you?"
Lin Yuan tapped the table with his index finger. "7th floor, room 702—you know it, right?"
Pan Jie stiffened. Of course she knew: That was the upstairs room where a murder had occurred.
Lin Yuan lowered his head and said slowly, "I was the owner of that room... the one who got murdered."
A shiver ran down Pan Jie's spine, and goosebumps rose on her skin.
"S-so you're... a ghost?" Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Mm. Specifically, an evil ghost." Lin Yuan leaned back in his chair, speaking flatly. "But I don't harm people indiscriminately, and I won't do anything to you."
"...Then why are you here?"
"Simple." Lin Yuan looked at her, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Among the people I've met, you're the only one I don't find irritating."
Pan Jie: "..."
He added, "Besides, you have Yin-Yang eyes. So if weird supernatural stuff happens around you later, you can actually explain it to others."
"Ordinary people who see 'my kind' might collapse mentally."
He spoke slowly, "I don't want to cause unnecessary harm. Karma exists, after all."
As Pan Jie listened, her fear gradually gave way to curiosity and confusion.
A man who called himself an evil ghost, yet emphasized he didn't want to harm others?
And... he said he'd been murdered?
She swallowed, asking cautiously, "So... what exactly do you want me to do for you?"
Lin Yuan smiled, his gaze deep. "Help me uncover the truth—find the person who killed me."
He paused, as if hesitating to speak further, then coughed softly and added, "I think the reason I can't leave this building is linked to my killer."
He looked at her and softened his voice. "Or... let me follow you out of this building."
The room went silent.
===================
她的目光在客厅角落停留了一瞬,脑子里迅速闪过无数可能性.
"怎么了?" 母亲担忧地问道.
潘洁硬生生把目光收回,努力让自己的声音听起来平静:"... 没事,妈,我可能看错了."
母亲放松了些许,随即抬手拍了拍她的肩膀,语气半嗔怪半心疼:"要死啊你,敢吓你老妈!"
潘洁扯了扯嘴角,勉强露出一个笑容:"妈,我有点累了,饭先不吃了,我想睡一会儿."
"哪有一回来就不吃饭的." 母亲皱眉,但见她确实精神不太好,叹了口气,"行吧,那你先休息,我晚点煮面给你吃."
潘洁点点头,迅速往自己房间走去.
门关上的瞬间,房间陷入安静.
潘洁深吸一口气,背靠着房门,缓缓转过头.
她的目光落在自己的身后.
那里... 站着一道黑影!
她呼吸一滞,强迫自己冷静,猛地开灯!
光亮瞬间照亮整个房间,黑影似乎微微晃动了一下,但并未消失.
啪!
她快速拉开书包的拉链,把里面的东西全倒了出来,伸手胡乱地翻找.
很快,她找到了一堆平安符,护身符,驱邪符...
这些是她从庙里求来的,也有的是朋友送的,原本只是习惯性地随身带着,没想到这次居然真的派上了用场.
她二话不说,把符纸全都往自己身上贴,甚至把几张直接压在额头上.
最后,她整个人缩进被窝里,把被子狠狠地裹紧,连头都不敢露出来.
天花板上,林远静静地俯视着床上那团裹得像粽子一样的女孩.
他忍不住轻笑了一声,语气带着几分怀念:"... 和我小时候,看完鬼片后一模一样."
九重:"你小时候也是这样?"
林远:"可不嘛,小时候看完鬼戏,我也是把被子盖到头顶,觉得这样鬼就看不见我了."
九重:"..."
林远双手环抱在胸前,看着潘洁轻微颤抖的被子,微微摇头:"算了,不吓她了,让她好好睡一觉吧."
于是,他收回了身上的阴气,让房间恢复了安静.
不知不觉间,潘洁真的睡着了...
下一秒,潘洁感觉自己坐在一张椅子上.
周围的环境昏暗,只有桌上点着一盏微弱的灯.
她猛地睁开眼,心跳陡然加快,双手死死抓住椅子的扶手,身体本能地绷紧.
"你醒了?"
一个平静的声音在桌子对面响起.
潘洁的瞳孔微微颤动,她抬头,看到一个男人正坐在她的对面.
男人身穿一件深色的长衫,长相俊逸,却透着一股淡淡的... 灰白.他的脸色略显苍白,不像活人.
潘洁瞬间意识到,这不是现实!
她的呼吸变得急促,下意识地向后缩去.
"别怕,我不会害你."
男人轻笑了一声,似乎早就料到她的反应,语气平静地说道:"你叫潘洁,对吧?"
潘洁没有回答,只是死死盯着他.
男人也不在意,自顾自地说道:"那就叫你小洁好了."
他顿了顿,微微一笑:"你可以叫我林先生."
潘洁的声音有些发颤:"你... 你是谁?"
林远食指轻轻敲了敲桌面:"7楼702,你知道吧?"
潘洁一怔,她当然知道,那是楼上曾经发生命案的房间.
林远微微低头,语气不急不缓:"我是那间屋子的屋主,也就是被人谋杀的那位."
潘洁的后背顿时泛起一股冷意,浑身的鸡皮疙瘩都冒了出来.
"所以,你是... 鬼?" 她的声音几乎快要飘起来了.
"嗯,准确来说,是个恶鬼." 林远靠在椅背上,淡淡地说道,"不过,我不乱害人,也不会对你怎么样."
"... 那你找我做什么?"
"简单." 林远看着她,嘴角微微扬起,"目前遇到的人里,只有你是我看得顺眼的."
潘洁:"..."
林远继续道:"而且,你似乎有阴阳眼,这就意味着,将来在你周围发生灵异事件时,你至少可以对外人做出合理解释."
"再说了,普通人如果真的看到 '我们这些好兄弟' ,心理素质可能会直接崩溃."
他慢条斯理地说道:"我可不想乱害人,会有因果报应的."
潘洁听着这话,心里的恐惧渐渐被好奇和疑惑取代.
一个自称恶鬼的男人,却在强调不想害人?
而且... 他说自己被谋杀了?
潘洁吞了吞口水,小心翼翼地问:"那... 你到底想让我帮你什么?"
林远微微一笑,目光深邃:"帮我找到真相,找到害死我的人."
他顿了顿,似乎想说什么,最终只是轻轻咳了一声,补充道:"我怀疑,我不能离开这栋楼的原因,和害死我的人有关."
他看着潘洁,语气放缓:"或者... 你可以让我跟在你身边,带我离开这栋楼."
房间里瞬间陷入了一片死寂.