She seemed to be dreaming again.
For some reason, she dreamt about things from her middle school days.
Back then, she wore the mask of being “outgoing,” thinking that would help her get along with everyone and protect herself from getting hurt again.
But reality was cruel.
After a series of events caused her facade to break, she directly applied to a university in another province and deleted all contact information of people she used to know.
Here, except for the social interactions she deemed necessary, she no longer had the energy to show warmth to anyone.
She had completely transformed from a “bright corner” into a shadowed one.
Even so, in her freshman year last year, she still experienced a headache-inducing harassment incident.
Though Lin Yanqiu stepped in to help temporarily resolve it, the real culprit was never found…
Why would anyone like her gloomy personality?
She had always been scolded for that expressionless face before…
Groggily waking up, she heard her roommates laughing and chatting downstairs.
Looks like it was their voices that woke her.
But she didn’t feel grumpy getting up; after all, it wasn’t officially sleeping time yet, so roommates chatting was perfectly normal.
She wanted to check her phone for the time but realized something was off.
“Hm?”
Hua Qian’an’s mind went blank; this situation felt familiar.
She seemed to… be experiencing sleep paralysis again?
Her whole body was immobile once more.
But her roommates’ voices were clearly ringing in her ears.
Though dim, Hua Qian’an could still see the floral pattern at the top of her curtain.
It was almost exactly the same scene as the night she slept in that haunted house.
Her heart fluttered briefly, but Hua Qian’an quickly calmed down.
This was school; she was no longer in that place.
What people call “ghost pressing” is, scientifically speaking, just sleep paralysis.
Back then, those strange waterweed-like sounds were just hallucinations created by the brain.
Thinking this way, Hua Qian’an indeed felt much better.
Suddenly, a heavy sensation pressed on her chest, a familiar feeling.
Her whole body tensed, and her fingertips stiffened.
She sensed something heavy clawing at her, like it was crawling onto her body.
Yet, she couldn’t close her eyes.
A figure gradually appeared before her.
“Ugh…”
The floral pattern on the ceiling was blocked.
Hua Qian’an’s vision was filled with something else.
What appeared before her wasn’t some terrifying disfigured ghost illusion, but a person with a nose and eyes.
Only the semi-transparent body constantly reminded Hua Qian’an that this was just a hallucination.
Though heavy on her chest, Hua Qian’an inexplicably felt a softness, as if her chest was pressed against something soft, with a faint resistance pushing back.
She guessed this must be a female.
Her breathing slowed for a moment, and a familiar scent slowly wafted to her nose.
Like just coming out of water, a salty dampness mixed with earth and river water.
Hua Qian’an was extremely familiar with this smell.
Was it because of her bizarre experience in the haunted house?
Even the hallucination her brain conjured reused this scent.
Before her eyes was the girl’s face.
Beautiful features, with a refreshing, girl-next-door vibe.
Her smile was sweet, eyes and brows curved in a gentle arc, looking at Hua Qian’an with a grin, but without real warmth.
Looking at that smile gave Hua Qian’an a chill down her spine.
Why did a smile feel so eerie?
Her skin was very pale—not the usual fair skin—but stared at Hua Qian’an like it never tired; she didn’t blink for a long while.
This person, Hua Qian’an was clearly familiar with, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember who she was…
She wanted to speak but couldn’t control her body.
She could only endure.
Why did this feel so strangely familiar?
The figure buried her face in Hua Qian’an’s neck and rubbed against it.
So cold.
Hua Qian’an shivered.
She thought her usual body temperature was already low, but at this moment, this girl still made her feel icy.
They stayed like this for a long time.
Hua Qian’an’s unease grew.
She couldn’t sense anything from this girl.
No body heat, no heartbeat, no breathing.
It was like a corpse lying on her…
She comforted herself that this was just an illusion.
If she could hold on, she would wake up.
Hua Qian’an decided to show this damned hallucination her strong willpower; no matter how much she was disturbed, she would try to remain calm.
“Eek—”
The icy sensation suddenly darted wildly across her body.
But her clothes were neatly worn; Hua Qian’an didn’t feel like any part was missing.
This wasn’t a chill from temperature—it felt like someone was deliberately touching her body.
Like two hands without warmth, gliding down from her neck, crossing her chest and abdomen, stroking her smooth thighs before moving toward an indescribable place.
That cold, slightly ticklish feeling was unbearable.
Where they were heading made Hua Qian’an even more uncomfortable.
Even if it was an illusion, this was too much.
A breath as cold as ice suddenly blew into her ear, making her hairs stand on end.
She noticed the figure had leaned close to her ear.
An indescribable sensation from the strange place near her legs flushed her ears bright red instantly.
D-Don’t touch me.
Even if it’s an illusion, it’s not allowed.
“…”
“Hey, did you hear about that terrifying Professor Lin teaching this year’s elective?”
“I heard she’s really pretty but super strict, failure rates sky-high, so many requirements for an elective, only fools would pick it.”
“All the other classes are full, but hers still has half the slots left. Haha, guess some poor souls will be forced to transfer in.”
“Yingying, you know that and still say it? So mean, haha.”
“…”
Her roommates’ voices grew louder, making Hua Qian’an impossible to ignore.
Yet she was completely immobile, forced to endure whatever happened…
Her roommates were right outside, but she lay in bed experiencing this.
If Hua Qian’an could see herself now, she was sure her ears would be red enough to bleed.
Had she been subconsciously craving attention lately?
Why was this happening?
A faint, plaintive female voice sounded in her ear.
Hua Qian’an seemed to recall hearing it before when sleeping in the house, though she hadn’t caught the words then.
But now, the voice kept repeating a single word, and with each repetition, it grew clearer.
Finally, she heard exactly what it was—
[“Liar…”]
What?
[“Liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar…”]
“Ah—!”
Suddenly overwhelmed, her mind blanked, as if countless snowflakes flickered inside her brain.
[“…You forgot me?”]
Where lively eyes should have been, there was suddenly a horrifying hollow, staring emptily at Hua Qian’an.
The salty dampness thickened into substance, accompanied by the slimy, gloomy voice from deep underwater, crawling up through Hua Qian’an’s marrow like a bone infection.
A dull, unbearable pain erupted from her abdomen, as if something inside her had shattered, sending Hua Qian’an into a fog of confusion.
[“You can only be mine—!”]
Hua Qian’an was unable to think anymore.
Forget staying calm—she had thrown that aside.
Lying in bed, her lips trembled, but the pain in her body stopped her from making a sound.
The terrifying figure had vanished.
She moved her hands and found she had regained control.
The pain faded somewhat, leaving only lingering aches, and Hua Qian’an finally had the strength to get up.
At the same time, she noticed that the dorm room had fallen strangely silent.
The previous chatter was completely gone, replaced by an awkward stillness.
She slowly pulled back the curtains; the light made her squint instinctively.
When her eyes adjusted, she saw her three roommates all looking at her with surprise.
“Xiao Qian, are you okay?”
Only then did Hua Qian’an realize her condition: her body drenched in sweat, her complexion probably pale, but her head inexplicably burning.
At the same time, something hard to admit—there was a special scent beneath her that only she could smell…
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