"That's way too intense," someone said.
"Intense?" Old Wang's eyes bulged. "I've lived long enough to see a lot, but if it were anyone else, a jumper like that would've given them a heart attack. My chest still feels tight. Every time I close my eyes, I see that red pajama figure in a pool of blood, swaying in front of me. No way, I'm talking to the boss about a raise. These incidents keep happening, and I'll lose ten years of my life otherwise."
"Was the jumper really pregnant?" I asked.
Before Old Wang could answer, the old man butted in, acting superior. "Who are you? Got ID? This isn't a place for just anyone to barge into."
I got mad. He didn't care about all the women crowding in, but he had energy to pick on me. No surprise, though—I look refined with my gold-rimmed glasses and honest face, the kind people love to mess with. Old Wang leaned back in his chair, sipping hot tea. "Young man, get out. Stop poking around."
The women nearby chimed in with sarcasm. "People these days are awful. They get all excited when someone dies, just waiting to gossip."
Their taunts pissed me off. I slammed the table. "Stop talking nonsense. I'm here to rent a place."
They looked at me like I was an idiot. Someone had just jumped to their death, and here I was, eager to move in. Was my brain caught in a door or something?
I regretted saying it instantly. My current shared lease had half a month left, and I was comfortable, planning to renew. I don't know what short-circuited in my head to make me want to rent here.
"For real? You're not joking, are you?" the old man said.
"Do I look like I have time to mess with you?" I pulled out my bank card and ID, slapping them on the table.
Old Wang put on his reading glasses and flipped through a tattered notebook. "All the rentals in this building are registered with me. Let's see… 8th floor, 15th floor, and 21st floor have vacancies. Which one do you want?"
I discreetly checked Ma Danlong's address and said, "21st floor. I like it quiet."
Old Wang gave me a strange look but said nothing. He leisurely put on arm sleeves, all business-like, picked up the landline, and dialed. "Sister Liu, someone's here to rent your place. You home? Good, come down. It's a young guy, at the front desk."
I felt uneasy. I'd only meant to check the place out, but now I was actually moving in. Who'd feel comfortable living in a cursed building like this?
Soon, a woman in her fifties came down, looking drained, her face pale and expression grim. She walked in and asked, "Who's renting?"
"You must be Sister Liu. That's me," I said.
"Where you from, young man?"
"I work nearby. Want a place closer to my job. My current spot's too far, and the commute's a hassle."
She glanced at my ID. "Alright, come up and see the place first."
We took the elevator up. The building was old, with an ancient elevator that reeked of a foul odor. I wrinkled my nose, covering it. Sister Liu stood in front, facing away, not noticing.
Neither of us spoke. The elevator was dead silent.
We reached the 21st floor. Exiting the elevator, we turned into a hallway with street-facing windows on one side and apartment doors on the other. It was eerily empty, not even cluttered with the usual doorstep junk. Sister Liu shuffled ahead, hunched over, while I followed, glancing out the window. From the 21st floor, the cars below looked like matchboxes, and people scurried like ants.
Past the hallway was another corner, leading to a dark, unlit alcove that felt like a cave. Sister Liu kept walking, but I was getting uneasy. Living in a hallway-facing room was one thing, but this creepy nook?
Thankfully, there were motion-sensor lights in the corridor, though they cast a dim, yellowish glow, like an old, faded photo tinged with age.
Sister Liu stopped at a door painted red, with a tattered, upside-down "Fortune" character stuck on it, a so-called "reversed blessing." For some reason, I thought of Peng Gang's story about the basement door with a similar "Fortune" sticker.
A strange feeling hit me, hard to pinpoint. Before I could dwell on it, Sister Liu opened the door.
Inside was a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment. The living room was sparse, with a worn sofa, a 30-inch LCD TV opposite, and a dining table in the middle. I touched the table—it was fairly clean, with a faint oily smell, suggesting someone had eaten here recently.
The bathroom was against the wall, with two bedrooms on either side of its door, facing the entrance. The right bedroom was locked, with a pair of men's slippers outside. Sister Liu opened the left bedroom door. It was small, maybe 20-30 square meters, with a bed, wardrobe, computer desk, and white curtains with floral patterns. It was clean, like a girl's bedroom.
I was about to sit on the bed when a thought struck me. I jumped up like I'd been shocked. "Damn, Sister Liu, don't screw me over. Is this the room the jumper lived in?"
She looked at me, surprised. "What are you thinking? I'm not that heartless. That girl, Lin Xia, lived on the 21st floor, but on the hallway side. You're right, though—this room was rented by a girl before, but she moved out ages ago, and it's been empty since."
"Who lives across?" I asked.
"Another young guy, about your age. Moved in half a month ago. Paid six months' rent upfront, pretty well-off."
I blinked, probing. "What does he do?"
"Who knows? I don't pry as long as the rent's paid and they don't cause trouble. He seems honest, not the type to stir things up, so don't worry."
"The door's locked…"
"It's Sunday. Probably out with his girlfriend, normal stuff. I've come by a few times and never seen him—maybe he's busy with work. Anyway, this is the place. Rent's 500 a month. Go ask around—you won't find a deal like this in the city. I'll be honest, it's cheap because of the incidents here, like what you saw this morning."
"I still feel uneasy. What's the deal with the girl who jumped?"
Sister Liu sighed, looking at me. "Little Liu, we're practically family, so I won't scam you. I'll be straight—the jumper's place was one I rented out, too. The police grilled me all morning about it."
"Why'd she jump?" I asked.
Her eyes darted. "You renting or not? Give me a straight answer, and I'll tell you."
"I'll rent," I nodded, feeling like I was on the edge of something big.
Sister Liu, a seasoned landlady, had a contract ready. We signed, I paid three months' rent plus a deposit, and her face lit up. Then she talked about the girl. "Her name was Lin Xia. Moved in last year, I think with her boyfriend, though they didn't live together. She was alone here. Honestly, she was great—cute, chubby, polite. Kept the place spotless and even helped me out sometimes. Never thought a girl like that would jump."
She sighed heavily.
"I heard she was pregnant, true?" I asked.
Sister Liu winked mysteriously. "I'm not one to gossip, but yeah, she was. About a month ago, she came to me with a pregnancy test, saying her period was late. I could tell right away she was pregnant and congratulated her. But her face turned ugly, and she left without a word."
I rubbed my forehead, thinking hard. If Ma Danlong really could cross between life and death, these suicides in the building had to be connected to him somehow. Call it a gut feeling—like a room suddenly stinking, and one guy's got a bad stomach. No one's buying it's not his fault.
I wondered if Lin Xia's death was linked to Ma Danlong, but from Sister Liu's story, it didn't seem so. Her boyfriend couldn't be Ma Danlong, and her pregnancy and suicide seemed tied to relationship issues, not him.
Lost in thought, I didn't notice Sister Liu vanish. The room filled with an indescribable chill, like swamp water creeping up my body. Goosebumps erupted, and the cold seeped into my bones. My thoughts felt trapped in a tiny, constricted space, trembling like I was caught in a nightmare.
Guess what I remembered? Peng Gang's story about his father's heart attack while winter swimming—frozen, powerless, consciousness fading into a black hole.
My teeth chattered. With a burst of strength, I yelled, "Ah!" and jumped up. Sister Liu was right in front of me, clutching her chest, face pale. "Little Liu, what's wrong? You scared the hell out of me!"
I stared at her, swallowing hard, sweat dripping from my forehead. That upside-down "Fortune" on the door had felt off, and now the Peng family's stories were playing out in my life. Damn, this was too creepy!
Wiping my sweat, I forced a smile. "Sorry, Sister Liu. I must've dozed off and had a nightmare."
She looked at me like it was the first time, patting her chest. "Don't scare me like that. Lin Xia's incident was bad enough, and now you? I'll have a heart attack."
This woman had a mouth on her, comparing me to a dead person.
She gave me a few more instructions and left. Once she was gone, my heart felt empty. Staring at the unfamiliar room, it was like living in a bizarre dream.
I sat on the bed, then called my roommate. He flipped out when he heard I was moving, cursing me for five minutes straight. We were close and had planned to keep renting together, so I'd broken my word. Despite the scolding, I still had to sweet-talk him into lending me his car to move.
We set a time for the afternoon. I needed to pack. Stepping out to the hallway, I noticed how dim it was, even before noon, with a gloomy, eerie vibe. Looking at the long corridor and back at the dark alcove, I regretted everything. This place could drive even a sane person mad.