Lin Yuan and Du Xiaonan covered their mouths, stifling giggles, while Xu Lingling fumed, her eyes flashing with irritation.
"Hmph! You didn't know, did you? Five years ago, the body of that girl Xiao Qing was laid right on this table," Xu Lingling snapped, deliberately raising her voice to draw attention.
At her words, Lin Yuan, who had been shoveling food into her mouth, choked and spat out her rice in a fit of coughing.
"What nonsense! We're eating here!" Du Xiaonan glared, furious.
"Don't believe me? Go ask around! Why do you think no one sits here, even when the cafeteria's packed? You think this spot was reserved just for you?" Xu Lingling shot a pointed look at Su Jiner.
"That was five years ago. The tables have probably been replaced since then. And even if it happened here, so what?" Su Jiner replied calmly, though her smile didn't reach her eyes. "If it bothers you, feel free to sit elsewhere."
She hadn't disliked Xu Lingling before, but her arrogance was grating.
Xu Lingling glanced at Chu Feifan, who was quietly eating, then huffed and plopped down across from him. "With Feifan here, I'm not scared anyway!"
Su Jiner exhaled silently. Five years ago has nothing to do with me. I'm just here to study. Whatever happened back then won't touch us.
The afternoon anatomy class was Lin Yuan's favorite. By the time they returned to the dorm, she was practically bouncing off the walls.
"Stop spinning around! You're making me dizzy," Su Jiner groaned.
"Do you think we'll get to see real organs today? Maybe even hold a scalpel!" Lin Yuan's eyes sparkled.
"You're obsessed. You're not cut out to be a doctor—you should be a forensic pathologist."
"That's exactly what I want to be! Join me, Jiner!" Lin Yuan leaned in, grinning.
"No thanks."
"Hey, don't you think it's weird?" Lin Yuan's tone suddenly turned serious as she sat beside Su Jiner.
"What is?"
"That story about Xiao Qing. Ouyang Chunxiao said it was a huge secret, warned us not to talk about it. But now it feels like everyone knows except us."
Su Jiner's dark hair curtained her face as she bowed her head. After a pause, she met Lin Yuan's gaze. "Xiao Yuan, ever since the military training, I've had this... bad feeling. Like something's off, but I can't pinpoint what. Like something's about to happen."
Lin Yuan frowned. "Is it because of the stories?"
"When I was little, I used to visit the countryside. The elders told me ghost stories—some sounded real. Back then, I believed. Remember my childhood friend Qiangzi?"
"Yeah?"
"His grandma once said Qiangzi was haunted as a baby. He was crying strangely—like someone was choking him. A shaman said a ghost tried to strangle him."
"You believe that?"
Su Jiner shook her head. "I don't know. As a kid, I did. Now? Not so much. That's why I think the five-year-old case was human-made. And it has nothing to do with us. Let's stay out of it, okay?"
Lin Yuan finally understood—Su Jiner wasn't scared. She just didn't want their curiosity dragging them into danger.
"Got it. We'll focus on studying."
The anatomy class passed uneventfully. For once, Lin Yuan didn't obsess over mysteries. She listened intently as the professor explained human anatomy. Though they didn't perform actual dissections, she stared fascinated at the preserved cadaver. When you die, is it truly the end? Or does something linger—what people call ghosts?
After class, her excitement returned. "The formaldehyde smell was brutal! But the body was so well-preserved. I even touched the skin—still elastic!"
"Please tell me you wore gloves."
"Uh... I may have taken them off."
"Disgusting."
"I almost threw up," Du Xiaonan muttered, her face still pale.
Just then, Li Yiqian squeezed through the crowd, smiling. "How was it? Anyone scared?"
"Not scared, just nauseated," Du Xiaonan admitted.
"Really? It's not so different from a living body," Li Yiqian said cheerfully.
"Everyone reacts differently," Su Jiner interjected.
Li Yiqian shrugged. "Anyway, I need to find Professor Zhang. See you later!"
By 8 p.m., the autumn night had darkened. Wind rattled the windows as Su Jiner read Sherlock Holmes, the occasional page-turn the only sound. Li Yiqian still hadn't returned. Lin Yuan and Du Xiaonan lounged on their beds, scrolling through their phones.
"Where's Yiqian? It's so late," Du Xiaonan suddenly said.
"Probably still busy," Su Jiner replied.
The moment the words left her mouth, a rhythmic knock echoed at the door.
"Speak of the devil!" Lin Yuan jumped down and hurried to open it.
But she froze in the doorway, her spine rigid.
"Xiao Yuan, why aren't you letting her in?" Su Jiner called when no footsteps followed.
Silence. Only the faint tapping of Du Xiaonan's phone.
"Xiao Yuan—" Su Jiner stood, approaching the door.
"There's... no one here," Lin Yuan whispered, trembling.
Over her shoulder, Su Jiner saw an empty hallway. Even the motion-sensor lights were off. Did we really hear knocking?
"Must've been the wind," she said, though unease prickled her skin.
"But the wind doesn't knock in patterns," Du Xiaonan argued, joining them.
Then—footsteps. Slow, cautious, as if someone was sneaking upstairs.
"Who's there?"
Despite her skepticism, Su Jiner's pulse quickened. In the dead of night, even the bravest would feel fear.
Gritting her teeth, she stepped forward. "Let me see."
The footsteps reached the fourth floor. The three girls stood paralyzed as a white sneaker emerged—one foot testing the ground, then pausing.
Finally, the figure revealed herself.
"Li Yiqian!" Lin Yuan exploded. "Are you trying to scare us to death? Knock and disappear, then creep up like a ghost?"
Li Yiqian blinked. "I just got back. And how could I knock with you three blocking the door?"
As they filed inside, Lin Yuan continued, "Then why did you stick one foot out and freeze? We nearly had heart attacks!"
"I saw writing on the wall and stopped to look! How was I supposed to know you'd be staring at my foot?"
"We heard knocking, thought it was you! But when we opened the door, no one was there!" Lin Yuan retorted.
"I told you, I just got back."
"Did you see anyone else on the stairs?" Du Xiaonan pressed.
"No. Just me."
Silence fell.
Li Yiqian's voice dropped. "You... really heard knocking?"