Ever since he personally saw someone jump from the window, Ji Leshui's mental state hadn't been very good for a while.

Lin Banxia could also tell he was frightened. For several days in a row, he got off his night shift early and, to comfort his friend, even specially made several of Ji Leshui's favorite meals.

The neighbor next door had moved in several days ago. Lin Banxia had wanted to say hello, but for the past few days, the neighbor had been very elusive, so Lin Banxia had to give up the idea.

Today, Lin Banxia had to work the night shift again. Although he was a little worried, he had no choice but to leave Ji Leshui at home alone.

As soon as Lin Banxia left, Ji Leshui immediately turned the TV volume to its maximum, huddling on the sofa, not daring to move.

Outside the window, dusk had fallen. Thick clouds covered the moonlight and stars, leaving only a gloom that seemed ready to swallow a person whole.

The whistling cold wind beat against the glass window. If one listened closely, they could faintly hear the mournful sound of the wind, like the wail of a dying person.

Ji Leshui started to feel cold again. This chill, ever since the first day he moved into this house, had clung to him like maggots on a bone, following him like a shadow. At first, he thought he was just being paranoid, but the longer he lived here, the more distinct this coldness became.

Ji Leshui tightened the blanket around himself, secretly scanning the dimly lit living room with his peripheral vision. Perhaps because they had just moved in, there weren't many of their own things in the house; most items had been left by the previous owner.

The living room only had a television, a table, and a sofa. It was very simple. If that were all, it would have been fine, but what made Ji Leshui uncomfortable was a painting hanging in the corner of the living room.

The painting was a bit peculiar. It depicted a woman in a red dress who filled the entire frame. At first glance, she seemed to be smiling and gazing forward, but if you got closer and looked carefully, you would find the woman's face was blurry, as indistinct as bleeding watercolor.

Ji Leshui had never liked this painting, but this was Lin Banxia's home, after all, and he was just staying here. So, he was too embarrassed to make any requests and forcibly suppressed the discomfort in his heart.

Time passed bit by bit. Ji Leshui, wrapped in his blanket, listened as the howling wind outside grew more and more mournful, and he unknowingly fell asleep on the sofa. But this was no sweet slumber; instead, it was mixed with whispers like furtive murmurs. Something seemed to be walking around him, and his body grew colder and colder, as if he were sleeping in an ice cellar.

Two soft thuds, so abrupt in the silent room. Ji Leshui shivered violently, awakened from the cold by the sound. He gasped for breath a few times and looked at the television in front of him, only to see a screen of hissing white static.

Another soft thud. This time, Ji Leshui heard it clearly. The sound was coming from the direction of the door. Ji Leshui asked warily, "Who is it?!"

No response.

"Who's out there??" Although he felt something was wrong, Ji Leshui still stood up, casually grabbed the mop behind the bathroom door, and walked to the front door.

Thud, thud. The series of soft sounds was like someone gently knocking on the door. Ji Leshui pressed his face against the door and looked through the peephole. Through the narrow glass lens, he saw an empty hallway.

"Who is it?? Who's playing a prank??" Normally, Ji Leshui's next move would have been to open the door, but the events of the past few days had made him much more cautious. He didn't open the door. Instead, he took a few steps back, kicked the door hard, and roared, "Who's out there!!!"

The knocking stopped.

Ji Leshui cursed, "Damn it, don't let me catch you. If I catch you, I'll beat the hell out of you!" Mumbling curses, he turned to go back to the living room, but after just two steps, his peripheral vision caught something, and his whole body instantly began to tremble like a leaf.

The living room was the same as before, only with something missing. The painting that had been hanging in the corner was now just a patch of gloomy darkness. The woman in the red dress, her face like melted wax, had disappeared from the picture.

Had she disappeared, or had she left? Where was she now? Ji Leshui stiffly turned his head and heard a thudding sound from the door again, as if something was knocking.

"Who is it? Who is it?" Out of extreme fear, Ji Leshui's voice became hoarse. He felt as if his body had turned to stone, making even the simplest act of walking incredibly difficult. Using the last of his strength, Ji Leshui slowly walked to the door and once again pressed his eye to the peephole.

"It's me." A familiar voice came from outside. Through the peephole, Ji Leshui saw Lin Banxia's face. Lin Banxia was smiling as he said, "I forgot my key. Can you open the door for me?"

Ji Leshui said, "Is that you, Banxia?"

"It's me," Lin Banxia said. "What's wrong with you? I've been knocking for so long with no response?"

Ji Leshui said, "Is it really Banxia?" He swallowed, his hand already on the doorknob, when he suddenly remembered something and hissed, "Lin... Lin Banxia never forgets his keys. You're not Lin Banxia. Who are you?"

The smile on "Lin Banxia's" face faded. His cold gaze was fixed on Ji Leshui. His cheeks began to twist and deform like a melting candle, continuously melting. His voice also became sharp and savage, like the mournful night wind, as he screamed, "Let me out—"

Ji Leshui let out a wailing scream. He staggered backward, tripped over the mop in his hand, and fell to the floor. Without bothering to get up, he scrambled over to the sofa and dialed a number with trembling hands.

"Help, help—Banxia, save me!!!" Ji Leshui cried out, like a child who had lost control of his emotions, the phone in his hand his only lifeline. "This house is haunted—save me—it's haunted, it's haunted—"

Lin Banxia, still at work, received Ji Leshui's call. He was slightly stunned, then realized the situation was bad. He said a quick word to a colleague beside him and prepared to rush home immediately.

Seeing his rare flustered expression, his colleague asked him what was wrong.

"The friend I live with is in trouble," Lin Banxia said in a low voice, taking off his gloves.

"In trouble?" the colleague said with a smile. "Is the place haunted?"

Lin Banxia glanced at his colleague.

The colleague shrugged. "I didn't mean to listen, his voice was just too loud."

Lin Banxia said, "He hasn't been mentally well lately."

"Sigh, there are no such things as ghosts in this world," the colleague said. "If there were, could we even do our line of work?"

Lin Banxia smiled without saying anything, went into the changing room to change into his regular clothes, and left to hail a cab. The drive from his workplace to his residential complex was only about ten minutes without traffic. He kept trying to call Ji Leshui the entire way, but the line was always busy.

Lin Banxia was a little worried. Ever since they moved in, Ji Leshui's condition hadn't been right. A few days ago, he even had a hallucination of someone jumping from the building. He thought things were getting better today, but who knew he'd receive a call like this...

After the taxi arrived at its destination, Lin Banxia sprinted directly toward his building. He only paused to catch his breath slightly when he reached the elevator. After pressing the button for his floor, he saw a man carrying a huge black box appear from outside.

The man was exceedingly handsome, dressed in a black trench coat. It was unclear if it was due to the lighting, but his skin was so pale it was almost translucent, without a trace of color. The ends of his hair were a bit long, slightly covering his eyes. He wore a black leather glove on his right hand and carried a black box.

The man saw Lin Banxia but had no reaction, walking straight into the elevator. However, as soon as he entered, the elevator emitted a piercing overload warning sound.

Overloaded already? Lin Banxia was slightly stunned. Weren't there only two people? Could the box in the man's hand really weigh as much as several people?

Before Lin Banxia could react, the man impatiently brushed the hair from his forehead and turned to walk out.

The moment the man left, the warning sound stopped immediately. He stood outside the elevator, staring blankly at Lin Banxia. The situation instantly became a bit awkward.

"Well... I'll go first then?" Lin Banxia said, breaking the silence.

The man nodded.

Lin Banxia pressed the button for his floor, and the elevator doors slowly closed between them.

The thirteenth floor arrived quickly. Lin Banxia hurriedly got off the elevator and ran toward his apartment. Just as he took out his key and opened the door, he heard sorrowful sobbing from inside.

"Leshui, Leshui??" Lin Banxia searched for a while before finding the nearly broken-down Ji Leshui in a corner behind the bedroom curtains. "Are you okay??"

Ji Leshui sobbed and trembled. "There's a ghost, a ghost—"

Lin Banxia asked, "What on earth happened?"

Ji Leshui said, "Someone was knocking, someone was knocking on the door. I went to open it, but there was no one outside..." He was speaking incoherently, looking like he was on the verge of a breakdown. "Then I came back and saw the person in the painting was gone. That painting... Banxia, Banxia, can we throw that painting away? Please? It's too scary!!!"

Lin Banxia stood frozen on the spot.

Seeing Lin Banxia's lack of reaction, Ji Leshui thought he was reluctant to part with the painting and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I'm begging you, throw away that painting in the living room! From the moment I came to this house, I felt something was wrong with that painting. The woman inside it got out—and we don't even know where she is now—Why are you so reluctant to get rid of it? Have you been bewitched by the painting too??"

"But, Leshui," Lin Banxia looked hesitantly at his frantic friend and said with difficulty, "there is no... painting hanging in our living room."

Ji Leshui was stunned for a long time before he said in a hoarse voice, "Isn't there a painting in the corner of the living room?" As he spoke, he staggered to his feet, walked into the living room, and pointed at a wall.

Lin Banxia said, "That... that's not a painting. It's a window."

Ji Leshui let out a blood-curdling scream and fainted right in front of Lin Banxia.