### Chapter 2: This Campus Romance Comic Feels Off
“Does this world really have ghosts? If so, where are they? How can you see them, hear their voices? Once you complete the game, you will find the answers in your heart.”
“Warning: This task is extremely dangerous. Please choose wisely.”
In her apartment, the screen of a black phone glowed ominously, illuminating the delicate face of the young girl shrouded in darkness.
Zhao Mingyue held the black phone tightly, reading every word on the screen. Taking a deep breath, she hesitated over the option, “Do you agree to this task? If you do not make a choice within twenty-four hours, the task will disappear permanently.”
Her sister had been missing for two years, and she had exhausted all methods to find her without success. This peculiar black phone, tinged with a hint of mysticism, was her last hope.
After a moment’s thought, her finger finally wavered and landed on the “Agree” option.
“To see another world, you need a little ritual and a bit of help. This game is called ‘Combing Hair’: Please enter the bathroom alone at 12:40 AM, close the door tightly, extinguish all lights, tie a red string around your right wrist and place the other end outside the door. Then face the mirror, light a red candle in front of it, close your eyes, and comb your hair with your right hand while silently reciting the name of the person you want to see the most.”
“Ancient saying: ‘Mirrors reflect the world; do not comb your hair in the mirror at night, do not speak your dreams in the morning.’ The hour of the rat is when the yin energy is strongest. If you comb your hair in front of the mirror at midnight, you may see another world, perhaps the face of the person you’ve been longing for, or maybe a stranger coldly staring back at you.”
“Fifteen minutes after starting the task, success will be achieved. During this time, no matter what happens, you must adhere to these rules: don’t make a sound, don’t make any unnecessary movements, and don’t open your eyes.”
After finishing the task’s description, Zhao Mingyue swallowed hard and glanced at the time. It was already 12:20 AM—twenty minutes left before the crucial task began.
“Whatever, I’ll just give it a try. It might actually work.” She pumped herself up, though truthfully, doubt nagged at her because this black phone had mysteriously appeared in a package left at her door three days ago.
There was no sender listed, just her name on the recipient line, and inside, nothing but a chilling message:
‘Want to find your family?’
Upon unlocking the phone, the first thing she saw was a slightly yellowed photo: a little girl in a white dress stood quietly in front of an old orphanage. She looked like a perfect doll, with a healing angelic presence, a cheerful smile gracing her adorable face while hugging a rather poorly made, even slightly creepy rabbit plush toy.
The toy wasn’t pretty, but the little girl clutched it like a treasure.
In the bottom left corner of the photo was a line of small text:
Bai Sisi and her Miss Rabbit.
Aside from that, the phone contained only two apps: one resembling a Ferris wheel, which couldn’t be opened yet, and another with a pitch-black icon—the app responsible for assigning her tasks.
She recalled that when she first received the phone, a few days ago, several strange comments had floated across the screen.
【Silly girl, run away! You’ve got something you shouldn’t!】
【Wow, wow, wow, is this the protagonist? So cute QAQ】
【Girl, congratulations! You’ve started with an SSR reward, but take my advice: toss that phone out the window.】
【I’ll mourn for you for a second (funny)】
【Whatever you do, don’t say Bai Sisi’s name. She may look cute, but her brother is a nightmare (serious face)】
【Psst, let me tell you a little secret: the previous owner of this phone was a refined and approachable gentleman.】
From these comments, she pieced together some clues; it seemed the previous owner of the phone was the brother of the girl in the wallpaper, a dangerous individual with whom it was risky to have the phone.
Of course, it was also possible that these comments were just a prank made by someone else.
But right now, she wasn’t in the mood to ponder these things; she had to try this task and discover whether this phone was a mere joke or if it truly had some dark secrets.
Twenty minutes felt like ample time. Zhao Mingyue tucked the phone away, retrieved her own from her pocket, and turned on the flashlight to rummage through her apartment.
“Red candle, red string, and a comb.” She pulled the red candle from a drawer, the red string was leftover from the scarf her sister had knitted, and after grabbing the comb from her bedroom, she stood in front of the bathroom door.
Taking a deep breath, that usually familiar bathroom suddenly felt eerie, the darkness caused by the power outage making it feel foreboding. The bathroom door creaked eerily, stirred by a draft from who-knows-where.
The apartment building was old, and this bathroom door was an equally ancient yellow wooden one.
After closing and locking the door, she tied the red string around her wrist, dropping the other end outside. She then stood in front of the mirror, bent down to light the candle, and secured it on the sink, positioned perfectly before the mirror.
With only five minutes left before the task began, her phone displayed 12:35 AM.
Turning off her phone’s light, she gazed into the mirror by the flickering candlelight. Perhaps due to the wind, the flame seemed feeble; it was barely illuminating the mirror, casting menacing shadows around her.
As the candle flickered, it felt as though darkness was swallowing her whole. She fixed her stare in the mirror, but she could swear the reflection of herself looked strange—as if a stranger was standing there…
“Thirty-nine minutes; only one minute left.”
She sneaked another glance at her phone as time ticked closer, her heart raced like a drum, palms sweaty. Timing it perfectly, her right hand, tied with the red string, grabbed the comb, and she tightly shut her eyes.
The comb glided gently through her short hair without a hitch, her focus fixed on silently chanting her sister’s name.
‘Zhao Yi, Zhao Yi…’
Time stretched unbearably for Zhao Mingyue, each second dragging like molasses.
What would happen next? Just moments ago, she had been a staunch atheist; now she found herself repeatedly reminding herself that her fear was merely psychological, a product of the bizarre game’s ominous clues suggesting the existence of ghosts. And here she was, alone in the bathroom, the darkest corner—panic was only natural.
Surrounded by darkness, she kept murmuring her sister’s name, counting down in her mind.
It felt like a countdown to d*ath.
Right now, every little noise in the room magnified immensely. She could hear droplets from the faucet plinking against the porcelain sink, and it seemed someone moved in the hallway outside, their footsteps slow and deliberate.
Even worse, she recalled that the bathroom window was securely shut, so why was a chilling wind pushing through, as if someone unseen stood behind her and was breathing down her neck?
An icy shiver ran down her spine, a nagging sense of unrest clawing at her.
‘Zhao Yi…’
Continuing to mutter her sister’s name, ten minutes ticked by without anything happening, making her realize that her anxiety had only been fed by her own fears.
At that moment, she couldn’t help but feel a slight disappointment, thinking, “So this black phone really is just a gag by someone!”
Just then, right after the tenth minute, she suddenly heard a voice.
“Mingyue…”
“Zhao Mingyue!”
The sound made Zhao Mingyue jolt, nearly opening her eyes. She was absolutely certain she hadn’t misheard; that voice was coming from behind her! She recognized it, but she just couldn’t place it.
The voice grew closer, steadily advancing from the living room toward the bathroom, each step followed by a soft call of “Zhao Mingyue,” matching the rhythm of her own mental chant for her sister.
Who was calling her name outside? No, that thing calling her name— was it really human?
The voice faded softly until it stopped right outside the bathroom door, suddenly becoming sharp and out of tune, as if it were in a terrible hurry. At this moment, Zhao Mingyue felt the red string around her wrist tugged sharply, the tension tightening as if someone on the other side of the door had attached the other end.
The comb stopped mid-motion, and a chill swept over her, her heart racing, like the foundation of her reality was crumbling.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Urgent knocking came from behind, that “thing” persistently shouted her name. Seeing she hadn’t answered, it began banging on the door with force.
No, to be precise, it was more like it was pounding on the door.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The knocking hastened, the force growing stronger. It no longer called her name; instead, she heard nails scratching against the wood, a rustling sound.
Zhao Mingyue felt her nails sink into her palms, her back drenched in cold sweat.
The red string sliced into her wrist painfully; her combing motion had become stiff. Her eyelids fluttered, tempting her to peek outside to see what was lurking on the other side.
Finally, fifteen minutes ticked away. She counted her final number in her mind, the eerie sounds in the bathroom abruptly silenced, even the red string falling to the floor as if nothing had transpired. The room was chillingly quiet.
Just to be safe, she counted an extra minute before daring to open her eyes.
As soon as she did, her reflection stared back at her from the mirror.
No real change was present; the candle had barely burnt down.
Fifteen minutes for a candle to burn out. Zhao Mingyue coughed nervously, hastily pulling out her phone to illuminate the space in front of her.
The wooden door appeared unharmed, leaving her unsure if whatever had pounded on it was still around. She hesitated to open the door. But looking down, she noticed something.
“What’s this doll doing here?”
On the floor, a rabbit plush toy lay against the door, head down as if it had blocked the entrance and saved her life.
After a while, Zhao Mingyue mustered her courage and approached the door to pick it up, noticing it was smeared with dried bl**d.
As she did, realization dawned.
“This toy… it’s the same one from the photo, the one the little girl was holding.”
Before she could inspect it further, her black phone vibrated ominously, prompting her to take it out once again. Her heart sank when she saw bl**d-red words scrolling across the screen.
【Congratulations! You have obtained the Evil Ghost item!】
【Bloody Plush Toy】
【Sister told her not to be afraid of the dark while sleeping; Miss Rabbit would protect her. Yet that rainy night, the murderer severed her head and dismembered her body, but she never let go of her friend.】
【Holding this item summons the female evil ghost: Bai Yu.】
【Caution: This evil ghost is extremely dangerous. Please handle with care.】
Just as she finished reading the message, the red string suddenly tightened around her wrist again, the mirror behind her shattering with a crunch. A sinister male voice echoed from within the shards.
“Anyone there…?”
“Is anyone here?”
“Is anyone here!!”
“If no one’s here, I’m coming in…”
Bai yu…
From now i just gonna call her “bayu”