Chapter Four: Becoming the Shadow of the Female Protagonist
Zhao Mingyue initially thought all ghosts were pretty much the same. With plans to unleash the ghost from the plush toy and watch it clash with the middle-aged male ghost while she made her escape, she now found herself in a rather different situation. The seemingly fierce middle-aged male ghost was being pinned to the ground and rubbed into the floor, and any thoughts of escape were dashed as he was dragged back.
Sure, she was scared earlier, but now she felt an odd sense of relief.
If she couldn’t run, so be it. Given that ghosts were real, surely she could become one after she died.
Wasn’t that a type of rebirth? It’s just that not being able to go out during the day was a bit of a hassle, plus being a ghost came with its own set of restrictions.
Zhao Mingyue had already started contemplating her afterlife as a ghost when she heard some movement at the door.
In the terrified gaze of the middle-aged male ghost, Bai Yu stomped on his head, shattering it. Countless bl**d threads burst forth from her body, piercing the male ghost with vigor. In just over ten seconds, he transformed into a cloud of black smoke, which Bai Yu easily absorbed.
“Devoured?” Zhao Mingyue’s pupils dilated. She definitely didn’t expect that.
The temperature in the bathroom showed no signs of warming up. The cold wind was biting, and in her eyes, Bai Yu was nowhere near as disgusting or terrifying as the middle-aged ghost, but the pressure she exuded was a hundred times greater.
It felt as though an invisible hand had a vice grip on her throat, making it hard to breathe.
If the middle-aged ghost gave her a glimmer of hope for escape, Bai Yu pinned her down, making it clear that d*ath could come at any moment.
The oddly quiet space felt claustrophobic, as though frost had frozen her feet. Zhao Mingyue managed to muster a painfully awkward smile.
The male ghost was solely fixated on killing her, but with Bai Yu, it seemed less certain. After all, she was the ghost of a plush toy who just helped save her at the door.
“Um, hi there?”
Her smile was awkwardly stiff as she raised a hand.
As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed Bai Yu making a move. With a wave, she summoned the rabbit plush toy that had been suspended in black mist, gently placing it in her palm.
Facing away from her, Zhao Mingyue couldn’t see Bai Yu’s expression, so she pushed forward, “Is this plushie yours? It’s really, um, cute! I just got it today, and I honestly don’t know anything about it…”
Inside, she felt desperate. She was just an ordinary high school junior; her parents went missing when she was young, and her sister raised her. Then her sister disappeared too. To pay for her tuition and living expenses, she worked the night shift at a convenience store. Recently, she had taken time off to try and find her sister again.
Instead of finding her sister, she found herself in a different world because of a silly game.
Now, a ghost of unknown intentions was blocking her exit.
“How did you get this plushie?” Bai Yu glanced at Zhao Mingyue and turned.
It was Zhao Mingyue’s first glimpse of Bai Yu’s face. She was beautiful, an intangible beauty that defied description—a kind of sickly delicateness. Her features were exquisitely delicate, and her messy black hair contrasted sharply with her pale skin.
Not particularly tall, she seemed to be about sixteen, with a fragile frame beneath her white dress, that sort of breakable doll-like vibe stirred both a protective and destructive yearning within Zhao Mingyue.
Yes, destructive yearning, because she looked so lovely but was so frail.
Of course, these thoughts came with the prerequisite of overlooking her deathly pale skin and the black markings crisscrossing her body like cracks, not to mention those scarlet eyes lurking beneath her dark hair.
She was a ghost, and not just any ghost, but an evil one.
“If I say it just showed up here out of nowhere, would you believe me?” Oddly enough, Zhao Mingyue didn’t feel that afraid anymore.
Bai Yu’s demeanor was the complete opposite of the male ghost’s.
The male ghost was purely irrational, but Bai Yu was calm and communicative.
That was undoubtedly a good sign; as long as there was reason and conversation, they could work this out.
“This guy is a living person, probably part of the comic, tasked with pursuing the male lead and five other side characters. Including the male lead, that makes five guys and one girl. The girl is the female lead of the comic, and that’s most likely this one,” Bai Yu thought, confirming Zhao Mingyue’s identity in her mind.
This was her advantage; no need to bother with the male characters, just target the female lead. She hadn’t expected to come across her so easily.
Leaning against the wall, Zhao Mingyue blinked. Why did this ghost keep staring at her without saying a word?
“Hey, this plushie—I won it totally by accident, just moments ago.” She waved at Bai Yu, pointed at the door, “That ghost was banging on the door, and I stood in front of the mirror with my eyes closed. Once it got quiet, I discovered that the plushie blocked the door for me.”
“Um, thank you! If it weren’t for you, I would have definitely been eaten by that ghost.”
With downcast eyes, after speaking, she raised her gaze to Bai Yu.
Not looking didn’t matter, but as soon as she looked up, Bai Yu was right in front of her, barely half a meter away, her bloodshot black eyes fixed on her with an unreadable emotion swirling in them.
Bai Yu raised her hand, and the bl**d threads climbed up Zhao Mingyue’s leg, extracting her black phone from her pocket.
The moment the phone was pulled out, she felt a burning sensation as the bl**d threads ignited and melted against the phone’s casing.
As the phone fell, Zhao Mingyue’s reflexes kicked in, and she caught it just in time.
Her finger accidentally pressed the power button, lighting up the screen. She quickly glanced to find that the home screen didn’t just have photos; there were numerous comments flying across the screen, rapidly refreshing.
【Whoa, so cute! I call dibs (slurp slurp)!】
【Is this a kn*fe demon? (shocked) But smells great.】
【She’s the female lead, playing such a game in the dead of night, I’m getting scared.】
【Poor male ghost, I want to be stepped on by Sister Yu QAQ!】
【Well, well—two female leads! Who do you guys like? I’m voting for Sister Yu.】
【To the guy above, I want them all!】
Zhao Mingyue quickly swiped to shrink those scrolling comments to the side, revealing most of the home screen, and raised the phone in front of Bai Yu.
She had realized Bai Yu’s identity—she must be the big sister of that little girl in the photos named Bai Sisi!
If Bai Sisi was the little girl, then Bai Yu should be a young girl too.
Moments later…
“Phew, why are you still watching?” After tidying up the bathroom and tossing the mirror shards in the trash, Zhao Mingyue returned to the brightly lit living room, only to find Bai Yu still standing in front of the television. The black phone was propped up on a stand.
She walked over to take a look and vaguely noticed some comments, such as “My wife is watching me” and “No, she’s obviously my wife,” and even one saying “Your wives are amazing.” Zhao Mingyue felt a bit embarrassed. She couldn’t comprehend who was posting these comments, feeling as if it were a live stream.
“Um, my name’s Zhao Mingyue, do you have a name?” Zhao Mingyue gazed at Bai Yu’s profile, attempting to strike up a conversation.
“Bai Yu.”
“Uh, can I call you Sister Bai?”
“No need. Just Bai Yu is fine.”
Zhao Mingyue wanted to say something else when suddenly Bai Yu approached her, and she watched, wide-eyed, as Bai Yu stepped into her shadow.
Under the lights, her shadow underwent a drastic transformation—she was in a short haircut and pajamas, but her shadow morphed into a long-haired figure dressed in a dress.
Looking at her shadow and then at the plush toy by the TV, Zhao Mingyue found herself momentarily stunned.
Wasn’t this ghost living in the plush toy? How did it end up in her shadow!?
Newcomer seeking support for the new book—please give a shout-out!
QAQ
