Night Doll

Chapter 13

“But…but she is, after all, a dead female ghost…ghost!” Song Xiaomo said dismissively.

"No, she's still alive!" Song Yun'er stared at him, her face drained of color.

The ink-like image resembled two deep, dark holes, radiating a chilling light that startled him. He could sense her anger, and within her immense rage, he vaguely detected a terrifying undercurrent.

He simply kept quiet.

"I'm sorry, I like this character so much that I started overthinking things. Maybe I'm just a sentimental person by nature. Please don't mind!" Song Yoon-ah seemed to have regained her composure, her face full of apology.

Song Xiaomo laughed heartily and said, "Why are you being so polite? If you consider me a friend, then you don't need to be so polite."

She nodded, then flashed a captivating smile. Her smile was like a blooming peach blossom.

The two gradually overcame some of their differences and became quite familiar with each other.

"By the way, where do you work?" Song Xiaomo asked.

Chapter 62: The Ghost Doll Returns (62)

“I recently came to this city and haven’t looked for a job yet. I occasionally go to Showbox Night School to take performance classes in the evenings, and after class, I come to this coffee shop to sit for a while.”

"Hmm, it's such a waste for a pretty girl like you not to study acting." Song Xiaomo looked at her and asked curiously, "Are you some kind of Korean celebrity? I often see celebrities on TV wearing sunglasses to avoid being recognized. Don't worry, I'm definitely not a paparazzi reporter. Really, I swear."

Song Yoon-ah chuckled and said, "There aren't that many celebrities. If I ever become a celebrity, I'll definitely ask you to be my manager."

"Alright, it's a deal. Don't go back on your word later."

After chatting for a while, Song Yun'er checked her watch, looked out at the night sky, and said, "It's getting late, I should go home."

"Okay." Song Xiaomo stood up, still wanting more, and went to the bar to pay the bill.

Two waiters were talking at the bar. One of them sighed and said, "Sigh, these past few nights have been too unsafe. Right after the traffic accident on TV, there was this rape case. Apparently, this pervert often goes out late at night and preys on single girls on the street."

“Yes, all our customers have been scared away!” another immediately chimed in.

"Miss, the bill is due!" Song Xiaomo placed the money on the table.

After giving the change, the waiter glanced at Song Yun'er by the door and secretly reminded Song Xiaomo, "Never let your girlfriend go out alone at night. A pretty girl like her might be targeted by a pervert."

"What did you say?" Song Xiaomo glared at her fiercely and walked away without looking back.

Stepping out of the coffee shop, the wind was strong, there were few pedestrians, and a chill permeated the air.

"It was a pleasure meeting you today. I should be going now." Song Yoon-ah coughed.

"Let me see you off."

"No."

"I've heard things are getting rather unsettled out there lately, I'm worried..."

"Really, it's not necessary." She interrupted him coldly, then added, "It's inconvenient."

Seeing that she was very determined, Song Xiaomo had no choice but to give up and said, "Then be careful on the road."

"Thank you, I will. Goodbye."

"goodbye."

Song Xiaomo stood there, watching her thin figure gradually disappear into the distance, and asked loudly, "Where do you live? Can I come to see you sometime?"

She turned her head as she walked, her lips moved slightly, and finally uttered two clear words: "grave."

“A grave?” Song Xiaomo shook his head with a smile and said, “You’re joking. This isn’t a novel by Pu Songling.”

She said nothing more, and like a white sprite in the dark night, she hurriedly "drifted" away.

At that moment, Song Xiaomo suddenly felt a sense of unease. The coffee shop waitress's last words echoed in his ears. He pondered them, thinking, "It's really dangerous for a pretty girl to walk alone so late. If something happens, I'll regret it." Since she insisted on not letting him walk her home, couldn't he at least secretly protect her from behind?

Chapter 63: The Ghost Doll Returns (63)

As he pondered this, he found himself unconsciously following Song Yun'er's white silhouette.

(20)

It was already midnight.

Song Xiaomo cautiously followed behind Song Yun'er, keeping a distance of at least 30 meters to avoid being noticed. Along the way, he successfully evaded several patrol officers and narrowly avoided attracting the attention of passersby.

After a while, Song Yoon-ah seemed to realize something and hailed a taxi.

Song Xiaomo also got into another taxi.

"Hello, I'm a police officer. Please follow the car in front of you, and it's best not to let them see you." He lied to the driver.

"Don't worry, during my two years of service on the border, I was a reconnaissance soldier. Once someone gets behind me, they won't be able to escape even if they have wings..." the driver said, shaking his head with pride.

Song Xiaomo smiled and said nothing more.

In the hazy darkness, the highway was deserted, and even the light from the taxi's taillights was dim. The driver's skill was indeed excellent; he maintained a suitable distance between the two cars, yet remained closely following. However, after traveling a very long distance, the other car still showed no sign of stopping.

Song Xiaomo looked ahead helplessly, feeling a strong wave of drowsiness wash over him. His eyelids involuntarily drooped, and his consciousness gradually blurred...

After an unknown amount of time, a deafening rumble of thunder echoed through the sky. A torrential downpour began, engulfing the entire city in a fierce, misty rain. Large, fierce raindrops pounded against the windshield with a deafening roar, forcing the taxi to grope its way forward. Gradually, the water on the road accumulated, until finally, the car lurched and came to a sudden stop. The headlights automatically switched off, plunging the surroundings into darkness.

"What happened?" Song Xiaomo asked in surprise.

"Damn it! The car might have stalled in a ditch, let's go check it out!" the driver said.

"Okay." He braved the torrential rain and slipped out.

Instantly, his heart skipped a beat, and he stumbled backward.

He could hardly believe his eyes. Good heavens, before him lay a vast cemetery. Tombstones of all sizes stood densely packed together, swaying like ghosts in the misty rain.

"Quick, let's go! We've wandered into a cemetery!" he screamed, quickly jumping into the car.

"But...but our car won't move, the wheels are slipping!" The driver shouted frantically as he pressed the accelerator.

"Then what should we do?"

“I have a small shovel in my trunk. I’ll find some hard objects to pad the tires and then level the high ground around the wheels.”

"Wait!" He rushed out of the car again, ran to the back of the car, and took out a small shovel.

The driver also ran out, opened the hood, and carefully inspected the engine and related equipment using a flashlight and tools.

Pale flashes of lightning intermittently streaked across the dark, chaotic night sky, mingling with the thunder. The entire cemetery trembled violently as if possessed by the storm.

Chapter 64: The Ghost Doll Returns (64)

Song Xiaomo gripped the shovel and dug desperately downwards. He felt a growing tightness in his chest, and everything before his eyes blurred. A small mound beside the wheel was gradually leveled, and then, in the flash of lightning, he vaguely saw something emerge from the mud. In a brief moment, the rain quickly washed away the mud, revealing a deathly pale human head. In that instant, he finally saw the face of the dead head clearly. Then, he screamed hysterically—"Song Yun'er!"

Everything vanished. Song Xiaomo jumped up, looking around in terror. The graves and the dead heads were gone. A bright moon and twinkling stars hung in the sky outside the window; there was no downpour. He realized he had been having a nightmare.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" the driver next to him asked.

"I'm sorry, I just had a nightmare," he replied, looking embarrassed.

"Who is that Song Yun'er you just called out? It's a girl's name, right?" the driver chuckled.

He didn't answer, wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at the car in front of him, and asked blankly, "Where are we now?"

"We've reached the mountain road in the suburbs."

Sure enough, the lights became fewer and fewer, and the trees became more and more numerous. Through the car headlights, one could see the rolling mountains.

The taxi drove for a while longer before slowly coming to a stop at a bend.

"Officer, that car was already stopped at the intersection behind us. I deliberately turned here to avoid being spotted by them," the driver said with practiced ease.

"Okay, thank you." Song Xiaomo paid the fare and quickly got out of the car.

"I'm leaving. Be careful." The driver gave him a meaningful look and restarted the taxi.

"Uncle, could you wait here for me for a while? I might be back soon," Song Xiaomo said.

"This...this..." The driver hesitated, as if he was very reluctant.

"What's wrong?"

The driver glanced around uneasily and whispered, "This desolate area is full of graveyards; the yin energy is too heavy. Staying here at midnight might be..."

"A cemetery?" Song Xiaomo gasped, recalling the terrifying scene from her nightmare and the words Song Yun'er had said before leaving.

Is she the Korean version of Nie Xiaoqian?

Is she really not human?

No, that's absolutely impossible. Song Xiaomo shook her head vigorously to clear her mind.

"Go on your way, I'll wait for you for a while, but not too long," the driver said again.

"Thank you." He didn't have time to think further and dragged his heavy steps backward.

After rounding the bend, Song Xiaomo saw the car parked in front of a large gate. A two-story white building stood before it, resembling a desolate, haunted house, waiting for his arrival. By the flickering light from upstairs, he saw a sign with several large, blood-red characters: Namwon Road Cemetery.

Unable to suppress a certain tension within him, he crouched low and moved forward step by step. Then, he saw a white figure dart through the gate—it was clearly Song Yun'er. What was she doing at the cemetery in the middle of the night? Song Xiaomo felt something was amiss and couldn't help but want to find out. In a short time, curiosity had overwhelmed his fear.

Chapter 65: The Ghost Doll Returns (65)

A strange sense of gloom permeated the surroundings; the air along the road seemed unusually cold, distinctly different from other places. Song Xiaomo surveyed the terrain and noticed some low fences and walls nearby. So, he bypassed the gate and climbed over the fence.

Following a path, he saw white tombstones scattered among the weeds. Each tombstone stood upright, inscribed with words and bearing a photograph of the deceased. Some tombstones had wreaths and unburnt paper money placed beneath them.

Song Xiaomo's heart was pounding, as if he was worried that a corpse would suddenly emerge from the ground and drag him into a grave.

A pale, round moon hung in the night sky, barely enough to make out the path ahead. He steeled himself and groped his way forward.

Just then, he heard intermittent crying coming from not far away.

He cautiously followed the sound, turning past several rows of tombstones, when suddenly he tripped over something, as if a pair of hands had grabbed his legs. He quickly covered his mouth to stifle a cry, and looking down, he saw a spirit banner lying horizontally on the ground.

By the time he got up, the crying had stopped. But then another voice sounded in front of him to his right: "Rest in peace."

"Whoosh!" A cold, eerie wind blew in, making Song Xiaomo feel a chill run down her spine, and her hair stood on end.

He held onto a tombstone to keep from falling, and after regaining his composure, he noticed a familiar figure in front of him.

In the dim light, Song Yoon-ah, dressed in white and holding a box, stood motionless in front of a tombstone, looking more and more like a ghost.

Song Xiaomo took a breath and realized that the voice he had just heard wasn't directed at him. He found a tombstone and hid himself away.

Who was the deceased she came to pay her respects to in the middle of the night? What was her relationship with the deceased?

What puzzled Song Xiaomo even more was that, after about ten minutes, Song Yun'er suddenly knelt down and began digging at the ground with her hands. She dug faster and faster, as if she were digging for something. At first, she used her hands, then small twigs. The more she looked, the more she resembled a grave robber. What was she trying to dig for? Gold? Antiques? A stark white skull? Or a head with wet, long hair?

Finally, she successfully dug a small pit.