K - The Next One Is You

Chapter 8

Outside the window, the night was dark. The wind seemed strong, whistling and howling through the branches. Inside, a chill permeated the room. Bai Yue and Liu Qian lay embracing on the bed, listening to the howling wind outside, neither daring to close their eyes first. After a long while, Liu Qian suddenly shook Bai Yue:

"Sister Bai, wake up quickly."

"What's the matter?"

Bai Yue, who was in a daze, suddenly woke up. In the darkness, she could feel Liu Qian's heavy breathing.

"It sounds like...it sounds like someone is crying!"

Liu Qian sounded very nervous.

Bai Yue's heart skipped a beat, all sleepiness vanished. She pricked up her ears, listening intently. Outside the window, the wind continued to howl, and within the wind seemed to be the sound of someone crying. This crying was faint, sometimes near, sometimes far, both real and unreal. Bai Yue felt a chill run down her spine, and her body trembled slightly. She didn't know if the crying was real. Could it really be Tong Xingxing crying? But no matter how hard Bai Yue listened, it didn't sound like the crying of a ten-year-old child at all.

"Sister Bai, is Tong Xingxing crying?"

"I don't know, let's go take a look."

As Bai Yue spoke, she quickly got out of bed and dressed. Although Liu Qian was scared, Bai Yue was already up, so she had no choice but to get up as well.

After getting dressed, the two women braved the cold and quietly went to the children's dormitory. The dormitory was quiet, with only the children's soft snoring and no other unusual sounds. To avoid waking the children, Bai Yue and Liu Qian did not turn on the lights and kept their flashlights very dim. They went to Tong Xingxing's bed and found him fast asleep, emitting a soft snore.

Bai Yue breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the crying just now wasn't Tong Xingxing's. Perhaps the colleague on duty last week had misheard. Tong Xingxing certainly didn't run out alone at night to cry, as they claimed. Thinking of this, Bai Yue reached out and pulled the blanket up for Tong Xingxing, tucking his exposed hand under the covers.

Suddenly, Bai Yue inadvertently saw Tong Xingxing blink once, then quickly close his eyes again. This unintentional discovery terrified Bai Yue, filling him with panic. Looking at Tong Xingxing lying before him, Bai Yue felt a nameless fear. Tong Xingxing's blink seemed to contain something very complex. Bai Yue was certain that Tong Xingxing wasn't asleep; his sleepiness was feigned. Had he just returned from outside?

Tong Xingxing was still snoring softly, seemingly sleeping soundly. Bai Yue didn't dare touch him. She pulled Liu Qian aside, quietly went out, gently closed the dormitory door, and then nervously returned to her own dormitory.

The clock on the wall was pointing exactly to twelve.

They lay down again, fully clothed, and Bai Yue turned off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness once more...

This time, Bai Yue slept soundly. She had a dream in which she strangled Tong Xingxing to death with her own hands. After Tong Xingxing died, she felt a pleasant sense of relief, no longer having to worry about seeing Tong Xingxing's terrifying eyes. The orphanage became her happy spiritual home again. The children were so lovely, and under her care, they grew up healthily.

Bai Yue was immersed in her dream, and there seemed to be a slight smile on her face, showing that she was very happy.

At dawn, Bai Yue suddenly felt a chill on her back and smelled a pungent odor of blood. She jolted awake and suddenly realized her arms were covered in blood! She glanced at Liu Qian lying beside her and screamed in horror. Her face turned deathly pale, her eyes filled with terror, and her whole body trembled violently!

Liu Qian had died sometime earlier. Her death was gruesome; she had been killed by having her throat slit with a sharp blade, and blood had soaked the bed, including Bai Yue's back.

Bai Yue snapped out of her daze and quickly called the police. Ten minutes later, a police car pulled into the orphanage.

Chen Feng's expression was grave. According to the forensic examination, Liu Qian had been killed by having her throat slit with a sharp weapon, around 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM. Who was the murderer? What was the motive? When the murderer killed Liu Qian, Bai Yue was already...

Lying beside her, why didn't Bai Yue react at all? Was Bai Yue really sleeping so soundly that she didn't even know her companion had been murdered? Chen Feng was completely baffled, and finally, he focused his suspicions on Bai Yue. However, it was unlikely that Bai Yue was the murderer. First, Bai Yue had no motive; second, if she really did it, why would she call the police? Bai Yue was kind-hearted and gentle, not the kind of person who would do something treacherous. Liu Qian was her best friend, and now that her best friend had been murdered, she had been crying incessantly, looking heartbroken—an expression that couldn't be faked.

Just then, the assistant, Xiao Yang, rushed in. He was holding a kitchen knife, which was covered in blood.

"It was found in the orphanage's kitchen."

Xiao Yang placed the kitchen knife in front of Chen Feng and said.

The forensic doctor quickly determined that the blood on the cleaver was indeed Liu Qian's blood, clearly indicating that the murderer used this cleaver to kill Liu Qian.

A murder had occurred at the orphanage, and the director was very anxious. He was currently at the scene assisting Chen Feng with the investigation. Just then, a caregiver from the orphanage rushed in and whispered a few words in his ear. Instantly, his expression changed drastically, and he asked in an unusually stern tone:

"Are you telling the truth? Have you searched other places as well?"

"We've searched everywhere, but we can't find them."

"Dean, what happened?"

Chen Feng sensed something was wrong from the dean's face.

After a moment of silence, the dean slowly said:

"Child star has gone missing."

Chapter Four

The first section: A blue dress

It was already dark. Outside, the rain was drizzling, and the wind, carrying raindrops, kept sneaking in through the cracks in the window. A chilling cold filled the room, making it feel empty and lifeless, eerily silent.

Outside the window, the flickering lights in the distance appeared hazy and eerie. Gazing at the dark and cold night outside, Lin Qiu's face was clouded with worry and melancholy. He paced restlessly around the living room, looking preoccupied.

Bai Yue was summoned by the police early this morning and has not returned yet. The forensic doctor has already examined the fingerprints on the kitchen knife used to kill Liu Qian and confirmed that Bai Yue's fingerprints were on it. Bai Yue has become the prime suspect in Liu Qian's murder case.

Was Bai Yue detained by the police? Lin Qiu felt a surge of anxiety and hurriedly called Chen Feng.

"Hello, is this Officer Chen? This is Lin Qiu. I wanted to ask about Bai Yue's situation."

"Oh, the case is still under investigation. Bai Yue left the police station this afternoon."

"Bai Yue left the police station this afternoon?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing, thank you."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Qiu was stunned. Logically, Bai Yue hadn't been at the police station that afternoon; she should be home by now. Where had she gone? Could she be at the orphanage? Thinking this, Lin Qiu quickly called the orphanage, but there was no news of Bai Yue.

"Ring ring ring— Ring ring ring—"

Just as Lin Qiu was at a loss and at his wit's end, the living room phone suddenly rang. Lin Qiu hurriedly grabbed the receiver:

"Bai Yue, is that you?"

"Lin Qiu, I'm not coming back tonight. I'll be staying at Dingxiang's place. You can sleep by yourself. Don't wait for me."

"Oh, okay then, go home early tomorrow."

Lin Qiu put down the phone and breathed a long sigh of relief. Bai Yue was alright; he had just been overly sensitive. Ding Xiang was Bai Yue's college classmate and also the girlfriend of Lin Qiu's childhood friend, Lin Wenrui. It was perfectly safe for Bai Yue to stay overnight at her place.

After taking a shower, Lin Qiu watched TV for a while, but found it boring, so he turned it off, went back to his bedroom, and lay on the bed reading a book.

Lin Qiu's home wasn't in the bustling city center, so the surroundings were very quiet. Outside the window, the night was pitch black, and the rain continued to fall softly. As the night deepened, the air suddenly grew much colder.

After reading for a while, Lin Qiu felt his eyes getting sleepy, so he decided to go to sleep.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The knocking was unfamiliar, the sound muffled. Lin Qiu knew it couldn't be Bai Yue returning. He was puzzled. He put down his book, got up, went to the living room, and opened the door, finding no one there. Just as he was about to close the door, he saw an old man come up the stairs. This old man gave off a very strange feeling. He wore a very old gray Zhongshan suit, his expressionless face was covered in wrinkles, and he wore old cloth shoes. He walked with a seemingly light, almost imperceptible gait. The old man glanced at Lin Qiu, said nothing, and went straight upstairs. Lin Qiu noticed that the old man's eyes were unusually strange and eerie, sending chills down his spine.

Watching the old man's retreating figure, Lin Qiu felt extremely puzzled. This old man was clearly not a resident of this building; he had never seen this old man before. Who exactly was he? What was he doing upstairs in the middle of the night? Was he a new resident? ... Suddenly, Lin Qiu's heart skipped a beat. He immediately remembered that there were no residents upstairs. Lin Qiu's apartment was on the fifth floor, and the fifth floor was the top floor. The sixth floor was the rooftop, meaning that no one would live on the rooftop.

Thinking of this, Lin Qiu felt a strange sense of fear. He waited at the door for a while, but the old man still didn't come down, so he went back inside to get a flashlight and decided to go to the rooftop to see what was going on.

Lin Qiu arrived at the rooftop terrace. The wind was strong, stinging his face. The terrace was completely empty; shining the flashlight around, he could see nothing but the old man. There was only one staircase leading up and down the terrace. How did the old man get down there? Did he possess some kind of magic?

Suddenly, Lin Qiu's flashlight shone on a blue shadow, which was swaying in the wind. Lin Qiu's heart tightened. Could it be the woman in blue? He mustered his courage and tiptoed over, but when he got closer, he realized that it wasn't a human figure at all, but a blue dress hanging on a wire.

Just as Lin Qiu was staring blankly at the strange blue dress, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder. He was terrified, his whole body trembled, and he turned around abruptly. He thought it was the old man from before, but it turned out to be Chen Feng...

Section Two: Dingxiang is Killed

Lin Qiu was somewhat surprised to see Chen Feng:

"Officer Chen, it's you!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Chen Feng smiled apologetically. "Did I scare you?"

"No, I'm just a little surprised." Lin Qiu smiled awkwardly. "It's so late, is there something you need?"

“When you called to ask about Bai Yue this evening, I felt something was off.” Chen Feng stared at the blue dress that was constantly fluttering in the wind, looking thoughtful. “I was worried that something might have happened to Bai Yue, so I came to check on her.”

"Thank you for your concern!" Lin Qiu felt a surge of emotion and couldn't help but feel grateful and respectful towards Chen Feng. "Don't worry, Bai Yue is fine. She didn't come back tonight; she stayed at one of her classmates' houses."

"Oh, it's good that everything's alright." Chen Feng's tone seemed somewhat meaningful. He glanced at Lin Qiu and asked, "Lin Qiu, I want to ask you, has Bai Yue shown any unusual behavior lately?"

“Abnormal behavior?” Lin Qiu was silent for a moment, his voice tinged with sadness. “Ever since Liu Qian’s death, coupled with the series of terrifying and ghostly events that occurred before, she has become very silent and depressed, and seems to be in a daze all the time.”

"Perhaps she suffered too much of a shock. Besides that, is there anything else unusual?"

"It seems like that's all." Lin Qiu pondered for a while, then suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh, right, Bai Yue has been having nightmares a lot lately. Whenever she has a nightmare, she always shouts out a sentence, and that sentence is very scary."

"What did you say?"

I'll strangle you.

Chen Feng's heart tightened, his face turned ashen. He pondered for a moment, then patted Lin Qiu on the shoulder:

"Thank you, Lin Qiu. I won't bother you anymore. You should get some rest. I'll contact you if I need anything."

After finishing his sentence, Chen Feng hurriedly went downstairs and quickly disappeared into the darkness of the corridor.

After watching Chen Feng go downstairs, Lin Qiu glanced back at the blue dress, which was still fluttering in the wind like a blue ghost dancing in the night. Looking at the strange blue dress, Lin Qiu felt a sudden unease. He nervously looked around the rooftop, the strange and eerie look in the old man's eyes flashing through his mind. He shuddered, quickly glanced at the blue dress, and hurried downstairs.

Lin Qiu returned to her room, feeling utterly lost. She collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. The image of the blue dress fluttering in the wind kept replaying in her mind, as did the strange, eerie gaze of the mysterious old man. She didn't know how much time had passed before she finally drifted off to sleep, a feeling of unease lingering in her heart…

It was Saturday, and Lin Qiu slept until ten o'clock in the morning, during which he had a series of bizarre and chaotic dreams. After getting up, he felt groggy and extremely depressed. He sat on the bed in a daze for a while, then lay back down.

Just then, the phone in the living room suddenly rang, and the sound was very urgent.

Lin Qiu's heart tightened, and she quickly got out of bed, went to the living room, and grabbed the microphone:

"Hello."

Lin Qiu heard Bai Yue's intermittent sobs coming from the other end of the phone. He sensed something was wrong, his heart tightened, and his breathing became rapid.

"Bai Yue, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Lin Qiu, I, I'm so scared."

"Don't be afraid, what happened?"

"Dingxiang, she, she's been murdered!"

"Ah!" Lin Qiu froze, staring blankly into the microphone, speechless for a long time. After a while, he finally asked in a trembling voice:

"What? When was he killed?"