Increíble - Capítulo 22
If you listen closely, it sounds like the echo of water.
I wander in this grayish-blue world, as if I were in a maze.
Suddenly, a noisy commotion came from the next room. There was a commotion, with people arguing, pushing and shoving, grabbing the wrong towel, and stepping on each other's heels.
I went around to the next room to take a look, but it was all dark and I didn't see a single person.
The sounds from before gradually faded into the distance, and then silence returned.
The sound of flowing water gradually grew louder: "Splash—splash—"
Someone is really singing...
It sounds like babbling—
"People are like fleeting blossoms, clouds like short songs, who has ever loved me? Sometimes glorious, sometimes full of hardship, who pities me? Like a mirage, I cannot sever my connection, nor can I sever it..."
A resentment like that of someone possessed. It was a woman's soft call, more like a sob, a lamentation as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Who's there?" I followed the sound...
I went around to the inner room and saw something. To be precise, I saw a person, pale and muddy, barefoot, with disheveled hair, sobbing softly. Curious, I asked her, "Who are you?"
She looked up at me, her pale face devoid of features.
Does this person have no shame?
"Ah—" A cold breath rose up into my throat, and I woke up with a start.
Tuesday evening is the elective course in international finance.
Unexpectedly, this elective course led me to the newly completed science building near the west gate. It was also my first time stepping into this magnificent white building. The staircases were all made of large, transparent floor-to-ceiling windows, bright and stylish, with a modern architectural style. The atrium was made of glass panels in shades of brown, dark green, light brown, beige, and purplish-red, like a beautiful crystal palace.
Section 55: The Blood Curse on Campus (7)
"It's so beautiful!" Apple tilted her chin up dramatically, bending her body at a ninety-degree angle. "Ruoxi, is this your first time in this building too?"
"Yeah, it really is beautiful." We joked around as we went up to the fifth floor.
As I walked into the classroom, Apple tugged at my sleeve: "I recognize this address; it's where the girl who was beaten to death had her accident."
"Huh?" I was taken aback, my heart leaped into my throat again, and I was filled with a turbulent feeling.
She grinned at me and said, "I was just kidding. This isn't the classroom; it's the one next door!"
"Really?" I asked naively.
"Yes, yes!" she said, forcefully pushing me inside.
I looked around and, sure enough, didn't see any vengeful spirits. I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that today was truly over.
After two class periods, the session ended.
I said to Apple, "Wait a minute, I'm going to the restroom."
Unlike the old, dilapidated library, the new building's restrooms are brimming with modern sophistication. The pristine white tiles are inlaid with fragments of blue-and-white porcelain, and the uniform dark green glass sinks are elegant. The floors are birch, and the toilets are imported. I chuckled. The school's college entrance exam pass rate has skyrocketed in recent years, and tuition fees have soared accordingly. It seems the school leaders' pockets are bulging; even the grandeur of the new building reflects this.
I just washed my face and saw a brown spot in the mirror. How disappointing it is to have a stain on such a clean mirror! I reached out to wipe it away, but then I noticed the stain started to move.
Um?
My scalp tingled instantly.
A white, fluffy thing slowly emerged from the mirror. The dot grew larger and larger until it reached a certain size, at which point I realized it wasn't a dot, but a woman's breast.
"ah--"
I took a step back and leaned against the tiled wall, unable to catch my breath for a long time...
A figure appeared in the mirror, only the upper body visible, the lower body missing. A pale-skinned girl, her clothes disheveled…
"Who are you?" I asked, mustering my courage.
She looked at me with the same astonishment, then trembled and retreated to the corner, seemingly even more afraid of me!
This was the first time I had observed an object so clearly up close. She had eyes as clear as water, eyes that seemed to speak volumes; full lips; a beauty mark between her brows; she was a dignified and beautiful woman. My head instantly throbbed as if pierced by needles: She was… the girl who was assaulted and murdered in this building…?
She stared at me with her dark, grape-like eyes, seemingly full of questions.
"Are you... one of the students who were murdered in this building?" I asked her softly.
Her eyes remained clear and bright, her expression still blank. I asked again.
“Me?” She pointed to herself, frowned, and shook her head. “I can’t remember anything… I don’t remember.”
Huh?
A ghost with amnesia?
This is the first time I've ever encountered something like this.
"Then what are you still doing here?" I asked her, it was truly unbelievable. A vengeful spirit lingers because of its pent-up resentment; if she remembers nothing, why does she remain here for so long?
She lowered her head, somewhat frustrated. "I can't remember. It seems like there's something... something I'm not reconciled to..."
I understand. It's possible that extreme panic and hatred caused her spirit to detach from her body first. The contradiction between the hatred and humiliation she felt before her death forced her subconscious to force herself to forget the experience of being humiliated.
I walked towards the door; it's not too late to leave now.
"Wait a minute, can you help me?" She looked very pitiful.
How can I help her? Wouldn't it be cruel to remind her of her painful past?
“But I can never remember, so I have to stay here…” She seemed to hear the voice in my heart, “Look, I can’t even find my lower body. Even if I become a ghost, I’m incomplete.” Her helplessness and loneliness were heartbreaking.
Can……
Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Apple ran in briskly: "Why did you take so long? Almost everyone left." Then she sighed at the sanitary facilities in the new teaching building, "Beautiful! The school really spared no expense this time." She turned on the tap and splashed water on her face.
The vengeful spirit seemed interested in the apple; her pale body pressed close behind it, trying to observe it. I felt a lump in my throat and couldn't speak.
The sudden scream pierced my eardrums and almost made me fall over.
Apple saw my flustered expression in the mirror, turned around and asked, "What's wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost?"
Yes! I saw a ghost! The ghost was right behind you. The key question is, what was its name? Her scream just now gave me goosebumps. She was sobbing, muttering to herself, "I remember... I remember..."
Chapter 56: The Blood Curse on Campus (8)
My face turned from pale to white...
"Ruoxi, are you feeling unwell?" Apple came over to help me, passing right through the ghost's body to reach out her hand. My head felt like it had been hit by a heavy object; I was completely stunned. Then, without saying a word, she pulled me out of the science and technology building.
The female ghost was still crying inside the building, her sobbing carrying far, far away...
Night falls.
I couldn't sleep for a long time and felt a bit dazed. I decided to go to the washroom to wash my face and clear my head.
The hallway was extremely quiet at midnight, except for the dripping sound of a loosely turned-off water pipe.
I turned on the tap, scooped up a handful of water, and covered my eyes. The water slipped through my fingers, streamed down my cheeks, and soaked the front of my pajamas. I looked up, stunned, and was instantly dumbfounded.
A person was reflected in the mirror in front of me, standing right behind me, staring straight at me. Their gaze was eerie, like two empty vortexes. I remembered this face; she had spoken to me on the swings in the open space south of the east playground.
Where did she come from? Was she also unable to sleep at night?
I turned to her and asked, "Do you live in this building too?"
Behind him was nothing but a row of pipes, with puddles of water still lingering in the pool.
A chill ran down my spine. I ran back to my dorm in a panic, crawled under the mosquito net, pulled the sheet over my head, and...
In the afternoon, due to limited space, students from three different departments joined together for PE class, each choosing to specialize in one subject. I signed up for basketball, and Apple signed up for volleyball. The students spread out, with the girls taking basketball grouped together. Unexpectedly, our PE teacher had an emergency and a male student from the physical education department substituted. This student was Mo Yan.
What a coincidence!
He had already seen me, but didn't speak to me privately. Instead, he focused on explaining the basic lessons to each student. He kept public and private matters separate. That's good.
But when we were practicing on our own, he quietly walked up to me and said only one sentence: "I never thought I would have the chance to teach you basketball again."
The crowd had long since dispersed, noisily chattering. Basketballs flying everywhere made the ground tremble like a drum. I smiled at him: "Substitute teacher, please teach me how to shoot a basketball."
He laughed back, "It's not just about teaching you how to shoot anymore. You need to get over 90 points on your basketball exam at the end of the semester, otherwise my time teaching you won't have been in vain."
I stuck my tongue out at him: "So strict!"
He said in a serious tone, "Now I'll teach you how to push the ball and dribble. Watch carefully..."
He dribbled with confidence, his lunge like a drawn arrow, his body stretching out smoothly. "You can't just know how to shoot from a standstill. I'm going to teach you jump shots, one-handed shots. In the final exam, you'll be playing half-court with other students, learning how to score without fouling. You need to be skilled on defense and also protect yourself. Ankle sprains, finger sprains, muscle dislocations, knee injuries—you have to be careful about all of these..."
I was amazed; his ball skills were truly exceptional. His hands seemed to have a magnetic pull, holding the ball firmly within a small space, and no matter how he moved it, it wouldn't slip out of his grasp.
"Come on! Try taking my basketball."
"Okay." I'm on defense now, and he's dribbling past me.
That's just not my level. I'd barely seen a gap in the defense, thinking it was an opportunity, when he'd already faked something out, gone over, and made the layup. He was too fast, lightning fast, and in the blink of an eye I was completely overwhelmed.
"Hmm!"
Mo Yan suddenly collapsed to the ground, clutching his ankle in pain.
"What's wrong with you?" I was startled and quickly ran over.
"Heel bone disease. It's an old problem."
"What?"
"It's heel pain. Long-term practice of sudden stops and starts makes my heels very painful. You see, when we dribble past opponents, defend, or attack, when our feet land, the fat between the bone and skin of our heels is subjected to repeated and rapid impacts, which can cause injury." Large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead and temples, but he tried his best to maintain a calm expression on his face.
It must hurt a lot!
“If this problem is ignored, it will become a chronic disease and be difficult to treat.” I said to him in a commanding tone, “From now on, you need to do physical therapy after your training, using a hot, damp towel. You must not be lazy and you must do it consistently.”
"Lan, you have such a kind heart." He murmured this to himself.
I stared at him intently, my hands frantically clasped behind my back.
I cannot help him.
"Gather together!" He pushed himself up with one hand and blew his whistle towards the basketball court. "get out of class dismissed—"
In the evening.
Apple and I went to take a shower.
As she reached the entrance of the bathhouse, she suddenly turned around: "I forgot to bring the soap! You go ahead, I'll be right back."