Dou Jie also knew this photograph was bizarre. They had ticulously searched the bedroom on the first floor at the ti, but found no photograph then.
"What should I do now?" Dou Jie asked the most critical question. The old man had survived a supernatural encounter; it surely wasn’t just luck.
"I don’t know." The old man averted his gaze, turning to look at the mourning portrait of the old woman. After a long pause, he rasped, "Perhaps my wife’s spirit in heaven is watching over , but since that incident, I’ve never gone back to that house."
With a dispirited deanor, the old man ushered Dou Jie out of the bedroom. At the iron door, his frail fingers brushed lightly against the lock. With a sharp "clack," the final bolt was undone.
"Sir..."
Dou Jie instinctively wanted to say sothing more, but the old man didn’t give him a chance. Under the cold gaze of that face, Dou Jie shrank his neck and sensibly walked out on his own.
"Don’t co back. There’s sothing off about the aura on you." As soon as these words were uttered, the iron door closed with a loud "bang," followed by the sound of multiple locks clicking into place behind it.
Standing in the dimly lit hallway, Dou Jie exhaled deeply. He never wanted to return to this house; the spirit altar arranged by the old man was absolutely unsettling.
Looking around, he didn’t notice anything unusual. Only then did he grab his bag and quicken his steps down the stairs.
Not long afterward, Xiao Yaqin, feigning a twisted ankle, heard the sound of footsteps above her. She was stationed at the landing between the 10th and 11th floors, a spot she had carefully chosen. On one hand, the lighting here was decent, providing good visibility. On the other hand, this spot was neither too close nor too far from the 13th floor. If Dou Jie encountered any mishaps, she should be able to hear it in this quiet environnt.
Her plan was to let Dou Jie make the way first, while she chose a safe place where she could either advance or retreat as needed.
As she heard the footsteps approach, Xiao Yaqin began moving slowly, tiptoeing down the stairs and hiding in the corridor outside the fire escape on the 10th floor. It wasn’t until she recognized Dou Jie’s figure from behind that she finally revealed herself.
Suddenly hearing soone call her na from behind, Dou Jie, who had been moving quickly and lightly, was startled so badly that his face turned ashen and he nearly tumbled down the stairs.
"Dou Jie, it’s ." Xiao Yaqin limped out from the shadows, "I’m Xiao Yaqin."
"Why... why are you here?" Turning swiftly, Dou Jie was still shaken.
"I waited downstairs for a long ti and didn’t see you co down. Worried sothing might have happened, I... I climbed up here." Xiao Yaqin’s acting was impeccable, her eyes filled with concern. "I had just reached here when I heard footsteps upstairs. I couldn’t tell who it was, so I had no choice but to... to hide. It scared to death! Thank goodness it’s you."
As she said this, Xiao Yaqin lightly patted her chest, mimicking a gesture of relief. "By the way, why did it take you so long to co down?"
"The owner of the house is suspicious. Let’s go; we’ll talk later."
Glancing nervously upwards, Dou Jie stepped forward to support Xiao Yaqin, and the two quickly hurried downstairs.
Their pace was swift, almost like they were fleeing. When they reached the landing between the 6th and 7th floors, Xiao Yaqin furrowed her brows.
"Ding-a-ling–"
"Ding-a-ling–"
"Did you hear sothing?" Xiao Yaqin’s face paled in an instant, the terror in her expression unmistakably genuine.
"What sound?" The surroundings were eerily quiet, and Dou Jie asked in confusion while continuing to help her along.
"It’s a bell!" Xiao Yaqin heard it clearly. The sound was incredibly close—no, it was coming... it was coming from her!
Reaching into her pocket, Xiao Yaqin pulled out the bell she had found in the haunted house. Gripping the string, the suspended bell swung wildly as though triggered by so strange, malevolent force, emitting an eerie tinkling sound.
This ti, she was the only one who could hear it, while Dou Jie, standing close by, seed completely oblivious.
The bell rang. This was unmistakably a bad on. Back at the haunted house, others had heard the bell, and shortly after, they discovered that unsettling photograph.
"The photograph..."
In a flash, Xiao Yaqin realized sothing even more horrifying. Dou Jie was holding her with both hands—but he wasn’t carrying a bag.
The photograph was kept in the bag’s fra—a photograph of the previous tenants, its significance undeniable. But now, the bag was missing!
Xiao Yaqin grew increasingly terrified, and at the sa ti, she could feel Dou Jie’s grip on her arm tightening.
There was sothing wrong with this Dou Jie!
He wasn’t human—he was a ghost!
The real Dou Jie had already perished upstairs!
Xiao Yaqin’s mind spun faster than ever before. "Mr. Dou, my ankle... my ankle really hurts." She carefully modulated her trembling voice, speaking in a faint mosquito-like tone.
"Hang in there. We’re almost outside." Dou Jie supported her, his body slightly ahead of hers. From the rear, his face was obscured, hidden within a shadow.
"I can’t. The pain is unbearable." Xiao Yaqin knew that forcefully breaking away was futile; she had to create an opportunity for herself. Even with the slimst possibility, she refused to give up.
Fortunately, hearing her complaint, Dou Jie’s grip on her arm loosened little by little until he finally let go.
Xiao Yaqin slowly crouched down, gently massaging her ankle while keeping Dou Jie in her peripheral vision. The mont she saw an opening, she abruptly sprang up and lunged at Dou Jie, aiming to push him toward the edge of the stairs.
But the next mont, Xiao Yaqin fell down the stairs in a twisted position. She had missed entirely—Dou Jie had vanished. Just a split second earlier, from her vantage point, she had clearly seen Dou Jie’s legs standing there, taut and unmoving.
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