Chapter Sixteen

It was already past two in the morning, and Xiao Ai, tossing and turning in bed, still could not fall asleep. She switched on her bedside lamp and gazed intently at the pendant, hoping to glean more information from the necklace. Though the lamp shone brightly, no matter how she turned or angled it, there was nothing more to be revealed. Just then, another sound came from outside.

The sound was faint, and Xiao Ai guessed it might be coming from that room again. She got up to investigate.

She slipped out of the living room and quietly made her way to the end of the corridor. She approached the room with the supposedly broken lock, and indeed, this time she managed to open the door once again.

Inside, the room was pitch black. The chandelier had long ago stopped working, so she had to grope her way forward. The space inside was unusually deep and long; even during her first exploration, she had found it strange—this room seemed to stretch deeper than the combined length of the living room and corridor.

Suddenly, faint music began to play, a melody that seemed oddly familiar—just like the one Xiao Ya had heard when she and Xian visited Jin Tan Garden and encountered Zhong Shiqiang. Back then, the music had come from Zhong’s ancient radio. Why the same song was playing here, Xiao Ai couldn’t fathom; it was her first time hearing it, so she didn’t sense how bizarre it was.

The closer she drew, the louder the music became. A dim, yellowed light began to seep out, old and hazy. The glow came from just around the bend. She quickened her pace, following the beam of light around the corner.

At the turn, Xiao Ai saw a flat door marked 303—an exact replica of the display window for Apartment 303 at Jin Tan Garden. Inside were two people: a young man and a woman. The woman was casually dressed, her hair unkempt, resembling an ordinary housewife on her way to the market. She had her back to Xiao Ai, and from this angle, her face was hidden, but her voice unmistakably belonged to Xiao Ya. Still, why was she dressed like this? Was it really the same person? Xiao Ai couldn’t be sure. As for the young man—Xiao Ai recognized him instantly as the young waiter from the restaurant.

The woman spoke in a grave tone: “Eat up. Tonight, we’ll have this porridge. It’s your favorite, so have some more.”

The boy replied, “It’s sweet millet porridge! Wonderful, I love it!” Obediently, he ate, and ate a lot. But soon after, he suddenly collapsed.

The woman also ate, but as she did, she began to weep uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face for no apparent reason. Eventually, she too collapsed, crawling feebly toward her bedside. The ancient radio continued to play its song. Amid the music, she slowly drifted into sleep.

Then the music stopped. All was silent.

Previously, Xiao Ai had only ever heard sounds from behind the door; she had never witnessed the scene herself. Now, she saw it all with her own eyes. She knew the woman’s identity—last time, she hadn’t paid much attention to the boy, but now, everything was clear. Once more, she stepped into Apartment 303, approached the woman to confirm that she indeed looked exactly like Xiao Ya, just as she had seen before.

She wanted to check on her condition, so she held her hand under the woman’s nose—there was no breath. Xiao Ai jumped back in fright. Last time, she had left in a hurry when the woman stopped moving, but hadn’t thought much of it. Now, it was as if time had rewound to that same moment. What kind of space was this? As she tried to make sense of it all, a headache seized her, the world spinning madly before her eyes… then, a blinding flash, and everything vanished as if erased.

When she woke, she was back in her own bed. As she opened her eyes, the first light of dawn spilled across the white curtains. She sat up abruptly, bumping her head, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not remember how she had returned to her room.

After the morning meeting at work, Chairman Li called Xiao Ya into his office for a private conversation. Once again, she was praised—Xiao Ya was the year’s top-performing fund manager, bringing in the highest returns for the company. In recognition of her achievements, the company awarded her a brand-new, luxurious duplex apartment. Chairman Li handed her the keycard.

“Xiao Ya, you’ve done exceptionally well. You truly deserve this reward. Everyone in the company should learn from you.”

Xiao Ya accepted the keycard with heartfelt joy. “Thank you, Chairman Li.”

Everyone at the company was envious when they learned the news. Jason, too, was filled with jealousy, casting suspicious glances at her.

At noon, Xiao Ya went to the parking lot to fetch her car and, from a distance, happened to spot Jason lurking behind her vehicle, acting furtively. He left quickly, and Xiao Ya hurried over to check, but found nothing unusual. She got in her car and drove away.

As she merged onto the highway to meet a client, her car remained steady and did not accelerate. Suddenly, a large truck barreled toward her from behind. Xiao Ya swerved and gently braked, but to her shock, the brakes did not respond at all. Panic rising, she pressed again and again, but nothing happened. Her anxiety mounted as the car nearly careened off the highway. In the nick of time, the emergency brake finally kicked in, and she managed to steer toward the roadside. The car suffered minor damage and her arm was scraped, but thankfully, it was nothing serious—though she was badly shaken.

With the meeting canceled, Xiao Ya made her way to the hospital. In the emergency room, as her wound was being bandaged, it was already past two in the afternoon. Recalling Jason’s suspicious behavior in the parking lot, she felt certain he had something to do with her accident. Why was he always out to get her? What had she ever done to him? Lost in thought, she failed to notice an elderly man in a wheelchair nearby, watching her intently.

The old man slowly wheeled himself closer until he was right behind her.

“What are you doing here?” he asked in a familiar voice.

Xiao Ya turned in surprise. Was it not Zhong Shiqiang, the resident of Jin Tan Garden? “Mr. Zhong? So it’s you! Why are you at the hospital?”

“I should be asking you—why are you here? You shouldn’t be here! You mustn’t be!” the old man cried, his tone increasingly agitated.

Xiao Ya was bewildered. She couldn’t understand why Zhong Shiqiang was so insistent.

“I just scraped my arm—it wouldn’t do not to come to the hospital, would it?”

“Go home. This isn’t where you belong. Go back, quickly!” he said, still not answering her directly, but speaking in riddles.

She thought perhaps the old man was confused, his mind troubled. A faint unease crept over her, and she felt compelled to leave.

But Zhong Shiqiang continued to shout after her. “It’s not safe here! Go home at once! This isn’t your place!”

Xiao Ya hurried away, his voice echoing behind her. She dared not look back, the sound of his words laden with a guilt-ridden gravity she could not face. She could only flee, unable to confront him.

Back at home, the day had been fraught with misfortune, ever since her run-in with Jason, leaving her feeling irritable. Still, she forced herself to calm down. Upon entering, she did not see Xiao Ai in the living room or her bedroom. Feeling uneasy, she turned toward the end of the corridor and spotted Xiao Ai there.

Xiao Ai was leaning against the door to the room with the broken lock, fiddling with it for a long time in an attempt to open it, but the door remained shut.

“What are you doing?” Xiao Ya asked from behind.

Xiao Ai jumped, turning to see Xiao Ya standing there.

“I told you the lock was broken, didn’t I?” There was a trace of anger in her voice.

“I found that it could be opened last night,” Xiao Ai said, still trying the lock.

“It won’t open. I’m planning to have someone fix it. Why are you so obsessed with whether it opens or not?” Her patience was wearing thin. Why wouldn’t Xiao Ai believe her?

“Because… I heard sounds from inside again last night.”

“What sounds? Probably mice.”

“It’s not mice, really, it’s not!”

“Then what? You’ve heard it twice now. Why do I never notice anything? You’ve lived here long enough to know what’s in that room.”

“I really did open the door and went inside. Why would I lie to you? It’s true.” Xiao Ai grew anxious, not knowing how to convince her.

Xiao Ya, exasperated, demanded, “So what did you see in there?”

Xiao Ai replied, “There were people inside!”