Chapter 4 : Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Becoming the Heroine’s Shadow
She had originally thought that ghosts were more or less the same. Her plan had been simple: release the ghost inside the doll, wait for it to fight the middle-aged male ghost, and then escape while they were entangled in battle.
However, the current situation was completely different.
The seemingly vicious middle-aged ghost had been pinned to the ground and beaten without mercy. When he tried to escape, he was dragged back again.
If she had been terrified just moments ago, she suddenly felt a strange sense of relief.
If she could not escape, then so be it.
Since ghosts truly existed in this world, then after she died she would surely become a ghost as well.
Was that not another form of rebirth?
Of course, the inconvenience would be that she could not go out during the daytime, and ghosts had many restrictions.
Zhao Mingyue had already begun imagining her life after becoming a ghost when another disturbance came from the doorway.
Under the horrified gaze of the middle-aged male ghost, Bai Yu stepped forward and crushed his head beneath her foot.
Countless blood threads burst from her body and stabbed violently into the ghost’s corpse.
In just a little over ten seconds, the ghost turned into a cloud of black smoke and was absorbed into Bai Yu’s body.
“He… got eaten?”
Zhao Mingyue’s pupils shrank.
She had never imagined such a result.
The temperature in the bathroom showed no sign of rising.
The icy wind pierced to the bone.
In Zhao Mingyue’s eyes, Bai Yu’s appearance was far less disgusting and horrifying than the male ghost’s.
Yet the sense of oppression she gave off was infinitely stronger.
It felt as though an invisible hand had seized Zhao Mingyue’s throat, making it difficult to breathe.
If the middle-aged ghost had given her the feeling that she might still escape…
Then Bai Yu gave her the feeling that there was nowhere left to run.
At any moment, she could be killed.
The cramped bathroom fell into an eerie silence.
Her feet felt as if they had been frozen solid.
Zhao Mingyue could only force a terribly awkward smile.
The male ghost had clearly wanted to kill her.
But Bai Yu might not.
After all, she was the ghost of the doll, and she had just blocked the door and saved her.
“So… um… hello?”
Her smile was stiff as she raised one hand in greeting.
The moment she spoke, Bai Yu moved.
She raised her hand slightly, beckoning.
The rabbit doll floating in midair, supported by black mist, drifted toward her and gently landed in her palm.
Because Bai Yu’s back was facing her, Zhao Mingyue could not see her expression.
She could only continue speaking nervously.
“Is this doll yours? It’s… it’s a very nice doll. But I only got it today. I really don’t know anything…”
She felt miserable inside.
She was just an ordinary second-year high school student.
Her parents had disappeared when she was young, and she had been raised by her older sister.
Then her sister disappeared as well.
To pay for her tuition and living expenses, she worked night shifts at a convenience store every day.
Recently she had taken leave, hoping to make one last effort to find her sister.
But instead of finding her sister, she had been dragged into another world because of a simple game.
And now the situation was this:
An unknown Fierce Ghost blocked the doorway, leaving her no way out.
“How did you obtain this doll?”
Bai Yu glanced sideways at Zhao Mingyue and turned around.
This was the first time Zhao Mingyue saw Bai Yu’s face.
It was beautiful.
So beautiful that Zhao Mingyue could not describe the feeling in words.
Perhaps it was a kind of fragile beauty.
Her facial features were delicate and perfectly shaped.
Her messy black hair contrasted sharply with her pale skin.
She was not tall—around one meter sixty.
She looked only sixteen years old.
The body beneath the white dress was frail, almost like a doll.
It was the kind of delicate appearance that easily stirred both protective instincts and destructive impulses in people.
Yes, destructive impulses.
Because she looked so perfect, yet so fragile.
Of course, all of those thoughts required ignoring several details.
Her bluish-white skin.
The black cracks covering her body like fractures in porcelain.
And the crimson eyes hidden beneath her long black hair.
She was a ghost.
A Fierce Ghost.
“If I say it suddenly appeared here… would you believe me?”
Strangely, Zhao Mingyue did not feel as frightened anymore.
Bai Yu’s behavior was completely different from the male ghost’s.
That ghost had possessed nothing but madness.
Bai Yu, on the other hand, was calm and capable of communication.
That was undoubtedly a good sign.
As long as she had reason and could communicate, things might still work out.
“She’s a living human. If nothing unexpected happens, she must be one of the characters in the comic. The game rules say I must capture the male protagonist and the other five supporting characters. There are five men and one woman in total. The woman is the comic’s female protagonist. If nothing unexpected happens, that should be the person in front of me.”
Bai Yu silently analyzed the situation.
She had already determined Zhao Mingyue’s identity.
This was her advantage.
She did not need to interact with those male characters.
She only needed to focus on the female protagonist.
However, she had not expected to encounter the female protagonist so easily.
Leaning against the wall, Zhao Mingyue blinked.
Why was this ghost staring at her without saying anything?
“Hey… about this doll. I really did obtain it by accident just now.”
She waved her hand at Bai Yu and pointed toward the doorway.
“That ghost was smashing the door earlier. I was standing in front of the mirror with my eyes closed. After everything went quiet, I realized the doll had blocked the door.”
“Well… thank you. If it hadn’t been for you, that ghost would have eaten me just now.”
She lowered her eyes and then cautiously glanced at Bai Yu.
The moment she looked up—
She discovered Bai Yu standing less than half a meter in front of her.
Those black eyes, filled with blood vessels and lacking visible whites, stared directly at her.
An emotion Zhao Mingyue could not understand flickered within them.
Bai Yu raised her hand.
Blood threads crawled up Zhao Mingyue’s leg and slipped into her pocket, pulling out the black phone.
But the instant Bai Yu grabbed the phone—She felt a burning sensation.
The blood threads touching the phone began to burn and melt.
The phone fell from the pocket.
Fortunately, Zhao Mingyue reacted quickly and caught it.
Her finger accidentally pressed the power button.
The screen lit up.
She glanced at it quickly.
Aside from the photograph, many floating comments had appeared on the screen, rapidly scrolling.
“Damn, she’s so cute. I’m licking the screen first, brothers.”
“Is that the Blade Demon? (Shocked) But honestly… worth it.”
“The female lead is impressive. Playing this kind of game alone in the bathroom in the middle of the night would scare me to death.”
“That male ghost got lucky. I also want Sister Yu to step on me.”
“Now we have two heroines. Who do you like? I vote for Sister Yu.”
“Trash above me. I want both.”
Zhao Mingyue quickly swiped the screen.
She shrank the barrage comments to one side, revealing most of the screen.
Then she lifted the phone and showed it to Bai Yu.
She had already guessed Bai Yu’s identity.
She must be the older sister of the little girl in the photograph—Bai Sisi.
But if it was Bai Sisi…
Shouldn’t she be a little girl?
A moment later…
…
“Phew… why are you still standing there looking?”
After cleaning the bathroom and throwing the broken mirror pieces into the trash, Zhao Mingyue returned to the living room with the lights turned on.
Bai Yu was still standing in front of the television.
The black phone had been placed on a stand in front of it.
Zhao Mingyue walked closer and glanced at the screen.
She vaguely saw a few comments.
“My wife is looking at me.”
“No, that’s my wife.”
“Your wife is amazing.”
Zhao Mingyue felt awkward.
She could not understand who was posting these comments.
It felt like some kind of livestream.
“Um… My name is Zhao Mingyue. Do you have a name?”
Zhao Mingyue looked at Bai Yu’s side profile and tried to start a conversation.
“Bai Yu.”
“Then… should I call you Sister Bai?”
“That’s not necessary. Just call me Bai Yu.”
Zhao Mingyue was about to say something else.
But suddenly she saw Bai Yu walk toward her.
Right before her eyes—Bai Yu stepped into her shadow.
Under the light, Zhao Mingyue’s shadow changed dramatically.
She had short hair and wore pajamas.
But the shadow now had long hair and the outline of a dress.
Zhao Mingyue looked at her shadow.
Then she looked at the doll beside the television.
She was stunned.
Wasn’t the ghost supposed to live inside the doll?
Why had she moved into her shadow?