At midnight, the entire Mingya Building was engulfed by a thick black mist. The mist swirled and writhed in the corners, as if something terrifying was trapped within it, emanating an aura of foreboding and danger.
At this moment, in a finely decorated and elegantly designed room, two identical figures stood facing each other through a mirror at the bathroom door.
One turned slightly, looking back, while the other stared straight ahead. The scene was horrifyingly eerie.
It must be noted that what stood between them was a mirror, not transparent glass.
If an ordinary person were to witness such a scene, they would undoubtedly feel chills down their spine and might even flee in terror.
But 'Ruan Qing' was different. He stood there, as if frozen in fear, staring blankly at the other 'self' in the mirror.
Meanwhile, the live stream’s comment section seemed equally stunned, displaying a reaction that was entirely unlike their usual responses to ghosts.
This was because the boy in the mirror was stunningly beautiful—so beautiful that people couldn’t look away, so beautiful that he didn’t even resemble a terrifying ghost.
[Holy crap! Two gorgeous beauties! This is so thrilling! For a moment, I suddenly feel like I want to run into a ghost myself.]
[Oh no, please scare me, wifey! I’m super timid and easy to frighten, and I’m a good person—I promise I won’t do anything to you. But whatever you want to do to me, feel free!]
[Help! This is my first time seeing such a good-looking ghost. If all ghosts were this adorable and beautiful, I’m not even sure who’d be in danger here.]
[This is so weird. Why do I feel like the ghost is even more captivating than the streamer? It’s as if the streamer pales in comparison to him.]
It wasn’t just one viewer who felt this way—many viewers shared the same sentiment.
Even though the two looked exactly the same, the audience inexplicably found the boy in the mirror to be more dazzling and captivating. He seemed to possess an inexplicable charm that the boy outside the mirror lacked.
...It was like the difference between a high-quality imitation and the original.
The streamer was undoubtedly gorgeous—almost unnaturally perfect—but there was always an eerie sense of incongruity about him. This subtle discord marred his beauty ever so slightly.
But the boy in the mirror was different. Rather than a terrifying ghost, he looked more like an angel who had fallen to the mortal world. Just by standing there, he seemed to radiate a light that pierced through the darkness, dispelling all fear and unease. He was breathtakingly beautiful, like the world’s salvation embodied.
The figure in the mirror was none other than Ruan Qing from the basement. He hadn’t expected the reflective glass in the basement to suddenly show a scene like this, and for a moment, he was caught off guard.
However, upon seeing his frozen self outside the mirror, he immediately adjusted his posture to mirror the movements of the boy outside.
It was as though he were nothing more than the reflection in the mirror.
Ruan Qing had an excellent memory and a decent ability to imitate. If one ignored the few seconds of oddity at the beginning, there wouldn’t appear to be any flaws. It would simply seem like those few seconds were a trick of the eyes.
The figure outside the mirror also seemed to suspect it might have been a trick of his own eyes.
But it was just suspicion. After all, he wasn’t so foolish—even with amnesia, that fact remained the same.
Amnesia was merely the loss of memory, not a transformation into a fool. Besides, many memories linger in the subconscious. Even if the brain forgets, the mind often instinctively acts based on habitual thought.
When 'Ruan Qing' clearly saw the figure in the mirror, the hand holding his clothes clenched for an instant, as though suppressing something.
All of this, however, was obscured by the clothes in his hand. No one could see it, not even the 'self' in the mirror.
'Ruan Qing' reacted quickly. A look of fear and unease appeared on his refined face—a reaction identical to how Ruan Qing would respond to such a bizarre situation.
But instead of fleeing immediately, he stepped back slightly and then carefully made a few tentative movements.
It seemed he was testing whether what he just saw was indeed a trick of his eyes.
The figure in the mirror moved along with 'Ruan Qing’s' actions—there was no delay, no flaw, as though the figure in the mirror was nothing more than a simple reflection.
Even so, the vigilance in 'Ruan Qing's' eyes didn’t waver. It was clear he didn’t fully believe that those few seconds were just a hallucination.
Ruan Qing was fully aware of what he was doing. He didn’t think it was just his imagination—he was testing him.
Testing whether the person in the mirror was really him, and whether that person might harm him.
Next, he would test that figure’s intentions and whether... he could be used.
Ruan Qing had always hated being used. But this time, he could only willingly allow himself to use... himself.
So, he responded to the test, all while probing whether the person in the mirror was truly himself.
Only someone who was genuinely himself would act exactly as he thought and move in perfect sync with him.
The facts proved that the person in the mirror was indeed himself—just like how he had been after losing his memories.
Ruan Qing watched the figure cautiously approach the mirror, and he took a step closer as well. But he stopped at a distance that would provide the other figure with a sense of security.
The distances between the two and the mirror were clearly different, a constant reminder that the figure in the mirror wasn’t a true reflection.
'Ruan Qing' pursed his lips uneasily before speaking in a soft voice, "You... are me, right?"
Ruan Qing didn’t answer directly. Instead, he took out his phone and dialed his own number.
The telephone rang in the room the very next second. 'Ruan Qing' glanced at the reflection in the mirror, then at the familiar number displayed on the phone. After hesitating for a few seconds, he finally answered.
“Mm.” Ruan Qing looked at his reflection in the mirror. “I am you.”
When 'Ruan Qing' noticed Ruan Qing’s gaze on him, he slightly pursed his lips, seemingly a bit nervous.
He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the figure in the mirror as well. Holding the phone, he unconsciously leaned closer to the mirror, stopping just in front of it.
Then, as if bewitched, 'Ruan Qing' extended his hand toward the figure in the mirror, only to touch the cold, flat surface of the mirror.
Ruan Qing: "?"
Ruan Qing couldn’t quite understand what he was doing.
Was he afraid?
The mirror could reflect the wound on his forehead, which meant that in the other’s eyes, he probably looked like a terrifying ghost at the moment.
Ruan Qing thought about how he would react in such a situation. If he believed the person in the mirror was indeed himself, he might assume that the reflection showed his future, gruesome death.
After thinking it through, Ruan Qing took a couple of steps closer and extended his hand as well, pressing it against 'Ruan Qing’s' through the mirror.
“You don’t need to be afraid. I really am dead, but I’m not your future self. I’m your past self.”
“I’ll do my best to help you get through this.”
As he spoke, Ruan Qing lightly tapped the mirror with his slender, pale fingers. “If anything happens, just call me.”
'Ruan Qing' lowered his eyes to look at his fingertip, which had just been touched. His heartbeat momentarily stopped as an unfamiliar emotion surged through his mind and body.
It was a mixture of excitement and pleasure, as well as a feeling of desire.
The emotion struck him with such force and intensity that it almost made 'Ruan Qing' lose control of his expression.
He immediately lowered his head to conceal the uncontrollable excitement in his eyes.
Ruan Qing didn’t notice anything unusual about the person in front of him. Just as he was about to say something else, heavy footsteps echoed from outside the room, accompanied by the clinking sound of chains.
When 'Ruan Qing' in the mirror shifted his gaze from Ruan Qing to the door, his eyes darkened. He also turned his head toward the door, his beautiful eyes carrying an indescribable hint of danger, making him appear both terrifying and horrifying.
But in the next second, his expression shifted to fear and unease. 'Ruan Qing' moved closer to the mirror, pressing his palm flat against it.
It was as if he were seeking protection from the version of himself inside the mirror.
Due to the angle, Ruan Qing couldn’t see the expression in 'Ruan Qing's' eyes, nor did he notice anything unusual about him.
After becoming a ghost, Ruan Qing inexplicably gained some knowledge—things that a ghost NPC should naturally know.
He was also well aware that nighttime was the time when ghosts hunted the tenants.
The footsteps outside the room belonged to... a ghost!
Ruan Qing immediately mouthed silently to 'Ruan Qing.'
— Run.
Apart from himself, who was completely useless, the other ghosts in this place were all quite powerful. Encountering one left only one option: to hide.
What’s more, he couldn’t leave the basement and had no way to help himself. Running away was his only choice.
Just as Ruan Qing finished speaking, he saw 'Ruan Qing' trying to move the full-length mirror, clearly intending to take it along while running.
Ruan Qing: "?"
Was he really this dumb after losing his memory?
How could he run while carrying a full-length mirror? And what was the point of carrying it? The mirror wouldn’t help him escape.
Not to mention, with his lack of strength, he couldn’t possibly move the mirror.
Sure enough, 'Ruan Qing' couldn’t move the full-length mirror. In fact, he ended up straining himself so much that his hands turned red.
'Ruan Qing' looked pitifully at the figure in the mirror and whispered, “I’m scared to be alone, and my whole body feels weak right now.”
Ruan Qing could understand; after all, encountering ghosts did tend to have this kind of effect. But the problem was, the footsteps outside the door were getting closer and closer.
The ghost’s target was very likely the tenant in this room. If they didn’t leave now, it would be too late.
Ruan Qing grew anxious. He moved closer to the mirror, intending to hypnotize himself directly, at least to get through this moment first.
However, this time, Ruan Qing didn’t touch the mirror’s surface. Instead, his vision blurred, and his perspective suddenly shifted.
He found himself standing in front of the mirror, feeling a slight sting in his hands.
Instinctively, Ruan Qing lowered his head to look at his reddened hands, then at the full-length mirror in front of him, and finally at his own reflection—frozen in the moment of his death.
It seemed like... he had possessed his own body?
Just as Ruan Qing was grappling with his uncertainty, a trembling voice sounded in his mind.
"Y-you... how did you enter my body?"
Ruan Qing paused for a second before finally answering honestly, "I don't know either."
Now wasn’t the time to think about this question, because the sound of footsteps had already stopped outside the door.
Perhaps it was because he had become a ghost, or perhaps it was due to everything he had experienced earlier, but Ruan Qing was slightly better off than before—at least he wasn’t so terrified that he froze up completely.
Ruan Qing took a deep breath, suppressing the fear and terror in his heart. He silently moved toward the window at the end of the corridor. Just as whatever was outside the door broke in, he stepped onto a stool and climbed out of the window to leave the room.
The distance between the window and the door wasn’t far, so even though Ruan Qing tried to be as quiet as possible while climbing out, he was still exposed to the ghost’s view.
Ruan Qing caught sight of that horrifying figure.
It was a corpse that seemed to have been burned to a crisp, dragging a massive iron chain as it walked, its movements twisted and labored. It was chilling and terrifying to behold.
Just as Ruan Qing climbed out of the window and saw the corpse looking his way, his legs gave out, and he almost fell to the ground.
Fortunately, he managed to steady himself by holding onto the wall.
Without thinking, Ruan Qing summoned all the strength he had left and ran quickly down the other side of the corridor.
Meanwhile, 'Ruan Qing' in his mind spoke up, trembling. "Run a bit faster, or it’s going to catch you."
Ruan Qing had never been good at running and naturally couldn’t go any faster. Yet 'Ruan Qing' seemed unaware of this and continued to tremble as it urged him, "Can’t you go any faster? I’m so scared."
Ruan Qing knew how scared he was of ghosts, but never had he felt as annoyed with himself as he did now. He wanted to tell himself to shut up, but he no longer had the energy or focus to speak.
In his panic, Ruan Qing didn’t notice that the trembling voice in his mind sounded off—its trembling didn’t seem like fear, but… excitement.
The ghost’s movements were relatively slow, and in the end, Ruan Qing managed to lose it.
“Hah…” Ruan Qing leaned weakly against the wall, his whole body drained of strength. He felt utterly miserable, as if he couldn’t even catch his breath.
But there was no time to rest. He had to find a safe room before another ghost found him. After all, he couldn’t count on always being lucky enough to encounter a slow-moving ghost.
During the daytime, when the other players had been searching the complex, Ruan Qing had been in the basement. He had no idea which rooms were safe, yet somehow he accurately chose a safe room.
Most of the apartments in the complex had identical interiors. Dragging his exhausted body, Ruan Qing walked directly to the full-length mirror without a second thought, intending to try and leave 'Ruan Qing’s' body.
He succeeded on the first try. Instantly, the feeling of exhaustion and breathlessness vanished completely.
Returning to the basement, Ruan Qing had a thoughtful look in his eyes. It seemed that all the mirrors in the community were connected to the glass mirror in the basement, allowing him to possess his own body through the mirrors.
This was good news.
Ruan Qing looked at the person leaning against the full-length mirror, trying to steady their breathing after he had left. “The full-length mirror allows me to possess your body. If anything happens in the future, just come to the full-length mirror.”
The 'Ruan Qing' raised his head slightly, panting, and looked at the figure in the mirror. With a delicate and innocent expression, he obediently nodded. "Mm, I will."
“Don’t worry, from now on, anything I’m afraid to face—I’ll have you take care of it for me.”
Ruan Qing: “...?”
Interesting dynamic. Thank you for the chapter!!
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