After a rushed day of classes, Lin Sheng rejected Shen Yan's invitation to have snacks with him in the afternoon.
It wasn't because he didn't want to, but because he liked the snacks on the school's snack street. Unfortunately, he could only spend an average of three yuan a day, so he had to be frugal.
He took the free bus back.
Lin Sheng sat by the window, looking at the old streets that passed by quickly on his right.
The curvy patterns of folk flowers and birds were carved on the sides of the shop signs and the corners of the walls, reminding him of the nightmare from last night.
"Du … Next stop, Old City Textile Factory." A standard Celine female voice snapped Lin Sheng out of his thoughts.
He picked up his grayish-white backpack, stood up from his seat, and gave it to an old lady who just got on the bus. Then, he grabbed the handrail above his head and slowly squeezed through the crowd towards the door.
"Why are you squeezing! You're courting death! "
"Young man, be careful! Don't disturb everyone. "
"My foot, you stepped on my foot! What are you doing! "
The people who were squeezed around him made random noises, like children's toys that would squeal with a touch.
Lin Sheng was unmoved. He was 1.75 meters tall, not thin nor fat, and the muscles hidden under his school uniform were healthy and strong. Other than his skin being a little white, he had no flaws.
"Poof."
The door opened automatically, and Lin Sheng jumped out, took a deep breath, and looked back at the bus.
Another seven or eight people got on the bus, and the whole bus was like an expired can that was about to explode. The bus door slowly closed, and the engine started to leave.
About ten meters to the right of the bus stop was his neighborhood — Huilian Neighborhood.
The entrance to the neighborhood was an arched iron frame, and the words "Huilian Neighborhood" were hanging on it in a slanted manner.
On both sides of the entrance were uncles and aunties carrying baskets of vegetables. Some residents stopped in front of the vegetable stalls to haggle.
In the afternoon, the temperature had dropped to 20 degrees, not as hot as it was during the day.
Lin Sheng passed through the rusty red iron gate and walked straight into the neighborhood along the slope.
He walked to the fifth building and turned right. He entered the stairwell of Unit 11.
The walls of the corridor were covered with all kinds of small advertisements. There were locksmiths, sewer repair companies, moving companies, and everything else.
As he walked up the stairs, he suddenly felt something sticky under his feet. He looked up and saw that someone had spilled an ice cream on the floor, and he had already stepped on it. The inside of his white sneakers was already stained with a lot of milky white ice cream.
Frowning, he scraped the edge of the staircase again and again, and barely managed to clean it before he continued up the stairs.
When he reached the third floor, he took out his keys and skillfully opened the security door of the first house on the left before walking in.
"Dad." Standing at the door, Lin Sheng called out.
There was no one in the house, not a sound.
He silently changed into his slippers and closed the door.
He walked down the hallway, through the living room, and into the bedroom.
Lin Sheng couldn't help but look at his desk. The chair in front of the desk still seemed to have the back of the figure from last night.
After a moment of silence, he walked over, gently pulled out a chair, and sat down. Let the soft cloth cushion and the stiff back of the chair surround themselves.
After a day of classes, as soon as he sat down, a strong sense of sleepiness came over him.
Lin Sheng stood up, a little afraid to sleep on the desk. The nightmare from last night was still fresh in his memory.
Every afternoon after returning home, he had the habit of taking a half-hour nap. Although the nightmare from last night scared him, it was just a dream.
With this thought in mind.
He hesitated for a moment, but still walked to the bed, took off his school uniform, turned over, and pulled the quilt over to cover his stomach.
The setting sun outside the window spilled into the bedroom like blood, falling on the desk, and falling on the floor tiles.
In a daze, Lin Sheng's consciousness slowly blurred.
He didn't know how long he slept in a daze.
Suddenly, he heard a soft sobbing sound, waking him up from his sleep.
Woo …
The sound was like a woman sobbing, but also like she was singing something.
Sad, desperate, and shrill. Accompanied by the occasional sound of rapid breathing.
Lin Sheng slowly opened his eyes.
He lay on the bed again, unable to move.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw a woman in a white dress sitting in front of the desk.
Different from the last time, the woman in the white dress loosened her shoulders, and kept making soft, frightened sobbing sounds. Like a panicked person who was too frightened.
Patter.
Patter.
Patter.
The sound of footsteps came again.
Lin Sheng could feel that someone was approaching step by step from the corridor, through the living room, and toward the bedroom.
The hazy sound of footsteps became clearer and louder.
The woman in front of the desk cried even more rapidly, and her shoulders twitched even faster. She looked like she would get up and run away at any time.
The sound of footsteps came closer and closer.
Click.
The door opened slowly.
Lin Sheng's scalp tightened. He didn't know why, but there was a strong sense of fear in his heart.
Everything was quiet for a while.
Puff!
Suddenly, the quilt was lifted.
Lin Sheng felt his whole body go numb. His eyes widened and his pupils locked.
That person had actually walked to the end of the bed, lifted the thin quilt, and pounced on him.
Ah!!!
Lin Sheng looked up and straightened up from the bed. His mind was in a daze.
"Huff … Huff … Huff …"
He panted rapidly, and his body was covered in sweat. His T-shirt was completely soaked.
"I … I …" He wanted to say something, but nothing came out.
His mind was blank.
He just sat on the bed in a daze, motionless for more than ten minutes.
He tried his best to calm his breathing until his heartbeat completely slowed down, no longer beating like a drum. Only then did he look around.
The bedroom was empty. The silver crescent moon outside the window shone a silvery light.
Lin Sheng reached out and wiped his forehead. His hands were full of sweat.
"What the hell, I can even dream of that when I'm taking a nap …" He slowly leaned against the headboard and took a deep breath.
"It's the same dream from before … This time, it's even closer …" His heart was filled with a strong sense of panic.
But his habit of calmness allowed him to keep suppressing his beating heart.
"Fear can't solve anything. I need to calm down …"
Ever since he was very young, he understood that the more panicked he was, the easier it was to make mistakes, and the easier it was to waste time and energy.
Only by calming down could he quickly find a solution to the problem.
Lin Sheng kept taking deep breaths. He leaned against the headboard and calmed his heartbeat again and again.
About five minutes later, he completely emptied his mind, and let his emotions return to normal.
"This dream is getting closer and closer. The footsteps from before were just outside the door, but now they've entered the room, and even lifted my quilt! "Lin Sheng felt that this was some kind of foreboding.
He had a feeling that if he let the owner of the footsteps lift his quilt and grab him …
Then something unimaginable might happen.
He had such a premonition, an ominous premonition.
"Let's wait and see. If it's the same dream next time, I have to think of a way …" Lin Sheng decided. Even memories of past lives could be awakened. What else could not happen?
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