“Ding Yi! Ding Yi! Wake up!!” Mu Yueshi’s worried face gradually came into focus. Ding Yi gasped for air like a drowning woman. She was still reeling from shock, her eyes fervently darting around the room.
Nothing. There was nobody besides Mu Yueshi in the room, not a single ghostly shadow.
So it was a dream?
Ding Yi rubbed her throbbing head and got up with great difficulty.
“Was I asleep?” she asked with uncertainty.
The unease had not left Mu Yueshi’s small face, but he still nodded:
“I kept calling out to you, but you didn’t wake up. Then, you suddenly screamed and fell off the bed, waking up afterwards.”
As he spoke, Mu Yueshi pointed to a small dent in the floor.
Ding Yi bared her teeth in pain.
No wonder it hurt so much!
When she saw that Mu Yueshi’s small face was filled with anxiety and concern, Ding Yi pulled her lips into what she thought looked like a relaxed smile, saying coaxingly:
“I’m fine. I’m just having bad dreams since I’m too tired. Aren’t you sleepy? You should go to sleep.”
Mu Yueshi rolled onto the bed, his eyes serious: “I’m not tired at all! Let me keep you company.”
Ding Yi saw a deep, tactful caring intent within the child’s gaze, and suddenly she felt embarrassed. Even a kid’s got more courage than her.
Actually, she shouldn’t be blamed for being scared. The dream just seemed way too real! It felt more realistic than a 5D movie!!
Ding Yi sighed, exhausted. She laid down naturally, secured the covers over Mu Yueshi, and said:
“Alright. Since it’s so late, hurry up and sleep. I’m sleeping too.”
Mu Yueshi seemed to see through her facade, snuggling his soft body against her, his face serious:
“Ding Yi, don’t be scared. I’m right by your side.”
Ding Yi, who was still too scared to close her eyes, felt touched, but she couldn’t allow Mu Yueshi to lose sleep over her own fears, so she kept up her tough act:
“I’m not scared. Go to sleep.”
Mu Yueshi looked upon her silently, and after a while, seeing that Ding Yi had closed her eyes, closed his own.
In reality, Ding Yi was not a bit drowsy.
She closed her eyes, fervently pinging the system: Boss!! Are you there? Why did you ignore me? Boss, I can’t calm down if you don’t say anything! I’m so scared!!!
The system said coldly: The system has not yet developed the dream-speaking feature. If the host wants to waste some time, please turn on offline gaming mode.
The crisp, mechanical voice of the system was as emotionless as always, but nonetheless it sounded so endearing to Ding Yi.
She became sure that as long as she was conscious, as long as she wanted it, the system would always answer her, even if it was an automatic do not disturb reply!
So what had happened was really just a dream!
After a series of logical analyses, Ding Yi laid down, satisfied. I must’ve been hallucinating due to exhaustion. How could there be a ghost in this well cleaned house?
She pulled up her covers, ready to fall asleep once again.
However, as soon as Ding Yi relaxed, there was suddenly a rapping at the door.
Knock, knock, knock went the door, each knock louder and more impatient than the last.
Ding Yi’s eyes shot wide open. To hell it was a nightmare! Damn, it was real!!
Frigid winds started blowing through the room. The bizarre rapping at the door got louder and louder, each knock piercing through the silent night.
As the rumbling outside got louder and louder, Ding Yi felt her heart nearly leap out of her chest.
That “person” outside was clearly the original owner of this house, “coming home” in the middle of the night. Judging by how much strength was put behind each knock, the being was clearly furious at not being allowed into its own home.
Ding Yi was on the verge of tears: System!! I-I-I’ve never dealt with ghosts before! What should I do? At this r-rate the door won’t last much longer!!
System: It can’t come in.
Ding Yi: Why not? Don’t take me for a fool!! Wouldn’t that thing just come through the wall? That’s how it is on TV!
Why would it knock if it could just come through the wall? The system felt speechless at this host’s brainlessness.
The system explained: It can’t come in. That’s why it chose to invade your dreams.
Ding Yi: Why can’t it come in?
The system replied coolly: Because it’s afraid of and is unable to get close to Mu Yueshi. That’s why it chose you. If you didn’t wake up just now, it would’ve possessed your body and just sauntered in.
Ding Yi was shocked.
Wow, such a tricky ghost!
It was then that Mu Yueshi suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp: “It wants to break the door.”
After finishing his sentence, he sat up, his expression dark. He looked like he wanted to charge outside and fight the thing.
Ding Yi was scared witless. She hurriedly grabbed the kid, “Oh gosh, what are you doing? You- you should wait here. I- I’ll go outside and check it out!”
As soon as she said that, there was a loud “bang!”, like someone taking a rock to wood.
The system suddenly reminded her: Not good, the front gate was broken. Shut the room door!
???
Didn’t you say it couldn’t get in!!
Ding Yi felt her legs turn into jelly, but there was no time to retort. She hurriedly shut the door that had been blown ajar by the winds and barred it, shouting: “Yueshi! Go! Shut the window!”
Mu Yueshi immediately climbed onto the cabinet and, with all his strength, slammed the window shut. It was almost simultaneously that the two candles in the room were extinguished by an unnatural burst of cold air.
The room descended into darkness.
Ding Yi hugged Mu Yueshi tight. Her eyes fixated on the flitting shadow outside the window. It was as if the deathly white face from her dreams was slowly materializing right in front of her eyes.
She gritted her teeth, her body shaking.
The door once again started shaking as the “person” outside started rapping on it. Then came a rigid, ghastly wail: