Chapter 23.1: Messages from the Unknown

The next morning was unusually quiet at Yingnan High.

Shi Mo stood in line at the breakfast station, mechanically spooning porridge into her bowl, her thoughts still lingering on Room 407. The whisper in the closet had unsettled her—not because it was terrifying, but because it had felt… human.

Lonely.

Still tethered.

As she walked back to the dorm, her phone buzzed.

New MessageFrom: Unknown Number"Rooftop. After class. Come alone."

Shi Mo frowned.

The text was vague. Suspicious.

But also… familiar.

A classic horror-movie setup.

She responded:

"Who is this?"

No reply.

Her instincts prickled.

She glanced around, half-expecting someone to be watching her from the shadows. But the corridor was empty—just the hum of vending machines and muffled conversations from nearby dorms.

Back in Room 415, Zhou Zhi was humming while folding laundry.

Fu Yunshen was reading, as usual, sprawled on his bed.

Shi Mo sat at her desk, phone in hand, staring at the cryptic message.

"Did you guys get any weird texts?" she asked without looking up.

Fu Yunshen didn't glance away from his book. "Nope."

Zhou Zhi tossed a rolled-up sock at her. "Unless you count my mom reminding me to wear thicker underwear."

Shi Mo blinked slowly. "Not the kind I meant."

Fu Yunshen finally looked over. "What did it say?"

"Just… 'Rooftop. After class. Come alone.' No name."

Zhou Zhi perked up. "Whoa. A secret admirer? Or a vengeful ghost?"

"Hopefully the former. Though with our luck…"

Fu Yunshen's eyes narrowed. "You're not going."

Shi Mo shrugged. "I might."

"If it's a trap?"

"Then I'll spring it."

Zhou Zhi looked alarmed. "What happened to self-preservation?!"

"I'm preserving it. Just… aggressively."