"Are you going to wear it?" Ning Wei pointed at the shirt and asked Fu Chengwei.
Fu Chengwei nodded with difficulty, a wry smile on his face, "It's not just me, Song Zhi also took a shirt."
"Your relationship is quite good," Ning Wei suddenly blurted out.
Fu Chengwei felt guilty and dared not answer, so he changed the subject, "Can I sleep in the same room with you tonight?"
Ning Wei nodded, "But I feel like she'll come to talk to me again tonight. If you're not afraid, you can sleep on the floor."
Fu Chengwei smiled bitterly and patted the sofa, "Then I'll sleep here. This is fine."
Ning Wei was not surprised, as she had expected this outcome.
She found a well-fitting dress in the closet and changed into it before going into the room.
Seeing Ning Wei change again, Fu Chengwei secretly admired her boldness.
If a girl dared to do so, what reason did he have not to?
Thinking this, Fu Chengwei felt an inexhaustible surge of courage. He put on the clothes, turned off the lights, closed his eyes, and lay on the sofa, not daring to move.
After changing their clothes, the others immediately fell asleep, afraid of encountering the ghost if they were even a second late.
Ning Wei, however, was different. Her eyes were wide open the entire time, watching the lights in the houses outside extinguish one by one, and she eagerly awaited the ghost's reappearance.
The ghost did not disappoint her and appeared outside the window as promised, wearing the same dress. However, her head was no longer tilted.
"Did you go for bone setting?" Ning Wei pointed at her head and asked.
The ghost floated in, her terrifying face close to Ning Wei's, emitting a cackling laugh, "Have you found the answer?"
Ning Wei waved her hand, "Don't rush. It's still early, isn't it?"
The ghost touched Ning Wei's face, "I can't wait for you to stay and keep me company."
Ning Wei slapped her hand away, "Thank you for your admiration, but I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
The ghost, unwilling to waste more words on the sharp-tongued Ning Wei, waved her hand again. Ning Wei was thrown backward, her head hitting the headboard with a loud bang.
The sound alone indicated it must have been painful, but unfortunately, Ning Wei had already fallen unconscious and couldn't feel it yet.
In her dream, Ning Wei saw the ghost again.
She was sitting at the head of the bed, holding a utility knife, her eyes vacant. Outside, a child was crying loudly, and an impatient male voice could be heard.
As if deaf to the commotion outside, the ghost rolled up her sleeves and repeatedly slashed at her arm with the utility knife.
Blood dripped with each cut, yet her expression became surprisingly relaxed as the blood beads grew.
The child continued to cry outside, and the man couldn't soothe him.
The ghost put the utility knife in the cabinet, pulled down her sleeves, and then opened the door to comfort the child.
The child, upon seeing his mother, pouted and, with tearful eyes, ran into her arms, burying his head and crying inconsolably.
It only took the woman a few minutes to gradually calm the child down. Because he had been crying for so long and was so agitated, he was still sobbing intermittently.
The man had already retreated to the study with his phone, so he didn't see the faint bloodstains seeping through the woman's sleeves.
Ning Wei stood by, her expression numb. Such a scene was not unusual for her; she had grown accustomed to it.
The practiced way the woman cut her wrist indicated this was not the first time. What she hadn't seen clearly last night was now apparent.
Her arm was covered in scars of varying depths, all self-inflicted, leaving no doubt.
As the woman comforted her child, the boy slowly fell asleep in his mother's embrace.
It was time to cook, and the woman prepared the meal as usual. The man did not emerge to help until dinner, when he finally walked out of the study.
Ning Wei watched coldly. It was no wonder the woman sought solace by cutting her arms; with such a man, she herself wouldn't be able to endure it for even a day.
The more Ning Wei thought about it, the angrier she became. She walked directly behind the man. Since she was like air here, she might as well vent her anger. She delivered a hard punch to the man's head.
Unexpectedly, the man suddenly cried out "Ah!" and turned around to see an empty living room.
It was at this moment that Ning Wei suddenly left the dream.
When she opened her eyes, she rubbed her arm, as if those wounds had also appeared on her own.
She felt the woman's helplessness and grievance as if they were her own!
Emerging from the room, Fu Chengwei sat on the sofa, lost in thought.
"How was it?" Ning Wei sat down and took a sip of hot water.
Fu Chengwei shook his head, "I was prepared, but I slept so well all night, I didn't have any dreams."
Ning Wei pondered for a moment, "Let's go to the small garden first and see how everyone else is doing."
In the small garden, the men who had taken clothes the previous night all reported that the ghost had not appeared and they had not had any dreams.
Among the female passengers, only five had taken clothes, and two of them were too scared to wear them.
Everyone placed their last hope on the remaining three female passengers.
The first female passenger recounted her dream, "I saw the ghost getting along well with the woman from 1002. When 1002 had something going on, she would temporarily leave her two children with 1001."
"But now the woman from 1002 has a very bad attitude. As soon as she sees Ning Wei, she calls her a vixen," Fu Chengwei immediately said.
He spoke without restraint, repeating the words verbatim. Several women gave Ning Wei a deep look.
At this point, no one dared to speak rashly, fearing the same fate as the curly-haired woman who had her tongue removed.
Ning Wei, however, showed no displeasure, maintaining her usual indifferent expression, as if nothing could pique her interest.
The second female passenger said, "The little boy from 1001 liked to play with the children from 1002, especially the older boy. However, I saw this older boy secretly bullying him behind his parents' backs. The child didn't tell his mother when he was bullied; he just ran into the house to cry."
The third female passenger said, "I only saw one scene: there was a small balcony outside each floor, and I saw the ghost from 1001 standing there, lost in thought."
Although more information was gleaned from the dreams, it all remained unconnected, with numerous doubts.
Why, after starting with a good relationship between the two families, did it devolve to such an extent that seeing anyone from 1001 evoked strong resistance?
Both were stay-at-home mothers with children; there shouldn't have been such significant conflict. After all, they lived in the same community and saw each other frequently; neither would have gone too far.
Four days of the week had passed, with only three days remaining. If they didn't obtain the tickets, they would only become prey for the ghosts.