Chapter 3: The Price of Breaking the Rules
“Luo Ping, I need to tell you something—seriously.”
I handed him the note.
1. There are no red eggs in the house. If you see one, throw it away immediately.
…
After reading it, Luo Ping let out a laugh.
“Your parents pulling pranks now? They’ve got a youthful spirit!”
“I’m not joking—”
Before I could finish, the smile vanished from Luo Ping’s face.
His eyes widened, fixed on me with an intensity that made my heart skip.
His voice dropped into something low and cold:
“Why did you open the door to a stranger, even when the note told you not to?”
I stared at him, confused.
What was he talking about?
Just as I was about to argue, the thick, metallic stench of red eggs filled the air.
The warm daylight around me turned icy.
I looked at Luo Ping—
And in a blink, he wasn’t Luo Ping anymore.
He became her—that horrific woman I refused to let in earlier.
Her fingernails began to grow, stretching unnaturally long.
With those claws, she gouged out her own eye—
And hurled it at me, shrieking:
“Why did you open the door?
You can’t even follow the rules—
I’ll take your eyes to replace mine!”
She reached toward my face.
I collapsed to the floor, paralyzed with fear, nearly passing out—
"The teddy bear..."
A whisper echoed in my mind, distant but clear.
If you break a rule, hide under your blanket, close your eyes, and place the teddy bear by your pillow. It will protect you once.
The teddy bear Mom gave me!
Without thinking, I bolted for the bedroom at full speed.
I tossed the teddy bear under the bed, leapt under the covers, pulled the blanket over my head, and shut my eyes as tightly as I could.
The world went silent—
So silent I could hear my heartbeat echoing in my ears.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Footsteps. Slowly, they drew closer—
Until they stopped right at the foot of my bed.
She’s here.
“You can’t see me… you can’t see me…”
I prayed, barely breathing.
Ring, ring. Ring, ring.
My phone started to ring.
Now?! Who the hell was calling me now?!
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The footsteps moved away, heading toward the living room—
drawn by the phone’s sound.
That’s when I realized: I had two options.
- The teddy bear triggered the ringtone to lure the ghost away. It worked—but once the ringtone stopped, she might come back.
- This could all be a trick. Maybe she was still right outside my bed, waiting for me to lift the blanket and meet her gaze.
I didn’t know which it was.
But if I stayed under here any longer, I’d suffocate.
I had to make a choice.
Hands trembling, I slowly lifted a tiny edge of the blanket—
opened one eye—
peeked out—
The room was empty.
I had guessed right.
As I climbed out of bed, I saw what was left of my teddy bear.
It lay shredded on the floor, stuffing spilling out, stained with little flecks of blood.
It looked like it had fought to the death.
My lifesaver—no, my life-bear—had given everything to protect me.
I swore to myself then:
If I survived all this, I’d restore it.
Better than before.