Chapter 7: The Stranger in the Closet
Maybe right now I thought I was still living in the real world, but the next second—I might just wake up in bed again.
Still, I wasn’t ready to give up on this being real.
I opened my phone and checked my chat with Mom.
She still hadn’t replied to the messages I sent yesterday.
Surprisingly, my boyfriend Luo Ping had sent dozens of texts and made just as many missed calls.
All of them were from yesterday—somehow, I hadn’t received any until now.
Since the rules allowed strangers (or ghosts) to come as guests, maybe it was okay for Luo Ping to visit me too.
As long as I didn’t break the rules... it should be fine, right?
Clinging to that sliver of hope, I called him.
He picked up almost instantly. His voice on the other end was panicked.
“I’ve been trying to reach you all day! I was about to call the police!”
“I’m fine, Luo Ping... Can you come over and stay with me for a while?” I asked sweetly, just like I always did when I needed comforting.
“What? Out of nowhere? Where are Uncle and Auntie?”
“They’re on a business trip. I’m just feeling scared being alone.”
I didn’t dare explain everything over the phone—he’d probably think I’d lost it.
I figured I’d tell him once he got here.
He lived only a few streets away, so he arrived quickly.
Right after I finished brushing my teeth and washing my face, I heard a knock at the door.
The sound made me drop my towel in fear. At this point, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be okay hearing a knock again.
I checked the peephole—it really was Luo Ping.
Relieved, I opened the door.
“Didn’t expect my little Nuannuan to be such a scaredy cat,” he teased gently, ruffling my hair as he stepped inside.
“Luo Ping... I don’t think this world is normal anymore. Something’s wrong.”
“I’ve seen some really strange things lately…”
“Do you remember my grandma?”
We’d been together since our first year of high school—four years now.
“Why are you suddenly thinking of your grandma? Want me to go with you to her grave later?”
“I saw her.”
“…What?”
“In broad daylight. I saw my grandma.”
He didn’t believe me, of course.
So I pulled the paper with the rules from my pocket, intending to show him.
But the moment I took it out, I screamed.
It had turned black—completely and inexplicably.
Without thinking, I grabbed Luo Ping’s arm and dragged him into the bedroom, slamming the wardrobe doors shut behind us.
Thankfully, the closet was large enough to fit both of us.
I didn’t know what the black paper meant, only that it meant danger.
I swallowed hard and waited for something—anything—to break in.
Time ticked by slowly.
The silence in the room was deafening.
I clutched Luo Ping’s hand, hoping for comfort.
“What’s going on, Nuannuan? You’ve been acting really strange today.”
“I saw a ghost, Luo Ping…”
I whispered, my mouth just inches from his ear.
“The rules said if the paper turns black, I have to hide in the closet… I don’t know what happens if I don’t.”
He took the blackened paper from me. In the dim closet, the rules were glowing in white fluorescence.
Still legible.
“Nuannuan, you’ve been naughty.”
“What do you mean?”
“The rules said…”
‘If a stranger (or ghost) visits, treat them kindly.’
“But dragging me into a wardrobe doesn’t count as a proper welcome.”
Our eyes met in the tight, dark space.
Just seconds ago, Luo Ping’s expression was warm and doting.
Now—his skin began to peel away like wallpaper, exposing raw, red muscle underneath.
“Nuannuan… run… forgot…”
His face twisted into an unnatural grimace.
It was as if something had taken over his body. He reached for me, then shoved me away—fighting himself.
Fighting it.