Chapter 8: The Paper Savior
When Xiao Han woke up, she was back in her bedroom.
Her mind struggled through the fog as she forced her eyes open.
"Holy shit—" she croaked weakly.
She was tied up, completely immobilized.
Memories of dinner came rushing back, and her heart lurched.
"Gao Han’s making his move!"
"What do I do? What do I do?!"
Her phone was still in the dining room—Master Lin was her only hope now.
Xiao Han scanned the room desperately for anything sharp enough to cut the ropes.
"Wait—I hid a fruit knife under the pillow earlier."
After some struggle, she managed to free herself.
The door creaked open slightly, revealing a pitch-black hallway that oozed menace.
Gritting her teeth, she pushed down her fear and crept toward the dining room.
Miraculously, she made it without encountering anyone. Her fingers finally brushed against her phone—
Then a heavy hand clamped down on her shoulder.
Terror shot through her like lightning, freezing her in place.
"Did Gao Han find me?"
Her heart plummeted—death had never felt so close.
Slowly turning her head, she saw something even more horrifying:
It wasn’t Gao Han.
It was a life-sized paper doll.
???
Shock gave way to full-body dread.
"Ah—!" Her scream was muffled by the paper hand covering her mouth.
Xiao Han’s eyes bulged in disbelief.
"Quiet," the paper doll whispered. "Master Lin sent me to save you."
???
This is insane!
Nodding frantically, Xiao Han grabbed her phone the moment she was released.
"Master! Your backup’s here!"
I was driving when her livestream feed lit up on my screen.
"But why a paper doll?!"
"Because it’s strong."
"It’ll hold out until I arrive."
Agent007: "Wait, the streamer’s alive?! We thought—"
Xiao Han updated the chat about the paper savior.
GhostLight: "So Gao Han really is a monster?!"
The audience erupted into a frenzy of comments and gifts:
YuMeiRen: "Hold up—Master Lin’s minion is a paper doll?!"
(YuMeiRen sent you a Carnival Gift.)
(GhostLight sent you a Tiny Heart.)
(Agent007 sent you a Tiny Heart.)
...
The virtual gifts flooded in as the truth unfolded—one folded paper crease at a time.