My pupils constricted. She was alive—I’d been fooled!
I didn’t have time to settle the score with Chúc An. I hurried to open the door.
But the moment my hand touched the doorknob, a bone-chilling cold made me shudder.
Something was wrong… Something wasn’t right…
Carefully, I pointed the livestream camera at the crack beneath the door.
“Everyone, can you see the blood dripping onto the floor?”
[That red stuff is definitely blood! Her sister is alive! Open the door for her!]
[It’s blood, all right. Trust your sister and open the door!]
[Her sister is so nice. She isn’t even holding a grudge—she brought her fruit!]
Seeing the comments confirm that it was blood, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Chúc An really was a fraud. She wasn’t some kind of master at all!
I looked smugly into the livestream. “Chúc An, you can see it too! My sister is alive! There’s no corpse woman— you made the whole thing up.”
Chúc An shrugged helplessly. “All right, I was just teasing you. I didn’t expect you to catch on so quickly. What a bore.”
I glared at her, displeased.
Chúc An raised a hand. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Open the door and let your sister in, and I’ll apologize to her.”
I muttered under my breath and was about to open the door when I froze again.
Open the door…
Wait. Why was everyone telling me to open it?
My sister said to open it. The comments said to open it. Chúc An said so too.
My gaze fixed on the comments scrolling by in the livestream.
[What’s the streamer doing? Hurry up and open the door for your sister!]
[Her sister’s still standing outside! Why are you just standing there?]
[Poor thing, she’s injured and you’re still hesitating? Open the door already!]
[Open the door! Hurry up!]
No! Something was definitely wrong!
Why were all the viewers in the livestream saying the same thing?
Every comment said exactly the same thing. No one disagreed.
As if… they were all really one person.
At the thought, an inexplicable terror rose from the base of my spine.
Fake! Everything I saw was fake. It was all something my sister wanted me to see. She was only trying to convince me to open the door. So I absolutely couldn’t open it!
Just then, Chúc An’s voice came through the livestream.
“Why aren’t you opening the door? I’m still waiting to apologize to your sister!”
“Open it! Are you scared to?”
“Xiao Yi, open the door…”
Each voice pricked at my head like a needle.
I flung my phone away, squeezed my eyes shut, and clapped my hands over my ears.
In my mind, I repeated frantically, “This is an illusion. It’s fake. It’s all fake!”
I bit down hard on my tongue. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, and the pain jolted my cerebral cortex.
Gradually, Chúc An’s voice faded into the distance, and my ears rang.
I didn’t know how long it took, but eventually everything around me grew quiet again.
“Trình Thư Ý! Trình Thư Ý!” It was Chúc An’s real voice, calling my name!
I opened my eyes wide and panted, my hair and cheeks damp with cold sweat.
My blurry vision slowly cleared, and I saw my phone lying on the floor.
I picked it up with trembling hands and read the comments.
[That was terrifying. What happened to the streamer? She suddenly threw her phone.]
[Who was the streamer talking to? Don’t open the door!]
[I can’t see anything. The streamer’s just muttering to herself, moving around and then going still. Don’t tell me this is an act?]
[I can’t see a thing. I don’t know what you people are watching. I’m out.]
[I’m worried sick. Chúc An already said not to open the door, so what’s the streamer still hesitating for? It’s so frustrating to watch!]
When I saw the last comment, I felt as if I’d survived a disaster.
Now those were normal comments!
What I was seeing now was real. Everything before had been fake!
I hurriedly recounted the whole thing to Chúc An in the livestream.
After listening, Chúc An explained, “It sounds like you’ve fallen into an illusion. You’re still wearing that qipao, so you’re more susceptible to it. Hurry and change!”
Suddenly it clicked. That was right! I was still wearing a qipao!
I hurriedly set my phone aside and pulled out a tracksuit to change into.
“What should I do with these qipaos?” I asked, pretending to be casual.
Chúc An answered at once. “I’ll take care of them. Give me your address and I’ll come right over. Before I get there, find a way to get out of the house!”
Give Chúc An my address?
I bit my lip, hesitating. Could I trust her?
“What are you hesitating for? I only want the qipaos because the occult sect has a special way to deal with them. I’m not trying to hurt anyone!”
Just then, I heard a click.
It was the sound of a key turning in the lock!
Oh no—she’d found the key to my room!
Chúc An urged me, “There’s no time! Give me your address. I’ve already called a car!”
I quickly read out my address and slipped my phone between two books. At the last moment, I let my hair down to cover my Bluetooth earpiece.
“Xiao Yi!”
I stiffened and turned around. The bedroom door swung open, and my sister stood silhouetted in the doorway.
I couldn’t make out her expression, but it made my hair stand on end. I instinctively backed away several steps.
“Xiao Yi, why aren’t you wearing the qipao I gave you? Come here. Put it on so I can see if it fits.”
She came closer as she spoke, her voice so gentle it could have dripped honey.
But to my ears, it sounded like chains binding my soul—a warning that the final moment had arrived.
I kept backing away until, after just a few steps, I was cornered against the wall.
“Xiao Yi, why are you trembling? Don’t you like the qipao I gave you?”
I forced myself to calm down and pretended nothing was wrong.
“I love it. I love everything you give me!”
She gave a delicate little laugh. “Then put on the one you haven’t tried yet, Xiao Yi. Let me see if it needs any alterations.”
I was done for. This time, I was really done for!
I swallowed repeatedly, forcing myself to stay calm.
Chúc An’s reassuring voice came through the earpiece. “Just stall for another half hour. I’ll be there. Hang in there!”
Chúc An’s words were like a pillar holding me up. My frozen brain started working again.
How could I stall for half an hour…?
Wait!
My sister kept telling me to try on a qipao, but she wasn’t laying a hand on me or telling me which one to put on.
Could it be that she didn’t know I hadn’t tried on any of them?
I remembered what Chúc An had said: as long as I didn’t wear all seven, there was still a chance to save myself!
That meant I could put the one I’d already tried on back on and buy myself more time!
With that in mind, I boldly grabbed a random qipao from the sofa.
I tested the waters. “Sis, I haven’t tried this one on yet. Should I put it on?”
Her eyes shifted, then finally moved away from me. She glanced at the qipao in my hand and slowly nodded.
At that moment, my heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled.
That’s right!
Even though I knew she wouldn’t agree, I tried asking anyway. “Sis, could you step outside for a bit? I’ll call you when I’m dressed.”
As expected, she refused.
“If Xiao Yi’s shy, I can help you put it on.”
I quickly put some distance between us. “No, I’ll put it on myself!”
Knowing the qipao was made from a corpse woman’s skin, its slick smoothness disgusted me.
The thought that I’d worn it once and now had to put it on again made goose bumps break out all over my body!
Chúc An, please, hurry!
To buy time, I held the qipao in one hand and slowly pulled with the other...the buttons.
Then I moved on to the frog closures at the collar, pretending I couldn’t undo them as I examined them over and over.
I hesitated, sneaking glances at my sister.
The moment I saw her lips move, I hurried to undo the closure and moved on to the next one.
I don’t know how long I dragged it out like that, but all three closures were finally undone. I couldn’t stall any longer. I had to put it on.
It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ve worn it before! I’ll just pretend it’s an ordinary qipao!
I reassured myself and slowly put it on.
The cool fabric touched my skin, making me shiver. Halfway through, I suddenly froze.
Undo the frog closures…
I shouldn’t have had to do that. The qipao I’d already tried on should have had its closures undone!
Which meant the one I was putting on wasn’t the qipao I’d tried on!
It was one of the two I hadn’t worn!
My scalp prickled. I’d folded the two unworn qipaos and put them away in my bag—how had one gotten mixed in with the ones I’d already tried on?
Had my sister taken it out?
Or… was I in the illusion again?
Before I could figure it out, my sister urged me, “Xiao Yi, why aren’t you putting it on?”
I put all my acting skills to use, pretending to stumble and pitching forward onto the sofa.
My hand quickly felt for the bag. It was empty!