Forbidden Land – CH 004

Halfway there, the police car stopped. Teacher Liu got out first, telling Zhang Chao not to overthink it and to go home and get some rest. He said he would come back for a class meeting the next day.

The police car dropped him off at the dormitory building. Officer Liu saw him off, gave him a few words of advice, and left. Zhang Chao took out his dormitory access card and was about to open the door when someone called out from behind, “Zhang Chao.”

The familiar voice rang out. Zhang Chao didn’t need to look to know it was his girlfriend, Bai Qiu.

He turned around and saw Bai Qiu standing below, wearing a red down jacket. Her fair face looked pale, as if she had been chilled. He had known Bai Qiu since their freshman year. Although they had been dating for several years, Bai Qiu was rather aloof, and they both preferred to stay in their dorms, so they weren’t together every day. Bai Qiu was in the Economics Department and lived in Building 3 of Baisha, right across from Zhang Chao’s Building 2. The two buildings were separated by a flowerbed and an open space called Baisha Square.

Zhang Chao came downstairs, looking at Bai Qiu’s face with a pang of tenderness. “What are you doing here so late?”

Bai Qiu’s lips twitched slightly, but she swallowed the words she was about to say.

Zhang Chao asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Oh, yes, these past few days, I’ve been busy with my makeup exams next week, and haven’t had time to check on you.”

Bai Qiu shook her head, saying, “It’s nothing; I heard tonight…”

Zhang Chao forced a smile. “Sigh, it’s all in the past. If I were a woman, I’d be terrified right now. Hehe, I’m fine, don’t worry.”

Bai Qiu asked, “Li Weihao, he… why did he jump off the building?”

Zhang Chao recalled the pair of feet that appeared in the last few minutes of the surveillance footage, and a chill ran down his spine. It was already 2 AM, and if he told Bai Qiu this, she would be scared half to death, so he decided not to say anything. He simply said, “I don’t know; maybe he was under too much pressure from studying.”

Bai Qiu nodded, then said, “I was so worried about you just now. I heard you went to the police station, and I couldn’t get through to your phone, so I’ve been waiting here.” Zhang Chao took out his phone and saw there were no missed calls. He smiled and said, “It must be another problem with the mobile system, making you wait so long for nothing. I’m fine; I just gave a statement and asked about Weihao’s recent situation.”

Bai Qiu seemed relieved and said, “My phone was stolen. Don’t contact me for a while; I’ll come find you.”

Zhang Chao said, “I’ll go with you to buy a new one this weekend.”

Bai Qiu shook her head slightly. “We’ll see. It’s late now; you should go home and get some sleep.”

Zhang Chao felt a surge of warmth in his heart, thinking about how Bai Qiu had waited for him so late. He said, “You’re the best, but don’t wait for me this late again. You go home and get some sleep first; I’ll watch you go in before I go to sleep.”

Bai Qiu said, “I forgot my access card, and Xiao Zhu and the others are all asleep. It isn’t good to call them now. You go home first; I’ll wait a bit, and if someone opens the door, I’ll go in with them.” Zhang Chao shook his head firmly, insisting on watching Bai Qiu go in first.

Five or six minutes later, a taxi stopped at Baisha Square. Several girls got out, presumably students who had stayed out late at karaoke, and headed towards the girls’ dormitory.

Zhang Chao escorted Bai Qiu to the dormitory entrance, watched her follow them inside, and waved, “Go to sleep early.” The girls walking ahead turned around when they heard him speak, glanced at him curiously, and then went back upstairs.

Zhang Chao returned to his dorm at 2:30 AM; the hallway was already quiet.

He opened the door quietly, then closed it again softly so as not to disturb others. The dorm lights had been off since 11 PM, so he could only rely on his phone’s dim light. The dorm was empty, of course. He looked at Li Weihao’s bed; it was still made as it had been that morning. He thought about how he’d heard Li Weihao’s family was from the countryside, his parents were poor, and their son had finally gotten into Zhejiang University with good grades, a promising future ahead of him, only to have this happen. He imagined how heartbroken Li Weihao’s parents would be when they came to visit in a few days, and a pang of sadness welled up inside him.

After a quick wash, just as he was about to go to sleep, there was a soft knock on the door. Zhang Chao jumped in surprise and asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Wu Yu. It’s Student Leader Wu Yu.”

Zhang Chao opened the door, and Wu Yu walked in. He looked Zhang Chao over and asked with concern, “Zhang Chao, are you alright?”

Zhang Chao forced a smile: “I’m fine; it’s just that Weihao suddenly acted like this, sigh…”

Both of them felt distressed and didn’t know what to say. After a long silence, Wu Yu asked again, “Why are you back so late? Teacher Liu called and said you should have arrived half an hour ago.”

Zhang Chao smiled: “My girlfriend was waiting for me downstairs. I talked to her for a bit, and that’s why I’m late.”

Wu Yu asked, “Bai Qiu?”

Zhang Chao smiled. “Who else could it be but Bai Qiu?”

Wu Yu asked curiously, “She came to see you so late?”

Zhang Chao said, “Of course! The student leader wouldn’t be jealous that I have such a beautiful and considerate wife, would he?”

Wu Yu smiled awkwardly and finally said, “Zhang Chao, why don’t you move into our dorm tonight? You’re the only one in your dorm, and…”

Zhang Chao shook his head and said, “No need for that. Men shouldn’t worry about that. Student Leader Wu, you should go to sleep first; you must be exhausted today.”

Wu Yu looked at Zhang Chao’s face, and seeing that he was indeed alright, he felt relieved and said, “If anything happens, call me. Or if you want to change dorms later, just come to 125.”

Zhang Chao nodded and thanked him a few times. Wu Yu left as well.

The dormitory had four beds, bunk beds. The other two had moved out two years ago; now he slept on the top bunk, and Li Weihao slept on the bottom. Zhang Chao glanced at Li Weihao’s empty bed, climbed up, pulled the covers over himself, closed his eyes, and his mind was filled with the events of the day. Especially the moment Li Weihao jumped down in the video—he swore he’d never forget it. And those feet that appeared a few minutes later—just thinking about them sent a chill down his spine.

It was getting late, and before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but in his hazy state, he seemed to hear noises in the dormitory. Half asleep, he asked, “What are you doing?”

A voice answered, “Nothing, just tidying up some things. I’ll keep it down so as not to disturb you.”

“Oh,” Zhang Chao casually replied, then suddenly sat bolt upright, looking around the dormitory. In the dim light from the window, the room was completely empty except for him.

Who was that who just spoke?!

It couldn’t be a hallucination!

He was a science student, his thinking naturally cautious and meticulous, his mind always very clear. There was no doubt that someone had spoken to him.

He cautiously peeked out, looking down at Li Weihao’s bed. He sighed deeply; there was nothing there.

Could it really have been a hallucination? But he never hallucinated. He watched horror movies all the time; hallucinations only happened in movies. How could they happen in reality?

After thinking for a while, he couldn’t figure it out. Finally, sleepiness overcame him, and he went back to sleep.