Volume One, Chapter Six: The Same Words

Three days had passed since Jingyang Jin’s suicide case was closed.

The library was oppressively silent. Hui Tang lightly tapped the table with her index finger, the dust stirred up by her movement drifting in the twilight, casting a visible beam of light.

“This is so strange, it just doesn’t add up…”

The computer screen glowed, the cigarette still smoldering—Jingyang Jin had clearly been sitting there. It wasn’t until Officer Chen Bai handed the voice recorder found beside the body to Yi Ran that he had to accept the truth.

“In the end, the so-called afterlife is merely a self-deceptive illusion. Life has no other shore, no chance of rebirth. I simply lack the will to go on. I’m sorry, this is the end.”

Jingyang Jin’s desperate final words matched what he had said before. Everything pointed to suicide.

Yet, more than the case itself, Yi Ran worried about Hui Tang’s condition.

Since receiving Officer Chen’s call, Hui Tang had seemed lost, her gaze drifting, her expression suspicious. She often muttered to herself, refusing to believe any of the solid evidence the police presented.

“Yi Ran, is this world truly real?”

“Yi Ran, did Jingyang really need to kill himself? Didn’t he already find a way to escape?”

“Yi Ran, who exactly was the person we saw? If he had already died, why did he appear there?”

“Yi Ran, could it be that the Jingyang we saw was the real one...?”

In an uncharacteristic outburst, Hui Tang scattered the documents across the table.

“Yi Ran, why won’t you speak? Don’t you care about the truth of this case?!”

Before Yi Ran could answer, a tall, slender young man with delicate features brought over two cups of hot tea and calmly intercepted Hui Tang.

His name was Yu Cheng, the library’s administrator.

“Working late on a weekend, discussing all this time—you should take a break and have some water.”

Yi Ran accepted the cup awkwardly. “Sorry to trouble you again, Yu Cheng.”

“No trouble at all.” Yu Cheng smiled, waving off the thanks. His coat sleeves were long, revealing only a few pale, slender fingers.

“I heard they’re building a new library in the new teaching building. Soon, it might only be you all who keep coming here. Perfect—keeps me entertained.”

Strangely, Yu Cheng was about their age but seemed almost never to attend classes. Yi Ran had never seen him outside the old teaching building.

He was something of an urban legend at Fanlou University, surrounded by numerous rumors.

Some said Yu Cheng was a prodigy, continuing from bachelor’s to doctorate seamlessly, knowing astronomy and geography like a walking encyclopedia. Others claimed he was the child of a faculty member with mental illness, given the quiet librarian job through connections.

Regardless, Yu Cheng was gentle and courteous. Every time Yi Ran and Hui Tang came to the library, he welcomed them warmly.

“Yi Ran, it’s not that you don’t care about the case. Compared to the truth, you’re more concerned about her safety.”

Hearing this, Hui Tang frowned slightly. Seeing Yi Ran shyly lower his head, she seemed to awaken, instantly returning to normal.

“Sorry, I just remembered some unpleasant memories…”

Yu Cheng smiled faintly and nodded. “It’s fine. I’ve mostly understood the sequence of events.”

Yi Ran quickly changed the subject.

“You find it strange too, right? Hui Tang and I both saw it—Jingyang was sitting in the corner of the internet café. That can’t be wrong. Could it be, like in those sci-fi novels, some kind of quantum ghost?”

When in doubt, quantum mechanics.

“I’m not sure, but while sorting old documents, I found two similar cases.”

Yu Cheng rummaged through the library closet and brought out two stacks of yellowed newspapers.

“Five years ago, Fan University reported a student disappearance. The family contacted media and staff, turning the school upside down but never found a trace. They settled for compensation, and the matter was closed.”

“Ten years ago, a child of a faculty member was abducted on campus, still missing. Besides these, accidents occurred annually in the old teaching building. After the five-year case, Principal Shen invited a Feng Shui master, who concluded the old building’s energy was terrible, which led to constructing the new teaching building.”

Yu Cheng folded his hands behind his back. “In summary, student disappearances here are not isolated. Perhaps some supernatural force truly exists.”

Yi Ran couldn’t help but admire: “No wonder they call you a walking encyclopedia, remembering such old cases clearly.”

Hui Tang’s frown deepened. “Is Fanlou University really that haunted? I’ve studied here for three years and never encountered anything strange.”

Yu Cheng glanced at her and suddenly said meaningfully:

“That’s only because the time hasn’t come.”

“What do you mean?” Yi Ran and Hui Tang asked in unison.

Before they could hear the answer, the untimely bell for evening classes rang. Normally, Hui Tang would have dragged Yi Ran to stay and thoroughly question the matter.

Unfortunately, due to the Jingyang Jin incident, the suicide case had drawn widespread social attention. Principal Shen was required to hold a month-long series of “Campus Safety Lectures,” each taking at least an hour of evening study time.

Moreover, as the case’s involved parties, they had been singled out by the lecturers multiple times. Tonight’s lecture was unavoidable.

Thinking of the nagging old woman from a few days ago, Yi Ran felt his head throb and quickened his pace.

Despite hurrying, they were late. The auditorium was packed with students; only a few seats in the first row remained empty.

Yi Ran’s arrival sparked brief murmurs among the students.

“Hey, isn’t that the roommate of the guy who committed suicide?”

“It’s all his fault we have to attend this lecture. Didn’t the police investigate him?”

“I heard he has some kind of connection with the beauty Tang from our department. People say they’re often seen entering the old teaching building together. Now there’s another incident.”

“Pfft, just a coincidence. A toad wanting to eat swan meat—Tang wouldn’t look at a guy like that.”

The malicious gossip didn’t cease. Now that the Jingyang Jin case was closed, his family no longer disturbed the school, the banners and protesters at the gate had all disappeared, but Yi Ran’s life was left in shambles.

Rumors painted him as a villain colluding with police and school officials, hiding the truth to protect his own future, and letting the case end with a quick suicide.

Helpless, Yi Ran accepted reality. Amid the ridicule, he led Hui Tang to the last empty seats in the front row.

He checked his watch, preparing to endure the hour of torment when he suddenly noticed the lecturer was not the stern old woman from before but a kindly-looking elderly man with snowy hair and a face deeply carved with wrinkles.

The students seemed to notice too, whispering among themselves. Unlike the old woman who shouted to maintain order, the old man smiled quietly at the audience until his calmness settled over the entire hall.

Once silence was complete, the old man cleared his throat: “Assistant, are you ready?”

Only then did Yi Ran notice a young woman standing in the corner beside the stage, holding a remote-like device. At the old man’s cue, she pressed a button.

A camera shutter clicked. In an instant, it felt as if an invisible beam passed through Yi Ran’s body, like undergoing an MRI.

“Professor Hu, everything is ready.”

The old man smiled again.

“Students, I am Professor Hu Chuan, your campus safety lecturer today. But I believe campus safety has been emphasized countless times; there’s no need for me to repeat it. After consulting with your principal, I’ve prepared to discuss a different topic with you all.”

Hu’s words surprised everyone, instantly sparking their interest.

Sitting in the front row, Yi Ran relaxed slightly. Yet just as he felt relief at narrowly escaping trouble, Hu Chuan’s next words sent chills down his spine.

“Let’s start with a simple and intriguing question: Do you believe in an afterlife? Do you believe what has happened can happen again? Do you believe everyone can be reborn?”

The very same words that had come from the dead Jingyang Jin.