Recently, I recalled the eerie incidents that occurred a year ago when I rented a house in a small town in Zhongshan. As I pieced together these strange events, I began to feel a creeping sense of fear, and I couldn't resist the urge to share my story with fellow netizens.
In early March of last year, my boyfriend and I went to Zhongshan for an internship, bringing with us a pregnant black British Shorthair cat with short legs. Since both our families didn't have time to take care of the cat, we brought her with us. We rented an apartment that was closest to our workplace, which only had one living room with a bed, a desk, a small sofa, a low dining table, a kitchen sink, and no stove. We had to use an induction cooker to cook our meals.
Since our workplace was located in the suburbs near the highway and a bit far from the city center, there were only a few options for accommodation. As recent graduates on a tight budget, we settled for a 50 square meter apartment that was 6 kilometers away from our workplace. We would ride our newly purchased electric scooter for over 20 minutes each day to get to work.
The rent was relatively cheap at 650 yuan per month with a minimum lease of six months. The apartment itself had no major issues and was located near the end of the corridor with sound-controlled lights. Initially, the landlady who rented the apartment to us was a kind and polite woman. Before we arrived in Zhongshan, we had sent most of our luggage ahead of time, and she had kindly stored it for us. She answered all our questions and helped us a lot.
After staying for two days, we discovered a notice on the door in the morning, informing us of a new landlord and including a QR code for his WeChat. We added the new landlord, who appeared to be a couple in their fifties, and told him our room number, but didn't chat much further.
On the afternoon of March 5th, my boyfriend and I returned home from work. As I rushed into the bathroom to take a shower and wash my hair, the sound of the shower drowned out any external noise. However, halfway through my shower, I clearly heard my boyfriend calling my name from outside. Confused, I turned off the shower and asked, "What's wrong?"
There was no response, but I heard footsteps approaching from a distance. As my boyfriend got closer, he asked, "What did you say?"
I was stunned because I had heard his voice right outside the bathroom moments ago, yet he had come from the other side of the apartment. Maybe I was just tired and experiencing auditory hallucinations. I decided it was nothing and turned the hot water back on to finish my shower.
I am a person who believes in science. If I don't see something with my own eyes, I won't believe it. Therefore, I didn't think much of the incident. After showering, I washed my hair and blow-dried it in front of the mirror. The sound of the blow-dryer was loud, and I heard a whistle that made me jump. It sounded like it came from inside the bathroom, which was only about 2 square meters in size and barely enough for me alone, let alone another person.
I turned off the blow-dryer and listened closely for any other sound, but there was none. I stood frozen, looking around the bathroom, but there was only the wall. I even looked up at the exhaust fan, but it was pitch black inside. I felt like a pair of white eyes were staring at me from within, so I quickly looked down and continued drying my hair. Suddenly, the whistle sounded again, this time from behind me, as if trying to get my attention. It was brief but clear. My boyfriend sometimes whistled or hummed, but he never played such tricks on me. I didn't want to think about it anymore, so I pretended I didn't hear it and left the bathroom with my hair partially dried. My boyfriend was cooking in the kitchen and laughed at my startled look, asking me what was wrong.
After work, when we finish early, we often go to the neighboring market to buy groceries and cook at home. We have rice at home, but sometimes when we work late, we have to eat at the company canteen.
He noticed my terrified expression, but I couldn't find the words to explain myself, so I blurted out, "It's nothing..."
My boyfriend didn't press the matter, but his concerned expression remained. I added, "You go ahead and cook first. I'll tell you later."
Thinking that something terrible had happened to me, my boyfriend quickly prepared dinner. During the meal, he couldn't resist asking me what had happened earlier.
I told him everything in detail and even asked if he had played a prank on me. As expected, he immediately denied it, explaining that he had been on the bed, looking at the group's plan for the day, while I had gone to take a shower. He hadn't gone anywhere near the bathroom door and hadn't whistled once.
"Besides," he added with a wry smile, "you don't like it when I whistle, do you?"
"Yes," I nodded. "I've heard that whistling can attract spirits and bring bad luck."
After dinner, I sat on the sofa while my boyfriend went to take a shower. When the hot water was ready, he walked to the bathroom door, glanced at me, and said, "I don't hear any whistling."
"Then I don't know," I replied. "Maybe it's just my imagination."
But just as the words left my mouth, the sound of whistling came from the bathroom. This time, the bathroom door was open, and I could hear it clearly from the living room. I was so scared that I couldn't speak, and my boyfriend and I just stared at each other in disbelief.
After a while, I finally regained my senses, and my boyfriend was still standing outside the bathroom door. I said, "You heard it, didn't you? I didn't lie."
He hesitated for a moment before admitting, "Yes, I did."
I let out a sigh and tried to comfort both myself and my boyfriend. "Maybe it's just the sound of the water pipes, and the neighbors are using water."
He replied, "Maybe..." but his voice was uncertain.
To Be Continued