Chapter 8
Jiang Li almost sprinted at full speed, dashing into the Bedroom.
Push the door, step in, close the door-all in one swift motion.
In the final 0.01 milliseconds before the Bedroom door shut, her Husband’s ferocious face flashed outside the door, grinning wickedly.
But with a loud “bang” as the door slammed shut, her Husband was blocked behind the door.
Her Husband’s nose was painfully jolted by the door.
Jiang Li hurriedly turned around, twisted the lock, and bolted the Bedroom door.
Her mind went blank for a few seconds.
She had run so hard that her legs felt weak.
This Instance truly lived up to its name as a deadly chain-kill.
It gave the Chosen One no chance to catch their breath.
Just then, behind Jiang Li, came the sound of a key being inserted into the lock!
“Click-”
Jiang Li held her breath and pressed down hard on the door handle.
The handle was violently twisted from outside.
The person outside stubbornly tried to unlock the door for a while, but failed.
They were at a stalemate for about five minutes.
Only then did the commotion outside gradually die down.
Jiang Li leaned against the door, squatted down, and took a deep breath before finally looking up to examine the layout of the Bedroom.
If the Living Room was decorated in a “funeral style,” then the Bedroom was all about the “wedding celebration style.”
Everywhere she looked, it was a sea of red…
The wind from outside blew in, stirring the red Curtain and making a rustling sound.
As the Curtain swayed, Jiang Li noticed a doll in a red dress sitting by the window, its back facing her.
The “Happy Birthday Song” began to play, but the lyrics had changed-
“Happy Death Day to you~~
Happy Death Day to you~~~
Happy Death Day to you~~~
Happy Death Day to you~~~~”
It was the doll singing.
As if sensing Jiang Li’s gaze,
the doll’s neck twisted, turning its head backward to face Jiang Li, and gave her a bizarre smile.
At the same moment, a single drop of “bloody tears” slowly trickled from the doll’s right eye.
Family Rules, Rule Eight:
[The doll at home will not cry. If you see it cry, it must be an illusion. Please close your eyes immediately.]
Jiang Li immediately shut her eyes.
Silently counting in her mind:
Three, two, one.
She opened her eyes again.
By the window, the doll’s tears had vanished.
Only an open window remained, and a lifeless music box doll.
The chilly night wind kept pouring in from outside.
The sky outside was pitch black, not a trace of moonlight.
Jiang Li quickly walked over, picked up the doll, and tossed it into the wardrobe.
Then she swiftly closed the window and drew the Curtain.
Night Rules, Rule Ten:
[Before going to bed, be sure to draw the Curtain. Do not make eye contact with the Eyes outside the window.]
Since she hadn’t gone to sleep yet and that thing hadn’t come out, she’d better draw the Curtain tight as soon as possible.
After closing the Curtain, the voice of Red Infant came from behind.
“Mommy, you haven’t written your diary today.”
Jiang Li turned around and saw Red Infant standing on a stool, pointing at a diary for her to see.
Jiang Li walked over and pinched Red Infant’s chubby cheek. “Alright, thank you, baby. Mommy will take a look first.”
Jiang Li picked up the diary and quickly flipped through a few pages.
[October 18th-Friday-Sunny]
Mother-in-law argued with me today. She hit me.
Mother-in-law told me to know my place, not to think I could do whatever I wanted just because I gave birth to a son.
But she’s completely senile!
I’ve never given birth to a son. I’ve always had a daughter.
[October 19th-Saturday-Sunny turning cloudy]
Mother-in-law pointed at my nose and scolded me.
She said I was a stinky rat stealing food and oil.
I grabbed her ear and bit it. Her ear was covered in blood.
I said I am a stinky rat! When a rat is cornered, it will bite people!
[October 20th-Sunday-Cloudy]
Mother-in-law disappeared today.
No one could find her.
I couldn’t find her either.
Today’s news said that a man in Hangzhou chopped up his wife and flushed her down the Toilet.
The Toilet at home just happened to be broken, constantly flushing.
I’m very scared.
……
These diary entries were all about the grudges between the wife and her mother-in-law.
From the writing, the wife’s mental state seemed somewhat unstable.
Why did she emphasize that she had ‘always given birth to daughters’?
Based on the information Jiang Li had, the wife had given birth to a son and a daughter.
The daughter passed away on this day two years ago.
The son had been living disguised as the daughter ever since.
Other than that-
The diary mentioned that the mother-in-law scolded the wife as a ‘filthy rat stealing grain and oil.’
Jiang Li remembered that she had heard about ‘rats’ from her Husband twice before.
The first time was when her Husband explained why there was only meat on the table and no vegetables.
He said, “All the vegetables in the house were stolen by those damned ‘rats’! Tomorrow I’ll buy more vegetables at the market.”
The second time was just now, when Jiang Li returned to the room and asked her Husband where he was going.
Her Husband replied, “Those damned ‘rats’ are going to steal food at night! I’m keeping watch in the Kitchen tonight.”
Was the ‘rat’ her Husband talked about a real rat, or did it refer to something else?
Combining this with Family Rules No. 5:
[If you hear the sound of chopping meat at night, do not open your eyes.]
Was the meat being chopped rat meat?
Jiang Li still couldn’t be sure.
Jiang Li flipped a few more pages of the diary.
After that, the mother-in-law was never mentioned again.
Instead, the focus shifted mainly to the Husband.
Jiang Li continued reading:
[October 24th – Thursday – Overcast and Rainy]
While tidying the bedding a couple of days ago, I found a strand of hair on the bed.
The hair was dry and brittle like straw, and I was certain it wasn’t mine.
Recently, my Husband has been sneaking out of the Bedroom at night while I’m asleep.
Tonight, I followed him out and heard the sound of high heels.
Is he doing something behind my back?
[October 25th – Friday – Light Rain]
The white cup by my bedside has been empty for two days.
My Husband hasn’t prepared Honey Water for me these past two nights.
My insomnia at night has gotten worse, and I’ve started having hallucinations.
I dreamed that I was chopping bones in the Kitchen late at night, but I was very sure that there were no bones bought for the house.
……
The writing on the following pages became blurry and chaotic.
It looked like a jumble of gibberish.
Jiang Li guessed that those garbled words were written when the wife was not in her right mind.
With great effort, Jiang Li could vaguely make out a few unclear characters.
“Run quickly,” “Help,” “Knife.”
The last character she recognized looked a lot like “death.”
The further she read, the more the writing resembled scrawls and symbols.
Jiang Li wondered if the wife had come into contact with a Pollution Source later on, which led to her mental confusion.
Pollution Source…
From the Toilet in the Bedroom came the sound of flushing water.
Could the Toilet be the Pollution Source?
Or was the Pollution Source hidden somewhere else in the Bedroom?
Jiang Li wanted to keep reading the diary, but suddenly heard a knocking at the door.
“Knock knock-”
“Who is it?”
The knocking outside the door didn’t stop.
But no one answered.
Jiang Li walked to the door, checked the lock, and made sure everything was secure.
“Knock, knock knock, knock-”
The knocking had a distinct rhythm, as if it was intentionally arranged.
Jiang Li listened carefully for a while, her expression gradually growing serious.
She picked up a pen and jotted down some notes in the diary.
After the knocking stopped-
Red Infant watched as Jiang Li kept her head down, still studying what she had just written.
Not long after-
Jiang Li suddenly looked up, her mind buzzing.
“Do not lock the Bedroom door; there is a Pollution Source inside!” This line was written clearly in Jiang Li’s notebook.
The knocking outside had conveyed a string of Morse Code.
And this strange code directly contradicted Night Rules No. 3!
Night Rules No. 3:
[Locking the Bedroom door is the key to survival.]
Jiang Li glanced at Red Infant, who was playing nearby.
She recalled that when she first opened the rules slip, Red Infant’s first words were: “Mommy, only the ninth rule is wrong.”
According to Red Infant, the third rule was correct, meaning the Bedroom door should be locked.
But the Morse Code told her not to lock the Bedroom door!
So, between Red Infant and the “thing” outside, who was lying?