In Virtual Reality 58 ☆ Red Stairwell (5/10)

Xu Jin Yi entered the spacious bedroom, furnished with only a bed and a row of built-in wardrobes. She opened each closet one by one, searching through the contents, but found only men's clothes. Unlike the shoe cabinet, no women's or children's garments were found. Despite the wardrobes' size, she discovered only a handful of scattered pieces of men's clothing.

Frustrated by the lack of clues, Xu Jin Yi turned her attention to the wedding photo. She glanced at her feet in the VR view, adorned with grey and white sneakers from original avatar skin modelling. She couldn't take them off at the moment; no interaction option was available.

Reluctantly, she climbed onto the bed, leaving her shoes on. She closely examined the wedding photo and touched its surface, which had a slightly rough cloth texture. When she withdrew her fingers, they were coated in thick black and grey dust.

Xu Jin Yi noticed a small white floral pattern in the corner of the framed cloth photo.

【5.8】

May 8th, without a year.

She stood there, taken aback for a moment.

Mother's Day...

Xu Jin Yi lowered her gaze and removed a small notebook and pencil lead from her pocket, carefully jotting down the number 0508.

The tightly bound pages of the book came apart as Xu Jin Yi carefully lifted them. Although the glue had become undone, the thread that held the book together kept the pages from scattering randomly across the bed. Xu Jin Yi hopped off the bed and casually sat on the edge, flipping open the small book left behind by the deceased bride.

**

【Today is my first day at Li Dong's house!】

Surprisingly, the font at the beginning was neat and tidy, with delicate small characters conveying joy between the lines.

【We eloped, and he promised to treat me well. Because of Brother Dong's words, I believe him!】

【I rarely write in my diary, but I want to record the days we work together outside so that when Li Dong succeeds, we can return home and talk to Dad properly.】

Ah... was this a tale of "family aposed our love so we determined to elope"?

Xu Jin Yi flipped back a page.

【Today, Brother Dong brought me supper! Haha, even though life outside is tiring, as long as he's here, it feels like everything is manageable!】

It appears life is quite blissful.

【Brother Dong's work hasn't been going well recently. He appears more and more melancholic each day... I decided to prepare something delicious to comfort him today!】

【He's returned, and I've made spicy shrimp tails, but Brother Dong doesn't seem happy... Did something happen at work? I assisted him in peeling several shrimp tails, but he didn't say anything and ate with his head down.】

【I'm not certain if these prawn tails are still fresh since Brother Dong gave me a peculiar look while eating. Is something amiss? The prawn vendor said they had just arrived. The tails were expensive.】

【Brother Dong told me not to purchase such costly things anymore. He believes it's a waste of money.】

Xu Jin Yi's gaze scanned through the messages, pondering if Brother Dong was facing financial difficulties, possibly having lost his job. She also wondered if his bride had left her job to become a housewife.

【I managed to clean the entire house today, but it was harder than I thought. Who knew cleaning would be such a challenge?】

【Brother Dong has been preoccupied with his work lately and hasn't talked to me much when he comes home. Perhaps he's burdened with business affairs.】

【Come to think of it, should I find a job too? Two people working hard are better than one!】

【I miss Dad a little bit. He can be stubborn at times. We'll visit him when our life improves, and he'll understand he was wrong!】

Xu Jin Yi paused, noticing a red mark on the page of the diary. The first few lines had been crossed out, rendering the text illegible, but the last line caught her attention.

【He won't let me go out.】

Oh, dear.

Xu Jin Yi flipped to the next page of the diary, only to find that it was shorter than the previous one. She then came across a startling entry.

【He hit me...Li Dong (李东), he hit me!!】

【I won't forgive him!!】

【He apologized to me. I saw him cry for the first time...】

Xu Jin Yi: "..."

Your change of heart was swift. It's on the same page, you know? Didn't you read the preceding sentence when you wrote this one??

【Li Dong said that I would be looked down upon as a woman going out to work. He claimed to care about me and didn't want to see me suffer.】

Xu Jin Yi:?

"↑What ↑ the ↓dong↓ is going on??" Xu Jin Yi blurted out, her voice laced with a hint of incredulity. Her expression conveyed shock, disgust, and a twinge of "Do you really dong believe this?" 【TN: Change the original pun that didn't translate to making fun of his name Dong = English slang for penis】

Sorry, she's not very articulate.

At this moment, Xu Jin Yi yearned for the NPC she'd met before, Fang Wenwen. If only she were here to point her finger at Li Dong's face and censure him until he was too ashamed to be seen in public.

Will this bride forgive him?!

She eagerly flipped to the next page.

【I'm pregnant.】

【Brother Dong looked elated and vowed to provide a good life for our child and me. He instructed me not to worry about anything and focus on caring for myself and our baby!】

【He's truly changed, reverting to the man I once knew.】

【We've taken new wedding photos! I believe we shall live happily like this forever...】

Inside the diary lay a small wedding photograph, identical to the one above Xu Jin Yi's head, only smaller in size. The bride and groom wore beaming smiles, and their hands were tightly interlaced.

The man shouting outside earlier was indeed the groom.

However, if the bride had truly lived happily ever after this entry, Li Dong would not have been in such a dire state, with clumps of hair floating in the sink and a pair of teeth scattered in the corner.

Xu Jin Yi flipped the page, gazing at the next entry.

【I stumbled upon an online part-time job where I could earn money by typing and inputting data. Brother Dong works tirelessly, and now that I'm pregnant, I can't leave home much. This type of job suits me well...I pray for our improved circumstances and that our baby stays healthy!】

Xu Jin Yi pondered the legitimacy of the typing job. It seemed too good to be true, and she hesitated to trust it. With the next turn of the page, her suspicions were confirmed.

【The individual who added me was a fraud! They conned me out of two hundred yuan... I informed Brother Dong, and he was furious...】

It was indeed a scam. Nonetheless, such experiences were valuable lessons. You live, and you learn; just remember for the future— She flipped to the next page only to find it blank.

The diary entries had ended, yet it continued to tell a story with its remaining pages stained a deep shade of red.

The VR goggles alerted her to a pungent smell of blood on the paper.

Shortly after, a mournful female voice resonated in Xu Jin Yi's mind.

"He struck me,"

"It's excruciating... my eyes, my head, my face,"

"His hands are massive, and so are his fists... I thought he would use them to protect me..."

"I know he's unhappy, he's furious!"

"Every time he strikes me, he kneels down pitifully and pleads for my forgiveness..."

"I'm left with no choice but to forgive him..."

"But he doesn't just hit me, he hit my stomach too."

Suddenly, Xu Jin Yi lifted her head, and the huge wedding photograph above her revealed the bride's countenance ripped apart the groom, displaying bloodshot eyes that gazed at her expressionlessly!

The bride in her bridal gown was covered in blood.

It clutched the frame, extended its neck, and came face to face with Xu Jin Yi, who was looking up!

"It's so excruciating!!! Why did you hit me? Why did you hit my child? It's hurts so much!!!" A piercing cry filled the room, "Li Dong! You promised to protect me! You lied!"

With a sudden, violent scream, the ceiling light shattered, plunging the room into darkness.

The living room remained illuminated, and Xu Jin Yi navigated her way through the darkness towards the door, guided by a faint glow.

As she looked back towards the bedroom, she could see nothing but the wedding photograph, the groom's face still blackened and a gaping hole in the abdomen of the man in the suit. The bride was nowhere to be seen.

A familiar knocking echoed through the apartment, and Li Dong's voice followed, shouting frantically, "Get out! That damn thing is here again! Bring me the knife! — No, don't come over! Don't come over!!" Behind the security door, Li Dong pressed his back against the door, watching the female ghost crawling towards him on all fours.

He could run no longer, having exhausted all his energy. Whether he went up or down the stairs, escape was futile. The female ghost would inevitably find him when the time was right. He was trapped.

"Stop! I beg you! Spare me, don't kill me again!" Li Dong wept and fell to the ground, watching as the scary ghost inched closer to him. His body shrank back unconsciously. "Please..."

He screamed, tears streaming down his face, his hands flailing uncontrollably. Until the female ghost was on the brink of pressing her face against his once more, the antitheft door behind him suddenly opened.

Li Dong's heart leapt! Was that little white face coming to his rescue?

Without looking back, he shouted wildly, "Hurry, hurry, hurry! Kill it!"

"I see. Is that how you treat your wife too?"

A mighty force hit the back of his neck, sending Li Dong falling uncontrollably into the female ghost's arms.

From above, Xu Jin Yi looked down on him. "You're rotten to the core, from your bones to your skin." She then looked at the stunned female ghost and spoke gently, "Please, go ahead. Don't be shy." She paused momentarily before adding, "Just don't end up with an upset stomach."

Li Dong:???

With broken arms, the female ghost tightly clamped onto Li Dong's neck and lifted her head. Strands of cut hair covered her patchwork face.

"@|&%" She muttered something to Xu Jin Yi before lowering her head and sinking her teeth into Li Dong's skull.

The man's piercing screams echoed through the air, accompanied by vulgar curses. Despite his struggling hands, they were no match for the ghost bride's immense strength. Gradually, his cries grew fainter until only a weak whimper could be heard.

As Xu Jin Yi stepped outside, she noticed the female ghost sitting on the ground, completely absorbed in gnawing on Li Dong's head.

She narrowed her eyes. Something was wrong. The patchwork face of the female ghost was far too delicate.

It bore no resemblance to the bride in the wedding photographs!!

——— Translators Notes ———

"Li Dong" (李东) Li = Plum; Dong = East / Host/ Landlord

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