How You Can Sue Me for My Crimes in Dreams

“Mmm…”

She responded distractedly.

Wang Chao looked a little confused and instinctively glanced at Xu Huo, who was sitting across from him.

Xu Huo said nothing, just kept slowly eating his barbecue.

He and Zhang Min had met a few times in the Capital City, so they weren’t strangers. There was no need for pleasantries; eating and drinking was enough.

Frustrated, Wang Chao had no choice but to turn to Zhang Min.

“Something on your mind?” Wang Chao asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

“Huh? Oh?”

Zhang Min seemed dazed for a moment, then shook her head.

“It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

Zhang Min paused, the words of the old woman from 501 echoing in her mind.

In an instant, her face flushed red.

She was twenty-five, a law student and an entrepreneur. Admitting she was scared of *that*… she was a little too embarrassed.

“Really, it’s nothing.”

“Alright then. If you run into trouble, just give me a call. If I can’t handle it, I’ll get Brother Huo,” Wang Chao said, passing a few barbecue skewers to her.

“First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll take you to the headquarters in Jiangsan City. You’ll be in charge of managing our brick-and-mortar dessert shops for now. Once the mobile phones are out, we’ll be expanding into the internet industry.”

Zhang Min nodded, adjusted her skirt and brushed back her hair, then silently took small bites of her barbecue.

A moment later, Wang Chao wiped his mouth. “I’ll go pay the bill.”

He stood up and walked to the counter.

But just as he was about to pay, Xu Huo appeared behind him.

“Brother Huo, I’ve got money…” Wang Chao said instinctively, but Xu Huo clearly didn’t want to talk about that.

“You take Zhang Min home later.”

“What about you?”

Wang Chao was a little confused. Although they didn’t live far from each other, it was obvious Xu Huo didn’t want him to give him a ride.

“I’ll take a cab. Are you stupid?”

Xu Huo was slightly speechless, but after a moment of silence, he said,

“Anyway, that’s all. Just be careful.”

Though suspicious, Wang Chao nodded. “Alright, then.”

Then, he paid the bill.

A while later, a car slowly pulled away.

Wang Chao drove Zhang Min toward the west side of Jiangsan City.

…

…

“We’re here.”

At 10:40 PM, Wang Chao parked the car.

“Ah? Oh…”

Zhang Min snapped out of her daze. “Thanks.”

She thanked him and got out of the car, but Wang Chao called out to her.

“Are you really okay?” Wang Chao asked, confused.

Zhang Min paused. She looked up toward Apartment 502.

There was a balcony there—pitch-black, a bottomless void. It was as if something was standing there now, silently staring down at her from the darkness.

Zhang Min forced a smile and looked at Wang Chao.

“I’m really fine.”

“Okay, good. Call me if anything comes up.” Wang Chao nodded.

With that, Zhang Min took a deep breath and turned to walk into the apartment building.

The building was only a few years old, but now it felt somewhat old and neglected. She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination.

As her footsteps echoed in the hallway, the voice-activated light in front of the elevator doors FLICKERED on with a white glow.

A moment later, her footsteps disappeared into the elevator.

Not long after, they reappeared on the fifth floor.

As Zhang Min looked at her apartment door, she felt a gaze on her back.

She turned her head to see the old woman from Apartment 501, who was also walking down the hall. The woman watched her about to open her door, her expression strange. After a sigh, she paid her no more mind and went straight into her own apartment.

‘After he went into the room, he never came out again.’

‘My guess is… he might… still be in that apartment…’

The words the woman had spoken to her that afternoon surfaced in her mind.

Zhang Min stood in silence for a moment. The next second…

CREAK~

The door opened.

Inside, it was deathly still. Nothing had happened, and there were no signs of human activity.

Zhang Min turned on the light and checked the time. She wanted to go to sleep, but unfortunately, she wasn’t the least bit tired. She had no choice but to sit on the sofa and read for a while.

The living room bookshelf was filled with books from various sources—some she had brought herself, and others had been left by the landlord and the previous tenant.

Zhang Min was about to pull out an economics book she had brought with her, but in a daze, her eyes fell on another book.

It was a…

A diary?

Zhang Min paused. Her fingers, which had been about to touch the economics book, moved toward the diary instead.

The diary had no name on it and wasn’t very full. Judging by the dates, it probably belonged to the previous tenant, who likely kept it to vent their troubles.

Zhang Min slowly opened it. As she did, the first page gradually came into view.

…

[December 14, 2003]

[Weather: Overcast]

[I think I saw a shadow. It was standing in the distance, watching me silently. But the strange thing is, everyone else said they didn’t see it, even though the shadow never moved the entire time…]

…

[December 15, 2003]

[Weather: Light Rain]

[I saw it again. I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but it seems closer than yesterday. Its face is blurry. I can’t make it out.]

[Besides me, my three friends seem to have seen it too…]

…

[December 17, 2003]

[I saw it! I saw it! A ghost! It’s a ghost! It’s closer to me! I saw its face!]

[There’s a ghost! There’s a ghost!]

…

[December 23, 2003]

[It’s getting closer and closer to me. This isn’t my imagination. I have to hide, I have to hide!]

…

[Maniac! It’s a maniac! No matter where I hide, it can find me!]

[The sewers, the trash cans, the bathroom… it can find me everywhere!]

[It got a little closer again, less than five meters away. I have to hide. I have to find somewhere to hide…]

[Dammit, why can’t you people see it?! Why can’t you see it!!!]

…

[It’s here again… It’s here again… No matter where I hide, it always finds me…]