Let me tell you all a true ghost story from my freshman year. Recalling the events of that year still sends shivers down my spine and leaves me with lingering fear. After graduating from high school, I was admitted to the prestigious University S with excellent grades. When I went to register, I was a few days late. The dormitory manager told me that the rooms for my major were already full, so I had to be placed with students from other majors.
That night, I moved into Room 404 on the 4th floor of Building 4 at University S. It was a small room of about ten square meters. By the door, there was a shoe rack with six neatly arranged slippers. One pair of bright red slippers left an indelible impression on me. There were three bunk beds: one on the left (beds 1 and 4), and two on the right (beds 2 and 5, beds 3 and 6). These were marked in red pen by the administrator. Near the windowsill, there was a desk with a lamp and some disorganized books.
After a tiring day, I put down my luggage and hastily prepared my bed before falling sound asleep. I don't know when the other students returned, but they woke me up from my sleep. We introduced ourselves to each other, and this is how I got to know them: 'Ma Ming from the Marketing Department in bed 2', 'Sun Wen from the Design Department in bed 3', 'Huang Mao from the Japanese Language Department in bed 5', 'Wu Ling from the Performing Arts Department in bed 6', and 'Liu Yi from the Journalism Department in bed 1'.
"The guy in bed 4 (my top bunk) hasn't come back yet. It's going to rain heavily soon," I said, looking out at the changing sky. "He was the first one to move in, but I've never seen him during the day. He always comes back at midnight and leaves before dawn. How mysterious," Wu Ling laughed.
We chatted idly as the weather suddenly turned stormy with strong winds and thunder. "This crazy weather changes so fast. Let's just go to sleep," Ma Ming said while climbing into his bed. "Sleep? It's too early. We haven't had any excitement for a long time. Turn off the light and let's spend the whole night taking turns telling ghost stories. Since we're new to the school, it'll be a good way to get stimulated," Sun Wen suggested. "Alright," everyone else agreed.
I am an atheist, so I thought, "Let's see what kind of ghost stories you can make up." So I followed along and even turned off the lights to create more atmosphere.
The guys started taking turns telling ghost stories. The rain continued, the wind blew, and the lightning flashed intermittently. "Your ghost stories are making us laugh. They're not scary at all," we disappointedly told Huang Mao who was telling a story. "It's already 3:30 AM, and none of your stories have been scary. Liu Yi, it's your turn. Scare them," Sun Wen interrupted Huang Mao and said to me.
"Shh... I'm... telling... Don't... be afraid..." A chilling voice came from the top bunk. "Liu Yi, you're daring to pretend to be a ghost. Be careful, or the ghost will find you first," everyone laughed.
I held my breath, my limbs stiffened, my hands tightly clenched into fists, and cold sweat soaked my pajamas and sheets... Just as I gathered the courage to say it wasn't me, that voice spoke first: "I'm Ma Xiaonan, a sophomore student. I have a childhood sweetheart who is the well-known campus beauty, talented in singing and dancing. During a cultural performance, her graceful figure and charming face drove our lustful teacher Mr. Wu crazy. To get her, he spared no effort... My girlfriend has always been cautious.
With the final exams approaching, she worked hard late into the night and lost track of time. All the classmates had left, and she was alone in the empty classroom. When she looked at her watch, it was 3:30 AM. She was about to finish packing her materials when suddenly, lightning struck, thunder roared, and heavy rain poured down, just like tonight. The difference was that there was someone else present. In the flash of lightning, she saw it was her teacher. She screamed, but only heard the wind, rain, and thunder. Afterwards, the teacher threatened her, saying if she told anyone, he would prevent her from graduating, ruin her reputation, and isolate her from society. Then he walked away satisfied. That night at 4 o'clock, my girlfriend jumped from the building and committed suicide. When I was tidying up her belongings, I found a letter and a pair of red slippers. The letter explained the cause of her death. The red slippers were newly bought before her departure, asking me to take revenge. That pair of red slippers has been on our shoe rack ever since. I wear them every night when I go out..." He finished the story in a cold voice. The wind didn't stop, the rain continued, and the lightning grew brighter... I felt uneasy and dared not breathe deeply. Large beads of sweat rolled down my back...
"When my time is up, I've finished my story. I need to go out and do something. I've been waiting for this opportunity. Tonight's weather is perfect. At exactly 4 o'clock tomorrow evening, it will be the anniversary of that teacher's death," the voice said through gritted teeth.
"Liu Yi, are you crazy? Who is Ma Xiaonan? You're using the first-person narrative ('I'), and you mentioned Room 404 and the red slippers from bed 4. Are you insane?" Ma Ming suddenly said. "You scared me."
At that moment, I had no strength to explain. I quietly checked the glow-in-the-dark watch under my blanket—it was 3:50 AM. Suddenly, a bright flash of lightning illuminated the entire Room 404. In the light, I saw the pair of red slippers jump off the shoe rack and slowly move, inch by inch. Another flash of lightning revealed the red slippers moving towards the desk and then directly passing through the glass wall, disappearing as if they had wall-penetrating abilities. With a trembling voice, I called out for them to turn on the... light.
"Snap snap," the sound of the light turning on filled Room 404 with brightness. I curled up on the bed, pale-faced, drenched as if I had just been pulled out of water. The four of them looked at me curiously, none understanding why. I pointed at the shoe rack, and they all gasped. They began searching around. I pointed outside the window, and they couldn't believe what they saw. They remained silent, deep in thought, and then looked at me strangely, indicating that it wasn't me telling the story. I nodded.
"No wonder I often heard the sound of slippers a few nights ago, assuming it was from outside, so I didn't pay attention," Huang Mao said. "Don't talk anymore. I hope this night ends quickly," I roared.
That first day and first night at school passed like years, leaving me distracted. From then on, I believed in ghosts.
"Now broadcasting morning news: Last night around 4 o'clock, Mr. Wu, the head teacher of a class at University S, died mysteriously. Strangely, a pair of red slippers was found beside him. The police have intervened in the investigation..." Ma Ming turned on the radio in the morning. I turned off the cursed radio with a shocked heart. Mr. Wu's death spread quickly across the school, and the school could only wait for the police to uncover the truth.
During breakfast, I asked a sophomore student about Ma Xiaonan, and his answer shocked me even more. He had died last year. After his girlfriend's death, he also jumped from the building and committed suicide. He lived in Room 404, Building 4, in bed 4. He also told me that as a freshman, I didn't know these things. It was rumored that Ma Xiaonan's girlfriend used to live in the girls' dormitory, Room 404, Building 4, in bed 4. However, after her death, no one ever lived there again. Why? He didn't say.
From then on, we all moved out of Room 404. When I was a sophomore, new students moved into that room. Whenever it rained, at 4 o'clock, they would tell the same story, but now including Mr. Wu's death. Thus, the scandal of University S was gradually exposed.
Eight years have passed. Whenever I see red slippers or anything related to the number "four," I recall those terrifying memories from that year...