Mornings at the news station were always bustling.
But this morning, Zhuzhu walked in with heavy, dragging steps.
Twenty-five years old.
A reporter.
Her eyes should have been sharp, always alert for a story.
Yet today they looked dull and weary.
The dark circles under her eyes could barely be hidden by a light dusting of powder.
She had not slept well.
Again.
That nightmare had returned last night.
Not every single day — sometimes only once a week.
But it was always the same.
Always repeating itself.
“Good morning, Sir,” she said softly to the security guard in the lobby.
The elevator doors slid shut.
She rode up to the newsroom floor.
The moment she settled into her desk, Xiaoqi turned to look at her.
Her desk mate was always the first to notice when something was wrong.
Xiaoqi: “Morning Zhu…
🤨” Xiaoqi: “What’s with your eyes?
They’re so dark.
That dream again, isn’t it?” Zhuzhu simply nodded.
She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples gently.
Zhuzhu: “Morning Qi…
Yeah.
It came back.” In a quiet voice, Zhuzhu told her everything.
About the long corridor, the footsteps following behind her, and the name being called out from the darkness.
Xiaoqi stayed silent for a long time after listening.
Then she leaned closer.
Xiaoqi: “Zhu, listen to me carefully…” Xiaoqi: “My grandfather always says: when the same dream keeps chasing you, it means something hasn’t been finished yet.” Xiaoqi: “Long ago, people believed these things are tied to your past.
Something your soul still hasn’t been able to let go of.” Xiaoqi: “And it just so happens — he’s visiting the city now.
He’s an expert in old stories and traditions.
What if you go meet him?
Maybe he can help you find answers.” Zhuzhu’s fingers stopped moving over the keyboard.
The noise of the busy newsroom suddenly felt very far away.
“…Tied to the past?” Zhuzhu whispered to herself.
“Whose past?” Xiaoqi only smiled mysteriously in reply.
Outside, the big screen broadcasted breaking news across the room.
But deep inside Zhuzhu’s heart, a far bigger story had only just begun.