Li Wei and Su Qing stood at the door of their new apartment. The night wind in Shanghai carried a touch of coolness, gently brushing across their faces. In the night sky, the city lights twinkled in the distance, like a flowing scroll painting. Li Wei pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose and his gentle gaze landed on Su Qing. Su Qing turned the key excitedly. With a click, the door lock opened, and her voice was clear and full of joy: "We've finally moved in! This will be our home from now on!"
Li Wei smiled slightly, picked up the suitcase, and walked in. The apartment wasn't big, but it was decorated warmly. The wooden floor glowed with a soft luster under the light, and the floor-to-ceiling windows allowed excellent natural light during the day. Su Qing was an independent photographer who loved capturing the delicate moments in life and had high standards for the living environment. This apartment was the result of her careful selection after comparing countless options. Li Wei, on the other hand, was a programmer, introverted and steady. Besides coding, his favorite thing was to study history books and ancient cultures, and he was almost obsessively interested in the dusty past.
"Look, I specially chose a room with a balcony. In the future, you can play around with your antiques here," Su Qing pointed at the balcony at the end of the living room, her eyes shining with anticipation. She knew that Li Wei liked collecting old items. Although she often jokingly called them "junk," she was happy to support his hobby.
Li Wei walked to the balcony and looked around. The balcony was spacious and bright with a wide view. The lights of the tall buildings in the distance were as dazzling as a sea of stars. However, his attention was soon drawn to some sundries piled up in the corner, and an old wooden box was particularly eye-catching. The surface of the wooden box was covered with the marks of time. On the dark brown wood, there were some strange patterns carved, which looked like some ancient spells, carrying a mysterious and eerie aura. The edges of the box were already somewhat worn, and there were even several cracks, but this made it look more quaint instead.
"Whose is this box? Why is it here?" Li Wei asked curiously, his tone tinged with a hint of doubt. He squatted down and gently touched the wooden box with his fingers, feeling an inexplicable chill.
Su Qing shrugged and replied casually: "The landlord said it was left behind by the previous tenant, and we don't know what's inside. He said we could throw it away if we don't need it. Anyway, it's not of much use." She walked up to Li Wei, looked down at the wooden box, and added with a smile: "But if you like it, you can keep it. After all, you love these old things the most."
Li Wei stepped forward and tried to open the wooden box, only to find that it was firmly locked with a rusty lock. He frowned, thinking that the landlord was probably too lazy to clean it up and just made up an excuse to fob them off. He didn't think too much about it, stood up, turned around, and continued to sort out the luggage, but a faint curiosity about this wooden box remained in his heart.
In the following days, the two of them were busy tidying up their new home, buying daily necessities, and getting familiar with the surrounding environment. Li Wei buried himself in the code at the company during the day. When he returned to the apartment at night, he immersed himself in his own world, flipping through history books and occasionally jotting down some random thoughts about ancient cultures in his notebook. Su Qing, carrying her camera, shuttled through the streets and alleys of Shanghai, searching for the hidden beautiful moments in the city. Their life was plain and warm, and each other's company gradually filled this new home with warmth.
One night, Li Wei didn't get back to the apartment until late at night after working overtime. He opened the door wearily and found that the living room was pitch-black, and Su Qing hadn't come back yet. He rubbed his sore eyes and dragged his heavy steps to the balcony, wanting to feel the night wind and relax his tense nerves. The moonlight spilled on the balcony, and there was a faint dampness in the air. The sound of traffic in the distance could be faintly heard.
Just as he was leaning against the railing with his eyes closed to relax, a strange glimmer caught his attention. He opened his eyes and found that there seemed to be something faintly glowing on that old wooden box. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating because of being too tired. But when he took a closer look, the light on the box didn't disappear. Instead, it became clearer. Then, a blurred figure slowly emerged above the wooden box.
It was a woman dressed in ancient princess attire, with a delicate face like a painting, and a noble air between her eyebrows and eyes. She was wearing a gorgeous Tang-style long dress, with intricate patterns embroidered on the hem. Her long black hair was scattered over her shoulders, shimmering with a faint luster in the moonlight. However, there was a deep melancholy in her eyes, as if she carried endless sorrows. She stood there quietly, her translucent figure flickering on and off, like a ghost who had traveled through time from another era.
Li Wei was startled, and he almost let out a cry. He composed himself and realized that he might have seen something "unclean." The ghost stories he had heard as a child flashed through his mind. Those legends about wandering ghosts made him feel a creepy chill, and his hair stood on end. He wanted to run away from the balcony, but his feet seemed to be nailed to the ground by an invisible force and he couldn't move.
The figure slowly turned her head and looked straight at Li Wei. Her gaze was deep and sorrowful, as if it had penetrated his soul and reached the deepest part of his heart. Li Wei's heart rate suddenly accelerated, and his blood seemed to be roaring in his ears. He rubbed his eyes hard. When he opened them again, the figure was still standing there clearly, as if waiting for something.
"Who... who are you?" Li Wei suppressed the fear in his heart, summoned up his courage, and asked in a trembling voice. His hands unconsciously clenched into fists, and his knuckles turned white from the force.
The figure didn't speak but just stared at him quietly. There was a strong longing in her eyes, as if she was wordlessly telling him something. Li Wei felt an inexplicable heartache. That emotion came out of nowhere, but it almost made him unable to breathe. He wanted to step closer to see the ghost's appearance clearly, but his reason told him that all this was too unusual and too unreal.
Suddenly, the figure raised a slender hand and slowly reached out towards Li Wei. Her movement was gentle and slow, as if carrying a certain expectation. Li Wei was so frightened that he closed his eyes tightly, and his heart was pounding like a drum. He felt a cold wind blow across his face, as if something intangible had gently brushed past, leaving a touch of coldness. When he opened his eyes again, the figure had disappeared without a trace, leaving only the moonlight quietly shining on the wooden box, as if nothing had happened just now.
Li Wei let out a long sigh of relief and only then realized that his forehead was already covered with cold sweat, and his shirt was soaked. He stumbled back into the living room and fumbled to turn on all the lights, trying to dispel the fear in his heart with the bright light. He slumped down on the sofa, took several deep breaths, and tried to calm himself down, but the figure of the ghost in his mind couldn't be erased.
Just then, the sound of the door lock turning came, and Su Qing pushed the door open. She was holding a bag of late-night snacks bought from the convenience store. When she saw Li Wei's appearance, she couldn't help frowning: "Li Wei, what's wrong with you? You look so pale, as if you've seen a ghost."
Li Wei forced a smile and shook his head: "It's okay. I'm just a bit tired." He decided not to tell Su Qing about what had happened just now for the time being, afraid that she would worry and also afraid that she would think he was just imagining things.
Su Qing came over and gently patted his shoulder, saying softly: "Then go to bed early. You still have to go to work tomorrow. Come on, eat something before you go to sleep." She took out a box of steaming oden from the bag and handed it to Li Wei.
Li Wei nodded, took the food, but had no appetite at all. He went back to the bedroom, lay on the bed, closed his eyes, but couldn't fall asleep no matter what. The figure of the ghost kept reappearing in his mind. Her eyes, her gesture, and even that cold wind were like a mystery 缠绕着他. He felt an inexplicable pull, as if something important was waiting for him to uncover.
The next morning, when Li Wei woke up, he found himself sweating all over, as if he had had a long and terrifying dream. He rubbed his temples, trying to clear his mind. After washing up, he walked to the balcony and found that the old wooden box was still quietly placed in the corner, as if the strange phenomenon last night had just been an illusion.
He stepped forward, squatted down, and carefully observed the patterns on the wooden box. Those patterns like spells were clearer in the morning light. They seemed to be some ancient characters, or perhaps some mysterious seals. He stretched out his hand, and when his fingertips touched the surface of the wooden box, a cold feeling spread from his fingers, making him shiver involuntarily. He tried to open the wooden box again, but the rusty lock still didn't budge.
"What are you looking at?" Su Qing's voice came from behind. She walked over with a cup of coffee in her hand, still sleepy-eyed, obviously not fully awake yet.
Li Wei pointed at the wooden box and frowned: "This box, I think there's something wrong with it."
Su Qing smiled and said in a relaxed tone: "It's just an old box. What's wrong with it? Were you too tired from working overtime last night and thinking too much?"
Li Wei hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to be honest: "Last night, I saw a... a ghost here."
Su Qing's eyes widened, and she almost spilled the coffee: "A ghost? You're kidding, right!" She looked at the wooden box in disbelief, then at Li Wei's pale face, and it seemed that she was starting to think that things weren't that simple.
Li Wei gave a bitter smile: "I don't know if it was an illusion, but I think this box might have some secrets. The figure was a woman dressed in ancient clothes, like a princess. Her eyes... I can't forget them."
Su Qing was silent for a while, then stepped forward and patted the wooden box, tentatively saying: "How about we find a locksmith to open it and take a look? If there's really something strange, there might be some clues inside."
Li Wei nodded, and a glimmer of expectation welled up in his heart: "Okay, maybe we can solve this mystery."
In the following days, Li Wei and Su Qing were busy contacting a locksmith, and at the same time, they each threw themselves into their daily lives. Li Wei, however, had an additional task - he searched online for the history of this apartment, trying to find clues related to that ghost. After some effort, he discovered some shocking information: The land where this apartment was located used to be the site of a prince's mansion in the Tang Dynasty. The owner of the mansion was a princess, and there were very few records about her in historical books. It only mentioned that she was killed because she was involved in a court conspiracy and was buried here after her death. According to folk legends, her soul, because of her unquelled resentment, was trapped in this land and couldn't be reincarnated.
Li Wei felt a chill rise up his spine. He began to suspect that the ghost he saw was exactly that princess. Her eyes and her gesture seemed to be asking for his help. He decided to investigate further and uncover this mystery that had spanned thousands of years.
Finally, the locksmith came. He used tools to pry open the rusty lock, and with a creak, the wooden box opened, revealing what was inside: an old book, several exquisite ornaments, and a jade pendant engraved with a woman's portrait. Li Wei picked up the book and opened it. The pages were yellowed, and it was filled with dense ancient characters that he couldn't understand at all.
"What kind of book is this?" Su Qing leaned over curiously and asked.
Li Wei shook his head: "I don't know, but these characters are probably ancient. I can take it to the company and ask a colleague who knows ancient Chinese to help translate it." He then picked up the jade pendant and examined it carefully. He found that the woman's portrait on the jade pendant was exactly the same as the ghost from last night - the same eyebrows and eyes, and the same sad expression.
Li Wei's heart rate quickened, and he felt that he was getting closer to the truth. He decided to come to the balcony again at night and try to communicate with that ghost.
Night fell, and the sky in Shanghai was covered with dark clouds. There was only a faint moonlight on the balcony. Li Wei stood there alone, holding the jade pendant in his hand, feeling both nervous and expectant. As time passed, just when he was almost about to give up, the figure appeared again.
This time, she was clearer, as if a real person was standing in front of him. She looked at Li Wei, her eyes full of expectation and sadness. Her long dress fluttered slightly in the night wind, like a fairy who had stepped out of a scroll painting.
"Who are you? What do you want to tell me?" Li Wei asked softly, trying to keep his voice steady.
The figure didn't speak but slowly stretched out her hand. First, she pointed at the wooden box, and then at her own heart. Her movement was gentle but firm, as if she was conveying some kind of message. Li Wei frowned, full of confusion in his heart. He didn't understand what she meant.
Suddenly, the figure began to fade slowly, dissipating like mist. Li Wei hurriedly shouted: "Wait! Tell me who you are!" But she had already disappeared, leaving only a cold wind blowing across the balcony.
Li Wei felt a sense of loss, but he was even more determined. He knew that all this was related to the book and the ornaments in the wooden box. He decided to continue studying these items and find more clues to help this trapped soul gain freedom.
Just then, his phone rang. It was a call from Su Qing: "Li Wei, what are you doing on the balcony? Come back and have dinner."
Li Wei took a deep breath and replied: "Okay, I'll be right there." He turned and left the balcony, and a fire of determination burned in his heart. He understood that this was just the beginning, and a fantastical journey across time was waiting for him. And his fate with this ancient princess seemed to have been intertwined in the dark long ago.