His scalp tingling,
"I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about."
"Twenty years ago, there was a door in Jiangyuan Residential District that was almost pushed open. No one knew its exact location — only that it was somewhere within the complex. After the district was rebuilt, that door was never closed. Negative emotions kept spilling out of it, drawing in passing dark gods and vengeful ghosts. Those pitiful 'people' you just encountered all gathered here because of that door. And I was only lucky enough to become a Red Dress because of it."
"If that's the case, that door might actually be connected to me." Chen Ge answered cautiously. "I've forgotten a great deal, so I can't be certain about many things. If you could give me a few more clues, perhaps I might remember something."
"It was a door pushed open halfway. I had never seen a door like that before — it was as if someone, in their uttermost despair, had finally found salvation and pushed it open." The withered hand tightened its grip, and the Red Dress's voice sounded directly beside Chen Ge's ear. "Only in the deepest despair can one push open a door. Despair that brings salvation doesn't count as true despair."
Chen Ge committed every word to memory. He might not understand these things now, but as his investigation deepened, perhaps one day he would grasp their true meaning.
"I genuinely can't remember. Have you been through that door? What's inside?" Chen Ge began asking questions proactively. Perhaps because he had seen so many Red Dresses, the fear in his heart dissipated quickly, replaced by the feeling of chatting with an acquaintance.
"You want to know what's inside the door?" The withered hand pressed against Chen Ge's neck. "Didn't you just see it for yourself?"
"Me? I saw it?" Chen Ge's eyes widened. "The fourteenth floor? The inside of the door was my old home?"
"That's right. It used to be your home. But now it's mine." The bony fingers sliced into Chen Ge's neck like knives, sinking in bit by bit. "I helped you push that door open, yet I could never become the Door Opener. I thought about it for a long time before I figured it out — perhaps it's because the real Door Opener is still alive. Only by killing that person can I truly control the door."
"Calm down for a moment. I just thought it over carefully — I actually have nothing to do with that door. Really! How could someone who loves life as much as I do, someone so cheerful and easygoing, fall into enough despair to push open a door?"
"But the moment you appeared, the door opened on its own. And from inside came sounds I had never heard before." The Red Dress's grip grew tighter and tighter.
"Fine, I can't deny that there's some connection between me and the door. But I truly didn't push it open. If you're looking for the Door Opener, I can help you search." Chen Ge pointed toward the edge of the building. "You must have seen it too — the child who was pushed off the roof is the real Door Opener. I'm looking for him too."
"You can't deceive me. The scenes behind the door are woven from the Door Opener's memories. The sounds you heard on the fourteenth floor, the scene you witnessed on the roof — they all come from the deepest recesses of your memory. Those are all your own memories, which is why you were so immersed in them." A casual remark from the Red Dress struck Chen Ge like a bolt of lightning.
A flash of light seemed to cut through his mind. "Memories?"
Things that should have been forgotten had been preserved through the door. Those scenes were despairing, but they were genuine memories.
"I think I'm starting to understand." Chen Ge's pupils slowly contracted. "The blood-red city contains scene after scene, each one pushed open by a Door Opener. Those scenes are woven from the Door Opener's most desperate memories. Just now, the young version of me on the roof said something — memories exist because of people, but people forget them. Could memories grow angry? People, ghosts, memories, obsessions..."
"Are you done with your last words?"
"Wait!" Hearing the Red Dress's voice, Chen Ge reacted like a cat with its tail stepped on. "You saw those scenes too — memories can't be faked. The real Door Opener was pushed off the roof by the doctor. He's long dead. The reason you couldn't become the Door Opener is probably because his obsession hasn't fully dissipated yet."
What Chen Ge said did make sense, but convincing the Red Dress was still difficult. "I know more words won't help, and I won't make empty promises. I only hope you'll give me a few days. I'll help you find the real Door Opener."
The Red Dress behind him said nothing. Chen Ge quickly added, "If a few days feels too long, then how about we set it at twenty-four hours? I need to go home to confirm a few things. If you really don't trust me, you can come with me — you can stand in my shadow and watch me every moment. My life is in your hands."
The pain in his neck eased slightly. The Red Dress seemed to waver, but still said nothing.
Several minutes of silence passed. Chen Ge, as though resigned to his fate, slowly raised his hand. "All right. It seems you're not going to let me go. Then can I make one final small request?"
"Speak."
"Give me a few minutes. I want to make a phone call to the police. Back in the stairwell, I promised that girl I'd help her find her killer. I can't do that anymore, but at the very least I can leave her a glimmer of hope — so she won't have to suffer the cold alone." Chen Ge slowly pulled out his phone, but the Red Dress behind him had gone silent.
A long time later, the withered hand around his neck released its grip. "Three days. Two o'clock in the morning, three days from now. I'll be waiting for you on the fourteenth floor."
The oppressive force gradually faded. The iron door leading from the seventeenth floor to the roof slammed shut. Everything around him returned to normal.
Thud!
Chen Ge stood rooted to the spot. It was the white cat on his shoulder that couldn't take it anymore.
Perhaps because it had held the same position for too long, the white cat leaped down in a stiff, unnatural way. Its body seemed frozen, and it limped badly as it walked before finally recovering after a while.
Seeing that even the white cat dared to move, Chen Ge finally let out a sigh of relief and slid down the wall to sit on the ground.
"You're unbelievable! A vengeful ghost was literally perched on my shoulder, and you couldn't even nudge me or give me a heads-up?"
"Meow?!"
The white cat, seeing Chen Ge, was equally furious. It darted around him, yowling — as if to say, "You try standing shoulder to shoulder with a Red Dress!"
The man and the cat bickered and tumbled for a while until Chen Ge had recovered some of his strength. He put his jacket back on and huddled in a corner of the roof with the white cat clutched to his chest.
Going back the way he came was out of the question, and taking the elevator gave him psychological trauma, so Chen Ge wisely decided to wait until dawn before heading downstairs.
"That night scared the living daylights out of me. Once the sun comes up, I'm definitely going to Virtual Future Amusement Park to properly unwind..."