Chapter 6: Hair

Hu Zongren and I exchanged a glance, and we both understood that the scope had narrowed even further. If strange occurrences frequently happened on the 10th floor, then the residents would certainly have heard rumors about it. However, the 10th floor was remarkably peaceful, indicating that the people on that floor were not disturbed by any supernatural phenomena. Therefore, the issue must lie on the 9th floor. Yet, until this is verified, it will always remain speculation. Hu Zongren and I can only hope that this time we are not mistaken. The 10th floor was remarkably peaceful, indicating that the people on that floor were not disturbed by any supernatural phenomena. Therefore, the issue must lie on the 9th floor. Yet, until this is verified, it will always remain speculation. Hu Zongren and I can only hope that this time we are not mistaken

Thus, I understood that if my assumptions are correct, the time of death of the female vice president of that company, when no one was in the office, must have been during the weekend or after everyone had left work. According to the current clues, the occurrences of supernatural events tend to peak around 7 PM, which coincides with the end of the workday. Therefore, this possibility is quite significant, as past experiences suggest that many ghostly appearances are related to the time of their death. For instance, if one day an elderly fortune teller tells you that you will die on a certain date, that time will be memorable for you, regardless of whether you believe it or not. When that time arrives, even if you are not dead, you will not forget that day. However, if you do die, the significance of that time becomes evident. You will remember that you are supposed to die on a certain date, and when that time comes, it will be unforgettable, and if you truly have passed away, the meaning of that time is self-evident.

Sister Zhang furrowed her brows and thought for a moment, then said there was nothing wrong, everything was fine, except that the company on the 9th floor had moved out. Hu Zongren asked why they had moved out and who was living on the 9th floor now. Sister Zhang replied that she had heard they changed their office location, so they terminated the lease here. Now the entire 9th floor is vacant, and the landlord had been approached before, but he has not been able to rent out the property, which has been empty for almost a year.

At this point, Hu Zongren asked Sister Zhang, "So, can you still contact the others from the company that moved?" Sister Zhang replied, "I only have the phone number that was registered at the time, which is the phone number of the general manager of that company. However, it has been over a year, and I don't know if the number is still reachable.

I asked Hu Zongren why he didn't just make the call directly in the office. He glanced at me and said, "What, do you want me to tell him that your wife's hetushu.com ghost is still appearing in this building? If I did, he probably wouldn't answer our calls anymore." I thought that was likely, so I asked him what we should do. Hu Zongren replied, "I'll call this guy now and say I want to order a large batch of their company's products, then try to arrange a meeting to discuss these matters in person. It's better than not being able to find him later." I thought that was likely too, so I asked him what we should do. Hu Zongren said, "I'll call this guy now and say I want to order a large batch of their company's products, then try to arrange a meeting to discuss these matters in person. It's better than not being able to find him later." I agreed, and after Hu Zongren dialed the number, he handed the phone to me, grinning and saying, "You lie better than I do, and you're more eloquent than I am, so this matter is up to you."

At that moment, the elevator had reached the top floor. Hu Zongren looked at me and nodded, saying that I should pull down some more hair and not throw it away. He then pressed the button for the basement level, stating that we would go to Sister Zhang's office to carefully compare the footage again. Now that the scope had narrowed, it should not be too difficult to find it. So we descended without stopping, calmly responding to the property management office along the way. Upon seeing us enter, Sister Zhang immediately called to instruct the monitoring room to copy the footage and hand it over to me and Hu Zongren. Thus, we continued our descent without interruption, maintaining a peaceful demeanor as we answered the property management office. After we entered, Sister Zhang promptly called to have the monitoring room copy the footage and deliver it to me and Hu Zongren.

The wig we purchased is black, yet the strands in hand are yellow. This is essentially telling me that the hair protruding from the ventilation shaft is not the same as the wig we bought. This implies that the hair is coming from the elevator's ventilation shaft. Although I do not know why, my intuition tells me that this strand of hair is undoubtedly related to the ghost in this elevator.

Hu Zongren suddenly said to us, "Wait for me for a moment, I will go out and be back soon." After saying this, he opened the door and left, leaving me in the office to continue watching the video, pondering ways to crack the case. About ten minutes later, Hu Zongren returned, panting heavily, indicating that he had run back. Indeed, he told me that there was some progress in the matter. He had just asked the old man in charge of the fees on the basement level, who said that a woman had died in this building about a year ago. She was the vice president of the company on the 9th floor and also the wife of the general manager. The elevator in this building can go directly to the garage, so the funeral home’s vehicle came directly to the basement to pick up the body, which is how he knew.

The elevator continued to ascend floor by floor. Hu Zongren handed me a strand of hair, asking me to see if I could find any clues, while he remained vigilant, observing any anomalies in the elevator. I spread the hair in the palm of my hand and examined it closely. It was a few strands of dry yellow hair, yet it appeared glossy. Notably, when Hu Zongren and I first inspected the elevator, we had carefully checked this ventilation duct, and at that time, there were no strands of hair. Only a slight breeze had blown out from the opening. After Hu Zongren and I changed into women's clothing and donned wigs, we entered the elevator again and checked it once more. This indicates that these strands of hair must have appeared around 7:51. I wondered if it was possible that when our wigs were pulled up, some strands got caught in the opening due to our struggle, thus breaking off some of the wigs. However, I quickly dismissed this thought, as I looked at the wigs on the ground; both mine and Hu Zongren's were pure black. Moreover, both Hu Zongren and I are knowledgeable in this field. If we needed to purchase wigs, we would never buy those made from real hair; we would certainly opt for synthetic fiber wigs. Who can guarantee whether the original owner of real hair is alive or dead? It is already confusing enough without adding new troubles.

This sudden silence made me feel very uncomfortable. Both Hu Zongren and I were staring at the strands of hair at the vent. Hu Zongren took out the small camera he had recently purchased from his bag and took a few pictures of the hair. Then he reached out and tugged at the strands, finding them quite taut; however, with a little effort, they could still be pulled out.

I ask this because I am concerned that if the company is no longer in operation or if its business nature has changed, I might find it difficult to continue the conversation if I am unaware. He mentioned on the phone that the company is primarily still engaged in coatings, but recently they have developed some new businesses related to harmless organic materials. To my surprise, he completely skipped over asking which friend introduced me and about the - picture - book.

The video at the back is just as we saw in the elevator, with no abnormalities. However, at the moment when I burned my hair, there was a slight interference in the elevator footage. After watching it, Hu Zongren said that the issue must be between the 9th and 10th floors. As for what exactly is there, it is still unknown.

Following the outcome that General Manager Yang most desired, he quickly concluded that I was a significant business opportunity he could not afford to lose. His tone began to become very polite. I felt it was time, so I suggested, "Let’s meet tomorrow at noon to discuss this matter." After saying this, I looked at Hu Zongren, who gave me a thumbs up. General Manager Yang readily agreed and then hung up the phone.

I shared my thoughts with Hu Zongren, who agreed with my speculation after listening. He also understood that many spirits tend to reappear at the time of their death, regardless of the purpose or motivation behind it. This phenomenon seems unreasonable to us. The root cause of this irrationality must be that there remains some thought in their hearts, prompting them to linger and not let go.

Hu Zongren instructed Sister Zhang to call the female homeowners and the elderly who had previously encountered similar incidents, using the phone numbers registered by the owners. Since it was already evening, most people were at home. Although not all individuals involved in the incident could be reached, a significant majority were contacted. According to their accounts, the strange phenomena they could recall mostly occurred around the 9th and 10th floors. Therefore, Hu Zongren asked Sister Zhang what kind of residents lived on these two floors and whether she could locate them. Sister Zhang replied that the building was originally a mixed-use property for commercial and residential purposes. The entire 9th floor had been rented out to a technology company for office use a year ago, while the 10th floor housed a small beauty salon, with the remaining units being residential. Hu Zongren then inquired if there had been any unusual occurrences on these two floors that she was aware of.

I stood up, took out a lighter, and lit a strand of hair in my hand, stabilizing it until a burnt smell wafted through the air. That scent was reminiscent of my mischievous childhood when I would burn plastic sheets. Thus, I said to Hu Zongren, this strand of hair must have been brought here by that ghost for some reason, and moreover, it is a wig.

After hanging up the phone, Hu Zongren smiled and said, "Just think, when we meet tomorrow, if he sees that his major business has turned into a ghost story, what a huge blow that would be." I shrugged and returned the phone to him, saying that it was beyond our control. Then I asked Hu Zongren if we should call Fu Yunni out for some food and drinks, since we would have to wait until tomorrow for an answer anyway. However, Hu Zongren shook his head and said, "Don't rush. Let's take those strands of hair and go find Granny Huang." Then I asked Hu Zongren again if we should call Fu Yunni out for some food and drinks, since we would have to wait until tomorrow for an answer anyway. But Hu Zongren shook his head and said, "Don't rush. Let's take those strands of hair and go find Granny Huang."

What do I say to find her

I mentioned to General Manager Yang that I learned about you from a friend. Is your company still engaged in the paint business?

Upon hearing this, I quickly explained to him that I am the project manager of a newly developed property in Jiangbei District. Our units are all duplexes, and due to their high standard, we plan to sell them according to the specifications of a fully furnished apartment, which includes completing the painting and installing some appliances. However, our previous partnership with a paint company has suddenly fallen through, and we need to find a new partner at the last minute. Since we have to make a change anyway, we would like to switch to a healthier brand, which would serve as a selling point in our marketing efforts, benefiting both your company and ours.

Due to the initial forceful jolt in the elevator, a large tear was created in the armpit of my black dress. I thought it was for the best, as I had no desire to return to that rental shop, to avoid being mistaken for a homosexual by the shop owner. In the video, when the elevator was between the 9th and 10th floors, I saw a pair of slightly translucent white hands extending down from above the heads of Hu Zongren and me, slowly reaching out. However, when the hands touched our wigs, they suddenly seemed to grab our hair forcefully and pull upwards. Since I was prepared, I immediately pulled the rope and crouched down. In the footage, I could clearly see that the hand pulling my hair was entangled in my red rope, but precisely because of this, it lost the wigs on both hands, grabbed my red rope with the other hand, and together they tore it apart.

After I silently greeted his mother in my heart, I could only answer the phone. The call went through, indicating that the other party had not changed their number, and this number might be very important for his work. Once the call connected, a middle-aged man's voice came through. On the other end of the line, I could still hear the sound of a television, suggesting that at this time, he should be at home. I politely greeted him, and from what I learned from Sister Zhang earlier, this general manager's surname is Yang, so I had to address him as Manager Yang.

Hu Zongren said, to walk in the shadows

Hu Zongren thought for a moment and said, "Alright, give me the phone number, and we will go find that general manager to resolve this matter by tomorrow. Until we sort this out, please do not open that elevator, as we will need it later." Sister Zhang wrote down the number for Hu Zongren. Hu Zongren then asked Sister Zhang what type of business their previous company was engaged in. Sister Zhang replied, "That company specialized in natural and harmless painting materials. When we opened our building, they even held an event outside in the yard. The several executives even drank the paint in front of the public." I was surprised and said, "You can drink paint?" Sister Zhang responded, "Yes, they produce that kind of natural and harmless paint. You know how it is with paints nowadays; this one exceeds standards, that one exceeds standards, which is harmful to the human body. This is what gave them the opportunity to develop as a company." I did not say anything further. Hu Zongren thought for a moment and then said, "Sister Zhang, you probably have nothing else to do tonight, so you should go home and rest." After saying this, he threw the wig and clothes all over the office and took me back to the yard on the ground floor.

I was a bit puzzled, so I asked Hu Zongren, "Do you mean that the woman died in the company? Because the 9th floor is the company." Hu Zongren replied, "It seems that way. The old man told me that she had a heart attack, and there was no one else in the company at that time, so she was not discovered until the next morning, by which time she had already stiffened.

I must say, the way it snapped the rope gave off a rather unpleasant feeling. It could have easily broken free and escaped, yet it chose to tear my rope as if to vent its frustration. To me, this is a manifestation of immense willpower.