Chapter 5 — The Girl Without a Shadow

As expected, Ho Tuyet Huong looked smug as she spoke.

"Not only do I have Wang Toai’s phone number, but I also have the number of his girlfriend, Tan An Hoi. She is my cousin’s best friend."

"Wang Toai has a girlfriend?"

"Of course! Tan An Hoi is a true heiress from a prestigious family."

"Don’t let his usual playboy persona fool you. In front of An Hoi, he is a total lapdog. He’s terrified that she might leave him!"

"An Hoi just returned from abroad a few days ago. Wang Toai has been sticking to her like glue, desperately trying to win her favor."

"Are you sure this information is reliable?"

"Absolutely reliable." Ho Tuyet Huong patted her chest with confidence. "I might not be an expert on everything, but when it comes to gossip, there is nothing I, Ho Tuyet Huong, do not know."

"I want Tan An Hoi’s number."

I held out my hand, demanding it immediately. A minute later, I dialed her number.

"Sister An Hoi, hello. I am On Tam, a close friend of Ho Tuyet Huong. I am so sorry for calling this late, but I am begging for your help. Please, you have to save my life."

At eleven o’clock at night, a discreet luxury car pulled up to the school gate. Tan An Hoi escorted Wang Toai out of the vehicle. Ho Tuyet Huong and I had already prepared snacks and drinks at the reading pavilion. Once they were seated, Ho Tuyet Huong lowered her voice, her expression grave.

"Sister An Hoi, what I am about to tell you might sound unbelievable. But you must believe me—my mental state is perfectly sound."

It took over ten minutes for Ho Tuyet Huong to recount the story of the shadow. I added details as she spoke, trying to bolster the account with a coherent narrative. However, the looks on the faces of Tan An Hoi and Wang Toai clearly showed they thought we were losing our minds. That was until I turned on my phone’s flashlight and waved my finger. They watched in horror as they realized I truly had no shadow.

"Actually, the reason I asked you both to come all this way is to ask Wang Toai: in the times you have spent with me, have you noticed anything particularly strange?"

Wang Toai, who had been staring in shock, snapped back to reality. He cast a nervous glance at Tan An Hoi and stiffened his neck, denying everything.

"Let’s get this straight: I have never spent time with you. It was my friends who were with you. I have nothing to do with you; things between us are perfectly clear."

I also felt a headache coming on as I emphasized, "I want to be clear, too: she is she, and I am I. We are not the same person!"

Wang Toai wanted to argue further, but a cold glance from Tan An Hoi made him immediately zip his lips.

"Answer what On Tam asks, and stop adding unnecessary commentary. We are here to help, not to cause trouble," Tan An Hoi commanded.

Wang Toai lowered his eyes and began to recall the details seriously.

"She was desperate for attention and played very loosely. In all the places we frequented, everyone knew the name On Tam."

"Put it this way: inside the school, you are On Tam. Outside the school, she is On Tam. In my eyes, she is On Tam, and you are not."

The moment he finished, a sudden thought struck me, and my face turned deathly pale. Ho Tuyet Huong touched my arm, asking worriedly, "On Tam, are you okay?"

I forced myself to stay calm, shook my head, and asked Wang Toai, "Did she display any abnormal behavior?"

"I was just messing around with her; how could I have paid that much attention?" He paused, his expression suddenly tightening as if he had remembered something. "Actually, it was quite strange. She only attended our evening gatherings. No matter what, she had to leave before dawn."

"One time, my friends tried to hold her back, refusing to let her go."

"She went berserk, screaming at the top of her lungs that the sun was rising and she absolutely had to go."

"That vicious, frantic look she had—it was truly unforgettable."

The topic reached a dead end, and we could extract no further useful information. Since it was very late, I prepared to head to Building Four as arranged. Tan An Hoi insisted on following; she wanted to see if our story was true and if she could meet this shadow that looked exactly like me. The four of us walked together toward Building Four. By now, it was the dead of night, and the vast campus felt like a slumbering giant. Under the streetlights by the building, a swarm of gnats circled, but there was no one else around. I asked Ho Tuyet Huong in confusion, "Did she really arrange to meet me at Building Four?"

Before she could answer, my phone vibrated with a WeChat message. I opened it, and my pupils constricted. The message was from myself, consisting of only six short words:

"Stand there and don't move."

As I contemplated the meaning of the message, a scream erupted next to my ear.

"Watch out!"

My arm was yanked violently, and my entire body was pulled to the side.

"CRASH!"

A massive sound echoed through the night. A heavy white plaster statue smashed into the exact spot where I had been standing, shattering into pieces. If I hadn't been pulled away, it would have crushed my skull.

We rushed to take cover inside Building Four. Ho Tuyet Huong said: