The Shadow of the White-Face: A Twisted Encounter at the Dormitory

The moon hung low in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the old university dormitory. The wind howled through the broken windows, sending shivers down the spines of the students who dared to venture out on this stormy night. Among them was Li Wei, a freshman who had just moved into the dormitory that week.

The dormitory was one of the oldest buildings on campus, and it was said to be haunted. Rumors swirled about strange noises and ghostly apparitions that had been sighted by previous students. Li Wei, however, was not one to be deterred by such tales. He was an avid reader of sci-fi and mystery novels, and he believed that the stories were just the product of overactive imaginations.

It was the second night after Li Wei had moved in when the first strange incident occurred. He was studying late in his room when he heard a faint whisper. The whisper grew louder, almost like a voice calling his name. Li Wei turned his head, expecting to see someone in the corner of his eye, but the room was empty.

He dismissed it as a figment of his imagination, attributing it to the stress of moving into a new place. But the whispers returned, more insistent, more terrifying. They seemed to come from everywhere, yet there was no one there.

The next day, Li Wei shared his experience with his roommate, Zhang Ming. Zhang Ming was a senior and a skeptic like Li Wei, but he had heard the stories about the White-Face. The White-Face was a ghost said to roam the halls of the dormitory, appearing as a shadowy figure with a pale, ghostly face.

Li Wei dismissed the idea as absurd, but the whispers continued. They grew louder, more frequent, and began to include other students. Li Wei and Zhang Ming decided to investigate, hoping to uncover the source of the whispers.

They began by interviewing the other students in the dormitory. Many of them had their own stories, each more chilling than the last. Some had seen the White-Face, others had felt cold drafts that seemed to come from nowhere. Some had even claimed to have heard the voice of the White-Face, calling out to them.

Li Wei and Zhang Ming visited the old library, where they found an old, dusty book about the dormitory's history. The book spoke of a tragic incident that had occurred years ago, when a group of students had been locked in the dormitory during a storm. They had been trapped and died, their spirits bound to the building.

Li Wei and Zhang Ming decided to visit the site of the tragedy, a room at the end of the hall. They found the door slightly ajar and pushed it open. Inside, they discovered a room frozen in time, with old furniture and personal items still in place. The air was thick with a strange, oppressive feeling.

As they stood there, Li Wei felt a cold draft sweep over him. He turned to see a shadowy figure standing in the corner. It was the White-Face, his pale face twisted in a terrifying expression. Li Wei's heart raced, but he managed to keep his composure.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice steady.

The White-Face did not respond. Instead, it turned and began to walk towards the door. Li Wei and Zhang Ming followed, their hearts pounding in their chests. They reached the door, but it wouldn't open. The White-Face stood in front of it, blocking their way.

Li Wei took a deep breath and stepped forward. "We're here to help you. We know you're trapped here, and we want to set you free."

The White-Face looked at him, and for a moment, Li Wei thought he saw a flicker of recognition. Then, the figure began to fade, becoming more and more translucent until it was gone.

Li Wei and Zhang Ming stood in the doorway, staring at the empty room. They felt a strange sense of relief, but also a deep sadness. They had set the White-Face free, but they had also opened a door to something they couldn't understand.

The whispers stopped, and the cold drafts vanished. The dormitory returned to its usual, if eerie, calm. Li Wei and Zhang Ming had solved the mystery, but they had also uncovered a dark part of the dormitory's history that would forever change the way they looked at the place.

As they walked back to their room, Li Wei couldn't help but think about the White-Face. He had been a tragic figure, trapped in a place where he had died and could not be laid to rest. It was a lesson in the power of understanding and compassion, even for the most misunderstood among us.

And so, the dormitory returned to its former state, but the memory of the White-Face would never be forgotten by those who had encountered it.