After Moving in with a Monster

Zhang Jiaojiao has a strange illness. Ever since she was little, she’s suffered from vivid, long-lasting hallucinations that feel real, and no treatment has ever worked.

For example, she spent all six years of elementary school escaping zombies. In middle school, she lived through a financial crisis and scavenged every day to make money. When she finally made it to college, her three roommates started standing on their heads to talk to her, so Zhang Jiaojiao had no choice but to move out of the dorm.

The good news is that her hallucinations seem to be getting milder.

The bad news is that she’s started having bizarre hallucinations about her new roommate.

For instance, one night Zhang Jiaojiao was watching a show in bed when she happened to see her roommate drag a corpse in from outside and give her a sinister look.

The hallucinations were back. Zhang Jiaojiao laughed. “You’re pretty strong!”

Later, she saw her roommate dismembering the corpse in the kitchen and putting the pieces in the freezer.

Zhang Jiaojiao suggested, “Should you put the feet in the freezer too? Isn’t that unsanitary?”

Every time she said something, her roommate would scrutinize her with a chilling, meaningful gaze. Zhang Jiaojiao knew her roommate must think she was crazy. She was used to that look by now. Haha!

Until one day, Zhang Jiaojiao received a call from the hospital. “Miss Zhang, your hallucinations actually cleared up six months ago. Didn’t you know?”

Zhang Jiaojiao froze. The blood in her veins slowly turned to ice as she stared blankly at the husbandly figure in the kitchen, wearing an apron and cooking.

In the quiet, golden-orange light,

the other person turned around, a gentle smile on his handsome face. “Jiaojiao, dinner’s ready.”

Blurb written on June 22, 2025, and archived.

Theme: Keep striving, even in adversity