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Lies - Episode 1

The town of Linghua had always been quiet, too quiet. It was the kind of place where secrets festered beneath the surface, where the wind carried whispers that no one dared to acknowledge.

Xin never believed in ghost stories. He was a man of logic, a journalist known for exposing the truth. When he received an anonymous tip about strange occurrences in an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of town, he thought it was another exaggerated tale.

Jia, on the other hand, had spent her life listening to those whispers. As a folklore researcher, she knew that every legend had a grain of truth. When she heard about Xin’s investigation, she insisted on joining him.

The mansion stood like a forgotten relic of a past era, its once grand structure now draped in decay. The locals called it the Li Manor, and no one had set foot inside for over twenty years. The last family that lived there had vanished without a trace.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Jia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Xin smirked. “Ghosts don’t exist.”

The air inside was thick with dust, the scent of mildew overwhelming. Their footsteps echoed through the grand foyer as they moved cautiously, flashlights flickering against the peeling wallpaper. A broken chandelier swayed slightly, though there was no breeze.

As they ventured deeper, they found rooms left untouched—plates still set on the dining table, a child’s toy lying in the hallway, as if frozen in time. Something about it felt…wrong.

Then came the whisper. Faint, but unmistakable.

“Lies…”

Jia froze. “Did you hear that?”

Xin’s grip on the flashlight tightened. “It’s just the wind.”

But the whisper grew louder, more insistent. “Lies…”

The flashlight flickered wildly before going out completely, plunging them into darkness. The sound of footsteps echoed around them—yet neither of them moved.

Then, a child’s laughter rang out, chilling and hollow.

Something was in the house with them.

And it knew they were lying to themselves.

Lies - Episode 2

The flashlight sputtered back to life, casting eerie shadows across the decayed walls. Xin’s breath was shallow, his pulse hammering against his ribs. He had faced countless mysteries before, but this—this was different.

Jia gripped his arm. “We need to leave.”

But then, the laughter stopped. Silence swallowed the room, thick and suffocating. The air was cold now, colder than it had been when they first stepped inside. Xin felt it creeping into his bones, an unnatural chill.

“We shouldn’t run,” he said, trying to steady himself. “This house has a story. Someone wants us to hear it.”

Jia hesitated. She had always believed in spirits, in echoes of the past lingering where tragedy struck. And this house… it was screaming with sorrow.

The whisper returned, this time right behind them. “Lies…”

Xin spun around, flashlight trembling in his grip. The corridor was empty, but a trail of small, wet footprints appeared on the wooden floor, leading toward a door at the end of the hall. A child’s footprints.

Jia inhaled sharply. “Someone’s here.”

Xin followed the prints, his heart pounding with each step. He reached for the doorknob, but the moment his fingers brushed against the cold brass, the door flung open on its own.

Inside was a nursery. The walls were lined with faded wallpaper of tiny rabbits, peeling at the edges. A crib stood in the center, draped in tattered lace. The rocking chair beside it creaked as if someone had just risen from it.

Jia took a cautious step forward. “This belonged to the Li family…”

Xin was about to respond when something caught his eye. A mirror, half-covered in dust, stood against the far wall. And in it, the reflection showed something that should not have been there.

A little girl, dressed in an old-fashioned nightgown, her face obscured by shadow.

She raised her hand and pointed at them.

Then, the door slammed shut behind them.

Lies - Episode 3

Xin and Jia spun around, their backs pressing against the nursery wall as the heavy wooden door rattled violently. The child in the mirror remained still, her shadowed face obscuring any expression.

“Who are you?” Xin demanded, his voice tight.

The girl tilted her head slightly. Then, she whispered a single word.

“Listen.”

A soft lullaby filled the air, a haunting melody that sent chills down their spines. The rocking chair creaked, moving on its own. Jia clenched her fists. “She’s trying to tell us something.”

Xin turned his gaze back to the mirror. The child had moved closer, her pale fingers pressing against the glass. And then, the reflection shifted—showing a scene that did not belong to the present.

The same nursery, but untouched by time. A woman sat in the rocking chair, cradling a baby. She was humming the same lullaby, her eyes dark with sorrow. Then, the door burst open, and a man stormed in, his face twisted in rage.

“No more lies, Meilin!” he bellowed.

The woman cowered, shielding the baby. “Please, Zhen… don’t.”

But he lunged at her, yanking the baby from her arms. The woman’s screams shattered the illusion, and suddenly, the mirror cracked, splintering into countless shards. The child in the mirror was gone.

Jia gasped, stepping back. “That was the Li family…”

Before Xin could reply, the nursery door burst open, and a gust of cold wind extinguished their flashlight. In the darkness, the whisper returned, softer this time.

“Find the truth.”

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Lies - Episode 4

The air in the nursery grew heavier, pressing down on Xin and Jia like an unseen force. The shattered mirror reflected slivers of their pale faces, but the girl in the nightgown was gone.

Xin picked up a fragment of glass, his fingers trembling. “The Li family wasn’t killed by an accident,” he murmured. “Someone lied.”

Jia scanned the room, her mind racing. “The records said the Li family vanished. But what if they never left?”

The whispering returned, curling through the air like a breeze slipping through unseen cracks. “Find me…”

A sharp sound rang out—a drawer in an old dresser creaked open by itself. Jia approached it cautiously, peering inside. A bundle of yellowed papers lay within, bound by a faded red ribbon. She picked them up, untying the ribbon with shaky hands.

“They’re letters,” she whispered, scanning the delicate handwriting. “From Meilin.”

Xin leaned in as Jia read aloud:

‘Zhen has changed. He watches me when he thinks I don’t notice. He says I have betrayed him, but I swear I have not. I fear for our daughter. If anything happens to us, please… don’t believe the lies.’

Jia’s voice faltered. “She knew something was coming.”

A sudden crash startled them—the crib had toppled over on its own. A single porcelain doll rolled across the floor, stopping at Xin’s feet. He picked it up, noticing something tucked inside its hollow body.

A rusted key.

Jia met his gaze. “This house is hiding something.”

Xin gripped the key tightly, his resolve hardening. “Then let’s find out what.”

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