Cursed by Ancient Love, Redeemed by Modern Hearts

Interview Extract 1: The Missing Step

The break room was nearly empty, save for a few workers on their shift rotation. Zhao Rui sat across from Mr. Xu, a quiet but sharp-eyed man in his fifties, his hands calloused from decades of labor.

She started simply. "Tell me about the day Chen collapsed."

Xu exhaled, rubbing his fingers together as if reliving the moment. "It wasn't normal."**

Zhao Rui leaned in. "How so?"

Xu hesitated before answering. "Something was missing."

Her brow arched. "Missing?"

"The rhythm." He tapped the table twice with his fingers. "The machines have a rhythm. The workers follow it. It's been the same for years. That day…" He frowned. "I remember looking up because I felt something was off. The conveyor moved too smoothly, almost too fast, but it wasn't fast. Do you understand?"

She did.

It was too perfect.

"And Chen?" she pressed.

"He was checking a batch. He paused, just for a second. Then—" Xu snapped his fingers. "Gone."

Zhao Rui noted that down. Chen had collapsed right when the machines had felt unnatural.

Coincidence? She wasn't sure anymore.

...

Interview Extract 2: The Cold Spot

Liu Yating was younger, in her early thirties, her voice quiet but precise.

"I didn't see him collapse," she admitted, "but I walked past that spot just before it happened."

Zhao Rui nodded. "Did you notice anything strange?"

Liu hesitated, then rubbed her arms.

"It was cold."

Zhao Rui blinked. "Cold?"

Liu nodded. "It doesn't make sense. It's a factory. It's hot, humid, and the machines give off heat. But when I walked through that aisle, it was cold. Like stepping into a freezer. Then I heard the sound—"

"What sound?"

"A click, like something locking into place. Then a second later, people started yelling."

Zhao Rui kept her face neutral, but her pulse picked up.

She had heard too many ghost stories of places turning unnaturally cold before something happened.

She wasn't superstitious.

But she also wasn't foolish enough to ignore repeating patterns.

...

Interview Extract 3: The Wrong Reflection

Yang Bo was one of the workers who had been closest to Chen when he fell. Unlike the others, he had been hesitant to talk, avoiding eye contact as he fidgeted with the cap of his water bottle.

Zhao Rui had seen this before. Someone afraid of sounding crazy.

So she gave him time. Let the silence work for her.

Eventually, Yang Bo exhaled. "I saw something."

Zhao Rui kept her voice steady. "What did you see?"

He looked up, swallowing. "The glass."

She frowned. "Glass?"

"The machine panels. They reflect a little, right? Not like a mirror, but you can see shapes."

He gripped the bottle tighter.

"I was standing behind Chen, waiting for my turn to inspect the parts. I looked up at the panel to check my alignment. I saw his reflection."

He swallowed again.

"But… his reflection wasn't moving the same way he was."

Zhao Rui didn't blink. "How different?"

Yang Bo's hands clenched into fists.

"Chen turned his head," he whispered. "His reflection didn't."

Silence stretched between them.

Then, in an even softer voice, he added—

"And then he collapsed."

...

Zhao Rui had interviewed seven workers so far, but these three accounts stood out.

The unnatural rhythm.

The sudden cold.

The wrong reflection.

She tapped her fingers against the table, deep in thought.

None of these workers knew about each other's experiences. And yet, their stories all aligned.

She reached for her tea, but before she could take a sip, her phone buzzed.

A message from Mei.

"Another worker collapsed. Different factory."

Zhao Rui stilled.

It was starting again.

And this time, she wasn't sure how fast it would spread. She needs to report to the boss ASAP.