The Paper Bride
A greedy young man with a heart condition, Zhang Qian, attempts a sinister ""romance ritual"" found online during Ghost Festival: cutting a calendar beauty's portrait, binding it with red thread, and sleeping with it under his pillow. He is soon haunted by sensual dreams of a woman named Xu Lili—until his occult-obsessed roommate Liu Ji warns this is no dream lover, but a ""Paper Bride,"" a life-draining evil spirit. When a matchmaker calls claiming Xu Lili desires him, Zhang Qian ignores Liu Ji's pleas and adds her on WeChat. Obsessed, he prints her photos—all with eyes closed. Liu Ji reveals the spirit lures victims to ""draw eyes"" on her image, which seals their doom. A lakeside midnight meeting ends in horror: Xu Lili wears dark glasses and a paper effigy appears in photos. Zhang Qian collapses, feverish and marked with dark patches. Liu Ji departs to seek help, leaving protective charms. Yet Xu Lili emerges from under Zhang Qian's bed in a blood-red gown, demanding he ""come home."" As Zhang Qian unravels, he discovers Liu Ji's revenge plot: Xu Lili is an actress, and the haunting is payback for Zhang Qian murdering Liu Ji's mother for her property. Zhang Qian feigns breakdown, hands over his ill-gotten fortune in an ""exorcism ritual,"" then exposes the trio to police. One month later, a prison call curses Zhang Qian. A real paper effigy materializes in his room. The terror triggers his fatal heart attack. In prison, Liu Ji and his allies sit calmly—the exposed scheme was merely the first layer of vengeance. True retribution strikes when arrogance meets primal fear.
