Innocent souls who die unjustly cannot reincarnate and are doomed to linger in the Third Realm, neither dead nor alive.

"Do you really not remember?" the woman shook her head, a heavy chill emanating from her.

After a brief silence, Lin Fan pointed towards the direction of the villa. "That's your home. Do you remember it? Your husband and child are there."

She shook her head again, the chill intensifying. "I don't remember."

Lin Fan, shivering from the cold, was astonished. This was the coldest ghost she had ever encountered. Rubbing her hands together, she asked, "Where do you want to go now?"

The woman remained silent, staring ahead with determination. After a long silence, they reached their next stop.

Someone boarded the bus, and she stood up to walk towards the exit.

With someone sitting behind her, Lin Fan refrained from speaking further. She watched as the woman quickly disappeared after getting off the bus.

Lin Fan decided to return to the company, determined to investigate this family.

The manager was playing games when Lin Fan arrived, looking surprised. "What brings you here? Something wrong?"

"Something happened at the Senyu Villa today, and I feel uneasy about it," Lin Fan lied, racking her brain. "Could I have the maid's phone number? I need to ask her about any special instructions for that place, to avoid any further mistakes."

"Sure, wait a moment, I'll find the number for you."

Lin Fan stuffed the number into her pocket and looked out into the darkness. Soon, the manager handed her the phone number. "Make sure not to make any more mistakes in the future."

"I understand. Thank you, manager. I'll take my leave now."

Lin Fan dialed the number of the previous maid, Ms. Xu. "Hello, Ms. Xu, I'm a colleague from Times Cleaning."

"Hello? What's up?"

"I'm currently responsible for the villa at Senyu, and I heard from the manager that you used to be in charge—"

"Building 8, right?"

"Yes."

"What's the matter?"

"I wanted to ask if there are any taboos. I'm afraid of making mistakes that could affect your future work."

"The lady of the house is quite nice, and the master doesn't talk much. Just do your job as usual. The two elderly folks should be gone by now—"

Lin Fan inferred the meaning behind her words. "Are you referring to the master's parents? What happened?"

"The master's parents are from the countryside, a bit troublesome. I can't go into detail, but I haven't been there for two months. The lady asked me to take paid leave. Then the master called and told me not to come anymore, said they were hiring someone else. I don't know what's going on."

Lin Fan pondered.

"Are you still there?"

"Yes, when you left, was the lady in good health?"

"She seemed fine, why?"

"No reason. Thank you for your help."

Hanging up the phone, Lin Fan pursed her lips and scrolled through her contacts to find Qin Feng's number and dialed it.

Temporarily unable to connect.

Lin Fan boarded the last bus, leaning against the window, pondering over the situation. Two months ago, Aunt Xu left their house for some reason. Did they not hire a cleaner during these two months or did they hire someone else? Paid leave; it seemed the lady treated Aunt Xu well. How did she die?

Arriving home, Lin Fan found an abusive man sitting in the living room, stunned.

Seeing her return, the man stubbed out his cigarette and approached the master bedroom door. "Stop making a scene, this is your last warning."

Hadn't she called the police? Why was he back?

Setting down her backpack, Lin Fan continued trying Qin Feng's number. No one believed she could see ghosts, and reporting wouldn't help.

Suddenly, the man erupted, kicking open the master bedroom door and rushing in to grab the woman by her hair. Lin Fan turned to see the woman dragged to the door, her cries echoing. Lin Fan dropped her phone and rushed over, grabbing the man's hair. He let go of the woman and swung at Lin Fan. Dodging quickly, Lin Fan kicked him in the knee and seized his wrist, pressing her knee against his back.

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Before the man could react, he was kneeling on the ground.

"You're going too far by hitting a woman," Lin Fan said.

The elderly bullied her because she couldn't fight back for fear of compensation, and in school, she couldn't fight back for fear of expulsion.

"Let go of me!" the man knelt on the ground, while the woman lay on the floor crying. Lin Fan sighed, releasing the man and pulling the woman behind her. She lifted her chin, glaring at the man. "I warn you, don't lay your hands on her again."

The man glanced at Lin Fan and then at the crying woman but dared not raise his hand again. Grabbing his coat, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him. The woman buried her head in her hands, sobbing loudly.

Unable to stand seeing someone cry, Lin Fan handed her a tissue. "Didn't the police come? How was it handled?"

"The police said severe domestic violence could lead to imprisonment, so I withdrew the case..."

Lin Fan didn't know what to say. "If there's nothing else, I'll leave."

At that moment, her phone rang. Lin Fan found her phone in the living room and saw the incoming call.

Qin Feng.

Taking her phone to her room, she closed the door and answered. "Qin... Big Brother."

"What's up?" Qin Feng's voice was succinct.

"I found a bloody smell in a room while doing cleaning at a house. Last night, I saw the soul of the lady of the house on Zhongming Road."

"What's her name?"

"I don't know."

"Specific address."

Lin Fan gave the address to Qin Feng. "If it's not a restless spirit, it wouldn't enter that building."

"I'm not in Jiangcheng. I'll be back in two days, and we'll talk then."

"Okay."

"Why did you return to Zhongming Road?"

"I didn't see any souls at the crime scene or by the body. I was afraid of missing clues, so I went back to the old building on Zhongming Road to investigate."

"I'll look into it as soon as possible."

The next day, Qin Feng's call came. Lin Fan hadn't fully woken up and answered groggily.

"Hello?"

"Are you awake?" Qin Feng's voice was low.

Lin Fan was momentarily stunned before snapping back to reality, opening her eyes. "Uncle Qin—Qin Feng."

"The name registered for that villa is Wang Yaran, thirty years old, and there's no record of her death."

Sudden chills enveloped Lin Fan, prompting a sneeze as she curled up under her blanket. "Female?"

"Yes."

"Could you send me a photo?"

"Sure."

The call ended, and Lin Fan quickly received Qin Feng's multimedia message. The photo was an ID picture, and Lin Fan felt even colder—it was her.

The phone rang, and Lin Fan answered, "It's her—"

"Who? This is Manager Liu from Times Housekeeping Company."

Lin Fan immediately brought the phone closer to her eyes; the caller was Manager Liu, not Qin Feng, as she had thought.

"Hello, this is Lin Fan."

"You don't need to go to the Senyu Villa anymore."

"Why?"

"There's been a change in staff. I'll arrange a different job for you."

Why the change? Was it because of Lin Fan's actions yesterday?

Before she could speak, her gaze fell on the door, where Wang Yaran stood silently, watching the curtains.

No wonder it was cold; Lin Fan felt like she was freezing to death.

"Okay, I understand."

The call ended, and Lin Fan looked at the ghost in front of her. She pursed her lips and wrapped herself tighter in the blanket.

After a while, Wang Yaran's gaze shifted to Lin Fan. "What's my name?"

"Wang Yaran." Lin Fan was shivering, her body submerged under the blanket, with only her head visible. "How did you find your way here?"

"Wang Yaran." She chewed on the name, looking confused. "It sounds familiar."

"Why did you come here?"

"I don't know."

Lin Fan didn't know what to say to her bewildered expression. "Can you leave? I need to change clothes."

"Okay."

It was just too cold. Why was it so cold? Did she have a strong aura?

Lin Fan changed her clothes and stepped out, but Wang Yaran was nowhere to be seen.

The woman next door was also not home. Lin Fan called out, but there was no sign of Wang Yaran. She wondered where she had gone.

This was the first time Lin Fan had encountered such a confused ghost, which was both rare and intriguing.

With no work in the afternoon, Lin Fan studied at home. Despite her confusion, she didn't want to give up her studies. The phone rang, and Lin Fan answered it.

"Lin Fan."

Lin Fan snapped back, "Big Brother Qin."

"I'm downstairs at your place. Come down."

Lin Fan opened her mouth, "Ah, I see. I'll be right down."

After hanging up, she looked out the window and realized it was already dark. Without changing her clothes, she grabbed her backpack and ran downstairs. The couple next door still hadn't returned.

She spotted Qin Feng from afar. He was in police uniform, cigarette glowing crimson in the wind as he leaned against his Jeep. Lin Fan shoved her hands into her pockets and jogged over. As she got closer, his facial features were rugged under the light, and his stubble was growing.

"Big Brother Qin."

Qin Feng turned his head, eyes squinting as he exhaled smoke, then crushed the cigarette. After a brief glance at Lin Fan, he opened the car door and stepped in. "Get in."

Lin Fan hurriedly got into the car, feeling a bit flushed. She touched her ear. "How did you come over?"

She felt the question was odd and quickly added, "I saw Wang Yaran's soul again this morning."

"Let's go to her house."

Qin Feng reversed the car, turned towards the exit of the neighborhood, and drove off.

Lin Fan glanced at his profile. "Do you believe what I said?"

Qin Feng's dark eyes glanced at Lin Fan. "Why shouldn't I?"

Lin Fan shook her head hastily. Her sportswear was loose, revealing a slender neck.

Qin Feng looked away. "Investigating the wrong person wastes time. The longer it takes, the fewer clues we'll have if a real crime happens."

Qin Feng was a very dedicated police officer.

"Yeah."

They soon arrived at the Senyu Villa area. Lin Fan led Qin Feng near the villa but hadn't approached yet. Suddenly, the front door opened, and the master of the house walked out. Qin Feng raised his hand, pulled Lin Fan into his arms, and turned to leave.

Lin Fan's head hit his chest, and she felt the firm muscles as they made close contact. Suddenly, she became nervous, feeling almost as if Qin Feng was carrying her.

He smelled of tobacco and warmth.

Exiting the community, Qin Feng opened the car door and pushed Lin Fan inside. He went around to the other side, got in, and swiftly drove off.

The phone rang, and he answered.

"Team Leader Qin, we found out that Wang Yaran hasn't been to the company for two months. Now her husband, Lin Zhe, is managing the company."

"Where did she go? Can you find out?"

"She had an outbound record half a month ago."

"Where to?"

"South Korea."

"I see."

He hung up and tossed the phone into the compartment.

"Are you sure it's this house?" he asked.

Lin Fan nodded. "The man who just came out is the master of the house, and there are two elderly people and a child inside."

The warmth from Qin Feng seemed to linger. Lin Fan's hands were trembling slightly, her heart pounding. She struggled to keep her voice steady, gripping the seatbelt and quietly exhaling.

"Any leads?" Lin Fan asked again.

Qin Feng tapped the steering wheel with his knuckles, changing the subject. "Have you eaten dinner?"