Lin Fan paused for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.

“Lin Fan?” Qin Feng called from the living room. “What’s going on?”

Lin Fan walked out with a spoon in hand, casually closing the kitchen door behind her. “Lin Ze is in the kitchen, probably got scared.”

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow. His brother-in-law was a bit timid, wasn’t he?

“He hasn’t left yet?”

Lin Fan pulled out a chair and sat down. “He’s afraid of the dark, just a kid with a small courage.”

Qin Feng was about to say something, but seeing Lin Fan’s expression, he sighed. The kid was already dead, and at five or six years old, it always tugged at the heartstrings.

“Then I’ll leave later.”

Lin Fan took out the plastic spoon from the lunchbox and drank a sip of soup. “It’s late, you should sleep. It’s fine if he stays in the kitchen, at least he won’t cause trouble.”

Since the kid followed her every step, Lin Fan hadn’t even had time to take a shower or change clothes.

“Does it bother you?”

Lin Fan paused, looking up at Qin Feng, and smiled. “Worst case, I die.”

Qin Feng’s gaze deepened, and Lin Fan didn’t dare look any longer, lowering her head to eat. Is it better to live alone for many years or to spend a brief time with someone you like, enjoying the joys of being human? For the past decade, had Lin Fan been alright? She was like all the other wandering spirits, not knowing what love was, not knowing what it felt like to be cherished, not knowing the feeling of being held in someone’s heart. She couldn’t bear to let go; if she could, she wouldn’t have gone with Qin Feng in the first place.

Being trusted and cherished felt too good.

A warm hand landed on her head. Lin Fan didn’t look up. His hand was broad and warm, and Lin Fan’s eyes stung a bit. Forget it, just let it be. What does it matter if you live a few years more or less?

“Eat your food.”

Feeling a bit of warmth, Lin Fan remembered the case of Liu Piaopiao. “Is the case of Lin Ze and Liu Piaopiao solved?”

“Not yet,” Qin Feng glanced at Lin Fan. “Your father’s death was indeed a suicide, but the reason for his suicide wasn’t an accident.”

Lin Fan’s eyes shifted, and she paused her eating. “Hmm?”

“We found that Liu Piaopiao and Fu Li, the deputy general manager of your dad’s company, were in collusion. They created a shell company and took all your dad’s money. The company’s backers were Liu Piaopiao and Fu Li, and once they got the money, they ran off. Your dad went bankrupt and committed suicide by jumping off a building. We found a large sum of money in Liu Piaopiao’s account. The main suspect is now Fu Li, and the police are still looking for him.”

Lin Fan was stunned, feeling a deep pity for her father, and didn’t know what to say.

After a long time, Lin Fan said, “He’s really pitiful.”

He thought he was smart all his life, only to be betrayed by the person beside him and end up committing suicide.

Qin Feng knew who she was referring to but didn’t respond.

After dinner, Qin Feng went back to his room.

Since Lin Fan had slept for an entire day and night, she couldn’t sleep at night. After taking a shower, she curled up on the small sofa and continued to scroll through the Ghost Eye Queen’s Weibo. The Queen had just posted a new update: #JiangchengGhostStory# Two students took this photo on Zhongming Road yesterday.

The attached picture was a gray, misty scene. When Lin Fan zoomed in, she suddenly saw a ghostly face, which scared her into quickly tossing her phone aside. Her heart pounded; the sudden sight of the ghostly face was too terrifying. After a while, she picked up her phone again. This time, with some mental preparation, it wasn’t so bad. The poor lighting made the photo blurry, and the ghostly face was behind a flower bed in a residential area.

It should have been pale, but now there was only half a face, with the other half dripping blood. The hair was disheveled, and the clothes were unclear, but it looked like a traditional female ghost.

Liu Piaopiao, had she also gone to the old building on Zhongming Road?

The sound of the door opening came from outside, and Lin Fan quickly put down her phone and opened the bedroom door to peek out. Qin Feng, already in his police uniform, was striding out with a resolute gait.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“There’s a mission, I’m heading out. If the case is closed tomorrow, I’ll come back and take you to the mountain.”

The words Lin Fan was about to say were swallowed back. “Take care.”

“Hmm, go to bed early.”

Qin Feng strode out. The living room light was off, and in the dim light from the bedroom, Lin Fan saw his tall figure disappear. The door closed, and Lin Fan leaned against the door, looking in the direction of the entrance. Rubbing her forehead, she mimicked Qin Feng’s way of thinking, propping her chin while leaning against the door. She originally wanted to go to the old building on Zhongming Road with Qin Feng. Liu Piaopiao might know who the murderer was. With Qin Feng on a mission, could she still go?

“Sis, you don’t look cool at all, you look ridiculous.”

Lin Fan looked up to see the little ghost floating out of the darkness, glancing around, still afraid of the aura around Qin Feng. “Who is he? Is he gone? How can you be with someone so scary?”

When Lin Fan first met Qin Feng, she felt a fierce aura, different from that of vengeful spirits. Lin Fan couldn’t describe it precisely, but she thought Lin Ze and the others were afraid of it too.

Suddenly thinking of the person in her dream, with cold armor and a sharp sword, his chilling aura enveloped her protectively. Was that his past life? Or just a random dream of Lin Fan’s?

“When I was sleeping, I think I heard you say you knew where the murder weapon was?” Lin Fan didn’t answer his question, instead changing the topic. “Where is it?”

Lin Ze’s eyes started to dart around again. Lin Fan straightened up, crossed her arms, and stepped forward. “Hey, talk.”

“Hmph!” Lin Ze turned to leave, but Lin Fan quickly stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder. Suddenly realizing she could touch a ghost, Lin Ze was about to attack her but suppressed the thought immediately. Raising her hand to grip his wrist, she lifted him up. “Do you know this affects whether you can reincarnate or not? Why won't you tell me?”

Lin Fan had never seen such a foolish ghost before. If Lin Ze continued to drift around, he wouldn’t be able to reincarnate.

Lin Ze burst into tears. “I don’t know.”

Lin Fan let him go and wiped his tears. “Don’t cry.”

Lin Ze looked at Lin Fan with red eyes. “What is reincarnation? Will I go alone? Will you still be with me?”

Lin Fan felt a pang in her heart and shook her head. “I’m a human, and you’re a ghost. Eventually, ghost messengers will come to take you. Although I’ve never seen it myself, there should be guides for ghosts.”

He didn’t speak, and Lin Fan sighed. “The paths of humans and ghosts diverge.”

Lin Ze kept his head down, not saying anything. Lin Fan stood for a while before speaking. “I just saw your mom on Weibo, over by the old building. Do you want to go look for her?”

Lin Ze wiped his face and looked up. “You come with me.”

Lin Fan turned to go back to her room. Qin Feng had told her not to go, but Lin Ze followed her inside. “I’m scared to go, I’m afraid.”

At eleven-thirty at night, Lin Fan gave in to Lin Ze’s persistent pleading. She put on a thick coat, found a dagger at home and put it in her pocket, then grabbed a flashlight and headed out.

“Sister.”

“Don’t talk outside. People can’t see you and will think I’m crazy.” Lin Fan tried not to look at Lin Ze as she spoke. The night was cold, and it took a long time for a car to stop in front of her.

Lin Ze got in as well and didn’t stop talking once he was inside. “The driver in front is so ugly, so unattractive, and he smells of smoke. What a lousy car. It’s my first time riding in one of these...”

Lin Fan pulled out her phone and sent a message to Qin Feng. “I saw on Weibo that someone posted a picture showing Liu Piaopiao’s spirit on Zhongming Road. I want to go check it out. Is that okay?”

After sending the message, Qin Feng quickly called her back. Lin Fan’s heart raced, and she reminded the driver, “Could you turn off the radio? And please, could you not talk for a moment?”

The driver turned his head, looking at Lin Fan suspiciously, and sneered before turning off the radio.

A young girl out so late, surely the caller was family, and she was scared of getting in trouble. Nowadays, young girls were so bold, not fearing danger.

Lin Fan answered the call, but before she could speak, Qin Feng said, “You’ve already arrived, haven’t you? Acting first and reporting later?”

Lin Fan couldn’t help but look around. Did Qin Feng put a camera on her?

“I just want to catch the murderer as soon as possible.” Lin Fan pursed her lips. “Brother Qin, I want to help.”

“Turn on location tracking and call me anytime.”

“Okay.”

There was silence on the other end. Qin Feng hadn’t hung up yet, and Lin Fan didn’t dare to either, thinking he had more to say. After a long pause, she tentatively asked, “Brother Qin?”

“Protect yourself and don’t act rashly.”

“Mm, I know.”

“Hang up now.”

Lin Fan obediently hung up, unsure why Qin Feng had remained silent for so long. Since returning from her hometown, she knew that many things had changed between her and Qin Feng.

At midnight, they arrived at Zhongming Road. The driver refused to drive any further, fearing bad luck. Coming to Zhongming Road so late was his limit. He gave Lin Fan her change and pointed outside. “This place is eerie. What are you doing here? Go home early.”

“Thank you.” Lin Fan took the change and nodded. “I know.”

The driver shook his head. “Don’t ignore the advice. This is not a good place.”

He drove off, and Lin Fan looked around. The temperature on Zhongming Road was very low, like a natural air conditioner. Lin Fan hunched her shoulders, hands in her pockets, and walked toward the residential area. Lin Ze covered his nose. “The car smelled awful. I’m not riding in such cars again. I’ll buy you a good car. Do you like Ferrari or Lamborghini?”

“You’re already dead.” Lin Fan had to shatter his illusions, cruel as it was. He was dead, and maybe one day she could buy him a paper Ferrari to burn for him.

Lin Ze fell silent, head down.

As they reached the entrance of the residential area, a sudden scream startled Lin Fan. She drew her dagger and rushed in. As she reached the flower bed, a boy dashed out, his flashlight casting wild shadows.

Lin Fan stopped, and the boy skidded to a halt in front of her. After a brief silence, two screaming girls rushed out from behind him. Seeing Lin Fan, one girl shrieked and threw her flashlight at her. “There’s a ghost!”

Lin Fan: “…”

Dodging the flashlight, Lin Fan looked up to see the three of them scrambling out of the residential area, fleeing in panic. Lin Fan touched her face and turned to Lin Ze. “Do I look like a ghost?”

Lin Ze shrugged, his young face showing disdain, making him look particularly comical. “Cowards.” He scanned Lin Fan up and down with his round eyes, then snorted. “How do you not look like a ghost?”

Lin Fan glared at him. How did she end up with such a brother?