Lin Fan finally arrived at Zhongming Road. Getting off the bus, Lin Fan tightly hugged her backpack and hurried towards the residential area.

She ran out of breath, and as she entered the corridor, the sound of the wind stopped her. Gasping for air, she quickly climbed the stairs.

At the corner of the second floor, a figure stood with its back to her. Lin Fan's scalp tingled, and she stopped in her tracks as the lights in the corridor dimmed. Caught in a dilemma for a moment, Lin Fan turned around and started walking downstairs. She didn't want to stay here anymore; it was all too eerie.

"Are you leaving?"

Lin Fan turned around and saw a face close by, bloated and swollen. She screamed in terror.

"Why are you screaming?" the woman accused Lin Fan, looking displeased. "Always so jumpy."

Lin Fan pointed at her, "What are you doing?"

"I don't want to do anything. Where is this? Why can't I leave? I need to go home and cook for my daughter. What kind of place is this?"

"I guess," Lin Fan pursed her lips, clutching her backpack tightly, "you might be dead."

"What?" The middle-aged woman looked up, her face already fierce, now even more terrifying due to the swelling.

"Auntie, though I don't know how you died, you're already dead. The living and the dead take different paths. Go reincarnate, don't block my door. I want to go home."

"Dead? Dead?" She seemed incredulous, muttering to herself, spinning around in place frantically, "Dead? Dead?"

Lin Fan stood still for a long time. Eventually, the woman rushed past her, and Lin Fan quickly stepped aside to let her through.

"I want to go home, you little trickster. Nowadays, young people never speak the truth; all liars."

She rushed towards the exit of the residential area, while Lin Fan tightened her grip on her backpack and hurried upstairs into her room.

She soaked her dirty clothes in a basin of water, turned on the water heater, and outside, she could hear the voice speaking, "Where is this? I want to go home, there are ghosts!"

Lin Fan peered out from the bathroom and, unsurprisingly, saw the formidable auntie again. Headache.

The auntie also turned and saw her, immediately revealing a terrifying face, floating over to strangle Lin Fan's neck. "Are you trying to harm me? What kind of sorcery did you use?"

Lin Fan was immediately knocked over into the laundry basin, her neck being choked. She really hated unreasonable people like this.

"Are you trying to kill me? What sorcery did you use? Get me back now!"

Lin Fan's brain went blank from lack of oxygen, and she struggled desperately. Suddenly, her foot kicked her chest, and the old auntie fell back into the living room, screaming in terror, staring at Lin Fan. Lin Fan coughed violently, covering her neck, finally catching her breath, her clothes soaked. She didn't know why she could fight ghosts, picking up the soaked clothes and throwing them into the basin, she stood up and pointed at the ghost in the living room. "While you're alive, I dare not touch you, now that you're a ghost, I can beat you without legal consequences. Stop causing trouble for no reason."

The old auntie stared blankly at her, then burst into tears, pounding the ground and wailing.

The sound was horrifying.

Lin Fan went back to the bedroom to find clothes, as she had none left.

Opening the huge wardrobe in the bedroom, there was a men's shirt hanging inside. After hesitating for two seconds, she took it out and put it on. After washing all the wet clothes, she was still crying, endlessly.

"How did you die?" Lin Fan poured a glass of water and walked over, taking out her backpack. "Stop crying, you hit me for no reason, and I haven't even cried yet."

"Did I—die?"

"All I see here are souls, what do you think?"

"This building is very strange, including that Ouyang, none of them seem like living people."

The old auntie looked bewildered. "I don't know."

Lin Fan opened her notebook. "Take your time to think."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Will you accompany me home?"

Lin Fan looked at the person lying on the exam paper, really wanting to kick her out.

"No."

"Young girl, I can be considered as your grandmother's generation, will you take me home?"

Lin Fan took a deep breath. "Don't insult my elders. Among my elders, there's no one as unreasonable as you."

Her face instantly changed.

Lin Fan looked at her. Though she felt a bit frightened inside, she decided to gamble.

To gamble that she wasn't afraid of herself.

In the long silence, she sat on the small sofa opposite, lowering her head.

Lin Fan picked up her pen, feeling unusually restless inside. She answered two questions on the paper completely wrong. Putting down the pen, she took out her phone and searched for Jiangcheng murder cases, but found nothing. Instead, she found a news article about a female corpse found in Xiliu Lake.

Lin Fan opened the news picture, which was blurred and unclear.

"Where do you live?"

The auntie on the opposite side immediately looked up, hope shining in her eyes. "Are you willing to take me there?"

"I don't have any clothes to wear tonight, they're all wet. I'll take you tomorrow."

The auntie's gaze dimmed, sighing and lowering her head.

That night, Lin Fan couldn't sleep. There was something strange about this house, but she could only pretend not to understand. If she left here, she wouldn't even have a place to stay.

The next morning, she was awakened by her alarm at five o'clock. The clothes were not completely dry, very damp. Lin Fan had no spare clothes, so she had to wear them. Putting on her backpack, she ran downstairs. But she was stopped by the auntie on the second floor.

"Young girl, didn't you say you'd accompany me home today?"

Lin Fan looked at the time, realizing she was about to be late. "I'll accompany you at noon, I have to go to class now."

"Can't you keep your word? This is being untrustworthy."

The auntie floated down to the first floor, blocking Lin Fan's way. Lin Fan wanted to curse.

"I'll go with you at noon, let me through, I'm about to be late."

"Is your education more important or my life? Do you know what's important—hey, why are you hitting an old person!"

Lin Fan dashed towards the bus stop, but still ended up being late, sneaking into the classroom from the back door.

"Did they take attendance?" She took out her English book.

"The class monitor found an excuse for you." Her classmate rolled her eyes. "Being late and still getting help, what luck. Different from us, who have to study hard."

Lin Fan glanced at Xu Zhou's seat and silently stuck out her tongue.

After early self-study, Lin Fan didn't go for breakfast. She sat in the classroom, eating the leftover bread, which Qin Feng had bought plenty of yesterday.

Suddenly, the empty room echoed with footsteps. Lin Fan looked up to see Xu Zhou walking towards her, placing a box of milk in front of Lin Fan. "Don't be late in the future."

"Thank you."

Lin Fan felt embarrassed, quickly taking out the bread. "Do you want some?"

"No, thanks."

Xu Zhou glanced at Lin Fan. His pale skin and glasses gave him a cold and scholarly appearance. Without saying anything more, he turned around and went back to his seat to take out the test papers.

Xu Zhou's grades were very stable, always ranking first in the year.

Lin Fan opened the milk, still warm.

The early class ended quickly. In the afternoon, there was a monthly exam, and Lin Fan forgot about the auntie's matter until evening self-study. Rushing to pack her bag, she hurried out, only to see her standing in the middle of the bustling street.

Cars passed through her body, and she seemed lost.

"Hey?"

Lin Fan shouted, and she also saw Lin Fan running over.

"Lin Fan?"

Lin Fan turned around to see Xu Zhou riding his bicycle out of the school gate. "Why haven't you left yet?"

"I'm figuring out how to go. There probably aren't any buses now," Lin Fan casually lied.

"Get on, I'll take you."

Lin Fan was taken aback, about to refuse, but Xu Zhou got off his bike and wiped the back seat with a tissue. "It's 10:40 now, and the last bus just left."

"Well—thank you." Lin Fan smiled and got on Xu Zhou's bike.

She suddenly disappeared, where did she go? Was she taken away?

Lin Fan's imagination ran wild.

The bicycle sped through the darkness, his coat flapping in the wind, hitting Lin Fan.

"Where did you go to high school before?"

"Xiang County."

Xu Zhou had always been serious in class, not talking much. He stared at the bicycle, his breath audible in the darkness. "Can you adapt?"

"It's okay."

After that, they didn't have any more words. The wind blew past their ears, and Lin Fan pulled the hood of her down jacket over her face. It was the first time a boy had ridden a bike with her, a strange feeling.

His breath mingled with the wind.

Finally, they reached Zhongming Road, and Xu Zhou stopped the bike. "The No. 7 bus to Zhongming Road arrives at 5:30. You'll probably be late."

Lin Fan was also thinking about this problem. "Is there any other way?"

"Run one stop and wait for the No. 2 bus."

Lin Fan thought for a moment. "Thank you, be safe on your way home."

"Or—" He scratched his ear, looked up with his dark eyes staring at Lin Fan, seeming to gather courage. "I'll come to pick you up tomorrow morning. Just wait here at 5:20."

Lin Fan: "Uh?"

"I'll go first." He turned the bike around, quickly disappearing into the darkness.

"Thank you." Lin Fan shouted, and he seemed to wave his hand. Lin Fan couldn't help but smile.

Feeling pleased.

Just as she entered the residential area, she was startled by a swollen face.

"Where did you just go?"

She didn't say anything, her gaze somewhat vacant.

"I'll take you home now. School ended late today. I forgot about it at noon, I'm sorry."

She didn't speak, lowered her head, and walked into the residential area.

Seeing that her mood seemed off, Lin Fan caught up with her. "What were you doing at the school just now?"

"I'm dead." She stopped in her tracks, turning to look at Lin Fan. "I'm dead, I'm a ghost now."

"How did you die?"

"I don't know." She shook her head, her face pale. "I saw my own body."

Lin Fan's phone rang, she found her phone from her backpack, it was Qin Feng calling.

What did he call for?

Lin Fan answered, "Hello?"

"On April 3rd, you had an argument with a middle-aged woman on the No. 7 bus. Do you remember?"

Lin Fan looked at the swollen white face in front of her, pursing her lips. "Is she dead?"

"Yes, you are one of the suspects. Where do you live? I'll send someone to pick you up."

"I'll take a taxi. I'm not the killer."

"We'll see the evidence."

He hung up.

Lin Fan looked at the person in front of her, feeling ridiculous.

"Clearly, you bullied me, and now I'm being treated as a suspect. What a world. Stay here, I'm going to the police station for questioning."