Chapter Seven: Beyond the Unexpected

Leaning lightly against the open door stood a young man, headphones hanging over his ears, his slightly long hair tied back in a small knot at the nape of his neck. His gaze first fell upon the spirit money and pieces of meat spread out flat on the ground before Tang Wange, before finally returning to rest on her.

She opened her mouth but no words came out.

“Tang Wange, are you performing some sort of ritual?” Lin Chao removed his headphones and tilted his head, a strange smile playing on his handsome face. His eyes looked at her as if she were some extraordinary creature.

“I’m not! Well, the bell’s about to ring—I have to get back to class,” Tang Wange said, feigning composure. She sprang up abruptly and, with mechanical steps, headed downstairs.

“Wait… your stuff…” Lin Chao bent down to pick something up as he spoke.

She spun around sharply, snatching the spirit money away before he could reach it and tucked it into her chest with a sigh of relief. Finally, a smile broke across her face. “Bye, bye!”

As her figure disappeared around the stairwell corner, Lin Chao straightened and, his expression cool and distant, stepped on the scattered meat on the floor, descending the stairs step by step.

In the classroom, all the students had their heads down, preparing for an afternoon nap. Naturally, Tang Wange was no exception.

Yet, no matter how hard she tried, sleep eluded her that noon.

Zhao He, the small creature from her desk, leisurely hopped onto her lap. Then, with a playful leap, its two short, chubby paws grabbed the stray hairs at her temple, swaying gently in the breeze.

“What are you thinking about?” it asked softly.

“I’m thinking… Lin Chao actually knows me?” Tang Wange had been pondering this question ever since. The moment he called her name, a seed of doubt had been planted in her heart.

“I don’t like him,” the creature was blunt.

“Why not?” she asked with curiosity.

“He messed up my meat.”

At that, it released her hair and plopped back onto her lap, indignantly pinching its own thick waist.

Its tone made her chuckle with delight.

“Wange? Who are you talking to?” Ling Fei, sitting beside her, hadn’t fallen asleep and sat up, catching Tang Wange speaking in a barely audible voice. Since she had taken her to the shaman, Tang Wange had been acting somewhat strangely.

Tang Wange quickly straightened, slapping her arm over her lap to hide her secret conversation. Then, pretending to have just woken, she rubbed her eyes and said, “Huh? Did I say something? Must have been sleep talking.”

“Oh…” Ling Fei nodded hesitantly but soon dismissed it from her mind. “By the way, rumor has it that this afternoon’s PE class, Song Jing and Lin Chao have a basketball match. Come with me to cheer for your crush!~”

Song Jing? That bastard still had the nerve to come to school?

Tang Wange’s face darkened considerably.

During the free time in the afternoon PE class, most of the girls gathered around the basketball court, their eyes full of adoration as they gazed at Song Jing and Lin Chao standing beneath the hoop.

Tang Wange didn’t want to go but couldn’t resist Ling Fei’s pulling.

In the center of the court stood a tall, long-haired girl with a commanding aura—Fang Yuan, a devoted fangirl of Song Jing.

Fang Yuan’s affection for Song Jing naturally made her aware of his persistent pursuit of Tang Wange.

Therefore, she looked down on Tang Wange and even outright disliked her.

“I’m going to the restroom,” Tang Wange said, using that as an excuse to leave the scene of conflict soon after the match began.

Unbeknownst to her, Fang Yuan followed closely behind.

Once inside the restroom, just as Tang Wange was about to squat, she heard a female voice outside.

“Tang Wange, let’s talk!”

“What about?” She recognized Fang Yuan’s voice immediately.

“Can you stay away from Song Jing?”

“I do want to stay away from him, but I study at No. 3 Middle School, Sister. You can’t expect me to drop out, can you?” Tang Wange suddenly lost all desire to use the restroom.

“Dropping out? That’s not a bad idea.”

“…”

Tang Wange was speechless.

“No matter what, don’t let me see you near Song Jing again, or I won’t let you off so easily!”

“Rather than that, you might as well go tell Song Jing to stop showing up in front of me.”

“Are you saying Song Jing is after you? Tang Wange, you’ve got nothing going for you—why would he be so persistent? You must have done something to catch his attention!”

“Must you be so unreasonable, big sister…”

Tang Wange’s head ached.

She reached out to push the door open to clarify matters face to face, only to find the door jammed—no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t budge.

“Fang Yuan, the restroom door’s broken. Please go find a teacher to come help.”

“…Okay! Just wait there!”

Fang Yuan agreed readily.

But no sooner had she left than the flush handle in Tang Wange’s cubicle suddenly burst open, dousing her completely with a torrent of cold water!

Zhao He, who had been sleeping in her jacket pocket, instantly woke up. It leapt out, startled by the surrounding water.

It managed to poke its head out but couldn’t avoid getting splattered.

“I’ll take care of this.”

From her pocket, Zhao He stretched out its short, chubby paw.

“Don’t move! Aren’t you afraid of water?” Tang Wange hurriedly said. “It’s okay, I just have to wait a little while longer. Fang Yuan will bring a teacher to get us out.”

“…Let’s hope so.”

Time crawled at a snail’s pace.

Outside, the sky darkened. Tang Wange, soaked for so long, felt her body temperature dropping steadily.

She was beginning to lose strength; her head felt feverish.

“Zhao He, if I die, will I become a ghost like you?” she murmured deliriously.

“Don’t wish to become like me. I won’t share my meat with you,” Zhao He said weakly, his body dampened by the water.

“Zhao He, earlier you said you were grateful I appeared in your life—is that true?” She had always wanted to ask, though she suspected he might have been lying. “I mean, I feel like I’m dying. If there’s a ghost who genuinely cared about me, who affirmed my worth… that would be worth it.”

Even now, she could still joke.

Inside her pocket, Zhao He slowly stood up, his limbs soaked with water.

“When we get out, I’ll give you the answers you want.”

As the words fell, his body drifted downward, sinking into the water…

In that instant, ripples spread beneath her feet.

Tang Wange’s expression grew vacant.

Before losing consciousness, she felt strong arms around her waist, her cheek pressed against a cold chest.

The last image in her eyes was his water-streaked face, glossy and dim. His lips parted slightly, but she heard nothing.

“Tang Wange…”

She knew he was calling her name.

When Tang Wange awoke, she was lying on a hospital bed.

The room was empty except for her.

Her head felt as if filled with water; even the slightest movement made her dizzy. Her ears buzzed incessantly.

“How much does it cost to stay here for a day?! You’re robbing me!” Outside, her uncle’s voice was filled with rage.

Tang Wange shook her head vigorously, suddenly remembering something. Trembling, she searched her body, then barefoot, she jumped off the bed and began rummaging through her clothes.

Nothing. Nothing at all.

Ignoring the hospital gown she wore, she yanked out the IV needle and, still barefoot, flung the hospital door open.

The arguing outside stopped abruptly. Doctors and her uncle turned, stunned, to see the pale-faced girl standing there.