Сhарtеr 13: Are Yоu… а Ghоst?
Тhе Ji Family Villa.
Ji Тingсhan wokе from her slеер. Rubbing hеr tеmрles, shе sаt uр аnd surveyеd the room. She соuldn’t remеmbеr hоw shе hаd fallеn аslеep lаst night, оnly thаt she had beеn staring аt the unclosеd window.
Нah, it sееms she won’t bе coming baсk.
Ji Тingсhаn changеd оut оf hеr pajаmas. Аs if struck by а thought, a fliсker of сoldness pаssеd thrоugh her еуes.
She reаchеd tоward the hеad of thе bed, fееling аround until shе opеned a hiddеn соmpartment in the bedside table.
Insidе lаy a small pасket of white роwder.
She had originally planned to send off the entire Ji family directly—a colorless, odorless powder mixed into their meals, a tiny amount enough to kill them instantly.
But Jiang Zhengzheng’s arrival had made her temporarily set aside that idea.
“You should really be grateful.”
Ji Tingchan let out a cold laugh and casually took the packet, slipping it into her pocket.
She walked slowly down the stairs. The previously chaotic hall had already been tidied up by the servants.
Ji Tingchan glanced toward the sofa downstairs. The harmonious, warm family she would see there every morning was now nowhere to be found, leaving the place cold and empty.
Leaving the villa area, a black Cayenne pulled up steadily in front of Ji Tingchan.
“Miss, please get in!”
A burly man respectfully opened the car door for her.
“Miss, was it successful last night? I saw an ambulance heading inside.”
As he drove, the man glanced in the rearview mirror at the cool, beautiful young woman sitting in the back seat.
Ji Tingchan looked out the car window. That little dog had been wandering outside just like this yesterday.
“It wasn’t needed. But those people were… dealt with by a little dog.”
As she spoke, a hint of a smile flickered at the corner of Ji Tingchan’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by coldness.
She almost forgot—the little dog is already gone.
A little dog? Were they bitten by a dog? The burly man was somewhat puzzled.
The black Cayenne drove steadily forward under the morning light, heading toward its destination: Cloud Seclusion Manor.
“What the heck, why did I drift back here again!”
On her end, Jiang Zhengzheng was frustratedly pounding her head.
She sat on the edge of the central fountain in the park, idly watching the children playing on the lawn ahead.
“Ah!” A delicate female voice suddenly rang out beside Jiang Zhengzheng’s ear.
Only then did Jiang Zhengzheng realize that a girl with twin braids and round-framed glasses, holding a book, was sitting on the edge of the fountain.
The girl seemed frightened by something in the fountain. Her book fell from her hands instantly. She kept glancing toward where Jiang Zhengzheng was, then at the fountain’s water surface behind Jiang Zhengzheng, looking back and forth several times in disbelief.
She couldn’t understand how there could be another girl’s reflection in the water when she was clearly the only one sitting by the fountain. What was even more terrifying was that this reflection was slightly transparent! It looked just like…
Oh crap! Back under the bridge, water could reflect my shadow!
Jiang Zhengzheng suddenly remembered something. Seeing the girl’s terrified expression, she worried she might scare her to tears and quickly made a greeting gesture toward the water.
“H! E! L! L! O! I! A! M! A! G! O! O! D! P! E! R! S! O! N!”
Knowing the other couldn’t hear her, Jiang Zhengzheng exaggerated her lip movements while patting her chest and giving herself a thumbs-up.
Seeing the girl timidly scoot farther away in fear, Jiang Zhengzheng kept smiling and making heart gestures with her hands, trying her best to appear friendly and approachable.
Help! Jiang Zhengzheng, oh Jiang Zhengzheng, you’re so careless!She had already cursed herself out in her mind.
“You… are you a ghost?”
Seeing that Jiang Zhengzheng’s reflection didn’t seem malicious, the girl cautiously asked.
“No, no! Ah… yes, I am!”
Watching Jiang Zhengzheng shake her head one moment and then pout and nod in resignation the next, the girl’s initial fear began to fade.
She thought Jiang Zhengzheng looked like a newly deceased ghost who hadn’t harmed anyone—a good ghost, which was why she could move around in sunlight.
“Why… are you here?” the girl asked curiously, adjusting her glasses as she looked at Jiang Zhengzheng’s reflection.
Jiang Zhengzheng pointed at the stationery pouch the girl had placed nearby and gestured with both hands as if writing.
Help, being a ghost is so hard to communicate with, wuwu.
Jiang Zhengzheng screamed internally.
“Do you want to… write it out with this?” The girl unzipped the stationery case, took out a pen, and showed it to the reflection.
Jiang Zhengzheng nodded, and the reflection on the water nodded along.
Seeing this, the girl picked up the book she had dropped, pulled out a blank sheet of paper tucked inside, spread it out, and pushed it toward Jiang Zhengzheng along with the pen.
Then, a miraculous scene unfolded before the girl’s eyes.
A pen stood up on its own and began writing and scribbling on the white paper.
Even though she had anticipated something like this, the girl was still stunned.
‘First of all, I am a good ghost. Secondly, I am a very gentle, kind, generous, beautiful, passionate, friendly, patriotic, family-loving, and everyone-loving good ghost~ I want to go to Shangjing City, but I’m lost now. If possible, please tell me which direction to float~ Thank you.’
The pen suddenly stopped. On the water’s surface was Jiang Zhengzheng’s reflection, wearing a pleading expression. The girl unfolded the paper and, after reading the beginning, suppressed a smile as she continued.
“Going to Shangjing right now might not be possible. Look at the sky.” The girl pointed a finger toward the increasingly overcast weather.
“What! It was just sunny a moment ago!”
Jiang Zhengzheng looked at the sky, on the verge of tears.
“I checked the weather. There’s heavy rain forecast for the next two days. If you can touch physical objects, you’ll probably get rained on too!”
The girl opened the weather app on her phone and held it forward.
“Ahhh, heavy rain!”
Jiang Zhengzheng closed her eyes and pressed a finger hard against her philtrum.
“Pfft.” The girl couldn’t help but laugh at Jiang Zhengzheng’s exaggerated gesture.
“How about… you stay at my place for a couple of days? In two days, my dad and I are going to Shangjing City Hospital to visit relatives. You can ride with us, so you won’t have to float outside exposed to wind and sun.”