Chapter 3, What the hell.

After flipping through my phone and hesitating for a moment, I decided to call a close comrade who lives in the same city. His name is Cheng Dong, and we had a good relationship back in the military. Later, when Xiao Fei left the village and started driving a taxi, it was Cheng Dong who helped him out. However, now that everyone is busy, opportunities for us to gather have become rare.

Uncertain how much time had passed, Xiao Fei himself did not know. He sat on the bed with a sullen expression, unaware of what he was thinking. During this period, Xiao Fei had no idea how he had spent his time.

When he finally came to his senses, he realized it was his phone ringing. Xiao Fei let out a sigh of relief, feeling an unexpected annoyance towards the usually pleasant ringtone. He exhaled heavily, reached out, and grabbed the phone. As soon as he answered, he heard the person on the other end shouting: "How bold of you! What time is it? Hurry up and get to work. We're just waiting on you; everyone thought something had happened to you."

Having washed my face and shaved, I prepared instant noodles and walked to the bedside table, contemplating that it was time to refuel the car. I unexpectedly earned nearly 200 yuan yesterday, so I decided to fill up with 500 yuan worth of gasoline today to avoid another trip. As I gently pulled open the drawer of the bedside table, I suddenly froze in place.

The cigarette flickered uncertainly, mirroring Xiao Fei's current mood, alternating between gloom and brightness. His mind remained a chaotic jumble of thoughts, and before he realized it, the cigarette had burned down completely. The remaining butt burned his finger slightly, prompting Xiao Fei to abruptly discard it, only to pull out another cigarette and light it.

The alarm clock rang wildly, waking Xiao Fei from his deep slumber. In annoyance, Xiao Fei kicked the alarm clock away, causing it to fall to the ground with a "thud." Yet, it seemed to continue ringing furiously, as if retaliating against Xiao Fei for the unprovoked kick.

What could possibly have caused the usually bold Xiao Fei to turn so pale? He stared at the two paper money notes lying quietly in the drawer, feeling bewildered. How could these things be here? He had never placed them there himself, nor could it have been a prank by a friend. Most of the time, he was not at home, and he had never had friends over, so naturally, no one would joke with him. But where did these two notes come from? They couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere, could they? Xiao Fei's mind was in a chaotic state, and he didn't even know what he was thinking.

Xiao Fei stared blankly at the drawer, his expression gradually changing. First, his face flushed red, then it slowly turned pale. The corners of his mouth twitched, a thin line of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his heart raced incessantly. He stood there in a daze, as if he had been struck by a spell of paralysis.

In order to alleviate the pressure in his heart, Xiao Fei took out a cigarette. As he attempted to place it in his mouth, his hand trembled and it fell. He fished out another one, and after much effort managed to hold it between his lips. However, his usually reliable windproof lighter failed to ignite for quite some time. His mind was in disarray, chaotic and tangled, like a ball of yarn. It wasn't until nearly four o'clock that he finally managed to fall asleep after a night of restless thoughts.

Xiao Fei let out a bitter smile and glanced at the quartz clock hanging on the wall. It was already past 7:30, almost 8 o'clock. No wonder Li Qiang was worried that something might have happened to him. After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Fei felt that he should find someone to talk to, to share the experience of encountering the female ghost; it would make him feel a bit better.

Xiao Fei recalled the time he encountered the female ghost last night. It seemed that the ghost did not intend to harm him. Fortunately, he had not committed any wrongdoings in his daily life and often helped others, doing small good deeds. It appears that heaven is willing to take care of kind-hearted people. In the future, he must do more good deeds. After all, there are deities three feet above one's head; if there are ghosts, could there not be gods? Who knows.

Xiao Fei let out a long sigh, reached out to grab a cigarette from the bedside, took one out, and felt his hand trembling. It took him nearly a minute to finally extract the cigarette and put it in his mouth, but that damned lighter just wouldn't ignite at that moment. After trying to light it over a dozen times without success, he angrily threw the lighter against the wall. To his surprise, the lighter exploded with a bang, startling Xiao Fei so much that he nearly lost his footing.

He took another lighter out of the drawer, shivered a few times, and finally lit the cigarette. Taking a deep drag, as the smoke swirled in front of him, Xiao Fei finally felt his mind settle. His entire body no longer felt so tense. He plopped down on the bed, took a hard puff of smoke, let it circulate in his lungs for a moment, and then slowly exhaled, feeling much more relaxed in his heart.

Xiao Fei pressed his ears tightly, yet he could not fend off the intrusion of the alarm clock. After lying in bed for about ten minutes, he helplessly got up, gazing at the alarm clock that was stubbornly fighting on the front lines of work. He couldn't help but sigh; after returning last night, he had barely slept for two and a half hours by six-thirty this morning. He should have thought ahead and turned off the alarm clock.

Having said that, Li Qiang forcefully hung up the phone. However, Xiao Fei did not blame him. Firstly, they were both driving, and making calls while driving can easily lead to distractions. In the busy city with people and vehicles coming and going, it is also unsafe. Secondly, Li Qiang genuinely cared about him; he had no reason to blame Li Qiang. Moreover, he was not actually ill, so could he really share what happened last night with Li Qiang? They were all taxi drivers, and he did not want to leave Li Qiang with any worries.

I am a little bee, flying among the flowers

The pleasant ringtone of the mobile phone rang out; this was Xiao Fei's favorite ringtone, as it always felt amusing and sounded very relaxed. However, at this moment, it startled Xiao Fei so much that he shuddered violently, causing his cigarette to accidentally fall to the ground

Hearing a voice pulled Xiao Fei out of his daydreaming. He gave a wry smile and hoarsely said, "Dongzi, where are you? I want to talk to you."

The call was from Xiao Fei, a colleague from a taxi company. They usually have a good relationship, as Xiao Fei is known for his loyalty, love for conversation and fun, and never being unpleasant. Therefore, he gets along well with people of all temperaments. This morning, as soon as the front desk opened, Xiao Fei, who is typically the first to speak, remained silent for quite a while. Everyone began to wonder if something was wrong with him, so they decided to have Li Qiang, who has the best relationship with Xiao Fei, make a call to check in on him.

Xiao Fei's mind seemed to be replaying the events of last night. A night had passed, yet it felt as if it were right before him. The woman's pale face, her hazy eyes, and the way she walked lightly. Oh, and there was that moment when they were nearing Xiao Luo Village, when the taxi's headlights suddenly went out. He slammed on the brakes, and the inertia was so strong that he felt dizzy. Yet, the woman showed no reaction at all. At the time, he didn't think much of it, but now, reflecting on it, he finally understood what had happened. That woman was likely... likely a ghost.

Cheng Dong hesitated for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed: "Don't be shy, be bold. You're at home, right? I'll come find you. Have you eaten? I'll bring you something to eat."

Turning off the alarm clock, Xiao Fei rubbed his still swollen eyes, let out a bitter smile, and sighed inwardly. This is the life of the working people: unable to eat well or sleep well, working the most yet earning the least. He himself belongs to the poor and lower-middle class. If it were during the Cultural Revolution, he might have even been able to hold an official position.

Xiao Fei shook his head helplessly. His comrade was good in every way and was very righteous, but there was one thing: relying on his family's good conditions, he spent all his time chasing women, yet he never truly sought a girlfriend. At this moment, he probably still didn't know he was with that woman, and perhaps he hadn't even gotten up yet. Forget it, he might as well wait for him at home. After thinking for a moment, he called Li Qiang, telling him not to worry, saying that his comrade would come over soon, and besides, he wasn't really sick.

Last night, I clearly placed more than 700 yuan on the bedside table, but now there is only a little over 500 yuan, a full 200 yuan missing. Xiao Fei couldn't help but recall what happened last night; that 200 yuan was received from that woman, and it was two brand new hundred-yuan bills. I was even worried they might be fake and specifically looked at them twice before finally putting them away. However, now there are no such brand new hundred-yuan bills in the drawer.

Upon this realization, a thunderous sound erupted in Xiao Fei's mind; he had encountered a ghost. On the way back, the headlights inexplicably lit up. It turned out that everything was due to his encounter with a ghost. No wonder the old saying goes, those who walk the night roads will ultimately meet ghosts. No wonder he had always felt a chill, even in the midst of summer.

Upon hearing Xiao Fei's words, Cheng Dong was momentarily taken aback. Not only was Xiao Fei's voice hoarse, but he was usually very cheerful. Every time they spoke on the phone, he would ramble on endlessly, yet he had never mentioned wanting to confide in him. What could be going on today? Could something have happened? "Be bold, what’s wrong? Did something happen? Could it be a heartbreak? But I haven’t heard you mention having a girlfriend at any time."

Xiao Fei let out a bitter laugh once more. Dongzi is trying to cheer him up, but at this moment, how can he feel happy? It is likely that anyone else, even those who are more open-minded, would not be able to find joy. He sighed and said, "Dongzi, where are you? I am coming to find you"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xiao Fei was startled himself; when did his voice become so hoarse, sounding as if he hadn't had water for several days? He wondered how Li Qiang would feel after hearing it, but Xiao Fei himself sensed that the sound indicated something was wrong, or at the very least, that he was definitely unwell

"Hello, are you being bold? Why aren't you speaking?" On the other end of the line, Cheng Dong was somewhat puzzled, wondering why Xiao Fei had dialed the number but remained silent; after all, the phone call wasn't free.

On the way back, at that spot where the light had gone out, the unexpectedly malfunctioning lights suddenly flickered back to life. The sudden brightness did not bring a sense of security to Xiao Fei; instead, it heightened his fear. Without daring to linger for even a minute, he drove away at high speed, as if fleeing.

As expected, just as Xiao Fei's thoughts settled, Li Qiang on the other end shouted: "You bold one, what is going on with you? You still say there's nothing wrong, yet you are in this state. Are you sick? Alright, I'm coming over to check on you. I'll be there soon, just stay at home and wait for me patiently."

Standing there foolishly, his mind was in a chaotic state, with many thoughts that usually did not arise flooding in. It turned out that ghosts were like this, seemingly not so terrifying after all. Xiao Fei finally found some words to comfort himself, and his heart calmed down slightly. With this slight calming of his emotions, Xiao Fei then felt his legs trembling a bit, his whole body felt as if it had just been washed, damp and soaked through with sweat. In just over ten minutes, he felt as if he had just recovered from a serious illness, feeling somewhat weak.

Xiao Fei did not pursue that woman. Although he felt that the fare for this trip would not even amount to two hundred yuan, for some reason, he never dared to get off the car. After a while of chaotic thoughts about entering that household, he silently drove away, escaping from deep within, unwilling to have any connection with that woman. A sense of strangeness lingered in Xiao Fei's heart.

Xiao Fei fell silent for a moment, swallowed hard, and then said in a low voice: "Qiangzi, I am fine, just a bit tired, I got up a little late"