Chapter 4 The Troubling Beginning

No, no. Nie Huayu looked around my room and said: "Your bed is just connected to the living room and dining room, without even a partition?"

What are you thinking! Nie Huayu poked my chest with her small hand and said: "Can you not have such lewd thoughts in your head? After all, we have been through thick and thin together as siblings in hardship. What difference does it make if I stay at your house for one night?"

"Wow! You can really see ghosts!" I thought too much; she was not only unafraid but also incredibly excited as she grabbed me and jumped up, saying, "Are you the legendary person with Yin-Yang eyes? I've seen it in movies, but I didn't expect it to exist in reality! Wow, Oppa, you are amazing!"

"Hehe, having milk is also good." She smiled at me for a moment, and that smile was truly particularly adorable

I stood up as she just pulled open the curtains of my house. The sunlight streaming in from the ground was a rare occurrence in my basement. Unaccustomed to the sunlight, I squinted my eyes, and when I saw the changes in the room, I gasped in shock.

This is just a room, and the bathroom is still the public restroom outside, where there are no partitions. I scratch my head and say, "Why don't I just make do with it outside for one night"

What is it called! A pillow hit me on the head. I held the pillow and wiped my forehead, only to realize it was a dream, a false alarm

I looked up at Nie Huayu, just gazing at her, then slightly lowered my head to glance at the shadow cast on the ground, sighing: "Aren't you afraid?"

"I will respond to you." she said without turning her head

Nie Huayu shivered and punched my chest, saying: "Don't scare me like that! Alright, I won't make fun of you anymore. It's getting late, so please let me stay with you for the night. Don't worry, I won't do anything inappropriate. I know you are a good person and won't harm me, right?"

"A person living alone, what is there to tidy up?" With a girl present, I felt somewhat awkward: "Would you like some water? I can pour it for you"

I had no choice but to nod in agreement with this little girl, as this was my first time bringing a girl back to my rented apartment

Who said that cute girls are all quiet? I rubbed my arm where she pinched me, couldn't help but chuckle a couple of times, and then closed my eyes

When we left the warehouse, it was already very late, nearly 1 o'clock in the morning. I suggested sending Nie Huayu home, but she said she lived alone and was scared after what had happened today. She mentioned that her neighborhood was also quite eerie, and she didn't dare to go back. I asked what we should do, and she said she wanted to come home with me. I was so startled that my eyes nearly popped out: "I also live alone in a rented room, are you sure... you want to come home with me?"

Well, regarding this matter tonight, it can be considered a matter of life and death, right? I scratch my head and say: "But as a lone man and a solitary woman, aren't you afraid of your reputation..."

"What is this? Ahem." Nie Huayu waved her hand to fan away the dust. "I ask you, how long has it been since you last cleaned? You haven't picked up all this stuff scattered on the floor?"

In my childhood, I often heard the elders say that those who can see ghosts and deities possess a heavenly eye, and such individuals are protected by divine beings; otherwise, they would be plagued by spirits. I do not know whether I have the protection of the divine, I only know that I do not like my eyes. "Alright, let's go," I said to Nie Huayu, as this place is not suitable for lingering.

"Hahaha, with your dull demeanor, do you think I would be afraid of you harassing me? If there were to be any harassment, it would be me harassing you!" Nie Huayu burst into laughter and asked, "Do you have any friends?"

Suddenly, the shadow of Nie Huayu's long hair appeared in my mind. I opened my eyes wide, and everything was as usual. Nie Huayu was sleeping soundly in bed, showing no suspicion towards me at all. I sighed and closed my eyes again. What on earth is going on? What is the meaning of that shadow of Nie Huayu?

She bit down hard on the words 'food', and I was taken aback for a moment before I understood her meaning. I hurried to open the refrigerator, took out two bottles of milk, and handed her one, saying: 'I apologize, but actually, there isn't much food in my refrigerator either...'}

Due to a lack of education and financial resources, I can only reside in an abandoned house near the shoe market. This place used to be a storage room, and the landlord casually renovated it and rented it out to the poor. The house is perpetually devoid of light and has a slight musty odor. As soon as Nie Huayu entered, she began to cough, which made me feel somewhat embarrassed, so I tidied up a few shoe boxes piled at the entrance: "I have already told you that this place is not suitable for you"

I shook my head: "I have no friends"

The mountains in my dreams remain beautiful, and the water is also clear. I am alone herding sheep in the mountains, and having wandered a bit farther, I did not notice that the sun was gradually setting in the west. When I realized that dusk was approaching, while I was waving my whip to drive the flock, I noticed a vague figure ahead. I could not remember anyone else returning to this mountain besides myself, and thought perhaps it was a relative of someone who had come to visit and got lost, so I intended to go forward and ask. Suddenly, a girl appeared before me, blood streaming from all seven orifices, her face covered in blood, and her eyes bulging out of their sockets. I could not remember anyone else returning to this mountain besides myself, and thought perhaps it was a relative of someone who had come to visit and got lost, so I intended to go forward and ask. Suddenly, a girl appeared before me, blood streaming from all seven orifices, her face covered in blood, and her eyes bulging out of their sockets.

Then that's settled, seeing you like this, it's clear you have no friends

I looked at her for a while and nodded slightly: "Do not be afraid."

"Let's go, what are you standing there for?" Nie Huayu called back to me. I adjusted my glasses and followed along, leaving the warehouse together.

Ah! I exclaimed, waking up.

"Bai Ling, tell me, can you see ghosts?" Nie Huayu asked me again

In a state of drowsiness, I seem to have returned to the mountains, back to my childhood. At that time, the elders who could communicate with the spirit world often pointed at me and spoke words I did not understand, such as their prohibition against my being outside when night fell, and their disallowance of my presence during memorial activities.

Nie Huayu also understood this principle, nodding her head and taking the lead towards the main gate. I saw her shadow, her long hair disheveled, almost enveloping her entire shadow within it; her shadow, however, was still two.

How can I possibly accept this! Nie Huayu called out to me, sat down on my bed, and placed her backpack on it: "Forget it, I am not a picky person, nor am I some wealthy young lady. The conditions here are not the worst; at least there is a bed, a refrigerator, and food, right

However, I forgot that the milk had expired. After Nie Huayu and I finished the expired milk, we took turns running to the public restroom outside no less than twenty times, our legs felt weak. Then, I was beaten up by Nie Huayu and thrown to the side of the door, wrapped in a thin blanket, leaning against the wall. That girl, on the other hand, was carefree, lying on my bed and falling asleep.

Nie Huayu is making a racket in my room, and I rubbed my eyes and asked, "What are you doing"