Wang Junhui didn't emerge from his room again that night, likely asleep. Ning Haoyu and I, however, couldn't sleep. The ending felt too abrupt, too... incomplete.
Ning Haoyu kept whispering beside me, "That ghost was hiding, possessing people yesterday. Why was it so docile with Master Wang today? We didn't hear a peep. Just... gone?"
My mind was churning over the same questions. "He's the professional," I mumbled absently.
We eventually slept, finding no answers.
Wang Junhui rose early the next morning, rousing Ning Haoyu and me. I remembered I hadn't paid him. "How much?"
He looked me over. "Nothing. Just remember what I said. When you decide, call me." He meant the job offer.
I nodded, forcing a smile. But leaving this place, the home where Grandpa and I had lived together, was unthinkable.
He didn't linger. After breakfast, he left. Ning Haoyu, having neglected his shop for days, headed back to deal with the remaining stock before closing for good and moving to the city.
The haunted desk remained in my shop. Seeing it while tidying up sent shivers down my spine.
The ghost business was supposedly settled. It was time to focus on my fortune-telling shop. I went to a small sign shop, ordering a cheap vinyl banner. Simple, garish text: "Physiognomy & Divination" with my phone number underneath. It was installed the next day. My funeral clothing shop was officially a divination parlor.
For three days, not a single customer crossed the threshold. Only Ning Haoyu dropped by occasionally to mock me. "Rent the damn place out. Better than this nonsense," he'd say.
The fourth day dawned. I was about to open the shop after breakfast when a man's piercing scream ripped through the quiet upstairs. It wasn't one of my tenants.
I bolted upstairs. A man stood frozen in Xiang Li's doorway, clad only in boxers. He was portly, with a beer belly protruding like he was pregnant. But what struck me instantly was his face. The Yintang was pitch black – thick misfortune. Lines on his forehead were broken and damaged – a sign of sudden disaster. His eyes were bloodshot, his life energy was in utter chaos – the mark of imprisonment. I'd never seen a face so saturated with impending doom.
He was standing at Xiang Li's door... Oh god.
"What's wrong?" I demanded, pushing past him to look inside.
Xiang Li lay motionless on the bed. Only a towel covered her waist; the rest of her was naked.
"Who are you?" I spun on the man. "What are you doing here? What happened to Xiang Li?"
The man was terrified, his voice choked with tears. "Sh-she's... she's dead!"
My other tenants had gathered at the scream. The words "she's dead" sent a wave of horrified gasps through them.
My mind went blank.
The panicked man turned to me. "Bro... what do we do?"
I kicked his ample stomach. "Bro? Who the hell are you calling 'bro'? Did you kill her? What do we do? Call the police!" I fumbled for my phone, dialing frantically. The other tenants immediately retreated to their rooms, likely packing to flee the scene.
"Nobody leaves!" I roared, my usual landlord's harshness surfacing. "Wait for the police!" My shout froze them in their tracks.
The police operator answered. "Dead body," I managed, giving the address. They told me to stay calm, secure the scene, and said officers were en route.
Before they arrived, the half-naked man tried to bolt. I blocked him. "If you didn't kill her, the police will clear you. Run now, and you are the killer."
The town was small. Police sirens wailed within minutes. Officers, followed by a coroner's van, swarmed the place. Murders were rare here; the response was heavy. My house was cordoned off with police tape. While the coroner examined the scene, officers took statements. All fingers pointed at the half-dressed man. Our testimonies matched: we'd witnessed the scene unfold. Our alibis were solid. The police quickly focused on the terrified, sobbing man, who kept wailing, "I'm innocent! She just died! I woke up and she was gone!"
A deputy police chief arrived. Then local news crews. My cramped courtyard overflowed with people.
Soon, the coroner gave a preliminary finding: Sudden cardiac ischemia leading to death. Likely natural causes, no foul play suspected, pending a full autopsy.
The deputy chief visibly relaxed. He spoke briefly to the reporters and left. Police continued gathering evidence. Xiang Li's body was removed. Her room was sealed. "Don't touch anything until the investigation is complete," an officer warned me. I nodded numbly.
The ordeal lasted half the day. After more detailed questioning, the police took the half-naked man away. The rest of us were free to go.
The moment the police were gone, the tenants descended on me. They wanted out. Now.
I understood. Who wanted to live next to a death scene? I offered reduced rent, desperate. They refused. By evening, they were all gone, belongings hastily packed. I even refunded the chubby net cafe manager his extra months' rent.
As dusk fell, I stood alone in the suddenly cavernous, silent house. A profound loneliness washed over me, mingled with icy dread. The ground floor shop was haunted. Upstairs, a room where someone had just died… The thought sent a fresh wave of cold sweat prickling my skin.
I couldn't stay. I called Ning Haoyu. "Can I crash at your place tonight?"
"I'm not in town," he replied. "At my uncle's place in the city. What's up? Why the sudden need?"
I spilled the day's horror. He gasped. "Damn, you're cursed! All your tenants gone? You're gonna stay alone in that house? With a haunted shop and a death room?"
"Exactly," I said weakly. "That's why I need a place."
"Ah, man," Ning Haoyu sounded genuinely regretful. "I'm really sorry. Wish I was there. Want me to call my dad? You could stay with them."
I didn't know his parents well. Staying with them while he was away felt awkward. "No, it's fine. I'll get a hotel tonight. Can't stay here."
He expressed sympathy, then suggested, "Hey, why not come to the city for a few days?"
The idea clicked. No shop business. No tenants. Couldn't bear the house alone. Getting away sounded perfect. "Okay. I'll come."
Evening deepened. I packed a bag, planning to find a cheap hotel tonight and head to the city tomorrow. As I stepped towards the front gate to leave, a sudden, distinct chill crawled down my back. The house was empty. I didn't dare turn around. I quickened my pace.
The faster I walked, the more clearly I heard it – a faint, muffled sob. A woman's sob. It came and went so quickly, I couldn't be sure if it was real or my frayed nerves playing tricks.
Real or not, I wouldn't look back.
I took a sharp breath, shoved my index finger into my mouth, and bit down hard. Pain flared. I smeared the blood quickly in a vertical line across my Yintang, sealing the gateway. The chill on my back lessened slightly.
Giggle.
The sound hit me just as I pushed open the front gate to step out. Unmistakable. Xiang Li's laugh. Oh god. Not again.
I didn't turn. I lunged through the gate, slammed it shut behind me, my back pressed against the wood. Only then did I fumble to lock it, my hands shaking.
Giggle.
The eerie laugh seemed to come from right behind the gate. I almost dropped the keys, stumbling backward until my back hit the opposite wall of the alley.
I stared, petrified, at my front gate, half-expecting something to burst through.
Nothing came. Heart hammering, I sprinted toward the alley entrance. Screw this. Thank god I wasn't staying. That laugh, in the empty, dark house... I'd have lost my mind.
Facing the old ghost possessing Xiang Li during the day, with Ning Haoyu and others around, I'd felt a flicker of courage. But now? Night. Utter darkness. Utterly alone.
My courage had completely deserted me.