Ghosts

After asking around, Li Ming returned to the building where Wang Keyan's family lived. The upstairs apartment remained empty, with no sign of anyone returning.

He had no idea how to explain this to Wang Xin. If she found out her daughter was being forced into marriage by her own sister, there was no telling what she might do.

Li Ming waited for several more hours, well into the night, but still, no one came back. Glancing around and confirming the area was deserted, he refused to leave empty-handed. Earlier, he had already scouted a route—climbing up from the first-floor balcony via the drainpipe would take him straight to the third-floor balcony. He decided to go up and investigate.

Given his current physical condition, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Using both hands, Li Ming exerted a little force, and his body floated up effortlessly, lighter than air. It was even easier than he’d imagined. In less than a minute, he was standing on Wang Keyan’s balcony.

Testing the door, he found it unlocked—saving him a lot of trouble—and slipped inside without difficulty.

Turning on his phone’s flashlight, he confirmed the place looked uninhabited. A thin layer of dust covered the coffee table. He shone the light on a photo frame on the TV stand—a woman in her forties holding a boy in his teens.

The woman bore a resemblance to Wang Xin, undoubtedly her older sister, and the boy was likely her sister’s child.

After searching the living room and finding no trace of Wang Keyan, Li Ming pushed open the door to the secondary bedroom.

There was no way her family would let her have the master bedroom.

Sure enough, the moment he stepped inside, he knew this was Wang Keyan’s room.

Pink bedsheets, cosmetics on the desk, clothes hanging on the wall, and two photos by the bedside—one of a younger, more innocent-looking Wang Xin, and the other of his target: Wang Keyan.

He had to admit, Wang Keyan had inherited all her mother’s best traits—fair skin, striking beauty, a curvaceous figure, and an icy demeanor that only enhanced her allure. Her brows and eyes were nearly identical to Wang Xin’s.

Li Ming clicked his tongue in admiration. "So this is what good genes look like. Beauty really is hereditary!"

Memorizing her appearance, he pocketed both photos. If he couldn’t find her, at least he could give them to Wang Xin as a keepsake.

He continued searching the room but found nothing useful. Though it was clear Wang Keyan had left in a hurry, leaving her belongings untouched, the sparse room offered no clues about her possible whereabouts.

Just as Li Ming was about to give up, he heard the sound of a key turning in the front door.

Click.

The door creaked open slowly.

Li Ming’s hair stood on end. Someone was back—but who?

Holding his breath, he made no sound. Before the person could fully enter, he gently pushed Wang Keyan’s bedroom door shut, leaving only a sliver of a gap.

He strained his ears, listening for movement in the living room.

To his confusion, the newcomer made no sound at all. Apart from the initial turn of the key, Li Ming couldn’t even hear footsteps. His caution intensified.

Abandoning stealth, he carefully lay flat on the floor and slid under Wang Keyan’s bed. Whoever it was wouldn’t find him there.

After a while, the bedroom door inched open slightly.

Li Ming nearly gasped aloud in shock.

How is this person moving without a single footstep?

Under his tense gaze, the door opened fully.

Moonlight from the window illuminated a pair of delicate bare feet tiptoeing into the room, each step carefully placed to avoid noise.

Relief washed over Li Ming.

"So that’s why—she’s barefoot. No wonder there’s no sound!"

By now, he had guessed the intruder’s identity: his target, Wang Keyan.

Sneaking back in, she was probably here to retrieve something, unaware that the apartment was empty except for him.

Li Ming stayed silent, not wanting to startle her. Controlling his breathing, he watched her movements.

She crept further inside, heading straight toward him.

She stopped right beside his face, so close he could smell the faint fragrance of her feet.

Though he couldn’t see her actions, Wang Keyan suddenly stomped in frustration, then froze, realizing she needed to stay quiet. Her toes curled against the floor as if trying to take back the noise.

Li Ming stifled a laugh. Wang Keyan was unexpectedly cute—nothing like the frosty beauty in the photo.

He debated whether to reveal himself and talk to her, but he knew it would terrify her.

While he hesitated, Wang Keyan seemed to grab what she came for and tiptoed back toward the door. Pausing at the threshold, she cast a reluctant glance at the room she’d lived in for years.

This might be the last time she’d ever see it. But she had no choice—she had to leave.

Her gaze swept over her little bed one last time—

Then her eyes locked onto the half-exposed head and a pair of gleaming eyes staring at her from beneath the bed.

Disbelieving, she rubbed her eyes and looked again.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!"

A piercing scream tore through the silence. Wang Keyan bolted for the door but slipped and crashed to the floor.

Terror paralyzed her. She scrambled on all fours, but her limbs refused to cooperate, trembling uncontrollably.

Li Ming couldn’t stay hidden any longer. He scrambled out from under the bed.

"Wang Keyan! Don’t run! I’m not a bad person! Don’t be afraid!"

Outside the room, Wang Keyan was still crawling away, too hysterical to process his words. The fact that the "thing" under the bed could speak—and knew her name—sent her into sheer panic.

"GHOST!!! THERE’S A GHOST!!! HELP!!!" Her shrieks were so bloodcurdling even Li Ming flinched.

He sprang to his feet, dashed out, and hauled her up from the floor where she flailed like a stranded fish.

Wang Keyan’s screams cut off abruptly as she dangled in midair, staring dumbfounded at the figure holding her.

Moonlight revealed the "ghost" lifting her—and it looked... human?