Ghost Bride 2

Chapter 25

The woman in red in the photo was the vengeful spirit I saw in the bathhouse. Though not breathtakingly beautiful, she was still graceful and elegant. Such a lovely girl, dying so young, is truly heartbreaking. And the man before me—it's incomprehensible. How could he flee alone, abandoning her in her time of need?

"Uh..." The boy in the hospital bed woke up.

I was startled, and the photo slipped from my hand and fell to the ground.

He seemed to have gone mad, ignoring the IV drip in his hand, and collapsed to the ground, his hands trembling as he reached for the photograph.

I quickly left the ward.

All that could be heard was a heart-wrenching cry: "Don't go! Don't go! I... I regret it..."

The middle-aged woman in the chair suddenly stopped snoring and was awakened.

The boy was still wailing, "Don't go! Come back! Since you left, I haven't slept a wink. Every time I close my eyes, I see you standing in front of me. My tears turn to blood, and no matter how much I wipe them away, I can't stop them. You keep demanding punishment, you won't let me have any peace. Come on! I'm not afraid anymore! I'm not afraid anymore! Come back—"

Several nurses rushed over in a panic; the middle-aged woman was probably shouting that she needed a sedative injection…

I was standing in the hallway, thinking: So he still cares about her!

When I returned to Apple's hospital room, I saw that there was another person in the room.

Mo Yan nodded politely to me: "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He seemed to be asking the Jeep, or perhaps asking me. "If you had told me earlier, I would have come sooner." He placed the fruit on the small side table next to the hospital bed.

The jeep driver said politely, "Why spend money? She can't eat anything right now, she only drinks thin porridge."

Is it serious?

"No, it's alright." The jeep pointed to the chair next to it, offering its seat.

Mo Yan said, "No need, I'm going back to school right away. It's ten o'clock now, and the school gates will be closed if I don't get back soon."

The jeep immediately chimed in, "Then you take Ruoxi back for me! I'll stay here and guard Apple."

"No! I want to stay here with her," I insisted.

"Fine, I'll stay with you! You can come and relieve me tomorrow during the day, okay?" The jeep asked for my opinion. "Go back quickly! This is a hospital, one person can stay here. We're not allowed to make noise in the ward, too many people would be bad."

I nodded: "Take good care of her."

"Don't worry!" He ushered us out of the ward.

The two remained silent the entire way, creating a somewhat tense atmosphere.

"Say something!" I said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Uh..." he said, "Something happened at school early this morning, you know?"

I looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Well... a man who wasn't a student at this school jumped off the roof of the science building and died. Haven't you heard about it?"

I know it was the forest that did it, but I can't say. That rapist and murderer deserves to die too.

He continued reporting the news: "That person wasn't a student, he was a migrant worker!"

"Huh?" I was startled.

"No one claimed the body this morning, but by the afternoon, two migrant workers from the construction site outside the East Gate came. They said the deceased was one of their brothers..." He scratched his ear, "I can't remember, but he was probably their brother! They were crying their eyes out, demanding that the school give them justice."

"And then what happened?"

"Later? It seems the school was extorted for a sum of money by them as hush money."

Section 63: Imminent (5)

"Did the school agree?"

"The migrant workers are demanding an explanation from the school, or they'll call the judicial authorities. You know, this is the school's Achilles' heel; what they fear most is any negative news about the school spreading and affecting its reputation and enrollment rate."

"So... has the identity of the deceased been determined?"

Not yet!

After Mo Yan returned to school, I immediately parted ways with him and went back to the hospital. Because I had more important things to do tonight!

In the hospital corridor.

The footsteps were soft and intermittent. I walked and stopped in the corridor, and every time I looked up, I could see a white gauze dress.

Youthful beauty has not faded, yet the marks of time are already evident. She stubbornly leaves behind a lingering soul, merely to softly recount the vicissitudes of life that follow her decline. Suddenly she stands still, her body shrouded in darkness, a low, mournful song carried by the cool autumn breeze. I can already sense a hint of desolation. She smiles faintly at me, though her face is gradually blurring. She is about to vanish into nothingness; I must help her as quickly as possible! Tonight!

I rolled up my sleeve and glanced at my watch. The hands were almost pointing to midnight. This Doubie Chrono Classic ceramic pilot's watch, an IWC, was a gift from Di Mingyang. Strangely enough, when facing the realms of the living and the dead, just thinking of him gives me courage.

Right!

Now!

The corridor was deserted, the fluorescent lights emitting a monotonous hissing sound. The nurse on duty rested on her desk. It was the time when people were most tired, and no one listened carefully to my singing, except for one person who was extremely sensitive to this song.

Yes, singing!

"People are like flowers in flight, clouds like short songs, who has ever loved me? Sometimes I'm glorious, sometimes I'm full of hardship, who will pity me? Like a mirage, an illusion, I can't let go..."

I'm using my spiritual power. Just like Grandma said, when used properly, it can save lives!

Section 64: The Dust Settles (1)

The dust has settled

I transmit sensitive brainwaves to the patients in the hematology ward. The stronger this ability, the more unexpected fantasies can be created, and it can even control a person's dreams.

The boy with the blood disease slowly sat up, opened his eyes, and saw the white curtains on the windowsill fluttering incessantly. This was what I saw, and what he saw too; at this moment, we were parasitizing the same set of brainwaves. He looked around in surprise, the singing growing louder and louder, gradually penetrating deep into his bones, like a scalding brand, smashing into his heart.

The cool, white moonlight streamed onto the bedside table. In the shadowy shadows against the light, stood a person—that was me. But what he saw might have been her. He couldn't see my face clearly, only the silvery-white light shimmering in my pupils, like ice, piercing through the desolation of the night and straight into one's heart.

I stared at him, silent and still.

The room remained as silent as if it were dead.

Tears welled in the boy's eyes. "Am I dreaming?" he asked me, his voice filled with anguish.

A sudden pang of sadness welled up inside me. I remained silent, but a tear slid down my cheek.

"I'm sorry!" he sobbed quietly. "I've always wanted to say to you... I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

I remained silent. I continued to wait.

“I understand,” he whispered. “You hate me. But now I am a dying man, what can I do for you? As long as it’s for you, I will do it, I will do it.”

As people wander aimlessly through their lives, they are always bewildered, unsure whether to turn left or right. Choices are like two insurmountable points on life's trajectory, constantly presented before them, making it difficult to find a way to retreat or escape. If, back then, he hadn't chosen to run away alone, but instead faced death together, perhaps today's suffering would have led to sweetness for both. But one mistake has brought him only resentment. He has driven himself into a deep abyss, endlessly tasting the bitter fruit of his solitary labor. People often find themselves trapped in the entanglements of separation and reunion, lost in the dusty memories of past affections, unable to forget the shimmering eyes of yesteryear.

I remained silent, my heart aching. I turned and left, leaving him with only her lingering resentment towards me.

"Don't go! Don't go! Don't go!" The boy stretched out his right hand, grabbing at the air, but nothing came of it. "I'll go! I'll go report it to the police! Before I die, I'll avenge you! I will..."

The wailing woke the mother who was keeping watch, and amidst the murmurs, she heard, "My child! You're having another nightmare..."

I've pulled myself out of this brainwave interference. Looking back, I see again that white gauze dress disappearing into the boundless darkness deep in the corridor. Slender, thin shoulders, a lonely figure, walking further and further away, yet never escaping the vast blackness.

Obsessed, entangled, numb, desensitized, in the end, it all came to nothing...

On Sunday noon, I went to the hospital again, patted the Jeep on the shoulder and said, "I'll take your place. Go have lunch!"

After he left, I sat on the edge of the bed peeling a pear for Apple to eat, and smiled sweetly.

She asked me, "What are you laughing at?"

"I wasn't laughing at anything."

"You're kidding! I saw it all. It must be something good!" Her health had improved, and she was optimistic again.

“You mentioned it to me last time,” I whispered as I leaned closer, “that girl from the management school who committed suicide, all three criminals who caused her death have been brought to justice.”

"So fast?" She was skeptical. "This is a bit suspicious!"

I told her that her boyfriend, who had run away at the last minute, had gone to the police station to report the crime and become a witness. Of the three criminals, one was already dead, and the other two were on trial and would not escape legal punishment. Of course, I kept quiet about the vengeful spirit in the bathhouse and the incident in the forest where a rapist was killed.

She then asked, "What about the two deaths that happened in the bathhouse a while ago?"

"The report is out now; it says he died in an accident."

"Accident?"

"Yes. The security guard lady slipped and fell on the soapy ground earlier, which triggered a cerebral hemorrhage."

"Then, what happened to that female student later? Wasn't she scared to death?"

"Yes. Some people have very weak mental fortitude. That day, after everyone had left, the power suddenly went out in the bathhouse. It was a problem with the circuit, but unfortunately, the girl was standing on a long bench closing the window. It was windy, and she felt cold. But suddenly it went dark inside and out, and her fear intensified. The tree branches outside were hitting the glass window, making a sound, which scared her so much that she thought she had encountered a ghost, and she fell off the long bench..."

"Huh? Some people jump off buildings and don't die, but she died from falling off a stool?"

"No, it's because he was scared to death by his own psychological suggestion. It's similar to a heart attack, but there's a qualitative difference."

"Oh." She nodded and obediently ate her fruit.

Occasionally, a cuckoo flies by outside the window, calling out merrily.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, creating a gentle, ethereal atmosphere.

It's as if everything is over...

Monday night.

The great forest arrived as scheduled.

I didn't have the courage to say goodbye to Apple in person, so I left a farewell letter in my dorm room for her to see when she was discharged from the hospital.

Another unfamiliar car, winding its way through the streets until it reached an unfamiliar place. I peered out and saw a wide-open, flat area.

He used a helicopter again?!

"Let's go!" He got out of the car through the left-hand door.

"Where are we going?" I asked from behind.

You'll know when you get there.

"Great Forest, where did you get this helicopter from?"

He climbed into the cockpit and said to me, "I'm not the only one looking for Mingyang these days; there are others looking for him too."

I was startled: "Who?"

He calmly started the helicopter and told me, "It's the Di family's lawyer who's contacting him. Ever since he disappeared in Jinghong, the lawyer has been using all available resources to find him. Mingyang is now the legal heir to the Di family's business, and there's still so much to manage in the Di family's European businesses. Many things are waiting for him to step in. Such a large operation can't be left without someone capable of handling it..."

"Aren't you also a son of the Di family?"

“I am an adopted son. I do not have the blood of the Di family.”