Ghost Diary

Chapter 2

My mom said there are a lot of bad people these days, robbers, murderers, and human traffickers are everywhere, and naive girls like me in my early twenties and old ladies in their eighties are definitely their prime targets. So I felt that I was letting my mother's earnest teachings down by so easily believing this stranger, but I really couldn't find my way.

The man led me into an alley, and we wandered around for ages. I clutched my dead phone in one hand and reached into my bag with the other, fumbling for a more suitable weapon. Just as I was getting into a defensive stance, the man suddenly stopped and turned around. I instinctively put on a wary expression, and after a long stare, he finally spoke, "We're here."

Then I noticed a small wooden plaque with the words "Moonlight" delicately written on it. I was about to thank the person when they walked in without even looking up, leaving me with a nonsensical remark: "Birds of a feather flock together."

"Moonlight" wasn't large, but it was very unique. It had an indescribable feel to it; the dim lights made every pore feel relaxed, and the whole place was comfortable. There weren't many people inside, and I immediately spotted my friend sitting at the bar, head down, looking utterly dejected.

"Jia Yanchang, you really know how to pick a spot." I walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

He was startled, suddenly looked up, paused for a moment, and then forced a smile.

I was startled, and then I realized that someone else looked worse than crying, which comforted me.

"What would you like to drink?" someone asked from behind the bar. Looking up, I saw it was the man who had led the way.

"Milk^0^" I smiled at him, and the corner of his mouth twitched noticeably.

Jia Yanyu stared at me wide-eyed, then burst out laughing and said, "Why are you still like this? I remember the first time I saw you at the boiled fish restaurant, you were arguing fiercely with the waiter about why we couldn't order a pot without chili peppers, haha."

After that, Jia Yan started to recount all the stupid things I had done over the years, listing them one by one, until I slammed the empty milk glass onto the table.

Later, he started complaining to me about his misfortunes, from low wages to his parents' divorce, from friends' betrayal to his girlfriend leaving him—he was extremely depressed. Xiao Bi said that sometimes people just want to find someone to talk to. He doesn't need you to lend a hand or help him make decisions; he just needs your ear.

However, Jia Yanchan clearly misunderstood. While he was rambling on about his inhuman girlfriend, I had already fallen asleep to the sound of warm milk and soothing music.

When I woke up it was already evening. Jia Yan had left long ago. The man behind the bar tossed me a letter, saying it was left by him, and then bent down to wipe the glasses.

I yawned and looked around. I found this little place to be really deserted. The two or three people who were there before had left, and I was the only guest left. It was amazing that Jia Yanchang had managed to find this place.

Just as I was thinking, I suddenly felt a cold wind behind my ear, then smelled a perfume scent that seemed familiar, and then a voice that made my hair stand on end rang out.

"Ah! Xiao Mo, what are you doing here? Did you come to see me? I had something to do last night and couldn't come to see you. You missed me, didn't you? I knew it, a beauty like me is simply irresistible..."

This person—oh no, this ghost Xia Canyue!

Although I wasn't afraid of Xia Canyue at all in my dream, it's still hard to accept if a female ghost actually appears next to you. So I looked at the man who was wiping the cup with his head down and asked him in a very soft voice, "Um... excuse me, do you see anything behind me?"

The man glanced up, curled his lip, and said disdainfully, "Xia Canyue, you still know how to come back?"

"Hey handsome, it's raining today, otherwise why would I dare to run around in broad daylight?" Xia Canyue floated over and sat down next to me, saying with a grin.

I stared in disbelief at the man behind the bar, then asked in a trembling voice, "You...you can see her?"

He glanced at me again, said nothing, and continued wiping the cup. Xia Canyue chimed in, "Of course he can see me, he's my cousin."

"Isn't my cousin handsome?"

"With such a beautiful older sister like me, of course he can't be ugly."

"Do you want to know what my cousin's name is?"

"I'll tell you his name is Gu Ming."

"What do you think? Aren't the names cool? My family is all so perfect, there's just no way to change it."

"By the way, how did you end up here?"

"Is there something you need to talk to me about?"

"Hey, Xiao Mo, your face looks like it's twitching..."

For a moment, I really wanted to faint, so I wouldn't see or hear anything. So I actually fainted on the bar. Xia Canyue, oblivious to my surroundings, yelled, "Ah! Ah! Gu Ming, why did she collapse?"

The boy behind the bar snorted and told Xia Canyue to go to the back and get an ice towel, then whispered in my ear, "Stop pretending."

I really want to cry. Deng Fei, Xiao Bi, Huang Ying, Jia Yanji... where are you all...?

"I am a human being." Another cold snort came from behind the bar.

"Huh?" I quickly looked up and sat up straight.

"Don't worry, my cousin won't harm you. You're just unlucky to be able to see her, and she needs someone to talk to."

Why not ask someone else?

Birds of a feather flock together.

Then I asked Gu Ming if I could go home, and he shrugged, "Who's stopping you?"

I grabbed my schoolbag and ran.

Later, I wandered around the alley outside for half an hour.

I'm lost.

Then Gu Ming appeared, coldly waving and walking ahead.

I found the way again.

Back in the dorm, Xiao Bi wasn't there, and Cuihua had gone home too. I had no choice but to call Deng Fei with trembling hands. He asked me why my voice sounded so excited, and whether I had won the lottery.

I asked him if seeing a ghost counts as winning the lottery, and he thought for a long time before saying that it was a difficult question to answer right away...

It was raining on March 7th, 2005.

Xiao Bi didn't come back last night; he went out partying with his friends, and it was very noisy.

I'm a little afraid to sleep alone. After listening to me ramble on about my day on the phone, Deng Fei sang to me, from "My Deskmate" all the way to "Leaves." I only remember the last line before I fell asleep: "Loneliness is a person's carnival, carnival is a group of people's loneliness..."

When I woke up in the morning, I was still holding the phone in my arms. Deng Fei's voice was a little hoarse. He laughed and scolded me, "Lazybones, you finally got up."

I felt happiness in that moment, and it welled up in my mouth. Friends are so good.

I went to the supermarket and bought a carton of milk. On my way back, I suddenly remembered Jia Yanyu's letter and couldn't help but laugh. With that guy's personality, what couldn't he say directly?

I took it out, tore open the envelope, and read the short page, which made my fingers tremble. He said:

"Xiao Mo, please give my regards to Xiao Bi, Deng Fei, and the others. I will not be able to say goodbye to each of you all. I have met too many people and missed too many things in this life. I will finally let go of everything after death. I am so glad to have met you all in this life. Seeing you smiling so brightly yesterday reminded me of the days we spent together. Thank you for the happiness you brought me. I hope we can meet again in the next life. Take care!"

Meeting again in the next life? Jia Yanji, what does "meeting again in the next life" mean?

Milk spilled down his fingers onto his clothes, leaving trails of milky white. He was paralyzed for a while, unable to move. When he came to his senses, he picked up his phone and dialed Jia Yanyan's number repeatedly. A cold female voice answered, "The number you dialed is not in service..."

For the first time, I felt helpless. Thinking of the smiling face I had when we met yesterday, I kept telling myself that it was just a prank, a clumsy prank by Jia Yanyan. However, my anxious heartbeat and unease made the tears flow uncontrollably.

I ran out and called Deng Fei and Xiao Bi, but I couldn't speak clearly. I just burst into tears. Deng Fei said in a panic, "Just stand there and don't move. I'll be right there." Xiao Bi's hangover also cleared up instantly. She said, "Don't cry. I'll be right back."

Then they saw Deng Fei and Xiao Bi getting closer and closer, and with trembling hands, he took out Jia Yanyan's letter.

Jia Yanyan's home is in a small city in the south. I remember on the first day of school, I spilled a pot of boiling soup on his shoes. He jumped up and down and shouted in his slightly accented Mandarin, "Beautiful lady, your way of flirting is really special."

Xiao Bi squatted to the side, looking at the pot of soup with endless regret. I stood there, blushing and stunned. Deng Fei, who happened to be passing by, burst out laughing. And so, the four of us became good friends in a daze. Four years passed in the blink of an eye.

A few months ago, Jia Yanchan found a programming job and moved out of the dormitory. He was busy all day long. Deng Fei and I were busy preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination, and Xiao Bi was also anxious to find a job. We rarely got together anymore. How could things end like this after we met again?

We took a taxi to Jia Yanyan's place. The landlord said he had moved out a month ago. Xiao Bi called him repeatedly, but it was still the same cold female voice. Only Deng Fei remained silent. After a while, he asked, "Xiao Mo, where is that bar from yesterday?"

I told the driver to turn around and go to xx road, then stopped at that bus stop, and stumbled around looking for "Moonlight," with Xiao Bi and Deng Fei following behind.

There were so many alleys that I completely forgot which one to take. I hated my own absentmindedness and embarrassingly burst into tears. Then a tissue was offered to me. I looked up and saw Gu Ming.

Although she was somewhat afraid of Xia Canyue, and even afraid of him, she felt a sense of relief when she saw his bright black eyes. Ignoring the stares from passersby on the street, she grabbed his hand and asked loudly, "You know where Jia Yanji is, right? Right?"

He didn't say anything, turned around and led us to "Moonlight," then brought out three cups of hot water and said three words, "He's dead."

The bar was still quiet today. Xiao Bi's cold snort was unusually clear in the oppressive atmosphere. While I was still dumbfounded and processing those three words, Xiao Bi slammed his hands heavily on the table and shouted at Gu Ming, "You're talking nonsense!"

"He was here yesterday, wasn't he?" Xiao Bi asked, grabbing my clothes again.

I looked up at her, then at Gu Ming, wanting to nod, but something felt off, and I felt a surge of unease.

“Yesterday was the seventh day after his death. The person you saw was not human.” Gu Ming’s tone remained calm.

"You're talking nonsense!" Xiao Bi shouted. "Don't try to fool me with any gods or ghosts, I don't believe it."

"Whatever you want."

"Xiao Mo, you said you saw Jia Yanchang yesterday, right?" Xiao Bi stared at me and asked, trying to force a smile, wanting an affirmative answer from me. His face was contorted, and his smile was uglier than a cry.

Is a smile uglier than a cry?

Something's not right. The feeling I had when I saw Jia Yantai yesterday, that expression—his smile was uglier than a cry…

"No, no, that's..."

I suddenly turned to look at Gu Ming, and he nodded. "People who have just died don't smile."

"Who exactly are you?" Deng Fei, who had been sitting silently to the side, suddenly spoke up.

Gu Ming looked at him and shook his head. "You don't need to know."

Why should we believe you?

"I did not ask you to believe me."

Deng Fei stared at Gu Ming with his mouth tightly shut for a long time before cursing, "They're all fucking crazy."

Then he asked, "Where is he now?"

"The body is in the morgue, the police have put it there. You should go to the Nanqiao branch." After Gu Ming finished speaking, he walked behind the bar and started wiping the glasses by himself. Deng Fei stood up stiffly, pulled me and Xiao Bi away.

None of the three people in the car spoke. Xiao Bi's hand was placed next to mine, and neither of them was warm. It was so cold.