Chapter 25: Huang Ying Reveals Her True Feelings

I returned to my room and turned on my computer. If there had been a car accident, it would surely be in the news. After searching for a while, I found the report.

Around 8:14 PM on the 15th, a pickup truck carrying a coffin collided with a cargo truck on Jincheng Street. The driver died on the spot. The scene was horrific; when the police arrived, one of the driver's legs was nowhere to be found.

I looked at the attached photo. It was indeed that driver, and the scene was as grisly as described. After seeing the photo, I fell silent. Before his accident, I had remarked that he was in such a rush to go to his reincarnation. It turned out he really was, but he didn't make it—instead, he became a malevolent spirit. Was that why he came after me?

Whatever, I should just go to sleep. What goes around comes around. From now on, I will talk less and do more, and never let such trouble find me again.

His disturbance left me unable to sleep well that night; I kept feeling as if I were the one who had caused his death. Feeling restless, I sat in front of the computer and watched a movie. I usually watched movies with Huang Ying, but watching alone felt strange. When Huang Ying was there, I could glance at her while watching; now, the only word to describe it was "boring."

*Bang.*

I closed the laptop and crept into Huang Ying's room. She was sleeping soundly; the loud noise just now hadn't woken her.

Looking at her peaceful expression, I smiled with relief. I don't know why, but every time I see her, I can't help but feel a sense of protectiveness. If not for her ethereal form, one would never know she was a ghost.

I stood by her bed for a while before slowly retreating. If she woke up suddenly, would she think I was a voyeur?

After leaving her room, I lay down and fell asleep in no time. Huang Ying had effectively pushed the memory of the driver out of my mind. I no longer needed to worry about waking up on time, as Huang Ying would always wake me up punctually. This life where I am fed and clothed by her is too comfortable. If Huang Ying were to suddenly disappear, I don't know how I would ever get used to life without her. I don't even dare to think about it!

During the day, I went downstairs to check on the coffin. It was still there. I asked an elderly woman who was exercising when it had appeared. Women and the elderly are the most gossipy of species; as soon as I asked, she began to pour out the details.

"Oh, you mean that? It was brought here a few days ago. That man died so miserably. I took a look at the time; heavens, his whole head was split open! It scared me so much I couldn't sleep for days!"

"Grandma, is that him inside the coffin?"

"No, he was just a delivery driver. He was carrying this coffin when the accident happened, and he got killed. His family brought the coffin home, saying they wanted to confront the person who ordered it. That man has already been buried!"

"Oh, I see. Thank you!"

After the old woman left, I stared at the coffin for a few moments. If I wasn't mistaken, the man’s soul was still inside that coffin. Perhaps out of guilt, I hesitated for a long time, but in the end, I didn't go inside.

Later, I arrived at school with a heavy heart. Because I had been so anxious yesterday, I had lost my temper with my roommates and even gotten physical. I didn't know if they would hold a grudge.

When I sat down in the classroom, Li Yun walked up to my desk and said, "I'm really sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean it!"

Yesterday, they had seen my phone wallpaper, and I had been so angry that I gave her the cold shoulder. It wasn't really her fault; women are naturally curious about new things. Besides, I could tell she was just trying to make conversation. I felt guilty for being so harsh to her, even ignoring her apology at the time.

When Li Yun apologized, the whole class went "Ooh..." Li Yun never apologized to anyone; even when she was in the wrong, she would fight until she was right. In our classmates' minds, the word "apology" didn't exist in Li Yun's dictionary.

I smiled and said, "It's okay. I shouldn't have lashed out yesterday. I owe you an apology too!"

If someone is good to me, I will be good to them. Although I disliked Li Yun's personality, she was actually quite decent to me—at least compared to how she treated others.

Hearing me apologize back, she grinned and said bluntly, "Exactly. You were way too much yesterday. If it were anyone else, I would have slapped them into next week. But since you apologized, I'll forgive you! Don't let it happen again!"

That was a fact. She might be shorter than the boys, but if you really provoked her, she would jump up and slap you in a heartbeat. As she said that, the class went "Ooh" again. I knew what they were thinking, but I couldn't be bothered. If I tried to explain, they would just say, "Excuses are just cover-ups, and cover-ups are the truth." The best way to deal with them was silence; explaining or arguing was the most foolish thing to do. Sure enough, seeing that I ignored them, they stopped discussing me and Li Yun within seconds.

After Li Yun left, satisfied, I looked at the small box in my bag. I wondered if she could hear the world outside while inside. She was doing much better now; soon, she wouldn't have to stay in the box all day. It was too boring in there. Once I helped her soul recover to its former state, I could take her out. I didn't find any joy in going out alone; only with her did I feel like there was something to do.

When school finally ended, my roommate and the other four, including Chen Yuming, cornered me. Just as I thought they were going to jump me, the roommate said, "I'm really sorry for yesterday, for disrespecting your goddess. I apologize on behalf of all of us. First, I want to clarify that we are apologizing just to show you respect; we don't need your input, because in my eyes, you've already forgiven us. So, to celebrate, you're treating us to dinner tonight!"

"Damn, why?" My roommate was truly one of a kind, but he was a good guy.

"How about this, we'll treat you to lunch today!" he said righteously.

"Why would you do that? I treat the five of you, and you treat me to one meal? And please, look at the time—it's six in the evening, lunch is long gone!"

"We gave you a chance, but you didn't take it. It seems you've chosen to treat all five of us to dinner!"

After I took them to the restaurant, they ended up paying for the meal themselves, including my share. That’s how friendship between men works; sometimes, you don't need to dwell on the small details.

On my way home, I took the stone steps where I had found the man's leg. I suspected the police hadn't found it, as there had been no news reports about it. I climbed over the railing and entered the small woods.

It was already quite dark, and I couldn't see very far. It would be a lie to say I wasn't afraid. If it were a real ghost, I might not be scared, but those were severed limbs. There was no one around, so I asked Huang Ying to come out and keep me company.

"It must be stuffy in there, right?" I said, dodging branches as we walked. In truth, I was just afraid of the dead silence.

Huang Ying shook her head. "It's not stuffy."

"You won't have to stay in the box starting tomorrow. I'm afraid you can't stand being in that little box at home."

"It really isn't stuffy." Huang Ying followed closely behind me. She was wearing a white dress today, which made her look exceptionally holy and pure.

"In a few days, when you're in better shape, I'll take you out." By "better shape," I meant after I helped her collect more soul fragments.

After I finished speaking, Huang Ying paused. She seemed hesitant, but finally spoke: "Actually, I knew you came to the room yesterday."

"Huh? Which time?" I had gone into her room twice yesterday—once to replenish her soul, and once when I couldn't sleep and just wanted to see her.

"I knew both times."

"I thought you were asleep, so I didn't want to wake you," I said with a laugh. I hoped she didn't think I was a pervert.

I stopped and turned around. Huang Ying was standing there with a flushed face. She said, "Every time I leave you, I feel reluctant. Even when I go to rest, I feel empty. I'm afraid you'll dislike me, or think I'm annoying, or that you'll suddenly leave me. But I just can't help wanting to be by your side. I'm afraid you'll get hurt. Every night, if you make even the slightest sound, I wake up immediately."