The Ultimate Ghostly Dilemma

Ming Zhong pressed on, head down, until he finally emerged from the oppressive gloom of the narrow path.

The path itself wasn’t a particularly secluded shortcut; people often used it. Ming Zhong had traversed it countless times before. However, ever since he gained the ability to perceive strange entities, he had never dared to walk it alone.

He truly shouldn’t have tempted fate, he thought, a wave of regret washing over him.

His heart heavy with self-reproach, Ming Zhong strode onto the wide school road. He began to jog, then swiftly accelerated into a frantic sprint.

He burst into the dormitory building, then slammed through the door of his room. Ming Zhong’s forehead was slick with sweat, his chest heaving uncontrollably as he gasped for breath.

“Oh, oh, oh! Our idiotic son has finally returned!”

“Your dad is practically starving to death!”

To ensure the third-year students could focus entirely on their upcoming exams, the school had specially arranged comfortable, well-appointed four-person dormitories for them.

The two ravenous ‘beasts’ in the room were a lanky, bespectacled young man named Wu Daqing and a rather lewd-looking chubby fellow named Wang Dongdong. They swiftly converged on Ming Zhong, snatching the bag he held in his hand.

“Hurry, hurry! Dalang, go boil the water, I’ll handle the seasoning packets.”

Wu Daqing, known by the nickname ‘Wu Dalang’.

“Mine’s the ‘Old Jar’ flavor, alright?”

“I know, I know! What about Brother Qiang? Should I prepare yours first?”

Their division of labor was clear. Wu Daqing headed to the balcony with the electric kettle to fetch water, while the chubby Wang Dongdong tore open packets of instant noodles, chatting as he worked.

Meanwhile, in the center of the room, Zhang Qiang, a muscular man clad only in shorts, calmly performed a horse stance, lifting dumbbells with practiced ease.

“Not yet. Hey, second brother, close the door!”

Zhang Qiang gestured toward the wide-open door behind Ming Zhong. Wu Daqing had already begun boiling water with the electric kettle—a ‘contraband’ item that absolutely could not be seen by outsiders.

The dormitory was brightly lit, and the presence of his three boisterous roommates filled the room with a lively energy. Moreover, with Zhang Qiang, a man exuding potent ‘yang’ energy, Ming Zhong’s anxieties began to subside considerably.

A female ghost shouldn’t dare to appear in a men’s dormitory, he reasoned.

Ming Zhong turned to close the door, then froze mid-motion.

Standing right in the doorway was a young girl in a white nightgown, her lips curving into a delicate, enchanting smile.

“Bang!”

The door slammed shut with abrupt force.

The girl at the doorway seemed momentarily stunned.

Then, she smiled once more.

Still trying to pretend you can’t see me, huh? This brat needs a good lesson!

Though Ming Zhong had managed to close the door, he remained rooted to the spot, his face draining of color, then draining again.

He had only just returned! How had this female ghost followed him so swiftly?

What should I do? I’m being haunted by a vengeful ghost…

But there’s no grudge between us, so why is she specifically targeting me?

Just because I glanced at her?

She was just a female ghost, not some masked saintess from a TV drama who had to pledge herself to a man simply for being seen.

Inside the dormitory, the other three roommates were engrossed in their own activities, utterly oblivious to Ming Zhong’s peculiar behavior.

By now, Ming Zhong’s pallor had subsided. Pensive, he walked to his bunk and sat down at his desk, his expression shifting through a myriad of emotions.

“Wow! What a guy! A demonic muscleman!”

Unbeknownst to him, the female ghost had somehow slipped inside. She was now circling the oblivious Zhang Qiang, her face a mask of utter astonishment.

She even reached out a finger to poke the robust, bulging muscles on Zhang Qiang’s arm!

Ming Zhong’s entire worldview began to crumble.

Shouldn’t female ghosts be terrified of muscular men like Zhang Qiang, who practically radiate an overwhelming amount of yang energy?

Could it be that this guy has already lost his virginity, his primal yang energy having already dissipated?

And this female ghost, could she possibly act a little more like an actual ghost?

“Why is it a little cold in here?”

Zhang Qiang shivered involuntarily.

“Cold, my foot! Stop flexing those sweaty, stinky muscles and come eat the noodles I made.”

The chubby Wang Dongdong wore a lewd grin.

“Haha! Don’t rush, my little darling Dongdong, your old man is coming right over!”

Zhang Qiang set down his dumbbells, his pectoral muscles rippling as he strode towards Wang Dongdong.

Wang Dongdong’s face contorted in alarm, his chubby cheeks jiggling uncontrollably. He hastily presented the prepared instant noodles.

“Here, Brother Qiang! Your ‘Old Jar’!”

“Hey! That’s… my…!”

The lanky, bespectacled Wu Daqing let out a soft wail.

Zhang Qiang accepted Fatty Wang’s offering with a satisfied smirk.

Fu Ziqing leaned closer, observing the bucket of instant noodles in Zhang Qiang’s hand.

“Have they released this classic flavor of instant noodles already?”

Though the brand was different, the purple-themed cup evoked a sense of nostalgia.

Zhang Qiang was already slurping down the noodles with gusto, making them look incredibly appetizing.

“There’s even ham!”

Fu Ziqing exclaimed in delight. It truly is the classic way to enjoy them!

A pang of longing struck her, but alas, as a ghost, she couldn’t partake in such earthly delights.

Even if she could, she would never consume something someone else had already eaten.

Meanwhile, Wang Dongdong retrieved a smartphone from a corner of his wardrobe. He powered it on, tapped open a pink-themed app, and as he ate his instant noodles, the anime ‘My Sister is So Cute!’ began to play.

“It’s updated! Ming Zhong, my son, come to your dad!”

Ming Zhong remained motionless.

The female ghost, however, had already glided over there.

Wang Dongdong paused the show, then called out to Ming Zhong again.

“Aren’t you going to watch?”

“No, I’m not watching.”

“Alright then. When you change your mind, come beg your dad.”

With Ming Zhong clearly uninterested, Wang Dongdong turned back to his noodles and his anime. The bespectacled Wu Daqing, meanwhile, quietly stood beside him, clutching his own bowl of instant noodles.

After watching for a short while, Fu Ziqing decided the anime was little more than gratuitous fan service with a rather dull plot. She began to wander around the dormitory, curiously examining every nook and cranny.

Ming Zhong observed the female ghost as she explored the dormitory, looking and touching everything with an air of novelty and excitement.

Heh, she’s never seen the world, has she? he thought with a silent scoff.

Suddenly, Ming Zhong fixed his gaze intently on the female ghost’s face, confirming her identity several times over. He then lowered his head, his expression once again becoming unreadable.

As students of Chuanbei Middle School, they had all, to varying degrees, heard whispers of ‘that incident.’

A tragic case, passed down through the years, had naturally given rise to a slew of related supernatural legends.

Ming Zhong had encountered some of these tales online, and he had, of course, also seen a photograph of the senior student from before her demise.

The photograph was quite old, and given the limited technology of the era, its resolution was poor. Yet, it was still clear enough for her face to be imprinted on one’s memory.

He had never believed in those supernatural legends, feeling only a profound sense of pity for such an exceptional senior student.

Now, however, the spectral figure of the female ghost and the image of the senior student from the photograph had eerily converged.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

A soft, feminine voice suddenly drifted into Ming Zhong’s ears, startling him from his deep contemplation.

“Oh, I’m not very hungry… Ergh!”

Ming Zhong struggled to lift his head, his gaze meeting a face that bloomed with a radiant smile.

“Brat, still pretending you can’t see me?”

Fu Ziqing extended her hand, delivering a playful slap to the boy’s head.

While her hand couldn’t physically connect with the boy, she possessed the ability to wield certain special powers.

Thus, Ming Zhong felt a distinct sensation, as if a truly icy palm was pressing down on the crown of his head.

Yielding to the pressure on his head, he instinctively nodded.

“Hmm?”

Ming Zhong hastily shook his head.

The pressure on his head vanished, but the weight in his heart instantly intensified, feeling heavier than a thousand catties.

The female ghost’s face was directly before him, incredibly close, her grey eyes fixed intently on his own.

Fu Ziqing asked with a playful smile:

“Am I pretty?”

At her question, Ming Zhong’s heart plummeted even further into icy despair.

If a living woman had posed such a question, a simple compliment would have sufficed.

However, the entity before him was not a woman, but a female ghost!

If he were to say she was pretty, there was no telling if she would instantly contort her face into something grotesque and terrifying, then demand:

“How about now? Am I still pretty?”

At that point, if he told the truth, she would be enraged, and he would be doomed.

If he lied, she would accuse him of dishonesty, claiming that good children didn’t lie, and he would be dead! He would be doomed either way.

There was no escape!

It was the female ghost’s ultimate death trap question!