Chapter 25.3 Don’t give up on life
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Qi Ming stayed in the kitchen for a while before finally coming out. He wasn’t too fond of being alone with “Lin Zhaohe,” so he deliberately took his time and leisurely returned to the living room, carrying a cup of instant noodles.
However, as soon as he entered the living room, the scene before him left him frozen in place.
Lin Zhaohe, who should have been sitting on the couch waiting for him, was nowhere to be found. The urn that was supposed to save Lin Zhaohe had fallen to the floor, and the white ashes were scattered across the living room. Only the person who should have been holding it was missing.
“Damn, this is bad!” Seeing the scene, Qi Ming yelled out in alarm and quickly called Zhuang Lao. “Boss, something’s wrong! Lin Zhaohe is gone!”
In movies, the victims usually disappear without a trace, and now Lin Zhaohe suddenly vanished. Did that mean he was gone too?
Zhuang Lao: “Hmm, I’ll be right back.”
Qi Ming: “Boss, why did it take you so long to buy cigarettes?”
Zhuang Lao: “No, just passing the time, keeping the old man downstairs company while soaking up some sunshine.”
Qi Ming: “…” What kind of charismatic old man was this that it made the boss not even care about Lin Zhaohe’s life or death? What should he do now, go find the boss or go find Lin Zhaohe? And even if he found him, could they really save Lin Zhaohe?
The more Qi Ming thought about it, the more uncertain he felt.
As a seasoned fan of horror movies, even he couldn’t say for sure if there was a solution to this ghostly situation.
Some movies belonged to the “vengeful spirit seeking justice” category, while others were inexplicable. They didn’t need a reason to kill. The ghosts simply did it because they wanted to.
This type of horror movie was extremely popular in R-country.
Clearly, the unsolvable ones were the most terrifying. There was no grudge or animosity between the two parties, yet somehow they became the target of a relentless ghost.
Unfortunately, “Ghost Stains,” which Lin Zhaohe had unwittingly provoked, fell into this category. Even if they found the female protagonist’s ashes and destroyed them, Qi Ming had a big question mark in his heart regarding whether they could survive.
Zhuang Lao had found the urn together with Qi Ming. When they laid their hands on the urn, the memorial tablet placed on top suddenly moved by itself and fell to the ground, clearly warning them.
Qi Ming took this seriously, picked up the tablet, carefully placed it back, and respectfully paid his respects, “Please don’t take offense.” Unfortunately, the thing didn’t show him any face. As soon as they turned around, it fell down again.
“This isn’t good,” Qi Ming felt a cold sweat forming on his forehead. “What if… breaking someone’s urn really has consequences?”
He had a lingering sense of unease, as if their problem-solving approach had encountered some issues.
“Let’s discuss it when we get back,” Zhuang Lao remained calm.
Worried that something might happen to Lin Zhaohe, the two of them rushed back overnight. On the way, Qi Ming watched the movie again, growing more concerned and feeling that their method had major flaws.
Zhuang Lao suggested meeting with Lin Zhaohe first and discussing the rest later, and Qi Ming agreed upon hearing this.
Qi Ming had thought that Zhuang Lao had a plan, but to his surprise, Zhuang Lao didn’t even mention it after seeing Lin Zhaohe. There was no indication of wanting to change Lin Zhaohe’s mindset.
Lin Zhaohe didn’t sense anything amiss. In fact, he actively snatched the urn and held it tightly in his arms, muttering curses.
Observing his behavior, Qi Ming couldn’t help but furrow his brow. The person before him felt different from the previous Lin Zhaohe, who used to bring him a sense of light-hearted joy. The current Lin Zhaohe emitted a strong aura of hostility.
Qi Ming suddenly found himself disliking him. Being a spontaneous person, his enthusiasm significantly decreased for those he didn’t like, so he didn’t say anything to stop him.
Encountering certain ghosts was like entering a deadly trap. The more they struggled, the deeper they sank.
After handing over the urn to Lin Zhaohe, Zhuang Lao went downstairs to buy cigarettes, while Qi Ming absentmindedly cooked in the kitchen. He pondered about breaking the urn and wondered if that would make the entity angrier… Before he could come up with a coherent thought, he realized that the person who should have been sitting in the living room was nowhere to be found.
“Damn it! Something’s wrong!” Sensing a major problem, Qi Ming quickly dialed Zhuang Lao’s number. To his surprise, Zhuang Lao answered the call in an indifferent tone, casually mentioning that he was sunbathing downstairs.
Qi Ming felt a surge of anger. He thought, even if Lin Zhaohe’s death didn’t affect him emotionally, Lin Zhaohe had worked at the company for three years. It was just too much for the boss to show no reaction at all. Qi Ming lost his appetite, angrily slammed the bowl down, and rushed downstairs.
“You’re here?” Indeed, Zhuang Lao was sunbathing, with someone sitting next to him.
Qi Ming focused his gaze and realized it was the security guard of the apartment complex, dozing off by Zhuang Lao’s side. The peaceful expression on his face appeared particularly serene.
“Boss, Lin Zhaohe has been taken away by a female ghost,” Qi Ming said.
“Oh, I see,” Zhuang Lao replied calmly.
“He actually dropped the urn,” Qi Ming recounted what he had witnessed. “That thing must have been really angry. It almost flipped the entire room upside down.”
Zhuang Lao: “You go and scatter someone’s ashes, it’s only natural to end up dead.”
Qi Ming: You make a valid point.
“Wasn’t this the solution we came up with together?” Qi Ming chuckled, feeling a mix of amusement and frustration. “He followed it, and it seems like he died in a particularly tragic manner.”
Zhuang Lao shrugged innocently.
As the two were conversing, Lin Zhaohe, who had been asleep, woke up. He didn’t even know how he fell asleep. His body felt incredibly weak, and he would doze off after taking just a few steps. He constantly felt the urge to sleep.
“Hey, isn’t that Xiao Qi?” Lin Zhaohe greeted, opening his mouth.
Qi Ming looked puzzled. “Who are you?”
Lin Zhaohe: “Quick, call me grandpa…”
Qi Ming found this person very strange. He carefully examined his face and exclaimed in surprise, “Are you Lin Zhaohe’s grandpa? Grandpa Lin, nice to meet you…”
“My dear grandson,” Lin Zhaohe took advantage of the situation, laughing joyfully.
Zhuang Lao: “It’s not the time for jokes.”
“What can we do now?” Lin Zhaohe said helplessly. “He died, and I haven’t turned back. I have no idea what’s going on.” Zhuang Lao had just explained to him what had happened in the room. It must be said that Zhuang Lao was frighteningly clever. He almost recognized Lin Zhaohe at first sight and made a decision—if that person wanted to be Lin Zhaohe so badly, let him be.
“You’re Lin Zhaohe?!” Qi Ming stared in astonishment. “How did you end up like this?!”
Lin Zhaohe slowly recounted what had happened.
Qi Ming’s mind worked quickly, and he slapped his hand. “Damn, I know now! It’s not that ‘Ghost Stain’ had its plot cut, but rather that this is an entirely different movie altogether. That’s why you keep being sent back to the starting point—this movie, I remember it, it’s called ‘Borrowing Life!!'”
Lin Zhaohe: “Well, I guess I’m lucky then.” Balancing the negatives with positives.
“Damn, should I say you’re lucky or unlucky?” Qi Ming analyzed the logic carefully, dumbfounded by Lin Zhaohe’s absurd luck.
Be it ‘Ghost Stain’ or ‘Borrowing Life,’ encountering them separately was obviously an extremely unlucky thing.
However, Lin Zhaohe managed to encounter both at the same time. His body was taken by the protagonist of ‘Borrowing Life’ and now he encountered ‘Ghost Stain’ as well…
“Ghost movies aren’t unsolvable,” Zhuang Lao chuckled. “When there’s someone willing to be a substitute, isn’t it all resolved?”
To ensure that the person died definitively, he even sent a cremation urn as a greeting gift.
“I told you Lin Zhaohe was dead, Boss, and yet you had no reaction at all,” Qi Ming breathed a sigh of relief. “In this state, can Lin Zhaohe still change back?”
“I don’t know,” Zhuang Lao said. “Probably.”
Lin Zhaohe quietly suggested from the side, “What if I claim his social security benefits first and then change back? Consider it compensation for emotional trauma.”
Neither Qi Ming nor Zhuang Lao paid any attention to him, considering it nonsense.
“She killed you once, so she probably won’t come again,” Zhuang Lao said. “You can go home now.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhaohe felt a mix of joy and a tinge of disappointment. He actually found being a security guard here quite comfortable…
With Zhuang Lao’s support, Lin Zhaohe, with a hunched back, returned home. He saw the floor in a mess and asked what had happened.
“It’s her ashes,” Qi Ming honestly replied. “Where’s your vacuum cleaner? I’ll help you clean it up.”
Lin Zhaohe sighed silently. This home, it was better not to return.
Under Lin Zhaohe’s reproachful gaze, Qi Ming and Zhuang Lao cleaned up his house. Perhaps it was due to aging, but Lin Zhaohe inexplicably exuded an air of authority, making Qi Ming feel as though he was attending to an elderly grandfather, which creeped the hell out of him.
After finishing the cleaning, Qi Ming and Zhuang Lao bid their farewells.
Lin Zhaohe: “Are you really willing to leave an eighty-year-old grandpa alone here?” Qi Ming replied, “You’re already an adult, you should learn to live independently.” Zhuang Lao went even further and glanced at him, remarking to remember to be punctual for work tomorrow.
Lin Zhaohe remained silent.
Then the two of them left, and Lin Zhaohe sat on the sofa, crying uncontrollably like an abandoned solitary senior.
But to be honest, being an old person was much more comfortable than encountering ghosts. At least there weren’t those terrifying and chaotic scenes.
Lying in bed, Lin Zhaohe enjoyed a peacefully serene night’s sleep, a tranquility he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
The next morning, Lin Zhaohe woke up as usual.
His body seemed slightly more agile than the day before. Although his hair was still gray and he appeared elderly, he could at least move around. Lin Zhaohe checked the time and decided to go to work obediently. After all, Zhuang Lao hadn’t mentioned giving him a day off.
When Xiao Ci, the receptionist, saw Lin Zhaohe, she warmly greeted him, “Grandpa, do you need any help? Who are you looking for?”
Lin Zhaohe: “I’m here to work.”
Xiao Ci took a sharp breath and remained silent for a moment, muttering that the boss was going too far.
Lin Zhaohe: “Exactly, he’s going too far. Cough, cough, cough…”
Xiao Ci: “Well, Grandpa, take your time and stay safe.”
Lin Zhaohe nodded with satisfaction, pleased with his act of relying on his age. He arrived at his work station and just a few minutes later, received a phone call from Zhuang Lao, asking him to come over.
So Lin Zhaohe trembled and unsteadily made his way to the office. None of his colleagues recognized him. They all cast curious glances at this suddenly appearing old man. Zhang Xiaoxiao couldn’t hold back and ran over to ask, “Grandpa, why are you sitting in Brother Lin’s seat?”
Lin Zhaohe: “Are you talking about Zhaohe?”
Zhang Xiaoxiao nodded, “Yes, yes, Zhaohe.”
Today, Lin Zhaohe had to make a mistake. “He was a good kid, but… but…”
Zhang Xiaoxiao widened his eyes.
Lin Zhaohe cried, “It’s a pity he didn’t have a good fate.”
Tears instantly welled up in Zhang Xiaoxiao’s eyes. His Brother Lin, the one who bravely protected him, how could he… be gone?
Lin Zhaohe murmured softly, “If only luck was on my side, I wouldn’t have to come to work today.”
Unfortunately, amidst Zhang Xiaoxiao’s runny nose and tears, he completely missed Lin Zhaohe’s words.
Lin Zhaohe patted his shoulder, sighed, and turned to leave, leaving behind a group of colleagues with mixed expressions. They were probably thinking that Lin Zhaohe was truly dedicated. Even after his own death, he still brought his grandfather to work.
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