Chapter Seventy-Four: The Mysterious Store Manager (Two in One)
On the street, Lu Liangting gently massaged his temples.
Lately, he was under a tremendous amount of pressure. Out of nowhere, a group of girls who looked like Shen Shuyun had appeared, obsessively pursuing him. The kicker? These girls were nothing like the others, especially in terms of personality. It was as if each of them had this crazy idea that if they couldn’t have him, they would ruin him.
They didn’t care about themselves, their families, their schools, or their own bodies.
Two words could sum up their behavior: mad.
Don’t think it feels great to be chased by girls. Lu Liangting could responsibly tell you that the result of being pursued by this bunch of lunatics meant constantly worrying about whether one day he’d be thrown into a sack and knocked out, only to be dragged off to an abandoned factory or a little grove.
And he couldn’t flat-out reject them either. If he did, it wouldn’t just be a simple matter of being dragged into a grove; he’d really have to think about where to bury himself.
For example, when Shen Shuyun invited him to go shopping this time, if he said no, it was highly likely he wouldn’t be able to get out of her front door.
As he left, he clearly saw a fruit kn*fe tucked into Shen Shuyun’s waist.
Who hides a kn*fe in their pants at home, right?
Fortunately, these girls also had their principles. Like Shen Shuyun, she wouldn’t directly demand he go shopping. Instead, she’d present him with a favor first, and only then make her request.
If he agreed to her request but later couldn’t fulfill it, well… the consequences…
“No way! I think I’ll check if anyone else is free first. It’s still a bit unsafe for me to go alone.”
Lu Liangting pulled out his phone and rummaged through his contacts, but in the end, he couldn’t decide whom to message.
He actually had very few friends, and most of the contacts were girls.
These girls weren’t really his friends; from a certain perspective, they could be considered pursuers.
Lu Liangting wasn’t dumb; he knew why these girls were after him. Ninety-five percent were after his family fortune. How many truly liked Lu Liangting himself?
So after adding their contact information, they never chatted.
“Xiao Kang, are you free tomorrow?”
“Ah, Lu Bro, are you up to something? You’ve been so busy lately that I can’t even find you at home!” His friend responded quickly.
“There are some things to handle. I just wanted to ask if you’re free tomorrow to go shopping.”
“Shopping? That doesn’t sound like you. You’re not going with some girl, are you? (dog emoji)”
“Just a friend.”
“Ugh~ I knew it! No way am I going to be a third wheel.”
Seeing his friend’s reply, Lu Liangting felt helpless.
Great, looks like he’d have to go alone tomorrow.
“Let’s deal with tomorrow when it comes. For now, I need to make a trip to Dongcheng No. 13 Middle School and help that female ghost find her child.”
He wasn’t someone who went back on his word, even to ghosts. Since he promised to help her find her child, he had to go.
—
That night, Zhao Mingyue busily dressed up Bai Yu, placing a lighter on the bedside and pulling back the covers, ready for bed.
She didn’t mind that the male ghost in the lighter had been handled—having Bai Yu was enough. Plus, she didn’t have the peculiar habit of carrying a male ghost around; it just felt like an invasion of her privacy.
So, in a sense, this lottery wasn’t a total loss. The lighter could be useful later, and who knows? Maybe she could bring back another ghost from their mission. Besides, Bai Yu absorbing the other’s essence would only increase her power.
“Good night, Yu Mei. Hope tomorrow we can have some fun!”
“Good night.”
The room went dark as the lights turned off, engulfing everything in shadow.
Bai Yu didn’t need to sleep. She sat on a chair, quietly gazing out the window.
As time passed, most players in the game began to stir.
Among these crazies, not all were like Shen Shuyun; a few were particularly troublesome, like that Dragon Lady.
That Dragon Lady had an unimaginable possessiveness over her.
Her love was as deadly as it was passionate.
To her, love wasn’t about holding hands; it was about beheading the other person and wearing their head as a trophy. That way, they could never betray her, would always obey her, and they could “stay together” forever.
But now that everyone had arrived in this world and changed their appearances and identities, she probably wouldn’t chase after him to k*ll anymore.
The target should be switched to Lu Liangting anyway; let her restless heart find solace in him.
“I’d really love to see all of them expose their identities and fight over Lu Liangting.”
“I’m a so-called redemption executor now. I wonder if I’ll ever get a chance to interact with those people.”
As she murmured to herself, listening to Zhao Mingyue’s even and rhythmic breathing, and looking at her beautiful profile, Bai Yu suddenly felt quite lucky.
Lucky that her target was this girl and not Lu Liangting.
If it had been Lu Liangting… just thinking about the scenario was terrifying.
Time flew quickly in the silent night.
Bai Yu could sense the restlessness of spirits on the fifth floor but ignored it, standing guard over Zhao Mingyue until dawn.
“Ding-a-ling~” The alarm clock rang punctually at six-thirty in the morning.
From the blankets, a slender arm shot out, grasping the phone on the bedside table and effortlessly silencing the alarm.
After a minute, Zhao Mingyue suddenly sat up in bed, the covers cascading off her.
Yawning and stretching, she rubbed her eyes and saw the silhouette sitting by the window.
Still bleary from sleep, she momentarily thought someone had broken into her room before she snapped back to reality.
“Morning, Yu Mei!”
“Good morning.”
Zhao Mingyue went through her usual morning routine—washing up and eating breakfast. Since today was special, she even decided to add light makeup to her face.
No rush for the holiday; she didn’t leave until seven-thirty, grabbing her carnation on the way out.
“Let’s go, Yu Mei!”
For the first time bringing the real Bai Yu out shopping, it would’ve been a lie to say she wasn’t excited.
Downstairs, she didn’t ride her bike today. After all, she couldn’t have Bai Yu sitting behind her while she pedaled, could she?
Bai Yu followed behind, sporting oversized sunglasses.
After being a ghost for so long, walking like a living person on the street felt quite odd for her.
—
By eight o’clock, the streets were bustling with pedestrians, hurrying past.
Every time they brushed by the two girls, they couldn’t help but glance back. It was impossible not to; both girls were dressed adorably. Bai Yu’s Lolita maid outfit was eye-catching, showcasing her cosplay style in a blue and white color scheme.
Wearing sunglasses didn’t detract from her cuteness; if anything, it made her face seem even smaller.
On the other hand, Zhao Mingyue exuded youthful vitality, her high school uniform adding a touch of innocent beauty.
The duo—one girl and one ghost—naturally drew the eyes of passersby, momentarily capturing their attention as breathtaking.
“Hmm… I can’t bring you back to life, but I guess this is kind of half-resurrection, right?”
Taking Bai Yu’s hand, Zhao Mingyue stepped ahead, turning to face her as she walked backward, a bright smile illuminating her face.
“I think it’ll help you regain some of those feelings from your past life.”
Perhaps it was worth noting how infectious Zhao Mingyue’s smile was.
Even Bai Yu felt a stir in her heart. Of course, it was just an emotional tug, with no visible rise in her lips.
Not that Zhao Mingyue’s smile lacked power; rather, it was what she had just said.
“I never had such experiences in life.”
In her past life, she didn’t wear skirts, wouldn’t amble leisurely about the streets, and wouldn’t have been photographed widely by passerby.
Had her past self caught anyone sneaking photos, she would have likely done something drastic.
“Ahh…?” Zhao Mingyue’s smile faltered, “You never went shopping?”
“Hmm, at least, never this leisurely.”
“Well, this counts as a first, huh? You can experience what you never had a chance to before. You might even come to enjoy it. We can buy loads of pretty clothes and eat all sorts of delicious food without fearing we’d be killed. We can just relax and have fun!”
“Best not to let our guard down.”
“Oh come on!” Zhao Mingyue tightened her grip on Bai Yu’s hand. “It’s a rare chance to get out. Let’s loosen up!”
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that had to be grasped. She couldn’t let Bai Yu lead her astray, and crucially, she needed to set things right when it counted.
To Zhao Mingyue, there might be someone like Li Nan out there, but that wasn’t a big deal.
They would choose not to act in public proximity; even if they did, it would be in the dead of night when no one was around. If anything unexpected happened, their reckless act in public didn’t matter since Bai Yu was there to protect her; she’d be fine. Worst case, they’d just call for help and buy some time.
With a mental plan in place, Zhao Mingyue was clear on what she should do.
“Let’s pop into a convenience store first.”
Strolling along the street, they soon arrived at Mingri Convenience Store.
Zhao Mingyue pushed open the door, hugging her carnation as she stepped inside. The copper bell jingled lightly as the wind chime swung. On the other side, as Zhao Mingyue stepped in, nothing happened. But as Bai Yu followed, the wind chime jingled.
Bai Yu frowned. She had long known this wind chime could detect the presence of spirits, and now she was curious about who the store manager was that hung this chime.
This convenience store exuded an unusual vibe, like the ghost that had escaped from Dongcheng No. 13 Middle School last time.
In his words, the entire world became foggy and dark after he escaped, but this convenience store radiated light, so he followed the store’s glow here.
Ordinary ghosts could still see the world around them. That little ghost from the school was different from other spirits, so thinking about the peculiarities of Dongcheng No. 13 Middle School made her wonder if such locations were fundamentally different from regular ones.
Ghosts escaping from ordinary places wouldn’t have much impact, but Dongcheng No. 13 was a space steeped in memories, so the ghosts escaping from there couldn’t affect the outside world. It served as a kind of protective mechanism.
So, here’s the question: why could these special ghosts see this convenience store?
“Store Manager!”
Zhao Mingyue’s voice snapped Bai Yu back to reality.
She was still holding Bai Yu’s hand as they approached the counter.
Behind the counter, the store manager was wiping a watch with a handkerchief. Upon hearing Zhao Mingyue’s voice, he paused, pulling out two red envelopes from the drawer. “This is your salary from last month. Take it. Go out and have fun today; consider it a day off.”
Zhao Mingyue didn’t count the money; she trusted the store manager’s character. After receiving the envelope, she smiled, “Thank you, Store Manager!”
“No need to be polite; it’s your hard-earned money. Mingyue, this is…?” The store manager’s face broke into a gentle smile, his tone calm as he glanced at Bai Yu.
“Oh, she’s my cousin, Ruo Xi. We’re going out to have some fun together today,” Zhao Mingyue hastily replied.
“Hmm, quite a charming little girl,” the manager nodded slowly. “Just be careful when you’re out; you two need to watch yourselves.”
“I know, but thank you for your concern, Store Manager.”
“Alright, you two go have fun. I’ll handle things here.”
“Mm-hmm, goodbye, Store Manager.” With no more small talk, Zhao Mingyue dragged Bai Yu out.
Once at the entrance, Bai Yu turned back to peek, realizing the old store manager was watching her too. Their eyes met.
He nodded slightly, his gaze deep and unreadable.
As Bai Yu and Zhao Mingyue stepped outside, the manager looked in the direction they had taken, then glanced up at the recently swinging wind chime.
“Six rings… It’s my first time seeing that.”
—
After stepping out, Zhao Mingyue counted her salary while waiting for the bus; just like before, it was a neat two thousand eight hundred, with an additional four hundred in the small envelope—extra perks.
“Finally, I can treat myself to a nice meal today!”
With satisfaction, she tucked the envelopes away, clutching the carnation and sporting a smile that wouldn’t fade—clearly thrilled.
For Zhao Mingyue, today was a day of triple celebration!
She got paid, had a day off, and could hang out with Yu Mei.
The bus arrived quickly, and Zhao Mingyue hurriedly pulled Bai Yu on board, tossing in two coins.
Sitting in the back row, she was about to whisper to Bai Yu when she suddenly noticed three oddly dressed delinquents strutting out of an internet café.
“Uh-oh… this is bad…”
