Dongzi set down the red rose he was holding and looked again at the so-called servers. In Dongzi’s mind, he believed Yu Qiu had deliberately arranged for these servers to block him. Dongzi smiled faintly, muttering under his breath, “I don’t believe my sincerity won’t earn her gratitude. If she won’t see me, then I’ll see you!” Having made up his mind, Dongzi turned and left the supermarket, crossed the street, and crouched down behind a large tree.

Dongzi stared intently at the activity inside the supermarket. He noticed everyone was fixated on the red rose, as if they had never seen a rose before. Dongzi was puzzled; what was going on? Just then, he saw a figure emerge from behind the supermarket shelves. The way this figure walked was graceful and alluring, a kind of **. As she approached the counter where the red rose was placed, she glanced toward Dongzi. Though the distance was great, Dongzi could feel that the look was directed straight at him.

“Yu Qiu, so you don’t actually hate me. It seems this is just a test!” Dongzi mumbled, clenching one hand into a fist in a gesture of triumph. At that precise moment, he felt someone suddenly appear beside him. This person’s posture mirrored his own, both staring into the supermarket. Furthermore, he could sense they were focused on the same individual—they were both watching Yu Qiu.

Dongzi whipped his head around: “You…” He recognized the person instantly. “Oh, it’s you again. What are you doing here?”

The newcomer was Li Tianxiong. He seemed unusually fond of this particular supermarket. Hearing Dongzi’s question, he replied lazily, “The land belongs to the Earth; what business is it of yours where I stand? Besides, I’m not bothering you!”

Li Tianxiong’s words deeply annoyed Dongzi, but the man had a point, and Dongzi felt powerless to object or act. He had no choice but to swallow his anger and retreat a few steps away from Li Tianxiong.

As soon as Dongzi moved, Li Tianxiong shuffled a step closer to him, mumbling, “Ah, you can see things clearly from this spot!”

Dongzi moved several steps further away, but to his surprise, the fellow edged another few steps closer: “Hey, you can see even more clearly from here!”

This finally infuriated Dongzi: “What the hell is your problem? Are you looking for a fight?”

“Hey, brother, you just don’t understand reason. I’m just standing where you stood, and these spots aren’t owned by your family. Why are you getting angry?” Li Tianxiong spoke so logically that Dongzi’s face flushed crimson with suppressed rage.

Just then, a large hand reached out from behind Dongzi: “Dongzi, let’s go. Don’t pay any mind to this little punk.” It was Zhou Huan, who had somehow managed to appear behind Dongzi.

“Aiyo, it’s Master Zhou Shou. Forgive my lack of proper welcome; what brings you here?” Li Tianxiong spoke cryptically. He knew perfectly well what Zhou Huan was up to; in truth, he simply wanted a confrontation with Zhou Huan and to cause him trouble.

Zhou Huan wasn’t foolish; after all, he possessed centuries of experience. He smiled faintly: “Don’t think I don’t know why you’re here, kid. Let me tell you, don’t delay my business or mess things up, or you won’t be able to bear the karmic consequences!”

“Oh, you actually know about Buddhist karma! Impressive!” Li Tianxiong mocked Zhou Huan. The instant the words left his mouth, there was a dull thud, and Li Tianxiong collapsed to the ground. It turned out Dongzi was behind Li Tianxiong and had struck the detestable man senseless with a brick, knocking him down.

Dongzi finally felt some relief: “This bastard, so annoying. Just lie there quietly!”

Zhou Huan shook his head and said to Dongzi, “I’ve learned a bit about Yu Qiu’s situation. Stick with me later. Do exactly as I tell you and nothing else, like this…” Then, Zhou Huan leaned down and whispered a few things into Dongzi’s ear before asking, “Do you remember? Do exactly as I said. I’ll be watching from the shadows to help you.”

As soon as Zhou Huan finished speaking, Dongzi’s expression turned somewhat perplexed: “Brother, this… how is that possible?”

“You won’t even listen to your own brother? Do as I say; it’s correct. Hurry up and go!” With that, Zhou Huan distanced himself from the supermarket and melted into the shadows.

Dongzi proceeded as Zhou Huan had instructed. He entered the supermarket and walked straight toward Yu Qiu. Upon re-entering, the servers looked as if they had seen a ghost, each one utterly terrified. They stared at Dongzi as if he were an alien from Mars. Walking along, Dongzi muttered, “Don’t look at me like that. Yu Qiu is right there, yet they tell me she’s dead. Who would believe that?”

Dongzi’s words only served to increase the servers' terror. Some even shouted, “If you keep talking nonsense, I’m calling the police!”

Dongzi frowned, looking at Yu Qiu: “Yu Qiu, quickly explain it to them! They all say you’ve been dead for three months; they say you’re a ghost. But I can clearly see you.” Dongzi lowered his head to look: “Look, she even has a shadow, right?”

At this point, Yu Qiu finally spoke, but the sound of her voice was imbued with an indescribable, chilling horror: “Yes, they are right. I have been dead for three months. I was poisoned three months ago, but I still miss the place where I used to work, so I came back here. However, in the past three months, you and Zhou Huan are the first people to see me. That’s why I know you are not ordinary people.”

Hearing this, Dongzi froze. He reached out a trembling hand to touch Yu Qiu, but just then, Yu Qiu’s body smoothly shifted backward: “Don’t touch me, or you will regret it!”

A server walked up beside Dongzi: “Sir, are you alright? Yu Qiu really is dead. What are you doing here?”

“Can’t you see? Yu Qiu is right in front of me. You really can’t see her?” Dongzi turned to ask, but when he looked back, Yu Qiu’s eyes had changed. They were vacant, devoid of spirit, fixed and unmoving. Black blood trickled from the corners of her mouth, and her face was pale and ashen.

“Ah!” the server behind Dongzi shrieked: “I see her! That person really is Yu Qiu! A ghost! Help!”

Dongzi was severely frightened by this sudden transformation and stumbled back two steps: “Are you really a ghost?”

“Yes, I truly am a ghost. If you don’t believe me, I can take you to my home. You can see where I live, and I guarantee you’ll believe I am a ghost.” Yu Qiu then turned and picked up a black leather bag from the ground. A hole gaped at the edge of the bag, from which corpse worms constantly crawled out, plopping onto the floor with crisp, cracking sounds.

Dongzi’s eyes widened. Watching Yu Qiu walk toward the supermarket entrance, his own legs felt strangely stiff. At this moment, the person he most wished to see wasn't Yu Qiu, but his older brother, Zhou Huan.

Everywhere Yu Qiu passed, the servers suddenly saw her. There were other customers in the supermarket who dispersed immediately. A few who hadn't managed to escape were either fainting, screaming, or huddled in corners of the walls.

Dongzi followed this inexplicable force behind Yu Qiu, watching the bugs occasionally tumble from her leather bag. Dongzi was utterly repulsed, but he was bound by Zhou Huan’s plan and had no choice but to trail Yu Qiu toward her home.

In truth, what Zhou Huan had whispered to Dongzi was this: “No matter what happens, once you go in and see Yu Qiu, whatever she says, believe it. The objective is simply to follow her back to her residence to investigate.” He hadn't expected that following Yu Qiu home would be this easy, thereby completing Zhou Huan’s arrangement.

Zhou Huan had visited the supermarket once already when Dongzi first arrived. He had searched for Yu Qiu, but the servers had ignored Zhou Huan, each busy with their own tasks. Zhou Huan then left the supermarket and began searching everywhere for Dongzi. He sensed something was amiss with Yu Qiu, so he decided to use Dongzi as bait, reasoning that Dongzi appeared simpleminded and easily trusted, and perhaps too quick to believe others. He hadn’t expected to find Dongzi under the large tree across from the supermarket, which inspired this entire scheme.

Knowing he was the bait, Dongzi clung tightly to Yu Qiu’s heels. Before long, Yu Qiu led Dongzi through several streets to a sprawling area of shanties and shack dwellings. In the very center of this district stood the only two-story building. A banner hung from the second floor, bearing several large characters: “Yu Family Meat Filling Buns!” Dongzi followed Yu Qiu to the second floor and began ascending the stairs.

“Come, this is my home!” Yu Qiu’s voice remained muffled and ghostly.

The sight of the characters for ‘Meat Filling Buns’ made Dongzi’s blood run cold, for he distinctly remembered seeing Yu Qiu giving buns to a small beggar in the corner of an abandoned building last time. Could she truly be a ghost? At this moment, Dongzi thought of his dear brother, constantly murmuring in his mind: Brother Huan, I’m here now. What should I do? If I go into the house with her, and she chops me up for bun filling, I’m done for!

Dongzi slowed his pace, following Yu Qiu up the steps one by one. He walked slower and slower, even stopping entirely on the final step. Cold sweat beaded on Dongzi’s forehead: “Yu Qiu, did you take the flowers I gave you?” Dongzi deliberately found a topic to stall for time.

Yu Qiu slowly pulled the flowers out of her tattered leather bag. The plastic wrapping around the bouquet made a rustling sound, which, when listened to closely, sounded jarringly grating yet carried an atmosphere of terror.

“Look, aren’t the flowers here? See how beautifully their color has changed!” Yu Qiu fiddled with the flowers in her hand while staring vacantly at Dongzi.

Dongzi looked at the rose. Its vibrant crimson had deepened to a dark red; any shade darker, and it would be black. Several worms squirmed within the petals.

“Oh… oh,” Dongzi forced himself to reply, his heart screaming wildly: Brother, come out! I really don’t want to go inside with her!

“Handsome, come into the house with me; I’ll make you some buns!” Yu Qiu revealed her perfectly white teeth, but they were stained with dark sludge, and fresh blood oozed from between her gums.