The air remained heavy with a fine drizzle, yet the long, unbound hair of the female ghost showed no signs of dampness, instead swirling unnaturally in the still rain. As the strands parted to reveal her features, Jin Qiu and Jiang Tao simultaneously gasped, a sound bordering on a sob. It was a face defying gender identification, its features indistinct—no discernible eyebrows or nose, only a dull, grey expanse punctuated by a pair of stark, white eyes devoid of pupils. Her lips, a startling crimson, curved slightly upward into what seemed a scornful smile.

Suddenly, that arresting patch of scarlet shifted, and a voice echoed simultaneously within the minds of the three onlookers.

“Am I beautiful?”

Gu Yi shook his head and let out a soft sigh.

The female ghost responded with a cold, mocking laugh, her face beginning to contort. In the blink of an eye, a fully formed human face materialized, though its complexion was almost ashen, utterly bloodless, perhaps even tinged with blue. The areas around her eyes were dark and sunken, her eyeballs bulging; upon closer inspection, it was apparent that the white sclera occupied a far greater area than the irises. Her cheeks were deeply hollowed, and the skin looked desiccated, resembling nothing so much as a half-mummified corpse.

Gu Yi remained silent this time, but Jiang Tao, behind him, though glancing away quickly, involuntarily froze for a moment. He turned his head to look closely at Jin Qiu beside him and couldn't help but utter a soft sound of surprise, “Yi?”

Since hiding behind Gu Yi, Jin Qiu’s eyes had remained half-lidded. Overcome by fear, she had only risked glancing sideways occasionally. After seeing the red lips, she had squeezed her eyes shut, daring not to look further.

Jiang Tao hesitated for a long moment, then bravely risked another swift glance at the ghost. He whispered, “Jin Qiu, she looks a bit like you.”

A series of chilling laughs resonated in their minds, followed by the ghost’s ‘voice’: “You actually noticed.”

Hearing this, Jin Qiu couldn't help but open her eyes curiously for a look at the ghost, only to slam them shut again instantly with a sharp "Ah!" The image was too impactful, refusing to leave the forefront of her memory. Despite the sheer horror, Jin Qiu had to concede that the face bore a certain resemblance to her own.

“Who are you?” Gu Yi suddenly asked.

“Who am I? You wouldn't guess—I am her sister.” The ghost’s sudden revelation stunned not just Jin Qiu and Jiang Tao, but Gu Yi as well, though at that moment, a flicker of understanding dawned on him.

Jin Qiu violently shook her head, crying out, “No… impossible, I don’t have a sister…”

The ghost’s voice, thick with hatred, resonated again: “How is it impossible? You know.”

Gu Yi abruptly raised a hand, making a halting gesture, and spoke: “Stop. Don’t either of you try to argue. It’s better if Xiao Hong recounts the whole thing from the beginning.”

Even in the face of such bizarre and terrifying circumstances, his use of the casual name “Xiao Hong” made Jiang Tao almost want to laugh. Even the female ghost paused noticeably before finally choosing to recount the sequence of events.

The story, it turned out, was somewhat cliché: a pair of sisters separated at a young age due to family circumstances, raised without knowledge of the other. The younger sister was sent to a family of modest means. Not long ago, her adoptive parents died in an accident, forcing the sister to move in with a relative of theirs. It was while sorting through her adoptive parents' belongings that she found a diary, through which she learned she had an older sister. Unwilling to live as a dependent, she resolved to seek out her true family.

The older sister, meanwhile, enjoyed a very comfortable life. Coincidentally, both her parents were also deceased, leaving behind a substantial inheritance. Naturally, this older sister had picked up some questionable habits, such as squandering money, and her string of boyfriends changed as rapidly as a turning reel; however, lately, there was one gentle and considerate man who truly suited her taste.

The first time the younger sister used an address from the diary to find the older sister’s home, the older sister wasn't there—only her boyfriend was present. When the younger sister explained her purpose, the boyfriend suggested she stay hidden for now, offering to break the news to the sister himself, citing concerns that the sudden revelation might be too much for the sister to handle emotionally, among other reasons. The younger sister found the reasoning plausible and agreed to the boyfriend’s request.

But after a long wait, the older sister never contacted her. When the younger sister visited again to inquire, she was met once more by the older sister’s boyfriend. This time, his excuse was that he had just proposed, and they had been busy with wedding preparations, which is why he hadn't sought