Chapter 4

A few days after the incident on the ghost bus, a cold front swept through Tongcheng, causing temperatures to plummet.

Chu Ning’s parents, living in a neighboring city, were deeply concerned about his health. After a phone call full of worry, they hesitantly brought up the subject of his academic leave. Before his car accident and subsequent fall off a cliff, Chu Ning had been a senior at Tongcheng University. Following the accident, he was diagnosed as a permanent vegetative state, forcing his family to arrange for a long-term leave of absence.

With that year-long leave nearing its end, and prompted by his parents, Chu Ning felt his recovery was going well. He spent two days organizing his documents and, on Monday, took his student ID back to Tongcheng University to submit an application for reinstatement.

Although the original owner of this body was dismissed by outsiders as a good-for-nothing, his life was not entirely devoid of merit; at the very least, he had managed to get into Tongcheng University through his own efforts. Of course, his major was the highly obscure African Languages program, often mocked by others as a stroke of sheer luck—a "non-chief" (unlucky person) picking up what everyone else had discarded.

The reinstatement application required signatures and stamps from several different department heads. Chu Ning, sitting in his wheelchair, made the rounds, running back and forth two or three times before finally getting everything finalized.

At noon, he messaged Chu Mingming, and the two agreed to meet at the campus cafeteria. After Chu Ning had collected his meal, Chu Mingming arrived, carrying a stack of textbooks. Following closely behind him was a girl with a single ponytail—the same student from the ghost bus.

The girl looked quite haggard. She offered Chu Ning an embarrassed smile before taking a seat across from him with her tray. "Hello," she introduced herself, "my name is Zhao Kexin."

"I'm Chu Ning."

"I've heard of you," Zhao Kexin said, studying his face for a moment. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she whispered, "I've heard quite a few rumors about you, but seeing you in person is different. You don't seem anything like the rumors at all."

Curious, Chu Ning asked, "What do the rumors say I'm like?"

"Annoying personality, terrible grades, bad temper," Zhao Kexin said, carefully choosing her words.

Chu Ning just smiled. "Is there something you needed to see me about?"

The incident on the ghost bus had affected Zhao Kexin deeply; she had been sick for several days after returning home. Unable to bear the thought of what happened on that bus, she took a deep breath and said, "I heard from Chu Mingming that we were only able to escape that night because of you. Thank you so much."

Zhao Kexin bowed sincerely. Chu Ning didn't dodge the gesture, but noticing her poor state, he asked politely, "Is something bothering you, Zhao?"

Zhao Kexin paused, then said with sudden agitation, "Did you notice something?"

Seeing that Zhao Kexin’s aura was clean—he couldn't actually detect anything amiss—Chu Ning spread his hands and admitted, "I only noticed the dark circles under your eyes. It looks like you haven't been sleeping well."

Zhao Kexin looked disappointed for a moment. She bit her dry lip, hesitated, and then, trembling slightly, lowered her voice to ask, "Chu, do you think there are any aftereffects after a normal person encounters a ghost?"

Before Chu Ning could answer, Zhao Kexin couldn't hold it in anymore. Like beans spilling from a bag, she poured out everything she had experienced since that night.

Ever since accidentally boarding the ghost bus, she had been plagued by nightmares and sleep paralysis every single night. During the day, she felt constant muscle soreness, lacked energy, and couldn't focus on anything. After fainting from low blood sugar during a PE class, she realized she had lost ten pounds in less than a week—even more drastic than when she had been on a crash diet.

After suffering for a few days, she finally told her family. Upon hearing that her symptoms started after she got off the ghost bus, her family hired a well-known local shaman to read her fortune. The shaman immediately declared that she had been tainted by something dirty from the bus and had brought it home. She claimed the entity was yin-natured and was draining Zhao Kexin’s life force, which explained the sleep paralysis and fatigue.

Having truly seen a ghost, Zhao Kexin believed the shaman and paid for a ritual, even drinking a glass of talisman water. But when her condition didn't improve, the shaman just chanted more, insisting the entity was too powerful to be driven away in one go.

As she finished, anxiety filled her eyes. She nervously curled her fingers, glanced left and right with suspicion, and asked in a voice bordering on tears, "Chu, could you please take a look? Is there really a ghost around me?"

Chu Ning was silent for two seconds, then couldn't help but ask, "After you drank the talisman water, did you get diarrhea?"

Zhao Kexin blinked, recalled the events, and said with a pale face, "I did end up going to the bathroom a few times."

She paused and whispered, "Is that a problem, Chu?"

It wasn't much of a problem, other than the fact that Zhao might not be the brightest bulb. But Chu Ning didn't have the heart to say it.

Instead, Chu Mingming, who had been listening, chimed in, "That stuff sounds disgusting. Anyone who drinks it would get the runs. Zhao, were you scammed?"

Zhao Kexin looked stunned.

"And didn't we both get off the same ghost bus?" Chu Mingming flexed his arm and punched the air, looking very proud. "Why am I perfectly fine? Maybe the ghost is a bully who picks on the weak and was intimidated by my overwhelming masculine energy?"

Zhao Kexin looked at Chu Mingming’s sturdy frame, then at her own thin arms and legs, and muttered, "Maybe..." She remained convinced she had some kind of post-ghost-encounter syndrome.

Chu Ning hesitated, then asked, "Zhao, have you been feeling unusually anxious lately? Does this state often come with insomnia, emotional tension, occasional depression or irritability, and mental fatigue?"

Zhao Kexin nodded repeatedly, her face miserable. "Every night I can't sleep because of the sleep paralysis, and during the day my whole body aches. I'm almost depressed from all this. Do you have any way to help me? I can pay!"

"There is a way, but I have to ask," Chu Ning sighed, feeling weary. "How long has it been since your last period?"

Zhao Kexin: "Huh?"
Zhao Kexin: "..."
Zhao Kexin: "!!"

"Normal people might have a period of bad luck after encountering a ghost, but it shouldn't affect your daily life. Just getting more sunlight will restore you," Chu Ning said, having Chu Mingming bring her a glass of warm water. "You're just too tense."

Zhao Kexin took the water with a flushed face, still unwilling to let it go. "Am I really not being haunted?"

Chu Ning felt a bit helpless. "Generally speaking, the chances of a normal person encountering a ghost are like winning the lottery. Do you really think you could win the jackpot twice in one week?"

Zhao Kexin was silent for a moment before saying gloomily, "I guess so. The biggest prize I've ever won in my life was a 'buy one get one free' bottle cap."

Chu Ning didn't look down on the unlucky. After a moment, he said, "If you're still worried, I can draw a talisman for you."

"A talisman?" Hearing the word, Zhao Kexin remembered the foul water the shaman had forced her to drink and was immediately wary. But since it was Chu Ning, she trusted his ability and felt a glimmer of hope. "What kind of talisman? How much?"

"A Jia-Shen Talisman. It wards off evil and dispels negative energy. You can use it for protection," Chu Ning said.

Zhao Kexin found the name ridiculous, but didn't correct him. "You don't need to dissolve it in water; just carry it with you," Chu Ning said with a smile. He then casually asked, "By the way, how much did you pay that shaman?"

Zhao Kexin covered her face, looking pained, and quietly held up one finger.

"One hundred?" Chu Ning asked, surprised.

Zhao Kexin opened her mouth, stammered for a moment, and whispered, "A thousand."

Chu Ning went numb. "..."

How did scammers make so much money these days? A few seconds later, he coughed. "In that case, I won't overcharge you for my Jia-Shen Talisman. We're classmates, so I'll give you a twenty percent discount—eight hundred."

***

Throughout the meal, none of the three were really eating. Zhao Kexin was still depressed about being swindled, while Chu Mingming, in a spirit of camaraderie, changed the subject to school affairs.

Once her attention was diverted, Zhao Kexin regained some spirit and began complaining about a school project: an "innovation market" under the overpass near campus intended to help impoverished students. It was a good idea, but after half the spots were filled, the school suddenly demanded a two-thousand-yuan deposit per stall. This created a frustrating situation where students who could afford the deposit were rejected by the screening process, while those who passed the screening couldn't afford the deposit.

As the deputy head of the Work-Study Society, Zhao Kexin was in charge of the applications and was tearing her hair out over it.

Chu Ning, having listened, suddenly asked, "How strict are the application criteria?"

"It's meant for truly struggling students, so the screening is very tight. There are over a dozen specific rules," Zhao Kexin replied.

"If I were to apply, would I pass?" Chu Ning asked humbly.

Zhao Kexin was stunned. "Are you really that broke?" She shook her head subconsciously. Everyone in school knew Chu Ning was the young master of the wealthy Chu family. Even if he was a "fake" young master who had been misraised for twenty years, no one had heard of him being kicked out of the family. If Chu Ning counted as impoverished, wouldn't half the school be starving to death?

"With your background, Chu, you shouldn't be competing with the needy for spots, right?" she asked with a frown.

Chu Ning: ...
"What background?" Chu Ning asked, confused. "Is being a million in debt not poor enough?"

Zhao Kexin couldn't bring herself to believe him and waved her hand dismissively. "Stop joking, Chu."

"I really wish I were joking," Chu Ning replied.

Seeing he couldn't explain it, Chu Ning let it go. Zhao Kexin, feeling awkward, packed up her dishes and left in a hurry.

After she left, Chu Ning picked at the greens on his tray. Chu Mingming suddenly scratched his head and asked, "Brother, are you really going to apply?"

"I'm considering it..." Chu Ning muttered, stabbing a piece of corn.

Chu Mingming said "Oh," and fiddled with his phone. A few seconds later, Chu Ning’s phone began to chime with notifications:

"WealthPay received 124.33 yuan."
"WeChat Pay received 667.28 yuan."
"Alipay received 1398.45 yuan."

Chu Ning blinked and looked at his phone. "What are you doing?"

Chu Mingming kept his head down, eating. "You need the deposit for the stall, right?" He looked up with a bright smile. "I'm just investing in you."