Chapter 21: Something in the Bathroom

I lunged toward the sofa, grabbing my clothes and pants and pulling them on, not even bothering to take off my damp underwear. I’d bet anything that my speed in getting dressed could rival that of a firefighter sliding into his gear.

"All right!" I said, looking at her eyes, which remained tightly shut.

"I heard a noise in the living room... so I came out to take a look!" Before I could even offer an explanation, she started explaining herself.

"Heh heh, that was me!" I looked down and noticed a damp patch on my pants.

"Right... I almost forgot about that thing in the bathroom!" I started moving toward the restroom again.

"I'll go!" Huang Ying said. She had seen the terror on my face when she emerged from the bedroom, so she decided to step forward—or at least, that was my assumption.

"No, I told you, I'm the one protecting you now!!!" I couldn't let Huang Ying look down on me.

Huang Ying was very obedient and stayed where she was, but I could tell by her posture that she was ready to spring into action at any moment. It seemed she still cared for me very, very much!

I moved to the bathroom door, closed my eyes, and reached out to feel for the switch.

*Click...*

I flicked the switch. There was nothing in the bathroom, only the showerhead running with a steady hiss. How was that possible? The sensation from just a moment ago had felt so real.

Seeing my bewildered expression, Huang Ying asked, "What’s wrong?"

"Uh... nothing. I think I just stepped on something! Did you feel anything?" Huang Ying was a spirit herself; if there were a ghost in this house, she should have been able to sense it.

I handed her my phone. These photos were completely different from the ones she’d taken before; especially the one where she was pouting—it was a stroke of genius. She looked at the photos and couldn't help but laugh. Even though it was the same person, her entire aura was different! Afterward, I took the phone back and fluidly set that photo as my wallpaper.

Once the photo session ended, I asked her what she remembered. She said she recalled the part where we went on the roller coaster. Now that she had finally recovered a complete memory, it was another significant step forward. No wonder she let me boss her around earlier; it was probably because of the fragments of our life together that she felt no reservations toward me. I could already see a happy life beckoning to me!

I told Huang Ying to go get some rest. I had originally intended to go ghost-hunting for her, but after what happened in the bathroom last night, I decided to set that aside for now. Dealing with the immediate issues around me was the priority.

I called the landlady, who brought over the property manager. The manager just tapped on the water heater a few times and told me, "The heater isn't broken!"

"How is that possible? I’ve been showering with cold water for the past two days!" To prove it to them, I went into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and touched the water. It was actually hot.

"See? I told you!"

How could this be? Was it possible that even the water heater had been tainted by something sinister?

"Oh, I’m so sorry. I must have been operating it incorrectly." I couldn't be bothered to explain it to them; even if I did, they would just think I was crazy. I had a vague feeling the water heater was connected to the thing I’d stepped on the night before.

After the manager and the landlady left, I searched the house from top to bottom, but I couldn't sense any unclean presence at all. "Nothing here!"

Afterward, I sent Huang Ying into the bedroom and took out the red viscous substance my grandfather had given me. This stuff was no good for Huang Ying, and I was afraid of hurting her.

The supply of the substance was dwindling, with only about a third left. I dripped a circle of it around the bedroom and then placed a dozen copper coins in every corner of the room. I had bought these coins at a street-side antique shop for a few dollars each.

Then I went into Huang Ying’s bedroom and told her not to touch the coins or the liquid! After saying that, Huang Ying and I just stared at each other. She blinked rapidly, not knowing why I was still standing there.

"Ahem..." I backed out of the room. It wasn't quite right for a man and a woman to be alone in the same room late at night.

I went back to my bedroom and uploaded my draft to the website. Since I’d been writing whenever I had a spare moment, I had enough of a buffer for the next few days. Our future living expenses would depend on this.

Before going to sleep, I glanced at the unit across the hall. The police said the case was closed; the woman had committed suicide. But I knew that wasn't the case. That woman was the daughter-in-law of that old hag. The daughter-in-law had found the old woman too difficult to take care of, so she took her to a remote place and abandoned her. The old woman then entered a half-corpse state, her resentment unquenched, and came back to kill her daughter-in-law.

The thing that appeared earlier couldn't have been related to that household, as I had already resolved that matter. But what exactly was it? I thought about it for a long time, but couldn't reach a conclusion. Forget it—there are too many strange and terrifying things in this world; if I tried to figure them all out, I’d be exhausted!

By now, ordinary ghosts wouldn't dare enter this room. I was truly exhausted from the past few days, so I lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, I opened my eyes. It was still blurry outside; it must have been only about five o'clock. Wait... I bolted upright. Why was I sleeping in the living room?!

I thought it was an illusion, as the feeling between dream and reality is often blurred upon waking, so I tapped my own head. This was definitely the living room, yet I clearly remembered falling asleep in the bedroom last night. Was I sleepwalking? I didn't recall having that habit. I turned on the lights and checked the copper coins and the liquid in every corner; everything was perfectly fine!

Could I really be sleepwalking? Unable to find a reason, I crawled back to bed. Drowsiness is just like desire; once it takes hold, you can't worry about anything else. I fell asleep in no time at all.

I don't know how much time passed, but I felt someone tugging at my blanket. I opened my eyes with a start and saw Huang Ying standing by the bed, startled by my reaction.

"It looks like you need to go to school!"

The scene was exactly the same as before: I would sleep in, and she would call me. It seemed that even if she didn't want to get up, it wouldn't be a big problem anymore, because she seemed to be back to her old self with me! Life is like this; if it’s meant to be yours, even the heavens can't take it away. I increasingly felt that my trip to the countryside had been a special arrangement by fate.

I asked Huang Ying if she wanted to go to school with me. She was silent for a moment, then gave a slight nod!

A school is always a place full of vitality. Once you arrive, you can put many worries aside, because this is our world. As soon as I got to class, I saw Li Yun sitting in my seat. I wasn't surprised; she had done this plenty of times before.

"Hey, you should head back now. The teacher is almost here!" I stood by the desk, looking down at her. Her clothes were all rumpled and crooked; I couldn't help but wonder how disappointed her parents must be in her.

"Sit in my seat," she said, not even looking up as she played with her phone.

Our homeroom teacher was very traditional; boys and girls in our class sat in separate groups. I looked at her seat, which was surrounded by girls. I shook my head. "Forget it, I'll just sit in my own seat!"

"I want to sit here today. Would it kill you to swap with me?" She turned off her phone, looked up, and said to me.

"The teacher doesn't allow it!" I checked my watch—class was about to start, so I used the teacher as an excuse to pressure her.

"Fine, I'll go back! It's no big deal!" She stood up, fuming, and walked toward her own seat.

Why had she been pestering me these past few days? And acting so strangely, too. But no matter how strange she was, it had nothing to do with me. My tasks were to attend class, eat, sleep, and accompany Huang Ying!

I believed that in a few days, Huang Ying would fully recover, though her physical form was still very ethereal. I needed to find a way to fix that.

After school, I immediately called my grandfather. Anything concerning Huang Ying was an urgent matter; not a second could be delayed!

Grandfather taught me some knowledge about Taoist methods, but didn't teach me how to capture ghosts yet. He said it couldn't be rushed. During the call, I asked about Huang Ying’s ethereal state. Without a moment's hesitation, he said, "That's not a big problem! Just have her absorb the souls of others!"

Even though he was my grandfather, I couldn't help but want to let out a curse. Wasn't he telling her to commit murder? I had experienced the feeling of having my soul absorbed—it was a fate worse than death!

"Isn't there a better way?" I was sure there had to be more than just this terrible method.

"There is." I heard him take a puff of something—he must have been smoking again. "You go out and catch some wandering ghosts and bring them back. You can just let her replenish herself with a little bit every day!"

If there was a way, he could have said so sooner, sparing me that moment of anxiety. But since he was my grandfather and he had come up with a solution, I decided to "let him off the hook" for now.

After hanging up, I realized Huang Ying had appeared behind me at some point.

"I think I remembered a little bit more!" she said.

This was within my expectations. But as I watched her standing there, I suddenly remembered something: I had long wanted to see her act bossy, but she never had.

"Huang Ying, try putting your hands on your hips!"

"Huh? Why?" She was slightly startled, not knowing what I was up to.

"Just try it!"

After blinking at me twice, she said, "Oh!" She raised both hands and placed them on her waist. "Is this right?"

"Yes, yes, exactly! Now tilt your head a little and lift it up."

She pursed her lips, but she followed my instructions.

"Pout your lips," I coaxed her step by step.

"Now lift your right hand and point at me!"

"Good, that's it!" I discovered she was truly obedient; she did whatever I asked.

I quickly pulled out my phone and said, "Don't move!"

*Click! Click!* ...

I snapped several photos in a row and then said, "All right, take a look! Doesn't it look good?"