Chapter 5: Bitter

Li Xiaoran was completely stunned by Lin Cheng’s direct and enthusiastic invitation, a blush spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears.
She had never expected Lin Cheng to suddenly ask her out like this. Just earlier, she had invited him for milk tea in the evening, and he had declined. Why would he suddenly invite her now…?
The sharp contrast left Li Xiaoran at a loss for how to react.

The young girl stammered, “Mountain climbing? At night? I… I…”
She instinctively avoided Lin Cheng’s overly intense gaze, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

Lin Cheng immediately added, “Xiaoran, I know a mountain in the suburbs with especially good scenery and fresh air. It’s perfect for clearing our heads! So it’s a date?”

Su Wanqing, off to the side, was clutching her hair, on the verge of going mad.

Clear your heads?! Clear your fat head! Lin Cheng! Snap out of it! You’re not allowed to go!!
Li Xiaoran, you’re not allowed to agree!!

Su Wanqing didn’t know what right she had, but she just couldn’t stand the idea of Lin Cheng and Li Xiaoran going mountain climbing together.
She circled around Lin Cheng in frustration, but it was useless—her body just passed through him.

Under Lin Cheng’s scorching gaze, Li Xiaoran’s pretty face turned crimson. She lowered her head slightly and let out a mosquito-like hum, which counted as her consent.

A bright smile immediately lit up Lin Cheng’s face. He beamed and urged Li Xiaoran to sit next to him.
Li Xiaoran was extremely embarrassed by his smile. She sat down beside him, looking just like a shy little girl being coaxed by her beloved.

Floating nearby, Su Wanqing felt a huge wave of bitterness crash over her the moment she saw Li Xiaoran nod.
Her semi-transparent body froze in mid-air.
Seeing the brilliant smile on Lin Cheng’s face—smiling for another girl—Su Wanqing’s previous grievances, anger, and unwillingness all turned into an indescribable heartache.

What’s happening…
Doesn’t Lin Cheng… like me?
Why would he invite Li Xiaoran to go mountain climbing…

An overwhelming sense of powerlessness and abandonment surged through her.

The chain on her ankle seemed to sense her emotions. Its cold touch was like a cruel reminder: You’re already dead.
You’re just a trapped ghost.
His world, his choices, his smiles—they have nothing to do with you anymore.

Su Wanqing silently floated farther away, curling up in a cold corner of the classroom. Her semi-transparent figure looked particularly thin and frail.
For the first time, the girl’s ghost truly understood that death did not just mean the end of life—but also an uncrossable chasm between her and the world of the living.

Lin Cheng had turned to the side, enthusiastically chatting with Li Xiaoran.
Li Xiaoran, cheeks flushed, unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes, occasionally nodding in response.

“I’ll wait for you downstairs at the girls’ dormitory then. You can change before coming…”
“It’s fine, it’s normal to wait a little while…”
“Xiaoran, you’re really cute. You have a great personality. I feel really comfortable being around you.”

Lin Cheng’s voice drifted over in bits and pieces, each word like a cold gust of wind that made Su Wanqing feel even more isolated.

She remembered how Lin Cheng had once tried so hard to get close to her, with that persistent concern—reminding her to be careful of this and that.
At the time, she had only found it annoying, thought he was being nosy, suspected he had ulterior motives. She had driven him away with the most hurtful words, even threatened him.

“I really… deserve this…”

Su Wanqing’s fingertips brushed across the cold floor without any sensation. The only feeling left in her entire body was the chill from the chain.
She was dead.
No longer the spoiled, willful young lady of the Su family who had been the center of attention.
She was just a ghost—someone no one could see.

The Lin Cheng who had once helped her, protected her, the only one who had truly been good to her…
Now, Li Xiaoran sat beside him, able to respond to his warmth, able to climb mountains and see rivers with him.
And she could only be trapped by this cold chain, watching alone.

She didn’t even notice that her body had become just a bit more transparent.

Su Wanqing simply stared blankly in that direction—at the side of Lin Cheng’s smiling face.

Just then—

Lin Cheng’s smile seemed to falter for a brief moment.
As if sensing something, he instinctively reached up and touched the back of his neck.
That was the spot where Su Wanqing’s hand had just passed through.

A faint but unusually distinct chill swept across his skin.
He shivered involuntarily.

Lin Cheng looked around, confused.
The classroom windows were open, and the warm April breeze drifted in, rustling the curtains. The sounds from the playground outside were clear and cheerful.
Everything seemed perfectly normal.

But that feeling just now…

What was that?
It felt like a ghost blowing cold air on me.
It was too real.
Too real to be my imagination.
That chill—it even seemed to carry… an indescribable sense of sorrow and longing.

Lin Cheng frowned, an odd unease rising in his chest.

“Lin Cheng?” Li Xiaoran quickly noticed the subtle change in his mood and softly asked, “What’s wrong? Does your hand hurt again?” She glanced with concern at his bandaged arm.

Lin Cheng shook his head, trying to shake off the strange discomfort. “It’s nothing. Maybe the wind’s a bit chilly.”

But his eyes couldn’t help sweeping across the corner of the classroom, as if looking for something.

The moment Su Wanqing saw him turn his head, her heart skipped a beat—like she had glimpsed a sliver of hope.
She floated closer, tentatively reaching out once more to touch the back of Lin Cheng’s neck.
This time, she focused all her will, imagining that she could still connect with this world—still touch him.

“Lin Cheng, it’s me, Su Wanqing! I’m right beside you!”

She called out in a low voice.

A sliver of cold once again brushed across the back of Lin Cheng’s neck. This time, it was sharper—like an ice needle piercing his skin.

He suddenly turned around, confusion and even a trace of fear in his eyes.
The classroom was empty.
Aside from him and Li Xiaoran, there was no one else.

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