The Ghost Girl

An Ruxin got out of bed with cold hands and feet.

She seemed to have had a nightmare last night. Her entire body ached when she woke up, and her mood was in the dumps. Fortunately, it was a day off, so she didn’t have to ask for leave from work—one less thing to deal with.

Dragging her exhausted body through her morning routine, An Ruxin wondered what she was going to do today.

She had promised to accompany Bai Miaoqing, but she felt so out of sorts this morning. Even though she couldn’t recall the dream clearly, the vague impressions kept circling in her mind, draining her both physically and mentally. It felt like the past was entangling her like a shadow. Given all this, An Ruxin decided she’d rest a bit more before heading out.

“…What am I even doing?”

The thought came to her naturally once she had a moment to herself.

Why had she so readily believed Bai Miaoqing’s talk about hauntings? Why was she getting involved in something so bizarre?

Yes, An Ruxin had once had a crush on Bai Miaoqing back in high school. Yes, in fact, her reason for staying single all these years was that she couldn’t let go of her feelings for Bai Miaoqing. But first of all, Bai Miaoqing had never been close to her. And second—what hurt the most—was that the Bai Miaoqing she had met now was a complete stranger.

An Ruxin didn’t know why her thoughts had grown so harsh, but it was the truth: Bai Miaoqing had become down-and-out, timid, ordinary, a complete mess—nothing like the girl she once had a crush on.

To put it more harshly, what An Ruxin really regretted… was saying hello to Bai Miaoqing at all.

She had always been an average person, and her long-unspoken crush on Bai Miaoqing had been the only melodramatic thread in her otherwise dull life. Just quietly indulging in that secret affection had been enough for her. She’d even developed a slightly unhealthy pride in her own devotion.

But now, the real Bai Miaoqing had appeared and shattered her beautiful memories. Those memories had brought some color to her otherwise gray world. And now they were gone. And so was the sincerity of her feelings—how could someone standing right in front of her feel so unfamiliar, so unapproachable?

Even An Ruxin felt awful about herself.

What was worse was that she had to admit, one of the major reasons she got involved in this whole “haunting” business was because of a certain fantasy: what if Bai Miaoqing’s downfall really was caused by some ghost? And what if, by helping her resolve it, the old Bai Miaoqing—the one she used to admire—would slowly return? And if that happened… would that Bai Miaoqing fall in love with her?

An Ruxin let out a long sigh and shook her head.

Now wasn’t the time to be thinking like that.

Just last night, before bed, she had stumbled across something suspicious about Bai Miaoqing. Before meeting her today, An Ruxin wanted to gather a bit more information.

Bai Miaoqing had gone to Liuxiang Middle School. An Ruxin knew that because, back in high school, she had once snuck a peek inside Bai Miaoqing’s bag during gym class and seen a middle school yearbook. Plus, when she was searching for the name “Chen Anran” last night, she’d seen it mentioned in the news. The memory was still fresh.

Without much hesitation, she opened her phone browser and typed “Liuxiang Middle School” into the search bar. Most of the results were official school info and not of much use. After thinking it over, she clicked into the school’s Tieba forum instead.

Tieba wasn’t popular anymore. The forum was nearly dead, with barely any new posts. Most were spam with almost no replies. An Ruxin had no choice but to click into the “featured posts” section and start scrolling quickly, hoping to find something useful.

Soon, a post caught her eye—

[The Biggest Ghost Story at Liuxiang Middle School! The Love-Struck Ghost Girl of the Abandoned Reservoir!]

[Original Poster:]

There are a lot of ghost stories at Liuxiang Middle School, and most of them are made up. But the one I’m going to tell you about is different. No one knows how long it’s been circulating at Liuxiang, but it’s probably the most believable one!

Everyone knows that if you cross the hill behind our school and walk a bit further, there’s an abandoned reservoir. Word is that back in the ’90s, there was a girl at Liuxiang who fell in love with one of her teachers. But back then, society was conservative—she didn’t dare say anything, just kept her feelings hidden. Somehow, her secret got out!

Everything fell apart. Her parents beat her for bringing shame to the family, her classmates mocked her, and even the teacher she liked started avoiding her. Devastated, one night she went to the reservoir and drowned herself for love. Since then, her ghost is said to roam the area, looking for the person who exposed her secret. The reservoir was abandoned after that…

But don’t be scared! I also heard that the ghost isn’t evil. She actually helps people who are stuck in unrequited love like she was. If you make a wish at the edge of the reservoir, it just might come true! Especially if it’s a love wish—super effective!

“What kind of nonsense is this…” An Ruxin chuckled dryly. “Sounds like one of those old Tieba trash horror stories. Who would actually believe this?”

She scrolled through the replies casually. As expected, most people didn’t buy into the ghost story. Some even cited their own failed love confessions as proof. But, oddly enough, nearly every former Liuxiang student had heard of the tale, and it supposedly dated back over a decade.

Scrolling down further, one reply stood out, buried in a nested thread under the 103rd floor—

[103rd Floor – BuddhaNoArrogance:]

Damn, didn’t think I’d see this post just by randomly checking the forum from my old school (lol).

Honestly, I made up the ghost girl story. I just wanted to scare the girls in our grade back then—teenage stuff, y’know? There was this total school beauty in our year—I forget her name, but she was stunning. Anyway, I made up the ghost story, and it worked pretty well. Though I don’t think she was ever scared by it.

Didn’t expect so many people would still believe it years later (lol).

[-Reply:] Wait, for real? You actually made that up? I’m a sophomore now, and I heard that story right after entering Liuxiang!

[BuddhaNoArrogance:] Yeah, for real. Why would I lie? Actually, it’s kinda sweet. Got a lot of awkward teens to go “make wishes” at the reservoir—great spot for bonding (lol). Plus, the wish thing worked as a kind of placebo, gave people courage to go after love.

[-Reply:] So what happened to the school beauty?

[BuddhaNoArrogance:] Not great. I think she went missing after the high school entrance exams. Might’ve run away or gotten abducted. Her family was really pitiful. I even donated 20 yuan of my pocket money back then.

…So it was all made up.

An Ruxin felt a bit let down. She thought she’d found an important clue, but it turned out to be just a lie.

Whatever. She stood up, put on her coat, and headed out to meet Bai Miaoqing.

———

When she arrived at the motel, Bai Miaoqing was huddled over a takeout box, eating with her head down. Seeing her, she perked up excitedly. “Ruxin! You’re here!”

“Did you sleep okay last night?” An Ruxin asked.

“Mm… pretty well,” Bai Miaoqing replied. “You?”

It was a simple polite exchange, but An Ruxin didn’t know how to answer. Her nightmare was already fading, but the fear and faint sadness from it still lingered. She changed the subject, fidgeting with her coat zipper. “That friend from yesterday… Her name was Chen Anran, right?”

Bai Miaoqing didn’t speak, as if confirming by her silence.

An Ruxin continued, “What’s your relationship with Chen Anran? If this really is a haunting… why would she come to you?”

This time, Bai Miaoqing fell silent for a moment before speaking in a low, downcast voice. “Chen Anran and I… grew up together. We lived right across from each other, so we played together a lot. From elementary school to junior high, we were in the same class and were good friends. Very close…”

“And then…?”

“…After the high school entrance exams,” Bai Miaoqing’s voice grew softer and softer, “there was a rumor going around in our junior high about a haunted abandoned reservoir. But Chen Anran didn’t believe in that stuff. She was really brave… so after the results came out, she asked me to go explore the reservoir with her.”

The reservoir? A haunted legend?

Isn’t that exactly what An Ruxin had just read about in the Liuxiang Middle School forum before leaving the house?

An Ruxin focused her attention. “So the two of you went to explore the reservoir? What happened afterward?”

Bai Miaoqing lifted her head, fear surfacing on her face. It was as if she were recalling a terrifying nightmare—something that still made her tremble even after all these years. “…We knew the adults would never let us go to such a remote place. It was too dangerous. So Chen Anran told us to sneak out without telling our families. We met at the back hill around noon. She had gone to a convenience store ahead of time and bought a ton of snacks. We shared them and climbed up the little white tower next to the reservoir… It was so quiet there. Not a soul around. I couldn’t hear anything—only Chen Anran’s voice as she talked to me. We made wishes facing the water… The water was filthy, dark green. Then… then… it was so quiet. Only her voice, and then…”

Bai Miaoqing’s voice trembled, and a cold, terrified glint flashed in her eyes. “—The ghost appeared.”

Her voice, her expression, her eyes—everything about her sent a chill down An Ruxin’s spine. She could almost see herself standing at that deserted reservoir, staring down at the debris-filled water.

An Ruxin heard her own voice tighten. “…A ghost?”

“The ghost appeared,” Bai Miaoqing enunciated each word. “The ghost pushed Chen Anran in. Then, it just kept pushing her down. Chen Anran tried to climb up, but she screamed—‘Something’s grabbing my leg!’ She screamed, ‘Help me, save me!’ And then… she sank. I was so scared. I saw the ghost. The ghost saw me too. I… I was terrified. I ran—I swear I wanted to save her! But I was just too scared!! But Chen Anran would never forgive me! Even now she won’t let me go! It was the ghost that killed her! Not me! But she just won’t forgive me…”

Bai Miaoqing suddenly clutched her hair, yanking at it over and over. She murmured like a broken machine, “She just won’t… won’t forgive me… She took everything from me…”

“Miaoqing, calm down…” An Ruxin quickly wrapped her arms around her, gently holding her in an attempt to soothe her. “She took everything from you… What does that mean?”

Bai Miaoqing stopped her frenzied pulling and stared into An Ruxin’s eyes, gasping for air. “…Ruxin, do you believe me?”

“Of course I do.” If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be trying to help you with all this. An Ruxin muttered inwardly.

“Then swear it. Swear you believe everything I say. Swear to me now,” Bai Miaoqing demanded.

An Ruxin was a little stunned. “Swear? Isn’t that a bit too serious…”

“Swear!” Bai Miaoqing’s voice rose, and her body jerked. “If you’ve decided to believe me, then it’s no big deal, right? So swear! Swear to me! You’re all I have now! Only you…”

Only you.

Those words struck something in An Ruxin.

A flood of emotion rose in her chest, making her lightheaded. Bai Miaoqing… even though she’s like this now, even if this isn’t the best moment, she—she who I’ve always loved—only has me to rely on now… That feeling was intoxicating.

“Alright. I swear. I swear that no matter how absurd the things you say may sound, I’ll believe you.” An Ruxin declared with finality.

Bai Miaoqing seemed to smile faintly, though the smile was weak. “Mm… Ruxin, do you still remember what happened during the college entrance exam?”

The shift in topic caught An Ruxin completely off guard. What shocked her more was—she hadn’t expected Bai Miaoqing to bring up that memory on her own.

No matter what, that was a memory filled with awkwardness and shame.

Author’s Note

We’re back to An Ruxin’s POV.

Had hotpot yesterday—so good. Highly recommend (thumbs up).