Chapter 1

Prosperity, Democracy, Harmony, and Friendship

“Still not closed yet? Xiaonan?” Aunt Liu, who sold silk next door, peered into Nan Shi’s store while carrying her newly purchased Yiwu small silk bag. Seeing him still seated at the counter with an absorbed expression as he stared at his phone, she called out, “It’s already past nine o’clock; it’s unsafe to return home so late!”

Hearing this, Nan Shi lifted his gaze. The dim yellow light inside the shop cast upon him, softening his features. He was still wearing a long azure robe, and hanging from his chest was a piece of ancient jade—its origin unknown, having been sourced from some mysterious place. With silver-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, he exuded the aura of a refined scholar.

Nan Shi responded briefly, “I know, Aunt Liu. I’ll tidy up the shop first before heading back.”

“All right then, I won’t wait for you!” Aunt Liu turned around, switched off the lights in her own shop, rolled down the shutter gate, and leisurely walked away.

With her departure, only Nan Shi’s store remained lit along the entire pedestrian street.

Nan Shi unpacked the day’s just-arrived express delivery, taking out several small bags wrapped in plastic bubble paper. After removing the tape and emptying their contents onto the table, there came a cascade akin to large pearls and small beads falling onto a jade plate—a symphony of sound and sight.

He examined each item carefully under the light. On every bracelet, not a single bead showed any flaws or cracks. When laid against the deep blue velvet cloth, they exuded an air of nobility by stark contrast.

Hm… No one should be able to tell that these bracelets were sold in bulk starting at fifty pieces per order, with each piece costing only ten yuan—though he must say, out of conscience, he had chosen high-quality goods; compared to his neighbor’s neighbor who sold wholesale batches of similar bracelets for just two cents apiece, these looked far more upscale and fashionable.

Even when taken out, they could still deceive people with their appearance alone.

In addition to this, there were several other deliveries containing accessories made from items like “jade” (actually mist jade), Bodhi roots (genuine but cheap), chrysoberyls (plastic), etc. The selection featured quite distinctive designs, including a few patterns personally designed by Nan Shi himself.

As Nan Shi organized everything, he glanced at the antiques displayed on the store’s cabinet stand and couldn’t help but sigh.

Well then, genuine antiques went unsold while counterfeit ones found ready markets—a harsh reality indeed.

He sorted the accessories into categories, placing them onto velvet-lined trays within the counter. After arranging them neatly in rows, he marked down their prices accordingly. By the time he finished tidying up, it was already past eleven o’clock.

He stretched lazily, letting out a long sigh. Tilting his head back, he took a sip of flat Coca-Cola from the bottle. After tidying up the trash, he planned to head home—this jacket had been worn for a whole week and was due for washing at home anyway; it would be perfect to wear straight there.

Speaking of which, his new clothes were almost ready as well.

To cater to its cultural industry’s special feature, the pedestrian street underwent renovations two years ago. All shops were transformed into an antique ambiance. Red lanterns hanging from the eaves swayed slowly in the night breeze like leisurely strollers. The weather was cool, with few birds or cicadas singing amidst the silence. Moonlight quietly spilled down, creating just a hint of poetic atmosphere.

However, today was truly too cold.

Nan Shi hugged himself tightly. Underneath his long robe, he wore thermal underwear claimed by the seller to withstand temperatures as low as -5 degrees Celsius. Although this place’s temperature might have been slightly chilly today, it still hovered above zero! This shouldn’t be happening! He’d definitely leave a negative review upon returning home!

The red lantern overhead flickered twice. Nan Shi instinctively looked up towards it. That string of red lanterns seemed not to have been replaced for quite some time. The outer layer of faded red cloth had begun unraveling, fluttering gently in the wind. Yet within, the light bulb remained resilient, emitting its glow—but obscured behind this piece of red fabric, it appeared intermittently dim and bright, causing strain on anyone who tried to look directly at it.

Nan Shi hastily lowered his head and continued walking. After traversing the main path of this pedestrian street, he still needed to绕 (绕) two alleys before reaching the parking lot.

Nan Shi felt that this area was quite good; it was just that walking through the small lanes at midnight was somewhat frightening—this pedestrian street itself was an old road with over a thousand years of history, dating back as far as the Tang Dynasty. The surrounding areas were residential districts, but there weren’t lacking some ancient buildings either.

When planning for reconstruction, the local authorities had considered these points well in advance: where museums should be built, they built them; what needed protection, they protected; and what required relocation, they relocated. Some structures, not meeting the criteria for relocation, were leased again for use as guesthouses instead. There were also some where citizens still lived, though young people disliked the outdated housing and inconvenient transportation here. Only a few nostalgic elderly remained living in such places.

This would have been ideal otherwise, except no one could have anticipated that after business hours every evening, this entire district along the pedestrian street would barely have any lights illuminated. On rare occasions when a few did light up, they were often those red lantern-adorned guesthouses, giving the impression upon first glance of accidentally stumbling onto a horror film set during nighttime shoots.

Don’t say it—there really were several horror films filmed on this old street.

As Nan Shi thought about this, images from when he had encountered film crews while leaving work popped up in his mind involuntarily, sending shivers down his spine. Although he knew they were fake… these thoughts made him even more terrified now!

Nan Shi, as a young individual entrepreneur who was utterly cowardly, would always choose to leave at 9 PM with the neighboring shop owner to avoid being scared witless by his own overactive imagination walking alone.

Today’s incident was truly unexpected!

From now on, I should still stock up during times when there aren’t many people around! By doing so discreetly, no one could possibly discover that he was extracting jewelry by the dozen from courier packages.

Just as he pondered this, the light above his head flickered again before suddenly dimming. Under the red lampshade, the glow transformed into a dark, blood-like hue.

Nan Shi’s heart skipped a beat; he quickened his pace, inwardly cursing—If the lights are broken, hurry up and fix them! Had they ever considered how someone like him, traversing the streets at night, might feel?!

Though he thought this way, Nan Shi still couldn’t resist lifting his head for a glance. As expected, the string of red lanterns about three or four meters ahead was extremely dim. He silently memorized the shop’s name, planning to mention it to the owner when passing by tomorrow on his way to work.

Before he could fully let out the breath held in his chest, he turned around and saw standing before him a woman dressed in red with disheveled hair—should be a woman, right…?

The unexhaled breath suddenly caught in his throat again, his heart skipping a beat before pounding wildly once more. His footsteps halted as well; he dared not take another step forward.

Nan Shi swallowed hard, thinking to himself—Stay calm! This must be some staff member who got separated from their filming crew while scouting locations! Although I haven’t received any notification about a production team coming recently, it must be them!

Strength, democracy, civilization, harmony! I’m not afraid at all!

Nan Shi hesitated over whether to approach and inquire. It was highly likely just someone lost in the crowd. After all, a young girl wandering alone late at night wasn’t exactly safe. Just as he was about to speak up, the woman lifted her head, revealing streaks of blood crisscrossing across her face—a makeup style where even her eyes, nose, and mouth were stained red.

Miss, walking down the street like that in the middle of the night will surely scare people to death!

Nan Shi forced a smile with difficulty and said dryly, “… Hello? Are you lost? If you’re lost, just keep walking straight ahead. There’s a 24-hour police booth eight hundred meters from here. Um… your production team’s makeup and styling isn’t bad.”

The girl didn’t respond, only staring blankly at Nan Shi.

Seeing this, Nan Shi decided to bypass her and continue on his way home.

As he passed by the girl, when her red clothes—just looking at them made one’s heart tremble—disappeared from sight, Nan Shi still let out a sigh of relief… Thank goodness I haven’t…?!

In the brief moment of his distraction, the girl had reappeared right in front of him again.

Nan Shi was somewhat speechless; did he hear footsteps while walking? He couldn’t be sure.

When exactly did she come over? He didn’t know.

Upon closer inspection, were there any rises or falls in the girl’s chest area? No!

Nan Shi’s mind went completely blank. His legs seemed to take charge themselves, leading his body back towards where he’d come from in a mad dash—the direction truly did have a police booth nearby! Regardless of whether she was human or ghost, once he reached it, he’d be safe!

However, after taking merely two steps, the girl appeared before him yet again.

This time he saw it with his own eyes: appearing out of thin air without even a hint of movement or footsteps— not even the world’s fastest sprinter could manage such speed…

The clothed ghost in red turned towards him, revealing an eerie smile as it reached out its hand…

Nan Shi immediately spun around and darted into the small alley on the right. This time, the clothed ghost in red did not flash before him again. Nan Shi ran like mad for a while, unsure exactly how many twists and turns he had taken through these interconnected alleys. The sound of his breathing now became unusually clear; cold wind whistled past his ears. He dared not look back, fearing that one glance might bring their faces perilously close.

His heart wouldn’t have allowed him to do otherwise! Otherwise, it might just perform a live demonstration of a myocardial infarction right then and there!

With each step growing heavier, his breaths increasingly failed to keep pace. Every time Nan Shi lifted his foot, it felt as if he were pulling himself from a quagmire—an unbelievably cumbersome sensation.

Finally unable to continue any further, he came to a stop, hands braced against his knees as he gasped for air. His sweat-soaked thermal underwear clung chillingly to his skin.

However, this was no time to catch his breath. Steeling himself mentally, he glanced over his shoulder—one perfect view greeted him—a vast expanse utterly empty, devoid of pursuit.

Nan Shi turned his head back around, just as he was beginning to relax and adjust his breathing, when suddenly he felt something like water falling on top of his head.

Instinctively, he touched his forehead and looked down—his palm revealed a patch of dark redness.

As soon as Nan Shi lifted his head, he saw the clothed ghost in red standing before him, bent over to look at him.

The blood from her eyes and mouth slid down along her cheeks, finally hanging precariously at the tip of her chin before ultimately landing atop Nan Shi’s head!

Terrified, Nan Shi lost his balance instantly, tipping backward until he crashed onto the ground.

The lips of the clothed ghost in red moved slightly. Several streams of blood gushed forth from her seven orifices, dripping onto the floor below—one drop after another, forming patterns akin to dark crimson flowers. She approached Nan Shi step by step, each footfall leaving behind a bloody imprint. Even the hem of her clothing became stained with blood, trailing a long, continuous streak across the ground.

“Prosperity through democracy…” Nan Shi murmured softly, but it proved utterly useless. The clothed ghost in red continued walking towards him without pause. Her blood-red skirt brushed against his ankles, its damp chill seeping into his shoes and socks with alarming speed, swiftly saturating them through and through.

The clothed ghost in red squatted down before him, hastily wiped away the bloodstains on her face with her sleeve, revealing a pale yet still delicate and charming visage. She forced a half-dead smile she believed would be pleasing to others: “Mr. Nan, could you please calculate for me…”

Nan Shi strove to calm his racing heart, swallowing a mouthful of saliva to moisten his parched throat. Gasping heavily, he nodded and pulled out a notebook, spreading it open before her: “…Is it about calculating when you’re suitable for revenge or where your family currently is? Write something down so I can take a look.”

“No,” the red-clad ghost girl explained. “Could you tell me how my cat is doing now instead? My mother wasn’t particularly fond of cats, and during the time right after my death, I wasn’t very rational either, so I didn’t have a chance to check on it… When I went to see at my mother’s place, there was no sign of it, nor did I find its remains in my own home; I’m unsure where it might’ve gone.

“I’m deeply worried about it; even while seeking retribution against my enemies lately, my mind hasn’t been fully focused due to concern for this cat. Its name is Mimi—yes… an orange tabby. Just before my death, I had weighed it—it was around fifteen pounds eight ounces. As for its birth date, I don’t know; I found it by the roadside myself…”

“This is my cell phone, fully charged. Would you like to see some photos? I thought having good-looking faces would make things easier; after threatening several programmers, they finally restored the photos for me…”

At this point, the red-clad girl let out a complaint: “I never expected that even after turning into a ghost, I’d still have to worry about such trivial matters—it’s truly absurd. My mother hadn’t sold off my house at least, so everything was still there intact. However, this little rascal had bitten through the bag of cat food—I found it all soaked when I went to check… Each packet cost hundreds of yuan, earned from every drop of my sweat!”

“My time for revenge is almost up, and I’ve already located my enemy, but I dare not kill him outright. After all, if he dies, I’ll be responsible for dragging his corpse down below to report on him… Wouldn’t that delay my search for Mimi?” As she reached this part of her story, blood once again gushed forth from her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose in torrents. Seeming annoyed by this herself, she raised her sleeve—which was already stained with dripping blood—and wiped her face with it. “Sir, don’t misunderstand,” she said hastily, “this just happens automatically. It doesn’t mean I intend to harm you!”

Nan Shi remained silent, speechless.