IMAG Chapter 5

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Having experienced this before, and after hearing the ghost’s final words, Xiaolin guessed the ghost must have found another “host” to attach to.

This couldn’t go on forever. The ghost was like a wandering soul, drifting around aimlessly. Would he eventually just fade away completely? They say humans have three souls and seven spirits—what if one day the ghost simply disappeared, erased from existence, never to be remembered by anyone? Even Xiaolin had never seen his true form.

A wave of sadness washed over Xiaolin.

Sure, the ghost nagged him constantly, his sarcastic comments making Xiaolin’s ears ache. Sometimes, Xiaolin even wished he could package him up and send him to outer space. But thinking about it… aside from having a sharp tongue and loving to tease, the ghost wasn’t so bad. He’d only ever drained Xiaolin’s yang energy once, despite all his threats.

If the ghost vanished completely, who else would remember him?

Xiaolin sighed, staring blankly at the can of soda in his hand.

Three days after the ghost’s disappearance, he no longer felt the joy of “freedom.” Earlier, while doing exercises, he had instinctively asked, "Is this right?"—only to realize that the ghost was no longer there.

He pondered the ghost’s past.

With such broad knowledge of multiple subjects, he wasn’t necessarily a teacher, but at least he was well-educated. Could he have been a scholar? Yet, he also mentioned being familiar with hospitals. Could he have been a doctor?

Should he check the recent deaths of doctors in the city? But what if the ghost wasn’t from here? Would he have to search hospitals across the country?

What if… he was a foreign ghost who just happened to speak Chinese?

Xiaolin anxiously ruffled his hair into a mess, thinking to himself, Fine, when you come back, you can absorb as much yang energy as you want—I won’t object anymore, okay?

Perhaps his constant thoughts really had an effect, because that very night, he received a text message on his phone.

"It's me, Ghost Bro. Meet me at the Starbucks on Feixia Road, T District, T City, tomorrow at 3 PM."

The message was concise and straight to the point, with no unnecessary words.

Xiaolin was elated at first but soon became suspicious.

Why did Ghost Bro send a text this time instead of calling?

But their situation was known only to the two of them—no one else.

Xiaolin’s imagination ran wild, wondering if Ghost Bro had unfortunately possessed a deaf-mute person this time, which was why he couldn’t make a phone call.

Regardless, this was good news.

Xiaolin didn't even realize how his mood had skyrocketed from rock bottom to the clouds, how his soda tasted sweeter, or how he managed to finish ten pages of Five Years of Gaokao, Three Years of Mock Exams in one go.

The next afternoon, he arrived at Starbucks as agreed.

After ordering a latte, he waited for three minutes but saw no sign of anyone. Xiaolin simply took out a set of exercises and started working on them. By the time he finished an entire test in a single study session, he finally snapped back to reality. He mentally slapped himself, thinking, That nagging ghost isn’t even here, why am I suddenly so motivated?

Hurriedly, he shoved his papers back into his bag and checked the time. Ghost Bro was already nearly an hour late.

Xiaolin pulled out his phone to send a message, but just then, he heard a voice above him.

"How long have you been waiting?"

Xiaolin looked up and saw a beautiful woman standing in front of him. She looked oddly familiar.

"Who are you?" he asked, confused.

"Ghost Bro," the woman replied blankly.

She appeared to be in her early thirties. Her face was bare of makeup, yet her forehead was smooth, her nose high-bridged, and her skin fair. She was, without a doubt, a stunning beauty—the kind that would turn heads even in the most ordinary outfit.

But that wasn’t the point.

The point was what she had just said.

Xiaolin stared at her in a daze.

"You’ve gotten even dumber after just a few days apart," the woman said, sitting down in front of him and tapping the table. "I told you, I’m your Ghost Bro."

Xiaolin’s eye twitched. The whole world suddenly felt like a surreal, magical dream.

He pulled out his Five Years of Gaokao, Three Years of Mock Exams, flipped to a random page, and pointed to a question. "Solve this," he challenged.

The woman impatiently grabbed the pen, scribbled down the answer in just two strokes, and even provided the step-by-step solution.

Xiaolin was convinced. But an even bigger question arose.

"Why do you look so familiar?"

The woman replied, "This body belongs to your transfer student classmate’s mother."

Xiaolin’s jaw dropped. "Ghost Bro, why did you end up possessing someone’s mom?!"

The woman sighed in frustration and adjusted her ample bosom, which seemed ready to spill out. The scene was a little too much for Xiaolin’s innocent eyes—he quickly turned his head away.

"According to my usual pattern, this woman should be dying soon. Your transfer student classmate has quite the background."

"What background?" Xiaolin only knew that the transfer student was always picked up by a secretary or assistant. Some students speculated that his father was either a billionaire or a high-ranking official who couldn’t reveal his identity.

He shared these thoughts with Ghost Bro—wait, Ghost Sis now?

The woman chuckled. "You’re not far off. His father is indeed a government official, but his mother isn’t the legitimate wife—she's a mistress. And not only that, but his father has also been involved in embezzlement and bribery. This woman—your classmate’s mother—holds a lot of evidence. The authorities have started investigating corruption, and while they haven’t reached his father yet, it’s only a matter of time."

"Then… doesn’t that mean someone might try to silence you?" Xiaolin asked nervously.

The woman replied, "Actually, before I possessed this body, it had already been injured—hit by a car, causing a concussion. Every person I possess seems to have a peculiar trait—they’re all on the verge of death. It’s as if bodies like these have a special attraction to me."

Xiaolin quickly said, "Right, right! Actually, while you were gone, I looked up information online and even consulted some metaphysical experts. They all had similar conclusions: the people you possess are likely missing a part of their soul—basically, they don’t have much time left. And as for you… you might not be just an ordinary ghost."

More like a nagging, sarcastic ghost, Xiaolin mentally added.

The woman frowned. "Is that your theory, or the metaphysical experts’?"

Xiaolin scratched his head. "A combination of both… with some personal insights."

The woman nodded. "Continue."

Encouraged, Xiaolin’s spirit lifted. "So, you might be a living soul—a ghost that isn’t complete. That’s why you can possess people repeatedly but can’t move on. The key now is to find your body. If we find it, you might be able to return to it."

This logic made sense, but there was one problem—finding a ghost’s body was nearly impossible. It could be a mentally ill patient, a coma patient, or someone in critical care. Helping Ghost Bro reclaim his body would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Xiaolin furrowed his brows in distress.

The woman, however, remained indifferent. "I came into this world somehow; maybe that’s how I’ll leave. Don’t worry about it. I called you here mainly to explain the situation. This woman’s identity is sensitive. When you get home, delete our chat history. I won’t contact you again. If anyone asks, just say we met at the café by coincidence, and since I found out you were my son’s classmate, I chatted with you for a bit. Got it?"

Xiaolin nodded obediently. "Ghost Bro, once you die, we’ll meet again soon anyway. Why are you talking like you’re leaving a last will?"

The woman smiled. "What if my body dies, and I disappear for good?"

Xiaolin quickly spat three times. "Nonsense! Ghost Bro, you may be sharp-tongued and nagging, but you’re a good person. I… I’d actually miss you."

His emotions were complicated. On one hand, he wanted Ghost Bro to stay, even if it meant enduring constant criticism. On the other hand, he wanted him to find his real body and memories—because that was his true life.

The woman smirked. "Do you miss me or the way I absorb your yang energy?"

…Xiaolin decided to take back his sentimental words.

Suddenly, the woman reached out and touched his face. A warm sensation brushed against his skin.

"There’s a saying that living souls can only stay near those with pure hearts. Without you, I might have vanished long ago."

For a moment, Xiaolin saw not the woman’s hand, but a tall, familiar figure.

He stammered, "Y-you’re welcome!"

Ghost Bro, through the woman’s body, smiled at him. "If I ever return as a human and we meet again…"

What then?

Xiaolin waited, but the sentence was never finished.

"Study hard and get into T University," the woman said instead. Then, she left.

Ghost Bro never contacted Xiaolin again.

Years later, standing under a plane tree at T University, Xiaolin suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Did you finish Five Years of Gaokao, Three Years of Mock Exams?"

Xiaolin spun around.

T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi, thank you☕☕☕