“I don't have a way to take you away either.”
Nan Zhi shook her head, offering a conjecture: “A ghostly entity lingering in the mortal realm must be sustained by an obsession.
Think carefully. Did you have any unfulfilled wishes before you died? Or rather, what is it that you want to do most right now?”
What he wanted to do most?
The smiling faces of his wife and daughter instantly surfaced in Chen Ping’s mind.
His death had been sudden; he hadn't even had time to leave any final words.
He wanted to see his family again.
He wanted to hear his wife nag, to listen to her complain about how the cost of their daughter's tutoring classes had gone up again this month, or how the other parents at school were showing off in the group chat...
He wanted to see how much his daughter had grown, whether she was studying hard, whether she was being bullied, and whether she was eating well.
Even a single glance from afar would be enough.
Yet he didn't say any of this out loud. Only after pondering for a long while did he speak slowly:
“I... I actually didn't commit suicide.”
???
Chen Ping hadn't committed suicide?
The astonishment in Nan Zhi’s eyes was impossible to conceal.
When she looked up information earlier, she found that the incident had made quite a splash locally back then.
Not only had it made the evening news, but it had also stirred widespread public discussion.
Everyone said Chen Ping had killed himself because the pressures of life were simply too overwhelming.
Busybody internet users had dug up his background, revealing that not only was Chen Ping saddled with hundreds of thousands in car loans and a million-yuan mortgage, but he and his wife also had to support both sets of elderly parents.
His daughter also attended the best private elementary school in the area, where tuition alone cost over a hundred thousand yuan a year.
Under such pressure, even with the couple shouldering it together, the burden on Chen Ping was by no means light.
“It wasn't like that at all.”
The resentful energy swirling around Chen Ping thickened, and streams of bloody tears flowed down his ashen face.
Breathing heavily like a grief-stricken bull, he choked out:
“My wife and I calculated it—by working hard for just three more years, the two of us could completely pay off all our loans.
We even bought a growth fund for our daughter, just so she could have an easier life than ours.
That's why I worked myself to the bone to earn money.
If others looked down on a project or thought it was too troublesome, I took it.
If others didn't want to work overtime, I stepped up.
I didn't even dare smoke cigarettes that cost more than twenty yuan a pack.
I hadn't finished the things I wanted to do! How could I have killed myself... how could I commit suicide?”
As he spoke, the vengeful ghost began to weep, stained with bloody tears:
“They claimed I committed suicide and only offered fifty thousand yuan in compensation to my wife. Fifty thousand! Fifty thousand yuan!
Fifty thousand yuan to buy my life! And because they ruled it a suicide, my wife couldn't even get a single cent of my life insurance payout!
I hate them... I hate them so much!...”
The tears of blood grew thicker, dripping onto the floor and transforming into visible plumes of resentful energy.
Nan Zhi did not know how to react.
The truth was suffocatingly heavy.
Chen Ping’s death had originally been nothing more than an accident.
Back then, he had worked continuously until two in the morning. He couldn't remember how many cans of Red Bull or cups of coffee he had consumed.
Yet he was still exhausted.
To wake himself up, he went up to the rooftop to smoke and clear his head.
But who could have known that the company had been testing new equipment that day, leaving piles of clutter strewn across the rooftop?
While smoking, Chen Ping hadn't been paying attention, tripped over a loose wire, and tumbled over the edge.
He crashed onto the billboard between the seventeenth and eighteenth floors, still hazily conscious at the time.
In the early morning hours, the building’s property management found the dying Chen Ping and immediately called the police.
When the company received word, instead of investigating the accident, their very first move was to collude with the property management company to suppress the news and clear out all the clutter on the rooftop.
—The company was at a critical stage of growth, so the impact of any negative publicity had to be minimized at all costs.
Chen Ping’s death could not be an accident; it had to be an extreme choice made after crumbling under pressure.
If someone died in the building due to negligence, the property management would also bear liability.
Thus, property management tacitly deleted the rooftop surveillance footage from that night.
The company then bribed a third-party assessment agency and teamed up with hired internet trolls to firmly classify Chen Ping’s death as a suicide.
You say he didn't commit suicide?
Then why did he go up to the rooftop alone in the middle of the night?
Overtime?
Impossible. The company had always upheld the principle of voluntary overtime, so Chen Ping working late was naturally of his own accord.
Furthermore, colleagues testified and provided chat logs with Chen Ping, where his mundane complaints about life were turned into “weapons” to seal his fate.
Swarms of trolls controlled the narrative and stirred outrage, even digging up a Moments post Chen Ping had made three years prior to dissect it under a microscope.
“Life is so exhausting. Some people are born in Rome, while others are born to be beasts of burden. Being born lucky really is everything.”
Posting something like that meant Chen Ping must have harbored suicidal thoughts for a long time.
Seeing how quiet he usually was, he definitely suffered from severe depression.
Right, a pushover like him probably had a people-pleasing personality.
There must have been issues with his family of origin; that's why he overcompensated by treating his child so well.
Every detail was dragged out for public trial.
Every aspect was slapped with a label by netizens.
In the end, even though Chen Ping’s wife refused to believe he would resort to such extreme measures, she had no way to prove otherwise.
And so, a once-vibrant life was crudely and ruthlessly defined, nailed to a pillar of shame as a “coward” for all to condemn.
It continued even to this day, never ceasing.
“So, your wish is for everyone to know that your death was an accident?
That you didn't run away, and you never once intended to take your own life?”
Nan Zhi spoke softly.
“How could I possibly have killed myself?”
Chen Ping was overwhelmed with grief and fury, his chubby, ashen face looking deeply aggrieved:
“If I committed suicide, my insurance wouldn't pay out. And I feel so terrible for my daughter... with everyone talking like that, what a traumatic shadow it must have cast over her.”
As soon as his words fell, a crisp chime rang in Nan Zhi’s ear.
In her line of sight, new updates appeared on the quest panel:
【Ghost Chen Ping’s Wish (II): You found Chen Ping and learned from him the truths deliberately concealed by others.】
【Quest Requirement: Dispel the rumors and clear Chen Ping’s name.】
【Quest Reward: Five Thunder Protection Curse, Heavenly Treasure Tree Lottery Ticket ×5】
So this was actually a chain quest?
The online RPG vibe was truly getting more and more prominent.
Nan Zhi stared at the quest rewards with intense longing.
Although she didn't know much about spells, any technique related to thunder curses sounded like good stuff!
“I'll help you.”
Nan Zhi readily agreed, pointing to the elevator behind her. “However, on one condition: you cannot harm people anymore. If you completely degenerate into a bloodthirsty monster, the deal is off.”
“Why... why are you helping me?”
Chen Ping’s face was filled with utter bewilderment.
He couldn't understand why this Greater Ghost radiating terrifying malice would be so kindhearted.
Could she be doing her daily good deed, taking a page from Lei Feng's book?
Or was she deceiving him?
Chen Ping immediately dismissed that thought.
If she wanted to devour him, it would only take opening her mouth.
There was no need to go to such great lengths to fabricate a lie.
Nan Zhi answered half-truthfully, “Because I want to see whether you will still remain in the mortal realm once your obsession dissipates.”
“I agree! As long as my family can know that my death back then was an accident, I'm willing to do anything!”
Chen Ping grew excited:
“I've waited here for more than a year. Nobody could see me at all, and there wasn't even an exorcist who could disperse my soul to grant me release.
As long as Senior can help fulfill my wish, I will do anything!”
But then he hesitated:
“The company bribed the third-party assessment agency, and property management deleted the surveillance video.
So much time has passed, and my body was cremated—probably reduced to ash by now.
With zero evidence, how can we possibly prove that my death back then was an accident?”
“I will find a way to let you leave this place and return to the twenty-seventh floor.”
Nan Zhi pondered for a moment, looking earnest:
“Then, what you need to do—without harming anyone—is to continue playing the ghost...
Ah, sorry, I forgot you're already a ghost.
In short, make as big a scene as possible. The more severe the commotion, the better—preferably to the point where the entire city knows about it and everyone starts talking.”
Chen Ping’s chubby face was filled with blank bewilderment.
Rate on N.U.
