“I have no way to take you away either.”
Nan Zhi shook her head and offered a hypothesis. “A ghost lingering in the mortal realm must be sustained by an obsession.
Think carefully: do you have any unfulfilled wishes from when you were alive? Or, what is the thing you want to do most right now?”
The thing he wanted to do most?
The smiling faces of his wife and daughter immediately surfaced in Chen Ping’s mind.
He had died so suddenly that he hadn't even had time to leave any final words.
He wanted to see his family again.
He wanted to hear his wife’s nagging, to hear her complain about how the child’s tutoring fees had gone up again this month, or how the other parents in the school group were showing off...
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 just a single look from afar would be enough.
But he didn't say it aloud. He remained lost in thought for a long time before slowly speaking:
“I... I didn't actually commit suicide.”
???
Chen Ping didn't commit suicide?
The shock in Nan Zhi’s eyes was impossible to hide.
When she was researching the case, she had found that this incident had caused quite a stir locally at the time.
It hadn't just made the evening news; it had sparked a wave of social discussion.
Everyone said Chen Ping committed suicide because the pressure of life was too great.
Busybody netizens had dug up that Chen Ping not only carried hundreds of thousands in car loans and a million in mortgage debt, but he also had to support both sets of parents alongside his wife.
His daughter also attended the best private elementary school in the area, with annual tuition costing over a hundred thousand.
With such pressure, even if the couple shared the burden, the weight on Chen Ping’s shoulders would not have been light.
“It wasn't like that at all.”
The resentful energy on Chen Ping’s body thickened slightly as thick blood and tears flowed down his greyish face.
He gasped for breath like a grief stricken bull:
“My wife and I calculated it. With both of us working hard, we could have fully paid off the family loans in another three years.
We even bought a growth fund for our daughter because we wanted her to live an easier life than ours.
That’s why I worked so hard to earn money.
Projects that others looked down on or found troublesome, I took them.
Overtime that others were unwilling to do, I did it.
I didn't even dare to smoke cigarettes that cost more than twenty yuan.
The things I wanted to do weren't finished yet. How could I have committed suicide... How could I?”
As he spoke, the vengeful ghost began to weep, his face streaked with blood:
“They said I committed suicide and were only willing to pay five thousand yuan to my wife. Five thousand yuan! Five thousand yuan!
Five thousand yuan to buy my life! Because I died like that, my wife couldn't even get the insurance money!
I hate it! I hate it so much!”
The blood and tears grew thicker, dripping onto the ground and turning into visible resentful energy.
Nan Zhi didn't know how to react.
The truth was suffocating.
Chen Ping’s death was originally just an accident.
He had been working overtime until two in the morning. He couldn't remember how many cans of Red Bull or coffee he had drunk.
But he was still sleepy.
To clear his head, he went to the rooftop to smoke.
But who knew that the company was testing new equipment that day, and the rooftop was piled with clutter.
Chen Ping hadn't noticed while smoking, tripped over a wire, and then fell.
He landed on the billboard between the seventeenth and eighteenth floors. At that time, Chen Ping still had a faint consciousness.
In the early morning, the building’s property management found the dying Chen Ping and immediately called the police.
Upon receiving the news, the company’s first choice wasn't to investigate the accident. Instead, they collaborated with the property management company to suppress the news and cleared the clutter from the rooftop.
The company was in a critical growth phase, so the impact of any negative news had to be minimized.
Chen Ping’s death couldn't be an accident; it had to be an extreme choice made because he couldn't handle the pressure.
If someone died in the building, the property management would also bear some responsibility.
So, the property management tacitly deleted the surveillance footage from the rooftop that night.
The company then bribed a third party appraisal agency and hired internet trolls to completely label Chen Ping’s death as a suicide.
You say he didn't commit suicide?
Then why did he go to the rooftop alone in the middle of the night?
Working overtime?
Impossible. The company always followed the principle of voluntary overtime. Chen Ping’s overtime was naturally a voluntary act.
Coupled with the testimony of colleagues and chat records showing complaints about life, those things now became the “weapons” used to define him.
A large number of hired internet trolls steered the narrative, creating conflict. Even a social media post Chen Ping had made three years ago was pulled out for detailed analysis.
“Life is so stressful. Some are born in Rome, while others are born as beasts of burden. It really is important to be born into the right family.”
Since Chen Ping posted that, he must have had suicidal thoughts long ago.
Look at how he was usually quiet and reserved; he must have had severe depression.
Yes, a nice guy like him probably had a people pleaser personality.
There must be problems with his family of origin, which is why he was overcompensating with his own child.
Every detail was pulled out for judgment.
Every piece was labeled by netizens.
By this point, even if Chen Ping’s wife didn't believe he would take such an extreme path, she had no way to prove otherwise.
And a life that had once been vibrant was simply and crudely defined, nailed to the pillar of shame as a “coward.”
And it continued to this day, never stopping.
“So, your wish is for everyone to know that your death was an accident. That you didn't run away, and you never intended to end your life?”
Nan Zhi spoke softly.
“How could I have committed suicide?”
Chen Ping was filled with grief and indignation, his greyish fat face looking somewhat aggrieved:
“If I committed suicide, the insurance wouldn't pay out. I just feel sorry for my daughter. With everyone saying those things, how much of a psychological shadow must she have?”
As soon as he finished speaking, a crisp bell rang in Nan Zhi’s ears.
In her vision, the mission panel showed a new change:
【Ghost Chen Ping’s Wish (2): You found Chen Ping and learned the truth that was deliberately covered up.】
【Mission Requirement: Clear the rumors and restore Chen Ping’s reputation.】
【Mission Reward: Five Thunder Protection Curse, Heavenly Treasure Tree Lottery Ticket ×5】
So this is a chain mission?
The feel of an online game was becoming more and more obvious.
Nan Zhi stared at the mission rewards with longing.
Although she didn't know much about spells, any spell related to thunder sounded like a good thing!
“I will help you.”
Nan Zhi agreed readily, pointing to the elevator behind her. “But the condition is that you cannot continue to harm people. If you completely turn into a bloodthirsty ghost, then this deal is off.”
“You... why are you helping me?”
Chen Ping’s face was full of confusion.
He didn't understand why this powerful ghost with overwhelming resentful energy would be so kind.
Could it be that she was doing a good deed of the day?
Or was she lying to him?
Chen Ping immediately dismissed that thought.
If she wanted to eat him, she would just have to open her mouth.
There was no need to go through all this trouble to invent a lie.
Nan Zhi said half truthfully, “Because I want to see if you will still remain in the mortal realm once your obsession is gone.”
“I promise you! As long as my family can know that my death was an accident, I’m willing to do anything!”
Chen Ping became excited:
“I've waited here for over a year, and no one could see me. Not even a master who could scatter my soul and grant me release appeared.
As long as Senior can help me fulfill my wish, I’ll do anything!”
But then he hesitated:
“The company bribed the third party appraisal agency, and the property management deleted the surveillance video.
So much time has passed, and my body has been cremated. It’s probably just ash now.
With no evidence at all, how can we prove that my death was an accident?”
“I’ll find a way to let you leave this place and return to the twenty seventh floor.”
Nan Zhi thought for a moment and said seriously:
“Then what you need to do is continue acting like a ghost without actually hurting anyone...
Oh, sorry, I forgot you already are a ghost.
In short, the bigger the scene you make, the better. Make it as serious as possible. It would be best if the whole city starts talking about it.”
Chen Ping’s fat face was full of bewilderment.
Rate on N.U.
