I couldn't spend too much time loitering outside Shu Hong Qiu's classroom, or I would be hauled to the staff room under suspicions of stalking. If that happened, I wouldn't be able to escape trouble just by talking. And I doubted that the school would let me off with a punishment that would be as light as walking.
The moment I stepped into class, I experienced a different sort of trouble. Shen Ai Qing and her entourage looked up, giggling nervously and giving me a wide berth. In the past, I had thought their actions cute and deluded myself into thinking that she was interested in me. You know, because of that nonsensical myth that "they pick on you because they like you."
Turned out I was just kidding myself. The harsh truth was that I was being singled out for my creepy, stalkerish behavior, and they were actually doing their best to keep as far away a distance from me as possible – a task made more difficult when we were stuck in the same classroom.
Fortunately for them, I went straight to my desk without even a glance in their direction. Mostly because I was distracted by my mission. I had identified my target, but I had no way of approaching her. What should I tell her?
"I met your late grandfather in the underworld when my body turned blue, and he chose to send me back to the world of the living to protect you!"
Right, that sounded like it would go down really well. Maybe I should swap my uniform jacket for a straitjacket while at it. That actually was a good idea. Perhaps the ghosts wouldn't be able to reach me when I was locked up in a padded cell.
Adjusting my glasses, I rested my chin on my hands and stared into blank space.
Okay, let's go over what we know about the ghosts haunting Shu Hong Qiu.
Unfortunately, neither Yan Luo Wang nor Shu Bai Chun had granted me cheat powers or a system to deal with the ghosts. What, were you expecting a typical Chinese web novel setup where the protagonist conveniently received all the tools he needed? Reality wasn't so easy. Life was harsh – which was why I was so reluctant to return to the world of the living in the first place.
Dad mentioned that a girl disappeared from school…
"Hey, Tong Xue," I called out to the classmate sitting in the desk in front of me. Tong Xue was a bright, friendly guy with messy dyed hair and a grin on his mildly good-looking features, along with a single earring dangling from his left lobe. Apparently, he thought it looked stylish, but I suspected the teachers gave him an earful whenever they saw it. Not that it discouraged him. He turned around with a grin, almost crushing my table when he slammed his elbow down on it. Did he have a grudge with the poor desk or something?
"What is it, Ming Cong?"
"Did someone disappear in school? Or maybe I am just a fool?"
"Hmm? Oh, Han Zhi Hui vanished two nights ago. It was all over the news. You haven't heard about it yet?"
Dude, I was literally asking you about it. If I hadn't heard about the news, why would I bring it up in the first place?
Suppressing my irritation, I nodded slowly. Remember – my goal in this redo was to make friends, not enemies. Anyway, I hadn't had a clue who Han Zhi Hui was. Definitely not someone from our class, though even at the best of times I couldn't say I remembered more than twenty names out of my forty or so classmates. I had invested too much memory into memorizing mathematical formulae and historical events. There wasn't any room for anything as unimportant as socialization.
"Her parents reported that she went missing yesterday, there was an uproar. Don't you remember?"
Was I in an alternate timeline where different things happened?
"Hey! Ming Cong! There you are!"
Yun Shan popped into the classroom, waving impatiently at me.
"Why did you leave me behind? Aren't we comrades?"
"Do you really think I'm like you?" I retorted, folding my arms and leaning back in my chair. "I don't like wasting my time watching other girls."
"SH!" Yun Shan waved her hands in a panic. "Don't say that out loud!"
I noticed that she was surreptitiously glancing at another girl in class. In contrast to the loud, tall, boisterous, and sporty tomboy, Lian Hua was diminutive, shy and nerdy. Her bob-like hair curved to her shoulders and she fidgeted nervously at her desk, a pencil held in one hand. She peered at her sketchbook through thick glasses that were larger than even mine.
And I thought I was shortsighted. In more ways than one, of course.
"Oh?" I recalled that Yun Shan had a crush on Lian Hua. In my previous run, I was too obsessed with my crush on Shen Ai Qing that I didn't pay much attention to my classmates' relationship, but I was determined not to be the same selfish bastard this time.
Yan Luo Wang had given me a second chance at school life. I wasn't going to mess it up.
"Just go talk to her. Or it's all over."
"Huh? What? Why?"
Yun Shan jolted in shock and looked away. I sighed and rose from my desk, approaching the target of her attention.
"Hey, Lian Hua, 'morning. What are you drawing?"
"Eh?!" The short girl let out a shocked yelp and hastily hugged her sketchbook to her not so prominent chest. When she glared at me, I was somehow reminded of a chihuahua trying her best to protect her territory. Except that Lian Hua was toothless. "N…nothing! What makes you think I was drawing anything?"
"It was a conclusion I, uh, drew from catching sight of a sketch. Were you trying to draw Gao Fu Shuai, or is that a stretch?"
"Ah! Don't say it out loud! Shut up!"
Lian Hua flailed about in panic. Yun Shan quickly stepped in to glower at me.
"Stop it, Ming Cong. You're harassing Lian Hua."
"I'm sorry, I wonder how." I bowed apologetically and then winked at the basketball ace, subtly gesturing for her to comfort an embarrassed Lian Hua. "The ball's in your court now."
"W…what are you talking about?"
Yun Shan spluttered, but Lian Hua glanced up at her with a bright smile. The two of them were best friends, and Lian Hua didn't hesitate to give Yun Shan's hand a squeeze in greeting.
Aw, that was cute. But Lian Hua was already taken. I wasn't going to backstab a bro…I mean sis by taking her girl from her.
The problem, though, was…
I followed Lian Hua's shy gaze and noticed that she was staring at our class prince, Gao Fu Shuai, from afar. A handsome guy with blond hair, blue eyes and an easy smile, he belonged to a wealthy and influential family, and was more popular among the girls than even Yun Shan. He had the added bonus of being a guy, considering that Lian Hua was straight.
Poor Yun Shan was up against stiff competition.
Speaking of competition, Lian Hua had rivals of her own. Shen Ai Qing and her flunkies were also admiring Gao Fu Shuai from afar while he conversed cheerfully with his fellow jocks. Most of the girls in class inevitably found their stares drawn to his radiant figure, which looked good in the brown and gray uniform that Chong Hua High assigned us.
The only exception was Yun Shan. She didn't seem impressed, probably because she had beaten Gao Fu Shuai in a basketball game once. She sighed when she looked at Lian Hua. She peeked over the smaller girl's shoulders and smiled.
"That's a really cute drawing. A chibi version of Gao Fu Shuai? You're really talented!"
"Really?" Lian Hua brightened. I smiled, pleased with my progress of making friends this time round.
I had achieved my goal…
…no, not yet.
While I was playing wingman, I almost forgot about my primary mission. Then again, there was little I could do right now. Shu Hong Qiu was in another class. Fortunately, I doubted that the ghosts would do anything in broad daylight. Usually, they would be more dangerous at night. I recalled Han Zhi Hui's disappearance, and a slight memory popped into my mind.
Didn't her classmates say they last saw her in school, staying back for club activities? Now I remembered. That last time, I was so engrossed with what I termed "Operation Confession" for the upcoming Valentine's Day that I had literally disregarded all the bad news happening in school.
A chill ran down my back, and I recalled that something about the school seemed out of place this morning.
The school appeared to take on a dark tinge when I glanced around warily.
"What happened?" Tong Xue asked, sprawled across his desk lazily. I blinked and shook my head.
"No, nothing. Just thinking."
When it came to talking about ghosts, perhaps it was better to keep my classmates in the dark. Otherwise they would panic.
"Ugh…" Tong Xue moaned, almost rolling over. It was my turn to stare at him.
"What's wrong?"
"I want to join the student council."
"The student council? Why?"
"You might not know because you're obsessed with pursuing Shen Ai Qing, but one of the other three school flowers, Shu Hong Qiu, is in the student council. Joining it would allow me to get close to her." Tong Xue wringed his hands and grinned dreamily. "Imagine spending time alone with her in the student council room after school, sitting next to her for several hours. I would die for that."
Dude, don't say such ominous things…
"Is the student council still working long hours after school even after Han Zhi Hui's disappearance?" Yun Shan said disapprovingly. She turned to Lian Hua, startled, as if remembering something. "Lian Hua, you're in the art club, right? I remember you spend a lot of time drawing and staying back late until evening just to complete a sketch."
"Oh, well…"
"You should make sure you go home early," Yun Shan advised, wagging her finger. "It's not safe these days. Don't stay back in school after dark, understand?"
"Y…yes," Lian Hua stammered, and she rewarded her best friend's concern with a gentle smile. "Thank you for worrying about me."
"I…it's only natural!" Yun Shan shrank back, flustered. She placed her hands on her hips and puffed her chest out. Though not as flat as Lian Hua, it was almost easy to mistake Yun Shan for a guy. "We are friends, aren't we?"
"Yes."
I watched the heartwarming scene for a moment, suddenly thinking that having a second chance at school life wasn't so bad. I might fail my mission to protect Shu Hong Qiu eventually, but at least I succeeded in sowing the seeds of a beautiful friendship between the two girls.
"All right, all right."
Jiao Shi, our homeroom teacher, strode into the classroom, clapping his hands. At his appearance, the students scattered and quickly returned to their desks. The thin, middle-aged man, who was slightly balding, stalked to the front and turned to face us. Clearing his throat, he delivered his announcement promptly.
"Today, we'll be conducting a joint science lesson with class 2-3. As you already know, we'll be sharing the chemistry lab with them. So pick up your stuff and get ready to move."
The students of class 2-4 buzzed excitedly. It was not everyday that we get to visit the science lab. At least it beat being stuck in our seats, listening to Jiao Shi drone on and on as he engraved esoteric chalk markings across the blackboard.
However, I realized that this was an opportunity for me.
After all, my target, Shu Hong Qiu was from class 2-3.