This nap was strangely peaceful. When I woke up, I wasn't outside, nor had I dreamt anything strange. All in all, I slept through until dawn.
Early the next morning, two corpses were delivered, and I started working again.
I had just come out of the crematorium, still in my work uniform, when Old Man Sun walked over.
"Xiao Liu, there's a beautiful woman outside looking for you."
Hearing someone was looking for me, I felt a bit puzzled. Ever since my grandfather fell ill, all our relatives and friends have kept their distance, likely fearing I might ask them for money. So who would be looking for me now?
Despite my confusion, I went out to see who it was.
From a distance, I saw a shapely beauty holding an umbrella, standing under the sunlight.
Although the woman was wearing sunglasses, I immediately recognized her as soon as I saw her.
It was Ning Manwan, the goddess of my heart during university.
I hurriedly walked over. "Manwan, how did you find me?"
She took off her sunglasses and smiled at me. "What? After so many years, you haven't even asked me anything but this boring question?"
She didn't answer my question but directly changed the subject.
At first, I didn't quite understand what she meant, but after glancing at Old Man Sun beside us, I decided to push the doubt aside and smiled. "I must've overlooked our school's flower."
Ning Manwan gave me a reproachful look. "Aren't you going to ask me out for a coffee or something?"
It wasn't until then that I belatedly realized. I quickly responded, "Oh, my memory! It's rare we're meeting, I should definitely treat you to a meal."
I hurriedly took off my work uniform and handed it to Old Man Sun. "Uncle Sun, I'll leave this here for now. I'll come back and pick it up later, is that alright?"
Old Man Sun looked at me several times, then finally took the clothes, shaking his head with a smile. "Go ahead, go ahead, today's young people..."
I led Ning Manwan away. A few hundred meters later, I suddenly remembered I had forgotten my wallet, so I quickly told her, "I forgot something," and turned back to Old Man Sun's house.
After finding my wallet inside my work uniform, I hadn't walked far before I saw Old Man Sun wandering around in front of his house, looking a bit confused, muttering something. "Why are Xiao Liu's clothes here? How did I end up outside…"
Hearing his muttering, I frowned instinctively. I wondered. Although Old Man Sun was called 'old man', he was only in his 50s—he couldn't possibly be suffering from dementia. It hadn't even been ten minutes since I left. How could he forget already?
But I didn't dwell on it and turned back to catch up with Ning Manwan, the two of us chatting as we waited for a ride.
We chose a quieter restaurant for lunch.
"About what you mentioned on the phone yesterday... what did you mean? How could that gentleman possibly harm me?"
Ever since encountering a series of strange events, if it hadn't been for that gentleman's guidance, I probably wouldn't even have been able to resolve a single issue. I felt a deep sense of unease at the thought of him. I never imagined that this man, whom I had only heard about, might really come after me.
Ning Manwan smiled, "Don't be so paranoid. He's just trying to help. You must be overly sensitive after everything that's happened recently."
I hesitated, "I don't know… It's just that I don't feel right about it. What's more, after all that's happened, I've started to notice things that weren't there before. Sometimes I wonder if I'm losing my mind."
She reached out and lightly patted my hand, "You're not losing your mind. Everything is just a coincidence. Just take it easy. Sometimes, the mind plays tricks on us, especially when we're under a lot of stress."
I wasn't completely convinced, but the concern in her eyes did provide a little comfort.
"By the way, I heard you're still taking care of your grandfather. How's he doing?"
The question made my heart skip a beat. I paused before answering, "He's… better, but still not well. It's been hard on him lately."
Ning Manwan's expression softened, and she nodded sympathetically. "I'm sure he'll get better with your care. Family is important, especially when things are tough."
After a moment of silence, she changed the subject. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask, have you had any strange dreams lately? I know it might sound weird, but... it's something I wanted to talk to you about."
I froze. "Strange dreams?"
She nodded. "Yeah, sometimes dreams can be warnings, or even signs that we're not paying attention to something important."
I felt a chill run down my spine as I recalled the unsettling dreams I'd been having lately, but I didn't say anything. Instead, I forced a smile and tried to brush it off.
"Nothing too strange. Just normal dreams, I guess."
But deep down, I wasn't so sure.
We continued talking, but my thoughts were clouded with the strange occurrences in my life. I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.
After we finished our meal, I accompanied her back to the hotel where she was staying. As we stood at the entrance, I couldn't help but ask, "Manwan, do you believe in ghosts?"
She looked at me in surprise, then smiled faintly. "Ghosts? Are you asking me if I believe in them, or if I've seen one?"
I hesitated. "Both, I guess."
She thought for a moment, then answered, "I think... it's hard to say. I've heard stories, but I've never seen one myself. But I do think there are things in this world we don't understand."
Her words hung in the air, and I was left with even more questions than answers.
As we said our goodbyes, I felt an odd sense of unease, but I couldn't quite place why.
Later that night, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The events of the day kept replaying in my mind, and the words she had said echoed in my ears. The more I thought about it, the more I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. But what exactly was it?
I had no idea.
And that, I realized, was what scared me the most.