It was 2 a.m. The city lights still flickered brightly, but the streets were eerily quiet. Wang Yifan pulled his jacket tighter around himself as he hurried toward the corner convenience store. After spending the entire night gaming at an internet café, his mind was foggy. The only thing keeping him going was the promise of an energy drink waiting on the shelves.

The glass door jingled as he pushed it open. Inside, the store was dimly lit and mostly empty. Behind the counter sat a clerk, engrossed in her phone. The fluorescent lights flickered slightly, casting a pale hue over the dusty shelves.

Yifan made his way to the drinks aisle, grabbed a can of energy drink, and impulsively snatched a bag of chips. He headed to the counter, eager to pay and go home.

But as he reached the register, he froze. The clerk had finally looked up.

Her face was stunningly beautiful—so perfect it almost seemed unreal. Her pale skin glowed faintly under the dim lights, and her jet-black eyes felt like they could swallow the world.

"Seventeen yuan and fifty cents," she said in a voice so cool and melodious it sent chills down his spine.

Yifan blinked, realizing he had been staring. He fumbled for a twenty-yuan note and handed it to her. Her fingers brushed against his as she took the bill, cold and smooth like polished jade.

"Here's your change," she said, placing two coins and a note into his palm. The brief touch of her icy hand made Yifan shiver again. He looked down at her hands and noticed something odd—her fingernails were tinted with a faint bluish hue.

"Your hands are freezing," he remarked, attempting to sound casual. "Is the heater broken?"

"I'm used to it," she replied flatly, her tone devoid of warmth.

Yifan felt a strange unease but dismissed it as sleep deprivation. He turned to leave, the plastic bag swinging in his hand, but just as he stepped out, her voice called him back.

"Wait."

He stopped, turning to look at her. She had set down her phone and was staring directly at him.

"There's something on your back," she said.

Yifan stiffened, his heart skipping a beat.

"What… what do you mean?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

Instead of answering, she stood up and walked around the counter. She moved with an eerie grace, her steps so light they seemed almost soundless.

"Don't move," she murmured, reaching out toward his shoulder.

Before he could react, he felt an icy sensation spreading across his back. It was as if something cold and heavy had latched onto him. He wanted to turn around, but his body wouldn't respond.

A low, guttural growl echoed in his ears, a sound so unnatural it made his skin crawl.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, the sensation vanished. Yifan gasped for air, spinning around to see her holding a writhing black mist in her hand. Inside the mist, he could just make out the grotesque shape of a twisted face.

"What the hell is that?" he stammered, his voice shaking.

"A wandering spirit," she replied calmly. She squeezed her hand, and the black mist dissolved into nothingness.

"A spirit?" Yifan's mind struggled to make sense of her words.

"It was hungry," she explained matter-of-factly. "It wanted a little bit of your life energy. No big deal."

"No big deal?" Yifan repeated incredulously, his voice rising. "You just pulled… whatever that was off my back!"

She didn't respond. Instead, she walked back to the counter and resumed her seat, as if nothing unusual had happened.

Yifan stood frozen for a moment, his mind racing. Finally, he managed to gather his thoughts enough to ask, "Who… who are you?"

She looked up, her lips curling into a faint, enigmatic smile.

"Me? I'm just a regular convenience store clerk," she said lightly, though her tone carried an air of mockery.

Yifan didn't believe her for a second. But before he could press further, the fear and exhaustion finally caught up to him. He turned and stumbled out of the store, clutching the bag of snacks like a lifeline.

The chilly night air hit him, making him shiver. His thoughts swirled with images of her pale face, the black mist, and the twisted, screaming face within it.

"Did I… just run into a ghost?" he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible.

What Yifan didn't notice was the figure standing behind the store's glass door, watching him leave.

"Interesting guy," the clerk said softly, her dark eyes glinting with an unreadable light.