Sharing misfortunes only serves to bring joy to others.

Chen Sheng was about to greet her, but as his hand started to rise, he hesitated. It suddenly occurred to him that this girl was not human, and so using a normal greeting might be considered impolite. As the saying goes, when under another’s roof, one must bow their head. For the sake of his upgrade quest, Chen Sheng resolved to adapt to local customs!

He let one corner of his mouth curl up ever so slightly, dipped his head, and let an inexplicable gloom settle over his features. Then, in a deliberately hoarse voice, he uttered, “Hello~” The final syllable was drawn out, echoing the sort of greeting one might expect from a wandering ghost.

No sooner had the word left his lips than the girl seemed to notice Chen Sheng for the first time. She spun around stiffly. At the sight of his somber face, she froze for a heartbeat, and then her eyes flew wide open.

“Ghost!” she shrieked.

With that, she turned and ran, so fast that not even an afterimage remained—only a sudden, violent gust of cold wind.

Chen Sheng stood there, dumbfounded.

“Was that ‘ghost’ supposed to be serious?” he muttered, unable to keep the complaint from his lips. He had only tried to look a little less friendly—how did that earn him a “ghost!”?

He pressed his hand to his forehead, feeling as though luck was frowning on him. Why was this upgrade quest so difficult?

“Could it be that my luck is just bad today?” he wondered, recalling the strange case he’d encountered that morning—a case so bizarre he couldn’t even tell if the entity involved was human or ghost. It had left him utterly out of sorts.

“Maybe I should try again tomorrow,” he mused, already looking around for an exit from the game.

But just as he began his search, that familiar sensation of being stretched and pulled overtook him, as if something wanted to twist him into a noodle. In a flash of distortion, he was yanked out of the “game.”

That was how it felt from Chen Sheng’s perspective.

In reality, in the spot where he had stood, a series of bizarre symbols suddenly appeared in the void, encircling him in an instant. In less than a fraction of a second, the symbols vanished—and so did Chen Sheng.

He disappeared so quickly, it was as though he had never been there at all.

This, in turn, caused a lurking shadow in the darkness to lunge in vain—and that, in truth, was the real reason the girl had cried out “ghost!”

The failed ambush left the shadow furious. A chain shot out, wrapping itself around a twisted figure who had been watching the scene from a distance.

This figure was caked in blood, with torn skin at the corners of its eyes—the very same ghost who had gone to report a case at the police station earlier.

“No!” the ghost screamed, voice sharp with panic. But the chain did not hesitate; it bound and shattered the ghost, crushing it like an overripe tomato.

This was a weapon of punishment.

The shadow then vanished into the darkness, leaving only shattered remains on the ground—remains that would soon startle a few unsuspecting passersby.

...

Chen Sheng took off the gold-rimmed glasses and slipped his old black-framed pair back on, praise in his voice: “These glasses are truly high-tech…”

This time, he had returned simply because he wished it. The moment he wanted to exit, he was out of the game.

What did that mean? These glasses likely absorbed and interpreted his brainwaves.

“No wonder the immersion was so intense—the whole experience felt eerily real!” Chen Sheng thought, feeling that such a gift was almost too extravagant.

And yet, after experiencing the exhilarating “game” these glasses offered, he was reluctant to give them back. It’s easy to grow used to luxury, hard to go back to simplicity.

“Never mind, I’ll buy her some of her favorite snacks and visit her at the hospital. The hospital did tell me to rest for a while anyway.” Decision made, Chen Sheng carefully tucked the gold-rimmed glasses away.

He changed clothes and was about to head out. As he picked up a bag of trash from the kitchen, he froze.

Inside was a takeaway container—the one he’d used for his midnight snack the previous night.

“I really did go to Moon River Street last night, which means…I did meet Liu Susu!” Chen Sheng drew a sharp breath. His legs felt weak.

It was broad daylight, the weather warm, yet a chill crept through him.

“Then why did those two police officers say otherwise?” Chen Sheng was baffled. At that moment, his phone rang.

He answered, only to be stunned—the call was from his bald-headed supervisor.

But that was not the crux of the issue. Over the phone, his supervisor immediately demanded to know why Chen Sheng hadn’t shown up at the hospital today. A patient had come looking for him by name and had been waiting the entire morning.

“Two police officers came this morning and said—” Chen Sheng began, realizing something was off, and hurriedly explained the events of the morning.

“What police call? Our hospital never received any call from the police. I even checked for you—nothing! Someone played a trick on you! Get back to work immediately! And as for Liu Susu, she’s resigned. I’ll tell you the reason privately later—now’s not a good time,” his supervisor nearly shouted into the phone.

Chen Sheng agreed and rushed to the hospital.

On the way, his mind was still spinning. Had he really been tricked? But why? He was just a psychiatrist—what did anyone have to gain? Besides, those two police officers hadn’t seemed fake at all.

With a head full of questions, Chen Sheng finally met the patient who had waited all morning for him.

This, at least, did not surprise him. Most of the patients who landed in his care recovered quickly and were discharged, so he had earned some reputation in his field. Though not many sought him out by name, there were always a few each year.

After arranging a bed for the new patient, Chen Sheng set out to find his supervisor and ask about Liu Susu. Just then, a familiar fragrance drifted by—subtle and elegant, like osmanthus blossoms in autumn.

He knew at once who it was.

Turning around, he saw a bright-eyed, charming young woman, tilting her head and smiling at him.

“You snuck out again?” Chen Sheng started to say more, but remembering that she was due to be discharged next week, he shook his head and let it go.

After all, one should not bite the hand that feeds.

“I heard Old Chen got all fired up this morning and decided to relive his wild youth by skipping work!” the girl teased, her voice full of laughter.

“I was set up. My luck was rotten from the start,” Chen Sheng replied, expressionless, sighing.

“What bad luck? Tell me, so I can… I mean, so I can comfort you for your troubles,” she quickly amended, catching herself.

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes, refusing to say another word.

The first part he could believe. As for the latter—well, that was for ghosts to believe.