Chapter Five: Night Shift at the School Infirmary

There was a sharp, crisp sound—four slaps in quick succession. Daoist Li’s teeth were knocked out, his mouth full of blood; the imprint of five fingers crowded his face, making him appear utterly wretched.

“Well? Come on, arrest me, kill me. Weren’t you supposed to be formidable? Hehe.” The female ghost’s figure slowly materialized in the room, her gaze toward Daoist Li filled with disdain.

With a thud, the cowardly Daoist dropped to his knees before the ghost, tears and snot streaming down his face. “Divine Lady, I, Old Li, didn’t recognize greatness when it stood before me. Please, have mercy—just treat me as nothing, let me go.”

What in the world was this?

Wasn’t he supposed to be a master? Wasn’t he supposed to be invincible? Yet, faced with a real ghost, he was so terrified he lost all composure.

The female ghost, Dong Weike, giggled. “If apologies and begging for mercy solved everything, why would we need the police? Here’s your punishment, old man: go out to the field, strip down to your underwear, and run twenty laps shouting ‘I’m a pervert.’”

Daoist Li’s face changed; he was about to plead further when the ghost snapped her fingers. His eyes glazed over, and he rose stiffly to his feet.

With a ripping sound, he tore off his robes, muttering “I’m a pervert, I’m going streaking,” as he dashed outside. Watching this, Fu Yang’s scalp prickled, goosebumps rising on his arms.

Such humiliation was surely worse than death. He’d never be able to hold his head up again.

It had to be said, this female ghost had a twisted sense of humor. She must have been quite the character in life…

While Fu Yang felt a twinge of sympathy for Daoist Li’s miserable fate, the ghostly woman glided toward him, her every step laced with allure. Yet her eyes flashed cold as blades.

“Divine Lady, I must have been blind—how could I have listened to that old fool?” Fu Yang began to grovel.

“Enough nonsense!”

A wave of force slammed into him, sending Fu Yang tumbling off the bed and sprawling on the floor. It hurt, but not enough to injure him.

“I told you—call me Your Majesty!” the ghost snapped, her exquisite features proud and imperious.

“Yes, yes! Your Majesty, I was wrong! Tomorrow I’ll make you the best memorial tablet, burn the finest incense and paper offerings, and next month I’ll prepare the best ceremonial animals,” Fu Yang promised like a machine gun.

Her expression softened, the cold light fading from her eyes. She shot him a fierce glare before dissolving into wisps of mist and vanishing.

Oh, heavens!

Fu Yang, now utterly disheartened, gave up resisting. He resolved to follow this “Majesty’s” orders.

“So be it. It’s fate. Just like being forced—if you can’t resist, you might as well try to enjoy it. Tomorrow, I’ll check the campus BBS for a part-time job. I’ll have to work to earn the money.”

He spent a nerve-wracking night.

Early the next morning, Fu Yang scrambled to his computer, logged into Jiangcheng University’s BBS, and began searching for high-paying part-time jobs.

It was normal for college students to work part-time—some came from difficult backgrounds and needed to earn extra money for tuition. But since students were often naive and easily deceived, the university had established a “Part-Time Alliance” under the Youth League, officially posting safe part-time opportunities for students.

He clicked through post after post.

“Pizza Hut waiter, seven yuan an hour, daily pay. Officially certified by the Part-Time Alliance…”

No good. The pay was too low—hard labor for pocket change, nowhere near enough to cover the cost of ceremonial offerings.

“Middle school English tutor, one hundred yuan per hour. Must have passed the highest English proficiency test, with a minimum test score of 130…”

Damn. The pay was great, but I’m hopeless at English! Passing a test is already a miracle for me.

“Sewage worker, daily wage…”

No way, I can’t do that!

Fu Yang went through nearly all the posts from the Part-Time Alliance and still found nothing satisfactory. Just as he was about to give up, something caught his eye—a job that looked promising.

“Campus hospital night shift security. 10pm to 6am, three hundred yuan per shift. Interested students, please bring your student ID to the hospital’s logistics office to apply.”

Perfect! No need for academic excellence, not too strenuous, and well-paid. Very reliable. With just three nights a week, he could nearly make a thousand yuan a month—enough to pay for the ceremonial animals and free himself from the ghost’s torment.

Overjoyed, Fu Yang snapped his laptop shut, grabbed his student ID, and rushed to the campus hospital.

The campus hospital was a university-run business, under the medical school. Though not a top-tier hospital, it was well-known in the area. Besides students and staff, some people from the city also came for treatment.

The hospital had three buildings—two new, one old—arranged in a “T” shape. In the center was a garden for patients to stroll. The logistics office was on the first floor of the old building to the northeast. Few people ever went there—it felt a bit eerie.

When Fu Yang arrived, he found no one in line.

“How odd. Such a good job, and no applicants? Well, at least there’s no competition.”

He was secretly pleased, peeking inside the logistics office.

No one.

“That’s strange. If they’re hiring for night shift security, why is no one here? The Youth League wouldn’t post a fake job.” Just as he was puzzling over this, he suddenly sensed something behind him.

Every hair on his body stood on end, and he almost screamed out loud. Turning around, he saw Director Zhang of logistics standing right behind him, face expressionless—a deathly pallor, as if everyone owed him two hundred yuan.

Fu Yang had seen his photo on the hospital’s website, so he recognized him at once and put on a smile. “Director, I’m Fu Yang from the School of Journalism. You can call me Xiao Fu. I’m here to apply for the night shift security job…”

The director’s voice was cold. “Understood. Come in.”

Once inside, Director Zhang checked his student ID, then handed it back. “You’re hired. Your hours will be 10pm to 6am, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night.”

What? Hired just like that?

Fu Yang found it hard to believe. Such an easy, well-paying job, and no competition.

All he had to do was sit in the duty room at night, read novels, watch movies, listen to music, and let the time pass.

“But, there are a few things you must keep in mind. Absolutely no exceptions, understand?” Director Zhang’s tone was odd.

“Of course, Director. Just tell me what to do!” Fu Yang replied, giving a mock salute to lighten the mood.

“First, although your title is security guard, you’ll actually need to patrol the three buildings twice each night. There are nurses and doctors working night shifts, so it’s mostly for show.”

Fu Yang nodded eagerly like a pecking chick.