Turning Misfortune into Fortune

After tightening the lid of the plastic bottle, I worried that the ghost might escape again, so I wrapped the cloth with the spell around the cap just to be sure.

Once everything was set, I let out a long sigh of relief. I was still alive—thank God. This was the best outcome I could imagine. I gathered my things, ready to leave, when I suddenly noticed a small pearl on the ground. It seemed to be a tear from the female ghost.

According to ancient texts, any living being with spiritual energy can produce pearls—oysters create pearls, snakes create snake pearls, and there are even legends of mermaids in the South Sea whose tears turn into pearls. But how could a ghost's tear, something formless, turn into a pearl? It was shiny and looked quite beautiful. I decided to keep it for now. I'll ask Master Jiuxu about it next month and figure it out.

I put the bottle into my down jacket pocket and headed downstairs. I jumped out of the window on the first floor, feeling the cold wind. Only then did I realize my jacket was nearly soaked in sweat. Damn, this was serious physical exercise.

I looked up at the sky, and the eastern horizon was just beginning to show a hint of light. It seemed like the terrifying night was finally over.

The cool wind made me shiver, and pain began to spread in my chest and neck. But my heart was filled with joy. Forget everyone else; I had successfully protected Dong Shanshan's safety. No one else would be hurt. I felt a bit like the unnamed heroes from movies. That sense of achievement was really satisfying.

But the greatest reward for me was solving the knot in my heart that had been troubling me for almost half a year. Why should I keep grieving, keep indulging in sadness? At least I was alive. Isn't that enough?

I smiled, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and adjusted my scarf—this scarf had saved my life. Then I dragged my tired body forward. I was exhausted. I hadn't noticed it before, but now that I relaxed, I started to feel drowsy. I needed to sleep.

I forced myself to keep moving, walking to the girls' dormitory building, and sat on the steps to call Dong Shanshan. My fingers could barely press the numbers anymore. The phone rang, and she picked up, clearly still half-asleep. I weakly said, "I'm downstairs at your dorm. I want to see you."

She was surprised because she thought I had already gone back to school yesterday. "Why are you here so early today?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm freezing," I said, "Come down, or I'm going to freeze to death."

I hung up the phone, and my consciousness started to fade. I vaguely heard someone running towards me. It sounded like Dong Shanshan, who immediately wrapped her arms around me, anxiously asking what had happened.

I smiled faintly and weakly said, "I'm so tired. Let me sleep for a while," and then I passed out, unaware of anything.

I slept deeply, feeling warm and relaxed. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in darkness. Where was I? My body ached like it had been dismantled, especially my neck, back, and chest. Something seemed to be pressing on my chest—maybe a hand? No way, could the ghost have come back to take advantage of me while I was asleep?

Ignoring the pain, I quickly sat up and shouted, "Who are you?!"

The hand lifted off me, and the desk lamp turned on. Dong Shanshan's face, as if she had just woken up, appeared in my view.

I finally realized where I was. I was on a bed in a hotel. Phew, I was just being paranoid. Dong Shanshan had brought me to the hotel.

I sighed in relief and lay back down, but then I realized something was off. Why was Dong Shanshan sleeping next to me? She noticed I was awake and got up, concerned. "What happened? You didn't go back last night? You have injuries?"

Without thinking, I lifted the blanket. Thankfully, my pants were still on, only my shirt was torn from wrapping the bottle. It seemed Dong Shanshan helped me remove it. My face turned bright red. Seeing myself half-naked but my lower body intact, I didn't know whether to feel lucky or regretful.

I quickly thought about what to say to cover up. Then, I had an idea. I scratched the back of my head and told her, "I drank too much last night. On the taxi, I started to feel sick before reaching my destination, so I asked the driver to stop. I got out to vomit, but after I paid, the driver ran off like a scared rabbit. I couldn't get another cab, so I walked back. It was dark, and I didn't notice I fell into a ditch."

Surprisingly, Dong Shanshan bought it. She seemed concerned for me and said, "How careless you are."

I grinned and asked, "What time is it?"

Dong Shanshan reached under the bed and pulled out a plastic bag full of food. She handed it to me and said, "You still have the nerve to complain? You've been sleeping all day. You made me miss my classes."

I was truly hungry, so I took the bag and immediately started devouring a spiced chicken leg. Dong Shanshan smiled and shook her head as she watched me eat. She opened a bottle of Sprite, handed it to me, and said, "No one's going to fight you for it, so eat slowly, don't choke."

I took the Sprite and gulped it down, but then I suddenly remembered the ghost's bottle was still in my jacket. I was about to ask her where my down jacket was when I started choking.

I couldn't stop coughing, and bubbles from the carbonated drink came out of my nose. Dong Shanshan immediately rushed to pat my back, worried, "How careless, are you alright?"

It wasn't a big deal, but after I calmed down, I waved my hand to reassure her. But then I froze. Why did I freeze? Because I was sitting shirtless on the bed, and Dong Shanshan, seeing me choke, had climbed onto the bed and was gently patting my back. We were so close, so intimate.

At that moment, unexpectedly, I heard sounds from the neighboring room. It was the unmistakable sound of a man and woman in the middle of some... intense activities. I couldn't help but feel awkward.

Dong Shanshan must have heard the sounds too. She froze for a moment, then her face turned bright red, and she didn't know where to put her hands. I saw her blush, and my heart warmed. Not just warmth—my heart was pounding.

Without realizing it, our gazes met. I saw her face, just as red as mine. She clearly felt the same. My mouth went dry, and I forgot about the ghost. I didn't know how much time passed, but it felt like something was pulling me closer to her. She didn't resist, and even closed her eyes, as if waiting for me.

I remembered an advertisement from before: "Do you want to know what kissing tastes like?"

I finally knew, and yes, it was very intoxicating, even though it wasn't my first kiss, and not even my second—it just happened naturally.

I didn't know who made the first move, but suddenly we were kissing. Don't get the wrong idea—I'm only talking about the kiss.

Just as I was getting more comfortable, the sounds from next door intensified, and a scream—like something out of an opera—shocked us both back to reality.

Dong Shanshan quickly got up, adjusting her clothes, while I cursed the couple next door. They were ruining everything!

I wanted to say, "Let them do what they want," but even I, shameless as I am, couldn't bring myself to say it.

We fell into silence again. After Dong Shanshan fixed her clothes, she turned to me, her face still flushed, and asked, "Will you love me?"

I suddenly felt like crying. My spring had come again, and the happiness after this trial made me feel overwhelmed. I didn't know how to express myself, so I just nodded stupidly.

Dong Shanshan's bright smile immediately lit up her face. She moved closer, wrapped her arms around me, and said, "You'd better not lie to me~~."

Seems like the old saying was right—"Survive a great calamity, and you'll have good fortune." Damn, I love you, love!

After we hugged for a while, I remembered the ghost. I got up and found my down jacket. Thankfully, the bottle was still safely in my pocket.

In a good mood, I said to Dong Shanshan, "Let's go, dear. You must be hungry too. Let me take you out for dinner."

To my surprise, she rolled her eyes and said, "You've got money now, huh? There's so much food here. Let's just eat this. Save your money for the future, and stop drinking so much, okay?"

Can she be any more thoughtful? I was so touched by those words. Just starting our relationship, and she's already thinking about me. What more could I ask for? Of course, I'll be there for her too.

We ate simple fast food, but we both smiled the entire time. I couldn't help but think about the injured ghost in the bottle and silently sighed: it's really good to be alive.