Ruan Bei has slight nearsightedness, not serious, around 100 degrees, which doesn't affect his daily life, so he doesn't have the habit of wearing glasses.
The continuous rain formed a semi-transparent curtain, interfering with Ruan Bei's vision. From a distance, he could only see the outline of a tall, adult man approaching in the rain, but he couldn't make out his specific features.
As the man approached, it became clear that he was a well-dressed man in a suit and tie, dressed in a very respectable manner.
The man was about forty years old. He walked with a calm and composed demeanor, and apart from his excessively pale face, you couldn't tell that he was walking in the pouring rain.
Ruan Bei felt that something was not quite right, but he couldn't figure it out for a moment. The man had already walked up to him and gave him a strange look.
Ruan Bei smiled at him reflexively, and moved her feet slightly to the right, indicating that she wanted to make room for him.
A glint suddenly flashed in the man's deep eyes. He looked Ruan Bei up and down, gave him a slightly excited and strange smile, thanked him, and then stood in the open space that Ruan Bei had specially cleared for him.
Ruan Bei felt even more uneasy. He had stayed in the Lu family for several years, and his insight had improved significantly, if nothing else.
From a distance, one might assume someone is seeking shelter from the rain. But once they get closer and observe their appearance and demeanor, one would assume they are someone who always travels in luxury cars and holds a high position. Why would they be walking alone in the rain?
Moreover, he always felt that he had missed something, not only because the person's behavior was inconsistent, but also because there was a sense of incongruity about the person that made him feel awkward.
This feeling made him somewhat uneasy, but since the person was already standing beside him, he couldn't deliberately turn his head to look at them.
He had no choice but to pretend nothing was wrong and take out his phone to continue editing his get-rich-quick scheme.
With something on his mind and constantly observing the situation until the rain stopped and he returned home, he was rather careless in his actions, and he could hear the sounds around him all the time.
The man on the left stood still and didn't say a word, but Ruan Bei vaguely felt that the man was observing him, which made it even harder for him to concentrate.
The girl on the right was on a voice call, chatting enthusiastically with her friend. In the middle of the call, she lowered her voice and said that she had met a handsome young man. Her friend asked her to take a picture, but she covered her phone and whispered to avoid the conversation.
She then complained to her friend that the rain came too quickly, and even though she managed to get out of the rain in time, her clothes still got a little wet and felt sticky and uncomfortable against her skin.
In a flash, Ruan Bei finally remembered the reason for the strange feeling in his heart—
The man on the left walked out of the rain, his clothes were clearly dry!
The raindrops, as if passing through a projection, fell straight to the ground, leaving not a trace on him...
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Ruan Bei's mind, from gods descending to earth to cultivate immortality in the city and mutants with superpowers, to the problem with his eyes. If he hadn't confirmed repeatedly after his rebirth that this was not a dream, he would be even more suspicious of whether he was dreaming now.
There was another possibility he didn't even dare to think about: encountering ghosts. Isn't it said that you only encounter ghosts if you walk on the dark a lot? It wasn't completely dark yet.
But the more I try not to think in that direction, the more my mind seems to suddenly go out of control, desperately trying to find evidence to support it.
The man's excessively pale face, his behavior inappropriate for his status, and the various strange behaviors he exhibited during our brief conversation...
He lived for more than 20 years in his previous life. Although he was terrified of ghosts and never dared to watch ghost movies or read ghost stories, his adherence to a materialistic and scientific view was never broken!
As for why materialists are afraid of ghosts, sometimes we have to admit that fear is an emotion that is beyond human control. Fear is fear, and no matter how much others talk, the fear in one's heart is not so easily eliminated.
Ruan Bei is particularly afraid of ghosts. He is not afraid of many things that others find disgusting or frightening, but he is afraid of ghosts.
When he was young and naive, he watched horror movies with his older siblings. That one time left a deep impression on him. For more than three months, he was afraid to go to the bathroom alone, and he even cried in his dreams because of it.
Over time, I've forgotten the plot of the film, but the fear I felt at the time is unforgettable.
Therefore, Ruan Bei never participates in any activities related to ghosts, does not listen to ghost stories, does not participate in activities such as summoning spirits organized by classmates, and avoids haunted houses when going to amusement parks.
What you fear most is what happens.
Ruan Bei's face drained of color, and he stood frozen in place, too afraid to move.
The mere thought that there might be a ghost standing next to him, one that he had summoned himself, made Ruan Bei want to plunge into the rain and wash his head clean.
But he didn't dare.
They dared not move, dared not speak, and dared not run away.
A bitter taste lingered on his tongue. Unbeknownst to Ruan Bei, he was shivering slightly, his fingers gripping the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
His mind was a complete mess. He was in a state of extreme shock, barely managing to stay upright without fainting, but his fear had soared beyond his tolerance threshold, leaving him unable to react in any concrete way and completely terrified.
The girl on the right probably thought he had some kind of mental illness, and sighed inwardly, while secretly glancing at him a few more times, and quietly squeezed to the other side.
The man who had been secretly observing him had a slightly darkened look in his eyes, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
After a while, the rain began to subside and looked like it was about to stop, and Ruan Bei finally calmed down.
It's not that he's lost his fear; he's just barely regained some of his ability to think.
Don't scare yourself.
Ruan Bei comforted himself, trying to think positively: maybe he had a mental illness or an eye disease?
But I'm still so scared...
He dared not look to the side, but he could feel the gaze coming from his left. Before, this kind of secret observation only made him feel slightly uncomfortable, but now he felt that the gaze was cold and sinister, like a sharp blade scraping across his body layer by layer, and his skin began to hurt.
"It's okay, I didn't do anything wrong. I... I should just pretend I don't know anything, like everyone else. Yes, that's it..."
"Don't run, don't act strangely, go with the flow of people, don't provoke him..."
The rain was getting lighter and lighter, and now it was just a drizzle. One or two people who couldn't wait to take shelter from the rain ran towards the place where they could catch a ride, either with their coats over their heads or their bags in their hands.
Ruan Bei barely managed to stop himself from running out immediately. The girl next to him was already putting her phone into her bag. He planned to follow her when she left, so it wouldn't seem abrupt at all.
Just then, the shop door behind me suddenly opened, and the customers inside came out.
They took shelter from the rain at a clothing store. To be precise, most of the shops on this street sell clothes. The customers inside had been buying clothes before the rain started, so they decided to stay a little longer to avoid the rain.
But those who arrived later, their clothes damp from the rain, couldn't squeeze into the shop anymore, so they sought shelter outside.
Three young girls walked out together. They only had one umbrella, which wouldn't be enough to keep them out of the heavy rain, but it was enough for the light rain if they squeezed together.
The three girls squeezed under the umbrella side by side, passing straight through the largest gap between the people seeking shelter from the rain. The girl on the far right had her handbag brush against Ruan Bei's arm, the cold, hard metal chain making a slight clinking sound.
"It's so cold! How did the temperature suddenly drop so much..."
The girl walking in the middle with an umbrella complained softly, and the girl who had just passed by Ruan Bei nodded in agreement. The three of them gradually walked away.
Ruan Bei: "..."
Ruan Bei almost fainted!
He could no longer deceive himself into thinking he had misread it. He couldn't wait to act with the others and ran home as fast as he could.
He ran incredibly fast, without daring to look back, and ran all the way to the entrance of his residential compound. In the distance, he saw the familiar, dilapidated iron gate, and a dim yellow light shone through the small window of the guardhouse.
The man sitting in the guardhouse wasn't a regular security guard; he was an old man in his sixties who lived in this old residential compound. His wife and children had passed away long ago, and he worked as a guard, opening and closing the gate morning and evening to relay notices from the neighborhood committee to each household. Later, he also took on the task of helping to collect packages.
He earns a meager salary each month, which is enough to support himself.
The old man had lived here for most of his life and had practically watched Ruan Bei grow up. Hearing the commotion, he peeked out and immediately chuckled, "Little Bei, why are you running? Is there a ghost chasing you?"
Ruan Bei couldn't bear to hear that word. He hurriedly waved to the old man, but seeing a familiar face slightly dispelled his fear.
He walked towards the guardhouse, stood by the window, and felt a little safer with only half a wall and a table between him and the old man.
"Why is your face so pale? Are you still sick? Go back and ask your dad to make you some nourishing soup. Don't be picky about food. You're a young man; you can't afford to be unhealthy..."
The old man kept talking about Ruan Bei, then took out a few more apples, put them in a bag, and wanted to give them to Ruan Bei.
Ruan Bei was too embarrassed to accept it. He tried to refuse the old man a few times, but he couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he had to take it. He thought to himself that the old man loved his father's pickled cucumbers, so he would send over two jars later.
This interruption eased most of his fear, but when he was about to turn back, Ruan Bei hesitated.
The neighborhood is old, the public facilities are outdated, it's very dark inside, and there are swaying shadows of trees, which is really scary.
Fear of ghosts and fear of the dark are easily linked, especially for someone like Ruan Bei who has just suffered a major fright and hasn't recovered yet.
He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately felt too embarrassed to let the old man take him home, so he mustered up his courage and walked forward.
Before leaving, he inexplicably glanced outside the residential area.
A well-dressed man in a suit stood quietly not far away, watching him in silence.
Ruan Bei: "...!!!"
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