Chapter 8 He Zhao shook his head vigorously, answering directly, "No, I can't..."
He Zhao shook his head like a rattle drum and answered directly, "No, I can't. Do I look like I can keep it in check? If it suddenly goes berserk, even ten of me tied together wouldn't be a match for it."
"Couldn't you have used a big move like inviting it to dinner?"
He Zhao's face grew even more bitter.
One bowl of rice is fine, it would only cost 10 yuan at most, but if He Zhao kept paying, she couldn't keep up. In the past, He Zhao was a generous rich woman. When her favorite guests asked, she would serve them rice, not just 10 yuan a bowl, but even 100 yuan a bowl.
The problem is, the current He Zhao is not like that.
She's dirt poor right now; asking her to pay this money would be worse than killing her. Only those who've experienced being broke truly know what it's like.
He Zhao was not only poor, but also shameless, so he bluntly said, "But I have no money! This bowl costs ten yuan, and if I eat as much as I want, I'll go broke!"
Qiao Yanyu couldn't help but rub her forehead. Seeing He Zhao's expression, she felt somewhat helpless. In the end, Qiao Yanyu transferred 2,000 yuan to He Zhao: "If you come over tomorrow night, just feed it as much as you want, and I'll make up for it."
"That would be so embarrassing."
At that moment, He Zhao heard the sound of her own heart breaking. It was the sound of unrequited love ending without a trace. On their second meeting, she had already flaunted 2,000 yuan from the guest she was interested in because of her stinginess. In that case... there probably wouldn't be a future for them.
He Zhao really wanted to say "No need" in a very generous way, but after thinking about it, she thought: Why not take it if it's free? She'd take it first. And that wasn't all; she had to keep nagging: "Actually, if it's for ghosts, it's 100 yuan a bowl, as I just told you. I'm only charging you 10 yuan a bowl because of you. I'll transfer the rest back to you after it finishes eating it."
Some people might swallow their pride and suffer in silence, but He Zhao wouldn't do that. She wanted everyone to know what she had sacrificed.
"No need," Qiao Yanyu said. "Take this money. After you finish setting up your stall, come with me to the police station."
He Zhao stiffened slightly: "I... I didn't do anything. Are you going to handcuff me?"
"No." Sometimes, Qiao Yanyu really didn't know what He Zhao was thinking. She honestly told He Zhao, "Your stall is indeed a bit strange. I'm afraid I can't make decisions about you on my own. So after you close up shop, we'll go to the bureau, meet with the director, and report to him so that we can better protect you."
Qiao Yanyu's explanation relieved He Zhao.
While they were chatting, the ghost had finished eating its white rice. It stood up, ready to leave. Qiao Yanyu called it back again and handed it a talisman: "Take this and don't wander off. If I find someone or have a solution, I'll use this to contact you."
"Okay," Gui replied, then waved to He Zhao.
"Take care, come again tomorrow."
After all, He Zhao had accepted Qiao Yanyu's money, and she had even paid for the meal. If she didn't handle things well, she would feel terrible. Hearing her greet her so warmly, Gui also smiled and said "okay" again.
The ghost left, and only after it disappeared from sight did Qiao Yanyu sit down again. Actually, the talisman she had given the ghost was not only for communication, but also a locator; she knew where the ghost went.
After they sat down again, He Zhao stopped playing on her phone because it was about to run out of battery. Being poor, He Zhao could only sit and wait for her phone to charge; she couldn't play on it while it charged. Her old phone would explode at the slightest provocation if she tried to use it while charging.
The two looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
He Zhao was the first to break the silence: "Sister Qiao, I'm not from this world, so I don't know much about it. It's just... are ghosts common? Do ordinary people know about them?"
Qiao Yanyu hesitated for a moment, feeling that He Zhao was being a bit too familiar, using "we" so soon after only knowing each other for a short time. After a moment of silence, she still explained to her: "They're not common. In our world, most ordinary people don't even know what ghosts are."
Now that they'd started, Qiao Yanyu went on to explain in detail: "Ghosts are never a good thing to encounter. There are two completely different forces in this world: yang energy and yin energy. Yang energy is the aura of living people, and it's stronger when the sun is out; while yin energy is what ghosts have, and it's more prevalent at night."
"The yin energy that wanders between heaven and earth at night has no effect on ordinary people, but the condensed yin energy on ghosts is like a needle. If a living person is touched by it, it is like a balloon being pricked by a needle, which easily leaks air and makes them prone to illness and physical discomfort. However, as long as they stop contacting ghosts, they will return to normal due to the replenishment of yang energy during the day."
"The policies from above are generally meant to keep the general public in the dark, because when ghosts are relatively weak and confused and can't remember anything about their past lives, they are no different from the yin energy that wanders between heaven and earth. But some people are more sensitive to yin energy, and they can easily see these ghosts."
"Ghosts have a terrifying habit. When they are not seen, they are just like ordinary yin energy, basically harmless to people. But once they discover that someone can see them, they will chase after that person to absorb negative emotions. Because negative emotions can also gather yin energy, which the ghost can absorb to become stronger."
Qiao Yanyu explained very seriously, her brows furrowing slightly, clearly overwhelmed by the characteristics of ghosts. She even sighed, "So the main policy is to conceal the existence of ghosts. Otherwise, people won't even be aware of ghosts to begin with. Once they have a concept of them, they'll be more likely to see ghosts and then be haunted by them."
After hearing all that she said, He Zhao summarized it herself, feeling it was like "when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." She couldn't help but ask, "So what if you actually see those little devils?"
"The best way is to pretend you don't see them and ignore them as much as possible. If they can't draw negative emotions or gain any negative energy from you, they will let go and continue their meaningless wandering."
He Zhao paused for a moment, then asked, "What about the more powerful ghosts?"
“The more powerful ghosts can be seen even by ordinary people who are not very sensitive to yin energy. They have created a solidified energy body through yin energy, which can be observed by the naked eye. Generally speaking, these are the ghosts we mainly need to deal with. The ghost that died in the fire just now was already very powerful.”
"The power of a ghost comes from the negative emotions it acquires or possesses itself. Negative emotions attract yin energy, and the more they condense, the stronger it becomes. It could be hatred towards the world or hatred from others towards oneself. As long as this emotion is particularly strong, it will become stronger when it becomes a ghost. Another situation is that although it is very weak at the beginning, it breaks out of a state of confusion due to some opportunity, and then accumulates yin energy day by day, becoming powerful."
"This is such an unreasonable setting." He Zhao couldn't help but sigh. Qiao Yanyu smiled and said, "That's how it is."
By this point in their conversation, they had pretty much covered the concept of "ghosts." As dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight appeared in the sky, He Zhao was finally able to pack up and call it a day.
Qiao Yanyu was a fairly reasonable person. Although she had previously suggested that He Zhao come to the station with her, she was also concerned about the fact that He Zhao hadn't slept all night, was on edge, and was just an ordinary person. If she were to ask He Zhao to come back to the station with her now, it would be rather unreasonable.
So after Qiao Yanyu asked He Zhao for the address, she made an appointment with He Zhao to meet her at 2 pm.
He Zhao couldn't help but quip, "Sister Qiao, aren't you afraid I'll disappear without a trace?"
Qiao Yanyu smiled confidently: "You underestimate Skynet too much. Besides, our Paranormal Countermeasures Bureau is equipped with a dedicated information processing department. You definitely can't escape."
Qiao Yanyu knew, of course, that He Zhao was just joking. If she really wanted to run away, why would she tell her that she was from another world?
The two said goodbye, and He Zhao got on his electric tricycle and drove towards the rented house. Qiao Yanyu also suppressed her smile and prepared to search for the people the ghost of the person who died in the fire wanted to find.
He Zhao returned to her rented room, quickly washed up, ate something, and then lay down on the bed. She lay sprawled out in a starfish position and couldn't help but sigh, "I eat and sleep all day, and with my days and nights reversed and me sitting still all night, I feel like I'm going to become a big fat person sooner or later."
[Then the host should get some exercise.]
He Zhao rolled over and couldn't help but roll her eyes at the system: "You really don't understand romance. I was just saying. When I was staying at home drinking sugary drinks every day, I didn't get fat. I'm the kind of person who can eat whatever I want and not gain weight. I'm naturally beautiful."
Upon hearing He Zhao's words, the system mercilessly exposed her: [The reason you didn't gain weight before was due to your irregular sleep schedule, unhealthy eating habits, and frequent stomach aches. That's why you didn't gain weight.]
Having been hit where it hurt, He Zhao couldn't help but say, "You're so talkative. If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."
She turned over again, Qiao Yanyu's image appearing in her mind. The thought of meeting Qiao Yanyu again this afternoon made He Zhao feel quite good. She tossed and turned for a while before finally falling into a deep sleep due to drowsiness.
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