Afterlife Department

"Hao Ming actually can see You Ri's resentment that is in the form of a ghost?!" they exclaimed in shock after they heard what Yi Bing told them.

Yi Bing nodded. "En. She told me that Hao Ming is helping her find her murderer as a compensation for Shi Nana's, Li Li's and Li Yan's bullying her in the company which he ignored before." He explained.

"Well, this… is this alright?' they asked, unsure. A living person is working with a ghost. Not to mention, a hostile ghost at that.

"Since Hao Ming didn't die, then it must be okay." Yi Bing shrugged. "What about your end?" he asked the Inspection Department.

"Jiu Ye." Bai Liu called.

"Yes!" Jiu Ye answered and rose from his seat. He then cleared his throat. "I and Bai Wu followed senior Hao's instructions to hide from his friend, the chief Gu Xingfeng and listen in on the conversations around us to get some clues." He spoke. "What we found is that this exorcist society, the Dawn of Light, is very hidden and only their upper echelon can know where their hideout is." He explained. "The undercover sent by chief Gu is only a lower-tier member, so he can't go to their hideout." He added.

They frowned. "This is troublesome." They muttered.

"If they can do undercover, why can't we?" Bai Wu asked.

For the first time, Bai Liu didn't berate him since his question is sensible. Even Jiu Ye is listening attentively.

"Because those who possess powers like the exorcists, and I mean the real ones at that, could see our true forms." Bai Liu answered.

"'true forms'…" the two juniors muttered.

"It would be fine if it is just an accidental sight. But, if the person deliberately gazes at a grim reaper, it would be like staring into the abyss." Bai Liu continued. "The abyss would stare back at you. You will die." He told them.

Jiu Ye and Bai Wu were shocked.

"But, of course, the person can be exempt from death if the grim reaper wouldn't reap their soul from their body. Or that the grim reaper wouldn't find out you are staring at him." Bai Liu said. "Of course, the grim reaper might also be malicious and would definitely kill you even if you just accidentally saw them." He added.

"'malicious grim reapers'…?" the two juniors looked at each other.

"Enough. We have gone off-track." Bai Liu raised his cup. "Wu Yi, you continue." He said, deliberately skipping Bai Wu since the other is an idiot.

Wu Yi nodded. "Xiao Ye and xiao Wu also heard from the two police officers named 'Song Mingfan' and 'Xiao Xie' about a company named 'Lifea'." He spoke. "This company is a very famous Western company that sells life products. It was the Lifea that sponsored the tickets of the You family which they won from a raffle." He explained. "Currently, they are investigating the Lifea if it has a connection with You Ri." He said.

"We also found out about the Lifea after we went to You Ri's rented apartment unit and 'met' Song Mingfan and Xiao Xie." Huo Ling spoke. "I am still looking into the Lifea's company profile and hired a private investigator online for him to check if the Lifea has a connection with You Ri." He explained.

"How about Lin Weng?" Yi Bing asked.

Bai Liu sighed in defeat. "Still has no news of him." He frowned. "It is like he suddenly disappeared." he told them.

"He is a human, so he can't disappear. Only the supernatural beings, like us, can." Yi Bing said. "He definitely must have left some tracks." He added.

They nodded in agreement.

"That's right… this Lin Weng…" Huo Ling muttered when he recalled something. "I also asked You Ri is she knows him and she said that Lin Weng was one of her classmates when they were in high school." He said.

Everyone looked at him in shock. "…" what the fck! You actually know this and you didn't say this earlier?!

"… sorry." Huo Ling apologetically smiled when he saw their expressions and he guiltily rubbed his nose in embarrassment.

Yi Bing smiled. "Did she say anything?" he asked.

Huo Ling nervously gulped when he saw Yi Bing's smile. That meant, he is screwed. Yi Bing will definitely write this mistake of his in his note. "Yes." he immediately answered.

Bai Liu, Jiu Ye, and especially Bai Wu, couldn't see the undercurrent between Yi Bing and Huo Ling. Meanwhile, Wu Yi imperceptibly meaningfully smiled and hid it by drinking.

"What did she say?!" the three asked.

"She said that Lin Weng is a very silent person and had an alienated atmosphere surrounding him." Huo Ling answered. "In short, he is a loner." He told them.

"A loner…" they muttered with a pensive expression on their faces.

"He is like the cold protagonist type in shounen manga and anime that always sits by the window at the back of the classroom and looks outside the window with the breeze blowing his hair and the curtain, giving him a dramatic emphasis effect." Bai Wu spoke.

Everyone looked at him. "…" what the hell is with this description?! They thought, though they also feel that Bai Wu isn't wrong.

Huo Ling coughed, definitely knows what Bai Wu meant since he was also an otaku when he was alive. He looked away to hide his embarrassment.

"Yes. She also said that Lin Weng is neither cool nor warm. Just lukewarm, especially with his relationship towards his classmates and teachers." He continued. "And his life is focused only in school and his home. He rarely joins any activities and he wasn't in any sports or drama or academic clubs. In short, his life looked bland." He told them.

"This…" they all looked at each other. "Doesn't he look pitiful, too?" they asked.

"No!" Huo Ling answered with a firm voice. "He wouldn't be pitiful if he actually enjoys this kind of life, right?" he asked. "He may look lonely to others but what if he is actually enjoying this kind of life?" he looked at them.

The others heard his words and finally noticed something. Why do you look so sure about this? Huo Ling, are you actually… they thought, but in the end, they didn't voice out their thoughts. They don't know if Huo Ling might be sensitive so they didn't want to hurt him with their questions.

Yi Bing who knows that Huo Ling was a donghua and audio drama voice actor with the alias 'Howee Jackson' didn't say anything. "Did she say anything else?" he asked him.

"Yes." Huo Ling answered. "She told me that she once had an interaction with Lin Weng but the other wasn't deterred by her beauty and just acted normally." He told them.

"This… You Ri was actually a vain person?" they asked.

"Maybe before. After all, they were just teenagers that time." Yi Bing shrugged.

"Then, I asked her if she has met Lin Weng before she died." Huo Ling spoke.

Everyone's expressions immediately changed and they waited for Huo Ling's answer.

"She said she did." Huo Ling told them.

Their eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?!" they exclaimed.

"I asked her when, and how…" Huo Ling continued and lowered his gaze when he recalled You Ri's words.

"I was also surprised when I saw Lin Weng. He looked flustered when he saw me. Then, he knelt before me and raised his hand, with his two fingers – his index finger and middle finger, on his lips. He chanted in a low, but also shaking, voice as he closed his eyes. I saw a tear fell from his eyes. I felt the heavy feeling he felt that time as soon as his tear fell on me. That warm liquid I felt on my cheek, it brought me comfort which made me realize the suffocating feeling I felt that day. It also brought sadness." 

"But, this sadness actually came from him. And when he opened his eyes, I don't remember whether it was the reflection in his eyes or through his eyes that I saw myself… well, my selves. One lying lifeless in the riverbank after it was thrown out of the car's window that broke due to the impact of the car crash. Meanwhile, the other one is 'alive' and is blankly staring at him. That's when I realized that I actually died."

As soon as Huo Ling's voice fell, silence filled the entire house. Jiu Ye felt his eyes turned hot and warm liquid streamed down his cheeks as a suffocating and sour feeling bubbled in his chest. Bai Liu's face looked stiff while Wu Yi is silent. Bai Wu is surprisingly also silent. Meanwhile, Yi Bing's face remained emotionless.

"He tried to save her." Bai Liu spoke in a soft voice. He took a deep breath to calm the raging emotions inside his chest.

They hated Lin Weng before because the other caused trouble for You Ri by interrupting her direct reincarnation. But, right now, they couldn't thank him enough. If not for Lin Weng, You Ri wouldn't know even in the afterlife the ugly truths hidden by the beautiful lies of the people around her.

Truly, how Fate works.. It might play tricks on people, but right now, they couldn't be more glad with its trick on Lin Weng's and You Ri's lives.