“What's wrong? Do you like Lulu?”

When I turned my head, Sister Hua was standing behind me. She looked at me with a smile. There were several female ghosts beside me. However, I only recognized Xiao Lingdang and Yan’er.

I waved my hand signaling that wasn’t it and to leave it be. I definitely could not tell them why Lulu became angry.

Yan’er pretended to be sad, “You just gave money to Lulu. We didn’t get anything...”

I explained myself, “I will give Sister Hua money to divide between everyone next time.”

All the female ghosts thought that was a great compromise. Sister Hua felt like it was time to rest, “Alright, take a break.” Then she turned to me, saying, “Come back here early tonight, or you can have a break here if you wish.”

Xiao Lingdang walked towards me with a sad look. “Brother, you promised to find something for me.”

I nodded. Suddenly, everything around me went dark. Sister Hua and the other ghosts disappeared. Everything around me became dilapidated and silent. However, I was not scared. Anyone would become brave if they had gone through that scene last night.

It was 5 o'clock in the morning when I looked at my watch. I was awake the whole night. I was nervous and tired. I went home immediately. I had never seen the several dustmen who swept the street at this hour. They stared at me in shock as I passed. One of them fainted. I was too tired to notice.

I fell asleep as soon as I came back home. I don't how long I slept, but I was awakened by a phone call. It was Wu Jian. I got up after arranging a meeting with Wu Jian. After all, it was the afternoon. Although I wanted to sleep more, my belly could not stand the hunger.

I met Wu Jian at a noodle bar. The capable and experienced Wu Jian had swollen eyes and a pale face.

I imitated an advertisement I saw on TV. “What's wrong with you, man? What happened, Bro?”

Wu Jian glanced at me, “I was on guard last night. I had no time to sleep. What's wrong with you? You look like hell.”

I couldn’t believe that I was getting mocked by him when I was the one trying to make fun of him. I told him everything that had happened the night before.

“So it was you...” Wu Jian said with an accusing tone.

I didn’t understand, “Me? What did I do?”

Wu Jian thought it was simultaneously funny and annoying, “I had finished my shift this morning. Then, I got a notice that a strange event happened near the ghost house, so I rushed over as fast as I could. It turns out a street sweeper had a heart attack. There were a ton of witnesses. They said they had seen ghosts, so we searched the ghost house again, but there was nothing there.”

I opened my mouth, but I was too shy to say anything, so I just ate my food silently.

Wu Jian asked excitedly, “You said you’ll work there every night, right? Why not buy the ghost house?”

I almost choked on the food I was chewing on and coughed heavily a for a couple of seconds. “Buy the big villa with three staircases and a big garden located in the central area of the city?”

Wu Jian nodded and said, “Not too shabby, eh?”

I said feebly, “Brother, do you know how much that house is worth? It’s gotta be at least ten million, not even accounting for its historical value. Even if we both pooled our money together, we couldn’t afford to buy a space in the washroom there.”

Wu Jian said, “Remember last time, I told you the government wanted to sell the ghost house to ease the situation. No one wants to buy that house, but if you’re not afraid...”

I nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m not really afraid to buy it, but why would I? To live in the ghost house alone? Regardless, I haven’t got much money.”

Wu Jian said, “The value of the ghost house will continue rise. There are ghosts in it now, but there may not be ghosts there in the future. You might be able to leave it to the next generation. Anyway, I’ll ask about the price. I know the government is hoping people can live in it at some point. That’ll stop the rumors.”

“Honestly, I might not live long enough to get married,” I answered him flippantly. Wu Jian had nothing to say.

I considered it. I guess it wouldn’t be that bad to live in the ghost house. At least I wouldn’t need to commute from my home to work. I had told my mom that I was on a business trip. It would only cause trouble for me if mom found out. I’d be alright if I could somehow get paid with actual money.

After I left Wu Jian, I hung out on the street for a while. Last night, had I met with a bunch of ghosts. Now I wanted to be around actual living people. After wandering aimlessly for a while, I got a call from Wu Jian. He told me the price for the ghost house, but as soon as he told me the price, I scoffed.

“It’s actually ten million? If I had ten million Yuan, I would give it to my mom instead of buying the ghost house. I’d die for ten million. Most people can’t get ten million in a lifetime.”

Wu Jian knew I was right, but he brought up a good point. “I know, but listen: The government is holding a public auction in an attempt to sell the ghost house. The government will depreciate it’s value if no one is willing to buy it. If anyone tries to buy it, you could ask the girls in the ghost house to frighten them. The rumors will take care of the rest. Eventually, the government will likely sell you the ghost house under the pressure of the rumors. But tell them not to harm anyone, just frighten them!”

I didn't know whether or not that plan would work. I couldn’t promise that the girls in the ghost house wouldn’t harm anyone, I was just starting to get to know them.

I had to think about it.

“I can’t believe we’re actually considering this.” I said.

“Let’s just take some time to think about it” he said. Then we said goodbye and hung up.

Buying the ghost house wasn’t a priority anyway. I’d pretty much moved to the ghost house already, although people would likely just think of me as a brave squatter. It was unlikely that anyone would try to kick me out.

I hung out until 10 o'clock and then I ran to the ghost house. I stopped just across the street. I looked on and saw that there was a Taoist blocking the gateway accompanied by many tearful people standing behind him. They were crying and telling each other how horrible the ghost house was. I could hear them vaguely, even though I was across the street. The Taoist was attempting to recall the spirit of Chen Kai.

Police lights flickered. Several policemen were attempting to persuade these people to go home. In the end, it was futile and only provoked an argument. Eventually, the policemen retreated after exchanging a few useless sentences.

Then, I noticed the figure of Wu Jian. I walked towards him and pulled him aside.

“Do you ever rest?” I was a little bit concerned for his health.

Wu Jian yawned lazily. “You don’t think I want to? I was up all day. Something would happen every time I’d lay down. Well, are you going to work or not?”

I pouted, pointing at the crowd blocking the way into the ghost house. “How am I supposed to get in? I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it tonight.”

My second day working as some kind of ethereal pimp, and I was already going to be absent.