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The school said that Ding Li was seriously ill and hoped that her guardian would step in to take her for proper treatment. Ye Chenfeng verbally promised to take her to the hospital, but in his heart, he wondered how it was possible for her to fall ill just a few days after arriving at school.
When Ye Chenfeng faced Ding Li, she suddenly said, "I’m not sick; what I see is real." Her tone was resolute, revealing a natural urgency and a fear that he might not believe her.
Moreover, as she spoke, her eyes were fixed with hostility on the person beside Ye Chenfeng.
That person was Chen Peiling.
In Ding Li's eyes, Chen Peiling was beautiful and graceful, completely overshadowing her. It was because of Chen Peiling that Ye Chenfeng had made excuses about not having time to come for barbecue. This thought had taken root in her heart, impossible to uproot or forget.
Chen Peiling thought Ding Li looked quite nice—a pure young girl, fitting the age of daydreamers.
"My uncle works at Four Hospitals; he's an authority there. Should we take her to see him?" Chen Peiling's suggestion clearly backfired. First, Ye Chenfeng refused to take Ding Li to such a place; he didn’t explain his reasons.
Secondly, for Ding Li, the only person she could trust now was Ye Chenfeng. She held no hope for anyone else. When she heard Chen Peiling mention taking her to Four Hospitals, she felt that the other party had ill intentions. After all, a normal person who went to such a place wouldn’t be considered sane for long.
"Ye Chenfeng, take me away from here; there are ghosts in the school." This was the phrase Ding Li repeated most often since seeing Ye Chenfeng. To others, it seemed somewhat neurotic. This was also why the school felt something was off about her—if she spread rumors that Vocational University had ghosts, who would dare come here to study?
Chen Peiling had something to say too; she casually winked at Ye Chenfeng, signaling him to speak.
Ye Chenfeng shrugged and pointed at Ding Li without following up.
"Lili, shall we go for barbecue?" He brought up the promise he hadn’t fulfilled yesterday. He saw a flash of surprise in Ding Li's eyes and couldn’t help but affectionately embrace her as they held hands and left the gates of Vocational University.
Chen Peiling followed behind them.
Ding Li felt that Chen Peiling was like a shadow, haunting them relentlessly.
Ye Chenfeng noticed that Ding Li's hand was cold. Remembering how she had placed his hand on her chest earlier, he tucked her hand into his pocket. His pocket was spacious enough to hold both of their hands comfortably.
Watching the two of them snuggled up together, Chen Peiling felt an inexplicable sense of loss.
The relationship between Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li was simple; they were a couple deeply in love. The first impression the owner of the Barbecue Stall had of them was just that. He warmly welcomed them to sit down, took their orders, and inquired about their taste preferences before starting to grill enthusiastically.
Ding Li noticed that Chen Peiling didn’t like barbecue. No matter how much Ye Chenfeng called out to her or tried to engage her, she remained indifferent, sitting alone on one side, ignoring everyone while fiddling with her phone with great interest.
“Ye Chenfeng, how long have you known her?” Ding Li tried her best to appear ladylike, wanting to show that she was perfectly normal and not someone suffering from depression.
Ye Chenfeng picked up a skewer of his favorite tofu for Ding Li, while he grabbed another skewer for himself, dipping it in chili powder and munching away.
“Why isn’t she eating barbecue?” Ding Li stared at Chen Peiling, and a sudden thought crossed her mind: could she be a ghost? Ghosts do not partake in earthly delights; only those who can see her would notice her presence, while others would remain oblivious.
This thought was wicked but gave Ding Li immense courage. Under Ye Chenfeng's gaze, she stood up and walked over to the barbecue owner, turning back to look at Chen Peiling, afraid that if she blinked, she might disappear.
“Boss, can you see her?”
Typically, the Barbecue Stall around schools is not a permanent establishment. The barbecue owner didn’t recognize Chen Peiling and found Ding Li's question strange. A living person was sitting there playing on her phone; there could be many reasons for not eating barbecue, but it couldn’t be said that she was invisible!
The barbecue owner dared not meet Ding Li’s eyes; there was something unsettling in hers. He smacked his lips and stammered, “I can see her.”
“Oh.”
Seeing the heavy gloom on Ding Li’s face, her vacant eyes, and pale complexion, Ye Chenfeng sensed that something was wrong. It felt like something was watching them. Yet he still didn’t want to believe that she might be in real trouble. Several times he wanted to pull out the talismans from his pocket but hesitated each time he saw Chen Peiling.
He couldn’t let anyone think he was superstitious. Besides, having just arrived at a new school where Chen Peiling was a Senior Sister, revealing his belief in ghosts would surely cause a stir and bring unnecessary trouble. So, Ye Chenfeng chose to remain silent, wanting to continue observing what exactly was targeting Ding Li.
After returning to her seat from asking the barbecue owner—her voice barely above a whisper—Ding Li looked at Ye Chenfeng, who could tell from their conversation that it wasn’t anything good. She sat back down with an unwavering gaze fixed on Chen Peiling.
Lowering her voice, she quietly asked Ye Chenfeng: “Tell me, have you been to any bad places recently? Like a graveyard or a funeral home?”
"Why do you ask that?"
"I feel like she's not human."
Ding Li's words startled Ye Chenfeng. It wasn't her statement that shocked him, but her expression.
"Don't daydream; Chen Peiling is fine."
Ding Li became angry at Ye Chenfeng's response. "If she’s fine, then what about me?"
"You’re fine too." Ye Chenfeng, fearing she would get upset, gently covered her hand. Why was her hand always so cold?
Chen Peiling didn't leave because she felt that Ding Li truly had a problem. She wanted to wait until they finished their barbecue and then try to persuade them both to visit the mental health clinic at Four Hospitals.
"Why? Why do they say I'm crazy?" Ding Li's emotions spiraled out of control as she slammed her hand on the table and shouted desperately. Her outburst drew the attention of many people around them—those eating barbecue, those passing by, and even Chen Peiling.
Ye Chenfeng hurriedly comforted her, trying to soothe her with gestures and words, gently patting her back. The two stood up, preparing to leave the barbecue stall. He pulled out a crumpled handful of small bills from his pocket, unsure if it would be enough, and quickly helped Ding Li away from the table.
Seeing the crumpled bills, Chen Peiling shook her head and pulled out a frog skin note from her bag, handing it to the barbecue vendor. "Could you please calculate this for me? Just give me the change." She then stuffed the crumpled bills into her bag.
The vendor used a calculator to determine the total amount due and returned the excess change to Chen Peiling.
Chen Peiling hurried after Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li.
Actually, there was no need to rush; after walking for a few minutes, she saw Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li arguing ahead.
"Let go of me! I don't want to go with you!" Ding Li cried, scratching at Ye Chenfeng and refusing his support.
Ye Chenfeng wore a pained expression, unsure how to handle the situation unfolding before him. He regretted that Ding Li had gone to Men'er Gou without knowing the circumstances; he felt partly responsible for this mess. Perhaps he really needed to take Ding Li to a proper hospital. If it was just some malevolent spirit causing trouble, that could be dealt with easily. But if she truly had a psychological issue, that would be a serious problem.
"Don't argue, arguing won't solve the problem. Let's think about what to do next," Chen Peiling kindly reminded.
Ding Li was in the middle of a heated dispute when she saw Chen Peiling and lunged at her, shouting, "You vixen! You're just a transformed fox spirit! I'm going to fight you today!"
Ye Chenfeng had never seen Ding Li act so fiercely. Shocked, he quickly grabbed her wrist, restraining her along with Chen Peiling as they stood by the roadside waiting for a car to take them to a proper hospital.
"Let's go to Four Hospitals!"
Chen Peiling's stubborn suggestion irritated Ye Chenfeng. "What do you know? She's my girlfriend; you better not interfere."
"Fine!" Chen Peiling retorted, pulling out a handful of loose change from her bag and slapping it against Ye Chenfeng's face before storming off.
After Chen Peiling left, Ye Chenfeng let out a helpless sigh.
The car still hadn't arrived when Ding Li began to struggle again, even trying to grab him.
Passersby saw them and mistakenly thought Ye Chenfeng was bullying Ding Li, gathering around to criticize him.
Feeling emboldened, Ding Li took advantage of the distraction and suddenly bolted away.
In that moment, Ye Chenfeng couldn't catch up. As Ding Li ran, many people grabbed him, hurling accusations at him. The crowd of onlookers made him furious. By the time he managed to break free from Su Bo's grasp, Ding Li had already vanished without a trace.
Ye Chenfeng frantically searched the streets for Ding Li.
Whenever he spotted someone who resembled her from behind, he would rush over to tap them on the shoulder, only to be met with scolding or even being chased away. He thought to himself that if this continued, he might end up going crazy before Ding Li did.
As night fell, the streets gradually emptied. Before darkness fully set in, those who enjoyed nightlife would soon flood back in. Exhausted, Ye Chenfeng walked back to school and gritted his teeth as he dialed Ding Li's number once more.
This was the fiftieth time he had called her. Each time he hoped for an answer, only to be met with disappointment again.
This time, the call went through.
On the other end was indeed Ding Li, speaking in a tone that was as normal as could be.
"Ye Chenfeng, I'm at school. There might be a misunderstanding between us. Let's meet on Sunday and talk it over."
Ye Chenfeng was taken aback. Was this really Ding Li? The scene from the afternoon flashed back in his mind. She had seemed so unfamiliar then, treating him like an enemy. He shoved his hands into his pockets, fingers brushing against the prepared talisman paper. With a wry smile, he pulled it out and, under the night sky, tore it into pieces, scattering them into the air.
Ding Li's words were certainly normal, but Ye Chenfeng still felt uneasy.
He ran into Chen Peiling again in the school cafeteria. She merely glanced at him and smiled faintly, saying, "Back already?"
"Yeah!"
The two brushed past each other; Ye Chenfeng headed for food while Chen Peiling left after her meal.
"Do you really think she’s not a problem?"
Ye Chenfeng felt that Chen Peiling was being too naive. Asking such a question in a bustling cafeteria would inevitably draw attention. Sure enough, some people looked their way. She realized her question was abrupt and quickly whispered, "I'm sorry," before hurrying off.
Ding Li definitely had issues.
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