She Makes Me Believe in Science - Chapter 2

Rental Unit 404 was ablaze with light. From the kitchen and living room to the bedroom and even the bathroom, every single bulb was on. Song Qian didn’t care about the electricity bill, compared to the sheer terror clawing at her heart, any thought of being a thrifty housekeeper had completely vanished.

Song Qian huddled under her covers, feeling a chill creep up her spine. She tightly gripped the object she had sought out earlier that day… a crucifix?

When she first received it, she instinctively felt something was off, but since it was a tool given by a “Grandmaster,” she didn’t question the specifics. She didn’t really understand how these things worked, but having something was better than nothing.

It was just past eight in the evening. Most young people wouldn’t even think about sleeping yet, and Song Qian remained curled up in bed, unable to drift off. For one, it was too early, and for another, she was terrified of what dreams might come once she closed her eyes.

After stifling under the blankets for a while, her breathing became labored. She pulled the covers back to get some air. The room fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the steady ticking of the clock and the sound of her own breath.

The glaring lights offered her a modicum of security. She hung the crucifix around her neck and climbed out of bed to pour herself a glass of water.

The cold liquid sliding down her throat brought a wave of soothing comfort, suppressing the panic that had haunted her all day.

Calming down, she let out a self-deprecating laugh. She felt she was simply making a mountain out of a molehill. In this modern day and age, where would ghosts or monsters even come from?

A cool breeze drifted in through the window, making her feel significantly more relaxed. She considered going out to turn off the lights, but after a moment of hesitation, she silently crawled back into bed.

She could afford the electricity.

Song Qian spent the next few hours playing games and scrolling through the news, staying up until nearly two in the morning as she usually did.

As her eyelids grew heavy, she set her phone aside and rolled over to sleep, not bothering to get up and turn off the lights.

The clock continued its steady tick-tock, each beat echoing in her heart. This rhythmic sound was usually hypnotic for her, but just as the ticking seemed to fade into the background, she suddenly heard a woman’s soft chuckle right by her ear.

Someone was there!!

Goosebumps erupted across her skin instantly. Song Qian instinctively gripped the blanket.

Was she dreaming again?

She pinched her palm through the thin fabric, feeling a sharp, very real sting of pain.

But…

Just as she was agonizing over whether she was awake or asleep, the crucifix hanging from her neck was suddenly lifted. The red string brushed against her face as it moved, leaving a faint, tickling sensation.

“Is this… a crucifix?”

Song Qian’s entire body began to tremble. She was certain now!! She wasn’t asleep!!!

That woman was in her house, right next to her!!!

For a woman living alone, nothing was more terrifying than a stranger suddenly appearing in her home, let alone a stranger who very likely wasn’t human.

Song Qian could no longer control her body, her teeth chattered with a soft, clicking sound.

Her face was cupped by a pair of ice-cold hands, and she was “prodded” into slowly opening her eyes. The blinding light from the ceiling nearly made her feel like she’d gone blind.

Oh God, she didn’t want to look, she really didn’t want to look!

As her vision refocused, she saw the woman lying beside her… no, it was the female ghost, still wearing that familiar red dress with that deathly pale face.

“S-Sister—good evening.” Song Qian forced a bitter smile, on the verge of tears.

The woman frowned this time, her red lips parting. “Ji Wuxin.”

Song Qian dithered for a second, so the ghost repeated herself. “My name is Ji Wuxin.”

The next second, the ghost suddenly leaned over her with a beaming expression. Looking down at Song Qian from above, she smiled warmly. “Darling, did you miss me?”

Song Qian: “…”

The ghost’s sudden shift in personality left her reeling. In her previous dreams, this ghost had been relatively cold and aloof, usually just sticking to simple kisses. Why was she so… enthusiastic this time?

Seeing Song Qian’s stunned silence, Ji Wuxin took the crucifix from her neck, turned it over to inspect it, and then told her with a grin, “Darling, this thing is for warding off vampires. It’s a Western tool.”

“It’s useless against me. I’m an Eastern product.”

Song Qian: “…”

She knew it. How could a crucifix work on a domestic ghost? She should have gotten garlic! Black dog’s blood! A peach wood sword!

Seeing that Song Qian still wasn’t responding, Ji Wuxin planted a big kiss on her, complete with a loud mwah sound.

Song Qian was floored. She truly was. She had no idea what breed of ghost this was—she didn’t take lives or suck away vital energy, she just demanded kisses every time.

Sensing Song Qian’s body becoming increasingly stiff, a flash of frustration crossed Ji Wuxin’s eyes, gone so quickly it was impossible to catch.

Getting off of her, Ji Wuxin straightened her red dress as she usually did. After these few experiments, she had confirmed one thing: it wasn’t that she lacked seductive power, it was that Song Qian was simply frigid.

She glanced back at the dazed person on the bed with a look of disdain, let out a “tsk,” and walked out of the bedroom into the living room. she hadn’t finished her drama yet, and the new episode should be out.

The sound of a woman’s desperate wailing drifted in from the TV in the living room, complaining about marrying the wrong man, but Song Qian’s thoughts had wandered elsewhere.

She had been wondering why her electricity bill was so high every month even though she was barely home! She had checked the meter several times and found no issues, leading her to believe the landlord was scamming her. She never imagined there was a ghost binge-watching dramas in her house in the middle of the night!!

In that moment, Song Qian almost forgot the viewer was a ghost. In a fit of temper, she charged out and roared, “Do you have any idea how expensive electricity is these days!?”

The room fell silent, the only sound being the faint whistling of the wind.

Ji Wuxin turned her head to look at her.

Song Qian: “…”

At that moment, Song Qian wanted nothing more than to jump out the window. How did she have the nerve to yell at a ghost?

Silence hung in the air for three minutes before Ji Wuxin turned back to her drama, completely ignoring her.

Song Qian’s palms were damp with sweat. In her fear, she had pinched herself again, and it hurt quite a bit.

The worldview of a former atheist had suddenly collapsed. Song Qian could no longer think straight, her legs felt like they were filled with lead and refused to move, and her temples were soaked with cold sweat.

After a thirty-minute internal struggle, Song Qian finally summoned the courage to walk toward the sofa. she sat in the far corner, a good meter away from the ghost.

“Um, are you a person or…” She was still clinging to a sliver of hope.

“Not a person,” Ji Wuxin replied, not even giving her a glance.

Song Qian choked for a second, fiddled with her fingers, and asked again, “Then why are you in my house—is there something you need?”

Ji Wuxin blinked. Her previously pitch-black eye sockets finally shifted into normal pupils and whites. That pale face actually looked quite beautiful now as she knit her brows to assert her dominance. “This is my house.”

Song Qian: “…???”

I just paid the rent and you’re telling me this is your house!? I’m the one paying for the electricity you use to watch your shows!!!

Of course, Song Qian wasn’t that bold right now, she only dared to grumble indignantly in her head.

As if sensing Song Qian’s stiff expression, Ji Wuxin added, “I was here when I woke up, so this is my house.”

Oh, this ghost is totally unreasonable, Song Qian thought blankly.

After pondering for a good while, Song Qian finally asked the question she was most curious about. “Why is it that every time I’m in a relationship, you appear in my dreams and, um… kiss me.”

This question seemed to hit an awkward spot for Ji Wuxin. She was a Yan Gui (a seductive ghost), yet she didn’t possess the typical skills of her kind, the ability to charm and bewitch humans.

She had a group of ghostly friends who liked her very much, but it wasn’t the life-and-death kind of love she saw in the dramas. She had seen Jiao Niang bewitch men, making them fall mindlessly in love, even to the point of willingly giving up their lives.

Ji Wuxin was powerful and beautiful, and she was quite famous in the local ghost circles. However, no one had ever seen her do what a seductive ghost was supposed to do. One day, a ghost raised a doubt: Are you really a Yan Gui?

Don’t be ridiculous. She was Ji Wuxin, the most beautiful seductive ghost in this entire district. So, she wanted to prove herself.

Song Qian was the unlucky soul she had picked, but Ji Wuxin hadn’t expected the girl to be so frigid. What bad luck!

Ji Wuxin didn’t answer the question, simply turning back to the TV.

And so, the two of them sat there for the rest of the night without any communication. Song Qian sat with her through three episodes of the series.

As dawn began to break, Song Qian’s eyes were heavy with sleep. She propped her head up with her elbow on the sofa.

Why is a ghost so good at pulling all-nighters? She even listens to the opening and ending themes in their entirety.

As the ending theme of the final episode finished, Song Qian saw the ghost turn off the TV and stretch.

“It’s light out, time for bed.”

Song Qian: “…”

Ji Wuxin turned to see Song Qian’s complicated expression. Had this human stayed here all night?

“Why haven’t you left yet?”

Last night she had been scared senseless, even bringing a crucifix, yet now she seemed quite loyal.

A thought struck Ji Wuxin. Loyal? Could it be that she had fallen in love with her!!?

Ji Wuxin began to feel smug. She knew it, no one could resist her charm.

With a confident curl of her lips, Ji Wuxin walked up to Song Qian and opened her hand. In her palm lay a tiny piece of jade threaded onto a red string.

“I know you can’t bear to be without me now. Put this on, I’ll be by your side at all times.”

Song Qian looked up at her, dazed.  What on earth?

Ji Wuxin saw her silence and fixed gaze, taking it as proof that Song Qian was head over heels for her. “Thoughtfully,” she hung the jade around Song Qian’s neck. “Don’t take it off.”

If she was frigid, so be it. She didn’t mind too much. As long as Song Qian fell in love with her, it proved she was a successful seductive ghost.

Patting Song Qian on the head, Ji Wuxin transformed into a wisp of green smoke and slowly drifted into the jade.

This world-shattering sight jolted Song Qian awake. She had watched with her own eyes as a living person… a living ghost vanished!!

She reached out to touch the jade hanging at her chest. It was icy cold, feeling just like that ghost.

But why did this jade look so familiar?

She thought about it for a long time but couldn’t remember where she had seen it. After changing her clothes in the bedroom, she received a call from Yuan Yuan.

Their club was recruiting and needed someone to act as the “face” of the operation.

At Najiang University.

“This face is just too pretty. Sorry to put you through this, I’ll buy you lunch!” Yuan Yuan squeezed Song Qian’s cheek as she stood there in a mascot costume.

With that, she popped the headpiece on. Not a single trace of humanity remained visible.

Song Qian:  A literal “face” of the operation.

Yuan Yuan stood nearby, shouting and handing out flyers. Song Qian swayed back and forth holding a sign. Passersby would occasionally look over, thinking the bear looked a bit wilted and lacking in energy.

As she swayed, Song Qian’s arms grew weak and began to droop. She was practically falling asleep on her feet.

In her daze, she seemed to hear.

“Classmate, would you like to join our club?”

“No thanks. Is this bear part of your club too?”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

“Then, can I give it a hug?”

Before the conversation could go any further, Song Qian suddenly felt a sharp pain at her waist, which jolted her wide awake.

She felt someone pinching the flesh at her waist and giving it a twist.

A sudden chill whispered in her ear, full of threat: “No hugging allowed!”

Hearing Ji Wuxin’s voice, Song Qian was startled. Her waist was still being pinched, and she winced in pain. Luckily, she was wearing the bear head, otherwise her embarrassed expression would have been public knowledge.

What she didn’t know was that in the eyes of everyone else, the mascot bear was twitching and writhing like it was having a stroke.

Yuan Yuan: “…”

Great. The “face” of the operation just broke.