Transmigrated as Jane’s Ghostly Godmother - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Girl and the Ghost—Cold War 2.0

Lin Zhao sensed a looming crisis. She tried to pick up the schedule again, but her hand passed right through it. It was paper torn from a dormitory logbook—belonging to the world of the book. It confirmed the terrifying trend: she was losing the ability to touch things in this reality.

This was the first time she couldn’t even hold a piece of paper. How did my condition deteriorate this quickly?

Meeting Jane’s startled gaze, Lin Zhao gritted her teeth. The last thing she wanted was for Jane to see her so vulnerable. With a sharp wave of her hand, she urged the girl away.

“Later… I’ll tell you later. It’s almost time for afternoon classes. Go back first, alright, Jane?”

Jane refused. She stepped forward, picked up the paper, and held it out, her eyes searching Lin Zhao’s hands with suspicion. “What is wrong with your hand?”

Lin Zhao hid her hands behind her back, forcing a reassuring smile. “Hmm? Nothing. Just… keep that paper for me. I suddenly have something I need to attend to…”

“Wait, that’s my excuse—” Jane tried to stop her, but Lin Zhao practically fled, turning and vanishing through the stone wall in an eerie, unnatural blur.

The cold war, which had just shown signs of thawing, took a sharp turn into even more uncontrollable territory. Lin Zhao became the one hiding, and Jane was helpless to stop her. After all, it is easy for a ghost to haunt a person, but nearly impossible for a person to catch a ghost.

“…And then the ghost followed the girl to a new place. For the first week, she micro-managed everything to achieve some goal—but the next week, she vanished without a trace, as if her mission no longer mattered.”

“Even if the girl still needs the ghost’s help, she can’t help but be angry.”

“Seriously, is making a deal with a ghost just… completely unreliable?”

It was another free period. In the garden pavilion outside the main building, Jane used the pretext of “sharing a story” to tell Eleanor what had been happening with Lin Zhao. By the end of her summary, she had to stop to catch her breath.

Eleanor sat beside her, looking thoughtful. Finally, she spoke: “Where did you read that story? It sounds very interesting.”

Jane coughed, looking guiltily toward the distant forest. She stammered that it was a book she found at her old home and couldn’t remember the title.

“I see. Well, the story isn’t over yet, is it?” Eleanor evaluated the plot seriously. “From what you’ve said, the girl and the ghost don’t really understand each other.”

Jane didn’t truly understand Lin Zhao. She only knew she came from far away and needed to help Jane find happiness to go home. Now, she only knew that Lin Zhao was hiding for some reason.

“I think the girl doesn’t understand the ghost, but based on what the ghost has said, she probably understands the girl quite well?” Jane added.

“Really? Then why did they fight over the girl making friends?” Eleanor shook her head in disagreement. “I’d say the ghost used to understand the girl, but she’s being very slow to notice the girl’s new changes.”

“Like the boys, Alec and his friends. I’ve told them I won’t lend them my homework to ‘admire’ anymore—but they still call me ‘Sweet Eleanor’ and come asking for help anyway.”

Looking at Eleanor’s annoyed expression, Jane felt the situations might be different, but it was a new perspective. “Even if they understand each other, that wouldn’t give the girl any leverage over the ghost, would it?”

“Not necessarily. There are many kinds of ghosts,” Eleanor said, raising her hands in a spooky gesture. “Maybe this ghost has a secret. If the girl finds it, she might find a weakness. Maybe that’s why she stays so mysterious.”

“Even so… I don’t think the girl has any way to make the ghost talk,” Jane sighed, admitting the stalemate.

Just then, a shadow blocked the light. Both girls looked up to see their third roommate—Beatrice.

“Lina, let’s go somewhere else to talk about the competition,” Beatrice said, looking only at Eleanor. She didn’t spare Jane a glance.

Since the classroom incident, Jane and Beatrice had become rivals. Or rather, Beatrice targeted Jane unilaterally. She mocked Jane’s table manners in the dining hall, “borrowed” the books Jane was reading in the library, and “helpfully” shouted out answers in class whenever Jane was called upon.

Compared to physical fights, this felt “lacking.” Jane usually countered her with snark or ignored her entirely while pulling Eleanor away. Because of Eleanor, Beatrice hadn’t managed to isolate Jane; instead, they were often “forced” into a trio.

“What competition?” Jane’s mind shifted from ghost stories to this new topic.

“Oh, Jane, you don’t know yet! Every six months, our school has a week-long inter-school competition,” Eleanor explained, ignoring Beatrice’s pointed glares. “There are individual events and team events for groups of three to five…”

“Lina!” Beatrice realized what was coming and tried to stop her, but failed.

“Betty and I thought it would be easier with roommates, so we signed up early and left a spot open. Why don’t you join us?” Eleanor grabbed the retreating Beatrice. “Betty, you haven’t forgotten the plan, have you?”

“I didn’t know the new roommate would be… this kind of person back then,” Beatrice muttered.

“I’ll do it. I’ll work hard,” Jane said, her eyes bright as she grabbed Beatrice’s other hand, pretending not to hear the insult.

“Don’t touch me! Heavens, why are you so strong?” Beatrice struggled in vain, then tried to intimidate Jane with a scowl. “We’re competing against Georgiana’s school this time. Don’t you dare drag us into your family feuds!”

“Oh? We’re competing against them?” Jane didn’t flinch. She caught a glimpse of Lin Zhao’s dark hair peeking out from behind a pillar and smiled. “I will prepare well. Thank you for the warning, Bet-ty.”

On the way back to the dorm, Jane trailed behind Eleanor and Beatrice, pretending to be deep in thought about the competition. Lin Zhao followed half a step behind her.

“You heard that, didn’t you, Lin? Does this count as ‘Opportunity Knocks’ from your schedule?” she whispered.

In the past few days, they had shared brief exchanges. Lin Zhao would appear with a new version of the schedule—written in words Jane could actually read, though much shorter than before.

“Study hard and learn these subjects. The back has school life advice,” Lin Zhao would say before vanishing again, leaving Jane with pranks prevented but no conversation.

Jane had memorized the new list: reach the top of the class, learn French, master drawing and piano… On the back were ten “Survival Guides,” some of which were still incomprehensible. Lin Zhao only showed her face to stop bullying, then left immediately. Jane felt stifled, wondering if this was revenge. But when she finally cornered the ghost, Lin Zhao only gave her a silent look and phased through a wall.

“Of course,” Lin Zhao’s voice finally drifted to her. “Winning this competition will significantly help your end-of-year grades. I’ll keep an eye on the other teams. Don’t worry.”

“In that case, stop hiding from me.”

Lin Zhao stopped walking. Jane continued forward, accustomed to the silence. Accustomed. What a strange word. To be used to something requires so many days and nights. How long had it been since she arrived?

Lin Zhao’s mind felt increasingly clouded as her body became more translucent. She often fell into deep sleeps without meaning to.

“I thought… you would prefer having your own space,” Lin Zhao said, catching up and staring at the crown of Jane’s head.

“Perhaps. But aren’t you supposed to help me? At least until your mission is done, stop being a flickering candle,” Jane replied without looking back.

“I was wrong. But I want to know… is there anything else you’re unhappy with? I think I overestimated how much my ‘help’ meant to you.”

“As long as you promise not to vanish anymore, then no.” Jane finally turned around. Lin Zhao didn’t dodge this time, allowing Jane to see how truly transparent she looked in the sunlight. “What is happening to you?”

They locked eyes. It took a long time for Lin Zhao to process the question.

“Just… ghost business. Doesn’t this look more ‘classic’?” she squeezed out a weak smile.

“It’s a bit frightening,” Jane noted, scanning Lin Zhao’s expression. “This might sound arrogant of me, but… do you need my help?”

Maybe this ghost has a secret. If the girl finds it, she might find a weakness. Eleanor’s words echoed.

Lin Zhao had been playing the “mysterious guardian” because she feared Jane would reject her if she knew how powerless she actually was. But hiding was no longer an option; she might simply fall asleep forever and never be found.

“I don’t know,” she whispered, looking deeply at Jane. “Do you want to hear my story?”

She thought of the Little Mermaid. If she was destined to turn into sea foam in the sunlight, would anyone remember her song?