The twelfth plane, J city
‘Xue Liuhe? He sounds handsome.’ One of the ghosts exclaimed, but he got shushed quickly. ‘Alright, Alright! I’ll be good. What is he like?’
The girl took a sip of the cold tea, placing the cup on top of the small table. She scratched the small mole at the corner of her eye with her pinky out of habit if not for anything else, and thought about her evening. Truth be told, she really did like this Xue Liuhe.
They had gone to an art exhibition first, and although she didn’t know much about the artists whose works were on display, Xue Liuhe seemed to know each of them personally.
He told her anecdotes and stories about certain paintings, and he made her laugh with every one of them. They then went to a local restaurant, and finished the date with driving around the city in the man’s car.
Xue Liuhe seemed to really like soft jazz, and the girl enjoyed it too. They could be said to be made for each other.
She told them everything about the evening, and she didn’t forget to add ‘Isn’t he just so perfect?’ to every second sentence.
The ghosts nodded with all their might, expressing their opinions with all kinds of approving noises. After a while the girl sighed dreamily, and asked about their day.
Lin Xu was the first to talk, as always. He clapped his hands together and spoke regretfully.
‘Ai, I finally found an expert today. Or, to be exact, he was recommended to me by old Han. Before I could talk to him though, a bunch of kids came and I had to run. That is what my luck is like! Xiao Liu said he’d come and see him with me tomorrow. Aiya, I can’t help but feel scared still.’
‘That is how things are, back in the day they were the ones running away screaming and now I’m the one terrified that if one sneaks up behind me my pass will be revoked. RanRan, it’s terrible. It’s truly terrible..’ He trailed off mournfully, blinking at the girl from the corner of his eye from time to time.
Lin Ran felt that her poor brother was truly too pitiable. She agreed to accompany him at once. ‘Liu ge, we won’t trouble you to go with my brother tomorrow. I’ll go instead, he can’t do anything to me even if he is hostile and doesn’t want to help.’
‘It will be fine, I promise; we’ll get the Zhai kid to agree. Right, he doesn’t count as a child, right? How old is he? If he turns out to be an actual kid and you go talk to him, isn’t that just asking for trouble?’
Lin Xu paled at the mention of that, his already snow-white complexion almost turning see-through. ‘N-no, it shouldn’t be a child. Old Han said he lives alone, isn’t that evidence that he’s old enough? Moreover, such a great expert can’t be too young, right? Talent is not enough to be good, one needs experience too!’
Lin Ran clapped her hands and smiled. ‘Then it’s decided. We’ll go visit him in the morning. Ah, I read somewhere that it would rain tonight. Maybe the weather will help us out.’
‘Lin jie, I’ve got something to tell you too.’ A young girl appeared next to them out of thin air. She had two high ponytails and wore glasses with thin black frames. She pushed her glasses up on her nose and took out a notebook from under her arm.
The notebook was a worn out one, the kind that children in lower grades use. She found the page she was looking for, and showed Lin Ran the tightly written words.
‘Lin jie, you remember my brother. This book is filled with things about him, I write down everything I can find about him. If you look here…’ She turned the page, pointing to a paragraph filled with numbers, ‘No, here! His grades are getting worse and worse. My parents know, but they don’t care at all..’
‘My mom is always crying and my dad is always cooking in the kitchen, it is ridiculous. He goes to school and comes home right away, he doesn’t even do anything but study all night, and his grades are still like this!’
‘Lin jie, what do I do?’ She frowned helplessly, taking back the notebook and carefully folding it back under her arm as if it was her greatest treasure.
Lin Ran’s eyebrows were knit together like an inextricable knot. She was thinking deeply when a burly man patted the little girl on the shoulder. She turned to him slowly, and he spoke in a deep but soft voice. ‘Your brother is still younger than you, isn’t he? Was he a good student before?’
‘Before? He was alright. He wasn’t a top student, but he used to be a lot better than this..’ She took out the notebook again, showing the man a page with slight burn marks on it. It had another paragraph filled with numbers, and the ink looked somewhat faded.
‘He wasn’t good at math, he always asked me to help him if he had any homework, but he was the best at literature! He’s won contests and all, and he used to be the best in his class at writing poems.’
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
‘Now.. I haven’t seen him write anything ever since.’ She was rather enthusiastic at first, but she grew dejected as she remembered again.
‘Ktfc,’ atf wjc atbeuta jujlc. Obbxlcu vbkc ja atf alcs cbafybbx lc tlr tjcvr, tf rqbxf joafg rbwf alwf. ‘Qtja lo sbe tfiqfv tlw jujlc?’
Ktf ilaaif ulgi kjr regqglrfv. ‘P mjc’a tfiq tlw, P mjc’a ajix ab tlw, P mjc’a fnfc rff tlw, sbe xcbk tbk la lr!’
The man laughed gently, handing the book back to her. ‘That’s not what I meant. The bureau allows a dream visit to ghosts with a newly updated certificate this year to promote the new system. Do you know what that means?’
‘I can.. visit him? And he can see me too..’ The little girl was dumbfounded, but soon she found an issue with the solution. ‘How could I help him in just one night? I can tell him about life after death or I can tell him about calculus I. but I can’t do both in just so much time!’
‘Hey, I’ll give you my visit. If you come with me when I dream, shouldn’t it be the same?’ The short man called Liu Ye spoke up. The others were quick to follow, ‘Yeah, I don’t have any relatives I’d want to see anyway. You can have mine too!’
The entire café grew lively as most of the ghosts gave away their rare chance to meet someone important to them possibly for the last time to the little girl. She was moved to tears by the time Lin Xu spoke up too.
‘I’ll give you mine too. If the Zhai kid has even a bit of conscience, he’ll help me find who I’m looking for. Being with her, even if she won’t know I’m there, is more than I could dream of.’
The little girl thanked everyone as she wiped her tears. A lanky man spoke next. ‘Right, you can even have mine tonight. We can go to the department responsible for expiring certificates right away if you want to.’ The girl seemed to not find the words to thank them anymore, so she just nodded vigorously.
That night, the Department of Certificates and Passes experienced something called being overflown by requests. The project promoting the renewing of certificates had been deemed a failure before as ghosts were still reluctant to let go of the old benefits, but this seemed to have changed overnight.
What the clerks found strange though was that after the first big group, everything returned to normal and their days went by without anything to do again.
The group left, and only a few ghosts stayed in the coffee shop as daybreak neared. Lin Ran chatted with them as she got ready to open the shop as usual. She would work as cashier from five to seven, when the employee working the morning shift arrived.
The ghosts left one by one, waving to her and wishing a great day to her and each other as they departed, all looking for something they’d lost a long time ago.
Only Lin Xu and Lin Ran remained in the shop. The sky was gradually turning into a rosy shade of orange, and the first couple of customers arrived. They spoke softly and walked out into the first bright sunrays one after another.
The gentle light shone through the green leaves growing from pots hung on the ceiling, and the smell of coffee filled the small shop.
The sound of light raindrops came from outside soon, and thin clouds covered the bright sky. The article Lin Ran mentioned had been right; the rain was light and refreshing.
People pulled out their umbrellas in minutes, and the ones who didn’t have one hurried by or seeked refuge in small shops.
The girl working the morning shift arrived soon, and she exchanged greetings with her boss. They switched places, and Lin Ran went to the back room to change clothes. She chose a dark leather jacket she kept at the shop for colder days, and pulled out a wide black umbrella from a dusty closet.
Zhai Xiaoyi’s flat was nearby, and it took the two of them less than a quarter of an hour to find their way to his door. They were lucky enough to meet an old lady at the main entrance, and it wasn’t hard to convince her that Lin Ran was a friend of the boy living in the last flat on the tenth. She was pretty and she looked innocent, so they were soon allowed in.
The elevator was out of order, so they had to take the stairs. By the time they reached the tenth floor and knocked loudly, the rain looked dense enough to seem like thousands of small needles falling from the sky. The door creaked shortly after and opened just like the day before.
In front of them stood a teenager in oversized sweatpants and a dark sweater that seemed to swallow his entire figure up. He rubbed the side of his head as he looked at the two with narrowed eyes. His hair was standing up on the back of his head.
Lin Ran was the first who found her words. She smiled sweetly and asked, ‘Hey. I’m Lin Ran, and this is my brother, Lin Xu. You’re the heir of the Zhai family, right?’
Zhai Xiaoyi blinked, seemingly finding the situation somewhat amusing. ‘I’m Zhai Xiaoyi. I think you’re looking for my uncle?’ He didn’t really want to discuss family relations with these two strangers and was ready to close the door, but it seemed that he had no choice, as the blonde girl quickly stepped forward.
‘No, we’re definitely looking for you. We were given an address, not a name. I’m sorry about that.’
‘The apartment is under my uncle’s name.’ He really did have an uncle, but that uncle lived abroad and he hadn’t met him since he was four. The flat was naturally not under his name.
Lin Ran and Lin Xu looked at each other, and the girl reached out to keep the door open before the other could close it. ‘It is enough that you can see my brother. We don’t need any more assurance than that. Please, we only want to bother you for a day. Look, I can pay you!’
She pulled out her wallet and started rummaging through it. Zhai Xiaoyi used the moment when she let go of the door to close it quickly.
Questioning meows came from his feet, but he didn’t bother with the kitten. He was already woken up so early in the morning, he might as well go to school, he decided.
The siblings on the other side of the door were stunned. Lin Xu was the first to speak. ‘Ay, RanRan, didn’t you say he would agree? How am i going to disperse without regrets like this?’
Lin Ran bit at her lip as she was thinking. She put away her wallet and determination filled her eyes. ‘He will agree. If I need to stand here the entire day, I will. We’ll get him to help you, don’t worry.’
She spoke in a quiet voice, but Lin Xu couldn’t help shuddering when he heard her. He didn’t wish to be in place of the teenager when his sister looked at the other like that.
They waited for less than ten minutes when the door opened again. Zhai Xiaoyi changed into clothes more fitting for school, currently trying to usher the cat wanting to follow him outside back into the flat.
He closed the door and twisted the key before walking towards the stairway. He threw his school bag onto his shoulder and disappeared quickly, only his footsteps sounding in the empty corridor.
Lin Ran blinked as she watched him run away. She stood up quickly from where she was leaning on the wall and hurried to catch up with the boy, her brother right behind her.
They ran down the stairs all the way to the fourth floor before they caught up to him. Lin Ran was gasping for air but the youth didn’t even seem slightly exhausted.
He walked quickly, partly because he wanted to get rid of the siblings stubbornly following him, and partly because he was already somewhat late. The girl spoke hurriedly as she speedwalked next to him.
She thanked the heavens that she changed out of her high heels the night before. She absolutely would not wish having to keep up with this kid in anything but running shoes even on her worst enemy. Simultaneously, her worst enemy became the boy surnamed Zhai.
‘Surely we can find an arrangement you’ll be content with! Look, I already said I could pay you however much you want. Name your price?’
‘No.’ Zhai Xiaoyi didn’t even think about it.
‘You don’t even know what we want to ask!’ Lin Ran lost her patience. How could this teenager not even listen to her?
‘I can guess, and that’s enough.’ Zhai Xiaoyi was almost running at this point, but he still found time to sneer and look back at the woman hurrying behind him. ‘A ghost and an official from the Federal Bureau look for the son of the Zhai family. What’s there to ask about?’
So he did know he was a ghost! That was the only thought in Lin Xu’s mind. He had attached himself to the boy’s back back at the building so he couldn’t shake them off no matter what.
Lin Ran’s thoughts were a lot less practical than her brother’s.
‘We want to find someone! Look, even if you don’t want to help us, you still go to school and you live alone..’
‘Are you threatening me?’ Zhai Xiaoyi’s voice sounded amused, but his face showed no emotion.
‘Ah? No, I meant like, there’s surely a way you can spend the money! It is only one person? I’m willing to pay you well over the usual amount offered to experts! A-and, my brother will haunt you if you don’t help!’ Lin Ran sounded like she was on the verge of crying.
She had been running around for more than half an hour, trying to convince a teenager to help her. This was without doubt the lowest point of her career since she started working at the Federal Bureau seventy years ago.
The boy slowed down after hearing that. He let the two catch up with him, leisurely walking next to them.
‘How much?’ His voice was low, but Lin Ran’s eyes brightened up the moment she heard him. Running through half the city like that, they arrived at the gates of the school soon. There was still some time before the second bell.
‘Fifty thousand.’ She looked over, but seeing the frown of the youth she coughed quickly. ‘Seventy.. thousand?’
‘One hundred thousand, and I’ll agree.’ Zhai Xiaoyi looked at her with a lazy smile. He wanted to know just how much she was actually willing to spend. Lin Ran started sweating.
‘You’re that good? I.. I only have seventy five thousand at the moment. That’s why I said seventy. I can get you ninety in a week?’ She didn’t know if she could really get it, but she wanted to help her brother, no matter what it took. She looked at the boy again, biting the inside of her mouth as she waited for his answer.
‘Seventy is fine. After all, I’m no professional.’ Zhai Xiaoyi shrugged as he kicked at a patch of grass. ‘I also like the number seven. Although, four is better. Let’s meet around three in the thai restaurant on the main street?’
Lin Xu spoke before his sister could, ‘We actually own a coffee shop not far from your house. Why not meet there?’ Lin Ran stepped on his foot, but her shoe passed through the man’s boots.
Zhai Xiaoyi nodded. ‘That is fine too. Thirty minutes after three then. I still have something to do before.’
‘You..’ Lin Ran looked at him weirdly, but she didn’t get to finish her sentence, as someone bumped into her from the side.
‘Sorry miss, I didn’t see you there. Are you perhaps looking for… Someone? Damn, isn’t this that Zhai kid? So you haven’t forgotten the way to school yet? I swear I haven’t seen you in like, more than a month? It is a mystery too great for the entire class to guess why the directory still puts up with you!’ A tall boy gave Zhai Xiaoyi a bear hug before he could react.
He put an arm around his shoulder and started pulling him towards the school entrance as he spoke to Lin Ran. ‘I have to apologise miss, we need to hurry to get to class on time. It is the fourth day of the week after all, extremely important!’ He didn’t seem to notice Lin Xu at all.
Inside the building, he still didn’t let go of Zhai Xiaoyi. He looked behind himself from time to time, as if to make sure the woman was still standing there, staring in their direction in a stunned manner. ‘That miss.. She’s really pretty! How do you know her?’
Zhai Xiaoyi saw his eyes gleaming with excitement as he took his arm off of himself. He spoke softly, ‘She is a friend from work. I’ve only known her for a short time.’
‘Work? You have a job? So that’s why you haven’t been coming to school recently! Where do you work?’ He didn’t seem to mind the rejection and he grew more excited instead.
Zhai Xiaoyi coughed. ‘Family business.’ He didn’t dare say any more than that.
‘Sure enough, you’ve got something like that going on. While I’m stuck with my dad’s repair shop if I want to work.’ He sounded regretful, as if having lost out on a great opportunity.
The second bell rang the moment they stepped inside the classroom. The teacher arrived soon, and Zhai Xiaoyi rested his head on top of his books as he listened to the lecture.
Even though he had slept quite a few hours’ worth the night before, he still felt somewhat sleepy. He took out his phone under his desk, and blindly tapped open a chat window. He leaned back in his chair, and sent a quick row of words to an old friend.
‘Can you check on two people for me please? The names are Lin Ran & Lin Xu. They have a coffee shop in the city. I’ll treat you to whatever you want if you find anything useful!’
A reply came in less than a minute. ‘Deal. I want ice cream. I’ve been craving it this morning for some reason.. Call you at two with whatever I’ve found.’
‘That won’t do, I have classes til three.’
‘Three then. Don’t forget the ice cream.’
‘What are you writing?’ The tall boy asked him, shooting an interested look towards the phone in the other’s hand.
Zhai Xiaoyi was already in the process of putting his phone away, so he didn’t bother showing it to him. ‘Something came up at work. That’s why that girl came after me this morning. It’s nothing serious.’
The author has something to say:
Lin Xu: Today, I’ve been left behind, stepped on, and someone even ran through me just to bump into my sister.. I demand justice!
Thanks for the chapter! ❤
poor Lin Xu! I hope they find who he is looking for!
Thanks for the chapter!
Thank you for the chapter 💛💛💛