Chapter 2

“Still not done?” Seeing the phone ring again, the boy cursed under his breath, decided he’d had enough, swiped the answer button with one hand, tossed the phone aside, and quickly shut the laptop whose screen still flickered with endless cheerful greetings—he was leaving right now. This place was terrifying; the phone kept playing that familiar BGM in his mind, sending chills down his spine. Who wouldn’t be scared?

“Hello, may I speak with Mr. Jia? When will you come to take possession of the land you purchased from our company?” The voice on the phone wasn’t some ghost—he’d expected the worst—but just an ordinary human, even sounding respectful. Clearly, this was a major client; otherwise, they wouldn’t have kept calling so persistently.

Unfortunately, the man on the other end had ignored the call entirely—hadn’t even turned on speaker, let alone heard a single sound.

“Hello? Hello?” Beep—the call ended automatically. Moments later, it rang again. The boy hadn’t expected this at all. He was starting to realize something: ghosts don’t hang up, right? Maybe… perhaps… well, maybe I should just listen to what they have to say.

He did feel a flicker of curiosity, but the earlier shock had made him imagine all sorts of horrors. Now, startled back to reality, his fear lessened. He had no money, no house—why would a ghost care about him? It must just be his miserable luck, being bullied so easily. Time to snap out of it!

Answer it. Maybe this whole long spiel is just a scam. Maybe they’re trying to trick me. He took a deep breath, conjured this comforting thought, and finally calmed down. He even felt like switching into his “talkative mode,” just to mess with the caller—payback for being scared.

His fingers trembled as they reached out. Amid the relentless ringing, he swiped right again—but this time, he added one more step: turned on speakerphone. Then, still cautious, he edged closer to the stairs by his bed. He wasn’t fearless—he just felt safer farther away. Since speaker was on, he could yell if needed.

“Hello, is Mr. Jia there? Hello?” Liang Kang, the caller, was genuinely panicked. This was the first time a call had gone completely silent after connecting. He’d even hesitated about calling the police—after all, a ringing phone with no answer raised too many red flags. It was hard not to imagine the worst.

Especially with the eerie silence. Even as a cemetery manager, he wasn’t immune to nerves—he didn’t live there, after all. Encountering something unnatural made him tense as a bowstring. If there was still no reply, he’d report it to the police. He couldn’t let this haunt him, and he couldn’t afford to lose such a big client. What a shame.

“Who are you? Did you dial the wrong number? Why are you calling me nonstop?” The boy fired off three sharp questions. Hearing the voice on the other end, he froze mid-motion, demanding an answer—his heart raced without one.

He was a law-abiding citizen. How could he possibly be connected to a cemetery? That was absurd. As for family members dying—complete nonsense. So this random call? Of course he was nervous. Of course he was scared.

“Phew, hello, Mr. Jia. Here’s the thing: you purchased a plot from our company at 4 p.m. today. The paperwork isn’t finalized yet, but we’ve arranged personnel to assist you—you just need to show up at the office to take possession and it’ll be ready for use. Note: this land is strictly for burial purposes; construction is prohibited. Please understand this limitation.”

He let out a huge sigh—thank god it was a living person. He’d seen plenty of weird things in his job and believed in ghosts, but if the salary weren’t so high, he’d have quit long ago. After being spooked like this at night, he wasn’t even sure he’d dare go to the bathroom later.

“Four p.m.? Bought land?” The boy frowned. Did he have that kind of money to buy land? Especially a burial plot? That was just asking for misery. But… he had a faint memory of something… stuck in his mind, half-formed, frustratingly unclear.

“Mr. Jia, are you there? Should I repeat it? Whenever you’re free, you can come take possession anytime—we offer 24-hour service. Rest assured.” Still no reply from the boy, Liang Kang launched into another stream of chatter. As a salesperson, talking more eased tension—and why not?

“I didn’t buy any land. You’ve got the wrong person.” The boy was certain. If he had that kind of money, he wouldn’t be counting every meal, slashing his daily spending to 1.5 yuan, surviving on water alone. This laptop? Saved up by starving himself. A man’s willpower could achieve anything, couldn’t it?

But his nutrition had suffered. At 1.7 meters tall, he weighed less than 55 jin—skin and bones. Sometimes he worried a gust of wind might carry him off.

“No mistake, Mr. Jia. Check your records—the exact time was 4:03 p.m. There’s proof. If you don’t believe me, come to Jiayuan Cemetery and verify it yourself. We guarantee honesty.” The manager was frantic. A big client denying such a huge purchase? That was a disaster. He earned a percentage from every sale—if this deal fell through, what was the difference between a mistake and a billion-yuan loss?

Wealthy circles were all connected. If he canceled this order, someone else might hear about it. Word would spread—tenfold, a hundredfold—and the cemetery’s reputation would be ruined. All effort, all hope, wasted. That’s why they served every customer with utmost care—it was their creed, their unbreakable rule. If the client denied the purchase, they’d produce evidence. Even if this rich man was being unreasonable, they had proof to defend themselves. But everything had to follow the client’s demands—otherwise, the deal was dead. No negotiation.

“4:03 p.m.?” The boy’s memory flickered open. He bolted away from the stairs—he had to check his messages. He remembered… sort of. Or maybe he didn’t. His mind felt foggy, half-asleep.

Seriously—what kind of person believes you bought land at a cemetery while you’re mid-game? Even ghosts wouldn’t believe it. Especially not a broke guy like him.

“Yes, yes! Since you’re our company’s first major client, we’ve specially arranged a full funeral package: transportation, grave relocation, unlimited ghost money—all taken care of. Ensuring a smooth mourning experience is our duty.”

“…” Damn it, why the hell is this guy so insufferable? The boy’s face darkened like charcoal. A full funeral package? Forget the cutthroat competition—do you even know what you’re saying? Shouldn’t you at least check someone’s family situation first?