That familiar feeling came over me again.
I heard people around me crying, softly and quietly, as if they were holding back their emotions. A louder voice belonged to someone giving a halting speech. The speaker was probably a middle-aged man. He paused several times and choked up several times; he wasn't very fluent.
I couldn't make out what he was saying. I understood every word on its own, but together they blurred into indistinct sounds.
Closer by, I heard someone weeping.
After a while, a loud voice replaced the man's. This time, I could make out what was being said. There was a microphone and a sound system, and an emcee was conducting the ceremony.
Everyone around me began to move.
I heard the funeral music. At the same time, I could see my surroundings clearly, and my mind came into focus.
The figure in front of me was a woman with long hair draped over her shoulders.
I shifted to the side and saw the person I was possessing.
Wang Mingli.
Looking farther ahead, I saw Chu Lan standing in front of Wang Mingli.
I turned again and saw a memorial photo of Tang Zhuoxi set among artificial flowers.
It was probably a photo from her ID. Tang Zhuoxi looked solemn, wearing only light makeup. She looked a little different from how she'd appeared the few times I'd seen her, and more like the photo on the list Wu Ling had given me.
The people circled the transparent coffin, crying in grief.
I saw Chu Lan wiping away her tears. I also saw Wang Mingli step forward, take Chu Lan by the arm, and weep with her.
I didn't feel much grief. I just felt numb.
The crowd blocked my view of Tang Zhuoxi in the coffin. She