There was a trash can where I had just walked past, the kind in the real world that held flyers caught in its slot.
A baby poked its head out of the trash can, its round, black eyes fixed on me. The moment our eyes met, it ducked and shrank back inside.
I didn't go over. I stood there for a while, making sure that wisp of yin energy had disappeared, then continued on.
At last, I reached the end of the road. When I looked at the clock tower now, I was facing its clock face head-on.
The sign at the intersection pointed to Minqing University of Finance and Economics. The university was only five hundred meters ahead. From where I stood, I could see its entrance—and the shadows of people gathered there.
Going that way was clearly out of the question.
I retreated from the intersection.
Given the situation, I could either dash across the intersection and take a detour, or go back the way I'd come and look for another route.
As I considered my options, I heard a rustling sound.
The familiar yin energy of a little ghost appeared out of nowhere, not far from me.
I looked over and saw a convenience store.
There were no roll-up shutters over its floor-to-ceiling windows. A narrow, long table stood by the window, with four chairs behind it. Four children sat in a neat row on the chairs.
They looked about seven or eight years old, two boys and two girls. Dressed in suits and fancy dresses, they looked like little gentlemen and princesses. They were rosy-cheeked and adorable, without the slightest hint of ghostly eeriness.
When they saw me, they didn't hide. Instead, they smiled brightly.
I couldn't smile back at them.
They all tilted their heads