Chapter Six: Wait for Me, Fan Fan

Hovering in mid-air, Qin Xiaochuan watched the two people below weeping with joy. He pulled out the spirit beast egg from his pocket and toyed with it in his hand. “Tch, look at them, crying like that, even though they don’t know when I’ll ever be back. By the way, if I were to deliberately break this egg, would my soul never be able to return to my body? Heh, that might be fun in its own way.”

Sighing, Xia Dan couldn’t help but worry as she watched Qin Xiaochuan muttering to himself, finding amusement in his own thoughts. “Honestly, who knows what kind of spirit beast this guy will hatch.”

The next morning, Susu and Fan Fan moved Qin Xiaochuan’s body out of the coffin and placed him on his bed. Staring at his seemingly slumbering face, Susu said in disbelief, “Fan Fan, look, he looks just like he’s sleeping.”

“Yeah, Aunt Susu, even the doctor said it’s incredible…”

“That’s right. The doctor said he could wake up at any moment, or he could sleep like this forever. But I believe he’ll come back to us.”

“Even so… to be honest, Aunt Susu, I’m not really that confident. Thinking back on it, it all feels like just a dream…”

“Don’t worry, Xiao Fan. You have to believe in yourself. Xiaochuan is lying here because of you, you know.”

“But I’m still worried…”

After the two discovered that Qin Xiaochuan’s heart was still beating, they brought the doctor to the house for an examination. The result: Qin Xiaochuan was alive, but in a state of suspended animation.

Though there was no sign of imminent awakening, his heartbeat and breathing were as normal as anyone’s, and all his vital signs were stable. All they could do now was wait—wait for this slumbering youth to wake up, who knew when.

Seeing his own body properly settled, Qin Xiaochuan let out a long sigh of relief. Who knew how long he’d have to wait before he could return to his own body? While he was still in spirit form, he might as well take the chance to explore the surroundings. After all, it was a rare opportunity—flying, walking through walls, even seeing through things. Right now, he really was all-powerful.

“Don’t you have anything you want to say to those two down there?” Noticing his mischievous grin, Xia Dan knew exactly what was running through his mind.

“Say what?”

“Oh, so nothing to say then.” With that, Xia Dan pulled a notebook from her bosom and began scribbling in it.

“Hey, what are you writing?”

“Nothing much. Just that from this moment on, you’ll have to say goodbye to them.”

“Goodbye?! So I really am dead, you rascal!” The single-minded Qin Xiaochuan flared up at her words. “Are you just messing with me?!”

“Calm down, calm down. You misunderstood what I meant, really.” Hiding her laughter behind her hand as she watched his flustered reaction, Xia Dan explained, “What I meant is, from now on, you can’t appear in their dreams anymore. But according to the notebook, you do have one chance to speak with them—by using someone with strong spiritual sensitivity, you can use their body to convey your message.”

“Oh, so that’s it. You nearly scared me to death, Xia Dan.”

She giggled. “That’s just your misunderstanding. Now, is there anything you want to say to them?”

“Well… I want to tell them… but, how do I actually do it?” Mid-sentence, Qin Xiaochuan hesitated.

“Here’s the deal. The notebook says you need to find someone with heightened spiritual sensitivity. You can possess them, and through their body, speak your message. But remember, you only have thirty minutes—any longer and it will have serious consequences for the host…”

“All right, all right, just tell me who it is.” Growing impatient as Xia Dan flipped through her notebook, Qin Xiaochuan pressed her.

“It says here: Zhang Yang, your classmate.”

On the street, three classmates were walking together.

“What’s wrong, Zhang Yang?”

Zhang Yang shuddered. “Suddenly, I got the chills.”

“Are you catching a cold?”

“Or could it be… that?”

“That’s right—every time I get chills like this, something bad happens.” Zhang Yang shivered again. “Either I see a ghost, or get sleep paralysis, or I’m chased by some old woman covered in blood…”

“What’s going on with him, really?”

“Actually, Zhang Yang’s spiritual sensitivity is twice that of a normal person,” a crew-cut classmate whispered to the others.

“Wait, I feel it now. There’s some kind of spirit, a raccoon or a monkey, following behind me.” Seeing his friends’ disbelief, Zhang Yang tried to prove the point with grave sincerity.

“Idiot, you want me to possess this guy?” Watching his classmate disparage him, Qin Xiaochuan fumed at Xia Dan. “Don’t joke around.”

“If you don’t want to, then forget it.” Seeing his dissatisfaction, Xia Dan asked gently, “Well, do you want to possess him or not?”

“…I’ll do it.”

“Okay!” Xia Dan snapped her fingers. “Go ahead. Remember, you only have thirty minutes.”

As Zhang Yang below suddenly stiffened, Qin Xiaochuan quickly descended and slipped into his body.

“Hey, are you all right, Zhang Yang? Hey!” His friend, seeing him freeze and fall silent, gave him a worried push.

Confirming he had successfully possessed Zhang Yang, Qin Xiaochuan immediately set off at full speed toward Fan Fan’s house. He knew his time was short. He had to get the message to her before sunset.

“Hey, open up! Fan Fan, open the door! Not home…?”

He knocked furiously, but no one answered. Fan Fan wasn’t home. Glancing at his watch, Qin Xiaochuan hurried to her family’s restaurant—sometimes, after school, she helped out there.

Bursting into the restaurant, he saw Fan Fan’s parents cleaning behind the counter and rushed over. “Uncle, Auntie, is Fan Fan here?”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Qin Xiaochuan, Fan Fan’s classmate!”

“Nonsense—our Xiaochuan wasn’t nearly as ugly as you.” Fan Fan’s mother reached out from behind the counter and tugged hard on his ear. “Besides, Xiaochuan’s already dead. Whose mischievous child are you? Come here…”

“Ow, Auntie, not my ear! Ouch! Ow…”

“Don’t run, you little rascal! Just wait until I tell your teacher!”

Fleeing the restaurant with his ear red and sore, Qin Xiaochuan didn’t look back as he dashed toward the school. Checking his watch, he saw he had less than ten minutes left. As he hurried on, a group of delinquents carrying sticks blocked his path. One of them, a student with a scar on his forehead, swaggered forward. “Hold it, you’re Zhang Yang, right? Been acting pretty cocky lately, haven’t you?”

“Give me a break, I’m not Zhang Yang. Come find him in a couple of days.”

He tried to push past them—if he weren’t in such a hurry to see Fan Fan, he would have relished a good fight, but now he had no time for these small fry.

“What did you say, punk? Looking for trouble?”

“Get out of my way, you jerks!” With almost no time left, Qin Xiaochuan grabbed the ears of two delinquents blocking him and smashed their heads together.

“Damn, only two minutes left.” After dispatching the group, he sprinted to the classroom door and spotted Xiaolin and Zhou Ying, Fan Fan’s usual companions. “Hey, have you seen Fan Fan?”

“Ahh!” Seeing Zhang Yang’s swollen, bloodied face, the two girls screamed and fled.

“Wait, come back! Why are you running?” he shouted after them.

Just then, Fan Fan stepped out of the classroom, puzzled to see her classmates racing off, even neglecting their duties. It was her turn on cleaning duty today.

Seeing her emerge, Qin Xiaochuan’s mind went blank. He had rehearsed so many things to say to Fan Fan, but now all the words escaped him. And with Zhang Yang’s face, he didn’t know how to let her know who he was. With almost no time left, what should he do? Suddenly, he had an idea. He’d use the special move he’d invented just for Fan Fan—she was bound to recognize him if he did it. Yes, that was it.

He quietly crept up behind her and, from behind, reached out and grabbed her chest. “Guess who?”

“Qin Xiaochuan, you scoundrel!” Fan Fan spun around and slapped him so hard he went flying.

“You… are you?” Staring at Zhang Yang, headfirst against the wall, Fan Fan was stunned.

“It’s me—Qin Xiaochuan! Ow, that hurt. You hit harder than those punks from No. 7 High. No wonder you’re Fan Fan…” Rubbing his swollen cheek, he grinned at her.

“You… are you really Xiaochuan?” She stared at Zhang Yang in disbelief. It was her first encounter with anything so supernatural, but that greeting was something only Qin Xiaochuan would do.

“It’s me, really. You have to believe me. I fought my way into this guy’s body, ran to your house, but you weren’t there, and your parents chased me out of the restaurant. Then I got jumped by a bunch of thugs on the street. After dealing with them, I barely made it here in time. Good thing you’re here, or I’d have run out of time. Fan Fan, you have to believe me…”

“Trust you? That tone, that shameless way of saying hello—only you could manage that. But… but why…” Seeing Qin Xiaochuan’s battered face, Fan Fan’s eyes reddened.

“Don’t cry, please—I can’t stand seeing you cry. The truth is… ah, how do I say this?” As the last rays of sunset slipped below the window, Qin Xiaochuan took a deep breath. “I just wanted to tell you—wait for me. I’ll be back, I promise!”