Chapter Seven: This House Is Haunted

"Mom," the little girl glanced at Mrs. Tao and whispered, "Didn't you say you wouldn't rent it out anymore?"

A trace of helplessness flickered in Mrs. Tao's eyes. She stroked her daughter's head without replying. Qin Yang, standing nearby, found it odd but didn't feel it appropriate to ask further since it was a private matter. Nonetheless, he said, "If it’s inconvenient for you to rent, I can keep looking elsewhere."

As he spoke, he scratched his head.

Mrs. Tao quickly shook her head. "That's not what I meant. Let's take a look at the apartment first."

"Alright."

Qin Yang nodded, still puzzled, and followed Mrs. Tao inside. The place was spotlessly clean, but for some reason, it felt chilly. The heating was turned up, which only deepened his confusion. The little girl seemed particularly afraid, hiding by the doorway, her big eyes darting nervously around the room.

The apartment was fully furnished—bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, all equipped. There was even an internet connection, and the balcony was spotless, offering a panoramic view of Haitianshi. Yet the better the apartment seemed, the stranger it felt that the rent was only fifteen hundred. Noticing the little girl’s odd behavior and Mrs. Tao’s hesitation, his confusion only grew.

He suppressed his questions and chatted briefly with Mrs. Tao. The mother and daughter didn’t strike him as the type to set traps for tenants, and besides, as a grown man, he wasn’t afraid. The low rent was too good to pass up, so he decided to take it. Of course, a contract would be signed.

Through their conversation, Qin Yang learned that Mrs. Tao’s full name was Tao Caijie, a white-collar worker, and the little girl was her own daughter, Cheng Xiaomei, eight years old and in second grade—very well-behaved and the apple of her mother’s eye. As for Cheng Xiaomei’s father, Tao Caijie didn’t say much, only that he had died in an accident. Qin Yang quickly offered his condolences.

"Alright, Sister Tao, I'll take this place," Qin Yang said with satisfaction after inspecting the apartment. "Can we sign the contract now?"

"Alright." Tao Caijie hesitated, then went to fetch the papers.

Qin Yang settled comfortably onto the sofa, nodding in satisfaction. Seeing Cheng Xiaomei still at the door, he said affectionately, "Xiaomei, why not come in? It's cold outside, you'll catch a chill."

"I'm scared," Cheng Xiaomei whispered, as if something inside terrified her.

Qin Yang looked around, puzzled. There was nothing out of the ordinary. He walked to the door, crouched down, and asked with a smile, "Why are you scared? This will be my place now—you can come play anytime. I have some great games on my phone, want to try?" He took out his phone and shook it playfully.

Cheng Xiaomei, ever so polite, glanced at him and said, "Big brother, your eyes are really pretty."

"Pretty?" Qin Yang was surprised. Were his eyes really that nice? Amused, he asked, "Very pretty?"

"Mm. Just looking at them makes me feel at ease," Cheng Xiaomei replied honestly.

"Heh, I think so too." Qin Yang hadn’t looked in a mirror since leaving the hospital, but being praised by an eight-year-old girl made him feel a bit proud.

Still trembling, Cheng Xiaomei glanced toward her home. Seeing that her mother hadn’t come out, she lowered her voice, "Big brother, I won’t lie to you—this apartment is haunted. There’s a very scary ghost here."

"A ghost?" Qin Yang grinned. Once, he wouldn't have believed such things, but now he did. Besides, Cheng Xiaomei was not the type to lie. The truth was, he wasn’t afraid of ghosts—on the contrary, he welcomed them. If it was the ghost of someone important, maybe he could learn some secret ways to make money by absorbing their memories. He was just about to activate his Yin-Yang Eyes and have a look when Tao Caijie came out holding a document and, having heard her daughter’s words, sighed.

"Qin Yang, let’s talk," Tao Caijie said after a glance at him. Her intuition told her that this young man was kind and she didn’t want to deceive him, so she decided to be frank.

Qin Yang was taken aback, but nodded. This time, he entered her home. The furnishings exuded warmth and comfort, like spring itself. Sitting on the sofa, he gratefully accepted a cup of hot water from Cheng Xiaomei. Tao Caijie sat down beside him and said, "I didn’t mean to keep anything from you. My husband and I bought this apartment when we got married—actually, we bought two. Later, it felt like a waste to leave one empty, so we decided to rent it out. At first, we had three or four tenants without any problems—it was always peaceful. But then, a very odd person rented it. His behavior was strange, but we thought nothing of it and let him stay."

"But this man would mutter madness every day—saying things like ‘no ghosts may enter,’ and all sorts of frightening things. Xiaomei was so scared she didn’t dare go out alone. We were embarrassed to break the contract and ask him to leave, thinking he was just a bit unstable. About half a year later, on a stormy night, he died suddenly—no clear cause. The doctor said it was a heart attack. But ever since, the apartment has felt icy cold. Xiaomei, being young, was terrified and would cry whenever she went in. We were afraid too. We even brought in a Taoist priest, but it was useless. Later, others rented the place, but every one of them asked to leave within days. You were wondering why the rent is so cheap—this is why. After Xiaomei’s father died, I didn’t plan to rent it out again, but the apartment was left empty. Still, I want Xiaomei to have a better life, so..."

"I see," Qin Yang nodded in sudden understanding. No wonder the apartment felt cold; he had thought it was just because it had been uninhabited for so long.

"Forget it, you’d better not rent it," Tao Caijie said helplessly. "Everyone who’s lived there said the place is eerie. At night, you can hear ghostly cries. Everything seems fine from outside, but inside, there’s this strange feeling."

Qin Yang grinned and scratched his head. "It’s hard to find a place to rent these days—especially at this price."

"But—" Tao Caijie tried to protest.

Qin Yang stood up first. "My grandpa always said I’m blessed and not afraid of ghosts or demons. And besides, these things are a little far-fetched anyway. I’m not scared."

"Others have said the same," Tao Caijie said with a wry smile. "But after one night, they ran away. You’d better rent somewhere else."

"Yes, big brother, it’s really scary," Cheng Xiaomei added, trying to dissuade him.

Qin Yang chuckled. "Tell you what, I’ll spend some time in the apartment. If I can’t stand it, I’ll leave then. How does that sound?"

Without waiting for their objections, Qin Yang hurried off to his room, closing the door behind him. Focusing his mind, he felt a chill gathering behind his eyes. The entire room became unusually clear. After careful observation, he noticed a dark mist lingering in one of the bedrooms. His eyes lit up, and he walked over.