The goddess I secretly admired was deceived into Northern Myanmar.
Three years later, her ghost came to me for help!
It happened the night before last.
Around one o'clock in the morning.
I received a new errand order.
I was asked to buy some hemostatic medicine and gauze and deliver them.
The errand fee was 15 yuan.
The delivery location was strange—a crossroads.
I'm just a poor commoner; if there's money to be made, I'll definitely take it!
I quickly delivered the items to the specified intersection.
Late at night, there was no one else at the crossroads.
Only an old lady, squatting by a brazier, crying and burning joss paper.
I hesitated for a moment, then walked over and asked if it was her order.
"Yes, it's mine."
The old lady was crying bitterly. She took the gauze and hemostatic medicine and threw them into the brazier.
I froze for a second and couldn't help but ask, "Are these for a deceased relative?"
The old lady sobbed:
"For my dead daughter. I dreamed she was standing at this crossroads.
Her stomach, her stomach… wuwu…
Her stomach was disemboweled… covered in blood.
Her intestines were dragging on the ground.
She asked me to buy her some gauze and hemostatic medicine…"
As she spoke, the old lady choked up again, wailing:
"Manman, my poor Manman. You were tricked into that hell in Northern Myanmar—how can you rest in peace?"
Manman… Northern Myanmar.
These two words sent a shock through my body.
"Is your daughter… named Ye Manman?" I asked.
"Yes. Do you… do you know Manman?" The old lady looked at me.
I took a deep breath:
"Did she used to study at An University?"
"Yes!"
I froze, my thoughts instantly drifting back three years.
When I was a sophomore, I secretly admired my classmate, the goddess 'Ye Manman'.
She was gentle, beautiful, and had excellent grades.
But I was just an introverted, poor "country bumpkin."
I knew I wasn't good enough for her and didn't dare to pursue her.
I would only quietly buy some snacks and drinks, then secretly place them on her desk.
This was discovered by Yang Lei, a wealthy second-generation student who was pursuing her.
He publicly mocked me in front of many people.
Calling me a toad trying to eat swan meat.
Saying, "You're a poor loser dressed head to toe in Pinduoduo goods—how dare you like Ye Manman?
If you know what's good for you, kneel down and shout three times: 'I'm a loser, I'll never dare again.'
Otherwise, I'll make your life miserable."
Just then, the goddess appeared.
She frowned and scolded Yang Lei:
"…Yang Lei, I've already said I don't like you.
Why are you bullying others?
Does having money make you great? Stop pestering me!"
After scolding him, she gently comforted me:
"Classmate, don't associate with people like him.
So it was you who sent those snacks—thank you.
But I'm sorry, during college, I just want to focus on studying and don't plan to date.
Thank you for liking me."
She was really so gentle, so outstanding.
From that day on, I liked her even more!!
Yang Lei, humiliated by the goddess in front of everyone, flew into a rage:
"Ye Manman, I like you because I think highly of you.
Bitch, your parents are just poor teachers—how dare you treat me like this? Fine, you'll regret it!"
I thought Yang Lei would trouble me and the goddess afterward, but he became quiet.
Until after the summer vacation.
News spread across campus that Ye Manman had been tricked into Northern Myanmar.
It was said that because her family was not well-off, she wanted to find a part-time job during the summer and was deceived by an agency.
Then she lost contact.
Back then, there wasn't much news about Northern Myanmar online.
I had no idea what she might be going through.
But Yang Lei took the initiative to walk up to me and leered: "Zhou Yi, do you know what happens to women sold to Northern Myanmar?"
I asked instinctively, "What happens?"
Yang Lei patted my face: "They become public buses, gang-raped by one man after another, then forced into prostitution.
When their lower bodies are too rotten to use, they'll be disemboweled and their organs sold… Heh.
That stuck-up bitch—she's probably enjoying serving men every day now."
My blood rushed to my head. I cursed, "Yang Lei, fuck your ancestors!"
I threw a punch, and we started fighting.
I broke one of Yang Lei's ribs.
His family had influence in the city and refused to let it go.
I had to pay a large sum of money, which I scraped together by borrowing from relatives.
The school also expelled me, so I never got my diploma.
After leaving school, I had to work early to pay off the debts to my relatives.
Working during the day and delivering food part-time at night.
In the blink of an eye, three years passed.
It felt like a lifetime ago!
I never expected to meet Ye Manman's mother tonight!
I didn't believe in ghostly dreams.
I figured she was just missing her daughter too much.
Memories brought tears to my eyes, so I raised my hand to wipe them away.
But in the moment it took to wipe my tears, the old lady was gone!
The brazier that had been burning just a second ago had vanished too!
In the dark crossroads, there was clearly only me…
I panicked.
What was going on?
How could a living person disappear in the blink of an eye?
Just then, a horn blared behind me.
A white car was honking impatiently.
A young man with dyed yellow hair stuck his head out of the car:
"Food delivery guy! Why are you blocking the intersection? Are you crazy?!"
I quickly moved my bike aside and apologized:
"Sorry, sorry.
I just saw an old lady burning paper here.
She disappeared in a flash—I was just confused."
At my words, the yellow-haired guy's face changed: "An old lady burning joss paper? Was she wearing a green top, black pants, and reading glasses?"
I was surprised: "How do you know?"
The yellow-haired guy shivered, looking unlucky:
"A month ago, that old lady was burning paper at this crossroads late at night and got hit by a drunk driver!
It was on the news—didn't you hear?"
I couldn't believe it: "Are you joking? Did I meet a ghost?"
The yellow-haired guy cursed: "Whatever you met. Shit, Amitabha, Amitabha."
He muttered Buddhist prayers and drove off.
I sat on my electric bike.
A night wind blew, making me shiver all over.
I immediately took out my phone and searched for keywords:
Anyang City, crossroads, drunk driving, old lady.
The first search result was: "Drunk driver kills elderly person at night, tragic accident."
I clicked on the page.
The content made my blood run cold.
Two photos were clearly displayed on the page.
It was the yellow-haired driver from just now and the old lady who'd been burning paper.
A month ago, in the early morning, the yellow-haired driver was drunk driving and hit the old lady burning paper at the crossroads.
Panicked, the driver steered wrong, crashed into a telephone pole, and the car caught fire—he died on the spot!
Could it be that everyone I met tonight wasn't human?
I shivered.
I fled the crossroads in a hurry.
Whether it was an illusion or not,
all the way, I felt as if there was a pair of eyes
staring at me from behind…