“Did you know? That Chen Hui from the class next door, I heard he doesn’t have a dad.”

“Yeah, I heard his dad’s a murderer and was thrown into prison by the great policemen.”

“No, no, I heard his dad was a soldier who perished in battle, taking down the enemy with him.”

What kind of person was my dad, really? A murderer? A soldier? Or something else entirely? I didn’t dare ask my mom, because every time I did, she’d get really upset and wouldn’t say a word about who my dad was.

As a kid, watching my classmates being picked up after school by their dads, I’d never say it out loud, but I was so envious.

My wish? Even if it’s just a hallucination, even if it’s just an illusion, I’d give anything to catch a glimpse of the father I’ve only heard about in stories.

I stood there dazed for a long moment, scanning my surroundings hopefully. But to my disappointment, there was nothing. Nothing happened. No legendary dad showed up. Could it be that I didn’t have a wish? No way. My longing for my father was stronger than anything else. Was it because I had no image of him in my mind for the illusion to conjure?

I sighed in disappointment, and just then, a woman’s voice came from behind me.

“Don’t you have a wish?”

I turned around to see none other than the female ghost. She was still dressed in white, her long hair flowing, with a rather beautiful face.

I realized this must be the Spirit Within Paint ghost and immediately felt a sense of caution. But outwardly, I nodded and said, “Of course I do. Can you create him for me? My father?”

“No, I can’t. Your wish is too vague. Everyone has a wish, but most people have a clear understanding of it—they know what they want and how it looks. But you, while you desperately want to see this person, don’t even know what he looks like.” The ghost gave a bitter smile as she looked at me. “You’re truly a pitiful person.”

“Me? Pitiful?” I froze for a second. “Even if I can’t find my father, it’s not a big deal, is it? I’ve managed just fine all these years.”

The ghost replied, “But isn’t it pitiful for someone to have no clear direction in life, to not even know the face of the person they want to see most? You’re worse off than me. At least I can remember his face.”

Maybe it was the fact that the Spirit Within Paint didn’t seem hostile, or perhaps it was the confusion in my heart at that moment, but I found myself pointing at the painting on the Three Sha position and asking, “Is that you? And what’s your story? Why didn’t you reincarnate and instead turned into a painting?”

The ghost gave me a faint smile and said, “I’m waiting for someone. Even if he’s already dead, I can’t move on without seeing him one last time.”

“Waiting for someone?”

“Yes, my husband. He promised he’d come back for me.” The ghost sat down in a nearby chair, and as if lost in her memories, began to tell her story.

Back then, her parents had pulled some strings to bring her back from the countryside. At first, she and the young man she loved kept in touch through letters, and her parents didn’t interfere. But then, for some unknown reason, her parents suddenly disapproved of their relationship.

This ghost was a stubborn one. She painted a picture of herself in a red wedding dress, being married to her beloved. Then she slit her wrists next to the painting and died.

As she recounted her story, there was a deep sadness in her eyes. I frowned and said, “Don’t be so upset. If it’s meant to be, it will be.”

This ghost didn’t seem particularly malicious. She sighed and said, “Li Wei… I miss him so much.”

At that, something clicked in my mind. Li Wei? Zhao Li Wei? Isn’t that Zhao Chen Yang’s dad’s name? I quickly asked, “Are you Song Si Ao?”

The ghost’s head snapped up, her eyes wide in shock. “How do you know that?”

“Zhao Li Wei is already dead,” I said with a shake of my head, recalling the story Zhao Chen Yang had once told us. Though clearly, there was more to it than he let on.

“Here’s how it is,” I said, making up a story. “Zhao Li Wei’s grandfather was friends with my grandfather. Before he passed away, he mentioned missing someone named Song Si Ao.”

Of course, my grandpa had nothing to do with Zhao Li Wei, but I wasn’t about to bring up Zhao Chen Yang’s story. So, I improvised. Then, cautiously, I asked, “What was your relationship with Zhao Li Wei’s grandfather?”

Song Si Ao looked stunned and said, “That’s impossible. He promised me he’d come back for me. How could he be dead?”

And then she began to recount the true events.

It turned out that back when Song Si Ao was a Zhi Qing—an educated youth sent to the countryside—both Zhao Li Wei and Wang Yong Quan pursued her. But her heart belonged to Zhao Li Wei. She found Wang Yong Quan sly, despite his outwardly honest demeanor.

Song Si Ao shared that her relationship with Zhao Li Wei was initially strong. But Wang Yong Quan often stirred up trouble by doing romantic gestures for her right in front of Zhao Li Wei, like giving her flowers. Back then, such an act was a huge insult.

Zhao Li Wei wanted to fight Wang Yong Quan, but the latter shamelessly retorted, “Song Si Ao is still an unmarried maiden. Doesn’t everyone have the right to pursue beauty? Or is it that you two have something improper going on?”

At the time, dating was something you had to report to authorities, and relationships between intelligence university students and rural villagers were rarely approved. So, Zhao Li Wei and Song Si Ao kept their relationship hidden. The villagers knew but didn’t say anything. This left Wang Yong Quan free to stir up trouble.

Before Song Si Ao returned to the city, Zhao Li Wei told her to wait for him, promising he’d come for her once he made something of himself.

After hearing her story, I couldn’t help but feel that Wang Yong Quan was a real piece of shit. Still, that didn’t explain everything. So I decided to share a piece of what I’d later learned.

It turned out that after Song Si Ao returned to the city, she and Zhao Li Wei exchanged letters. Despite Wang Yong Quan intercepting some and tearing up the romantic ones, their feelings for each other remained strong.

Eventually, Wang Yong Quan sent an anonymous letter to Song Si Ao’s parents, accusing her of being involved with Zhao Li Wei inappropriately. The letter painted Zhao Li Wei as a violent thug. Though her parents had been open-minded, the letter convinced them to strongly oppose the relationship, leading to Song Si Ao’s tragic end.

When Zhao Li Wei later discovered the truth from a drunken postal worker, he became consumed with the desire for revenge against Wang Yong Quan, setting off the events that followed.