Chapter 7: “What the hell is going on?”

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The thought had only flashed through Xie Jingting’s mind for a second before he brushed it off.

Just now, he had been near the mountain peak.

The racetrack had already been cleared—how could there possibly be anyone at the top?

He shook his head and tilted his head back to continue drinking his water.

Suddenly, someone in the distance raised their phone and shouted at him, “Young Master Xie! Where’s your phone? Your brother’s been calling me to find you! Call him back—I’m in the middle of a ranked match!”

Xie Jingting pulled out his phone, tapped it a few times, and realized it had somehow been put on silent without him noticing.

The screen lit up—and his eyelid twitched. The entire screen was filled with missed calls.

Looking closer, every single family member had tried to reach him.

Even several friends who weren’t at the race today had called.

“Whoa. Damn. What the hell happened?”

Muttering to himself, he tossed the empty water bottle into the trash, glanced at the time on his phone—9:58 PM.

He dialed back the top number in his call log—“Second Brother.”

The night air had turned chilly, and he felt a cold draft creeping down his back.

There was no sound on the other end—not even the connecting beep.

He looked at his phone, confused, then began dialing other numbers one by one.

Still no response. He muttered again, “What kind of crappy signal does this mountain have?”

Putting away his phone, he turned to the guy next to him and said, “I’m heading out. My family’s looking for me. Let them know I left. Oh, and park Chen Younan’s car in the most visible spot at the club. Hang a banner that says ‘Loser’ on it.”

“Got it, Young Master Xie! Consider it done!”

Satisfied, Xie Jingting turned around, got in his own car, and while starting the engine, tried calling Xie Jingzhou again.

What he didn’t know, though, was that the woman who had made all those men go crazy earlier was now sitting in his passenger seat, curiously sizing him up.

The moment Xie Jingting sped off, the guy who had been playing games earlier looked up and glanced around. “Where’s Young Master Xie?”

“He just left.”

“What?! He left?! Damn it! I was too into my game! His second brother specifically said he’d come to pick him up and told him not to drive himself!”

“Why not? It’s not like he drank anything.”

Xie Jingting was allergic to alcohol, so drunk driving was never an issue.

“How would I know?! Crap, I need to call Second Young Master Xie right now!”

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Meanwhile, Xie Jingting had just driven onto the highway when his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen—Xie Jingzhou.

He tapped the steering wheel to answer the call.

“Hey, bro! What’s up? I tried calling earlier but there was no signal. How’d your call get through—”

“Are you driving right now?” Xie Jingzhou’s tone was urgent.

Xie Jingting frowned, hearing the tension in his brother’s voice. “Yeah, why? I was just heading ba—”

“Right now, pull over immediately and get as far away from your car as you can!”

Actually, it wasn’t that Xie Jingzhou was personally panicking—it was that he was being pushed by others to be cautious.

Before leaving, their mom and grandpa had acted like this was a full-on emergency, forcing him to take it seriously too.

Even if he didn’t believe it, he couldn’t ignore it—this was about his little brother’s life.

Xie Jingting was confused but still obediently pulled over, turned on the hazard lights, and asked, “Why though?”

“Don’t ask. Just do it. Send me your location—I’ll come pick you up. Until I get there, don’t touch the car. I’ll explain everything after I see you.”

Beep beep beep…

The call ended.

Xie Jingting grumbled, “What the hell is going on?”

It was already autumn, and nights in Nancheng were getting chilly. Xie Jingting thought it would be dumb to stand outside in the cold, so he stayed in the car and sent a message to the family group chat.

But something strange happened—he was already off the mountain road, and still had no signal.

Frowning, he muttered, “What the hell kind of signal is this? Why’s it just spinning—”

Suddenly—bang bang bang—three knocks.

Xie Jingting jumped, turning sharply toward the window.

He saw a woman in a red qipao knocking on his window.

“Ah—hell! You scared me!” he shouted.

The woman’s eyes were red, as if she were in trouble and looking for help.

He rolled down the window and snapped, “Lady, do you know you can scare someone to death?! Where the hell did you come from?”

The woman looked like she was about to cry. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you… I had a fight with my boyfriend. He threw me out of the car and drove off alone. I’ve been waiting here forever—no cars have passed by at all.”

Xie Jingting looked at the steady flow of traffic nearby.

How could there be no cars passing on a highway?

He looked at her suspiciously. “Don’t you have a phone? Can’t you call a ride?”

“I do! I did call! But it’s been over half an hour and no one’s taken the order…” Her eyes teared up with grievance.

Xie Jingting was exasperated. “Think logically. If no ride’s coming, wouldn’t you try calling the police?”

Zhang Huihui: “……”

When she didn’t respond and just stared at him, Xie Jingting added, “Don’t look at me—I’m waiting for someone to pick me up too. I suggest you call the cops.”

Mostly, he had no idea what kind of car his brother was coming in. If it was a two-seater, was he supposed to tie her to the roof?

After that, he rolled up the window.

The moment he did, his phone—which had previously had no signal—suddenly rang.

Buzz buzz buzz—

He answered, “Hey, bro! Where are you now?”

“Did you get out of the car?”

“Nope. I pulled over, hazard lights on. I’m in the car waiting for you. It’s freezing—I’m only wearing a t-shirt!”

Xie Jingzhou’s brow twitched.

He remembered what Tu Shanju had told him before leaving: The ghost is already in his car.

But knowing that Jingting had inherited Xu Airu’s fearful nature, he hadn’t dared tell him outright. If he said there was a ghost in the car, Jingting would’ve sprinted all the way home.

But now it was already past 10 PM.

Forget it—better to scare him home than have something happen.

It’s only a few dozen kilometers. Call it cardio.

“Listen—my sister-in-law gave me a knife. She said not to let you touch a red car after 10 PM or there’ll be bloodshed. She also said—”

“Oh? What else did she say?”

“She said… you’d have a female ghost in your car.”

As soon as those words landed, Xie Jingting froze, his face turning deathly pale.

Bang.

Bang bang.

That woman—somehow—was now standing directly in front of his car.

There were no streetlights nearby. It was pitch black, except for the area lit up by his headlights.

Zhang Huihui held her phone and tapped it on the hood of his car, cocking her head with a bizarre grin.

Her eyes were eerie and disturbing.

Every hair on Xie Jingting’s body stood on end.

“Jingting? Jingting?! Why’d you go silent?”

At that moment, Xie Jingting’s tongue trembled. After a long pause, he mustered all his strength to squeak out—

“Bro… save my damned life… there’s a ghost in here…”