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Chapter One

Bi Chunliu hovered in front of the hospital bed, staring at her own body. The feeling was… very strange.

Yes, she was dead.
The cause of death was… Forget it. Too humiliating—she didn’t even want to mention it.

Facing her own body, there was nothing she could do. She could only watch as the doctors tried to save her. She even attempted to lie back down on the bed, to see if she could slip back inside by chance. The answer, obviously, was no.

The doctor worked hard for a while, then finally pulled back his hands. His voice, muffled behind the mask, carried a trace of grief:
“We’ve done all we can. Let the family come in for a last goodbye…”

Bi Chunliu: ?? Really? Shouldn’t be, right? Just a couple of years ago, she tripped and knocked out half a tooth, yet her body was as sturdy as could be! This time shouldn’t be the end either…

Why couldn’t they just keep trying? She refused to accept it! She was only seventy! She hadn’t even reached the average life expectancy! Her good friend Sister Wang was pushing ninety and still strong as an ox! The two of them often went for strolls together in the park. Sister Wang always laughed kindly and said: “Little Bi‑mei, while you’re still young, you must make the most of life.”

See? Someone even still called her “little sister”! According to Sister Wang, she still had plenty of good years left to enjoy! Just yesterday, Sister Wang had recommended two new dramas, which Bi Chunliu had added to her watchlist—but hadn’t even started yet! And now they were saying she couldn’t be saved?!

Once she was gone, who would understand Sister Wang’s taste so well? Who would share those fun shows with her?

How was she supposed to accept this?!

The doors to the ER swung open and shut again. The doctor walked out. Bi Chunliu stared at her body with a complicated expression, reluctantly reaching out.

As expected, her hand passed right through. Well, that was just like the stories—after all, she was a soul now.

“Wuwuwu—oh, my poor Teacher Bi—” someone wailed as they came into the ER.

Bi Chunliu looked up. It was Liu Xu, that brat. Hmph. Now he knew how to cry. Usually he did nothing but give her trouble!

“Wuwuwu—If I had known, I would’ve gone to the park with you… How could you die so young? Didn’t I tell you? That fortune teller said you’d face a hurdle at seventy. Look, you really didn’t make it past! Wuwuwu—”

The nurse holding tissues silently put them back. Did this relative need his head checked?

Unaware of the nurse’s thoughts, Liu Xu—this tall, bulky man—sobbed with snot and tears all over his face, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

Seeing him cry so miserably, the kind nurse finally handed him a tissue.

“Thanks,” Liu Xu sniffled, blowing his nose so loudly it made Bi Chunliu flinch. Ugh. No wonder he couldn’t find a girlfriend. Disgusting!

After blowing his nose, Liu Xu carried on crying. Strangely enough, his tears flowed like a faucet, yet it didn’t stop him from talking clearly.

“Teacher Bi—your death is just too tragic! How could you be so unlucky? Of all things, to fall off a slow treadmill—that’s what killed you? Too tragic, wuu—”

Bi Chunliu: !! Could he keep it down? Was this something to broadcast?!

She instinctively tried to cover his mouth, only for her hand to pass through his jaw.

Grass (the plant)! She forgot again—she was incorporeal now.

This brat! She herself thought her death was too humiliating to mention, yet here he was, shouting it out loud! Did he want the whole hospital to know?

Her pale face turned even colder, her ghostly aura seething as she glared at him. If looks could kill, Liu Xu would already have two gaping holes in him—one in his brain, the other in his mouth.

In between sobs, Liu Xu hiccupped, shivered, and glanced around. “Nurse, Nurse‑jie… isn’t the AC too strong in here?”

The nurse: “…”

Unbothered by her silence, Liu Xu turned back and wailed again.

An hour later, Bi Chunliu sat squatting in the farthest corner of the ER, arms wrapped around her head like a criminal in a news report. She was speechless.

Why?! Why was Liu Xu still crying?! He wasn’t made of water, so how could he keep this up? Crying, stopping, crying again, even in rhythm! She suspected he had once moonlighted as a professional mourner. Every time she thought he’d stopped, he started up again.

Even Bi Chunliu wanted to cry now. Couldn’t someone—or some ghost—come take her away? Wasn’t the legend that after death, grim reapers would arrive? Why hadn’t anyone come for her?! She couldn’t stand three days and nights of this sobbing soundtrack!

Couldn’t some kind ghost escort her? Or failing that, maybe someone could escort Liu Xu out? Didn’t the doctors and nurses mind the racket?

All she wanted was a little peace with her body, a quiet farewell. Was that too much to ask?

Bi Chunliu sighed gloomily. If she weren’t bound near her body, she’d have left long ago!

People said death was liberation, but in her case, it wasn’t. Well… except that her body now felt light and nimble, since she could float instead of walk. She drifted into random thoughts.

Good thing she had been fashionable a couple years ago and notarized her will, updating it annually. Her belongings should be easy to settle. Only Liu Xu’s share might trigger another crying marathon.

“Wuwu—hic~”

Finally!! Liu Xu stopped crying.

Looking at her body and at the still‑sniffling Liu Xu, Bi Chunliu suddenly smiled. Her life hadn’t been too bad. She had suffered hardships, but the latter half had been decent. Though she had no children or relatives left, at least someone mourned her this much. She had feared lingering on a sickbed in old age, but to die in one sudden fall—well, that wasn’t so bad. Aside from some regrets, she was rather blessed. No torment, no burden on others.

Suddenly, a white light flashed over her body. Bi Chunliu leaned closer in confusion.

Huh? What was that?

The white light flashed again, and in an instant, it sucked her in—

Bi Chunliu: ?? Eh? What’s going on?!

……

Thud!

Bi Chunliu cried out in pain.

Who was so rude, hitting an old lady’s head? Definitely that brat Liu Xu!

She rubbed her forehead and opened her eyes, ready to scare Liu Xu silly: “See? Your crying brought me back to life! And your prized autographed T‑shirt is gone too, ha~”

But before she could speak, she froze.

Everything had changed. She wasn’t in the ER anymore.

Bi Chunliu gaped.

She… she seemed to be on a bus?

Rows of seats, a crowd squeezed shoulder‑to‑shoulder swaying with every bump, and the noisy chatter—Bi Chunliu gasped.

Ugh, the smell! Who hadn’t washed their feet in weeks?!

Wait… where was this bus headed? And how could a bus be so shabby? She hadn’t seen such an old model since her youth.

A couple of rows ahead, a woman clutched a baby to her chest with one arm and gripped the seatback with the other, scolding loudly:
“Why squeeze? What if you squash the baby—will you pay the medical bills?!”
Then she turned and shouted at her man:
“I told you we shouldn’t go back today! See? So many people, and not a single person offering me a seat!”

Beside her, another woman was even more impressive—one hand on the overhead strap, the other clutching a cloth sack on the luggage rack. Inside the sack was a mesh bag, and poking out of it, blinking lazily, was the head of a live rooster.

A live chicken? On a bus?! And the driver allowed this?!

Bi Chunliu rubbed her eyes in disbelief. No… her face stayed calm, but inside, her heart was a storm. This reminded her of a variety show Liu Xu had once recommended, where celebrities were blindfolded and tossed onto old buses, tasked with figuring out the year and location to “escape.” He had asked her, “If you could go back, which year would you choose?”

She had jokingly answered: 1968.

Liu Xu had even calculated the age difference, then grabbed her hand and begged: “Teacher Bi, if you really get the chance, go tell my grandpa not to sell the house. The only thing keeping me from being a rich heir are those two apartments!”

Because of that, she’d actually binge‑watched all four seasons of the show.

Could this be… the same kind of situation?! But she wasn’t an actress—why would anyone film her?

If her guess was right, this had to be connected to that brat Liu Xu!

Bi Chunliu shot up from her seat, rolling up her sleeves. If she didn’t find Liu Xu and beat him half to death, she wasn’t worthy of the name Bi! All those years working in a martial arts gym hadn’t been for nothing!

“Miss, are you getting off here?” A woman in a yellow headscarf asked as she tried to shove her butt into Bi Chunliu’s seat. With so many people, you had to be quick to grab a spot.

Bi Chunliu almost applauded. Such commitment to the role! So realistic! Even better acting than the drama she’d just watched. And calling her “miss”? Please—she was old enough to be this woman’s mother.

“Big sis, are we at Grandma’s yet?” a young girl’s voice piped up from the front row.

Bi Chunliu ignored it. Obviously not directed at her.

But then: “Big sis? Big sis! Why aren’t you answering me? Third sis, check if something’s wrong with Big sis!”

Bi Chunliu felt her clothes being tugged. Looking down, her eyes stung. Tears nearly broke free.

That child looked exactly like her fourth sister, Bi Qiuguo, when she was little. Practically identical!

“Big sis, are you okay?” The voice came from another girl beside her. An oval face, big eyes… Just like her third sister, Bi Xiahe!

Bi Chunliu drew two deep breaths, reminding herself not to take it seriously. These had to be actors hired by Liu Xu.

Still, she had to admit—these extras were dedicated. Such realistic lines, such flawless delivery… How much were they being paid? Poor girls, working so hard at such a young age. Truly professional! Calling her “big sis,” when in reality she was old enough to be their grandma.

Bi Chunliu silently gave them a thumbs‑up. Now this was true dedication! Way more professional than some so‑called celebrities!