A Secret (GL) - Chapter 11

The book described how certain things can bridge the worlds of the living and the dead. For example, mirrors—cold and Yin in nature—can harbor dark spirits. Incense, on the other hand, acts as a connection: it can reach the gods above or the ghosts below. While sandalwood is preferred for praying to deities, aloeswood (agarwood) should be used to connect with spirits.

The ash of aloeswood is weightless to a ghost. Because of its cold, Yin properties, ghosts can touch it. In ancient times, many Taoist priests and monks used incense ash as a medium to converse with the dead.

Shen Juan smoothed the ash and said, “Try drawing a line on it.”

Gu Shuge nodded. “Okay.” She walked to the ash and took a deep breath. Extending her right index finger, she slowly lowered it. As she neared the floor, her heart hammered against her ribs. She stared unblinkingly at the ash, and then she froze in shock. Her finger didn’t pass through; it stopped right on the surface of the ash.

Gu Shuge’s eyes widened. She quickly looked at Shen Juan, who remained focused, head bowed. Shuge hurriedly steadied her mind. She held her breath and felt the sensation at her fingertip—it was soft, like touching cotton, but smoother. It felt exactly like the texture of incense ash.

Overjoyed, she slowly slid her finger, wanting to draw a line or even just a dot. As long as the ash changed, Shen Juan would know they had succeeded and that this was the right path.

But she soon realized something was wrong. Sliding her finger felt like moving across a sheet of glass; no mark remained in the ash.

Unwilling to give up, Gu Shuge used more strength and tried again. Still nothing.

She didn’t lose heart and tried a third time. This time, instead of a line, she concentrated all her strength into a single point and pressed down with everything she had.

The ash remained perfectly undisturbed.

Gu Shuge tried repeatedly, failing every time. She didn’t understand why she could touch the ash but couldn’t leave a mark on it.

“It’s still not working,” Shen Juan said, standing up.

Gu Shuge stopped her frantic poking, her expression dejected.

Shen Juan began to clear away the ritual items. Although Shuge knew she had no physical body and wouldn’t be in the way, she still stepped aside. Shen Juan placed the candle holders and incense burner into a box, tucked the scriptures into a drawer, threw the half-burnt incense into the trash, and swept up the spilled ash.

A sudden wave of guilt washed over Gu Shuge. She hadn’t protected herself; she had let someone kill her and caused Shen Juan so much pain. Yet Shen Juan hadn’t given up on her, traveling so far to find a way to make her manifest. She was reading a book that a normal person would dismiss as superstition; she had no religious beliefs, yet she devoutly lit incense and recited scriptures for her sake.

Shen Juan was putting in so much effort, yet Shuge couldn’t give even a shred of a response. She couldn’t even poke a tiny hole in incense ash, making all of Shen Juan’s hard work go to waste.

After cleaning the items and washing her hands, Shen Juan returned to the living room. She sat on the same sofa where they had read together earlier.

Gu Shuge walked over and sat beside her.

Both were silent for a while before Shen Juan spoke: “There must be something wrong with this method. Don’t worry, Sister will find a better way.”

Hearing this, Shuge felt even more guilty.

“Xiaoge.”

Gu Shuge looked at her.

Shen Juan’s eyes were like a river that had just thawed in early spring—flowing gently, carrying fallen blossoms and green leaves along the banks, accompanied by a soft east wind. They were tender and beautiful.

Gu Shuge quickly looked away, not daring to meet her gaze, even as her heart rate accelerated.

A smile touched Shen Juan’s lips, as if they were just having a casual chat like they used to. She shared her observation: “I counted just now. The time I can sense you is about ten minutes. Yesterday was too sudden and I was nervous, so I didn’t time it, but it was definitely much shorter than ten minutes.”

Gu Shuge was stunned. Did this mean the time she could be sensed was getting longer every day?

“The sample size is only two, so I can’t determine yet if the duration increases every day or if it changes randomly,” Shen Juan continued. “We’ll observe a few more times to be sure.”

“Mhm, mhm.” Gu Shuge nodded, hoping the time would increase progressively. Perhaps one day, Shen Juan would be able to feel her presence every second of the day.

The thought gave her something to look forward to. It felt like the first good thing to happen since she became a ghost.

Gu Shuge began to smile, but before the expression fully formed, she suddenly froze.

She realized something.

Shen Juan didn’t know she was by her side all the time. Shen Juan could only sense her for those few minutes; outside of that window, she didn’t know if Shuge was there or elsewhere—or if she even existed at all outside those ten minutes.

Shuge heard everything Shen Juan said, but Shen Juan had no way of knowing if Shuge could hear her.

Yet she still spoke—offering gentle comfort and careful analysis, all for Shuge to hear.

Gu Shuge’s heart was a jumble of emotions.

Shen Juan stood up and went upstairs.

It was past 1:00 AM, long past time for rest. Gu Shuge followed her to the stairs, then hesitantly followed her up and to the bedroom door. Shen Juan pushed the door open and then closed it.

Gu Shuge was shut out. Though the door was like air to her and couldn’t stop her from entering, she stood there for a moment before turning and going back downstairs.

Over the next few days, Gu Shuge looked forward to nightfall and the arrival of midnight every single day.

Shen Juan was busy with many things, primarily the case. Both the police and Liu Guohua were investigating, but neither had contacted them. The police didn’t say much, and based on Liu Guohua’s style, he would have rushed to report any findings; his silence only meant he hadn’t found anything useful.

Shen Juan hired two more private investigation firms, employing two more teams to join the search. With three groups acting together, they could uncover the driver’s history back three generations. She also hired a professional team to track down Master Jingyun.

Aside from these two matters, there was the issue of the Gu Group’s ownership. This turned out to be much easier, as Gu Shuge had written a will two years ago.

When Gu Yian passed away, his entire estate was inherited by Shen Juan. Shen Juan, following legal procedures, transferred all those assets into Gu Shuge’s name, keeping only half-ownership of the house.

At the time, Gu Shuge had been a bit angry, feeling that Shen Juan was trying to distance herself. In a fit of pique, she had drafted a will on the spot, naming Shen Juan as her sole heir. Only Shen Juan, the lawyer in charge, and the notary office staff knew about this.

No one could have predicted what would happen today. Shen Juan hadn’t taken it to heart; a will written by a healthy twenty-year-old is essentially a waste of paper.

Now, Gu Shuge felt grateful more than once for that moment of spite.

No matter how busy she was during the day, Shen Juan always returned home by midnight. They recorded five days of data and concluded that the time Shen Juan could sense her was indeed increasing daily. By the fifth day, the duration had reached one and a half hours.

Gu Shuge was overjoyed. She even foolishly thought that this was quite nice—she could see Shen Juan all the time, and Shen Juan could sense her. She felt almost content.

At noon on the fifth day, the previously silent police station called, asking Shen Juan to come in.

The call came around 11:00 AM, just as the morning work was ending. Shen Juan left immediately.

At the station, she was met by Captain Chen Xingfeng, whom she had met once before.

At this hour, the station was quiet. Only a few young officers were wolfing down food from delivery boxes, looking as if they were tired of the cafeteria and had ordered out for a treat.

Chen Xingfeng was waiting for her in the lobby, still looking restrained. He didn’t offer a handshake this time, only saying briefly: “Director Huang is waiting for the two of you in his office.”

The Gu Group’s reaches were vast, and the woman before him had become the official Chairman in just a few days. The government had to show her some respect, so the Director himself was handling the meeting.

After speaking, Chen Xingfeng led the way. Shen Juan followed him, Gu Shuge walked beside her, and Lin Mo followed last.

Gu Shuge peered around curiously. Outside the station, seeing the national emblem, she had worried she might be unable to enter. She had heard that ghosts fear “masculine vigor” (yang-qi), and a police station—a place for punishing evil—is full of righteousness and yang-qi.

But she entered with ease.

Director Huang’s office was at the very end. When Shen Juan arrived, he was brewing tea. Seeing her, he made polite conversation with a smile: “I figured you’d be arriving soon, so I started the tea. These leaves were sent from the south by an old comrade. They certainly can’t compare to what you usually drink, Ms. Shen, but it’s a fresh taste.”

He looked pleasant and didn’t put on official airs; he seemed quite talkative.

Seeing him, Chen Xingfeng seemed to find his footing and became a bit more vocal, encouraging them to try the tea. They sat on the sofas in the reception area.

Gu Shuge followed Shen Juan. She wanted to sit on Shen Juan’s right, but Lin Mo took her spot, so she had to sit on the left.

Of the four people present, no one except Shen Juan suspected that a ghost was among them.

None of them were in the mood for tea; it was merely an icebreaker. After one round of tea, Director Huang glanced at Chen Xingfeng, who cleared his throat and explained the purpose of the meeting: “We’ve interviewed the family, neighbors, friends, and colleagues of the driver, Zhang Meng. We received consistent testimony: Zhang Meng showed no abnormalities prior to the incident. His family’s financial situation is very difficult, and it wasn’t the first or second time he’d run an illegal taxi in his spare time. His presence on that road was simply because he had just dropped a passenger nearby. It was a complete coincidence.”

Gu Shuge listened carefully. He must have rehearsed this speech countless times; he didn’t stumble once.

He didn’t mention that an illegal taxi driver’s passengers aren’t random but can be selected in advance. Gu Shuge looked at Shen Juan; she showed no reaction.

“We also checked Zhang Meng’s phone. All his contacts were acquaintances, and there was nothing unusual. As of now, every aspect of the investigation indicates this was a traffic accident caused by fatigue.” Chen Xingfeng gave his conclusion. “If we were to investigate further, the only thing left is the victim’s remains. But based on surveillance and witness testimony, the victim was lucid and in good health; there is no necessity for an autopsy.”

This was why Gu Shuge’s remains had been kept at the hospital rather than being brought to the police station.

“So, in my view, the investigation can be closed here.” Director Huang provided the finality of an anchor.

Shen Juan listened quietly and made only one request: “I would like to delay closing the case for a few days.”

By not raising an objection but merely asking for a delay, she was clearly signaling that she neither believed their conclusion nor trusted their competence, and intended to investigate herself. Director Huang was taken aback, his expression turning serious. “That’s difficult. According to regulations, there must be a sufficient reason to delay closing a case.”

Since Shen Juan had asked, she was naturally prepared with a reason they could accept.

Seeing the situation, Lin Mo was about to speak for his boss when Chen Xingfeng’s phone rang. Everyone stopped to wait for him to finish the call.

As soon as Chen Xingfeng answered, his face changed instantly. The person on the other end spoke quickly. He looked at the Director, then at Shen Juan, and said: “The hospital called. The victim’s body… is gone.”

Gu Shuge was stunned.

Shen Juan immediately headed for the door. Lin Mo hurried after her, not even stopping to say goodbye. Gu Shuge was about to follow—she had already stood up—but after taking one step, she suddenly wanted to hear what the police planned to do, so she stopped.

As soon as Shen Juan left, Director Huang scolded Chen Xingfeng mercilessly: “The case was about to be closed! I just told her it was an accident, and now the victim’s body is missing?”

Chen Xingfeng, unable to predict the body would vanish, tried to defend himself with a few words.

Director Huang waved him off. “Check everything again from top to bottom, meticulously. If we were sure it was an accident, but the body disappears at the last minute, then this case isn’t simple. Get ready to transfer it to the Criminal Investigation team. Be proactive—contact them and report everything we’ve found. If the body is gone, it’s gone. The priority is finding the culprit, otherwise, this new year will be a difficult one.”

Gu Shuge was listening intently when a sudden, violent headache struck. A sinister voice rang in her mind. The malice was surfacing again.

“He actually said if the body is gone, it’s gone. He actually thinks so little of you. Can you endure this? You are a ghost with a promising future!”

Gu Shuge was startled. Daring not to stay any longer, she scrambled out of the room to return to Shen Juan’s side.