Chapter 1: The Female Ghost

My name is Qin Feng. I am twenty-two years old and work as a resident doctor at Linjiang First People’s Hospital. I am what you’d call a devastatingly handsome man—able to play cute, act suave, pretend to be a puppy, or exude pure masculinity as I walk. In short—your typical womanizer.

Since I was eighteen, I’ve changed girlfriends more often than I change clothes. Usually, after spending the night with one, I’d immediately start looking for the next. Everyone around me calls me a scoundrel, and I never argue, because it’s simply the truth.

Sometimes I think I have a split personality—one side of me actively seducing women, the other watching coldly from the sidelines. But when I’m in bed with a woman, the two sides merge into one until that moment of post-pleasure emptiness.

I know there’s something wrong with me. It’s not multiple personalities, but an overwhelming, almost terrifying, need for sex—both physical and psychological. It gnaws at me, consuming me from the inside out. If I can’t satisfy it, I lose control, driving myself to the brink.

That’s my reason for becoming what I am. Or perhaps it’s just an excuse.

I thought my life would go on like this forever. But then, one night while I was on duty, everything changed.

…

It was one o’clock in the morning at the emergency department of Linjiang First People’s Hospital. I’d just finished dealing with a handful of critical cases. From experience, I knew there wouldn’t be any more patients at this hour.

Through the large glass doors of the lobby, I watched fine snowflakes begin to fall outside.

“Winter’s come early this year,” I muttered, gripping my thermos, my gaze drifting over the nurses on shift. I sighed—the nurses tonight were all old enough to be my mother. Two of them were still charming in their middle age, but not my type.

I knew I’d brought this on myself. Ever since my escapades with two young nurses had been exposed a few months ago, my reputation as a womanizer was cemented. All the young women in the hospital now avoided me. The bald-headed director of the emergency department, clearly jealous, always made sure to assign these older nurses whenever I was on night duty.

I’d given up on workplace flings. With my looks and charm, meeting women elsewhere was easy enough.

“Did you hear? That woman they brought in after the car accident earlier died. Such a pity,” Nurse Li said.

“She was only eighteen, a student at Linjiang Conservatory. So young and pretty—what a waste,” Nurse Liu replied, her plump frame shaking with sympathy.

Then Li lowered her voice, “I heard she died with her eyes open, refusing to close no matter what. A caretaker came in to move her body and was so frightened he wet his pants. Said he saw a girl identical to the dead one standing at the doorway, asking for directions. Security checked the cameras—turns out the caretaker was talking to thin air, pointing out the way.”

“Was it really that scary?” Liu asked.

“It wasn’t the way she looked, it was that the caretaker saw her double at the door,” Li’s voice trembled.

Just then—“Bang!”—a sudden noise behind us made the nurses scream in fright.

“Ladies, you nearly scared me to death!” I clutched my chest, genuinely startled by their shrieks. I’d simply been curious about their conversation and, as I approached, dropped my thermos on the floor. Who would’ve thought they’d react so dramatically?

“What were you talking about? Tell me,” I asked, intrigued. Though these nurses weren’t my type, I enjoyed their gossip—they seemed to know everything, right down to what color underwear the hospital director wore.

Li was about to answer, but the shiny dome of the department head appeared, and the nurses quickly scattered to their respective duties.

Suddenly bored, I wandered off to the restroom, planning to relieve myself and then catch a nap.

The bathroom was empty. I whistled as I answered nature’s call.

Suddenly, the lights flickered, buzzing ominously above my head.

A chill swept across the back of my neck, making my hair stand on end and sending shivers down my spine.

Then I heard the sharp, rhythmic click of high heels approaching from outside. As a seasoned womanizer, I could tell a lot from footsteps alone—the woman outside was young, under a hundred pounds, and moved with practiced grace.

I zipped up, washed my hands, fixed my hair in the mirror, and stepped out—unaware that as soon as I turned, the mirror behind me misted over with icy beads of water.

The moment I walked out, a waft of perfume hit my senses. A beautiful face, both playful and petulant, appeared before me.

She couldn’t have been twenty yet—she wore nude tights under a black skirt, a white wool sweater, and a long red down coat. Her figure was stunning, her chest full, and she had a delicate, slightly pale oval face that stirred a protective instinct.

She smiled at me, pulled a pack of Tianma-brand slim cigarettes from her bag, pinched one between slender fingers, and asked, “Got a light?”

“I do.” I fished out a vintage lighter, flicking it open with a flourish before offering it to her.

She leaned in, lit her cigarette, and took a deep drag.

“If you don’t smoke, why force yourself? Family trouble?” I asked casually, edging closer.

She didn’t shy away from my approach, which pleased me.

“Do you think people become ghosts when they die?” she asked.

“Maybe,” I replied with a smile.

“You’re a doctor, aren’t you? You believe in ghosts?” She fixed her gaze on me.

“The world’s full of mysteries. Who’s to say?” I shrugged.

She laughed, but just then the light above us flickered again, casting half her face into shadow. For an instant, I thought I saw half her face torn away, making my heart race.

“Here, have a smoke,” she said, pressing the half-finished cigarette to my lips.

She was so beautiful—one of the most striking women I’d ever met. I quickly dismissed what I’d just seen as a trick of the light.

“Actually, I know a way to smoke that makes it the ultimate pleasure,” I said with a mischievous grin, slipping easily into flirtation.

“Oh? What way?” She was hooked.

I took a deep drag, then, in a swift motion, wrapped my arm around her neck and pressed my lips to hers.

Above us, the light flickered and buzzed, but I was lost in the moment. The stub of the cigarette at our feet glowed a deep red, and drops of blood began to seep from it.

I’d never felt such a rush—every cell in my body trembled with ecstasy. No woman had ever satisfied me like this; usually, what followed was emptiness and boredom. But now, for the first time, it was as if that bottomless hunger within me was finally being filled.

Suddenly, a dull ache struck my chest, as if I’d been hit with a hammer.

My soaring soul crashed back to earth. All around me was a dark crimson haze. The girl in my arms, who’d just felt so warm and alive, now seemed as cold as ice.

My hand on her neck felt slick, and my lips on her skin tasted only blood.

I jerked my head up to see a deathly pale, bloodied face grinning at me, blood streaming from her head and body. She smiled as she choked out, “Again, brother?”

In an instant, terror paralyzed me. Every hair on my body stood on end; icy fear blasted up my spine.

“Ghost… it’s a ghost…” Panic seized me. I screamed and turned to run.

But everywhere was that crimson mist, and no matter where I ran, the ghostly girl was there, smiling at me.

I spun around and tried again—she was always ahead.

Finally, I stumbled and fell, strength draining from my limbs as I watched the ghost pounce, black nails sinking into my throat.

I screamed in terror, but in the next moment, I heard her scream too.

With a sudden thud, pain exploded in my head.

“Qin, how did you get so careless?” came a gentle voice.

I looked up to see Dr. Zhou Renhe, attending physician in the emergency department, standing before me. I realized I was back in the staff lounge, having banged my head against the bunk bed frame.