Just then, my phone rang. I climbed off Ling. She seemed unsatisfied and clung to my body, not wanting to part.

　　I had to give up on the idea of separating from Ling for now and fumbled for my phone. It was Ah Jing calling.

　　"Jay, haha, Jay! Dude, I've hit the jackpot!"

　　From the sound of his voice, I could tell Ah Jing was drunk. Annoyed at being interrupted during a good moment, I snapped, "Congratulations, Ah Jing! Go ahead and sleep on a high pillow and dream big. After you wake up, get back to doing what you should, ha!"

　　"Jay, don't look down on me, okay! Today, the station chief praised me in front of everyone and told me to keep up the good work! Of course, all this is thanks to you, Jay! If it weren't for you providing me with the material, I wouldn't have had a chance to shine!" Ah Jing was sincere and not pretentious at all, which was a major reason why I'd always considered him a close buddy.

　　"Ah Jing, have you found out the reason for the strange noises coming from the walls of Qingping Elementary School?" I'd been so busy these past few days that I'd forgotten to ask Ah Jing about the Qingping Elementary School incident.

　　"We found out. For this, we consulted a physics teacher and gathered nearby residents to conduct experiments. The walls of Qingping Elementary School are in disrepair and have many hollow sections, especially the southeast wall. Whenever the southeast wind blows, it fills the walls and creates those 'ah~woo~' noises. The nearby villagers naturally associated them with ghostly cries. It's really hilarious!" Ah Jing was so drunk that his speech was halting and slurred, but I somehow managed to understand what he was saying.

　　Another case of suspicion breeding ghosts.

　　After hanging up the phone, I naturally thought of the half-person outside the window. Since ghosts didn't exist, what was the mystery behind this half-person?

　　I climbed off Ling, determined to find out. But Ling wouldn't let me go and insisted that I continue. I had no choice but to entwine with her again. Eventually, I couldn't control myself and ejaculated, scaring me into quickly leaving Ling's body since we weren't ready to have children yet.

　　When it came to sex, men and women were absolutely unequal. I was exhausted, but Ling was so excited that she couldn't sleep and even got out of bed.

　　I'd forgotten all about the half-person I was supposed to investigate. I'd expended too much physical energy and fell asleep immediately. I was awakened by Ling's piercing scream in a daze.

　　"What's wrong?" I rubbed my sleepy eyes and asked.

　　"The, the window... outside..." Ling's voice was filled with fear, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

　　I snapped wide awake in an instant. There was no doubt that Ling had seen the half-person outside the window clearly.

　　Although I was also terrified inside, in front of my woman, even the most cowardly man should step up. I pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Ling, what's outside the window?"

　　Ling stopped me from going over, sobbing, "Don't look!"

　　I smiled, appearing unconcerned. "Ling, have you forgotten what I do for a living! With me here, you don't have to be afraid of anything!"

　　I stepped over Ling and looked out the window. Sure enough, it was the half-person. His lower body was missing, and he was tilting his head, looking towards me. His hand was raised as if he was waving at me.

　　Although I was a people's policeman, to be honest, I was scared to death inside. But to comfort Ling, I pointed outside and said in a casual tone, "Ling, did you see that half-person? What did you take it for?"

　　I said in a ridiculous tone, "Dear, please keep your eyes sharp in the future. That's just a half-body plastic mannequin discarded by some clothing store."

　　"Really?" Ling looked at me but didn't have the courage to come over.

　　I shook my head and said, "You're really timid!"

　　Maybe she couldn't stand my goading. Ling walked to the window and looked out with me. At that moment, the streetlights cast a dim glow, and there wasn't a single car on the street. The half-person maintained his waving gesture, motionless. If one didn't associate it with ghosts and spirits, the only possibility was indeed a plastic mannequin.

　　Ling patted her chest and gasped, "It really is a plastic mannequin. You scared me to death."

　　"Ling, I'm craving a smoke. I'll go out and buy a pack. You get some sleep."

　　With that, I rushed out of the room without waiting for Ling's consent, hurried into the elevator, and pressed the button for the first floor. Even if it was just a plastic mannequin, someone who placed it on the street to scare people in the middle of the night was guilty of a serious offense.

　　The elevator reached the first floor. I rushed out of the elevator, out of the residential complex, and onto the street.

　　The street was bathed in a dim glow from the streetlights, with only the mottled shadows of trees cast on the road, resembling some terrifying monster.

　　At the spot where the plastic mannequin was supposedly placed, there was nothing. I searched around on the spot, wandering back and forth, unable to figure out why the plastic mannequin had disappeared in such a short time.

　　Had someone moved it? Or was it some kind of terrifying entity that was now hiding in a corner, sneering at me?

　　The thought of the latter made my hair stand on end. I could only feel the chilly breeze blowing on the back of my neck, as if a ghost from a movie was breathing on me from behind.

　　I really didn't have the courage to stay on the street any longer. I returned to the room and found that Ling was already fast asleep. I woke her up and asked if she'd seen anything happen on the street. She shook her head in confusion and told me that she'd gone back to bed as soon as I left to buy cigarettes.

　　Was it a half-person or a half-mannequin on the street?

　　My mind was filled with huge question marks. I brewed another cup of tea with the leaves given by Ling's father and slowly sipped it. This tea made me feel extremely comfortable all over, and it seemed as if I'd forgotten all my troubles in an instant. I lay down next to Ling, about to drift off to sleep.

　　But then, I suddenly noticed the white paper on the table. There were a few crooked words written on it, which I'd drawn during the "Ouija Board" game. However, the game hadn't been completed before Ling interrupted me.

　　There were three words on the white paper, with the third one unfinished. I carefully examined them and realized that the first two words were "Yang Qian", and the third word only had a short horizontal stroke.

　　"Yang Qianyun!"

　　These three words were "Yang Qianyun"!

　　I'd unconsciously written Yang Qianyun's name. It seemed that I really needed to go find her.