novelraw Chapter 176 - 178: One-Second Transformation
Chapter 176 - 178: One-Second Transformation
"Are... you here for me?"
A faint voice drifted from the coffin, its breathy tones drawn out in a way that was indescribably eerie.
Xiao Wang, who was in the middle of his passionate speech, froze. He stiffly turned his head and saw a hand, as white as the wall itself, braced against the side of the coffin.
No matter how brave his words had been, the moment he actually heard the ghost’s voice, Xiao Wang broke out in a cold sweat.
Su Nian’s voice came from the phone: "It’s me."
The female ghost gloomily raised her head, only to see Su Nian on the screen, munching on a peach with an air of arrogant superiority.
As a slacker ghost, she had her own pride. A moment ago, she’d been startled into retreating, but now she had her lines and moves all planned out.
’Time to get some face back!’
She bared her fangs, striking a threatening pose.
[Looks like she doesn’t know the streamer’s nickname, Ghost Mo Chou.]
[Forget the ghost, even I’m scared.]
[Bravery +1, Life -1.]
The slacker ghost had barely struck her threatening pose when she saw Su Nian pinch a sheet of talisman paper between her fingers.
The power of this talisman paper was immense, and the slacker ghost instantly became docile.
"Hello, pretty lady. Is there anything I can help you with?"
[I’m dying! This female ghost must have been a comedian in her past life.]
[This little thing is so two-faced.]
[This is cracking me up. Are we sure this isn’t an actor hired by the streamer?]
"Humans and ghosts walk different paths. You shouldn’t be near mortals, nor should you linger in the human realm. I’m going to perform the rites of deliverance for you now and send you on your way."
But the slacker ghost shook her head with great seriousness.
"I don’t want to go. I want to be a free and unrestrained ghost."
Su Nian raised her eyes slightly. "Pursuing freedom? Whose idea of freedom is sleeping in a coffin for an eternity? Now get going, and cut the crap!"
After a moment of bewilderment, the slacker ghost asked timidly, "Master, could you please not... deliver me?"
"The freedom I want is to sleep until I die."
[Excellent. Very ambitious.]
[Honestly, that’s my goal too, but, you know, I’m alive and have to eat.]
[I also want to sleep forever and ever. The older you get, the less you sleep.]
The female ghost’s mood turned somber.
"In my previous life, I was very ambitious and driven. Working until two or three in the morning was a regular thing for me. I had the highest salary in my company, and everyone knew how hard I worked. But I overworked myself to the point of a fatal cardiac arrest... and died at home."
"I think I’ve finally figured it out. What’s the point of working so hard? Living in the moment is what’s most important."
The female ghost yawned again as she spoke.
She seemed truly, deeply exhausted. Even though she’d been dead for years and had slept in her coffin for a very, very long time, she still had dark circles under her eyes.
A single yawn seemed to make her so drowsy she was on the verge of passing out.
This surprised Xiao Wang, who was standing nearby. He was still too young to understand that kind of exhaustion, and he just watched the slacker ghost sway, looking like she was about to fall asleep on her feet.
After hearing her story, he found she didn’t seem so scary anymore.
He asked, a little curious, "Then why don’t you get reincarnated? You could just be a person again."
"I don’t want to wait in line, and I don’t want to be human again. I just want to sleep."
The slacker ghost was truly committed to her slacking lifestyle, without the slightest intention of putting in any effort.
Xiao Wang was floored. She had really taken slacking to the extreme.
And just in the time it took to have that conversation, her head drooped, and she seemed to have fallen asleep.
[Her story is actually really sad when you think about it.]
[I used to be super ambitious too, wanting to provide a good life for my whole family all on my own. I worked incredibly hard and made a lot of money, but it left me with so many health problems. After being hospitalized and taking time to recover, I’m much better now. I’ve finally realized that you have to be alive to enjoy what you’ve earned. Now I just do something simple. I’m not chasing a high-quality lifestyle; a simple, peaceful life is good enough.]
[To the commenter above: are you me?]
[I have a similar story. You really do have to have a life to be able to work it to death.]