Chapter 1

"Who is it, tapping at my window..."

"Who is it, plucking the strings of the lute..."

The melodious song played softly in the car's radio as the ride-hailing car drove towards the university town of Shanggang City.

The driver was in a good mood because the young customer in the back seat had been generous, snatching the car from another customer at three times the market price and even giving that customer a hundred yuan to prevent any complaints.

After this ride, he could go home early to be with his wife and children.

Thinking of his family, the driver's heart warmed. He slowed down, turned his head, and glanced at the passenger slumped in the back seat, who was wearing headphones and playing with his phone. The passenger wore a white T-shirt, navy blue jeans, and had short hair, looking clean and neat.

The driver offered him a cigarette, "Are you a college student? Where are you studying? Do you smoke?"

"I don't smoke, but you go ahead, brother."

Lin Xu adjusted his headphones and added, "I'm a freshman at Shanggang University."

The driver lit his cigarette with a lighter, rolled down the window, and exhaled a puff of smoke, sighing, "Ten years ago, when I was your age, I just played around and hung out in society. I didn't study hard, and now, even a decent job requires a degree."

"At least I can still drive for a ride-hailing service. I don't earn much, but it's enough for my child's milk money."

Seeing the driver was talkative, Lin Xu took off his headphones and smiled, "Making money is tough, right?"

"It is tough, but that's what it takes to support a family! Now I drive thirteen hours a day, and when my child is older and starts school, it will be even harder."

"When I was hanging out in society, my relatives all looked down on me. Only my wife didn't despise me. She's my neighbor, and we grew up together. She even borrowed money to buy me a car to drive for a ride-hailing service, or we wouldn't be able to support our child..."

The driver chattered on, mostly about family matters, showing that his wife and child were his greatest pride.

Lin Xu suddenly interjected, "Is your wife's child a boy or a girl?"

"Boy!"

The driver couldn't help but light another cigarette, clearly in a good mood, "Unfortunately, both my wife and I have low education levels, and we haven't been able to come up with a good name for him."

"Really? I happen to know how to name people. Do you remember your child's birth date and time?"

"Wow, you can even read fortunes! My child was born on the 25th of last month at 2 PM. My surname is Wang."

"Alright!"

Lin Xu immediately started counting on his fingers, muttering, "Year of the Yin Earth Rooster, Month of the Gui Fire Goat, Day of the Geng Earth Dog, Hour of the Wu Fire Goat. Lacking fire, weak wood, dominant earth and metal."

"How about naming him Wang Yang Liu? The 'Yang' is a fire radical replacing the three dots of water in 'Tang,' and 'Liu' is the willow tree. Water and wood complement each other, and this name will bring him protection and success."

The driver was excited, "You really know this? Great, great! I'll talk to my wife about it, and we'll use this name!"

As they chatted, the car entered Xuecheng Avenue, which was empty at the moment.

The driver was surprised, "Hey, that's strange. I remember this place is usually jam-packed at this time. Why is it so empty now, with no cars or people? I remember the last time..."

As he spoke, the driver's frown deepened. He couldn't remember when he had last driven through this area.

Lin Xu sighed and finally turned up the volume on his phone, playing a news broadcast he had heard earlier:

"Latest news: This evening, a traffic accident occurred on Xuecheng Avenue near the university town of Shanggang City. The victim was a ride-hailing driver named Wang * Bing, with the license plate number Gang MW1V48. According to surveillance footage, the ride-hailing car swerved to avoid a pedestrian who suddenly crossed the road and unfortunately crashed into a utility pole..."

The driver's eyes grew vacant, "Gang MW1V48? Wang * Bing... Isn't that me and my car?"

Lin Xu's gaze fell compassionately on the driver, and he turned off the broadcast, snapping his fingers.

With that crisp sound, the car vanished, and Driver Wang Zhebing found himself surrounded by thick white fog. He looked around in terror, but all he could see was the fog. Lin Xu stood behind him, silently watching.

"Little... little brother, what's going on?!"

"Brother Wang, you're actually already dead," Lin Xu sighed.

"How... how can that be?" Wang Zhebing took a step back in fear, then rushed to the side, trying to escape the fog.

But in the small world of the fog, Wang Zhebing found himself like a ghost trapped in a loop, always returning to Lin Xu's side, as if the young, neat passenger was the ghost.

Finally, Wang Zhebing's memory returned. He trembled and pulled out the three hundred yuan the young passenger had given him, only to find it was just three pieces of冥币 (funeral money).

"So I'm already dead..."

Wang Zhebing sat down on the ground, his eyes vacant, clearly struggling to accept this reality. He muttered, "Wife, wife, I'm sorry to you..."

Three years ago, his wife had married him despite everyone's objections and had pooled her resources to buy him a car, calling it her dowry. Since then, he had driven a ride-hailing car for thirteen hours a day, working hard to pay off her debts.

After his child was born, he worked even harder, never stopping.

Life was finally on track, and their small days were gradually improving, but why was he dead?

At that moment, Wang Zhebing sobbed uncontrollably, his face showing various emotions of unwillingness, fear, regret, and longing.

Lin Xu didn't rush him, patiently standing by and waiting quietly.

After a long time, Wang Zhebing finally stopped crying and sighed, "Little brother, are you a ghost leading me to the underworld?"

"No, I'm just a freshman at Shanggang University this year. I happened to be passing by here tonight."

"Then, can I come back to life?"

"No, Brother Wang, the dead cannot come back to life... You crashed into a utility pole to avoid an elderly pedestrian who was crossing the road recklessly. Netizens were very sympathetic to you, and most comments praised you for sacrificing yourself. Didi Company also announced on their social media that, after investigating the cause of the accident, they would provide an additional 200,000 yuan to your family on top of the regular insurance. This money should be enough to support your wife and child for a long time."

"200,000 yuan, that's... that's not bad... Little brother, you're not an ordinary person. I want to ask you to help me tell my wife, Liu Guifang, my child's name. Also, tell her that if it doesn't work out, she should find someone else to marry. I've held her back in the first half of her life, and I can't hold her back in the second half..."

"Alright, I promise you."

Then Lin Xu reminded him, "Brother Wang, it's time for you to be reborn."

Wang Zhebing looked around longingly, but the fog was still thick and he could see nothing.

With no choice, Wang Zhebing wiped his tears and stood up, "Thank you, little brother!"

Lin Xu nodded slightly, took out a piece of white paper, and skillfully folded a palm-sized paper boat. He recited solemnly:

"Throughout the ten directions, always with divine power, saving all beings, guiding them out of confusion.

Beings are unaware, like the blind seeing the sun and moon. I, from the great void, lead the boundless..."

As he chanted, a white light emerged from the paper boat, enveloping Wang Zhebing and drawing him into the boat.

The paper boat was then lifted by the fog, swaying gently as it rose into the night sky...

Until it disappeared.