I'm Actually Panicking Because My Heart Doesn't Beat (GL) - Chapter 32

[Nine-Year-Old Boy Falls from Orphanage in Xinglin City — Police Confirm Accidental Death]

This morning’s report said that a nine-year-old boy had fallen from the fifth floor of the Xinglin City orphanage and died. Rumor had it that there had been conflicts and bullying among the children in the orphanage. According to staff at the facility, the boy had an argument with his dormmates during dinner yesterday. He left the cafeteria with them and never came back. Early this morning, his body was found.

The post also included a few pixelated photos. Though taken from a distance and blurry, one could faintly see the boy wearing black shorts and sneakers, and a blue short-sleeved shirt—exactly what Haohao had been wearing.

Guan Xiaoxuan frowned. Judging by this, the boy who fell must have been Haohao. But how did he become a ghost?

And the post was made three years ago, which meant Haohao had been a ghost for at least that long. So why was he only starting to hurt people now?

She couldn’t figure it out. Scrolling through the comments below the post, she saw people speculating whether the boy’s death had been caused by bullying or poor supervision by the orphanage—how could a nine-year-old die like that?

[So young and already gone… He was an orphan to begin with. What a hard life.]

[I heard he was in the middle of being adopted. He was about to go to a new home. Who would’ve thought this would happen…]

[His adoptive parents must be devastated.]

[What’s there to be sad about? Just adopt another one—it’s not like it was their own kid.]

All the comments were from three years ago—until she got to the very last one, which was posted just a couple of days ago.

[Believe it or not, this boy has become a ghost and is out for revenge. He’ll probably go after the ones who hurt him first. Maybe the recent student disappearances in Xinglin City are his doing.]

Reading that last comment, Guan Xiaoxuan felt it actually made some sense. Maybe the missing kids were the ones who had bullied Haohao three years ago.

And when she thought about the timeline—it matched.

Unlike schools, orphanages don’t usually group children strictly by age. Big and small kids are often placed in the same dorm, with older ones sometimes tasked with looking after younger or disabled children.

So Haohao’s dormmates were probably all different ages—and the ages of the missing kids in Xinglin City varied too.

Sensing something odd, Guan Xiaoxuan grew more confused.

What did the bullying at the orphanage have to do with her???

She hadn’t been involved—so why was the ghost targeting her???

She remembered that the original Xiaoxuan was a shy and gentle girl. She didn’t have many friends, but she wasn’t a bad person. She definitely wouldn’t have bullied Haohao at the orphanage.

Besides, Haohao kept calling her “Sister Xiaoxuan,” which only made things more puzzling.

Could it be that Haohao got confused in his quest for revenge and just decided to drag everyone from the orphanage back into the ghost world for some twisted fun?

The more she thought about it, the more bizarre it all seemed. Guan Xiaoxuan browsed a few more posts about the Xinglin City orphanage. On the homepage, she even saw a new thread saying the orphanage had been sealed off earlier this evening.

Then her phone powered off on its own, and she leaned back in her seat with a sigh, watching the sky outside grow completely dark.

Xing Tianqing finally remembered she had someone waiting in the car. She opened the door and saw Guan Xiaoxuan sitting inside, spacing out, and chuckled. “Getting bored?”

Guan Xiaoxuan nodded and asked, “How did things go?”

“It’s a bit complicated,” Xing Tianqing replied, buckling her seatbelt as she got into the driver’s seat. “I’ll take you home first. For the next couple of days, I’ll be driving you to and from school for your safety.”

Guan Xiaoxuan fell silent. After a long pause, she asked, “Am I really being targeted by a ghost?”

Xing Tianqing didn’t answer right away. After a few seconds of silence, she said, “As long as I’m with you, you’ll be safe.”

Guan Xiaoxuan looked at her and smiled. “But you can’t watch me forever. What if he comes after me when you’re not around? What then?”

Tapping her fingers lightly on the steering wheel, Xing Tianqing said, “At least while I’m here, you’ll be okay.”

Guan Xiaoxuan looked at the woman in front of her and didn’t say a word.

Logic told her that Xing Tianqing’s efforts were basically useless. There’s no such thing as guarding against a thief forever. If the ghost was after her, it was just a matter of time before he came.

The car ride was quiet the whole way. Xing Tianqing kept glancing at her through the rearview mirror, wanting to speak but not knowing how to begin. When they finally arrived at the apartment building, she took Guan Xiaoxuan to a noodle shop near the entrance and they each had a bowl of noodles for dinner.

“What time do you go to school tomorrow?” Xing Tianqing asked as they walked back into the complex after their meal.

“Class starts at 8 a.m., so I usually leave home at 7:30,” Guan Xiaoxuan said. “Are you taking me tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” Xing Tianqing nodded and looked at her. “There might be some traffic, so I’ll knock on your door around 7:15. I’ll drop you off at school first, then head to work.”

She paused, then said seriously to Guan Xiaoxuan, “If you run into that little boy at school, no matter what he says, don’t accept anything from him. Otherwise, you might be dragged into the Otherworld, and you’ll never be able to get out.”

Guan Xiaoxuan understood how serious this was. She looked at her solemnly and nodded. “Got it. I won’t go with him, don’t worry.”

Even so, Xing Tianqing still didn’t feel completely at ease. She looked deeply at Guan Xiaoxuan and said, “I exchanged some items from the Bureau of the Strange. Once they’re approved, I’ll give one to you. It’ll protect your life.”

An item from the Bureau’s system?

Guan Xiaoxuan immediately got interested. She looked at Xing Tianqing and asked, “Can you tell me what it is? How many points did you spend?”

“About 20 points,” Xing Tianqing replied calmly. “I don’t remember the exact number. It’s called ‘Blast.’ It’s a B-level defensive item in the system. It’s powerful, but unfortunately, it can only be used once. It’s very effective against strange entities—it can injure them, and the spatial disruption caused by the explosion can pull you out of the Otherworld.”

Listening to her explanation, Guan Xiaoxuan thought it sounded pretty cool.

“B-level item?” she asked. “So the items have different levels?”

“Yes,” Xing Tianqing explained. “All the items in the Bureau are ranked from A to E. I can’t give you all the details yet. Once you pass the test to become an auxiliary member, I’ll explain everything slowly.”

As she spoke, Xing Tianqing ruffled Guan Xiaoxuan’s hair gently and said in a soft voice, “Let’s head upstairs. I still need to set up a few things in your place to make sure you’re safe tonight.”

The two of them returned to Guan Xiaoxuan’s home. No one knew exactly what Xing Tianqing did, but after fiddling around for ten minutes, she left, saying she had to go back to the welfare center and would come back to pick Guan Xiaoxuan up for school the next morning.

That night, Guan Xiaoxuan slept quite well. For some reason, she wasn’t as scared as before. Back then, whenever she saw something strange, she’d be terrified and anxious. But now—after meeting Red Lady, then Bai Zhiqi, and now Haohao—she felt like she was getting used to it.

At least it wasn’t enough to keep her from sleeping anymore.

The next day, Guan Xiaoxuan got up fifteen minutes earlier than usual. After brushing her teeth, washing her face, and getting dressed, she even opened a can of food for Guazi. Right then, she heard someone knocking on the door.

When she opened it, she saw Xing Tianqing standing there in a black trench coat, giving her a gentle smile. “Good morning.”

“Morning!” Guan Xiaoxuan beamed. “Did you eat breakfast yet?”

“Not yet,” Xing Tianqing replied. “Let’s grab something on the way. My treat. What do you want to eat?”

Hearing she was getting a free meal, Guan Xiaoxuan was instantly happy. She grabbed her stuff and headed out with Xing Tianqing, grinning. “I’m not picky—anything’s fine!”

After that, she glanced at Xing Tianqing’s black coat and asked, “Any updates on the little boy from the welfare center?”

Standing in the elevator, Xing Tianqing said, “Not yet. We investigated all night yesterday but found no trace of him. I’ll take you to school first today. If you do run into him, remember not to fight. Just stay away from him as much as you can.”

“What if he comes at me and tries to grab me?”

“From what we know, this entity doesn’t usually hurt people directly. He’s not that powerful. He can only operate through forming contracts,” Xing Tianqing explained. “That’s why he throws a ball to his targets. Once someone accepts it, he can take them into his world.”

Guan Xiaoxuan understood—this matched what she’d read on the forums.

“I see. So as long as I don’t accept anything from him, he can’t really do anything to me, right?”

Xing Tianqing smiled and nodded, her voice light. “You’re smart. Maybe I don’t need to worry about your safety after all.”

“Well, a little worry never hurts,” Guan Xiaoxuan laughed too. “I’m still just an ordinary person.”

Xing Tianqing dropped Guan Xiaoxuan off at the school gate and left. She had a lot of work to do today, and she’d already reminded Guan Xiaoxuan of everything. As long as she didn’t act recklessly, she should be perfectly safe.

Throughout the day, Guan Xiaoxuan made sure not to go anywhere alone. Wherever she went, she dragged Zhang Wen along. The two of them went to class and the cafeteria together.

“Xiaoxuan, why are you sticking to me like glue today?”

During lunch, Zhang Wen sipped on a cold Coke and looked curiously at Guan Xiaoxuan sitting across from her. “Did something happen? Can I help?”

Guan Xiaoxuan shook her head. “Don’t worry. I’m just dealing with some stuff.”

She didn’t plan on telling Zhang Wen about the missing student case she was involved in—not yet, at least. She didn’t want to scare her.

After eating, they still had some time before afternoon classes, so they decided to find a place to nap.

As they walked through the corridor connecting the buildings, heading toward the library, Guan Xiaoxuan suddenly heard a familiar voice in her ear.

“Xiaoxuan-jiejie, I came to find you~”