01 | My First Apartment—And My First Nightmare
If you asked me, "When does an adult's first nightmare begin?"
My answer would be: the moment you get the keys to your first home.
Hi, I'm Lin Yifan. Programmer. 29 years old. Average height. Receding hairline. My biggest dream at the moment? To pay off my 1.85 million yuan mortgage so I can bask in the sunlight on my balcony—not with my soul, but with my body still attached.
The apartment I bought? 42 square meters of vintage charm way out beyond Beijing's Sixth Ring Road. It's old, tiny, and definitely falling apart. The location? Let's just say not even a dog would want to buy it.
But I did.
Because I thought owning a home meant I had roots.
Then I moved in.
That very night, a debt collector from the afterlife came knocking.
Not the bank.
Not a shady agent.
Not even my mother.
It was… a ghost.
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02 | The Day I Gained "Second Sight" and Lost My Peace
That day, I hauled all my second-hand furniture upstairs myself. By the time I was done, I was battered, bruised, and about one breath away from passing out.
I flopped onto my brand-new concrete-grade sofa, turned on the AC, and began contemplating how I'd spend the next thirty years eating budget lunch boxes and paying off my mortgage in tiny, soul-crushing installments.
Just as I stood up to take a shower, bang—I smacked my head on the doorway. Hard. Like, cartoon bump-level hard.
The world spun. Everything went dark.
When I opened my eyes again… I saw him.
A man in a suit stood in the center of my living room, briefcase in one hand, flipping through a stack of papers in the other.
He wore gold-rimmed glasses, had a perfectly neutral expression, and radiated corporate chill. You know the type. Government clerk who looks like he's one printer jam away from becoming a horror story himself.
I thought maybe some overworked real estate agent had lost his mind.
"Mr. Lin Yifan?" His voice was deep and politely sinister. "Apologies for the intrusion. I'm from the Underworld Property Arbitration Bureau, here to process the transfer of spiritual debt for this unit."
"…Sorry, you're from where?"
He handed me a paper. The header read, in pale gray print:
Underworld Property Debt Settlement Certificate
Outstanding Debt: ¥720,000 (Ghost Dollars)
Previous Debtor: Zhao Qingguo (Deceased)
New Debtor: Lin Yifan (Living titleholder)
My brain froze. I stood there with a lump on my head and a bigger one forming in my wallet.
"This is a scam, right? I do still owe a mortgage, but that's none of your business—right?"
He adjusted his glasses and gave a faint smile. "We are a joint Yin-Yang liquidation office. Since Mr. Zhao passed away before settling his mortgage, and you legally inherited this property, the debt now belongs to you."
"You're… a ghost?"
"No, I'm a civil servant from the afterlife."
And then—no joke—he floated half a meter into the air, bathed in a ghostly blue light.
My legs gave out. "I… I don't want the house anymore. I changed my mind. Can I return it?!"
He smiled. "Certainly. If you voluntarily give up your citizenship, ID, and bank accounts, we'll process your soul cleansing immediately. Complimentary cremation pickup is already en route."
"…On second thought, I really like this place!"
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03 | Rooming with a Ghost? Bet You Didn't See That Lease Clause
Before I could even process the ghost taxman, a waft of perfume drifted past me.
A flash of red. A woman in a flowing crimson dress plopped herself down on my sofa like she owned the place, sipping milk tea and crossing her legs like a queen.
"You must be Lin Yifan?"
She grinned like a cat that just found a new plaything.
"I'm Tang Wan'er. The previous underworld tenant of this apartment."
"Underworld tenant?" I blinked. "You're saying… you're the ghost who lived here before me?"
"Bingo. I'm your roommate now. I get the place at night, you get it during the day. Standard terms. All clearly stated in the lease."
She raised her hand and a glowing document shimmered into view: Yin-Yang Co-Living Agreement, complete with my signature.
"When did I sign that?!"
"When you were unconscious. I guided your thumb personally. Totally legal and aboveboard."
I nearly passed out a second time.
Mr. Zhao adjusted his glasses again. "We value transparency. According to the contract, you'll assist in completing spirit-assigned tasks to pay off the remaining ghost debt on this apartment. In return, you'll receive life extension credits, ghost coins, and even cash bonuses."
"So… I'm basically a part-time ghostbuster for rent money?"
Tang Wan'er winked. "Congratulations! You're now officially a temp worker for the Yin-Yang Joint Labor Force."
"Wait—do these gigs come with tax deductions?"
"Sure. You'll be paying in 'lifespan'."
At that point, I knew I hadn't just bumped my head—I'd cracked open a whole new level of horror.
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04 | Elevator Ghost Glitch: My First Spirit-Side Gig
That night, I got my first "internship" task.
Task: Elevator Shadow Glitch
Objective: Investigate recurring phantom reflections in Building 18, Sunshine Garden
Reward: 500 ghost coins, +1 day lifespan, +3 karma points
I asked if they had something easier—like helping a ghost uninstall TikTok.
Tang Wan'er just slapped a red string bracelet on my wrist and said with a wink, "Don't be a baby. This is your tutorial quest."
So there I was, 3 a.m., shivering in front of Building 18's elevator.
The lift slowly ascended and stopped at the 15th floor.
Ding—
The doors opened. A dark figure stood inside.
Delivery uniform. Head down. Motionless.
A drop of sweat rolled down my forehead.
"Don't say a word," Tang whispered. "He's a 'Residual Spirit of the Floor'—reliving the moment of death. If you respond, you'll trigger a spiritual feedback loop."
But then…
He raised his head.
His eyes glowed red.
His face twisted in a grotesque grin.
"You… can see me?"
My soul almost escaped through my socks.
Tang didn't hesitate—she slapped a burning talisman right onto his face. "BEGONE!"
The spirit let out a shriek and evaporated like mist.
I collapsed onto the floor, trembling. "This is… orientation?!"
She handed me a bottle of underworld green tea. "Welcome aboard."
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05 | Corporate Exorcism: How I Talked a Ghost Out of His Debt
We later tracked the spirit to his old apartment.
In a dusty corner of the living room, I found a photo. On the back, scribbled in pen: "I must finish paying off the mortgage."
Tang Wan'er whispered, "He was a delivery rider who dropped dead after pulling 36 orders in one night. He just wanted to pay off his loan."
"He's… still thinking about the mortgage even after dying?"
The ghost reappeared, staring blankly into space.
A system prompt appeared in my head: Try using 'Soul Resonance Speech'
So I held up the photo and stepped toward him, voice trembling:
"You don't have to pay it off anymore."
"You're already gone. But you didn't work yourself to death for the loan… you did it to live."
"Now there's someone here—me—who will watch over your home."
His eyes filled with tears.
Tang threw one last spirit-cleansing talisman and poof—he was gone.
Task Complete
+1 Day Lifespan, Ghost Coins Received
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06 | I'm Not a Hero—I Just Owe Too Much to Quit
After it was over, I sat against the wall, gasping for breath.
Tang Wan'er looked at me seriously for once. "You're scared of everything… but you've got the guts of a real overworked employee."
I forced a smile. "I just want to stay alive long enough to finish paying my mortgage."
"Then this job's perfect for you."
I let out a long sigh. "Guess I'm not just a corporate slave for the living—I'm also a temp worker for the dead."
She laughed softly. "Welcome to the Mortgage Martyrs Club."
I clenched the ghostly receipt in my hand.
Working for money. Working for life.
This was just the beginning.