She’s a Passerby, But Can See the Protagonist’s Halo

Yuan Ye's remark, "Keep it a secret," immediately made Yan and Zhu Jue sense that something was off.

What could the two of them possibly need to keep secret?

Yan looked bewildered. "Us? We don't have anything to hide, do we?"

She spoke tactfully, "Did you perhaps misunderstand something?"

Seeing their reactions, Yuan Ye was momentarily confused but then quickly understood.

Ah, they're acting again. Just like last time when he transformed into a female ghost, they pretended nothing had happened.

Alright, he got it now.

This was one of those "understood but not spoken" situations. After all, the convention center was filled with surveillance, and it wasn't safe to communicate openly. A tacit understanding would have to suffice.

Yuan Ye smiled faintly. "Ah, yes, I must have misunderstood."

Hearing this, Yan and Zhu Jue should have felt relieved, but Yuan Ye's expression—a knowing "I get it"—left them both uneasy.

Yan fell silent. Zhu Jue fell silent.

So, Yuan Ye, what exactly did you misunderstand?!

Yan carefully recalled their interactions. Truthfully, she and Zhu Jue hadn't spent much time alone with Yuan Ye. Their meals together had always been with the entire male dorm, and this convention outing was a group activity too. The only time they'd been alone with him was that incident on campus when Ding Ling had urgently called them, and they'd seen Yuan Ye transformed into a female ghost. But back then, they hadn't done anything—just pretended not to see him.

Could that have been what Yuan Ye misunderstood? But what exactly did he think had happened?!

Their silence seemed to confirm Yuan Ye's assumptions.

Yan hesitated before speaking, "Actually, what I meant was, having preferences for clothing is perfectly normal."

"Clothes themselves aren't gendered. The distinction between men's and women's clothing is just a societal construct, created to meet certain demands," Zhu Jue added.

"Ultimately, clothing is just a way to cover the body. Both in ancient China and throughout history abroad, there have been times when men wore robes and women wore dresses. The idea that men wear pants and women wear skirts is just a product of societal norms at different times. Everyone has a love for beauty, and personal taste is just that—personal, ordinary, and free."

Yan thought that after saying all this, Yuan Ye would surely understand what she and Zhu Jue had been trying to convey earlier.

But instead, Yuan Ye looked at them with genuine emotion. "Yan, Brother Jue, you two are truly wonderful."

Though he could tell they were deliberately avoiding the topic of his identity, he could also sense that Yan's words came from the heart. Neither of them was judging him with any prejudice.

Faced with Yuan Ye's sincere gratitude and understanding, Yan fell silent again.

"Whether you're a boy or a girl, it's important to protect yourself when you're out and about," she said slowly.

"Mm-hmm," Yuan Ye nodded, still moved.

"Are you two interested in going backstage? Is there any particular guest you'd like to meet? I can help arrange a photo or an autograph."

Yan shook her head. While she enjoyed watching anime, she wasn't one to chase after real-life celebrities.

"It's fine, you go ahead. We'll just wander around on our own."

It was already 2 PM, and the convention would end at 5 PM. Even the backstage staff would likely leave by 6 PM.

"Has Brother Fan arrived yet?" Yuan Ye asked.

"Yes, he said he was at the *Swordsman's Journey* booth. Sister Lin Lu's company is adapting *Swordsman's Journey* into an anime series, so they came to check out the buzz. But they didn't stay long—they took their kid to the aquarium," Yan explained.

Earlier, Lin Fan had sent a message in the group chat, which Zhu Jue had shown her. The two of them had decided not to crowd the company's booth.

Yuan Ye's performance for the day was over. After some thought, he sent a message to Uncle Xiao and checked if Ye Ping'an had finished his livestream.

"Should we all grab dinner together?" he asked.

Yan thought about it. "Probably not. Lin Fan and the others aren't here, and I imagine most of us will have bought things. My roommate has a lot of freebies, and carrying stuff around while eating would be inconvenient. Plus, the area around the convention center will be packed after the event ends."

Besides, the two dorm groups weren't particularly close. Even if she, Zhu Jue, and Chu Shen tried to lighten the mood, it might just make things more awkward. There was no need to force a gathering—it wasn't like they were organizing a mixer.

Yuan Ye agreed. "Alright. I'll go find Uncle Xiao. You two take your time. Check in the group chat to see when everyone wants to meet up or if we should leave separately. It's going to be a madhouse when the event ends, and the subway will be packed."

They weren't kids anymore—they didn't need to stick together everywhere.

Yuan Ye left to find Xiao Qingnang. After he was gone, Yan started searching for the "Magical Girl Performance" on her phone.

"#Bin City CG Carnival# I saw the magical girls!!! The cosplayers were so accurate, I could cry."

"The highlight was when the witches chanted their spells—we could actually see the magic swirling. I'm crying, thank you to the organizers for making this dream come true!"

"Magic? What magic? What did I miss?"

"Seeing magic? How many actors did Bin City CG Carnival hire? They're really pushing the hype!"

"First, there was the rich lady, then the *Chinese Master Chef* golden fried rice, and now magical girls unleashing magic? You anime fans really know how to have fun!"

From what Yan could see, the magical girl performance had garnered some attention, but it wasn't as explosive as Chu Bingbing's cash-splashing or Chu Shen's golden fried rice. One major reason was that the "magic" had only appeared for a brief moment. While many people had been recording, the effect in the videos looked more like on-site special effects.

Now, some were accusing the organizers of staging the event for publicity, while others were thanking them for making their dreams come true.

Various topics about the convention were trending, even drawing the attention of some "real-world" netizens.

A wealthy lady throwing money? Let's check it out!

Golden fried rice from *Chinese Master Chef*? Is it real? Let's see!

Magical girl transformations in real life? Let's take a look!

Yan and Zhu Jue scrolled through the related topics. Aside from those, there were only a few other highlights, like a booth featuring a celebrity appearance or some quirky cosplayers causing a stir.

Just to be safe, Yan and Zhu Jue checked in with their dorm group chats to see what everyone was up to.

[Gu Jiasui]: [photo.jpg][photo.jpg]

Yan couldn't help but laugh at the photos Gu Jiasui had sent. In them, Chu Bingbing was frantically buying "doujinshi." After filling a suitcase with freebies earlier, she had somehow acquired another bag and was now agonizing over which books to buy.

Yan examined the photos closely. Hmm, she hadn't bought too many—hopefully, there wouldn't be any drama.

[Yi Zhi]: [photo.jpg]

Huh? Yi Zhi had also sent a photo. Wait, why was it of a flower bed? Where had she gone?

Yan was puzzled. This didn't look like it was taken at the convention center. Had Yi Zhi snuck out, or had she gotten lost?

[Yan]: Yi Zhi, are you still at the convention center?

[Yi Zhi]: It was too crowded and stuffy, so I stepped out for some air. There's a flower market nearby, so I came to check it out. Just let me know when you're ready to leave, and we can meet at the subway.

Visiting a flower market—that was so like Yi Zhi, the agriculture student and wood-elemental ability user.

Browsing a market didn't seem like it would cause any trouble, so Yan felt a bit more at ease.

Meanwhile, in the 414 boys' dorm group chat, everyone had checked in. Yuan Ye was about to meet up with Xiao Qingnang, Ye Ping'an had finished his livestream and was wandering around, and Lin Fan wasn't there.

After confirming the whereabouts of all the key figures, Yan suddenly realized someone was missing.

Ding Ling?

Where had Ding Ling gone? Why hadn't she said anything in the group chat?

Thinking about Ding Ling's unique identity compared to the others, Yan's expression began to twist.

At a crowded convention like this, with so much yang energy, Ding Ling, the Ghost King, should be fine... right?

Yan touched the bell bracelet on her wrist, her heart suddenly filled with unease.

She remembered that when they arrived in the morning, everyone had split up, and Ding Ling seemed to have noticed something before hurrying off.

Did Ding Ling see the official acquaintance she had mentioned, or did she go off to handle some other matter?

Ding Ling hadn’t responded for a while. Yan glanced at the time and asked in the group chat if they should leave an hour early to avoid the crowd. They could grab a meal near the school afterward.

Yi Zhi, Chu Bingbing, and Gu Jiasui all replied with an "OK." Yan privately "patted" Ding Ling in the chat, but she still didn’t respond, as if she were caught up in something.

Ding Ling was indeed caught up—more accurately, she was dealing with a very persistent individual.

From the moment she followed her roommates to this unfamiliar comic convention, Ding Ling’s worldview and understanding of life had been constantly challenged.

Could it be that young people nowadays dared to imitate figures like Buddha, Bodhisattvas, Taoist deities, and heavenly lords through something called "cosplay"?

Compared to the era she came from, this modern age truly felt like a "gathering of demons and heretics."

The convention was packed with people. When Ding Ling spotted a "zombie," she couldn’t help but follow them.

The person was dressed in a Qing dynasty official robe, their face painted stark white, a string of court beads around their neck, a crown on their head, and a yellow talisman stuck to their face. Their arms were stretched out as they hopped forward in a classic zombie pose.

This was clearly not the kind of zombie Ding Ling was familiar with, but rather a modern reinterpretation from horror media.

Living zombies, flying zombies, blood zombies—none of them were this well-dressed. The legends of drought demons causing widespread devastation were no mere tales.

But even Ding Ling, a ghost king, had to admit that the living had a more terrifying imagination. This portrayal was genuinely unsettling.

The zombie cosplayer was accompanied by a friend dressed as a Taoist priest. The fake priest held a horsetail whisk, wore a yellow robe with a yin-yang symbol, and had Buddhist scriptures printed on the front. He even carried an alms bowl, pretending to collect donations.

Ding Ling followed the two, and instead of shooing her away, they seemed delighted, even offering the alms bowl to her. Other onlookers tossed coins into the bowl.

After confirming that they were just cosplayers having fun, Ding Ling left. She had been unearthed by an archaeological team less than half a year ago and, despite cramming a lot of modern knowledge, still lagged behind those who had grown up immersed in contemporary culture and entertainment.

For example—

When she saw a "monster" with animal ears and a fox tail, Ding Ling almost called to report a half-transformed demon on the loose.

As she wandered further, Ding Ling grew increasingly uneasy. Although she could rely on scent to identify beings, the sheer number of people made it necessary to get closer.

There were monks, Taoist priests, foreign exorcists, shrine maidens, and even Western wizards. Seeing so many outfits that diverged from traditional Chinese mysticism, Ding Ling even wondered for a moment if she had stumbled into an enemy encampment.

Ding Ling took photos of several suspicious individuals. She didn’t report them to the group to avoid causing a stir but instead used image recognition to confirm they were all characters from movies, anime, or games. Only after verifying they had no unusual aura did she feel at ease.

From morning till afternoon, Ding Ling quietly "tracked" numerous cosplayers, marking and confirming each one.

"The sixty-seventh one, confirmed as an anime character, no issues." Ding Ling deleted the "demon hunter" from her list of potential threats, only to hear about a "magical girl casting spells and seeing magic."

She hurriedly asked around and rushed to the stage area, but the performance was by a group of traditional opera influencers, their singing soul-stirring but devoid of any magical energy.

When Ding Ling inquired further, someone told her, "Oh, that’s just a gimmick by the organizers. Everyone says it’s special effects."

The person shared a video of the event with Ding Ling, who realized she couldn’t distinguish between magic and special effects.

However, at that moment, Ding Ling felt a sense of relief.

Because she spotted Yan and her boyfriend in a nearby corner.

Whether the magic incident was real or not, with Yan here, she could rest easy!

This was Yan, after all!

Only then did she have time to check the group chat. Earlier, she had muted notifications to use her browser and shopping app for image searches.

[Ding Ling]: I’m fine. Let’s meet up when we leave.

Ding Ling sent a quick message. She didn’t want to intrude on the couple. As a member of the special cases team, she had access to official resources and had volunteered to investigate here, but she couldn’t expect the same from others.

High standards should be for oneself, not imposed on others.

"Damn, that ghost girl looks so real. Good thing it’s daylight, or I’d be scared to death."

"Whoa, is she hiding a robot vacuum under her skirt?"

"Probably some kind of hoverboard. Her dress is so long, but it’s not getting caught. It really gives off that horror movie vibe!"

"Which ghost movie is she from? The white-dressed ghost looks familiar, but I can’t place it."

"Me neither, but this long-haired ghost girl is a pretty common trope in movies and anime."

Hearing the chatter, Ding Ling turned sharply toward the source.

There stood a young woman in a floor-length white gown.

Her entire body, from the shoulders down, was draped in the white fabric, which looked more like a bedsheet with a hole cut out for her head.

Her face was unnaturally pale, even whiter than someone wearing a thick layer of foundation, with a sickly greenish tint and no trace of color.

Her wet, black hair hung over her face, and her arms were hidden beneath the sheet. Aside from the sliver of her neck and her pale face peeking through the hair, no other features were visible.

Her limbs and torso were concealed, and an unseen breeze made her sheet-like gown flutter, giving her an ethereal, ghostly appearance as she glided forward in a straight line.

Many people were already pulling out their phones to take photos and videos. Compared to the other quirky acts, like the quantum Buddha with an electronic donation box, this ghostly figure perfectly captured the essence of human fear.

People marveled, "The makeup and costume are spot on. Is she wearing some kind of micro-controller? Someone must be operating the hoverboard under her."

"This is true performance art. I declare her the winner of today’s horror and supernatural category!"

"Did you feel that chilly breeze when she passed by? I bet she’s got a mini fan hidden under there."

"Ha, probably! Look how the sheet is fluttering!"

Unlike the amused onlookers, Ding Ling was on high alert.

She discreetly followed with her phone, blending in with the crowd of curious spectators.

As she moved forward, Ding Ling glanced at the onlookers, silently hoping they wouldn’t get any closer.

Because this "white-dressed ghost" cosplayer was radiating genuine yin energy.

Not the kind one might pick up from passing a cemetery or a brief encounter with the supernatural.

This was the real deal—deep, permeating yin energy.

Possession. The girl before her was undoubtedly being possessed by a ghost.

Her floating posture and the aura of yin energy surrounding her confirmed it.

Ding Ling’s expression turned serious. This was no laughing matter.

Especially with the convention so crowded, she couldn’t be sure of the ghost’s intentions.

She had to nip this danger in the bud!

Most people took a few photos or videos before moving on, not following the ghostly figure further.

Hurry, hurry! Where was she going? What was she planning? Where should Ding Ling intercept her?

Ding Ling had been chasing the white-clad female ghost all this time, watching her glide gracefully through the performance area, then make her way to the food section, followed by the exhibition booths and vendor zones...

It was as if the ghost was toying with her! The ghost did nothing but wander around aimlessly, and Ding Ling began to suspect that she might have accidentally revealed her own ghostly aura, alerting the ghost to her presence.

Wherever the white-clad ghost went, she instantly became the center of attention, drawing countless gazes.

Ding Ling was convinced that the ghost was doing this on purpose. With so many people around, there was little she could do.

This reminded Ding Ling of the time when she had just been "dug out." Back then, she was so curious about the outside world that she refused to listen to the Special Case Team and wandered wherever she pleased, deliberately trying to lose or toy with the team leader who was in charge of her at the time.

At this moment, Ding Ling thought: *Team Leader, I’m sorry. I was wrong.*

While chasing the ghost, Ding Ling noticed that the ghost seemed to be either lost or simply meandering, as she eventually circled back to the performance area.

Just then, Ding Ling's phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, Ding Ling's pupils contracted.

It was Yan!

Had ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌‍Yan also noticed the ghost?

Ding Ling answered the call while continuing to follow the ghost's trail.

"Hello, Yan."

"Hey, where are you? It's almost 4 o'clock, the convention is about to end, and we need to leave." Since Ding Ling had only sent a brief message earlier and then gone silent, Yan decided to call directly.

Yan was holding her phone with one hand while linking arms with Zhu Jue with the other. As she spoke, she suddenly noticed the white-clad ghost floating toward them.

At the same time, Yan spotted Ding Ling, who was about three meters behind the ghost, answering her phone. She also noticed the faint halo above Ding Ling's head.

Yan glanced at Ding Ling, then at the white-clad ghost sandwiched between them.

Something felt off.

Ding Ling wouldn’t be chasing an ordinary cosplayer dressed as a ghost.

Which meant... this disheveled figure draped in a bedsheet might actually be a real ghost?

This white-clad ghost, with no halo above her head, wasn’t some transformation of Yuan Ye.

Yan couldn’t fathom why a ghost would suddenly appear at the convention. Had someone at one of the booths summoned her with a game like the Spirit Board?

Putting aside her wild thoughts, Yan focused on the situation at hand. If Ding Ling was chasing the ghost to deal with her, then she couldn’t leave with the others. It would likely be like that time at the antique street, requiring some post-event cleanup.

Thinking this, Yan spoke into the phone, "The convention is about to close. Are you coming with us?"

On the other end, Ding Ling was momentarily confused. Yan had clearly seen the ghost, so what did she mean by that question?

Before Ding Ling could figure it out, the white-clad ghost suddenly stopped.

She stopped!

The ghost seemed ready to bolt, but with Yan and Ding Ling closing in from both sides, this was the perfect opportunity.

Ding Ling stepped forward and used her ghostly energy to restrain the white-clad ghost. Dressed in all black, Ding Ling wrapped her arms around the ghost, her pale complexion matching the eerie scene.

Seeing how easily Ding Ling had captured the ghost, Yan felt relieved.

"I'll leave this to you, then. We’re heading out?" Yan said.

Ding Ling nodded, watching as Yan and Zhu Jue walked away.

The white-clad ghost, now restrained, remained completely still, as if lifeless. Suddenly, Ding Ling realized that Yan's earlier words over the phone might not have been directed at her.

"The convention is about to close. Are you coming with us?" At the time, Yan had been facing the ghost. Though it seemed like she was talking on the phone, she might have actually been addressing the ghost!

She was asking the ghost if it wanted to leave with them.

The ghost had stopped abruptly and tried to flee in Ding Ling's direction because she was afraid! She didn’t want to go with Yan and the others!

A glint of realization flashed in Ding Ling's eyes. This white-clad ghost must have sensed something.

To avoid Yan’s threat, she had chosen to fall into Ding Ling's hands instead.

What did this mean? Considering the implications, it was terrifying! And what about that red-clad ghost who had suddenly disappeared last time?

*Hiss!* So, was Yan’s family one of those infamous ghost-hunting clans? Their reputation must be truly fearsome!