Chapter 5: Sin, Guilt, and the Ghost Boy

The old lady’s tears wouldn’t stop, with so much to say, but in the end, she just looked at her daughter’s soul, like a strict mother scolding her child: "You killed and did wrong, you must atone in the afterlife."

Marissa nodded: "A life for a life, I’ll take responsibility."

At this moment, the ghost boy who had witnessed it all pretended to be angry: "Who wants your lousy life, just share some of the memorial offerings your family sends you."

This kind and pitiful homeless boy made the comments lively:

[I’m crying, he’s so good.]

[What’s your name, kid? Tell us, we’ll send things for you!]

[Count me in, I’ll send things for you too!]

At this moment, the two gray-haired old ladies looked at each other, full of sighs and sadness, then supported each other as they left. I knew they had already experienced one parting in life. They didn’t want to watch their children fade away again.

One month later—

My new coffee-and-diner spot in the afterlife opened. Just after opening, I saw a familiar shadow among the guests. I looked up for a closer look, but the shadow disappeared. When I finished my work and stepped out the door, I found a black shadow huddled in a corner. Seeing me, he finally dared to greet me: "Autumn, thank you for helping me get justice before. I... I have another favor to ask."

The shadow’s face became clearer, and I recognized the homeless boy strangled by Marissa a month ago. But he looked much better now. Not only did he have new clothes and shoes, but his ghost was clean and his eyes no longer held that haunted look. He rubbed his hands shyly: "I saw you were busy, so I didn’t dare bother you."

I found it strange. Marissa killed someone, and the judgment from the Devil should be coming soon, but she shouldn’t be back in the afterlife so quickly, so who was taking such good care of him?

Seeing my confusion, he became even more embarrassed: "It was the viewers from your livestream who sent things for me. When I was alive, I never had a full meal, but after dying, I became an internet celebrity. Now I have plenty to eat and wear. But every time I eat my fill, I feel sad."

"Before, there was a little girl who brought me food rain or shine, and when it was cold, she stole her family’s clothes for me. She always had wounds of all sizes. Old ones healed, new ones appeared. I thought she was beaten for stealing food for me, but the night I died, I learned the truth. That night, she limped over to bring me bread, but seeing her pale and miserable, I couldn’t eat. After I kept asking, I found out the only person who loved her—her mother—had died. The night her mom died, her dad brought his mistress home and broke her leg!"

Maybe after spending so long in the livestream, I, who rarely felt anything, was actually moved by his words. I was both puzzled and angry: "You mean, after her mom died, her dad and stepmom broke her leg? Why?"

He clenched his fists angrily: "Because she fell asleep crying over her mom’s photo. When her dad and the mistress came back and saw her still asleep and no food made..."

"Autumn, do you have a way to save her?" He pleaded with me over and over, finally even kneeling: "If you save her, you can have my life!"

I helped him up: "What would I want with your lousy life? Hurry, go give her a dream tonight. Tell her to come find me in the livestream tomorrow! If what you say is true, I’ll have my dad judge her father and stepmom in advance!"