Bach Lan stared blankly at the soft rain falling outside the glass window. The damp summer air made everything feel heavy, like the heart itself was tightening. Just yesterday, work had been manageable, and yet today it piled up like a mountain.
She gently rolled her shoulders, rubbing the soreness that came from sitting too long. The large office was now empty, everyone having left quietly, leaving behind a silence so cold it felt almost alive. The pale-yellow fluorescent lights shimmered on the tiled floor, creating patches of light and shadow that flickered like water. The wind whispered through the window frame, tapping softly as if calling from a distant place.
She neatly stacked the files on her desk, slung her bag over her shoulder, and slowly walked out of the office. The heels of her shoes clicked sharply with each step, echoing through the empty space and deepening her unease. Every footstep seemed to pull a whisper from the past. Something within her was awakening, vague and weary.
"Little Bach… Little Bach."
The familiar voice drifted through, as if echoing from deep within the earth, slipping through the cracks of memory. A shiver ran down her spine. Bach Lan quickened her pace, hurrying toward the elevator as if fleeing something that had caught hold of her. A chill crawled along her back.
Ding!
The elevator bell rang, and the doors slowly slid open. She squinted inside. No one was there.
"Strange, why did it stop on this floor?"
Suddenly, a deep, cold voice whispered right behind her ear.
"Who are you looking for?"
She jumped, spinning around, her heart leaping to her throat. Before her stood a tall figure. The overhead lights reflected off his calm face. Trach Dong's dark eyes were still and unreadable, as if hiding every thought.
"A... A... Ghost!!!" – she was startled and stammered. – "You're... a human?"
"Do you mean… I'm not?" – He tilted his head slightly, the corner of his mouth lifting just a little.
She froze, her body stiff. Embarrassment and fear swirled inside her.
"Do you know that spreading ghost stories in this company can be punished very strictly?" – he said coldly, his gaze fixed on her.
Her eyes blinked rapidly. Before she could react, a thought struck her. That voice, that figure… there was no mistake. It was him. The CEO who had docked her pay just the day before.
"Seen enough? Or should I turn around a few times so you can get a better look?" – His tone carried a hint of mockery.
Her face burned red. She turned away, quickly lowering her eyes, standing rigid like a student awaiting punishment. She felt embarrassed for her overreaction.
Yet he smiled faintly. A subtle, cold smile, like smoke drifting through the air, fleeting but lingering.
The elevator doors opened. He stepped inside without looking back, only leaving her with a single sentence.
"Don't wander alone at this hour."
His voice was cold, yet it made her heart skip a beat. She watched his figure disappear as the doors closed, a tangle of feelings she could not name stirring in her chest.
Bach Lan hurried through the rain. Each heavy drop struck her shoulders, mixing with the weariness in her heart. She raised her hand to hail a taxi, but every car passed by, indifferent. Frustrated, she kicked a few pebbles at her feet. Rain dripped softly from the trees, each drop feeling as if it pierced her thoughts.
And then, the image of the man from her dream appeared again. His face was unclear, his name unknown, only the feeling remained.
***
The rain poured down in sheets. Outside, the broken eaves let the water fall like the pouring of a shattered heart.
She knelt beside the bloodied body, hands trembling as they clutched the dying young man. His white shirt, once neat and elegant, was soaked in red. The wind whistled through the cracks in the doors, icy and biting.
"Impossible… impossible… Doctor!" – She screamed like a madwoman, still gripping the hem of the man's shirt as he hurriedly packed his medicine chest.
"Please… please save him! I beg you!"
The middle-aged doctor shook his head; his eyes filled with a fleeting sorrow.
"Miss Bach… your husband has carried a grave illness since childhood. With injuries this severe, his organs are damaged… I fear his fate has run its course."
He lightly patted her shoulder.
"I will not accept money. Keep it… and prepare for what must come."
She cried out in desperation, tears and rain mingling on her face.
"No! It cannot be! Heaven! Are you punishing us? I only wanted a peaceful life. Why?"
The rain hammered down harder, and the wind whipped the door open, slamming against them like a cold, slicing blade.
In that moment of despair, a thought sparked in her mind. She bent down, pressing her lips to his, and began to transfer into him the spiritual energy she had cultivated over hundreds of years.
A stream of hot energy surged from her chest into his body. The sky darkened above them. The wind roared wildly, swirling around the two of them in violent circles.
His eyes, which had been tightly shut, slowly opened. She felt a rush of joy, about to speak, when Trach Hien suddenly gripped the back of her neck with more strength than usual, holding her lips firmly against his. The spiritual energy in her poured out even stronger.
At that moment, a sharp voice rang out:
"Are you crazy?! You only have one life. If you transfer half your spiritual energy, you'll be left with only half a life! Is it worth it?!"
Trach Hien still held her without letting go. She began to feel her body tremble, as if it were being drained completely.
But then his grip softened. Trach Hien whispered gently.
"Little Bach, I'm all right now."
***
"Screeeech!"
The BMW braked sharply right in front of her, snapping her out of her daze. Her heart was still pounding. The rain had not let up.
The passenger door opened. A young man in a neat suit leaned slightly, polite and composed.
"Miss, please get in."
She blinked, her voice hoarse.
"Are you talking to me?"
He nodded. From the back seat, a familiar voice spoke.
"Who else would I be talking to? Get in."
Trach Dong.
She didn't need to look closely to know who it was. His eyes were still cold, but for some reason, she felt oddly at ease.
Seeing her still standing there frozen, he furrowed his brows and reminded her.
"Are you going to get in or not?"
The driver quickly stepped out, opening the door for her. She hesitated a moment, then climbed in.
Silence filled the car. To break it, the driver smiled and asked.
"Young master, where should we go now?"
Trach Dong leaned back, eyes half-closed, and said softly.
"Ask her."
The driver turned politely toward her.
"Miss, where do you live?"
But from behind, Trach Dong spoke again.
"Who said anything about going home? Let's eat. I'm hungry."
Bach Lan widened her eyes, then glanced at the driver. Both stared at each other, speechless. A moment later, the driver smiled helplessly, as if he had seen this many times before.
She crossed her arms and leaned against the window, glaring at him.
"You said you'd ask me, and yet in the end, you do whatever you want. Unbelievable... So pushy."
Trach Dong didn't answer. He just tilted his head slightly, eyes half-closed, seemingly unconcerned with the world around him.
The streetlights flickered across the glass, casting shadows on his face, calm, distant, yet heartbreakingly familiar.
She turned away, but unease lingered in her chest. That feeling returned, the one that whispered she had sat like this before, beside him. That everything didn't start today, but somewhere far away, long ago.
No one spoke again.
The car rolled through the curtain of rain.
And she whispered softly, just enough for herself to hear.
"What exactly were we to each other? Is there any connection between us at all?"
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