They All Say I've Met a Ghost

2

Though it was summer, it was cold on the bus. The back of my neck was chilled, as if someone was standing behind me blowing on it.

"Sir, could you turn the air-conditioning down?" I asked uncomfortably.

Without turning around, the bus driver coldly put me off with the words, "Passengers please behave, don't harass others."

I was pretty speechless. I was the only person on the bus, and I had just spoken to the driver. Was I harassing him? Leaving aside the question of sexuality, I thought this was an attack on my character.

I, Shen Jianguo, was born on National Day, had lived under the red flag, grown up among spring breezes. Since childhood I had been a triple-A student, an outstanding member of the Communist Youth League, and an outstanding student civil servant. He could question my abilities as someone who had just entered society, but he absolutely couldn't question my moral character!

I wanted to justly defend myself, but after the driver said these words, the chill decreased considerably. He must have turned the air-conditioning down for me.

My heart softened at once. It was so late, and the driver had gone out alone to pick me up from school. He must have been extremely irritated. To look at it from his point of view, while I was going to a haunted community in the middle of the night for the sake of a job and not in an especially good mood, the driver may have been sleeping at home when he was woken up. It was no wonder he was in a bad mood.

It was only a little squabble. There was no need to get heated with him.

"Thank you, sir," I said to the driver, smiling.

But the driver remained unfriendly. He turned to look at me, his face indistinct in the darkness. I could only see his eyes, sharply reflecting the light.

He laughed grimly. "I hope I can see you again tomorrow."

He was wishing me success in being formally employed. He was a driver with a cold exterior but a kind heart. It was too bad his temper was rather stiff. It made a bad impression. But once you knew him better, you would understand he was a good person.

"Thank you," I replied warmly.

The driver was very steady. Though it was very foggy, he still drove peacefully and without any bumps all the way to the Farther Shore Estate.

While getting off the bus, I said, "Sir, tomorrow I may go back to school to get my luggage..."

I was still speaking when the door callously shut and the bus drove away, leaving not even a puff of exhaust behind.

I knew I'd been wrong. I hadn't even started working, and I was already asking the driver to help me move my luggage. The company vehicle had no responsibility to help me take care of my private business. To move, I would need to find a moving company. But I'd really been so hard up lately. Well, tomorrow I could rent a pedi-cab. It might be cheaper.

To make a good impression, I was wearing my only proper outfit, specially prepared for interviews: a button-down, a tie, a suit, and black leather shoes. I went to Building 4 and stood downstairs nervously adjusting my tie, making sure I was clean and spotless. Then I went into the elevator.

The lights in the elevator flickered, and it kept stopping. In the dead of night, this was kind of scary. The management of the Farther Shore Estate seemed to be very lax due to the developer having been stabbed. On the message board there had been people complaining that the property management's service was unsatisfactory. It looked like that was true.

I inwardly bolstered myself: Shen Jianguo, stay strong! A green college student just starting to work has to go through a difficult period. That the job comes with housing is already very good, how can I be so picky about what the housing is like? So what if the elevator isn't safe? It’s only the fourth floor. Next time I can take the stairs.