The Girlfriend Who Never Existed

Lou Xu was sure his brother had gone crazy.

He kept talking about a girl named "Zhi Tao" all day long:

"It's raining. Zhi Tao likes rainy days, so I should hurry home and keep her company."

"Zhi Tao likes this book too."

"Zhi Tao said she wants to go out for a walk. I wonder where she'd like to go."

Zhi Tao, Zhi Tao, Zhi Tao, Zhi Tao, Zhi Tao, Zhi Tao, Zhi Tao, Zhi Tao...

But as far as he knew, his brother didn't have a single female friend, let alone one named "Zhi Tao."

Realizing how serious this was, he began to wonder whether he should talk to his brother about it. But then "Zhi Tao" started appearing in other people's conversations too.

His free-spirited childhood friend would stare at a bunch of bellflowers and murmur, "Maybe Zhi Tao would like them."

His usually stone-faced teacher started teaching with a smile, and when someone asked why, he replied, "If I'm too stern, I might scare Zhi Tao."

Just as he was starting to wonder whether he or everyone around him had gone crazy, he had a dream.

In a dim, unfamiliar room, he smelled the lingering scent of incense.

Following the smell, he looked over and saw a black-and-white memorial portrait on a counter nearby.

The girl's face in the photo was blurred, but he could just make out a faint, gentle smile on her lips.

Two small characters were engraved beneath the frame:

Zhi Tao

*

When Lou Xu first met Zhi Tao, all he felt was disgust, fear, and aversion toward ghosts.

He couldn't understand why everyone else looked at her with such infatuation, either.

Until he began following her without realizing it, growing restless whenever he couldn't see her, and feeling jealous and resentful when others got close to her.

-

Zhi Tao has forgotten how she died. Held back by her obsession, she remains in the human world, unable to be reincarnated.

Perhaps because a lack of food makes it hard to maintain her spiritual form, her soul is also gradually falling apart.

But that's all right.

She can choose her own food.

Reader's guide:

1. A battle of suitors.

2. The heroine is a dark, gloomy female ghost. Her feelings toward people and her sense of morality differ from those of ordinary people.

Theme: Persistence is the key to victory.