For about two minutes, Qin Xiaoxia’s mind was completely filled with a single thought: ’Is it a Gold Coin? Is it a Gold Coin?’

Then, it dawned on him.

This thing had come from under his own pillow!

It was obvious he couldn’t have put it there himself, and it was even less likely to be Old Qin’s. Besides, he’d changed the pillowcase and sheets just a few days ago. This had to have been placed here recently—he was ninety percent sure it was just last night!

At that thought, Qin Xiaoxia suddenly shivered, unable to tell if it was from the cold or from a chill deep within.

He scrambled back to his bedside to get dressed, then paced around the room, checking every nook and cranny. Next, he inspected each door and window.

They were all bolted from the inside, just as he had left them last night. There was no sign that anyone had entered from the outside.

’Unless... it wasn’t a person at all!’

"HSSSS..."

The sharp intake of breath was followed by a more violent shiver that shot up from the tips of his toes to the top of his head.

However, the self-induced terror lasted only a few seconds before the heavy, golden weight in his hand shattered it.

"If it really is a Gold Coin, this might not be so bad..."

...

That afternoon, the technician came to install security cameras. The door lock had already been replaced that morning.

Qin Xiaoxia might have said it wasn’t so bad, but his actions told a different story.

No one wants their home to be accessible to intruders at any time. Under these circumstances, installing a camera was absolutely necessary.

Besides, hadn’t plenty of horror movies shown that cameras could capture... "unclean things"? Even if that was just fiction, it offered a sliver of reassurance.

The surveillance system was much cheaper than he’d expected. Including the installation fee, three cameras only cost around a thousand or so, which was completely affordable.

Once everything was done, he ordered a pizza. As he ate, he wrestled with a question.

This thing that looked and felt like a Gold Coin—should he take it to a professional for appraisal?

He had already tried a few appraisal methods he’d found online. The only discrepancy was a slight difference in softness, but that might have been because he was afraid of using too much force and damaging the "Gold Coin’s" aesthetic appeal.

What if it was an antique, after all? Plus, gold alloys existed.

But that raised another problem.

What if the Gold Coin was stolen? What if the owner was searching for it, or had even filed a police report? If he took it to be appraised, wouldn’t he be taking the fall for some damn thief?

It’s like having mud fall into your pants—even if you manage to explain it away, the stain on your reputation remains.

In his heart, Qin Xiaoxia was already mostly convinced it was a real Gold Coin, and he absolutely wanted to keep it.

If he’d found a wallet on the street, he might have considered returning it. But something that came from under his own pillow? There was no way he was giving that up!

He searched online for any news of stolen gold or antiques and even checked the Ministry of Public Security’s website for related wanted notices, but he came up empty.

He agonized over it until after lunch. Feeling antsy and restless, Qin Xiaoxia finally gave in to temptation and decided to find a pawn shop to get it appraised.

An hour and a half later, in a nondescript pawn shop in Kehua District, a dozen or so kilometers from Qingzhen.

A middle-aged appraiser held the Gold Coin, examining it for a long time. He used a magnifying glass to inspect the characters and a small flashlight to illuminate the patterns. Seeing this, Qin Xiaoxia’s confidence soared.

Even as a layman, he knew that a professional could easily determine if gold was real or fake. An appraiser wouldn’t spend so much time examining other details on a forgery.

After what felt like an eternity, the appraiser, whose surname was Lu, finally put down his tools. He turned the Gold Coin over in his hands, seemingly unable to part with it.

"Mr. Qin, this is a genuine Gold Coin," he said. "And it’s not made with a typical pure gold forging process. It seems to be a special alloy that gives the coin its brilliant luster and increased hardness. The gold content, however, is definitely over 18 karat."

"Oh, great! That’s great!"

Qin Xiaoxia was beaming, both inside and out.

"Mr. Qin, forgive me for asking, but where did you get this Gold Coin?"

Qin Xiaoxia’s heart skipped a beat. He chose his words carefully and asked back.

"Is there a problem? I found it in a box belonging to my late grandfather."

The appraiser had clearly been around the block and quickly waved his hand in dismissal.

"Mr. Qin, please don’t misunderstand. It’s not that there’s an issue with the coin itself. It’s the script on it... I don’t recognize it at all!"

"It’s probably just a foreign script. You can’t be expected to know them all, can you?"

Qin Xiaoxia said with a relaxed smile, teasing the appraiser.

"Mr. Qin, you’re right and you’re wrong," the appraiser replied. "Of course I don’t know every script in the world. But as a professional appraiser, I’m usually confident I can at least identify which language a script belongs to. This one, however, I’ve never seen before. It’s either not a script at all, just a unique pattern, or it’s from a language that’s never been discovered."

At this, the appraiser chuckled. The coin’s lines were delicate and novel, and combined with the alloy technique, it was most likely a modern, custom-made piece. ’Probably just some fancy, creative engraving,’ he thought. He found himself quite curious about the Artisan capable of forging such a coin.

Unfortunately, his client, this Mr. Qin, didn’t seem willing to elaborate.

"Mr. Qin, if you’d like to sell it, we can purchase it by weight at the current domestic retail price for gold. Alternatively, you could consign it with us to sell on your behalf. What do you think?"

People who bring items to a pawn shop usually have some intention of selling, but Qin Xiaoxia wasn’t ready to part with it yet. He said he needed to think about it and left.

He had barely stepped out the door when his phone buzzed with a text message. He pulled it out and reflexively opened it.

It was just a promotional ad from his carrier. But as he was about to put the phone away, his eyes landed on the icon for the newly installed real-time surveillance software.

An irresistible urge to open it and take a look washed over him.

’It’s just a little bit of data,’ he thought. Caught up in the novelty of it, Qin Xiaoxia immediately tapped open the app.

After a dozen seconds of loading, the feed appeared on his screen, split into three panels.

The live feeds from the front door, the living room, and the kitchen came into view.

"Holy shit!"

The moment the images sharpened, Qin Xiaoxia couldn’t stop a curse from escaping his lips.

Because on the feed from the living room, a small, child-like figure was wandering around.

’Damn it, there really is someone! And it’s a kid!’

He had only meant to test out the cameras, with no expectation of actually seeing an intruder. He never thought he’d hit the jackpot on his first try.

The child wore a strange gray hat, like a tattered, gray version of a Santa hat. The clothes they wore were so grimy that their style was impossible to make out.

Their feet were bare, and the skin of their exposed arms and feet was an odd color—perhaps from dirt, or maybe it was the camera’s resolution, but it looked somewhat grayish.

Because they never looked up at the ceiling-mounted camera, and thanks to the hat, their face remained hidden.

The little figure ambled about Qin Xiaoxia’s living room, one moment hopping onto the sofa, the next darting under the table, seemingly having a great time all by itself.

After a moment, it moved out of the living room camera’s range, only to reappear in the kitchen feed.

Just as Qin Xiaoxia was wondering what was going on, the little thief nervously touched the refrigerator, then leaped back.

The jump cleared at least a meter and a half—an astonishing feat for the small frame visible on the screen.

’What the heck is it doing? Is the fridge leaking electricity or something?’

The strange action made Qin Xiaoxia momentarily forget how detestable the little thief was, leaving him simply confused about its intentions.

A dozen seconds later, the little thief cautiously approached the refrigerator again. It poked the refrigerator door twice with a grimy finger. When nothing happened, it finally stood boldly before it.

Qin Xiaoxia grew even more perplexed. What on earth was it doing?

He was so curious that he forgot all about calling the police.

After nearly a full minute, just as Qin Xiaoxia’s patience was wearing thin, the little thief seemed to summon all its courage, grabbed the refrigerator handle with both hands, and pulled the door open.

The thief itself, however, leaped even farther away.

’Did this thing crawl out from under a rock somewhere? It’s scared of a refrigerator?’

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Qin Xiaoxia watched the little thief quickly compose itself, walk to the open refrigerator, and take out his leftover pizza.

It lifted a slice to its face, presumably to smell it. Then, over the next thirty seconds, to Qin Xiaoxia’s utter astonishment, the little thief devoured all the remaining pizza. It even remembered to put the empty box back in the fridge.

It seemed ravenous. Qin Xiaoxia felt a pang of pity and even considered not calling the police.

But the very next moment, his anger flared anew.

After finishing its meal, the little thief wandered around the kitchen for a moment before heading into the bedroom. When it emerged, it was holding something blue and black.

’Holy shit, the little thief stole my keyboard! Police! I’m calling the police!’

His fury lasted less than five seconds, however, before his body went rigid.

He hadn’t known how the little thief had appeared so mysteriously before, but now he understood. After hiding the keyboard under the refrigerator, the figure simply vanished.

It vanished into thin air. There was no puff of smoke, no special teleportation effect. It was just gone, so suddenly it was as if it had never been there at all.

’HOLY FUCK! IS THIS REALLY A FUCKING GHOST?!’

How was he supposed to report this? Tell the police his house was haunted? And that this ghost liked to hide his stuff every now and then for him to find?

Oh, and it also left him a Gold Coin as a reward.

The thought made Qin Xiaoxia freeze. He found a quiet corner on the street, stopped, and furtively pulled out the Gold Coin to look at it again.

The Gold Coin, glinting in the sunlight, possessed an intoxicating brilliance.

It felt like this little ghost-thief was just playing a game with him. A game where he got a reward at the end?

Looked at that way, it didn’t seem malicious at all. In fact, it was kind of cute!

Then, another thought struck him. Can ghosts eat pizza? He’d never seen or heard of such a thing in all the supernatural movies and legends he knew.

A moment ago, Qin Xiaoxia had been terrified to go home. Now, moved by some inexplicable impulse, he was determined to return at once.

Perhaps, deep down, he had the soul of someone who chased after the unusual and the thrilling.

————

PS: This is a new book, a young seedling in need of nurturing. I hope everyone can add it to their collection and vote to show your support. ^_^