If Dreams Have a Shelf Life

Shi Li is a ghost who won a rare lottery prize from the underworld, allowing her to return to the human world as a spectral projection to fulfill an unresolved obsession. However, she discovers she has no such obsession and is trapped within her former rental apartment, unable to leave or interact with the physical world. Five years have passed since her sudden death, and the apartment is now occupied by her ex-boyfriend, Chen Du, with whom she shared a pragmatic, financially strained relationship during university. Their breakup preceded her death by two months.

Chen Du has become a successful assistant professor at Lin University and creator of a large language AI model called TimeShip, though he sold its prototype for a mere one million yuan shortly after Shi Li's death—a decision that sparked public controversy. His current life appears hollow; he smokes heavily, neglects his appearance, and exhibits signs of depression and illness. A beautiful woman, revealed to be a doctor and his girlfriend, visits him with concern, but he remains emotionally distant and unresponsive.

Shi Li initially views Chen Du with detached criticism, resentful that he moved back into the apartment she died in and seems to have moved on. She discovers a hidden envelope containing 120,000 yuan she saved during her lifetime, realizing this money could be converted into underworld currency to fund her reincarnation if Chen Du burns it as spiritual offering. She attempts to communicate with him by shouting, but he cannot hear her while awake. However, when she mentions the money, Chen Du suddenly reacts, sensing her presence and displaying visible grief, confirming he is aware of her spectral existence despite her inability to physically interact with him.

Shi Li learns that soul possession of a living person carries severe risks; when she briefly inhabits Chen Du's body to explore the city, she causes him a nosebleed and collapses him in a park, leaving him unconscious for hours. The experience terrifies her, and she realizes she cannot recklessly use his body again. Meanwhile, Chen Du is found writing a document titled "A Survival Guide for You," addressed to someone who will wake up later, suggesting he may be preparing for his own death or a prolonged coma. He suffers a seizure and collapses, injuring his arm severely, which Shi Li must treat by applying pressure to the wound using his own body.

Through flashbacks, the narrative reveals the depth of their past connection: Chen Du once bought Shi Li a lace cake for her birthday despite his poverty, and she had proposed celebrating his birthday on the day after hers since he lacked a real birthdate. The story explores themes of unresolved grief, the barrier between life and death, and the quiet persistence of love beyond mortality. Shi Li's obsession remains unclear, but her attachment to Chen Du and her desire for reincarnation through the hidden money form the central tension. Chen Du's deteriorating health and emotional withdrawal suggest he is grappling with guilt or despair linked to her death, while Shi Li struggles with her ghostly limitations and the impossibility of directly influencing the living world.