Chapter 38: Little Ghost 6

06

[Chen Zheqin really suffered a loss he can't complain about—he randomly imagined you were his girlfriend, and now he can't even settle the score with you in his dreams!]

[Hm? Wait, no—he totally could do this and that to you in his dreams, and sternly teach you to respect your hubby—!!]

I'm a ghost. I can't be screwed by humans.

So Ji Yue thought, lightly pushing up his nonexistent glasses.

It was almost dawn. He tugged the curtains and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes.

A little sleepy.

Ever since the plot officially began, Ji Yue hadn't had a proper night's sleep—his days and nights flipped, and every so often at night he had to invade the dreams of the male lead's buddies.

The moment his head touched the pillow and his butt hit the bed, electronic sheep began leaping past his eyes.

Ji Yue's lashes were long. They trembled faintly a few times as his eyelids slowly drooped.

[Sleep, sleep~]

the System hummed softly.

Footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, unhurried.

Zhong Xian? Or had Zhong Xian's buddies snuck into the house?

Ji Yue carefully sat up, cracked the door open a sliver, and quietly peered toward the entryway.

A figure walked in, keys jingling crisply.

Zhong Xian stood at the entrance changing his shoes, light falling from above onto his expressionless face, as if he were mulling something over.

His gaze shifted and caught the master bedroom door silently opening, someone sneakily poking their head out, clutching the doorframe to spy on him.

Jet-black long hair, a pale face, and that wary, wildcat-like expression—it made one's heart soften all the more.

...So this is what coming home feels like.

"I'm back." Zhong Xian smiled at Ji Yue. "Why aren't you asleep yet? And why are you peeking at me all sneaky-like?"

"Where did you go?"

"Went back to my hometown for a few days for a funeral. Yeah, coincidence—my third grand-uncle suddenly died, so I have to go back again these next few days."

"..."

That sounded fake as hell.

While Zhong Xian went to shower, Ji Yue slipped into his room, grabbed his phone, and used his account to play a few rounds of Honor of Kings.

A WeChat message popped up, from [Gu Chiming].

Gu: [For the next dungeon, are you bringing your girlfriend?]

Gu: [Oh right, there's an art exhibition at the gallery recently.]

Ji Yue scrolled up through the chat history. Earlier they'd been discussing dungeon matters, then it abruptly shifted to the exhibition.

What exhibition?

He thought about it, then flipped to Zhong Xian's chat with Chen Zheqin.

From the chat history, the two had met two days ago.

[I know about this! It's in the original novel—Chen Zheqin earnestly urged the male lead to leave you, and the male lead, like he was possessed, said you're a peerlessly wonderful girl, that he's never met such a good girl, that he's willing to wash his wife's underwear, blah blah blah.]

Thinking of last night's weird dream, Ji Yue was very displeased and sent a few provocative emojis at Chen Zheqin.

Pig-Ear Headphone Clip: [(demon)(fist)]

Pig-Ear Headphone Clip: [(vomit)(vomit)]

The other side instantly replied with a "?".

He kept sending emojis.

Before long, Chen Zheqin replied: [Your boyfriend's asleep?]

The next line was: [Want to come out and meet me?]

Ji Yue pondered—was this guy trying to lure the fierce ghost out while Zhong Xian slept, to finish him off on the spot?

[No, it's also possible he wants to secretly do you while Zhong Xian's asleep!]

Chen Zheqin: [You don't have your own number? Zhong Xian won't give you one?]

He replied with a middle-finger emoji.

The sound of water in the bathroom had stopped. Ji Yue swiftly deleted the chat history and drifted off through the wall.

"Xiao Yue, asleep?"

Zhong Xian knocked.

A few seconds later, Ji Yue opened the door, rubbing his eyes.

"Nothing much, I just missed you a bit. Haven't seen you in days."

Zhong Xian smiled.

He really wanted to hug Ji Yue, but the guy looked exhausted—he'd most likely be ruthlessly pushed away, the door slamming in his face.

Zhong Xian glanced into Ji Yue's bedroom—a cozy, clean room with a cream-yellow bedding set and a mushroom lamp. Only the wardrobe and clothing rack area was slightly messy, hung with short skirts to wear tomorrow, countless styles and colors, matching accessories set out beside them, silver glinting.

"Is this one new? Haven't seen you wear it." Zhong Xian smiled. His sharp eyes had caught a new skirt, and he walked toward the rack.

"Zhong Xian, don't mess with my clothes."

"Last time I just folded them by color for you."

"Then I can't find anything."

"Fine."

Cats have their own way of organizing, Zhong Xian thought.

He let go and put the black lace mini skirt back in place.

It was at that moment he noticed a men's black hoodie hanging on the rack—large size, an unfamiliar style, never seen before.

Zhong Xian's expression shifted slightly. This wasn't his clothing.

The size was absolutely not something Ji Yue could wear, nor the type he'd buy. It looked somewhat worn, not new.

...Another man's hoodie, in Ji Yue's bedroom.

Zhong Xian instantly felt like he'd plunged into an ice cavern.

"You can go now, I want to sleep." Ji Yue had a soft yet cold voice, very androgynous, his tone low. "What's wrong? What are you looking at?"

Only then did Zhong Xian retrieve his voice, smiling: "Nothing, just a bit tired. Sleep well."

Ji Yue: "Oh."

Zhong Xian watched the door close, his heart knotted with gloom.

...Ji Yue, a little ghost from the underworld—perhaps he'd been away from the human world too long; his personality was purely NPC-like, innocent and cold, utterly unable to read a man's mind.

Right, Xiao Yue definitely didn't mean anything by it.

The question was: while he was away, which man had seduced Ji Yue?

-------

The next day when he woke, unsurprisingly, Zhong Xian was gone again.

Ji Yue lifted a corner of the curtain. Overcast and rainy—perfect weather for a fierce ghost to roam.

And so, a little ghost floated out of the apartment complex.

I am coming...

Oh no, the fierce ghost got caught by the old lady downstairs...!

Fortunately the old lady's aged eyes were dim and she didn't notice Ji Yue had floated out; she just grabbed him for a long chat.

"Your boyfriend hasn't been around for days, has he kicked the bucket? Oh, no?" The old lady was quite disappointed. "I wanted to introduce you to a relative's kid, real handsome, thiiis tall."

"Right, that sports car guy came again the other night, all sneaky-like. Looked to me like he came for revenge. Does your boyfriend drive a freight truck or something?"

"Mm, mm, yeah."

"Oh, I see. Not an easy life."

[Kong Youzhuo keeps hanging around here? He should know Zhong Xian isn't here, right!]

Ji Yue didn't much care about Zhong Xian's enemies and their affairs.

He was a fierce ghost; naturally he had ways to deal with characters outside the plot.

But that was a matter for later.

Today, he was an art ghost, setting out for the gallery to see the exhibition.

The gorgeous straight guy who'd been silent online for ages suddenly sent a message: "Meimei, can I treat you to a meal?"

Followed by a GIF of a man kneeling and kowtowing repeatedly, bang bang bang.

Ji Yue: [Why?]

Gorgeous Straight Guy: [Because I dreamed of you. (hot)]

[After getting his brain blasted by the corn cannon, Kong Youzhuo can't stop thinking about you?]

Ji Yue sent a thumbs-down sticker.

Kong Youzhuo inexplicably exploded.

[You like him that much, huh? I ask you out and you won't come, it's just a meal, I won't do anything (sobbing)(sobbing)(fist)]

[Zhong Xian's so old, what use is he? Men past twenty-five are no good anymore! (vomit)]

[I'm only nineteen this year. (covering-mouth laugh)(covering-mouth laugh)]

[He's out all day, doesn't care how lonely you are at all! Who knows what he's tinkering with at that coffin shop, maybe he's a necrophiliac sneaking around? (vomit)(vomit)]

Ji Yue: [Are you still stalking Zhong Xian?]

Gorgeous Straight Guy: [Isn't the point that you're lonely? Why won't you respond to that? (playful)]

Ji Yue: [Talk.]

Gorgeous Straight Guy: [What, can't I stalk him? What does he amount to?]

Ji Yue: [?]

Gorgeous Straight Guy: [Sorry meimei, what I meant is I've actually been diligently stalking and doxxing him. (kneeling)]

Ji Yue: [Did you notice anything, like him meeting other people?]

Gorgeous Straight Guy: [?! Are you suspecting he's cheating? Damn, I knew that guy was utter trash! (vomit)]

Gorgeous Straight Guy: [As far as I know, he meets those bros he knows from the dungeons. Yesterday he met Gu Chiming, and before that he was at that coffin shop for days.]

Ji Yue: [Got it, thanks.]

Gorgeous Straight Guy: [How are you gonna thank me? Can letting me treat you to a meal count? (sobbing)]

Ji Yue: [Next time for sure.]

Gorgeous Straight Guy: [Why are you busy this time? Is there another man next to you?! Is it Chen Zheqin?]

Ji Yue: [Stop.]

Gorgeous Straight Guy: [(pout)(aggrieved)]

[This straight guy is getting dumber and dumber—to get revenge on his enemy, he'd even hit on the guy's wife!]

[Then again, Zhong Xian may not be a necrophiliac, but being a ghost-phile is pretty horrifying too, haha—he doesn't know you're a ghost.] The System flipped noisily through the male lead's memory fragments in the original novel. [In a few more days, he's going to realize you're a ghost!]

----

In last night's chat history, the word "exhibition" had caught the art ghost's attention.

Ji Yue loved browsing art shows; watching others' paintings made him happy too.

He swiped Zhong Xian's ID to buy a ticket and went in. The weather was hot today, but the gallery's AC was blasting like the Arctic—the moment he entered, white everywhere, the ceiling so high he couldn't see the top, like walking into a giant cardboard box. At this hour there weren't many people, just a scattered handful of viewers along the white walls.

Ji Yue stood on tiptoe beyond the one-meter line, face tilted up, looking very earnestly.

The deeper in he went, the more people there were. The exhibition had brought in some famous original paintings, and the crowd all surged that way. Before even arriving, he could see the flash of magnesium lights flickering, lighting the white walls in waves.

Ji Yue shuffled forward with the flow of people. In front of the famous portrait, cameras were aimed at several staff members.

At their head was a man in a light-colored suit, a dove-shaped ornament pinned to his chest, probably to match the exhibition's theme.

For that reason, Ji Yue gave him a second look.

Rimless glasses, impeccable attire, not a hair out of place.

This person—they'd met not long ago.

Gu Chiming spoke some platitudes to the camera, his tone bland, and thunderous applause followed.

He clearly hadn't noticed that a fierce ghost had slipped into the crowd.

Ji Yue looked around, noted the crowd density was absurd, and decided to come back near closing when there'd be fewer people. Just as he thought this, Gu Chiming's gaze swept over.

Amid the surging heads, the two locked eyes across several rows of shoulders and heads, but quickly looked away.

Gu Chiming gazed into the crowd. Ji Yue's outfit today was like a summer seaside memory, calling to mind sun-bleached beaches and azure waves.

The girl in the sky-blue dress bared her shoulders and neck, long hair cascading down her back, two silver rings dangling from her earlobes. She only glanced at him once before turning away quite coldly.

[Gu Chiming is openly staring at you! I bet he's into you!]

'He isn't.'

[Hard to say! My new program is very accurate!]

Ji Yue wandered leisurely about, then stopped again before a still life.

This corner wasn't far from Gu Chiming's position; looking up, he could see the other man discussing artworks before the cameras.

In the original novel, the male lead's buddies never gave up trying to exorcise the ghost.

If they got a powerful talisman from a master ahead of time, plus set up an array, the male lead's good bros would suddenly lunge and—smack—slap it onto the fierce ghost's forehead.

Once the talisman stuck, Ji Yue would collapse with spiraling mosquito-coil eyes and get dragged away like a sweet potato to be sealed.

So annoying.

Ji Yue furrowed his brows slightly at the thought, lifted his skirt hem, and went up to the second floor.

The second floor had a silent rest area. On the wall was painted a sealed-up bloody gaping maw; the artist required all visitors entering to make no sound—not even yawning.

Ji Yue found a seat and took out a horror novel to study carefully.

Previously he'd watched lots of Hong Kong ghost films; now he wanted some literary refinement to cultivate his ghostly sensibilities.

Two minutes later, he was immersively projecting himself into the villainous fierce ghost slaughtering everything in its path, reading with surging excitement.

He'd just flipped to a new page when a note slid across from the opposite side, interrupting the blood-splattered scene.

—[Is Zhong Xian picking you up at noon, or are you eating on your own?]

Ji Yue looked up. The one who'd passed the note was Gu Chiming. His irises were light-colored, giving him a somewhat aggressive look, the paper dove on his chest swaying nimbly.

He wrote a reply: [Mm-hmm.]

He pushed the note back across and went on reading.

Gu Chiming unfolded the note, glanced at him, said nothing, and folded it away.

Half an hour later, closing time approached.

Ji Yue still had that painting on his mind. He hurriedly got up to pack, looked up, and found the dove man opposite still there. Gu Chiming wore all white, nearly blending into the background. A laptop sat open on the table as if he were working, but his gaze wasn't on the screen.

[Hm? Something's off—why does the male lead's good bro keep looking at you? Could it be—]

'Stop.'

He knew what the System was about to say next.

[He's been sitting so long without moving—could it be it's inconvenient for him to stand up?]

[Drop a pen on the floor right now, crouch down, and check under the table whether he's got a reaction to you!]

'...'

Compared to that possibility, the male lead's bros were far more eager to get rid of him—Ji Yue knew this well.

As the timeline progressed, the male lead's faction gained more and more helpers; metaphysics masters and exorcists would join too, eventually finding the fierce ghost's remains and sealing them.

Gu Chiming was naturally spirit-sensitive, able to communicate with the underworld—maybe he already knew something.

Ji Yue turned and walked out of the silent room.

"Heading home?" Gu Chiming called after him.

No response.

"Do you want to see that painting?"

His footsteps halted.

Ji Yue looked back, puzzled. "It closes in five minutes. There's no time to get there now."

"It's fine. This gallery is mine." Gu Chiming stood and walked out, his tone bland, as if it weren't worth mentioning.

[Oho, so this guy is the gallery's investor. Glad he appreciates the arts, heh!]

The two crossed through a glass elevator up to the sixth floor. The whole exhibition hall was empty; the world of white walls, floors, and ceilings was restored to a blank sheet of paper. The only focal point in sight was the portrait at the far end. The woman in the painting stood on gray-green grass, a lead-gray sky behind her.

"The painter's last painting of his deceased wife. He died soon after too," Gu Chiming introduced the background. "Going by this painter's life, he'd probably end up fried in oil down in the underworld."

"The underworld isn't what you people imagine anymore."

Ji Yue corrected the human's misconception.

"Then what's it like?"

"The underworld has developed fast. There's delivery and express shipping now, so lots of ghosts don't want to come to the human world. The number of ghosts among the living has dropped sharply; humans and ghosts have reached a balance."

"Are the delivery workers the same as in the human world?"

Ji Yue had no choice but to describe the underworld express home delivery he'd seen last time.

"So that's how it is."

Gu Chiming listened, asking a few casual questions, nodding from time to time.

A spirit medium should have been to the underworld himself. Ji Yue didn't understand what this man was playing at, acting like this.

[He wants to screw you! Playing dumb and asking you these questions now is to get your attention first.]

'...'

Ji Yue turned his gaze back to the painting.

Minor interlude aside, he was very satisfied with today's exhibition.

Before leaving, Gu Chiming called out to him.

"Zhong Xian told me before that he's been very busy lately and feels guilty that you've been living alone, so he asked me to look after you more. If anything urgent comes up, you can contact me. That's also why I came to find you today."

Ji Yue couldn't comprehend it.

"Don't you want to scatter my soul to the winds?"

"Before, I was just worried my brother wasn't doing well. But seeing how he insists on being with you, I don't want to say anything more."

Gu Chiming's tone was very flat, without any warmth. Unlike the gorgeous straight guy, he had a cold-featured face and spoke the same way—which, paradoxically, sounded more believable.

Ji Yue: "Oh."

Gu Chiming took out his phone and held it out: "Add me on WeChat, in case anything comes up."

"Okay."

"Any plans after this? Want me to drive you home?"

"No need."

Ji Yue coldly turned and walked off.

[Sounds fishy! With Zhong Xian's personality, would he entrust his wife to a good bro's care? That guy has to be making it up!] The System was skeptical. [If that's the case, our plot is collapsing again!]

'Dunno.'

Ji Yue didn't take that promise seriously. Even if something came up, he wouldn't ask Gu Chiming for help.

Downstairs, he stood at the gallery entrance preparing to hail a ride.

A silver sports car glided through his field of vision like a cloud.

The door rose slowly. In the driver's seat sat a light-brown-haired young man who took off his sunglasses to greet him.

The weather was sweltering. This guy wore a colorful, loose shirt, his hair nearly sun-bleached gold, like he'd just come back from the beach and was about to pop champagne the next second.

"Meimei, done with the exhibition?"

Kong Youzhuo grinned, tiger teeth pointy.

Ji Yue looked straight ahead and ruthlessly walked around his car.

"Xiao Yue, want a ride home?"

"No."

"Why not? It's far from your place, and it's raining now—you won't get a cab."

"..."

Ji Yue looked down at his phone—several hundred people queued for rides nearby.

But taking the gorgeous straight guy's car home?

[I have a feeling something would happen in that car! You know what I mean—that guy doesn't look mentally stable.]

Ji Yue immediately turned wary, brows knitting, looking first at the sports car, then at Kong Youzhuo beside it, scanning him up and down, head to toe.

Kong Youzhuo laughed: "I'm not some mega-pervert, why are you guarding against me like this?"

"Mind your own business."

"Get in, little princess, hurry—once rush hour hits there'll be real traffic. My driving's great, don't worry."

With much pulling and tugging, Ji Yue got shoved into the car.

Ji Yue placed both hands on his lap, eyes forward, sitting very properly. Kong Youzhuo buckled his seatbelt for him, incidentally praising how pretty his blue dress was today.

Even after being complimented and driven home, Ji Yue kept a cold face: "Thank you for driving me home."

"Did your boyfriend buy the dress? It's nice—blue really suits you."

Kong Youzhuo asked casually.

"Mm. You can ask him for the link and buy the same one."

"Am I the kind of perverted man who likes wearing women's clothes? A man should look like a man." Kong Youzhuo sneered.

[Dammit, how dare this straight guy call our baby a crossdressing pervert!]

Ji Yue didn't care. He turned to look out the window. The rain was still falling.

The plot would soon progress to where Zhong Xian began regaining his senses, realizing there was a ghost at his side—that a man and a ghost were cohabiting—and his good bros would all tell him: you've been fooled by a ghost, body and heart; you're tainted!

By then, the mission would be about 90% complete.

Light pop music played in the car, and Kong Youzhuo hummed along—all familiar street hits.

[According to my program's calculations, Kong Youzhuo is one hundred percent the type to post "XXX I love you" and "XXX I miss you" in the comments of love-song MVs on Bilibili!]

[I suspect your name is already in the bullet comments of some sad love song!]

Just as the System finished, the sports car slowly stopped before the apartment complex.

"I'm here. Thanks for the ride."

With that, Ji Yue pulled the door handle. It didn't budge.

The man in the driver's seat was dead silent too.

"Let me out."

Ji Yue was getting impatient.

"Can't you sit a little longer?" Kong Youzhuo still held the wheel, smiling. "Or is your boyfriend home, and you can't wait to throw yourself into his arms?"

Silence stretched for a few seconds.

Kong Youzhuo only thought the corn cannon was his own wild imagining; he had no idea it was one of the fierce ghost's expressions of aggression—nightmares reflecting reality.

But I'm a fierce ghost...!

The next second, without warning, his collar was seized by Ji Yue.

A fair, clean face leaned in close, cold in expression, head tilted at him—like a hunting wildcat.

Kong Youzhuo's heartbeat instantly spiraled out of control.

Like an electric current—numbing, ticklish, hot.

Thick black hair floated and scattered across Kong Youzhuo's face.

Ji Yue's right hand, clenched into a fist, slammed viciously into the man's shoulder—bang bang bang—raining down several rapid blows.