Chi Jianqing turned back first to deal with the remnants of the bodies, cleaning up the aftermath of the bloody chaos. Once that was done, he returned to the roadside, eyes fixed, waiting.
But there was no taxi parked there. No driver waiting to honor Yu Lang’s promise.
Yu Lang was gone. He hadn’t intended to return for him at all.
Drenched in the heavy rain, Yu Lang had hailed a cab and driven straight home.
Arriving at his destination without enough money to pay, he flashed that innocent, earnest face of his, muttered a few sweet words and convinced the driver to unlock the doors. Then, without a backward glance, he disappeared into the darkness.
Yu Lang leisurely climbed his way upstairs, humming a tune, celebrating yet another day he had survived.
The building was an old structure from the previous century. A long corridor ran through the floor, connecting every household. Each kitchen jutted out into the hallway.
The facade of the building had weathered to a mix of iron green and dull gray. Patches of plaster on the walls alternated black and white, telling the story of countless repairs over the decades.
The hallways and stairwells had no lights. Most of the residents had gone to bed early. The only illumination came from lightning flashing across the sky after each rolling thunder.
The lights in the units flickered sporadically, broken, unreliable.
In the shadows, strange, undefined shapes seemed to take on eerie life.
They came alive at night, only to vanish again with the dawn.
A sharp, grating “buzz…. buzz… ” cut through the still air.
It sounded as if a metal gate had been opened and left ajar, scraping the rough ground but the sound came from the stairwell below.
There were no metal gates on the ground floor.
Curiosity halted Yu Lang’s ascent. He leaned over the dark green iron railing, peering into the gap between staircases.
As his gaze dropped, it felt as if a stone had been sucked into a whirlpool, forcibly swallowed by the figure standing on the lower landing.
“You don’t need to run.”
Yu Lang’s legs went weak.
Was that a threat? That he couldn’t escape?
In an instant, every hair on his body stood on end, visible in the dim lightning flashes.
A chilling shiver crawled up his spine, radiating outward from the center of his body, as if he had plunged into icy water or had someone hammering nails into his bones.
His bones trembled.
His skin felt as though a thousand needles had pierced from head to toe, tightening violently from his skull to his ankles. Every inch of him was taut, on the brink of snapping.
Thud…
With every step the man took on the stairs, the spade hanging by his side struck the steps with a warning clang, icy and heavy.
Thud….
Thud…
Thud….
Yu Lang bolted, scrambling up to the fourth floor, diving into the smallest room at the far end of the corridor.
Chi Jianqing tilted his head slightly, puzzled at why Yu Lang ran upon seeing him.
Bang!
A door on the fourth floor slammed shut.
Yu Lang hastily pushed tables and chairs against the doorframe, scanning the room for a hiding spot. There was nowhere else to hide. Reluctantly, he squeezed under the bed.
The wooden door offered no soundproofing.
The thudding steps outside ceased after the final step, replaced by a low, continuous buzzing, like a drill boring into the eardrums, gnawing at the nerves.
Until a black shadow pressed against the crack of the door. The scraping stopped abruptly.
Yu Lang shivered under the bed, trembling uncontrollably.
“You need me.”
The voice was devoid of emotion, like a warning.
Yu Lang didn’t answer. Instead, he pressed his hands to his mouth and nose, trying to stifle every breath.
Seeing no response, the spade slammed straight against the door. Its sharp tip wedged into the wood, extracted slowly, then struck again with crushing force.
The door was mangled beyond recognition, hanging precariously from its frame.
A pale hand shot through the horrifying gap, forcing the lock open.
Yu Lang closed his eyes in despair, pressing his hands tightly over his ears.
He tried to deceive the world around him by blocking his senses, pretending the danger didn’t exist.
Boom!
Even with his ears covered, the door collapsing thundered like the sky itself breaking apart.
The scraping of the spade against the floor resumed, penetrating through his palms, drilling into his ears.
But strangely, once the spade entered the room, the sound stopped, eerily silent.
Yu Lang strained to listen, focusing all attention on the absence of sound.
Suddenly, a heavy thud! resonated.
Yu Lang let out a terrified scream.
“It hurts!”
He couldn’t tell whether his waist had gone numb or broken. The spade had pierced the bedboards, pressing rigidly against his already stiff lower back, trapping him between iron and floor.
Like a fish fixed to a grill, scorched and immobilized, utterly powerless.
Yu Lang’s eyes were squeezed shut. His body tensed into a rigid line, breath barely existent, his face flushed red from holding his last gasp of air.
He was terrified of ghosts. Terrified beyond reason.
Humans could be fought but ghosts… had no limits.
Silence enveloped the room, heavier than death itself. Even the rainstorm outside seemed to halt its relentless assault.
Gone?
Gone… maybe.
Yu Lang whispered prayers in his mind, Buddhist, Christian, Taoist blessings, all of them, before daring to squint at the dim surroundings.
It was not only quiet… but utterly dark.
Lightning hadn’t struck for some time; darkness stretched endlessly.
Yu Lang lowered his hands from his ears and opened his eyes fully.
And in that fleeting flash of blinding light, his gaze collided with Chi Jianqing’s face, pale and serene, reflecting back his trembling pupils.
Yu Lang froze, dumbstruck, still staring at Chi Jianqing.
At some point, inexplicably, Chi Jianqing had appeared beneath the bed, lying side by side with him, silently observing.
It was as if they could remain locked in this standoff, eyeing each other from under the bed forever.
Watching.
Guarding.
The gaze felt like the spade piercing between them, sharp and intrusive.
Yu Lang’s mind screamed repeatedly: I’m dead!
The villain’s fate was always a brutal death. This time, he was certain it was over for him.
Humans sought vengeance but what of a vengeful ghost?
The spade, swinging in his mind was poised to strike precisely at his lower back.
He had killed and wounded so many, the scales of retribution piled high. A torment to death at the hands of a ghost seemed inevitable.
Chi Jianqing’s lips curved slightly, revealing a chilling, ghostly smile.
Yu Lang once again reaffirmed his certainty: He was doomed.
Chi Jianqing’s fingers touched the open palm of Yu Lang’s hand, tracing aimless patterns.
“Leave me as a whole corpse… ” Yu Lang bargained, inching closer, forcing a smile, lowering himself: “Let me live a few more days. Just the two of us, enjoy ourselves, please?”
Chi Jianqing remained unmoved.
But to Yu Lang, the absence of outright refusal was subtle consent.
He pressed his lips against Chi Jianqing’s corner of the mouth, nuzzling deliberately like a small cat.
Chi Jianqing noticed the faint minty taste, as sweet as the sugar he had crushed with his fingertips. The lip ring was cold, sharp against his mouth’s corner.
“Are you afraid of me?”
Yu Lang only pleaded, “Don’t kill me.”
Chi Jianqing slowly realized the source of Yu Lang’s fear was himself.
They huddled together under the low, narrow bed, pressed close.
Chi Jianqing carefully held Yu Lang’s scarred palm. Even in the dim light, tiny shards of glass were visible.
His voice was calm yet heavy, like the sound of the spade crashing through the wooden floor, sending Yu Lang reeling, ears ringing.
A voice that was soft but encased him completely.
He said:
“You said you needed a lot… a lot of love. I will love you.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
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✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Dead HusbandChapter 2 · Ghost ChaseChapter 3 · I’ve been fooled againChapter 4 · I need lots and lots of loveChapter 5 · I’ll kill you!^^Chapter 6 · Haha, really!Chapter 7 · This is what it means to be love-struck.Chapter 8 · We meet again, my loveChapter 9 · The little snakeChapter 10 · I’ve been fooled againChapter 11 · The daily routine of sasaeng fans following othersChapter 12 · Inferiority complexChapter 13 · It hurtsChapter 14 · Want to go out? Sure!Chapter 15 · Damn it!Chapter 16 · My wife hitting me is a reward for meChapter 17 · Licking sweatChapter 18 · The vinegar was friedChapter 19 · What a clever tactic, Chi Jianqing!Chapter 20 · Loving me is a very painful thing.Chapter 21 · The words may be rough, but the principle is soundChapter 22 · It wasn’t just two hitsChapter 23 · Turns out I’m not 3, I’m 1!Chapter 24 · Easy To CoaxChapter 25 · Confessing loveChapter 26 · DearChapter 27 · Honey, it felt so good when you scolded me.Chapter 28 · Let’s go after tearing off the human skinChapter 29 Part 1 · Honey, I caught you!Chapter 29 Part 2 · Honey, I caught you!Chapter 30 · Little Blind CrippleChapter 31 · How could I give up? I’ve given you my heart.Chapter 32 · The gloomy CEOChapter 33 · X-harassmentChapter 34 · Little third wheelChapter 35 · I am Chi JianqingChapter 36 · I am his husband, and you are?Chapter 37 · CarChapter 38 · Broken carChapter 39 · I want to kiss youChapter 40 · Silly babyChapter 41 · Chop off hands and feetChapter 42 · Ships and DeathChapter 43 · Chi Jianqing participated in the battle royale and finally obtained a ticket to meet Yu Lang.Chapter 44 · You bastard, get out of here!Chapter 45 · Bad cats can only be forced to love.Chapter 46 · Circle the fox’s tail and rub it back and forthChapter 47 · It hurts so muchChapter 48 · The Second World EndedChapter 49 · Brainless and grumpyChapter 50 · I don’t like you anymoreChapter 51 · I haven’t thought of a title yetChapter 52 · You smell so good, let me hug you and pet youChapter 53 · A big dog bit a kitten’s muzzleChapter 54 · Captive canariesChapter 55 · Male Ghost StrikesChapter 56 · I told you to be quiet!Chapter 57 · I have decided to bestow upon you the title of my wife.Chapter 58 · We’re talking about loveChapter 59 · I really, really like you!Chapter 60 · I want to eat your noodlesChapter 61 · Don’t abandon your puppy!Chapter 62 · What a blissful ending!Chapter 63 · Extra 1Chapter 64 · Extra 2Chapter 65 · Extra 3