Chapter 32: A Pervert’s Proposal and an Echoing Vengeful Spirit

Is this man truly a pervert? The thought of him wanting to lock her away in a wine cellar, treating her as if she were a bottle of aged vintage, was utterly unsettling.

Upon hearing her, Bai Hao merely offered a faint smile, his hand rising to gently lift the alabaster chin of the woman before him. “Tsk, tsk,” he murmured.

“Teacher Xia, if you doubt my words, you’re certainly welcome to test them,” he said, a glint in his eye. “I, for one, am quite looking forward to it.”

Xia Zhiquiu’s delicate frame shivered at his words, and she found herself unable to meet the young man’s gaze. Swatting his hand away, she declared.

“I would never engage in anything untoward with another man!”

‘It was utterly impossible for her to fall for a man; women, perhaps, but never a man. Thus, the young man’s concerns were entirely superfluous.’

A satisfied nod from Bai Hao followed, and he reached out to gently smooth a stray strand of her hair.

“Teacher Xia, you’re truly well-behaved.”

Xia Zhiquiu let out a cold snort. ‘Was this accursed scoundrel truly treating her like a mere pet?’

“Can we proceed to Gu Chen’s place now?”

Bai Hao nodded in agreement, taking the mature beauty’s delicate hand in his. After a quick glance confirmed the diamond ring still adorned her finger, he finally led her downstairs.

Xia Zhiquiu exhaled softly in relief. The truth was, she always took off the ring, save for when she was in the young man’s presence.

Such a sizable diamond ring, if worn perpetually, would undoubtedly attract too much attention, and trouble would surely follow in its wake.

Once Xia Zhiquiu had shed the rather scandalous attire, the two descended the stairs. She then placed a call to the bar to request leave, and they set off, heading towards the address Gu Chen had provided.

As they drove, Bai Hao found himself observing Auntie Xia, who was focused intently on the road. His gaze drifted over her long, elegant eyelashes, her sensuous red lips, and her alluring collarbone…

“Auntie Xia,” he began, “perhaps you shouldn’t continue working at that bar.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Xia Zhiquiu retorted.

“If I don’t work, will you support me?”

No sooner had the words left her lips than she realized their implication, and a blush of acute embarrassment crept across her lovely features.

Observing Auntie Xia’s endearing reaction, Bai Hao nodded, readily agreeing to her unspoken challenge.

“Of course,” he affirmed. “I still have a substantial amount of savings, more than enough to provide for both Auntie Xia and our daughter, Xia Wei.”

Upon hearing the young man’s audacious claim, Xia Zhiquiu couldn’t help but roll her eyes, a hint of annoyance coloring her tone.

“Don’t spout such nonsense! Xia Wei is my daughter, not yours!”

Bai Hao, however, merely tilted his head in response.

“What difference does it make? Auntie Xia, you’re my wife. If she’s your daughter, doesn’t that automatically make her my daughter too?”

Xia Zhiquiu found herself utterly speechless.

“Before, she was even your girlfriend,” she pointed out.

“Auntie Xia, you just said ‘before’,” he retorted. “We can’t dwell in the past; we must live in the present.”

Xia Zhiquiu had no desire to listen to the young man’s ramblings any further. It seemed no matter what she argued, he would invariably find a counterpoint, so she simply lapsed into silence.

Noticing Auntie Xia’s silence, Bai Hao, ever persistent, pressed on.

“So, Auntie Xia, would you please consider leaving that job?” he pleaded. “I’ll support you; your only responsibility will be to remain as beautiful as a blooming flower.”

Xia Zhiquiu rolled her eyes at his words, yet she couldn’t resist responding.

“Isn’t your money still from your parents?” she challenged. “You haven’t earned it yourself. You’ll only be qualified to speak like this when you can support yourself.”

“Besides, I genuinely enjoy bartending, so I have no intention of resigning.”

Bai Hao froze at her declaration, then pursed his lips, falling silent.

Watching the young man momentarily at a loss for words, Xia Zhiquiu had expected to feel a surge of triumph. Yet, the reality was, she wasn’t quite as pleased as she had anticipated.

***

Half an hour later, the pair finally arrived at the residence of Gu Chen and his sister.

After the passing of their parents, a house and a substantial sum of savings had been bequeathed to them, sufficient to ensure their comfort and sustenance until they entered university.

It was, in its own way, a silver lining to their profound misfortune.

“Auntie Xia, Brother Hao, you’ve arrived?” Gu Chen greeted them. “Please, come inside first; we can talk there.”

Gu Chen opened the door for Xia Zhiquiu and Bai Hao. He appeared visibly fatigued, dark circles shadowing his eyes.

It was evident that his sister’s predicament weighed heavily on him. Xia Zhiquiu deeply empathized with this sentiment, recalling her own anguish when Xia Wei’s shadow had been devoured.

The trio entered the living room. As it was already evening, Gu Xin had once again succumbed to sleep. Gu Chen then elaborated on several details he hadn’t managed to convey during their phone conversation.

Ultimately, they unanimously concluded that a malevolent entity was at play. They had, after all, encountered such entities on numerous occasions, and the abilities of each ‘guiwu’ proved to be consistently unpredictable.

“Xiao Xin only experiences that strange phenomenon once a day,” Gu Chen explained. “It already happened tonight, so we’ll likely have to wait until tomorrow to observe it again.”

Gu Chen spoke, yet a profound sense of helplessness and self-reproach gnawed at his heart.

Bai Hao nodded gravely upon hearing this.

“Then we’ll simply have to wait until tomorrow to observe further,” Bai Hao stated. “We must first ascertain the exact malevolent entity at work before we can devise an appropriate countermeasure.”

Xia Zhiquiu, too, offered words of comfort.

“Don’t worry too much,” she reassured him. “We’ll all be here to help you.”

Gu Chen nodded, a hint of apology in his voice.

“My apologies, Auntie Xia, Brother Hao, for making you travel all this way so late,” he said. “Please, stay here tonight; there are plenty of spare rooms.”

Upon hearing his offer, Xia Zhiquiu and Bai Hao exchanged a glance before nodding in agreement. Returning home now would simply waste too much time; it was far more practical to remain here for the night.

“Then we’ll impose upon you,” Xia Zhiquiu said.

***

As evening fell, a gentle night breeze stirred, carrying with it a distinct, refreshing chill.

Naturally, Bai Hao and Xia Zhiquiu were assigned separate guest rooms. Gu Chen relinquished his own room to Bai Hao, while Xia Zhiquiu was settled into a different guest room.

Gu Chen, however, remained uneasy about his sister. He chose to stay in her room, keeping watch and attempting to snatch a few moments of sleep there.

Yet, once the lights in all three rooms had been extinguished, a lone figure quietly opened a bedroom door and stealthily slipped into another.

Gu Chen was jolted awake by the distinct sound of banging against a wall. He groggily opened his eyes, only to find his sister’s bed before him utterly empty!

This sight instantly jolted Gu Chen wide awake. He rushed out of the room, just as Xia Zhiquiu and Bai Hao emerged simultaneously from their respective guest rooms.

Thankfully, consumed by worry for his sister, Gu Chen paid no mind to why a student and a teacher might be emerging from the same room…

The three exchanged worried glances before hurrying into the living room. There, they found the young woman, eyes closed, her once beautiful face contorted into an expression of ferocious despair.

Clutching a kitchen knife, she was relentlessly hacking away at a wall.

At this sight, Gu Chen immediately surged forward, only to be restrained by Bai Hao. With a subtle shake of his head, Bai Hao compelled the young man to hold back his impulse.

A short while later, the young woman appeared to lose all strength, her face twisting in agony. She curled into a fetal position on the floor, eventually lapsing into stillness.

Gu Chen swiftly moved forward, disarming the young woman, then gently lifted her and carried her back to the bedroom. When he re-emerged, his eyes were visibly reddened.

“It’s all my fault,” he choked out. “If I hadn’t insisted on dragging my sister into seeking revenge, perhaps none of these strange occurrences would have befallen us.”

Xia Zhiquiu was deeply moved by his words.

“How can you possibly blame yourself?” she countered gently. “If blame must be assigned, it belongs solely to those accursed malevolent entities.”

Bai Hao paused, startled by her words, then rubbed his nose thoughtfully before speaking.

“I believe I might know what kind of malevolent entity has targeted your sister,” he announced.

Gu Chen’s eyes immediately lit up, and he eagerly clasped Bai Hao’s hand.

“Is that truly so, Brother Hao?”

Faced with such an agitated young man, Bai Hao subtly extricated his hand, for he harbored no interest in such ‘fencing’ endeavors.

“Hmm,” Bai Hao mused. “It’s quite clear your sister isn’t under the control of those malevolent entities capable of manipulating souls, which is good news. If she truly were, the situation would be far more troublesome.”

“Furthermore, she only exhibits these unconscious, repetitive behaviors during deep sleep. I suspect this is likely connected to a malevolent entity known as an Echoing Vengeful Spirit.”