Chapter 30: The Warmest Lie

Xie Wuyu was also a ghost.

As he realized this, the fake memories in his mind were shattered bit by bit.

There never was a sixth guest.

From the very beginning, there were only five people.

Why were his memories blurry, unable to recall the first time he met Xie Wuyu, or the details of their interactions?

It was obvious because they were all fake.

Meeting for the first time, sharing similar interests, becoming close friends… all of it was fabricated.

Zhao Hai had said that ghosts are mostly formed by a person’s resentment and obsession after death, lacking clear consciousness. But why did Xie Wuyu seem just like a normal human, able to disguise himself so perfectly, and even tamper with their memories?

Pei Liu looked around at Wu Kai and the others. Not a single person showed any strange reaction; they all treated Xie Wuyu as an ordinary human. He had been like this too, but today, he had suddenly noticed the anomalies. The lack of a shadow and the concealed, yet faint, ghostly aura—all pointed to an unacceptable truth.

Could a normal ghost possess such formidable power?

What was Xie Wuyu’s purpose in pretending to be human?

Pei Liu couldn’t figure it out, and his current situation didn’t allow him the luxury of overthinking.

Xie Wuyu walked toward him, closing the distance step by step, and quickly stopped in front of him. His irises were a rare deep black, like the surface of the sea at night, hiding immense danger beneath its calm.

He couldn’t blow his cover; he absolutely couldn’t let Xie Wuyu know he had found out.

Otherwise, who knows what would happen.

He had to pretend to be completely unaware, acting exactly as before.

Although he thought this, when Xie Wuyu reached out to touch his face, he still couldn’t help but tremble slightly and flinch backward.

Xie Wuyu paused, concern revealing itself in his eyes: “Your face doesn’t look well, are you not feeling well?”

Pei Liu tried hard to suppress the urge to step back and run. He met Xie Wuyu’s gaze, his voice dry as he said: “…I, I’m fine.”

“That’s good then. If you’re unwell, you must say so. Don’t force yourself. I’d be very happy to take care of you.” Xie Wuyu smiled slightly, instantly diluting his aloof demeanor. He appeared gentle and considerate, making one naturally want to get closer.

The others chimed in, telling Pei Liu to take care of his health.

Pei Liu’s breath hitched, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. He felt cold all over, and the cheek Xie Wuyu was touching gradually turned pale.

He suddenly remembered that those fabricated memories weren’t entirely false; some were based on reality. For example, when he had a fever, whose hand did he grab, and who fed him water? It wasn’t the staff, it was Xie Wuyu!

Pei Liu shuddered uncontrollably, his legs feeling weak.

“Are you cold?” Xie Wuyu asked gently.

Pei Liu shook his head stiffly: “…I’m fine.”

Afraid that if he continued to look at Xie Wuyu and speak, he wouldn’t be able to hold it together and would give himself away, he abruptly changed the subject: “Let’s do the task first.”

No one objected. Xie Wuyu, playing the part of a fake human, cooperated seamlessly. He seemed truly close to Pei Liu and very compliant.

The old Pei Liu would have clung to Xie Wuyu familiarly, chatting non-stop, but now, using the excuse of discussing the task, Pei Liu walked quickly over to Zhao Hai, lowered his voice, and asked: “Teacher Zhao, did your relative ever teach you how to tell if someone is a human or a ghost?”

Zhao Hai was surprised: “Is there a need to tell? Isn’t it obvious?”

Pei Liu hesitated: “What if a ghost can disguise itself as a human…”

“That’s impossible,” Zhao Hai said with certainty. “Unless they possess a living person and use their body. Otherwise, even just to manifest, they have to wait for times when yin energy is heavy. There are many restrictions, and their appearance remains as it was at the time of death. If there really is a ghost that can do what you described…”

At this point, Zhao Hai paused, his expression turning serious: “That would mean it’s incredibly powerful. Even Heavenly Masters would be wary of it and at a loss for what to do.”

Pei Liu’s heart sank heavily.

Zhao Hai asked suspiciously: “Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”

This matter was more serious than Pei Liu had imagined. There was no way to deal with it, and speaking out would only cause panic. He forced a nonchalant smile: “Nothing, just asking, afraid we might run into that kind of situation.”

Zhao Hai could somewhat understand; similar plots had appeared in horror movies, so he comforted him: “Don’t worry, a ghost like that is seen once in a millennium. We can leave tomorrow anyway, it’s fine.”

Pei Liu nodded. He listened on the surface, but his heart was trembling. Seen once in a millennium? How unlucky must I be to run into one on my first try?

He turned his head and happened to lock eyes with Xie Wuyu. The flawless face offered him a slight smile.

Pei Liu stiffened, returned the smile, and quickly turned away, pretending to be very busy discussing clues with Wu Kai: “About that VHS tape…”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to act natural, but he truly lacked acting skills. The moment he met Xie Wuyu’s eyes, his heart raced, and his legs went weak; he couldn’t hide it at all.

Suddenly, his hand was grasped.

Pei Liu twitched reflexively, turned to look, his eyes widening slightly, and his lips parting unconsciously, like a frightened kitten.

Xie Wuyu interlaced their fingers, holding his hand tightly. Using a very casual tone, he smiled and said: “It’s too dark, holding hands makes it easier to walk.”

Pei Liu wanted to refuse, but he couldn’t control the fear in his heart. He stammered: “No… no need…”

“You don’t want to?”

Under the dim wall lamp, his handsome face and gentle expression surpassed the looks of many celebrities. But at this moment, Pei Liu had no mind to appreciate it; he only felt that the other’s skin was as pale as paper, exuding an eerie chill everywhere, which was terrifying.

Pei Liu paused, shaking his head with great difficulty: “…No.”

He feigned calmness on his face, but his heart was beating wildly, his body stiff as a rock.

The hand holding his felt as if it were wrapped in ice, numbing him with cold.

Why hadn’t he noticed before that Xie Wuyu’s body temperature was much lower than an ordinary person’s? It wasn’t normal at all.

As they stepped on the wooden floorboards, the slight creaking sounds entered Pei Liu’s ears, amplified many times over.

He couldn’t hear Xie Wuyu’s footsteps.

He couldn’t help but wonder: Is Xie Wuyu walking normally? Could he be floating…

The more he thought about it, the stronger his fear grew, yet he couldn’t control it.

His nerves were incredibly tense, like a taut string ready to snap at any moment.

Suddenly, a loud smack sounded near his ear.

Startled, Pei Liu jerked violently, almost crying out.

A long, slender hand rested on his back, gently stroking down his spine in tender comfort.

Xie Wuyu said: “Don’t be afraid, it’s just the wind blowing a branch against the windowpane.”

The motion, like smoothing the fur of a frightened kitten, had a very calming effect. Pei Liu did calm down a bit, but upon hearing Xie Wuyu’s voice, he tensed up again. Furthermore, the action of stroking his back gave him a bizarre sense of familiarity, making his skin crawl.

After discovering Xie Wuyu was a ghost, no matter what he did, Pei Liu only felt terrified.

He forced a smile, stepped back to avoid Xie Wuyu’s hand, and said with a somewhat distant tone: “Thank you, I’m fine.”

The smile on Xie Wuyu’s lips faded, and the hand suspended in mid-air slowly dropped.

Pei Liu didn’t notice, nor would he care.

Because of this small interlude, their clasped hands parted. Pei Liu didn’t want to touch his hand again, feigned nonchalance, and quickly walked forward, showing unprecedented enthusiasm for the task.

Xie Wuyu lagged behind at the end of the group, most of his figure hidden in the shadows. Beneath his long eyelashes, his gaze was dark, locking onto Pei Liu’s retreating back with an expressionless face. After a long while, the corners of his mouth curled into a slight arc, and he let out a silent sneer before continuing his unhurried pace.

Pei Liu felt as if there were needles on his back, but he didn’t turn around.

That day, with Xie Wuyu present, the tasks went much smoother.

Whenever a ghost appeared, if Pei Liu didn’t handle it, Xie Wuyu stepped in to solve it.

Wu Kai and the others were very fortunate and grateful, joking that with two bosses around, they were getting a free ride to victory.

Dinner time arrived.

Wu Kai ate while talking animatedly, visibly excited: “After tonight, we can leave.”

Everyone was looking forward to this, but Pei Liu remained silent, merely keeping his head down and eating quietly, while stealing glances at Xie Wuyu’s reaction from the corner of his eye.

Generally speaking, the ghosts in such old houses were earthbound spirits, unable to leave.

Would Xie Wuyu get angry hearing this?

Pei Liu stayed vigilant, ready to react, but Xie Wuyu’s response was very normal; he smiled and nodded: “Yes, that’s great.”

This human-like, gentle behavior didn’t make Pei Liu sigh in relief; instead, he grew even more tense.

Pei Liu changed the subject again, chatting about inconsequential things.

But Xie Wuyu pulled it back.

“What about you? Do you also want to leave quickly?”

Pei Liu stiffened, unconsciously tightening his grip on his chopsticks. Thinking of the answer he might have given when his mind was clouded by the ghost, he curled his lips, smiled, and said: “Didn’t I say it yesterday? Of course I do. After leaving here, we can keep in touch and go to other places to hang out.”

Xie Wuyu smiled and agreed: “Alright, it’s a deal then.”

Pei Liu couldn’t help but think: That’s impossible, right? How could a ghost go anywhere it pleases? He’s only this powerful because he’s on his own turf, otherwise it’s just too unreasonable.

He tried hard to dig out evidence from horror movies and novels he had read to justify this, constantly trying to persuade himself. Under such psychological suggestion, his heartbeat finally began to slow down.

Xie Wuyu picked up a piece of cola chicken wing for him.

Pei Liu thanked him obediently, lowered his head, and gnawed on it silently. He looked no different from before, except for the fact that his posture was straining to lean in the opposite direction of Xie Wuyu.

After dinner was the most agonizing time.

Because Pei Liu shared a room with Xie Wuyu, it would be just the two of them alone. Just thinking about it made Pei Liu’s scalp numb and his legs weak.

I want to share a room with someone else so badly!

Pei Liu looked pitifully at Wu Kai, but unfortunately, the thick-skulled man completely missed his distress signals.

Wu Kai waved cheerfully, turned, and strode towards his own room, even humming a tune, clearly in high spirits.

Soon, only Pei Liu and Xie Wuyu remained.

Xie Wuyu grasped his hand and smiled: “Let’s go back and rest too.”

Pei Liu desperately wanted to say he wanted to chat and hang out in the other guests’ rooms for a bit and not go back just yet, but when he met Xie Wuyu’s eyes, he swallowed the words. Pressing his pale lips tightly together, he nodded.

Xie Wuyu held his hand, leisurely walking to the bedroom door. He expertly opened it and led him inside.

The door slowly closed behind them.

Click.

Pei Liu shuddered involuntarily, almost instantly wanting to turn around and run away.