Chapter 46: My Haunted Slice of Life

When she saw Xie Wuyu leaving, she decisively seized the opportunity, took her dog, and followed him. Successfully breaking free from the restrictions of the place of death, she stood outside the villa gates, practically vibrating with excited ghostly energy.

She glanced back at the old villa. Inside, a chaotic horde of ghosts, seeing her escape, tried to follow suit. However, they all crashed violently against the gates, piling up on top of each other, squeezed severely out of shape, rivaling the rush hour subway in the human world. Some lost their eyes, some lost their legs.

The little ghost girl crouched down, resting her chubby cheeks in her short hands, and smiled: “Have fun playing, guys.”

After admiring the scene for a while, she stood up, waved vigorously at the ghosts, and yelled: “Goodbye friends, I’m setting sail tonight! Don’t miss me too much~”

Then, she and the little Shiba Inu ran off, leaving only the joyful retreating figures of a child and a dog.

The ghosts gripped the rusty iron bars, stretching their necks, staring longingly as her figure turned into a tiny black speck and vanished completely. Nobody moved; it looked like a still life painting.

The outside world was indeed vibrant and colorful. The little ghost floated and stopped, looking here and touching there. No matter what it was, it was incredibly fresh to her. Her eyes sparkled with keen interest, acting like a country bumpkin in a grand garden.

The colorful world dazzled the ghost’s eyes.

At first, she was genuinely happy, chirping non-stop like a free bird let out of a cage.

But later, as she passed an elementary school just as classes were dismissed, children wearing backpacks poured out, throwing themselves into their parents’ arms, chattering about the day’s amusing events. Parents hugged their children with doting expressions.

The little ghost girl’s pace slowed, and she stared blankly.

The Shiba Inu running ahead noticed its little master had stopped, ran back, nudged her with its head, and licked her face. The little ghost snapped out of her daze, shook her head stubbornly, and hugged the big dog tightly. Her heavy love almost suffocated the Shiba Inu.

She mumbled to herself: “What’s so great about parents? I don’t care at all.”

That night, the little ghost was in a bad mood. Yet, some wandering, blind ghosts dared to approach her, intending to devour her. Though she looked small, she was actually a vengeful spirit who suffered a tragic death, brimming with ghostly energy. She mercilessly beat them until they scrambled away, even robbing them of their incense.

As she was chewing distractedly, she suddenly remembered that she had recently acknowledged a father and promised to steal incense to feed him.

The little ghost girl’s eyes lit up. She stopped absorbing the incense, wiped her drool, stuffed it into her pocket, and took off with the dog, saying happily: “Let’s go! Big Yellow, we’re going to find Dad. Other people’s dads are set, but not mine—I can choose whoever I want. If I don’t like this one, I’ll throw him away and find a new one. My dad has to be the best-looking person in the world!”

She had left a trace of ghostly energy on the cloth doll, giving her a faint connection to it. So, she followed it all the way to the building where Pei Liu lived, looked up, and fixed her gaze on a brilliantly lit window. As expected of Dad’s house, even the lightbulbs are cuter than everyone else’s.

The little ghost decisively rushed upstairs, knocked, and greeted the door-opening Pei Liu with a crisp: “Dad!”

Pei Liu was momentarily stunned. He recognized the child as the ghost from the old villa. But wasn’t she an earthbound spirit? Why could she leave, and how did she find his house?

Pei Liu suddenly thought of what happened while playing the piano on the dating show, where an unseen presence had guided his hands.

So… did he get out too?

Pei Liu couldn’t help but tremble. Then, he felt something furry brush against his leg and a gentle nudge against his waist. Looking down, he met the Shiba Inu’s dark, shiny eyes, its tongue hanging out as it gave a little awoo.

The fluffy cuteness was truly irresistible.

Pei Liu’s heart was instantly pierced. His hands itched; he really wanted to pet it. Just as he reached out, he remembered the little ghost standing outside the door. Turning his head stiffly, he met her sweet, smiling face.

He forced himself to say: “…I am not your dad.”

The little ghost’s smile froze, slowly fading away. Then she lowered her head, her voice trembling with a sob: “I know, nobody likes me. When I was very little, my dad passed away. My mom married another uncle, had a little brother, and didn’t care about me anymore. That’s why a moment of negligence led to me accidentally burning to death at home, wuwuwu…”

Weak, pitiful, and helpless.

She cried so miserably that it was hard not to be moved.

Pei Liu, not knowing how to comfort children, stood there helplessly. The Shiba Inu circled its little master anxiously, looking at Pei Liu pleadingly for help.

Pei Liu hesitated for a moment, reached out and rubbed the little ghost girl’s head, saying with an unfamiliar gentleness: “Don’t cry.”

The little ghost stopped crying, rubbed her little head against his palm like a kitten, then looked up, her eyes sparkling: “So, I can keep calling you Dad, right?”

With such clean, pure eyes looking at him with immense anticipation, who could bear to refuse?

…Pei Liu could.

He remained unmoved, immediately withdrawing his hand and decisively closing the door.

The little ghost clawed at the door, wailing at the top of her lungs: “I know I died a miserable death, not even five years old, wandering outside, possibly being eaten by other ghosts at any moment. But it’s okay, I can survive on my own as a ghost… it’s not scary, not scary at all…”

A few minutes later, the door opened. Pei Liu held his forehead, resigning to his fate: “Come in.”

Pei Liu truly couldn’t bear the little ghost playing the pity card. But it wasn’t as if he hadn’t considered his own safety. He still wore the deity necklace Qin Wu gave him, and he carried a yellow talisman bought from his Daoist master relative. If a ghost approached him with malicious intent, they would trigger a reaction.

So far, the talisman paper hadn’t reacted. Besides, he also wanted to ask the little ghost girl some things.

Hearing his permission, the little ghost immediately shot into the house like a little cannonball. As if afraid he’d change his mind, she tilted her little face up and said earnestly: “I’m good-looking, smart, and well-behaved. Having me call you Dad is definitely a win for you.”

Pei Liu couldn’t help but laugh: “I haven’t even been in a relationship yet, and I already have a daughter. No matter how you look at it, it’s not a win.”

The little ghost pulled a large stick of incense from her pocket and handed it to him: “Look, Dad, I even brought you a gift.”

Pei Liu flatly refused and asked: “What is your name?”

The little ghost blinked: “I forgot. I think they called me Xiao Tian.”

So Pei Liu called her that.

It was his first time hosting a little ghost, and he didn’t know what to do. He told her to sit down first while he went to grab some snacks.

When he came out, he saw Xiao Tian struggling with a chair, trying hard to climb up. She wiggled her little bottom, her short legs flailing in the air. The Shiba Inu tried to help nudge her up, but unfortunately, her center of gravity shifted, and she tumbled back down.

Pei Liu: “…”

What do I do if I kind of want to laugh?

Xiao Tian was about to float up to the chair when she looked up and saw Pei Liu. She naturally opened her arms for a hug: “Dad, carry me up~”

Facing a ghost, Pei Liu was still apprehensive, but Xiao Tian was just too cute. Besides her pale skin, she looked no different from a normal human child. Plus, there was a dog watching him.

Pei Liu hesitated for a few seconds before picking her up and placing the snacks in front of her: “Can you eat this?”

Xiao Tian nodded, tore open the packaging, leaned in, and inhaled the aroma with her nose—that was her way of eating.

Pei Liu waited for a while before finally asking: “You mentioned before that I eat ghosts. What did you mean?”

Xiao Tian’s snacking motion froze, as if someone pressed the pause button. Then, she stealthily backed away, trying to slip away.

How could she forget about that?! She practically delivered herself to be eaten!

Pei Liu: “You want to run?”

It was just an instinctual remark upon seeing her actions, without any threatening intent. But hearing it, the little ghost’s eyes instantly filled with tears, and she begged for mercy: “Dad, don’t eat me. I’ll catch the fattest, biggest ghosts for you to eat.”

Pei Liu: “…”

What a filial little ghost.

Because Pei Liu remained silent, the little ghost assumed he didn’t agree. She wanted to run, but couldn’t help stealing a glance at the snacks, then another. She couldn’t bear to leave the delicious food, and even more so, she couldn’t bear to leave the warmth of Pei Liu’s head pat from earlier.

Therefore, with the resolve of someone facing death, she delivered the most cowardly line: “If you must eat me, that’s fine too. But please, take very small bites, so you can eat me for a long time.”

Pei Liu: “…”

Sustainable development, huh?

He had to soften his voice even more: “I just want to ask you a few questions.”

Xiao Tian looked at Pei Liu for a moment. Seeming to find him trustworthy, she placed her hands on her knees and sat obediently: “…Okay, Dad, what do you want to ask?”

“Why did you say I eat ghosts?”

“I saw it with my own eyes!” Xiao Tian gestured animatedly, vividly describing the scene.

Hearing this, Pei Liu found it unbelievable, but this little ghost had no reason to lie to him, so it was highly likely to be true. But how did he acquire such an ability? He wasn’t sure. In a way, it could be considered a good thing. Next time, he would find time to call the Heavenly Master to ask if they knew anything about it.

While the little ghost sneaked some more snacks, Pei Liu asked again: “Do you… know about the ghost that was beside me in the villa? The one that could disguise itself as a human.”

Xiao Tian shivered, becoming even more timid: “Of course I know. He is terrifying; all ghosts are afraid of him.”

Pei Liu’s heart tightened. Although he guessed Xie Wuyu wasn’t an ordinary ghost, hearing it confirmed still made his heart pound. He asked with difficulty: “Did he come out too?”

Xiao Tian nodded: “He wasn’t a ghost from there to begin with. I only managed to sneak out by borrowing a sliver of his ghostly energy.”

Pei Liu’s heart raced, making him even more certain that the ghost playing the piano that day was Xie Wuyu. He swallowed and asked the question he cared about most: “…Is he in my house?”

Xiao Tian shook her head decisively: “No.”

If that great entity was here, she wouldn’t have dared come looking for her Dad.

Pei Liu let out a long sigh of relief, clutching the deity statue tightly, his fear subsiding. Thank goodness.

With nowhere else to go and her insisting on acknowledging him as her dad, Pei Liu temporarily took her in. Raising a ghost child was vastly different from raising a human child and didn’t require much effort.

While reading scripts at home, Pei Liu also had an extra dog to pet. The fluffy furball was extremely healing and put him in a great mood. Although, sometimes while petting it, another dark, round head would pop up under his palm. The little ghost girl’s eyes would sparkle, showing an innocent smile.

Pei Liu paused, then patted her head as well, feeling a subtle hint of what it meant to be a father. He picked up his phone and ordered quite a few children’s toys online.

Soon, the shooting date approached. His manager came to pick him up for costume fitting photos and to introduce him to the others.

Xiao Tian wanted to tag along. Pei Liu hesitated, but she immediately ran in front of the manager, jumping around and making funny faces, pointing out that no one else could see her, so there was nothing to worry about.

Pei Liu finally relented, telling her to be good, stay within his sight, not run around, and not bother anyone. Also, when others were around, he wouldn’t speak to her so people wouldn’t think he was crazy.

Xiao Tian raised her hand and made a tiny OK sign, lively following him into the car.

As soon as he arrived, he spotted a familiar face.

Pei Liu smiled, his eyes curving into crescents. He walked up and patted his shoulder: “Qin Wu.”

Qin Wu turned around, his eyes somewhat cold and unfamiliar. Pei Liu paused, his smile fading slightly. He couldn’t help but remember hearing that celebrities often just act out personas and scripts on reality shows for the fans. Could it be… that considering them friends was just his own one-sided thought? Was Qin Wu just acting, preferring to act like strangers once the show ended?

Just as Pei Liu was trying to find an excuse to leave, Qin Wu’s eyes suddenly lit up. He seemed incredibly excited and respectful, like a fan meeting their idol: “You’re Pei Liu!”

Pei Liu was a bit dazed, nodding blankly: “…I am.”

Why does it feel like they’re meeting for the first time? It’s weird.

Pei Liu was very surprised because Qin Wu’s personality was quite different from how he was on the show. Instead of being aloof, he was very enthusiastic and talkative. In a daze, Pei Liu was led by him to the male lead’s exclusive dressing room. Qin Wu even mentioned how inconvenient it was with so many people crammed into one dressing room, apologizing for the trouble, and saying that if he didn’t mind, he could temporarily share with him.

Sister Yu was very surprised. When did my artist get so close with the Best Actor? She knew about the CP popularity from the live stream, but she thought it was mostly for show effects and shippers over-analyzing and imagining sweet moments.

But looking at it now, it seemed genuine?

She wasn’t the only one; Qin Wu’s manager was even more shocked. He had managed Qin Wu for several years, watching him rise to fame. He knew Qin Wu came from an extraordinary background. His personality wasn’t exactly difficult, but he definitely had a bit of a young master’s temper—doing whatever he wanted and disdaining socializing. He had never seen Qin Wu treat anyone like this. Could it be that he was secretly a fanboy? Or did he really like Pei Liu?

Manager Brother Wu’s mind raced, already formulating a plan for how to handle a potential romance exposure.

The group was walking toward the dressing room when Pei Liu almost bumped into someone at a corner.

He looked up, about to apologize, but was stunned by the sight before him.

What caught his attention first was the other person’s waist-length, silver-white hair. The color was extremely pale, like frost and snow, exuding a chilling coldness. He had deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and a distant, handsome face. His blue-gray eyes glinted with an inorganic luster, utterly devoid of emotion.

So striking.

It instantly reminded one of the villain in the book: cold-blooded, cruel, and twisted.

The icy gaze landed on Pei Liu, lingered for a moment, then shifted to Qin Wu beside him.

Qin Wu shuddered, a violently violent shiver running through him.