Chapter 100: Eighteen-Year-Old He Xunye Crosses Over (3)

Tan Xueci was suddenly pulled in, startled badly, but before she could react, the teenager pinched her cheek, and then a scorching kiss landed on her.

In the dim bedroom, Tan Xueci’s eyes flew wide open, the mucous membranes of her mouth invaded by the hot, humid temperature, but when she looked up, she only met the teenager’s still cold eyes.

He Xunye’s long black hair fell loose, covering them both, trapping them in the dark corner of the bedroom. His palm was frighteningly hot, as if burning with fever, and when he touched her through her clothes, Tan Xueci’s waist couldn’t help but tremble.

Tan Xueci was pinned down and kissed, her mind full of one thought: It’s over, my big husband is going to beat my ass black and blue.

He had no intention of kissing properly.

The teenager’s dark brows and eyes grew even more gloomy, seemingly dissatisfied, and he bit down on Tan Xueci’s lip. Tan Xueci’s eyelashes fluttered in pain, and she looked at the other with tearful eyes.

“You…” Tan Xueci’s lips were water-red, dazed from the kiss, and she said blankly, “What are you doing…”

He Xunye’s moist, cold, dark peach-blossom eyes lowered. The teenager’s complexion was deathly pale, no different from a dead ghost, but his body temperature was abnormally high. He lowered his head and rubbed his nose against Tan Xueci’s affectionately, his tone very calm as he said, “Didn’t you kiss me first?”

At Qilian Temple, she had kissed him, then abandoned him, followed that evil ghost away, and now it was the second time.

It was as if Tan Xueci loved that evil ghost more than him.

If he and that evil ghost were the same person, why treat him like this? If they weren’t the same person, then what right did Tan Xueci have to treat him like this?

“Or,” the teenager’s dark eyes smiled without mirth, then he gave a wet, hot peck on Tan Xueci’s lips and asked, “Are you treating me like a male prostitute?”

He still remembered the insulting words the evil ghost had said to him.

Only he could wear a snow-white monk’s robe and say such things lightly, which seemed to disgrace the Buddhist sect.

Tan Xueci felt wronged. Although she was very evil, He Xunye was her husband; how could he think that?

And she was a feudal little lady; she believed that no matter how bad a person was, they couldn’t sell themselves. She had hated Tan Yanshui so much before, but she only cursed him to die, never cursed him to sell himself.

Selling oneself is not allowed!

After He Xunye finished speaking, the smile on his face disappeared. The teenager’s pale, thin hand was still holding the little lamb, which he placed in Tan Xueci’s arms, then he leaned down and hugged her, burying his high nose bridge in Tan Xueci’s warm neck.

He was very restrained. If the dead ghost were holding his wife like this, he would definitely rub against her, but this He Xunye was very proper. He didn’t pinch Tan Xueci’s waist or secretly kiss her.

Tan Xueci had originally wanted to leave, but He Xunye’s arms around her waist, burying his face in her chest, made her feel strangely fragile.

Tan Xueci remembered when she was a little mouse, she had encountered a little mouse whose mother had died near a dirty sewer. It had been born not long ago and didn’t even have the strength to squeak. She felt that her little husband was very much like that little mouse.

If she didn’t kiss him again, her little husband might die.

Tan Xueci had no choice. Afraid of being discovered by her big husband, she held her little husband’s face and kissed him in a flustered, smacking manner, all the while looking back nervously, fearing the dead ghost would suddenly appear behind her. She would really be scared to death.

The teenager seemed dissatisfied with her furtive glances back, his long, dark lashes drooping to cover the gloomy malice in his eyes, then he sucked hard on Tan Xueci’s tongue.

Tan Xueci’s already red-rimmed eyes overflowed with tears, and a muffled, indistinct moan escaped her throat.

She didn’t even know when the other had dragged her to the bedside, and then they both stumbled and fell. The teenager grabbed her waist and sat her astride his leg.

Tan Xueci was genuinely panicking now. She reached out and pushed hard, saying, “No, my husband will be angry.”

The teenager’s dark, fierce eyes suddenly turned gloomy. His palm pressed against Tan Xueci’s thin, narrow waist; she was so skinny, but her backside had plenty of flesh, soft against his leg.

So intimate, as if she were his wife.

He couldn’t deny that Tan Xueci was really suited to being a wife. Holding her in his arms made his heart feel like it had settled to the ground, warm and full.

It was all Tan Xueci’s fault.

He didn’t think he would fall in love with anyone; it was just that Tan Xueci was too suited to being a little wife, making him want to lie down holding Tan Xueci and never let her go.

Now he finally understood. No wonder he always felt that the evil ghost wasn’t him. Maybe something happened in the ten years to come, and some evil spirit had taken over his body, seized his wife.

It all fit.

That was the only explanation.

The teenager’s long hair slid forward, covering his gloomy black eyes, as he stared heavily at Tan Xueci.

In that case, he would just kill that evil ghost, so it wouldn’t stand between them.

He felt that the fire Tan Xueci started at Qilian Temple wasn’t big enough. Might as well burn down those Buddha statues and monks, and maybe burn down Yu He’s Taoist temple too.

Fake gods and false Buddhas, taking other people’s wives at will, what use were they?

Tan Xueci didn’t know what he was thinking, only that his gaze was sinister and made her jump.

“No way.”

Actually, if she fought hard, she could beat He Xunye. After Xie Yun died, she became the master of the Abyss, controlling the ghostly energy accumulated over ten thousand years.

But she could never hit her husband. If her husband got hurt, she would feel worse than her husband and cry harder.

He Xunye held her tightly and refused to let go, so she could only coax him gently and push softly.

But after pushing for a while, she noticed that the other had lowered his eyes, seeming to stare at her chest.

Tan Xueci suddenly had a bad feeling. She quickly covered herself, but it was too late. Somehow, this one had also turned bad, actually burying his face there.

Tan Xueci’s snow-white earlobes turned bright red. The teenager, still with that cold face, had already taken her in his mouth.

The teenager’s face showed no desire. Holding the swollen bit in his mouth, thinking that he and that evil ghost had both held the same one, his Buddhist heart began to riot, wanting only to send the other to the endless hell.

The violence in his heart made him want to bite off this little thing and hide it away, but his actions were the opposite, gentle.

Tan Xueci couldn’t help but scream silently inside. Cold sweat trickled down her back. Forgetting everything else, if He Xunye found out that she had been touched by someone, he would really be angry. What would she do then? She would face a serious family crisis.

She didn’t want a divorce.

She couldn’t live without a husband.

Tan Xueci struggled seriously this time, but she couldn’t help muttering to herself: That relationship expert was really unreliable, saying older men know how to cherish. I feel the younger one is more considerate; he doesn’t dare bite hard.

The more she struggled, the tighter the teenager hugged her, pressing her firmly onto his lap.

As she struggled, Tan Xueci felt something was off. She looked down blankly and was stunned.

The teenager’s body was burning hot like a furnace, making him soaked in sweat. He was biting her without letting go, but down there it was calm, with nothing poking her.

It wasn’t like when the dead ghost kissed her and reacted so strongly. It felt uncomfortable and a little scary, so she didn’t really like sitting on He Xunye’s lap to kiss.

Oh my god, so it’s true that depression can affect that area.

The teenager sensed her gaze, his body stiffening for a moment, and Tan Xueci took the chance to push him away and run.

Once she left the bedroom, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She was a person with moral integrity; she said she wouldn’t let things go too far, so she wouldn’t.

No wonder He Xunye hadn’t come looking for her; he probably knew that even if Tan Xueci stayed out of pity, nothing would happen.

Tan Xueci sneaked back to the bedroom. She didn’t know if her second husband was very sensitive about his depression issue, but in the following days, the teenager barely spoke to her.

Tan Xueci had a few peaceful days, then had to go with Lu Qi to an event. He Xunye had a seminar and couldn’t accompany her, so she brought her second husband along.

They finished work at around eight in the evening. Once in the car, Tan Xueci started to doze off.

She couldn’t help leaning into the teenager beside her. The teenager’s body was stiff, but he still pulled Tan Xueci into his arms.

Lu Qi stole a few glances, met the teenager’s cold, gloomy gaze, remembered the fear of being choked, and didn’t dare look again.

That night, it drizzled lightly. Halfway there, Lu Qi noticed fewer and fewer cars around. For no reason, his palms began to sweat, and at a turn, he saw a man holding a black umbrella. His car uncontrollably stopped in front of the man.

“Hard work,” the evil ghost said with a smile, his shiny black leather shoes stepping in the puddles as he folded his umbrella.

Lu Qi wished he could get out and kowtow. What had he even done? Why was the ghost coming after him?

He felt that He Xunye’s tone carried a hint of sarcasm, as if annoyed that he had brought an extra person.

But He Xunye didn’t say more, seemingly afraid of waking Tan Xueci. He got out from the back seat and took Tan Xueci into his arms.

The teenager curled his fingers, holding Tan Xueci’s wrist tightly. Tan Xueci, half-asleep, nuzzled into the evil ghost’s chest, looking secure and at ease. The teenager’s fingers gradually loosened, then he pressed his lips together coldly and silently moved to the passenger seat.

Lu Qi didn’t dare speak the whole way. When they got home, Tan Xueci was rubbing her eyes, eating a late-night snack. Neither of the two was around, so he sidled up to Tan Xueci, winking, and whispered, “Can you handle your one wife and one concubine?”

Tan Xueci: “…”

What dirty talk. So annoying.

Tan Xueci didn’t want to hear it and ignored him.

They didn’t notice the figure of the teenager in the corridor not far behind. When he heard Lu Qi whisper “one wife and one concubine,” he frowned slightly, then turned and left.

Sometimes Lu Qi thought Tan Xueci had been pampered too much, and other times he thought He Xunye might have been played too.

Anyway, he was still intent on nourishing Tan Xueci. That night, he brewed a strong tonic soup, secretly adding half a lamb’s penis and a bunch of red dates and wolfberries.

Tan Xueci was sleepy and didn’t notice, gulping down the soup before going back to find her husband to sleep.

Lu Qi also went to his room and lay down, but just a few minutes later, before he fell asleep, there was a knock on his door, scaring him wide awake. He sat up with a jolt.

The knock wasn’t followed by any sound; complete silence. In the dead of night, it was as frightening as a ghost.

“Who…” Lu Qi asked tremblingly, “Who is it…”

He felt it was the dead ghost coming for him.

The other still didn’t answer, but no footsteps moved away from his door, clearly not gone yet.

Lu Qi held out for a few minutes, then had no choice but to open the door. It was the younger He Xunye.

Lu Qi’s heart pounded with fear. He cursed the He family’s eight generations. He thought the He family’s feng shui must be bad, both the older and younger ones were like ghosts; who were they trying to scare?

Lu Qi assumed the teenager had come to cause trouble, but to his surprise, the young man pursed his lips and spoke softly.

The teenager left Lu Qi’s room half an hour later, and Lu Qi went back to bed in a daze.

The next morning, when he looked at He Xunye, his gaze was intriguing. The evil ghost frowned at him, and Lu Qi cowardly looked away, then lovingly served Tan Xueci some food, saying, “Baa, eat more.”

Little lamb driving a big truck must be very tiring.

He never expected that the younger He Xunye had come to him last night for the lamb tonic soup recipe.

At just eighteen, he already couldn’t manage? Even worse than me.

Tan Xueci felt that Lu Qi’s gaze was strange. After eating, she went to find He Xunye. He Xunye caught her and patted his wife’s round little waist.

It was the weekend, and there was a child’s birthday, so most people didn’t go out.

They started the birthday party in the evening, and no matter whose birthday it was, they always bought a cake for the little lamb too.

Tan Xueci stared eagerly, trying to eat a whole twelve-inch cake by herself, but before she could finish even half, He Xunye lifted her by the armpits and bounced her.

“Little Snow is getting fat,” He Xunye kissed her nose, “Little pig.”

Tan Xueci was startled. She was filming and had to watch her figure; how could she be fat?

He Xunye mischievously pinched her belly as if it were spilling soft flesh. Tan Xueci’s eyes welled up, and she dropped her fork, saying pitifully, “I’m not eating anymore.”

He Xunye then went to make her tea. Tan Xueci loved to eat almost everything and wasn’t picky, but every time she ate too much, her throat would hurt, so He Xunye always brewed some soothing tea in advance.

The teenager watched the evil ghost leave and finally spoke after several days, saying to Tan Xueci, “He’s lying to you.”

She wasn’t fat at all; holding her felt light as a lamb.

He thought Tan Xueci would be angry when she realized she’d been tricked, but Tan Xueci turned around and actually smiled at him with sparkling eyes.

Tan Xueci’s eyes were clear, not foolish at all. Her face was delicate and cool, and she said smugly, “You dummy, of course I know he’s lying to me.”

But every time she fell for it, her husband would laugh, not mocking her, just thinking she was cute, then hug and kiss her like a baby.

Of course, even if she didn’t pretend to be stupid, her husband still loved her, but what did it matter? Letting his husband tease her a little wouldn’t hurt.

The teenager was stunned, looking at the smile in Tan Xueci’s eyes, his lips slowly pressing together.

Tan Xueci really seemed to like that ghost; every time she called him “husband,” her eyes sparkled like stars.

He Pinglan had been sneaking glances at them. She hadn’t seen this eighteen-year-old He Xunye in a long time and wanted to talk to him, but at eighteen, He Xunye was at his coldest, as if becoming a Buddha or immortal, ignoring everyone, really hard to deal with.

Tan Xueci said something, and He Xunye stood there silently, giving He Pinglan a chance to finally approach.

She poked He Xunye’s elbow, winking at him, and said, “Envious seeing someone else in love?”

“I’m not…” the teenager said in a low voice.

“Doesn’t it feel good to be loved?” He Pinglan asked again, her eyes gentle this time.

“…” He Xunye paused, not speaking, just watching Tan Xueci’s back as she ran around.

He knew he hadn’t lived long. Yu He’s parents were killed by ghosts, and Yu He spent every day full of hatred, wanting to kill all the evil ghosts in the world. But even Yu He had expectations.

Yu He hoped to kill all these ghosts before he died, then spend his old age as a peaceful old man, bragging with people—that was his idea of happiness.

But he had never thought about his own future. He knew it was just a dull approach to death; what was there to look forward to?

Now, for the first time, he looked forward to growing up.

If he just had to wait ten years to meet Tan Xueci, whatever happened in between would be worth it.

In the end, Tan Xueci secretly ate another small piece of cake, played with a few kids for a while, then ran over and gave her little husband a smacking kiss, saying she was going to bed.

Actually, she could stay up late, but He Xunye slept early, and the dead ghost was very particular—he couldn’t sleep without holding her. So when she wasn’t filming, she also went to bed early.

Although He Xunye was dead, his corpse was still human, and she had used He Xunye’s heart, so now she was also human, susceptible to illness and stomachaches like humans.

She thought it wouldn’t matter if she died of illness, since she could just create a new body, so eating and drinking was fine.

But He Xunye didn’t think so, didn’t want her to die that way, and was always nagging her.

The teenager lifted his head; his cheek was still wet where the little lamb had kissed him, a wet mouth, like a lick.

Although he knew Tan Xueci didn’t care about being tricked, he couldn’t help saying, “Ghosts don’t need to sleep, didn’t you know?”

“…”

Tan Xueci’s eyes flew wide open, and she finally pouted unhappily.

She hadn’t known.

She really had been fooled this time.

That He Xunye taking baths was probably also a lie. The dead ghost didn’t need to bathe; he just stayed in the bathroom for a long time to trick her into coming in, then not wear clothes to seduce her.

But Tan Xueci got angry for a moment and then let it go. She still loved her husband very much. She turned back into a flat little dough ball.

The teenager looked at her white cheek in the night, then suddenly said, “I should go.”

“…” Tan Xueci froze, thinking she had misheard, and turned sharply, “What?”

The whole family was here, she was here, and He Xunye was leaving on his own. That would be like becoming an orphan without a wife.

The teenager seemed to smile, but his lips were pale, the smile not reaching his eyes. He said, “He can’t tolerate me.”

Tan Xueci: “…”

You don’t seem to tolerate him much either.

“No,” Tan Xueci said awkwardly, trying to comfort him, “He just doesn’t know how to say nice things. He actually likes you a lot.”

The teenager’s brow furrowed; that sounded more disgusting than the evil ghost wanting to kill him.

In that case, it would be better if the evil ghost died.

Tan Xueci looked at He Xunye’s face, which was especially dark under the night, and had a bad feeling. She asked, “What are you thinking?”

The teenager really smiled this time, faintly resembling his future self, though he didn’t know it.

“I’m just thinking…” The teenager took her hand and pressed it against his warm chest. Under the monk’s robe, his lean, firm pectoral muscles rose and fell with his breath. Tan Xueci’s cheeks suddenly turned red.

She tried to pull away, but the other held her fast. She couldn’t free her hand, so she could only watch as the teenager leaned closer.

“Doesn’t the saying go, ‘A wife is not as good as a concubine’?” The teenager’s dark eyes stared straight at her, his red lips lifting as he said hoarsely, “Brother, why can’t you love me a little more?”

Tan Xueci’s mind went blank. Her ears burned as she stammered, “What are you talking about?”

“He’s already dead. I’m still alive,” the teenager said, his eyes sinister but his lips still curved. He guided Tan Xueci’s hand from his chest down to his abdomen, murmuring, “Feel, it’s warm.”

Tan Xueci just wanted to pull her hand back and tell him to stop being crazy. This place was busy, and any of the old folks in the family might come by and catch her taking a concubine…

Bah, what concubine?

She was getting corrupted. She didn’t take concubines; she insisted on the “one husband” principle. No matter which version, they were still her husband.

“Let’s kill him,” the teenager said gloomily, conspiring with Tan Xueci to murder her husband. “I can stay by your side.”

Tan Xueci looked up, bewildered.

“If you like the way he looks now,” the teenager said, assuming Tan Xueci couldn’t bear to part with the evil ghost’s appearance, his black eyes full of dark amusement, “I can kill myself when I turn twenty-eight. Then I’ll forever be the way you like. How about that?”