Chapter 18: Lingering Bruises

Pei Liu stood by the bed, looking down at himself and pondering. He had no idea that an entity was sitting openly on the bed, taking in all of his movements.

The entity naturally knew how the marks had gotten there and was quite satisfied with them.

Unable to figure out a reason, Pei Liu couldn’t just stand there foolishly forever. He lowered the hem of his shirt and climbed into bed to sleep.

The black mist soon rushed toward him again, wrapping him up securely.

Long, slender fingers brushed against his cheek and neck. The slight chill made Pei Liu shiver, and he unconsciously let out a complaining mumble—very soft, somewhat sweet, almost like a whine.

The entity lying beside him chuckled and continued to pinch his earlobe playfully, the icy breath bringing a ticklish sensation. Pei Liu couldn’t help but dodge, trying to hide his head under the covers.

Since he was face-to-face with the entity, this downward shrinking motion made it look as if he were burying himself in the entity’s embrace. His face was almost pressed against the entity’s neck, and his warm breath fell entirely on the other’s collarbone.

The entity didn’t mind his unintentional closeness; his hand naturally rested on the small of Pei Liu’s back, while the other hand leisurely kneaded the back of his neck, much like petting a cat.

On the nightstand, there was something new compared to previous days.

It was a crude handmade doll. One could tell that the person who sewed it wasn’t skilled but had put a lot of heart into it. It couldn’t compare to the exquisite dolls sold in stores, but it had its own sort of ugly-cute charm.

This was the very doll they had partially burned earlier today, which Pei Liu had managed to save. Since it was an important prop concerning the little ghost, someone had to hold onto it. As Pei Liu was the bravest, it naturally fell into his hands.

In the darkness, the cloth doll emitted a faint, cold glow. The parts that had been charred black were slowly recovering bit by bit.

The doll’s body was stuffed with cotton—soft and easily foldable. It slowly stood up, looked around, and turned its black button eyes toward the bed, only to discover—

The beautiful young man who had saved it during the day was now trapped in the embrace of a tall man. The young man’s figure was almost entirely obscured, and the man’s face was buried in the young man’s neck. All that could be faintly seen were the man’s sharp eyebrows and silk-like long hair, which draped over the young man like intertwining vines.

The beautiful young man frowned but couldn’t struggle, looking like prey trapped in the center of a web.

The doll was somewhat confused. Wh-what’s going on? Should I help?

But soon, it didn’t need to hesitate anymore. The man looked up, his pitch-black eyes casting a casual glance over. There was no emotion in them, yet the pressure was overwhelming, incredibly terrifying to a ghost.

Alarms blared instantly as it instinctively sensed extreme danger. The other entity could effortlessly crush its spirit.

The doll collapsed in a second, playing dead, as its tiny ghost spirit quickly hid itself away.

Only then did the man lower his eyes, his gaze returning to Pei Liu. He held him expertly, lowering his head to rest in the crook of his neck. His nose was filled with the fragrance of a living soul and flesh, and he sniffed gently, occasionally unable to resist taking a small bite. It was intoxicating.

The night quickly passed, and morning arrived.

Pei Liu didn’t really want to get up. He lingered in bed for a while before letting out a slow yawn and stretching his arms. He accidentally pulled the muscle in his waist, causing a sharp ache, and immediately stopped. He had to look down at his waist; the bruise he had applied medicine to hadn’t faded at all. Every morning he looked at it, it seemed brand new.

Pressing it with a finger brought a slight, tingling pain.

Pei Liu looked at it for a moment, looked away, and got up to head to the bathroom. While brushing his teeth, he hung his head listlessly. The collar of his loose pajamas slipped to one side, revealing a large patch of snow-white skin. The redness on his collarbone stood out strikingly, like a red plum blossom blooming on white snow.

His attention was instantly drawn to it.

Confused, Pei Liu instinctively pulled his collar and leaned closer to the mirror to get a better look.

It was a faint, blood-like bruise that looked exactly like a hickey.

But of course, that was impossible. Pei Liu thought it was probably a mosquito bite he had unconsciously scratched while sleeping.

It couldn’t be a ghost’s doing, right?

Pei Liu pressed his lips together and quickly rejected the idea in his mind.

It was just that its location easily led to misunderstandings, and he still had to record a show. So, he found a T-shirt with a smaller collar to avoid exposing it.

After changing his clothes, Pei Liu turned to grab the doll from the nightstand, and his movement paused.

His memory was very good; the doll’s position was different from where he had left it last night. It had been moved.

Pei Liu frowned slightly. After looking at it for a moment, he picked up the doll and carried it downstairs.

Just as he caught the aroma of food and was about to step into the dining room, a large flash of red filled his face, blocking almost his entire view. At the same time, his nose caught an extremely strong scent of perfume.

Focusing his eyes, he was shocked to find that it was Jian Yongge, wearing a bright red mermaid dress, with exquisite makeup and lipstick—strikingly beautiful and dazzling.

He gave Pei Liu an exceptionally radiant smile and pinched his voice to say: “Good morning, Brother Pei.”

Since the start of the recording and entering this haunted house, this was the first time Pei Liu had been genuinely terrified. He instinctively backed up two steps, dodging the hand trying to link arms with him.

Pei Liu looked helplessly at the other guests, his eyes pleading for help.

Wu Kai and the others were equally bewildered. They returned a look accompanied by a few messy gestures, expressing—I don’t know either; my brain is fried.

Coming downstairs early in the morning, they had seen Jian Yongge sitting in the dining room, one long leg crossed over the other, resting his chin on his hand, looking every bit the seductive woman.

Everyone stared at Jian Yongge in shock.

Jian Yongge, however, remained extremely calm, as if he had always been this way and they were the ones overreacting.

“Is something the matter?” Jian Yongge swept a coquettish glance at them.

Wu Kai and the others decisively shook their heads, treating him as cautiously as one would a mental patient having a sudden episode.

Pei Liu suggested: “Shall we… eat breakfast first?”

No one objected.

Pei Liu walked toward his usual seat. Wu Kai was supposed to sit next to him, but Jian Yongge followed and sat down unceremoniously first. The atmosphere at the dining table froze for a moment; Wu Kai and Tong Jiaqi exchanged a glance and sat elsewhere, as if not wanting to provoke the patient.

During breakfast, Jian Yongge kept staring at Pei Liu. The intense gaze made Pei Liu’s scalp tingle, making it hard to swallow his food.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Pei Liu forced himself to ask.

“I am, very hungry. But none of this is what I want to eat.”

As he said this, Jian Yongge stared fixedly at Pei Liu and licked his lips.

Pei Liu didn’t want to talk to him anymore. He gave a casual reply and lowered his head to eat his own food.

After a while longer, Pei Liu truly couldn’t stand it and asked bluntly: “Why do you keep looking at me?”

Jian Yongge rested his chin on his hand and smiled brightly: “Because you’re pretty; you look good enough to eat.”

Pei Liu: “…”

Suddenly, he really missed the old Jian Yongge. He felt much more normal.

Perhaps because Pei Liu had spoken up, Jian Yongge picked up his chopsticks and ate a little, though he kept staring at Pei Liu as if it helped him swallow his food. It made people’s skin crawl.

After eating, they discussed the idea of cooperating with the ghost.

“I think we can give it a try. She and the little ghost are clearly at odds; having an extra ally to keep her in check is beneficial. And like she said, she hasn’t actually harmed us.”

“But that’s still a ghost; it’s like asking a tiger for its skin. Ghosts are much stronger than us; we could die at any moment without even knowing how.”

“Let’s think about it from the other side. If we refuse, what do we do next? The clues are essentially cut off. We’re already halfway through our ten days and can’t afford to delay, or our escape will fail.”

“There’s more than one choice. If we don’t choose the female ghost, what about the little ghost?”

“Have you forgotten how fiercely she chased and tried to kill us last time?”

“But the female ghost looks so much like the female owner; maybe they are twins. Then the daughter burning to death was likely caused by her, not to mention the disappearance of the real female owner… Cooperating with a ghost like that is too dangerous.”

Everyone chimed in, and everyone’s concerns were reasonable, which only made it harder to decide. Ultimately, they all subconsciously looked toward Pei Liu. Along the way, Pei Liu had always been reliable, earning their deep trust, and they felt his decisions were the most accurate.

Pei Liu thought for a moment: “I don’t trust that female ghost, but I don’t think we need to refuse. We can agree to it first, while keeping our guard up and feigning compliance. She wants to use us, but we can use her just the same; she holds a lot of secrets. Playing it safe can indeed help us survive, but if we want to get out, we have to take a risk.”

This statement synthesized various considerations. The others nodded, agreeing that it was indeed the most reliable approach at present. After all, although cooperating with the female ghost was risky, a direct refusal might anger her into killing them on the spot.

With the decision mostly settled, they prepared to head to the master bedroom.

On the way, Pei Liu suddenly asked: “Do you guys think there are ghosts here?”

His voice was calm, yet it acted like a sudden clap of thunder, shocking the group.

After all, Pei Liu was the calmest among them, the one who most firmly believed in science. If even he had fallen, what were they supposed to do!

Jian Yongge, however, looked very excited. His eyes lit up, and he said without hesitation: “Of course there are. Me, and all of them—haven’t we all seen ghosts with our own eyes?”

As he spoke, he reached out with his soft, boneless hand, pointing at Wu Kai and the others one by one.

Those pointed at shuddered involuntarily, recalling yesterday’s events, and their expressions turned grim.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Hai said: “Whether there are or aren’t, the situation still needs to be resolved. Because once you provoke a ghost, it’s impossible to easily shake them off. We can only try to fulfill their wishes, otherwise, we’ll be haunted for a lifetime.”

Haunted for a lifetime…

Pei Liu felt an inexplicable tightness in his heart.

“Yes,” Jian Yongge nodded in agreement, smiling joyfully.

Of course he was happy.

Because the most delicious soul had begun to waver.

As long as Pei Liu started believing that ghosts existed, as long as he started feeling fear—even just a little bit—they would have a chance to strike.

“Jian Yongge” stared gloomily at the flickering little flame on Pei Liu’s shoulder. She pursed her red lips and blew gently, watching it struggle and persist with immense anticipation.

She really wanted to see Pei Liu trembling in fear, looking utterly pitiful.

She lifted the hem of her skirt and spun around gracefully and nimbly, the skirt creating rippling waves the color of blood.