Chapter 59: Evil Little Lamb

Jin Chen had very disloyally abandoned Tan Xueci and slipped away to drink with a few friends in the bar. But tonight was strange; perhaps he was truly drunk—the people on the dance floor were swaying, and he couldn’t spot a single familiar face.

Moreover, he clearly remembered the bar counter being on the left, but now it had moved to the right. He had to lean against the wall and search for several minutes before finally finding the private booth where he and Tan Xueci had started.

Can’t drink anymore… Jin Chen thought. He needed to change clothes and head back.

He pushed open the booth door. The dim lighting enveloped him, making his already dizzy head feel even heavier. He dragged his feet, barely making it to the sofa to change.

Just as he had finished putting on his pants and pulled them up, he heard a sound like breathing, ghost-like and faint, brushing against the back of his neck.

Jin Chen shuddered, his firm and powerful back muscles tensing up. But being thick-skulled by nature, he didn’t think much of it. He assumed it was just Tan Xueci coming back to change as well, so he turned around without any guard—only for his throat to seize up as if he were being strangled.

“Wheeze… wheeze…”

The female ghost with her eyes gouged out was pressed tightly against his back. Foul, blackened blood flowed from the hollow sockets of her eyes. Her long black hair was a tangled mess as she panted behind him.

“I don’t have eyes anymore,” the ghost’s ice-cold hands pressed down on his shoulders. “Your eyes are so beautiful. Give them to me.”

…

Tan Xueci leaned against the wall, his head tilted back slightly, panting with vacant eyes. His soft, crimson tongue-tip poked out uncontrollably; his legs were so weak he couldn’t stand.

In fact, he wasn’t standing. He was being held firmly by the man’s large hands at the base of his thighs, almost entirely hoisted up.

The bar outside was bustling and noisy, but he couldn’t hear a thing anymore. His ears were filled with the squelch-squelch sound of water that made his heart race and his face flush.

His hands tightly clutched his skirt, but the black fabric remained messy and upturned, outlining the youth’s snowy-white, slender legs for all to see.

He Xunye had originally thought Tan Xueci would be angry. He didn’t mind; at worst, he’d take a few slaps.

But to his surprise, Tan Xueci only struggled for a moment before his cold, pale cheeks turned completely red. His eyes brimmed with overflowing moisture, yet he didn’t reject him, allowing the man to kiss his watery little mouth until it was bright red.

Once drunk, the boy became much more honest. And compared to being pinned down on a bed, he seemed to prefer being kissed like this.

Tan Xueci was traditional, yes, but he was like those old-timers who preached tradition while siring a house full of children—he said he hated it, but in reality, he never truly refused anything He Xunye did.

If it were any other man doing this to him, Tan Xueci felt he might have chopped them into pieces overnight. But since it was He Xunye, it seemed… alright. He had no urge to “slay his husband.”

Tan Xueci let out a few low cries like a kitten before finally being let go. He Xunye straightened up, his suit jacket wrinkled from the encounter, a few strands of black hair falling over his brow.

His skin was too pale—from his eye sockets to the bridge of his nose, it looked as if it were covered in a layer of frost—but his lips were rubbed red and still carried traces of moisture. He cupped Tan Xueci’s face, looking at him with a half-smile as if intentionally showing him, and stuck out his tongue-tip.

Tan Xueci’s face instantly turned scarlet. His soft, powerless palms pushed against He Xunye’s shoulders, wanting the man to let him go.

Tiny beads of sweat broke out on the tip of his nose, and his teeth chattered. Yet, He Xunye continued to pinch the flesh of his cheeks.

Tan Xueci was forced to open his mouth, allowing the ghost’s tongue—longer than a human’s—to explore the deepest parts of his oral cavity.

The intrusive action made him feel a bit like gagging, but he didn’t dare imagine what He Xunye would do if he actually vomited. He could only choke and cough a few times, then endure it.

Blurry whimpers escaped his throat as he reached out to hook his arms around He Xunye’s neck. He clung to the man’s embrace, kissing him with a squelch sound, attempting to find a sense of security through the hug so it wouldn’t feel so overwhelming.

He Xunye was momentarily stunned. Before he could react, his neck was embraced. Tan Xueci snuggled into his chest, soft as a noodle, his eyes watery, bright, and round. When he wasn’t crying, throwing a tantrum, or making that “wer-wer” noise, he was incredibly well-behaved—just like a little cat that belonged only to him, one he could just scoop up and take away.

As they kissed, Tan Xueci vaguely heard He Xunye let out a laugh. Then the “dead guy” suddenly cupped his cheeks and murmured, “Baby.”

This time, he didn’t push his tongue so deep, so it wasn’t uncomfortable. He just kissed his lips and cheeks repeatedly, still wearing that cheap, broken little ring on his hand.

“Baby,” despite having kissed his fill, He Xunye hadn’t forgotten what happened earlier. His long, thick lashes cast a shadow, making his ghostly peach-blossom eyes appear even darker. In a cold, ghostly voice—like a vengeful spirit demanding a soul—he asked, “What ‘brother’ were you talking about?”

Tan Xueci wasn’t sober yet. He didn’t understand the question, only the tone. He glanced at He Xunye and said boldly and slurred, “Don’t you start gritting your teeth.”

He Xunye: “…”

The evil ghost’s eyes turned scarlet. He scooped the boy up by his thighs, carrying him face-to-face as he walked out.

It wasn’t until Tan Xueci was stuffed into the car that he finally realized He Xunye seemed to be angry. Reeking of alcohol, he leaned over to look at He Xunye’s face with wide, pleading eyes.

Tan Xueci’s brain was still very slow. Luckily he wasn’t sober, otherwise he would have noticed that while he and He Xunye were in the back seat, the driver in the front was a paper effigy with two bright red spots on its cheekbones—the kind of sight that would scare a passerby to death in the middle of the night.

“I don’t want a little light,” the evil ghost said, his long lashes lowered. The ring with the small light was hooked around his cold, pale, slender finger. He said he didn’t want it, but he didn’t throw it away either.

Tan Xueci felt a bit helpless. Not only was he illiterate, but he wasn’t very good at math either. Anything beyond a few numbers confused him. To him, expensive things were good things.

But by the same logic, because he couldn’t count well, he wouldn’t look down on cheap little things either; he didn’t understand how cheap they were. He was the type of person who could be lured away with a single bowl of spicy numbing soup (Malatang).

He reached out and circled He Xunye’s finger. Before he could think of what to say, He Xunye took the opportunity to grab his hand, pulling him into his lap and whispering into his ear:

“I want the ‘Little Lamb’.”

The night sky pressed down darkly. Outside, the neon lights flickered, barely illuminating their faces. Meeting He Xunye’s gaze—which could be described as tender but hiding a hint of mischief—Tan Xueci’s heart began to race uncontrollably.

He sat up straight, his legs stiff, pressing against the car door without moving or saying a word, biting his lip.

He didn’t know what to do; he knew nothing. Compared to others, the past decade of his life was a total blank. No one had ever taught him how to date a man… or a male ghost.

He Xunye was always lacking social awareness at times like this. He leaned closer to Tan Xueci, his arm wrapping around the boy’s waist from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder. He laughed low in his ear, asking softly, “Can I have you?”

Tan Xueci wanted to pretend he hadn’t heard, but when the “dead guy” laughed, his chest vibrated slightly against his back. He could feel it, and it made him feel inexplicably ashamed and annoyed.

However, as he turned his head, his gaze uncontrollably drifted downward, landing on the other’s high bridge of his nose. Thinking of something, his snowy-white cheeks instantly flooded with a deep red.

He Xunye pinched the soft flesh of his waist, prodding him, “Say something, baby. You can give Hubby the ‘little light,’ but can you give me the ‘Little Lamb’?”

“You…” Tan Xueci tried hard to pry He Xunye’s hands off, but they were as cold and stiff as a corpse’s; he couldn’t budge them. He could only say crossly, his ears red, “Can you please have some shame?”

“I have plenty of face,” He Xunye leaned on his shoulder, laughing irrepressibly. His cold breath tickled the boy’s ear as he spoke without a hint of embarrassment, “If I didn’t have a face, what would my ‘Little Lamb’ have to sit on?”

He’s insane.

“Wuu…” Tan Xueci covered his bright red ears. His eyes were watery, and he let out a very distressed, small “wuu” sound, refusing to listen further.

He felt he was no longer “pure,” having been turned into a “little pervert” by He Xunye. He figured this dead guy must have been driven mad by being unable to find a wife in the first half of his life; he could say just about any shameless thing.

He Xunye dared to say it, but Tan Xueci didn’t dare to hear it.

Tan Xueci was fuming. He was still wearing the maid outfit from earlier. When they were almost home, He Xunye feared he would be cold getting out of the car and tried to change his pants for him, only to be kicked several times.

When they got out of the car, the butler was waiting at the door. Seeing the headlights from afar, he was about to wave when he saw Tan Xueci and He Xunye bickering and pulling at each other as they exited. He didn’t know what He Xunye had said, but Tan Xueci suddenly slapped him.

Butler: “…”

The butler’s mouth hung open in shock. His old face felt an imaginary pain. He had originally wanted to act like a sycophant to get on Tan Xueci’s good side, but now he didn’t dare. He covered his face and slipped away gloomily.

Tan Xueci always felt a bit of regret after slapping him, but as soon as he looked at He Xunye’s face, he felt he deserved it.

He stood there, unsure whether to walk away in anger or wait for He Xunye, when his hand was naturally taken by the other. The evil ghost lowered his head to kiss his fingers. His ghostly red eyes curved as he looked at him and said, “Let’s go home, Little Lamb.”

The moonlight was very bright tonight. Standing at the gates of the old He residence, hand in hand, it felt as if their hearts were swelling slightly.

Home.

Tan Xueci held onto He Xunye’s arm and walked into the house with him, unable to stop himself from reaching up to wipe his reddened eyes.

It felt as if… he had a home again.

Tan Xueci hadn’t even finished crying when he heard someone shouting angrily on the third floor as if they were having a fight. He peeked over—it was He Wuling and He Xunye’s third sister, He Pinglan.

“I have no money left to spend!” He Pinglan was still wearing her ghost-like white nightgown, reaching her hand out to He Wuling. Seeing that he wouldn’t give her any, she grabbed her hair and began to curse loudly, pounding on He Wuling, saying, “Give me money! This old lady wants to go find some male models!”

“Shut up!” He Wuling’s face was grim, his lips trembling with rage. He pointed at her and roared, “Utterly shameless!”

“You caused my husband’s death!” He Pinglan sat on the floor, wailing without tears. Her acting was much worse than Tan Xueci’s. She kicked He Wuling while saying, “My husband is dead! I can order as many as I want!”

Tan Xueci had already been ushered into his room by He Xunye, but hearing He Pinglan’s words, he quietly poked his head out again.

His husband was dead too. Could he also order several male models? He saw many male strippers at the bar tonight.

However, looking up and meeting the evil ghost’s gloomy, dark eyes, Tan Xueci shrank his neck and retreated cowardly into the room.

He had heard that He Pinglan’s husband was He Wuling’s apprentice. The two had married in their teens and had a child, but the child died shortly after birth. A few years ago, her husband also died. Unable to bear the shock, she had developed mental illness.

Seeing He Xunye return, He Wuling pointed at He Pinglan, suppressing his anger. His lips were purple, and he trembled as he told He Xunye, “Get her back immediately!”

Every time she came over, He Pinglan would pester him and act crazy.

However, He Wuling waited for a while and saw no movement from He Xunye. He Pinglan was still sitting on the floor with disheveled hair, clutching his leg, while He Xunye simply raised his hand and reached toward him.

He Wuling frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Give me money,” He Xunye crooked his finger, saying lazily, “I want to buy things for the ‘Little Lamb’.”

He Wuling: “…”

He Wuling leaned back, nearly falling over from rage.

Evidently, his two children believed that being in one’s sixties or seventies was the prime age for “hustling.” To them, him hiding at home in retirement instead of going out to make money for them was simply unfilial and outrageous.

The butler rushed forward to support him, and then saw He Wuling pointing at his two unfilial children, shouting: “Someone! Someone! Throw them out! Throw them all out!”

Tan Xueci was also a fool who belonged in a museum. Instead of helping to exorcise the evil ghost, he walked home hand-in-hand with the spirit right in front of He Wuling’s face.

Tan Xueci wanted to hear what they were arguing about outside, but He Xunye wouldn’t let him. He threw himself onto the bed and crawled under the covers, kicking his legs in frustration. Consequently, the blanket trailed on the floor, caught on something, and pulled on a power strip.

The power strip was connected to a floor lamp, which was next to a bookshelf… clatter-bang-crash-smash—everything fell to the floor, giving Tan Xueci a massive fright.

He let out a “wuu-wer” sound and dove under the covers. When he cautiously poked his head out from under the blanket, the tip of his nose was red, his hair was messy, his clothes were in disarray, and his eyes were filled with tears.

Outside, He Wuling was also scared half to death. He Pinglan, however, was dazed—it was the first time she’d seen someone crazier than her. He Xunye was also stunned for a moment before turning and striding toward the room.

“What does he mean?” He Wuling roared in disbelief. “Is he intentionally smashing things to threaten me?!”

Sigh.

The butler sighed as he supported him. In this family, everyone was either dead or mentally ill. With a heavy face, he said to He Wuling, “Master, please escape your family of origin.”

He Wuling: “…”

As soon as He Xunye entered the room, he saw Tan Xueci’s pale little face hiding under the covers, teary-eyed.

Tan Xueci usually lost his temper with He Xunye, but when he actually caused trouble or broke things, he didn’t dare make a sound. The floor was a mess. He lowered his head and didn’t dare speak, fearing He Xunye would scold him.

“Hubby…” Tan Xueci clutched the corner of the quilt, pulling it over himself so only his small face was showing. This way, he wouldn’t be “hit.” He crept timidly toward He Xunye to gauge the ghost’s expression.

He Xunye was silent for a few seconds. He wanted to sigh, but then remembered Tan Xueci wouldn’t let him, so he closed his eyes, swallowed the sigh, and resignedly began to clean up.

Tan Xueci sat cross-legged on the bed, watching intently. He had also broken a vase, but it already looked old and battered, so it probably wasn’t worth much.

“I’m tired,” He Xunye said after cleaning up, leaning over to pull the boy into his arms. He whispered, “Baby, give me a kiss.”

Tan Xueci hurried over to give him a kiss, then heard He Xunye let out a low laugh, his dark peach-blossom eyes filled with amusement.

Only then did Tan Xueci breathe a sigh of freedom; he probably wouldn’t be hit. Still, he snuggled obediently in He Xunye’s arms. He was already a bit sleepy and felt dazed. He sensed He Xunye talking to him, coaxing him: “Baby, pick one.”

Tan Xueci struggled to open his eyes and saw that He Xunye had searched for many rings for him to see. He bit his finger; he didn’t understand what he was looking at. Finally, he closed his eyes and mumbled, “Hubby, I want a big one.”

In his daze, he felt He Xunye lean down to kiss him, saying he would buy the biggest one for “Baby.” Then, he hugged He Xunye’s arm and drifted into dreamland.

The next day, Tan Xueci slept until after ten o’clock. When he woke up, He Xunye was still lying beside him.

At this moment, he didn’t look much like a ghost. When the man slept with his eyes closed, he appeared a few degrees colder—his nose was high, his thin lips slightly pursed, looking icy and not to be trifled with.

He Xunye had his arm around the boy’s waist, burying half his face in the crook of his shoulder, seemingly in a deep sleep.

Tan Xueci’s face felt hot. He felt he had become “evil”—looking at He Xunye’s cold and handsome face, he actually thought this kind of cold-faced male ghost was perfect for a wife to sit on.

Tan Xueci’s mind was full of wild thoughts. He tried to move his hand only to find one of them was clutched in He Xunye’s palm, and it felt a bit uncomfortable. He struggled to pull it out, then froze.

On his ring finger was a ring with a super large “pigeon egg” diamond. His fingers were thin, so wearing it was actually quite awkward, but Tan Xueci stared at it for a long while before cautiously lowering his hand.

On the blanket lay a phone he hadn’t seen before. He picked it up, and it unlocked automatically when it scanned his face. He was momentarily confused, realizing it seemed to be He Xunye’s phone.

He knew he shouldn’t peek at someone else’s phone while they were sleeping, but he was “evil,” so he looked anyway.

He Xunye had actually added him as a friend; he didn’t even know when it had happened. Most disgustingly, the contact name was set as “Darling.”

Tan Xueci used He Xunye’s phone to send himself a message, then saw He Xunye’s profile picture and was stunned again.

He Xunye’s profile picture showed two little snowmen wearing scarves, leaning their heads together affectionately. Below was a line of text: This user is in a relationship.

Tan Xueci recognized these words because he had wanted to change his own profile picture to something like that before, only to be scolded by Lu Qi.

Tan Xueci held the phone and stared at it for a long time, then looked at He Xunye, his small face turning a bit red. He put down the phone, pulled He Xunye’s arm, and crawled into his embrace.

He didn’t see the corners of He Xunye’s mouth slowly lift.

Tan Xueci dozed for a bit longer, finally woken up by the ping-ping-ping of messages from Lu Qi.

Lu Qi said he had gotten him a new movie. He was originally going to explain the script, but he didn’t have time because Jin Chen was sick and hospitalized, so he sent it directly to him.

[Lu Qi]: Let that “dead thing” explain it to you.

Tan Xueci quickly covered the phone. Luckily, He Xunye seemed to have just woken up and hadn’t seen what Lu Qi sent.

The new script was called Spider, a period film. Tan Xueci’s role was still the “third male lead,” but the prestige of the third male lead in this film was completely different from the one in He Bian’s movie.

This film was being handled by the famous director Fang Zongjing.

Fang Zongjing was only in his thirties but had already won several international “Best Director” awards. Even a minor supporting character in his movies far outweighed the male lead of other directors.

Tan Xueci hadn’t had time to look at the script yet. He messaged Lu Qi: [Is Jin Chen sick?]

Thinking of the female ghost he saw last night, his heart skipped a beat, and he sat up.

“It’s pretty eerie anyway,” Lu Qi sent a voice message. “If you’re free, why don’t you come to the hospital to see him? We can talk when you get here.”

After lunch, Tan Xueci went to the hospital with He Xunye.

Jin Chen lay on the hospital bed with a gloomy face. Last night, when he saw the female ghost, he remembered the talismans Yu Helin had given him before leaving. He took one out and slapped it onto the ghost’s forehead.

The ghost stared at him venomously, eyes oozing blood but unable to move. Jin Chen took the chance to flee.

Who would have thought that as soon as he went out, he would collide head-on with someone? He was running too fast and was too strong—bang—both of them were thrown back by the impact. The other person hit their head, and he sprained his ankle.

Moreover, given the heavy ghostly aura, not everyone was like Tan Xueci, who could encounter ghosts every day and remain unscathed. He had only met one face-to-face, and his normally robust body suddenly developed a fever.

“A female waitress died in that bar last month,” Jin Chen said with a fallen face, an aura of bad luck surrounding him. “It was in the very booth we went to. The waitress got into an argument with a guest. The guest was drunk and gouged her eyes out. That booth was supposed to be sealed, but for some reason, it was opened for us.”

Tan Xueci was used to such things; he was always mysteriously led to such places.

It sounded like a common ghost encounter, so Tan Xueci didn’t think much more about it and planned to head back with He Xunye.

However, just as he stood up, a young man walked into the ward. The man was tall with dyed red hair. Seeing Tan Xueci, he was momentarily stunned, and his expression turned a bit unnatural. “What are you doing here?”

It was Xiao An.

The wealthy second-generation heir who had made him play the blindfold game at the bar with He Sui.

Xiao An had gauze on his forehead; it seemed the unlucky soul Jin Chen had collided with was him. He looked up at He Xunye, gave a greeting, and said, “Elder Master He.”

His family used to own a shopping mall. An accident with an escalator had killed several people, and the mall had been haunted ever since.

The security guard said that as soon as night fell, the escalator would start automatically. In the surveillance footage, several dark shadows could be seen taking turns riding the elevator. The guard was scared half to death.

There were also children who developed high fevers after riding that escalator. The mall’s business grew worse and worse until his father sent someone to invite He Xunye.

Like He Sui, he had originally looked down on these people, thinking they were all frauds and charlatans.

But when He Xunye went to the mall, he didn’t draw any talismans or do anything special. He simply reached out and tapped the handrail of the escalator once, and black blood began to pour from the gaps in the elevator.

Once the black blood ran dry, He Xunye said coldly, “It’s fixed,” then turned and left.

Their mall really never had another incident.

So Xiao An feared and respected He Xunye. He looked at He Xunye with a bit of suspicion and hidden alarm. He had heard people say He Xunye was dead, but then the man suddenly appeared and even appeared on a variety show with Tan Xueci. Was he dead or not?

Tan Xueci saw Xiao An and didn’t expect him to be alive either.

On the night he went to the bar with He Sui, He Xunye told He Sui to go home. He Sui had led him away with a frustrated look, leaving everyone else at the bar.

Xiao An and several other wealthy heirs hadn’t had their fill of fun, so they agreed to go street-racing on motorcycles and got into a car accident. He heard the scene was horrific, with bodies smashed to pieces.

He had thought Xiao An was the one smashed to pieces.

If not for the fear that Xiao An’s ghost would come for him, he would have definitely cursed Xiao An in his heart for being “smashed well.” But he hadn’t expected Xiao An to appear perfectly fine before him.

If Xiao An isn’t dead, then who was it that died?

Tan Xueci hugged He Xunye’s arm and secretly looked at Xiao An’s shadow. Although a shadow alone isn’t a definitive way to judge, Xiao An had a healthy complexion and certainly didn’t look like a ghost.

Xiao An didn’t seem to have any intention of making trouble for Jin Chen. However, he had a big mouth and, after making Jin Chen pay for his medical expenses, couldn’t resist a few mocking remarks before turning to leave.

Jin Chen clenched his fists but ultimately said nothing, his face dark. After years in the industry, he had long learned to swallow his pride.

Tan Xueci originally planned to go home, but Lu Qi said since he was already here, they should talk about the new movie and have dinner together. Tan Xueci wanted to use the restroom first and listen when he got back.

This was the hospital where he usually saw a doctor. Remembering how he had encountered a ghost when looking for Xie Yunran before, he still had some psychological trauma, so he dragged He Xunye to accompany him to the restroom.

He didn’t dare stay long inside and came out quickly. But when he exited the restroom, the hallway outside was empty—there was no sign of He Xunye.

Tan Xueci’s heart tightened, and cold sweat immediately broke out. He looked up and saw a tall silhouette not far ahead. The hallway was too dark to see clearly, but it looked very much like He Xunye.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief and hurried over, but the black shadow remained consistently about ten meters away from him.

Tan Xueci’s legs felt a bit weak. He gradually slowed his pace, and then his back suddenly stiffened. He had been walking just now and hadn’t realized that there was more than just his own footsteps in the hallway.

A faint sound of footsteps came from behind him—it sounded sticky and heavy, like an old person.

The other person’s breathing was also very heavy.

“Wheeze… wheeze…”

The heavy breathing approached him.

Tan Xueci swallowed and turned his head. Even though he had prepared himself mentally, his pupils still shrank instantly.

Behind him was a blood-covered person. All their skin had been peeled off; their features weren’t even visible. The muscles of their entire body were exposed, red membranes torn, and the nose was just two slightly twitching bloody holes. They were following behind him, panting incessantly.

“Wheeze… wheeze…”

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