Chapter 78: High-End Technician

Tan Xueci glared at He Xunye resentfully. He wasn’t fooled; he knew exactly what that bastard was implying. He Xunye usually only praised him in bed, saying how good he sounded.

A light snow had started falling that night, covering everything in a cold, misty haze. Tan Xueci couldn’t argue with He Xunye, his eyes turning red. While he was still wondering how to deal with the dead man, He Xunye suddenly pressed down on his shoulder.

The ghost’s damp, cold breath approached him, his pitch-black eyes darkening—a prelude to a kiss.

Tan Xueci quickly raised his hand to block his chest, already bracing to punch He Xunye. But He Xunye just pulled him into an embrace and gave him a gentle peck on the lips.

He didn’t bite or go crazy. He just brushed his lips against Tan Xueci’s, a cool, almost gentle kiss.

Tan Xueci froze.

After kissing him, He Xunye let go, as if finally recognizing who he was. He reached out and linked their fingers together.

The man’s gaze was gentle in the dim night, but his words were still annoying.

“Can you come pick me up earlier next time it snows? Otherwise, what if someone else takes your husband away?”

Tan Xueci: “…”

What could he do?

Just toss him straight into the trash bin.

Tan Xueci’s little face drooped as the male ghost took his hand and led him home. If he had watched more videos, he would have known not to pick up men on the roadside, let alone male ghosts. Too bad he hadn’t seen any.

Tan Xueci swung their linked hands as they walked through the dark, snowy night. He turned his head and asked He Xunye, “What did you say to Xie Yun just now?”

He Xunye didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled out a medicine bottle and handed it to Tan Xueci. Tan Xueci was stunned for a moment before taking it. He realized it was the medicine Xie Yun had prescribed him earlier. No wonder he’d lost several bottles; He Xunye had secretly hidden them.

All his pills were white capsules. He Xunye took one out, twisted it open, and poured out gray powder.

“Little lamb,” the evil ghost’s gloomy black eyes stared at him, smiling. “Your medicine is all incense ash.”

Incense ash wards off evil. After taking it, Tan Xueci naturally couldn’t see ghosts anymore. But because Tan Xueci’s own yin energy was too strong, the effect didn’t last long, hence the medicine only worked for three hours.

Tan Xueci was frozen, staring at the incense ash. But the ash in He Xunye’s palm quickly corroded his hand into black. Tan Xueci got a fright and hurriedly reached out to brush it off.

He grabbed He Xunye’s hand, puffed out his pale cheeks, and blew hard until the ash was all gone. Only then did he relax, seeing the black blood vanish from his palm.

He had always known Xie Yun was a bit strange, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Xie Yun’s teacher was very famous in the industry, a world-class expert in treating adolescent schizophrenia. All the doctors in his research group worshipped the teacher.

Tan Xueci hated that old bastard. He kept electrocuting him, killing him over and over again.

But at the time, he had really liked Xie Yun.

Because when the other kids went in for treatment, Xie Yun would stay outside with him while they waited. Xie Yun’s eyes weren’t as fanatical as the other doctors’, who looked at the teacher like he was some kind of messiah.

On the surface, Xie Yun respected his teacher. But when they were alone, the deliberate reverence disappeared. Behind his silver-rimmed glasses, his gaze turned cold and heavy—the look one gives a pig.

Just like how Xie Yun seemed to love He Sui, but when he turned away, the look he gave He Sui was no more than that for a pig about to be slaughtered.

Tan Xueci felt that he and Xie Yun had a lot in common.

They had a good relationship. When Tan Xueci was about seven and just hospitalized, he would cry from pain and fear at night, tears streaming down. Xie Yun would come to see him, sit him on his lap, pat his back, and tell him ghost stories to lull him to sleep.

Tan Xueci wrapped his arms around He Xunye’s arm, his small face complicated. He Xunye didn’t speak either.

They each had their secrets, which made Tan Xueci feel that their marriage was very real, from being inseparable to lying in the same bed with different dreams. Maybe the next step would be divorce from the dead man.

As Tan Xueci was thinking about this, the evil ghost’s cold fingertip poked his forehead. He was pushed sideways and frowned at He Xunye, only to be poked again.

“What bad thing are you thinking about now?” The ghost’s pale face leaned in, his eyes dark and eerie.

Tan Xueci felt wronged, but he already knew how to handle the dead man. He grabbed the ends of his scarf and, without warning, jumped onto He Xunye.

He Xunye instinctively reached out to hold his butt, lifting him up. Tan Xueci then used the scarf to wrap them together messily, burying his face in He Xunye’s neck and rubbing around, even biting him once.

As expected, the dead man stopped worrying about what happened earlier. He patted Tan Xueci’s little butt, chuckled softly, and carried him home.

He really enjoyed being bullied by Tan Xueci. It was like if he didn’t get a couple of punches every day, he would feel unsettled.

Tan Xueci knew this thoroughly. When he started acting spoiled, He Xunye had no choice but to give in. Others might refuse to spoil him, but He Xunye indulged him so much that he had become his punching bag, and he couldn’t even bring himself to scold him.

After hitting him a few times, Tan Xueci would start feeling guilty. He would cup He Xunye’s face and give him a few loud kisses, smacking his lips.

He Xunye was made to be taken advantage of by him.

When they got home, Tan Xueci was still holding him. As they passed by He Pinglan’s room, he thought he heard some noise inside. It seemed like there was even the smell of burning paper.

“Her child is the same age as you,” He Xunye said, holding him the whole way before finally putting him down.

He Pinglan had gotten married and had children early. As soon as she was old enough, she went and got the certificate with Lian Jiche. She was only about twenty years older than Tan Xueci.

Tan Xueci hesitated for a moment, then ran over to take a look. He didn’t dare go in, so he just peeked from outside, half his face showing.

Tonight, He Pinglan wasn’t playing videos of male models dancing. Her long, thick black hair was neatly combed. When she heard his footsteps, she waved him over.

Tan Xueci walked over and crouched beside her. She pulled him into a hug. Tan Xueci leaned against her shoulder and blinked at He Xunye, who was outside the door.

He Pinglan’s hand was like a female ghost’s, a little cool, but gentle as she stroked his head. Tan Xueci froze, then secretly wrapped his arm around her waist.

He Pinglan held him for a while until she calmed down, then let go.

There was a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand. She looked at He Xunye outside the door, her face slightly twisted, and couldn’t help but murmur “Amitabha.”

Tan Xueci seemed so young to her, almost like he knew nothing. When he cried, he looked even younger. She felt that Tan Xueci sleeping with He Xunye was a crime. The eighteen levels of hell were the limit of the underworld, not the limit of her brother’s sin.

If Tan Xueci’s family had been there to stop him, even if her brother were alive, he would probably have been beaten to death by Tan Xueci’s parents.

At least he died in time.

Tan Xueci’s hands were soft and small, even compared to other boys his age. The dead man held one in his hand as they walked back to the room.

He Xunye carried him to the bath and washed him. Tan Xueci lay in the bathtub doing nothing, playing on his phone while the dead man did all the work, like a high-end technician.

But this technician wasn’t very proper. Using the slippery water in the tub, he slid a finger inside.

Tan Xueci had been playing a whack-a-mole game. His face flushed bright red. He tried to struggle, but the dead technician held him down. The technician’s dark, peach blossom eyes curved as he introduced, “This is one of the services. A lot of people do it. Haven’t you ever had it before, customer?”

Tan Xueci had never had any kind of massage. He hadn’t been to many entertainment places anyway. He looked at He Xunye suspiciously, staying cautious and not saying anything, waiting for an explanation.

“It’s called a prostate massage,” the dead technician smiled. “A lot of men get it. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Lu Qi.” Then he added in surprise, “You’ve never heard of this? It’s quite an expensive service.”

If he hadn’t mentioned it was expensive, Tan Xueci might have admitted he didn’t know. But mentioning the price made Tan Xueci’s little face tense up. He refused to admit he’d never heard of it; that would expose him as not a high-class little lamb, just a country bumpkin.

“I…” Tan Xueci’s beautiful black lamb eyes darted around. He muttered, “Of course I’ve heard of it.”

Actually, he was secretly messaging Lu Qi on his phone. Since he didn’t know what “prostate” was and couldn’t even spell it, his messages were full of typos.

Lu Qi didn’t understand at first, but when he did, he let out a cold, scornful laugh. It was obvious that the son of the shaman next door had come down with some lecherous disease.

But what could he do? He had to kneel and reply humiliatingly.

[Lu Qi: Sigh, yeah, I’ve had it too. Go ahead, all men go through it.]

Tan Xueci still felt it was weird, but since Lu Qi said so, he reluctantly relaxed. He pretended to be an expert at these high-class activities, though his pale ears turned red to the point of bleeding. He scolded the unruly technician, “You should be gentler. I’m very sensitive.”

The technician was very accommodating. He agreed to be gentler, fulfilling the customer’s every need.

In the end, Tan Xueci was carried out of the tub soaking wet. His whack-a-mole game had a full screen of moles, but he hadn’t even hit them.

Holding his butt, Tan Xueci lay on the bed, eyes a little glazed. He thought rich people were really strange, paying someone to mess with their butts. They weren’t afraid of getting beaten by the caretaker when they got old.

He had planned to finish his game and go to sleep, but the dead man wrapped around him like a cold snake, pressing on top of him from behind, taking his hand and teaching him how to draw talismans.

Tan Xueci didn’t want to learn. If he were posted online, he’d be scolded for three days. He only wanted good things, not hard work.

He thought his husband should just draw them for him, and he could use them directly. Why did he have to learn?

He Xunye had never taught him these things before. Tan Xueci knew He Xunye didn’t like him getting too involved.

Tan Xueci weakly pushed at He Xunye. The evil ghost caught his hand, kissed it, and tempted him, “Just learn one, baby. If you learn, I’ll kiss you and give you a reward. Or do you want something to eat?”

Tan Xueci: “…”

Who was really getting the reward here?

Tan Xueci refused to learn, so He Xunye didn’t force him. He just lay beside him, one hand on Tan Xueci’s head, occasionally stroking it, and then leaning in to kiss his exposed shoulder.

The evil ghost’s eyes were so gentle that Tan Xueci felt a pang of guilt. He felt like he was bullying the ghost.

Learning a little wouldn’t hurt. Fine, he’d learn.

So Tan Xueci went to the set during the day to film, and came home at night to learn talisman drawing from He Xunye. He Xunye gave him many rewards, prying open his teeth and stuffing his entire hand into his mouth. Tan Xueci’s throat was stretched and swollen. If that pale flesh hadn’t been so slippery, he wouldn’t have been able to swallow it at all.

Now he had a whole dead man’s hand in his belly. Sometimes that hand would suddenly, gently, as if caressing, stroke his thin stomach from the inside. Tan Xueci felt his slippery inner walls must be redder than anyone else’s.

And He Xunye said he could control that hand. Tan Xueci tried, and it really worked. It was like a conscious baby that would come and rub against him. But a baby wasn’t that lewd; it wouldn’t suddenly start rubbing somewhere it shouldn’t, making him go limp in bed, unable to even stand.

Tan Xueci felt he was becoming a monster. He probably was already a monster, not much better than a dead person. Who else had a husband’s cold, bony hand stuffed inside their belly?

Luckily, after He Xunye fed him one hand, he didn’t force him to eat more.

This winter was very cold. It was already deep winter, the sky gray and oppressive, often foggy with low visibility. That kind of weather wasn’t normal for winter.

On set, Tan Xueci’s hands got icy cold. He Xunye didn’t touch him much anymore; he gave him a hot water bottle and only touched his hands through it.

At the end of January, Tan Xueci got another message from Jiang Caiwei. This time, her voice was even more panicked than before.

[Xiaoxue’s Long-Lost Birth Mother: Xiaoxue, I don’t know if you’re busy, but can you come to my place tonight? My little brother and sister are acting really strange, and I’m scared.]

Tan Xueci agreed. After his shift, he went to find Jiang Caiwei. At the entrance of her building, he ran into Yu He.

Yu He had his peach wood sword on his back and a compass in his hand. He raised an eyebrow. “You two here too?”

No one answered him, but he didn’t care. He stuck the sword back and asked, “You heard about the Ripper in the Fog, right? The police couldn’t find the killer, so they contacted my master to figure out if it’s human or ghost. We went and determined it’s definitely a human.”

The police wanted to know for sure. If it was human, they’d catch them. If ghost, it’d be handled by the metaphysical world, like the previous slime mold incident.

Yu He was uneasy. How could a human kill several families without being caught? They could only deduce the killer was probably male from the method, very strong, roughly over 1.8 meters tall.

He summoned a victim’s soul. The victim said they only saw the killer in a black cloak with a knife, couldn’t see the face, seemed tall, and pointed to the direction they left, which was near this residential area.

Not necessarily living here, but Yu He’s compass showed something off about this area.

So he planned to start looking here.

Tan Xueci and the others went with Yu He to Jiang Caiwei’s place. Her parents were home today. When they saw them, they frowned, looking wary, unhappy that their daughter brought strange men home.

Jiang’s mother was especially resistant to He Xunye. A tall, gloomy man, no matter how handsome, made people feel uncomfortable. She only froze when she saw Tan Xueci. “Hey, you’re that…”

Tan Xueci had endorsed a perfume. He’d shot the early winter series, featuring a scent called Snow Night, with ads in several big malls in the capital.

The young man wore a white sweater, holding that perfume bottle, misty white, with the perfume itself a faint black-blue tone like a snowy night. It made his eyes look beautiful and cold.

He seemed born to be in the spotlight, unforgettable.

Jiang’s mother had only glanced at him once while eating at that mall, and she remembered Tan Xueci.

She relaxed a bit. Since Tan Xueci was a public figure, what could he do to them?

And they really were scared.

“A few nights ago, I got up to use the bathroom,” Jiang Caiwei said, her face pale and haggard, hair a mess. “I saw two small black figures in the living room. I was terrified. Luckily, I had my phone, so I turned on the flashlight and shined it over.”

Then she saw her little brother and sister, who had gotten up without her knowing. The two kids were standing in the pitch-black living room, staring blankly at the front door.

As she spoke, Jiang Caiwei wiped away tears. She had been so scared she got a high fever that night and only felt better today, which was why she had the strength to contact Tan Xueci.

Jiang’s mother quickly hugged her daughter, distressed.

At first, she and her husband hadn’t believed it; when Jiang Caiwei screamed and woke them up, they found no one in the living room and their two kids sound asleep in their bedroom.

She thought Jiang Caiwei was just hallucinating from all the ghost stories going around and had been considering taking her to get some Chinese medicine.

But the next night, when she got up, she saw the kids in the living room too. That really scared her.

She immediately went back to get her husband. When they returned to the living room, the kids were gone, so they went to the bedroom.

As they opened the door, the two children opened their eyes in confusion and tried to come closer. She couldn’t help but flinch back.

The kids didn’t understand why their mother was acting like that and started crying. Her heart softened, and she quickly gathered them into her arms.

They didn’t seem any different, but every night they went to stand in the living room, and they never remembered doing it.

“I can’t see any ghost aura on them,” Yu He said, rubbing his chin as he studied the kids. “Can’t judge with just this. Can we stay the night and check it out?”

Jiang’s parents exchanged looks. Keeping three strange men overnight seemed dangerous.

But Tan Xueci was there, and Jiang Caiwei’s pale face finally lit up a little when she heard they might stay. Her color improved, and her eyes sparkled.

Seeing her daughter so happy, Jiang’s mother finally agreed to let them stay.

There was only one guest room. Yu He said Tan Xueci and his partner could take it; he’d make do with the armchair in the study, since he wouldn’t be sleeping anyway, just watching for any movement in the living room.

The kids usually went to the living room around three in the morning. It was only ten now, so Jiang Caiwei dawdled and went to play whack-a-mole with Tan Xueci for a while.

Tan Xueci had wanted to keep up his aloof image, but after a few rounds, his little face went soft.

Jiang Caiwei clutched her chest and nearly fainted on the bed. She already knew Tan Xueci was definitely a baby.

She’d heard He Xunye call him “little lamb”; they’d used it on the variety show, but no one knew why.

Tan Xueci only brought out his little sheep plushie when sleeping; he kept it in his backpack during the day, so they’d never seen it.

Anyway, she started calling him “little lamb” too and kept praising him like crazy while he played. Tan Xueci’s face turned red from all the praise, and he huddled closer and closer to her.

Suddenly, Jiang Caiwei felt a chill on her neck. Her nerves were on edge, so she snapped her head around. There was nothing scary, only He Xunye’s dark eyes staring at her.

He Xunye was sitting by the window. The night behind him was thick as ink, making his skin look even paler, his lips a deep ghostly red. He curled his lips at her in a smile.

Jiang Caiwei felt even colder and instinctively leaned toward Tan Xueci. Tan Xueci turned and glared at He Xunye. The evil ghost’s pale face darkened before he finally looked away.

Jiang Caiwei had to work the next day, so she went back to her room to sleep around midnight. Tan Xueci also dozed off on He Xunye, until He Xunye gently shook his shoulder at exactly three in the morning.

He Xunye didn’t speak, just gestured toward the living room. Tan Xueci snapped awake and quietly got up to follow him out.

The study was across from the guest room. Yu He also happened to be opening his door.

They didn’t say a word, silently looking into the living room. In the dark corner, two children stood hand in hand.

Jiang’s twins were a boy and a girl. The little girl stared at the door for a moment, then suddenly let go of her brother’s hand and bent down to pick something up.

At that moment, Yu He charged out with his peach wood sword. He slashed at the empty space in front of the girl, cutting through the evil aura. The little girl froze, then burst into loud crying.

Hearing the commotion, Jiang’s parents and Jiang Caiwei hurried out in their coats.

Yu He turned on the light. They saw a very worn doll on the ground—red lips, black eyes, messy black curls, one eye gouged out, the other dark eye staring at them, sending chills down their spines.

“What the hell is that?!” Jiang Caiwei screamed, quickly pulling her brother and sister close.

Jiang’s mother was also terrified. She was sure she’d never bought a doll like that. It wasn’t theirs.

How did it get into their house?

And in the middle of the night, at that.

The cloth doll that had been hanging on He Xunye popped up, saw the doll on the floor, and made a crying face.

It seemed a little afraid of that doll.

Tan Xueci also felt a chill at the back of his neck. But soon, he realized the chill wasn’t from the doll.

He whirled around. The peephole on Jiang’s front door made him feel very uneasy.

As he pulled He Xunye over to look, he was about to lean in when He Xunye covered his eyes.

Tan Xueci swallowed, knowing there was something outside. But he pushed He Xunye’s hand away and put his eye to the peephole.

What he saw was a black eyeball.

Someone was looking in.

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