Chapter 8: Riding on His Back

Logically speaking, the fire should have destroyed the contents of the box under high heat, but the production team had arranged it so that they were still barely identifiable.

A carefully preserved photograph showed traces of a crease that had been smoothed out.

The photo was slightly darkened, but it was easy to tell that it featured a mother and daughter; having seen the family photo before, one could easily recognize them as the CEO’s wife and daughter, with a date in the corner.

This was taken before they returned to reunite with the CEO.

The child looked more tender, wearing a bright red cloak with a snow-white fur collar around her neck, lunging into her mother’s embrace, burying herself against her stomach with a face full of dependence and a smile that was innocent and brilliant.

Beneath the photo were scattered small accessories: pearl earrings, a little yellow duck hair tie, a sunflower bracelet, and a small red flower, some of which had been worn by the mother, and others belonging to the little girl.

Everything was stored in this beautiful little box, like a child’s exclusive treasure chest, holding all the most cherished things inside, carefully collected and taken out from time to time to be held and touched.

“That’s it?”

Wu Kai was completely baffled, unable to understand what use this box served.

He tried touching around unwillingly to see if there were any hidden compartments, but that was all.

Somewhat disappointed, they left the burned room.

Jian Yongge walked at the very back, his gaze glued to Pei Liu’s back.

Pei Liu had an outstanding appearance and enough charm to attract people; previously, his dull acting had cost him points and could be ignored, but now he suddenly knew how to perform in front of the camera.

Jian Yongge watched him, feeling very unhappy inside.

“If only he could have an accident and not be able to participate in the show.”

Such a malicious thought flashed through Jian Yongge’s mind as his eyes darkened.

Almost at the same moment, a blood-red figure appeared behind him.

Malice is the best nourishment for ghosts.

The female ghost took a large, satisfied breath and began to laugh, her mangled face twitching as fragments of flesh fell off.

In the corridor, Jian Yongge felt a sudden weight on his back as if something had pressed down on him, leaving his neck stiff and aching.

He looked back suspiciously several times, terrified that a ghost might be clinging to his back.

But there was nothing there.

He frowned and continued forward, but his head grew heavier and heavier, sinking lower and lower until his neck could barely support it and felt like it might snap; cold sweat kept seeping from his forehead, falling in large droplets.

He felt cold, sticky hair brush against his neck, and soft breathing sounded by his ear, blowing cold air that chilled his hands and feet.

“There’s a ghost!”

Jian Yongge screamed frantically in his heart, wanting to open his mouth to call for help.

But even with all his strength, he could only lift his head slightly to see Pei Liu’s two long legs just a few steps away.

He continued to strain his head upward, trembling lips moving as he shouted with all his might, but the sound that actually emerged was barely audible.

Jian Yongge strained so hard his eyeballs nearly rolled out, only to see that the Pei Liu in front of him actually had no upper body!

He had been sliced in half at the waist, with only two legs walking, and he could even see the red and white flesh and bone at the cross-section of the waist.

Immense terror quickly swept through his entire body as his fingers trembled and his throat felt sour, making him want to vomit.

“Are you okay?”

A soft voice sounded by his side, but to the current Jian Yongge, it sounded more like a death knell from a vengeful spirit.

He instinctively swung his arm with force and shrieked: “Don’t touch me!”

Tong Jiaqi was struck on the arm and cried out in pain, a large red mark appearing.

Wu Kai immediately stepped forward to protect Tong Jiaqi, frowning in displeasure: “Qiqi saw you were uncomfortable and was worried about you, why did you hit her?”

Jian Yongge snapped back to his senses in a daze, his heavy body slowly recovering, and finally seeing the situation before him clearly, he said in total terror: “I… I just saw a ghost!”

His terrible complexion did indeed make it seem that way, making it difficult for Tong Jiaqi to find fault, and she could only endure the pain; however, she couldn’t help but harbor resentment toward Jian Yongge.

Although Wu Kai and Tong Jiaqi weren’t a real couple, they had become good friends after spending time together, and he couldn’t help but say to Jian Yongge: “You should apologize to Qiqi.”

But Jian Yongge heard nothing, his gaze fixed straight on Pei Liu.

His body was whole, not missing a half.

Jian Yongge breathed half a sigh of relief, but in the next second, he saw Pei Liu curl his lips into a twisted and bizarre smile; Jian Yongge’s eyes widened abruptly as terror filled them and he retreated rapidly.

“Pei Liu is possessed by a ghost!”

Wu Kai was bumped by him again; Jian Yongge’s jumpy and uncommunicative state left the others feeling somewhat helpless and frustrated.

“Calm down and look carefully; Pei Liu is perfectly fine,” Zhao Hai stepped forward, speaking in a low, soothing tone.

Jian Yongge looked at Pei Liu warily several times, his expression gradually becoming bewildered and vacant; were those just his hallucinations?

Pei Liu stood several meters away and did not go over, so as not to provoke him; seeing him standing there alone, looking lonely and hurt, Tong Jiaqi walked over and comforted him softly: “Don’t take his words to heart; the haunted house is probably too realistic, and his nerves are too tense.”

She paused, then gave him a small, kind reminder: “Don’t get into a fight with him; he has a lot of fans.”

Pei Liu didn’t care, but he still thanked her for her concern and said obediently: “Okay, thank you; Sister Jiaqi, is your arm okay? Do you need to treat it? I remember there’s a first-aid kit.”

Tong Jiaqi lifted her arm, and the spot where she had been hit was already showing a large bruise: “It’s quite painful, but it’s fine; I’ll apply some medicine later, and it will slowly fade in a few days.”

Jian Yongge slowly calmed down and apologized to them.

Tong Jiaqi smiled slightly, appearing a bit strained: “It’s fine, you were just scared.”

“Thank you, Sister Qi, you’re so kind,” Jian Yongge said with a pale face, smiling and acting close to her.

Tong Jiaqi responded indifferently, though she couldn’t help but roll her eyes in her mind; why call her “Sister,” when their ages weren’t even a few months apart?

Was he trying to act like a boy forever?

This bruise would take half a month to fade; she had to go to great lengths to cover it every time she rushed to a schedule, which was annoying, but she couldn’t lose her temper.

After such an incident, everyone had to temporarily stop and go to the first floor together to rest and calm down, as the bruise on Tong Jiaqi’s arm also needed medicine.

It reached dinner time.

Steaming hot dishes were laid out on the table; they weren’t exactly extravagant, but they tasted very good.

They had already eaten several meals in the abandoned villa, and many people have a habit where once they’ve sat in a certain spot for the first time, it’s as if they’ve formed a bond with it and subconsciously sit in the same seat afterward, making their seating somewhat fixed.

Pei Liu walked toward his accustomed spot and sat down.

Then, he blinked, feeling a bit confused.

Was the texture of the seat originally like this?

He couldn’t help but lean to the side and look down; it was just a very ordinary chair without anything extra.

How strange.

Was it his imagination?

Pei Liu retracted his gaze and focused back on the food, lowering his head to eat, while also wondering if a chair shouldn’t be flat and hard.

Why did his chair today feel as though it had a soft cushion—soft yet firm, like…

He pondered for a moment, trying to find a suitable metaphor, and after eating a piece of sweet and sour rib and biting through the crispy shell to the fragrant, tender meat, he finally thought of it; it was just like sitting on someone’s lap.

But, of course, that was impossible; he wasn’t the Prince from The Princess and the Pea.

And in the fairy tale, the prince felt a pea through dozens of down comforters, whereas he was the opposite, feeling something soft on a rock-hard chair.

But it wasn’t comfortable either, causing him to move around restlessly in small increments, as his backside was being prodded.

Even as the rich sweet and sour sauce seeped into the rice—each grain distinct and stained a bright, golden color—he couldn’t distract himself enough to feel better.

“Finally, the lightbulb didn’t flicker today,” Tong Jiaqi remarked, as it had been flickering constantly before, making her feel flustered even while eating.

Because of his intermittent small movements, Tong Jiaqi noticed and looked at Pei Liu with slight confusion.

Pei Liu froze, too embarrassed to move again, and lowered his head to accelerate his eating, during which he also reached out to haphazardly feel the surface of the chair; it was smooth and flat, and he felt nothing except for a handful of icy coldness, like a block of ice.