Chapter 91: Special Hobby

By the third day of the Lunar New Year, Tan Xueci got a call from the director. He was back, and the movie would resume filming. But many actors in the crew had died in the chaos before, so a lot of scenes needed to be reshot.

The director said the crew would start work after the new year. They’d contact her when it was time for her scenes, so she needed to keep her schedule open. Tan Xueci figured she could stay home for another month or two.

After the new year, Tan Xueci moved with her husband.

They moved into the city, very close to the city center. It was lively every time they went out, but the house was a hidden retreat within the city, unremarkable from the outside, but very quiet when inside.

The evil ghost knew his wife loved home and was nostalgic. Even though he didn’t like Gao Ying, when the little sheep doll she gave got lost in the chaos, Tan Xueci cried her eyes out.

Luckily, He Xunye had another little sheep here, the one he brought back from Tan Yanning.

Tan Xueci slept with it in her arms for several nights until it smelled like her. Only then did she cheer up a bit.

So He Xunye decorated this house exactly like the old He mansion, only bigger.

As soon as Tan Xueci got home, she rushed out to inspect the territory, then directed everyone where to put the luggage.

When one of the old servants moved too slowly, Tan Xueci started yelling. The old servants quickly clutched their hearts—their backs didn’t ache anymore, their legs didn’t hurt—and they hauled the big bags upstairs.

They looked miserable, wondering what kind of creature the eldest young master had married. Always going “wer wer” all day.

But it was useless talking to He Xunye.

He Xunye would just smile and say, “Xiaoxue is only helping you cure your illnesses. You should thank Xiaoxue.”

Tan Xueci chased them all away, then went back to her husband. She threw herself into his arms and refused to walk on her own. She clung to He Xunye, rubbing her pale little face into He Xunye’s neck.

He Xunye reached out and touched her slightly damp face from sweating, handed her the juice in his hand, then carried her to a wing chair and sat down, waiting for her to finish drinking.

Tan Xueci muttered to her husband, reporting how she had arranged everything for the others. The evil ghost’s crimson, cold eyes filled with a smile. He kissed her mouth, not caring at all about the others, and praised her blindly: “Little lamb is so amazing. Without Little lamb, the whole He family wouldn’t function. What would your husband do?”

Tan Xueci knew He Xunye was humoring her, but she couldn’t resist praise, especially from someone she liked.

He Xunye also had one hand inside her clothes, stroking her warm, soft back. Tan Xueci was like a kitten being petted, dizzy and disoriented.

She made humming noises in her throat. The male ghost grabbed her neck and kissed her, and the kissing led straight to the bed.

He Xunye would even trick her into letting out her little lamb tail to touch. He’d cup it in his big hand, squeezing it into a small ball.

Tan Xueci’s face reddened and she tried to hide, but the dead ghost would mournfully tell her he couldn’t sleep without holding the little tail.

Tan Xueci didn’t believe it at first, until one night she woke up and was startled. She found He Xunye’s eyes wide awake, staring at her face the whole time.

As if he watched her like this every night.

Tan Xueci suddenly felt creeped out, a chill running down her spine, cold sweat about to break out. It felt like being haunted by a ghost.

He was a malevolent god, different from other ghosts—he could eat and sleep normally. So she never knew that other ghosts actually didn’t sleep. She had thought He Xunye really needed to hold her tail to fall asleep.

What a finicky ghost.

She herself wasn’t this fussy.

“Alright, alright,” Tan Xueci muttered, deciding to spoil him. She made the little lamb tail appear and placed it in He Xunye’s hand, speaking gently, “You can hold it, but don’t pull.”

How could He Xunye bear to pull it? The dead ghost even lowered his head and kissed the dark little tail.

Tan Xueci’s tail trembled, sending a tingle up her spine. She instantly screamed, her ears turning bright red. Huffing, she tried to snatch the tail back and shouted, “What are you doing?!”

“Xiaoxue is so good to me,” the evil ghost murmured against the little lamb tail. His dark, peach-blossom eyes were misty, looking tender and pitiful. “I want to thank Xiaoxue.”

Tan Xueci didn’t buy it. She’d never seen anyone thank someone by kissing their tail. She got angry and reached for it again.

He Xunye pulled her into his arms, put a laptop on his knees, and searched up many countries.

Tan Xueci’s lamb eyes went wide. She didn’t even realize she was leaning completely against the evil ghost. She learned that in many places, greetings involved kisses and cheek-brushing.

So maybe kissing the little tail wasn’t a big deal.

Tan Xueci bit her finger, hesitated, and glanced at He Xunye. The evil ghost looked sanctimonious. She glanced back at the screen, then finally decided to trust He Xunye.

After all, why would he lie to her?

He Xunye finally got to hold the little tail to his heart’s content, squeezing it from tip to base.

Tan Xueci was about to bristle. He Xunye also loved to curl up in her arms to sleep, pressing his face against her chest.

But Tan Xueci didn’t have time to dwell on such trivial matters. She had become the head of the family. He Pinglan handled outside affairs, so she managed the inside. He Pinglan didn’t bother with household chores, so she had to worry about everything. She simply had no time for these little things.

She wanted to get a few pets. Right now, she only had the little cat ghost. She wanted to raise something else.

She searched online, and a bunch of suggestions popped up.

Evil cow cats, evil fleece balls, macaques that snatch tourists’ stuff, and seagulls that steal fries.

Tan Xueci’s solemn little face reflected on the screen. She felt human pets were terrifying. Not like her dead ghost—he knew how to enjoy himself, only keeping this well-behaved little lamb.

The cloth doll was lying beside her. When the evil cow cat’s big face suddenly loomed on the screen, both it and Tan Xueci screamed in fright.

The butler’s room was right below them. He lay in bed, clutching his heart, wanting to sigh but afraid to be too loud. If the eldest young master heard, even his mouth would get torn.

Anyone who dared sigh at home and affect the young lady’s mood was basically asking to destroy the entire He family.

Then He Xunye would just have to destroy him.

Tan Xueci couldn’t find a pet she wanted to raise. With a sad “wer,” she burrowed into her husband’s arms, grabbing the fabric on He Xunye’s chest. Tears still clung to her eyelids. She bit her finger and looked at He Xunye’s computer screen, which reflected her tear-streaked little face.

She couldn’t understand what He Xunye was doing, but He Xunye was very good at chemistry. He collaborated with both the archaeology and chemistry departments at Jingda University. They seemed to have some joint research group.

The students in the research group sent He Xunye many messages every day. It sounded very high-level.

Before, no one wanted to get a reply from He Xunye, because as soon as he finished speaking, they’d feel like jumping off a building. But now, everyone looked forward to his replies.

Because the little lamb was always lying next to the dead ghost. Sometimes in He Xunye’s voice messages, you could hear the lamb’s soft bleats.

After hearing them, jumping off a building seemed even more energizing.

Tan Xueci didn’t know that being in such a research group was tough, especially with an inhuman advisor.

Besides, their advisor wasn’t even human anymore—literally a dead ghost.

He Xunye’s pale, grim face reflected on their screens, like the King of Hell. They didn’t dare slack off.

Tan Xueci didn’t understand. She just felt envious.

But she also knew that to get into a research group like that, you at least had to have gone to college. Back then, Tan Yanning had such good grades, but he never got into a fancy research group like this.

Tan Xueci furrowed her brow in thought. She didn’t even notice He Xunye pinching her cheek and giving her a few light kisses. After a long contemplation, she made a decision: she was going to school.

Tan Xueci was very decisive. She did what she said she would do, and she wanted to surprise his husband.

Maybe one day, she’d stand at the door of He Xunye’s research group. When He Xunye asked if she was there to pick up her husband from work, she could say, “No, I’m here to join you!”

The dead ghost would surely be shocked.

Heh heh heh.

Tan Xueci sneaked online to ask how to quickly get into college. As soon as she posted, a kind person messaged her privately and recommended a cram school.

Tan Xueci bit her lip, making her already rosy, full lips even redder. She thought for a moment, then asked one more question.

The other party patted their chest and assured her they’d teach everything and guarantee a pass. At worst, she’d get into an undergraduate program.

Besides, how bad could her foundation be?

Tan Xueci felt relieved.

The tuition was thirty thousand yuan. Before, she would have been stingy, crying over the money, counting on her fingers how many fish balls she could add to her spicy hotpot.

But now she was a high-class lamb, so she didn’t even blink. She paid the tuition directly and arranged to start classes the next day.

He Xunye saw her muttering to herself, tinkering in a corner. He pretended to pass by casually, but Tan Xueci would warily cover her phone screen, not letting him see.

The evil ghost’s pitch-black eyes darkened. He tilted his head, staring at Tan Xueci’s phone screen.

Sometimes, he still felt that it would be better for his wife to stay inside his belly, where they could merge into one.

His heart would be Tan Xueci’s heart, his eyes would be Tan Xueci’s eyes. Even when Tan Xueci touched himself, he would feel it.

Just thinking about it made him hard and aching.

But Tan Xueci was outside his body, occasionally having her own little secrets. That made him very anxious.

He Xunye came up behind his wife. The evil ghost’s cold palm, like a specter, rested on his wife’s shoulder.

His voice was low, cool, and gentle, like a feudal virtuous wife admonishing her husband. He held Tan Xueci’s hand and said, “Xiaoxue, it’s already ten-thirty. Can we go to bed?”

Tan Xueci hesitated. She didn’t want to sleep yet. She was still picking a university; after the exam, she’d have to enroll soon.

“Don’t interfere with my career,” Tan Xueci said, imitating Zhang Chengfa’s father. She pulled up a screen of red and green stocks and said sternly, “Otherwise, how will I support this family?”

He Xunye: “…”

Sometimes He Xunye wondered if he shouldn’t have made Tan Xueci the head of the family.

The evil ghost lowered his head, resting his chin on his wife’s shoulder, looking at the jumping stocks on the screen.

Tan Xueci randomly tapped and picked the greenest one, because the red patches looked like blood and were scary.

The evil ghost glanced at the erratic stocks, then at Tan Xueci’s pretty, wrinkled little face. It felt like the stocks were skimming over his wife’s smooth brain, leaving no trace.

Just as Tan Xueci was feeling guilty and about to click pay on something, He Xunye’s eyelid twitched. He pressed down on Tan Xueci’s hand and resignedly pleaded, “Husband, can we go to bed? I’ll sleep with you.”

“…” Tan Xueci’s cheeks suddenly flushed bright red. The dead ghost’s voice was low and pleasant, and he was acting humble, softly calling her “husband” in her ear. It made Tan Xueci feel like she was losing it. Plus, He Xunye made it sound like he would actually let her sleep with him.

Tan Xueci never learned her lesson. She finally let go of that stock, avoiding bankruptcy on the first day of being head of the family. Then she was led by the waist to the bed.

She straddled He Xunye’s waist and frantically started pulling at his clothes. He Xunye just smiled and didn’t stop him.

She lowered her head and bit randomly. He Xunye didn’t resist, just obediently lifted his head to kiss her.

“Does Xiaoxue want to be on top tonight?” The evil ghost’s peach-blossom eyes were dark, his voice hoarse.

Not just tonight, Tan Xueci wanted to be on top every night. So she nodded eagerly.

“Alright then,” the evil ghost said agreeably, helping her rub her waist. He pressed his lips against hers and mumbled, “Xiaoxue will work hard.”

Tan Xueci blushed, feeling silly. Ah, this was the kind of husband you should look for. She couldn’t find anyone more virtuous than He Xunye. It made the little feudal lord swell with pride.

In the evening, he brought her water to wash her feet and socks. When Tan Xueci scolded him, he still thanked her and said she worked hard.

Tan Xueci’s conscience started to ache. She felt she should take the initiative to let her husband touch her little tail.

Until the male ghost’s cold, deathly hand suddenly grabbed her waist and seated her in the right position.

“Clumsy,” the evil ghost said affectionately, rubbing his nose against Tan Xueci’s.

Tan Xueci cried “wer wer” all night, crying and shouting, utterly heartbroken.

She never imagined her husband would lie to her.

She was crying, but He Xunye was laughing. Other couples had a seven-year itch; they hadn’t even reached seven years and were already itching. This marriage full of deceit was truly heartbreaking.

He Xunye tried to comfort her, but Tan Xueci’s tears kept flowing, unstoppable. So he stopped, held her in his arms, wiped her tears, and said sympathetically, “Let’s stop, let’s stop.”

Tan Xueci’s tears clung to her lashes, her eyes red. She was left hanging, even more wronged than before.

“…” He Xunye wanted to sigh but didn’t dare. He had no choice but to continue. If he did, the girl cried; if he didn’t, she cried too. When he was gentle, she cried with soft “wer wers”; when he was rough, she cried heart-wrenchingly. Anyone would think He Xunye had some special hobby, like beating his wife, to make her cry like that.

The next day, even He Pinglan couldn’t help but come knock on the door, poking her head in to check on Tan Xueci.

But Tan Xueci was curled up under the covers into a small ball, her lashes still wet with tears. Nothing could be seen.

“Sigh…” She just looked at He Xunye and said tactfully, “Maybe you should drink some loofah soup.”

What a fiery temper, to wear someone out like that.

He Xunye: “…”

Tan Xueci was still sniffling under the covers, unaware that her husband’s reputation had been ruined again because of her.

He Xunye had planned to take her to school today, but seeing how much she had cried last night, he didn’t wake her.

As soon as He Xunye left, Tan Xueci immediately sat up, packed her bag, and snuck off to the cram school.

The cram school wasn’t too far from home, about half an hour’s drive. It looked fairly regular, with many classrooms.

Tan Xueci wore a mask and sat sneakily in the last row. But her eyes were very distinctive, and she had a slim waist and long legs. People recognized her at a glance.

Tan Xueci thought she was well-hidden. Actually, she just kept her head down, acting like she didn’t want to be recognized. The few classmates who did recognize her held back from speaking to her.

Tan Xueci had expected to learn a lot on the first day, maybe come home with a belly full of knowledge.

Instead, the teacher only talked about the year’s curriculum and then handed out several test papers, saying they needed to assess their level.

Tan Xueci was dumbfounded. She hesitantly took the papers passed from the front, flipped through them, and regained a bit of confidence. At least many questions were multiple choice.

She could probably guess at least thirty or forty points.

Full of confidence, she was already thinking about what reward she’d ask from her husband tonight. But then the papers were graded on the spot. When hers was handed back, it was a big fat zero; she hadn’t gotten a single question right.

Last night she had been secretly bragging, but now she couldn’t face anyone. Tan Xueci, with eyes swollen like little peaches, sent a message to He Xunye saying she’d be home late.

The teacher asked them to go to the office one by one to analyze their papers and plan the year’s study.

Tan Xueci dawdled, dragging herself to be the last one. Then she left the school in tears.

When she came out, it was already dark. The other cram school students had left, and there was no one outside.

According to the teacher’s meaning, though it was euphemistically put, he basically said Tan Xueci definitely couldn’t get into college. He even offered to refund the full tuition.

The more Tan Xueci thought about it, the more upset she became. She bit her lip, tears falling silently at first, then she looked at the paper and finally couldn’t hold back and sobbed out loud.

In the middle of crying, she suddenly turned around warily. She had just sensed a familiar aura, like ghostly energy from the abyss, but very weak.

Tan Xueci looked around for that aura. Suddenly, her test paper was swept away by a night breeze. She didn’t even react.

Tan Xueci was stunned. Now she really cried out loud. It was a zero, but it was still her first exam.

She also didn’t notice that a dark figure behind the nearby tree had been following her.

The evil ghost’s heart tightened. He quickly stepped out from behind the tree. He was still wearing a suit, as if he had just come from work.

Tan Xueci wiped her tears and froze, asking softly, “Husband, why are you here?”

Jingda University was far from here.

“I came for a meeting,” He Xunye lied, then seeing Tan Xueci’s little face red from crying, he quickly reached out to wipe her tears. “Why is baby crying?”

Tan Xueci remembered her test paper again and felt like fainting from sorrow. She threw herself into He Xunye’s arms, sobbing and tattling, “A bird stole my paper.”

She thought she had seen something dark just now. Seafront birds steal fries; maybe bad birds on land steal test papers.

He Xunye had felt something was off when he got the message about Tan Xueci coming home late.

Now Tan Xueci knew how to type “husband.” To show off, she’d always type “husband husband husband” many times in messages. Tonight, she only typed it once.

When the wife is quiet, she must be up to mischief.

The dead ghost couldn’t help but ache at the thought of his wife’s wilted little face. He had no mood to deal with his students anymore. With cold, dark eyes, he told them to get their GPA above five before talking to him, then left school promptly at the end of the day.

Students: ???

‘So we never have to see each other again?’

Tan Xueci’s body was now his heart. He could sense her location. When he found Tan Xueci, she was squatting on the ground outside the cram school, wiping her tears. She looked very small, like a tiny, wilted heart.

He Xunye didn’t go out at first, knowing Tan Xueci probably had something she didn’t want to tell him. But when Tan Xueci suddenly started crying loudly, his mind went blank, and he couldn’t help but go out.

The evil ghost held his wife in his arms. The ghostly energy behind him spread like black mist, rushing to snatch the paper.

“Wait…” Tan Xueci, tearful, nestled in her husband’s arms and quickly stopped him. “Wait!”

If he snatched it back now, He Xunye would see her big zero. How embarrassing. How could she still be his husband?

She suddenly thought it was good that the paper was gone.

That night breeze was like a lingering soul. It picked up the paper, looked at it, then the soul weakened and dissipated further. With all its remaining strength, it tore the pieces into shreds and completely vanished.

Its greatest regret might have been giving Tan Xueci only one gram of its soul. Back in its day, it had gotten full marks in all six arts.