Chi Yan thought about his long friendship with Xu Jiang, and just couldn’t lie to him. Besides, the two of them knew everything about each other and hung out all the time. If he lied now, it wouldn’t end well--he’d be exposed sooner or later.
DIED?! Xu Jiang dropped his phone. He stared wide-eyed at his good friend, who was leaning against the headboard.
Could it be, he’s saying that because of a bad breakup? But he shouldn’t curse someone like that, right? The Ruler that he knows isn’t such a harsh, malicious person.
Chi Yan lowered his eyes, secretly holding Ye Yingzhi’s hand: “En. Died. During summer. I just couldn’t accept reality this whole time.”
As a sociology phD, the stories that Xu Jiang liked were completely unrealistic. Whenever he had time on his hand, he liked to read artistic, powerful works, similar to the fragrance of the Chinese bellflower--imperfect and angsty--to nourish, comfort, and cleanse his reality-tainted soul.
Based on Chi Yan’s vague bits of information here and there, in his mind, his good friend’s lover should be a self-employed person who travelled around the world--someone who never stayed in one place. And during his travels, he would submit photographs or even articles to tourism publication webpages. Until one day, amidst the bustling, chaotic Shiming City night, he caught a glimpse of Chi Yan. And thus, like a dandelion seed finally putting down its roots, he resolutely followed Xu Jiang’s good friend back to Suming City. From then on, he poured his heart and soul into caring for Chi Yan’s daily life. Together, they had experienced a sweet and carefree period.
However, in the end, habits can’t be changed. He went on vacation alone once again during summer, smiling as he said to the aforementioned good friend: “Wait for me at home. I’ll be back soon this time.”
His good friend continued with his daily life, waiting for his lover to return. One day, he suddenly received a call from a familiar number. Pleasantly surprised, he accepted the call. However, what he received was the news that his lover would never be able to return….
That person was like a breeze, silently and intangibly brushing upon Chi Yan’s heart. His arrival brought with him the blooming of spring flowers; his departure left behind wild weeds.
Xu Jiang was already about to cry from his own plot-filling--who would have thought that this type of only-seen-in-fiction, heartbreaking scenario would happen to his seemingly ordinary close friend. He didn’t dare ask too much, afraid that any comment would become a knife in his wound.
Chi Yan took this opportunity to express his standpoint: “Even though he’s already dead, I feel as though he’s still by my side. I think I will remain his, and won’t find another.
Ye Yingzhi laughed.
Xu Jiang nodded repeatedly: “Ruler, I understand. Don’t worry. I’ll support you.”
Even Chi Yan himself felt a bit of suspicion as to just how he suddenly won such overwhelming support from his old friend.
Naturally, there was nothing wrong with his body. And so, he drove back to Suming City with Xu Jiang on the next day.
When they got to the car, Chi Yan silently glanced at Ye Yingzhi who took the shotgun. He said to Xu Jiang as he was about to open the shotgun door: “Old Xu, why don’t you take the back seat…. En, the back seat is safer.”
Two weeks after returning home, Chi Yan suddenly received an express delivery. Sender: Tang Guangyuan.
At that time, because he tried his best to protect Chi Yan, his senior uncle had people escort him downstairs. He didn’t participate that day and wasn’t present at the scene, hence avoiding many problems. When Ye Yingzhi got out, he turned the tables and locked up everyone at the site into that Eight Directions Evil Punishing Formation room, but didn’t specifically take revenge against him.
Protecting himself had always been Tang Guangyuan’s top priority. Back then when Ye Yingzhi found the villa that he was temporarily living in, he had nearly lost his life. When Chi Yan wanted to go back with Ye Yingzhi, he didn’t stop him. Even though he knew that it was dangerous for Chi Yan, he also knew that his own abilities were limited. He would only lose his life if he braved ahead, so he didn’t stop Chi Yan from jumping into a ghost trap.
It’s the same even now. The Eight-Direction Evil Suppressing Formation that was passed down through his sect since the Ming Dynasty couldn’t suppress that evil ghost. Instead, their people suffered from a backlash. His elderly senior uncle couldn’t take the spiritual pressure from the formation because of his age, and passed away within a week after their rescue. Before his death, he even repeatedly told everyone not to provoke that evil ghost. Naturally, Tang Guangyuan wouldn’t do such a useless thing.
That year Chi Yan helped show him directions, he helped Chi Yan dispelled the ghost’s illusion. What was formed should have been good karma. Originally, they shouldn’t have fallen to the point of developing hatred instead.
Inside the package was a letter and a small jade bottle. The letter expressed Tang Guangyuan’s guilt and remorse from tricking him to go to his sect, only to cause him to fall into such a dangerous situation. He mentioned that his aura of misfortune was not a lie. Inside the jade bottle were a type of pills called 81 Mixed Darkness Dispelling Pellets. If he took one pellet each year, it could eliminate the aura of misfortune for that year and keep it from harming people around him.
After work, Chi Yan brought the jade bottle to Ye Yingzhi. Ye Yingying took a look at it and told him: “Nothing’s wrong with it. Useful. You can eat it.”
Only then did Chi Yan feel reassured enough to eat it.
After dinner, Chi Yan watched TV, while Ye Yingzhi beside him doing who-knows-what on his laptop. They didn’t disrupt each other at all.
Ye Yingzhi suddenly place the laptop onto the table and turned to hold Chi Yan around his waist, caressing his neck with kisses.
Chi Yan didn’t know how to respond to this sudden attack of intimacy. His face flushed red, both arms settled around the other’s shoulders, stuttering: “....Ye Yingzhi, were you also like this when you were alive?”
Ye Yingzhi held him close, smiling as he continued to kiss him: “What are you imagining? I used to have a very serious heart disease. The doctors won’t let me do strenuous exercise...”
He smiled as he whispered by Chi Yan’s ear: “...being alive can’t even compare to the pleasures of living as a ghost….”
Chi Yan could only sit there blankly, face even redder than before.
————————
The end of the year approached quickly. Before New Year’s Eve, Du Mingjing already asked Chi Yan to meet up.
He sounded very anxious. Chi Yan didn’t ask for details before quickly requesting leave and headed for Shiming City. The moment he walked in, the house felt like something was off. The house was desolated, as if the owner hadn’t lived there for a long time. Even the lights were off. It was only after he arrived that Du Mingjing turned on the living room lights.
It was only now that Chi Yan was saw that his uncle was actually on crutches. His left leg was completely powerless, and seemed to have aged 20 years overnight.
Du Mingjing gestured for him to take a seat on the sofa, calmly went straight to the point and said: “Xiao Yan, my company is about to collapse. When it was founded, your parents also invested in it. However much stocks you have…. I still have some properties that can be sold for 15 times of their market value.
Chi Yan was hit with a bolt of shock, looked around and asked: “What happened? Where’s auntie and Tingting?”
Du Mingjing looked down: “We already divorced. Tingting is also not my daughter.”
His entire life was devoted to his company and career. In the end, he was left with no family and will soon lose his company too; the only thing he had left was actually Chi Yan, this nephew. This was why he had to do everything in his power to ensure Chi Yan’s interests.
Chi Yan sat in a daze. How could…. The capable, hardworking, strong-willed uncle in his mind actually ended up like this?
Du Mingjing shook his head: “Her current husband is the boss of Sheng Hai, Liu Shenghai. They started their relationship a long time ago. I was just too busy and never found out. I also never put my guard up against her. She knew everything about the company and told Liu Shenghai everything.”
Chi Yan remembered this Liu Shenghai; he was his uncle’s rival. However, regarding both scale and reputation, his uncle’s company has always been superior. Who would’ve thought it’d end up like this.
He hesitated before he cautiously asked: “Your leg…?”
Du Mingjing replied: “I was downstairs when I first found out. Just then, my blood pressure shot up and I fainted, falling down the stairs. Fortunately, it was just falling down 2 flights of stairs, and I didn’t hit my head. However, my leg got hurt. But it’s not a big deal.”
“Can it recover?”
“Whether it recovers or not, it’s all the same.” Du Mingjing waved his hand, his smile contained traces of unspoken bitterness.
The big house suddenly seemed empty. Chi Yan had never seen his uncle being so negative.
Even though his uncle was too busy to visit grandma and grandpa frequently, he remembered that he was full of Yang energy and was always full of vigor. Whenever he did visit, Chi Yan loved to follow him around. He simply couldn’t connect the youthful, energetic uncle of his childhood with the depressed man in front of him.
He couldn’t feel at ease with Du Mingjing like this. He stayed over at the Du residence that night.
At night, he laid on the bed, looking up at the dark ceiling, lost in thought. Ye Yingzhi caressed his ear: “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I was thinking, could it be like Tang Old Master said? That I got uncle involved.” Chi Yan said quietly with his eyes wide open.
Ye Yingzhi didn’t like this kind of talk.
According to that old con-man, Ah Yan will bring bad luck to everyone around him because of his evil aura, and that evil aura is because of their relationship…. What kind of reasoning is this?
“Don’t speak nonsense,” he said, “A person’s fate is always in their own hands. Don’t believe in these feudal superstitions.”
A ghost is telling him not to believe in superstitions. Chi Yan didn’t know how to respond.
“But uncle has always been hardworking, and very capable… to end up like this.”
“He’s hardworking and capable, so wasn’t his company doing very well at first? Right now, he lost his fighting spirit. His method is also wrong. Naturally, he can’t make a comeback.”
Chi Yan turned around, wide eyes silently looking at Ye Yingzhi.
Ye Yingzhi couldn’t resist smiling as he kissed his eyes: “Why are you looking at me? Would you believe that I can reverse his situation in a week’s time?”
“Back then they called me Third Young Master. Would you say that it was this invalid who used Ye family’s power or that Ye family borrowed mine?” His arm swung around Chi Yan’s shoulders in an intimate manner, not even caring that his current actions were akin to a male peacock fanning out its tail to impress a mate.
————————
On the next day, Chi Yan crawled out of bed early morning. He stood in the kitchen, watching as Ye Yingzhi used the few remaining ingredients in the house to make a sumptuous breakfast and placed them all on the table.
Du Mingjing was quite astonished when he saw it, looking at Chi Yan and asked: “You made this?!”
Chi Yan once again threw away his conscience and nodded: “I made this.”
Du Mingjing felt a degree of sorrow: “I remember when you were still in college and came back to cook for your grandma, you even burned the pan trying to fry an egg. Living alone for a few years, you actually grew up so much.”
Chi Yan turned red. Hearing this, Ye Yingzhi whispered by his ear: “So it’s actually like this…. I’ll forgive the fact that you made me instant noodles on our first night(1).”
After thinking a bit, he added: “Ah Yan, actually, I kind of like eating your cooking. En, the food you cook for me tastes much better than takeaway.”
This topic filled Chi Yan’s heart with a sense of depression. He really wanted to ask Ye Yingzhi if it was because he didn’t want to eat takeout anymore that he ordered a ghost to scare him during the delivery.
Making the use of the lull during breakfast, Chi Yan said to Du Mingjing: “Uncle, I decided to resign and come back to the company to help out. Believe me. In half a month, I’ll definitely be able to turn the tables!” It was due to his faith in Ye Yingzhi’s demonic abilities that he was able to say this to his uncle.
Ye Yingzhi said it’ll only take a week. In order to give a conservative estimate, he temporarily added another week.
“Nonsense!” Du Mingjing put down his chopsticks and stopped him. There’s no relation whatsoever between his nephew’s major and his company’s business. He had zero experience, nor did he have any contacts or resources. Help him turn the table? Based on what? He’s supposed to be all grown up, but he’s still telling lies. The most important thing is: what if he becomes unemployed at the end of it all?
Chi Yan replied: “Uncle, don’t worry. There aren’t many opportunities to develop my skills in my current job. Besides, there’s a lot of opportunities for people with my major in Shiming City. I’m planning to stay and work in Shiming City in the future.”
He looked at Du Mingjing: “Why don’t I tell you my plans and proposal first. Then you can decide if it’s feasible.”
Footnote:
1: The term Ye Yingzhi used literally means entering the house (how Chi Yan brought his ashes into his house) but it is also a slang for the wedding night (first entering the household).