As soon as Wenren Lian stepped out of the room, his cheerful expression vanished. He rubbed his forehead, looking troubled, and went to find Ge Zhu.
Ge Zhu was waiting anxiously.
Wenren Lian met his eyes for a moment, then suddenly sighed. “Why do I feel like we’re doing Jiang Luo wrong… Ge Wuchen’s method just feels…”
It just didn’t sit right.
But recalling Ge Wuchen’s confident expression, Wenren Lian didn’t say the rest aloud.
In the final days of the fifteen-day deadline, Wenren Lian and Ge Zhu had completely run out of ideas. They even considered biting the bullet and telling Jiang Luo the full truth.
But on the one hand, they were afraid that if Jiang Luo knew, he might resent Chi You, which would damage the relationship between the two—especially now that they knew Jiang Luo liked Chi You too. Even though Chi You had threatened them, once they saw Jiang Luo’s feelings were real, they had decided not to tell him about Chi You’s threats.
On the other hand, they were also scared that Chi You might really go crazy.
Caught in this dilemma of whether to tell or not, Ge Wuchen suddenly presented them with a method. He didn’t even need Wenren Lian and Ge Zhu to do much—just show Jiang Luo a photo and say a few words.
Through a carefully crafted conversation, Ge Wuchen talked Wenren Lian into it. Wenren Lian was left dazed and confused, like his mind was shrouded in a grey veil. But after walking out of Jiang Luo’s room, he suddenly snapped back to reality—and something didn’t feel right.
He exchanged a glance with Ge Zhu. The same idea flashed through both their minds.
Could Ge Wuchen really be trusted?
But Ge Wuchen had said he was the one who helped Chi You and Jiang Luo become lovers in the first place—so maybe he was trustworthy…
Still, Wenren Lian couldn’t shake the feeling that he and Ge Zhu had been tricked by Ge Wuchen.
That feeling made him uneasy, and he began to regret what he had just done. Seeing how restless Ge Zhu looked, Wenren Lian realized Ge Zhu was also feeling unsure.
Although some misunderstandings between him and Ge Wuchen had been resolved, Ge Zhu still remembered how cunning and sly Ge Wuchen could be. He licked his dry lips, exchanged another look with Wenren Lian, and hesitantly said, “Maybe… we should just tell Jiang Luo the truth.”
Wenren Lian also felt that something was wrong. His mind buzzed, and recalling Jiang Luo’s unpredictable expression while holding the photo, a jolt went through him. An ominous feeling grew heavier and heavier.
If Jiang Luo finds out… Wenren Lian suddenly clenched his fists. He thought, maybe retreating in order to advance was also a strategy—if they laid everything out, Jiang Luo might take the initiative to talk things through with Chi You himself.
He nodded seriously. “Alright, let’s tell him. But we can’t let Jiang Luo know that Chi You threatened us—if he does, the two of them might really not work out. Do you have any good ideas?”
Ge Zhu shook his head.
The two of them sighed heavily and began discussing how to leave out the part about Chi You’s threats and tell a partial version of the truth to Jiang Luo.
As they racked their brains to fabricate a convincing lie, a deep resentment toward Chi You brewed in both of them.
This really was… In the end, even the ones who were threatened had to clean up the mess.
***
Jiang Luo was in a terrible mood.
Honestly, in the photo, all Chi You did was look at someone and smile—nothing more—but Jiang Luo still fumed with anger.
If this had been before Chi You jumped into the Dragon Spring for him, Jiang Luo would’ve just sneered, punched Chi You, and broken it off clean. But after Chi You risked his life to save him from the spring, Jiang Luo had already let him into his heart. He couldn’t break up over a photo and some nonsense about a “life-saving benefactor.”
Jiang Luo took a deep breath, got out of bed, and walked to the window, letting the cold wind blow over him.
His rational mind kept questioning—he didn’t believe Chi You would fall for someone else, especially not just because someone saved him. With the ghost’s personality, even if someone rescued him, he’d probably just bite them to death like the snake in “The Farmer and the Snake.” The “farmer” would only end up dead because the ghost wouldn’t want to show weakness.
But emotionally, he was still furious—furious enough that reason was clouded by rage.
Jiang Luo stared at the distant mountain range. The peaks rose and fell, shrouded in mist, but no matter how long he looked, he couldn’t take in any of the scenery.
He examined his own emotions. Besides the fury, he was also overwhelmed with jealousy and bitter resentment.
Jiang Luo had always disdained the idea of “love.” Or rather, he harbored jealousy and fear toward love—emotions born from past traumas. His early experiences made him sickened by overly intimate closeness, and stingy when it came to giving trust.
Inside and outside of the books, even with friends like Lu Youyi and Wenren Lian, Jiang Luo never showed his true self. The worst sides of him were reserved only for Chi You—and Chi You had fallen in love with this cruel and genuine version of him.
That ghost had used one hundred percent of his love to melt Jiang Luo’s defenses, to pry open the self-sealed shell and make Jiang Luo open his heart.
And once Jiang Luo let someone in, he would never let them go.
If Chi You really had fallen for someone else…
Jiang Luo’s eyes turned cold. He slowly calmed down, and all the emotions within him settled into a terrifying possessiveness.
Too bad.
He would kill Chi You—and then kill the person Chi You liked.
He would personally make sure Chi You died by his hand. He wouldn’t give Chi You the chance to betray him.
Jiang Luo climbed out of bed, face expressionless, and went to find Ge Zhu.
Ge Zhu and Wenren Lian were together. When they saw him coming, they both stiffened and stood up, looking like they had something to say but didn’t dare.
Jiang Luo cut straight to the point. “Give me Ge Wuchen’s contact info.”
Ge Zhu obediently handed it over.
Jiang Luo took it and left, not noticing the hesitant expressions of the two who looked like they had something to say.
He didn’t go back to his room. Instead, he headed straight down the mountain. On the way down, Jiang Luo dialed Ge Wuchen’s number.
Ge Wuchen answered immediately, as if he’d been waiting. “Benefactor Jiang?”
Jiang Luo’s voice was flat. “Give the phone to Chi You.”
His tone was so cold that Ge Wuchen didn’t dare disobey. After a moment, he handed the phone to Chi You.
Before Chi You could say anything, Jiang Luo said, “Where are you?”
Chi You replied, “No. 9 Restaurant.”
Jiang Luo hung up right away.
He pulled up the map to check the location of No. 9 Restaurant. Sure enough—it was right next to a hospital.
Jiang Luo sneered. The bitterness in his chest was unbearable. Once in the car, surrounded by the stillness of the cramped space, he forced himself to calm down and started analyzing the oddities one by one.
He didn’t even have Ge Wuchen’s contact info—so why did Ge Wuchen answer his call with “Benefactor Jiang”?
And Ge Wuchen had acted like he was waiting specifically for that call.
Jiang Luo narrowed his eyes. From that small detail, he began to notice more strange things. Chi You, inviting someone to eat out? Chi You, liking that type of person?
Everyone at that table was one of Chi You’s people—but Liao Si wasn’t there.
Jiang Luo frowned slightly.
Had he… been tricked?
Once he sensed he might have been fooled, Jiang Luo shoved aside his chaotic emotions and forcibly erased the image of Chi You “sharing a smile” with that supposed benefactor. He closed his eyes and began to trace the logic of everything that had happened.
Last night, as soon as he went out, he saw Ge Zhu on a call with Ge Wuchen. Wasn’t that a bit too much of a coincidence?
One coincidence could be explained. But so many? How could that be coincidence anymore?
And Ge Zhu and Wenren Lian’s behavior…
He hadn’t thought much of it before, but now that he did—just where had Wenren Lian heard all those rumors?
Ge Wuchen? Would Ge Wuchen really spill Chi You’s business to someone else?
Step by step, Jiang Luo unraveled the threads. He became increasingly certain—this had all been a setup. Most likely, Chi You had orchestrated it to make him jealous. To make him show up just like now, completely irrational, over a photo and a few words.
After coming to this conclusion, Jiang Luo’s mood inexplicably improved a little. But once he realized the shift in his emotions, his face darkened.
The anger rose to another level, and yet Jiang Luo’s lips curled up.
It looked a little unsettling.
Having seen through the trick, he didn’t turn back. Instead, he urged the driver to go faster.
His expression became even more composed, as if he were calmly in control of everything.
D*mn it.
Idiot.
Jiang Luo could hardly wait to teach Chi You a lesson and interrogate Wenren Lian and Ge Zhu about why they had helped Chi You deceive him.
His own friends helping his boyfriend plot against him—Jiang Luo was so angry he nearly laughed.
But now wasn’t the time to act rashly. Jiang Luo decided to play along, to thoroughly uncover Chi You’s goal and everyone’s role in this plan.
Then, he’d unleash his anger on them, one by one.
But just as he had this thought, a few minutes later, Wenren Lian called him.
Jiang Luo looked at his phone with a complicated expression and only picked up after a moment. He concealed all his rage and said calmly, “Wenren?”
“Jiang Luo,” came Ge Zhu’s hesitant voice from the other end. He said, “We want to say sorry…”
Jiang Luo’s tightly pressed lips relaxed slightly, but he still asked coldly, “Why are you saying sorry?”
“Because we lied to you,” Wenren Lian said guiltily. “Chi You doesn’t have a life-saving benefactor. That story was made up by Ge Wuchen, and it seems Chi You didn’t even know he took that photo…”
Admittedly, when Jiang Luo heard this, his heart suddenly softened.
Not because the story of the benefactor turned out to be fake, but because Wenren Lian and Ge Zhu had come clean and confessed everything.
They were friends who had gone through life and death together. If Jiang Luo said he wasn’t angry, it’d be a lie. But he also became more composed, leaning comfortably against the seat, and asked in a low voice, “So you lied to me?”
On the other end, Ge Zhu and Wenren Lian tensed up.
They didn’t dare delay any longer and quickly told the edited version of the story. They purposely hid the part where Chi You had threatened them. “He said he wanted to hear your confession. He asked us to help get you to express your feelings. If we succeeded, he’d give us the exact date of Teng Bi’s death.”
Jiang Luo was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. He was also a little suspicious. “That’s it?”
Chi You went to such lengths just to hear his confession?
“Yes, that’s it,” Wenren Lian said with a bitter smile. “We tested you and found out that you like him too. So we took matters into our own hands and worked with him. Sorry, Jiang Luo, we hid this from you.”
He sighed lightly and quickly.
It had been miserable hiding this from their friend. These past fifteen days, this was the most relieved Wenren Lian had felt.
Listening to that sigh, Jiang Luo felt like the pent-up frustration in his chest had also been sighed away.
After discovering he had been deceived by Wenren Lian and Ge Zhu, Jiang Luo had indeed felt cold inside. But people are strange—when faced with sincere apologies and full confessions, his heart softened.
Still, he didn’t appreciate this method of deception.
Wenren Lian and Ge Zhu had apologized sincerely, and as for them, Jiang Luo planned to deal with them later. He would forgive them—but not now. As for their claim that Chi You didn’t know anything, Jiang Luo didn’t believe it.
And Ge Wuchen…
Jiang Luo gave two cold laughs, not directly forgiving Wenren Lian and Ge Zhu. He just said with a chill in his voice, “We’ll talk when I get back.”
Then he hung up, letting them stew in anxiety as punishment.
An hour and a half later, Jiang Luo arrived at the No. 9 Hotel.
Ge Wuchen was standing in the hotel lobby holding a room card. When he saw Jiang Luo, his eyes flickered as if he wanted to speak but stopped himself. “Benefactor Jiang…”
Jiang Luo, however, smiled and leisurely took the room card from his hand, deliberately putting on a joyful expression. “Ge Wuchen, today is truly a great day.”
Ge Wuchen’s expression froze. Jiang Luo’s attitude had clearly caught him off guard.
Jiang Luo smiled and even kissed the room card, appearing utterly relaxed. “I heard Chi You’s fallen for someone else? And that person is his so-called savior? Pfft—hahaha, this is great news! I can finally break up with Chi You. Ge Wuchen, you played a part in this too. Once we break up, I’ll treat you to a nice meal.”
He patted Ge Wuchen’s shoulder with genuine gratitude and happily walked toward the elevator.
Ge Wuchen turned to stone. It wasn’t until the elevator doors slowly closed that a look of terror finally appeared in his eyes.
This wasn’t what he expected at all!
As soon as the elevator doors shut, Jiang Luo’s expression shifted into one of icy amusement.
Ge Wuchen’s reaction further confirmed Jiang Luo’s suspicions. But now that he had the upper hand, Jiang Luo intended to keep playing along, to see how Chi You would react.
He still wasn’t entirely sure—was it possible Chi You really didn’t know? Was this whole mess really just a ridiculous attempt to make him confess?
If so, then that was just too naïve.
Jiang Luo arrived at the hotel room door and pushed it open. Inside, Chi You was sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, waiting for him.
Jiang Luo closed the door, and his emotions surged as he stared darkly at that familiar silhouette.
Chi You turned around and met his gaze—those eyes filled with fury—and the malicious ghost instead broke into a smile. “You’re here.”
His expression was cheerful, so much so that Jiang Luo’s fists clenched tight. He nearly punched that irritating face. Jiang Luo sneered, his expression as cold as frost. “Who is he?”
Chi You walked toward him step by step and, to Jiang Luo’s surprise, answered straightforwardly: “A puppet of mine. A body prepared for Liao Si.”
Jiang Luo froze, his expression turning strange.
He actually admitted it just like that.
Jiang Luo felt slightly better. He looked at Chi You with a half-smile, half-sneer. “What do you mean—are you messing with me, or trying to deceive me? Or did you actually fall for some so-called lifesaver and didn’t dare to tell me?”
Chi You raised a hand, trying to touch Jiang Luo’s cheek, but Jiang Luo grabbed it tightly. Facing Jiang Luo’s cold and fierce eyes, Chi You felt utterly thrilled inside. He chuckled lowly, “It was all fake.”
Without waiting for Jiang Luo to question further, he continued frankly, “Because I wanted to hear your confession.”
F*ck.
You pulled all this bullshit just to get him to confess?
Jiang Luo’s expression flickered between disbelief and rage, like he didn’t believe a word the malicious ghost said.
The malicious ghost said in a low voice, “I overheard your conversation with Wenren Lian. You told him that if I gave up destroying the metaphysics world, you would break up with me.”
He said, “You make me feel very insecure.”
These words coming from anyone else would’ve been fine—but they absolutely shouldn’t have come from Chi You. The moment he said it, Jiang Luo got goosebumps all over. He barely maintained a cold expression. “Really?”
The malicious ghost even nodded.
This time, Jiang Luo couldn’t hold back. He swung and punched the malicious ghost hard in the stomach.
He used his full strength. Chi You staggered back two steps from the blow, his abdomen even caving in slightly. He let out a half-genuine, half-fake hiss, then looked up at Jiang Luo.
Jiang Luo rotated his wrist. “Chi You, you’re something else. You dare to use this kind of method to play me. Hah. I haven’t even let off steam yet. If you don’t want to actually break up with me, then let me vent properly. I thought you didn’t know about this whole thing, that you weren’t involved—but turns out you knew?”
He looked around, walked over to the window, drew the curtain, and took the tieback that was holding it.
Jiang Luo pushed Chi You onto the bed and bound his hands to the headboard. The entire process, he remained expressionless.
“I really didn’t know,” the malicious ghost said slowly, his abdomen slowly recovering. “I only found out today when Ge Wuchen told me what he had done.”
Jiang Luo sneered. “You think I’ll believe that?”
Jiang Luo and Chi You’s relationship wasn’t like a typical lover’s.
Maybe it was because one was a madman and the other a malicious ghost, but the tricks, pranks, and messing with each other for fun never ended. They could understand each other, trust each other, and love each other deeply all the same. It was their unique way of getting along—it was their kind of romance.
Jiang Luo had been played this time—he could admit that. But he didn’t like being treated this way.
That one photo had shown him just how strong his possessiveness over Chi You really was, but Jiang Luo didn’t want there to be a next time.
A man needs to be disciplined. A malicious ghost, even more so.
Chi You let himself be tied up obediently. Once Jiang Luo finished securing the knots, he got on the bed coolly and straddled Chi You, raising his fists and pounding them down again and again like rain.
His anger, his jealousy, all poured out with every heavy punch.
“Speak,” Jiang Luo pulled Chi You’s belt out, lifted his shirt to expose his abdomen, and looked down on the malicious ghost, his bright red lips pressed into a cold line. “Whose idea was this?”
He was giving Chi You a chance to tell the truth.
“Ge Wuchen. And your two friends I threatened—Wenren Lian and Ge Zhu,” the demon confessed everything. He added meaningfully, “They really did their best, went through a lot of trouble. Especially your two friends—I should thank them properly.”
At least he was honest.
That’s what Jiang Luo thought, but he deliberately let his expression darken, his lips tightening. “Wenren Lian and Ge Zhu…”
He clenched his fist abruptly, putting on a face of betrayal and disappointment.
The malicious ghost’s smile grew deeper. He looked forward to it and asked, “Don’t you really have anything you want to say to me?”
“Say what?” Jiang Luo opened his eyes, the corners tilted in mockery. “Say you’re mine, and if you dare touch someone else—or if someone else dares touch you—I’ll kill you both?”
The malicious ghost let out a low laugh, sounding utterly delighted. “That sounds pretty good.”
Jiang Luo wanted to throw another sarcastic jab, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he shut it again. Because he could clearly see that Chi You was genuinely happy—even a little content.
He was in such a good mood, just because of Jiang Luo’s one mocking remark.
In that moment, Jiang Luo realized—Chi You really cared about his “confession.”
Jiang Luo was silent for a while. “I thought that half-month we spent hiding together in the forest already made my feelings clear.”
The malicious ghost looked at him quietly.
He said, “It wasn’t enough.”
The malicious ghost paused. “Especially when you were considering breaking up with me—then it definitely wasn’t enough.”
Jiang Luo’s rage flared again. In that moment, he couldn’t tell if he was still playing a role or if he had truly exploded with real emotion. He punched again, the blow grazing Chi You’s cheek and slamming into the bed. “So you had Ge Wuchen and my friends help lie to me?!”
His breathing grew more and more ragged. “If I didn’t like you, would I have kissed you before you left? If I didn’t like you, would I have slept with you again and again? Are you f*cking blind or just stupid?! If you wanted to hear something like that, why not just ask me?!”
By the end, he was shouting.
Jiang Luo’s eyes were burning red, the fury blazing straight at Chi You. The malicious ghost suddenly broke free of his restraints, sat up, and pulled Jiang Luo into a hug.
Satisfaction, joy—all of it exploded like fireworks. The malicious ghost held Jiang Luo tighter and tighter, gently pressing him down onto the bed.
The constant struggling made the bed a mess, the frame creaking with repeated “creak, creak” sounds. Jiang Luo’s hair was in disarray from the movement, and he heard the malicious ghost repeating something softly in his ear, again and again.
“I’m very happy, Jiang Luo,” he said in a low voice, “I’m really happy.”
Jiang Luo parted his lips, panting slightly. Chi You latched onto his Adam’s apple, and amidst Jiang Luo’s muffled moan, kissed him deeply once more.
It was a bottomless kiss, brimming with the malicious ghost’s lust and possessiveness. Jiang Luo suffocated for a moment, but coldly refused to respond.
As if deliberately going against him, the malicious ghost’s fingers danced across Jiang Luo’s body, trying to ignite his fire.
Ambiguous sounds slowly echoed in the room, the air growing hotter and hotter. When the kiss finally ended, Jiang Luo’s lips were stinging slightly. Seeing the smoldering fire on the malicious ghost’s face, Jiang Luo raised his hand to touch his lips.
His eyes were misty, looking somewhat dazed.
The malicious ghost let out a low chuckle and whispered in Jiang Luo’s ear: “Wenren Lian and Ge Zhu lied to you.”
Jiang Luo’s expression cooperatively darkened.
The malicious ghost continued, unhurried and bewitching: “See? Even the friends you trust so much can betray you for someone else. They deceive you, they value other things more than you… Why do you still trust people like that?”
Each of his words struck Jiang Luo’s wounds directly. As Jiang Luo “lost focus,” the malicious ghost kept whispering about how Wenren Lian and Ge Zhu had betrayed him.
“Your friends aren’t worthy of your trust, Jiang Luo. No one is. Everyone will betray you…”
The malicious ghost lifted Jiang Luo’s chin, locking eyes deeply with him. In the blackness of the malicious ghost’s eyes, another hidden purpose—kept secret for fifteen days—finally revealed itself. Twisted and dark, his possessiveness oozed out like dirty water. Beyond just wanting Jiang Luo’s confession, Chi You could not stand the trust Jiang Luo gave to Wenren Lian and the others.
Jiang Luo’s deep trust and regard for his friends were particularly pronounced—so much so that it could determine whether he chose to stay with Chi You. Private calls, mutual protection, closeness… how could this not drive the malicious ghost to jealousy?
So he threatened Jiang Luo’s friends, hinted for Ge Wuchen to mislead them, and rode the wave, trying to sabotage Jiang Luo’s relationships with them.
The malicious ghost wanted to sever all overly deep human ties Jiang Luo had. His voice was low and hypnotic: “In this world, the only person you can truly trust is me.”
“Only I can be trusted, only I can protect you. Understand? Jiang Luo.”
In the middle of a wave of pleasure, Jiang Luo suddenly sobered up.
Oh d*mn…
He might’ve just caught Chi You’s real intention.
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