That very night, Jiang Luo quietly left Dazhao Temple with Cyril.
The next morning, when the Fated One came again to seek the True God, he found the temple empty.
While Dazhao Temple fell into chaos, Jiang Luo had already boarded a plane headed overseas.
He’d asked someone to buy the tickets, and also helped Chi You obtain a temporary ID.
On the plane, Jiang Luo sat by the window; Chi You took the middle seat. The malicious ghost, dressed in a sleek suit, sat with legs crossed, polished leather shoes swaying slightly—revealing a trace of impatience. Because beside him was still an empty seat waiting for a passenger.
It was a three-seat row in economy class.
Wrapped in the blanket handed to him by the flight attendant, Jiang Luo curled up comfortably in the corner. Noticing Chi You’s expression, he chuckled, then set the rules in a serious tone:
“Chi You, this is a law-abiding society. If you dare hurt anyone during the trip, we’re heading straight home. No more fun.”
The malicious ghost leaned back, pitch-black eyes looking at him with a half-smile.
Jiang Luo raised an eyebrow and stared back.
The malicious ghost’s irritation did fade a bit. He even casually pulled out a newspaper to read, and drawled, “Economy class, huh?”
“Well, I’m broke,” Jiang Luo said, pulling the blanket over his head. “I’m sleeping. Wake me when we’re about to land.”
He’d stayed up half the night. Exhausted, Jiang Luo fell asleep within seconds.
Listening to his steady breathing, Chi You folded the boring newspaper and turned to focus quietly on Jiang Luo bundled up in the blanket.
His face was completely covered, making one wonder how he could breathe. The sun was bright that day, already high in the sky by 8 a.m. Sunlight streamed through the narrow window, tinting Jiang Luo’s messy black hair with golden highlights.
“Excuse me, is this seat 38C?” a male voice asked beside him.
The malicious ghost’s eyes darkened with annoyance. He turned and saw a young man, maybe in his twenties, wearing a yellow sun hat, lips pressed together, glancing at him nervously. When the malicious ghost looked over, the man froze and seemed a bit embarrassed. “Hello…”
Chi You showed no reaction, retracting his gaze and returning to the newspaper indifferently.
The young man awkward and flustered, was thankfully helped to his seat by a flight attendant.
As soon as he sat, Xu Shi caught a whiff of the refined men’s cologne from the man beside him. He glanced sideways, taking in the man’s impeccable outfit—from the tie to the polished shoes, the jeweled cufflinks to the glimpse of a luxury watch. Every detail screamed wealth and status.
Why would someone like this fly economy class… Puzzled but excited, Xu Shi thought his luck was unbelievable. Even flying, he got seated next to a rich, handsome man. Fate really couldn’t be stopped when it came knocking.
Determined not to waste this chance, Xu Shi made up his mind to get the man’s contact info before the plane landed.
He began softly, “Sorry, sir. This is my first time flying—I’m not very familiar with things.”
But the man beside him remained cold and silent, not even offering a perfunctory “mm.”
…
Jiang Luo naturally woke up two hours later. Still groggy, he heard someone talking softly beside him.
“Are you traveling abroad, sir? Me too. I hadn’t planned to go, but my cousin overseas kept asking me to visit and model for him. I’ve done a few years of modeling, but I’m not as tall as Western men, so I’m afraid I won’t do well…”
Who was this guy subtly showing off his body?
Jiang Luo’s ears twitched. He poked his head out of the blanket and looked over.
Chi You’s brows were tightly furrowed in irritation, lips pressed into a sharp line—like he might snap and kill someone any second. Next to him, a young man was chatting him up with barely concealed admiration in his gaze.
Jiang Luo’s eyes sparkled with mischief. He was about to keep watching when Chi You noticed he was awake and turned to him. “Awake?”
Xu Shi abruptly stopped talking. Only then did he realize someone was sitting in the innermost seat. Hearing Mr. Chi’s tone soften, Xu Shi grew alert. He peeked inward and saw Jiang Luo pushing back the blanket and sitting up.
Jiang Luo met his eyes with a cheerful smile, ignoring the flash of admiration followed by guarded rejection in Xu Shi’s expression. He extended a hand politely. “Hello?”
Xu Shi stared for a moment, then shook hands. Pretending to be curious, he asked, “You two are together?”
“Yes, we’re together,” Jiang Luo replied, resting his hand on Chi You’s arm. “You’ve been chatting the whole time?”
If one-sided small talk counted as chatting, then yes. Xu Shi glanced sideways at Chi You, then looked again at Jiang Luo’s hand resting casually on Mr. Chi’s arm, feeling uneasy. He nodded deliberately, “Yes, but Mr. Chi isn’t much of a talker. I tend to ramble.”
Jiang Luo raised his eyebrows and looked Chi You up and down, then turned admiring eyes to Xu Shi, full of amazement. “Wow, I’ve never seen anyone talk to him this long. Most people can’t stand his bad temper. None of our friends can talk to him. I said just a few words after boarding and he already told me I was annoying. I got so pissed off, I just fell asleep.”
Xu Shi was stunned for a moment, then his face flushed red. His gaze toward Jiang Luo softened a bit. “Really? Mr. Chi probably didn’t mean it. He must’ve said that because you two are close. He might not talk much, but at least he hasn’t told me I’m annoying. He’s still being polite with me.”
Chi You’s tapping on the armrest stopped. He lowered his eyes and glanced at Jiang Luo.
Jiang Luo gave him a meaningful look. “Do you want to use the restroom?”
Chi You picked up the strong hint in his eyes. The malicious ghost’s irritation was barely suppressed. He shot Jiang Luo a final warning look before getting up and walking to the restroom.
Once he was gone, Jiang Luo moved into Chi You’s seat. Watching Xu Shi, who was still staring after Chi You’s back, Jiang Luo’s smile deepened. “My friend’s pretty handsome, isn’t he?”
Xu Shi came back to his senses and said with some restraint, “Mr. Chi is indeed very charming.”
Jiang Luo leaned sideways, propping his head on his hand. His face was still flushed from sleep, and with the clouds outside the window as a backdrop, his striking face looked like a vividly colored oil painting—so intense it almost stung the eyes. His lazy smile lingered as he winked at Xu Shi. “Such a short time, and you already know his name?”
Xu Shi gave a modest smile.
In truth, he didn’t know Mr. Chi’s name at all. He had only caught a glimpse of the character “Chi” on his boarding pass.
Xu Shi was very wary of Mr. Chi’s friend—because the man was just too stunning. But he was a smooth talker. He kept saying how special Xu Shi was to Mr. Chi, and the more Xu Shi listened, the more he started to believe it himself.
His vanity was greatly satisfied. His gaze toward Jiang Luo turned somewhat contemptuous. So what if Jiang Luo looked better? Didn’t Chi You call him annoying after just two sentences? Xu Shi had chatted so much, and though Mr. Chi didn’t respond, he hadn’t told him to shut up either.
Thinking this way, Xu Shi felt both pleased and proud. He wanted to hear more about Mr. Chi from Jiang Luo, so he casually asked, “Does Mr. Chi have a partner?”
Jiang Luo sighed dramatically. “Don’t be fooled by his looks—he’s got a few screws loose. Never dated anyone his whole life. No one can handle his temper.”
Xu Shi was happy to hear Mr. Chi didn’t have a partner, but at the same time frowned at Jiang Luo’s words, feeling somewhat displeased. His attitude toward Jiang Luo turned sour. “As Mr. Chi’s friend, how can you say that about him?”
“Ah, sorry, my bad,” Jiang Luo smoothly changed his tune. “But seriously, none of us friends can take his temper. Since we got on this plane, I’ve barely said two words to him. But he really does treat you differently… By the way, are you traveling for fun too?”
Xu Shi wanted to hear more about how he was “different,” so he nodded and repeated the reason for his trip abroad. Jiang Luo and he exchanged names, and Jiang Luo enthusiastically shared travel tips. Xu Shi asked curiously, “Sounds like you know a lot about traveling abroad. Do you go often?”
Jiang Luo waved it off. “No way, I don’t have that kind of money. We just mooch off Chi You for food, fun, and lodging. He travels overseas all the time, so he knows all the spots. I’m only tagging along this time for a free vacation.”
Xu Shi had a sudden realization and smiled. “Mr. Chi’s really good to his friends.”
But the look in his eyes showed undisguised disdain toward Jiang Luo.
Jiang Luo acted as if he didn’t see it and even got Xu Shi’s phone number, saying brightly, “We’re both tourists. If we have time, we can hang out. His temper’s awful—I really don’t want to be stuck with him. But he’s clearly fond of you, so if we run into you during the trip, I guarantee he’ll be happy.”
Xu Shi was incredibly tempted, but he hesitated on the surface. “That might not be appropriate. I’m not that familiar with Mr. Chi—traveling together might be awkward.”
“No worries at all. Hang out a few times and you’ll get familiar,” Jiang Luo said cheerfully. “He’s just cold on the outside and warm on the inside. As long as you see him a few more times, it’ll work out.”
Xu Shi’s face suddenly flushed red. He stammered, “I-I didn’t mean it like that!”
Feigning indignation, he added, “Don’t say things like that again. I’ll get mad.”
Jiang Luo quickly laughed, “Sorry, sorry. I just get a little excited seeing my friend maybe finally finding someone.”
Just then, Chi You returned. When he saw Jiang Luo sitting in his seat chatting happily with someone else, his steps paused—and then he suddenly smiled gently.
That smile made Jiang Luo’s scalp tingle. He obediently returned to his original seat.
Xu Shi didn’t notice anything strange. His eyes followed Chi You, watching him return to his seat and turn to talk with Jiang Luo.
Chi You asked with a smile in his voice, “Having fun chatting with someone else?”
Seeing Xu Shi pricking up his ears, Jiang Luo let a mischievous smile slip. “Mr. Xu is quite an interesting person.”
“Oh?” Chi You’s tone made Jiang Luo’s hair stand on end. He asked with curiosity, “How interesting?”
Jiang Luo rubbed his goosebumps and exaggeratedly glanced at Xu Shi. “No way—are you getting jealous just because I talked to him a bit?”
Xu Shi immediately tensed. He blamed Jiang Luo for suddenly crossing the line like that. His relationship with Mr. Chi wasn’t that close yet—how could he joke like that? But still… he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and a little hopeful for Mr. Chi’s reply.
Chi You looked at Jiang Luo with a deep, ghostly gaze—cold and dangerous, something only Jiang Luo could see. “That’s not wrong.”
Xu Shi turned red to the tips of his ears.
He awkwardly cleared his throat and took a long moment to compose himself. When he looked again, Mr. Chi was still chatting with Jiang Luo, the two of them going back and forth like no one else could join in. Xu Shi frowned subconsciously and tried to interrupt the conversation—but he didn’t want to look too eager. So, instead of talking to Mr. Chi, he deliberately turned to Jiang Luo and asked, “Mr. Jiang, how long do you plan to stay abroad?”
Jiang Luo smiled as he looked at Chi You, speaking with hidden meaning: “That depends on how long Mr. Chi wants to let me leech off him.”
What a leeching friend—Xu Shi’s smile faded slightly. He naturally followed Jiang Luo’s gaze to look at Chi You, with a hint of expectation in his eyes.
Would Mr. Chi invite him to travel together?
Chi You let out a low scoff. “Then just follow me forever.”
Xu Shi’s smile froze, slowly turning cold.
Throughout the flight, with no phones and little entertainment, Jiang Luo passed the dull journey by chatting with Xu Shi. The two of them talked quite a bit, but Chi You, seated between them, grew visibly darker in mood, clearly reaching the limits of his patience.
Fortunately, the plane landed just in time.
Although Xu Shi was still chatting with Jiang Luo, he kept watching Chi You out of the corner of his eye. As they were about to part ways, he became increasingly anxious. Pressing his lips together, he quietly wrote his number on a slip of paper and held it in his right palm. Then, extending his left hand to Jiang Luo, he said, “Mr. Jiang, it was a pleasure to meet you. Let’s hang out if we get the chance.”
He planned to shake hands with Mr. Chi right after, slipping him the note at the same time.
Jiang Luo shook his hand, smiling, “Likewise, Mr. Xu. I hope—”
“Enough?” Chi You suddenly cut in.
His face was expressionless. Though still strikingly handsome, his aura had shifted into something warped and oppressive. He reached out and grabbed Jiang Luo’s wrist, forcibly separating the handshake between Jiang Luo and Xu Shi.
Staring directly at Jiang Luo, Chi You’s black eyes surged with a faint red. He repeated coldly, “Answer me. Have you had your fun?”
Jiang Luo could clearly see the fury in Chi You’s eyes.
But this was just how he was—ever since the past, his favorite pastime was provoking the ghost, doing things that pushed him to the brink while still remaining untouchable.
Still, Jiang Luo knew when to rein it in. He smiled at Chi You and secretly squeezed his hand. But just then, Xu Shi, trying to regain attention, frowned and said, “Mr. Chi, don’t be so harsh with friends. A friend isn’t a boyfriend—there’s no need to be so rude.”
Chi You gave a cold laugh, grabbed Jiang Luo’s chin, and kissed him on the lips. Then, ignoring Xu Shi completely, he slung an arm around Jiang Luo and led him off the plane.
Left behind, Xu Shi stood frozen in place, face turning green. He turned to look at the two of them and saw Jiang Luo wrapped tightly in Chi You’s arms, glancing back and giving him a smile.
His red lips were dazzling, his smile devilishly charming. He mouthed: “Thanks—you made the whole trip a lot of fun.”
Xu Shi felt like he’d just been slapped—twice. All his earlier smugness and contempt were flung right back in his face, burning painfully.
