Jiang Luo had slapped him without hesitation.
The sheer satisfaction of it nearly broke through the grief on his face. But life is a performance, and Jiang Luo clung tightly to his script, saying in a dejected tone, “You weren’t like this before, Chi You.”
“You never would have said something like that…”
He turned his head, as if unwilling to look at this changed former lover. Struggling to keep calm, he added, “I don’t want to see you right now. I need to cool off. Please leave.”
The room was dead silent, not even the sound of breathing.
Just a moment ago, Qi Ye had looked ready to explode, but now he sat frozen, heart bubbling with delight. He stared dazedly at Jiang Luo, sitting obediently still, all his earlier anger and jealousy melting into sweet syrup.
Jiang Luo had just defended him—by slapping his own lover.
Qi Ye didn’t even know why, but suddenly, he felt grateful to Chi You.
Wenren Lian exchanged a glance with Zhuo Zhongqiu beside him.
Zhuo Zhongqiu’s eyes shone with relief—Jiang Luo seemed to finally be waking up.
Even during this short encounter, they had already seen how different Chi You was as a ghost compared to when he was alive. If Jiang Luo could see it too, he could sooner break free from this impossible relationship between the living and the dead.
In that light, tonight’s meeting might actually be a blessing in disguise.
But the malicious ghost’s mood was far from pleasant.
Chi You touched the side of his face. After a long silence, he said slowly, “How have I changed?”
Jiang Luo answered wearily, “You don’t even know how you’ve changed?”
No one could tell whether Chi You was angry or hurt, but everyone grew tense, bracing for an outburst.
Instead, the malicious ghost suddenly smiled. He spoke softly, “Excellent.”
“I’ve changed…” He stood up, a light, relaxed smile playing on his face. “Then you can tell me all about it tonight.”
He was much taller than Jiang Luo, his black-clad figure radiating pressure. Before he could get too close, Wenren Lian and the others quickly blocked his way.
The same students who once treated Chi You with reverence now stood firm. “Chi You, Jiang Luo said he wants space.”
Chi You stared at them without expression.
Zhuo Zhongqiu, naturally sensitive to spirits, felt a chilling danger prickle her scalp. Sweat broke out on her brow. She didn’t hesitate. Shielded by the others, she pushed Jiang Luo toward the door. “Go!”
Behind the malicious ghost, black mist slithered across the floor like a creeping tide, threatening to swallow everyone in its path into a massacre.
“You’re making your teacher very sad,” Chi You sighed as he took another step forward. The ones blocking him all stepped back in unison. “After all, we know each other well.”
Jiang Luo was blocked behind several people, his steps frozen in place.
Cyril saw he wasn’t moving and anxiously waved at him. “Jiang, run!”
In his panic, his tongue got twisted, and he blurted out incoherently, “Won’t get hurt—teacher good man.”
Jiang Luo understood what he meant to say: The teacher is a good person, he won’t hurt us.
But Jiang Luo wasn’t as optimistic as they were.
No one knew better than him just how ruthless and heartless Chi You could be.
He seemed to have no bottom line, no distinction between good and evil—he was steeped in filth, and stirred the mud even darker. Could someone like that be expected to have kindness? Humanity?
Jiang Luo knew that his companions weren’t easy targets. If everyone joined forces, they could hold off the malicious ghost long enough for him to escape.
At worst, someone might get seriously hurt—or die.
Who would it be?
Maybe Ye Xun, or Lu Youyi, or Kuang Zheng, who always rushed in first and did the most while saying the least.
Or maybe no one would get hurt. After all, Chi You wasn’t facing just one or two people.
Jiang Luo still stood in place.
He had lied in the first place so that when Chi You came to kill him, these people would act as his shield. Now that it was actually happening, why was he hesitating?
Run, leave—what, did he actually want to be forced into bed by an malicious ghost?
But then, strangely, he started worrying—what if someone got hurt?
Humans weren’t like malicious ghosts. If Chi You lost an arm, it could grow back. But if one of them lost an arm or a leg, they’d be disabled for life.
His thoughts became absurd. He even thought, At worst, I’ll sleep with Chi You once. Better that than someone getting hurt or killed.
This went entirely against his original plan.
Jiang Luo was deeply irritated by this sudden shift in thinking.
The frustration was impossible to suppress. He took a deep breath, looked up, and locked eyes with Chi You through the crowd.
Chi You smiled, lips curled in a meaningful way. Jiang Luo’s heart tightened—he could immediately sense the thick malice emanating from Chi You.
Murderous intent was faintly rising. As they stared at each other, Jiang Luo instantly understood what the malicious ghost was thinking.
Chi You wouldn’t kill him—he was still far too interested in him.
But the others… that wasn’t guaranteed.
Jiang Luo clenched his fists. He didn’t hesitate any longer—he turned and walked out.
But just as he turned, his gaze swept provocatively over Chi You, and with a flick of his fingers, he hooked a finger at the malicious ghost.
The black-haired youth’s figure disappeared behind the door.
Chi You stared at his back for a long time before retracting his gaze. With a light chuckle, he tugged at his tie and gave the people blocking him a polite nod. “It was a pleasure seeing you all tonight.”
“Everyone, goodbye.”
Then Chi You looked toward Qi Ye.
The way he looked at Qi Ye was as if he were gazing at a pile of rotting garbage—or a dying ant. With a friendly tone, the malicious ghost said, “Be careful on your way home tonight.”
As soon as he said that, he was engulfed by black mist and vanished from sight.
Chi You had originally intended to kill.
After Jiang Luo slapped him—an insult he had never experienced—his emotions were a chaotic mix of anger, intrigue, and excitement. He didn’t want Jiang Luo dead, but everyone else who had witnessed the scene… they shouldn’t be allowed to live.
But Jiang Luo’s hooked finger gesture successfully diverted all his attention.
Outside the shop, night had already fallen and the streetlights were glowing.
The streets were still crowded. Jiang Luo sprinted through the crowd, so fast that just as one person caught a glimpse of him, the next second all they saw was the tail end of his hair sweeping past like wind.
Metaphysics people had excellent physical strength. After all his physical training, Jiang Luo ran like he was doing parkour. He got faster and faster. As he dashed through a traffic light at full speed, he turned to look back.
A mass of black mist invisible to normal people was weaving through the crowd, chasing him directly.
So he’s following me.
Jiang Luo smirked and turned back around, heading toward the most crowded area. The more people there were, the stronger the yang energy. At the very least, it could slow Chi You down.
On this peaceful, ordinary night, a deadly game of cat and mouse unfolded—one that only the two of them knew about. Both were clear what would happen if Jiang Luo was caught. And both knew: this was the final round.
Jiang Luo sneered to himself.
Even though he had lured Chi You in the first place, he still found it irritating. One little finger curl and the guy came running? What, was Chi You a dog?
After running for more than ten minutes, Jiang Luo’s breathing became labored. His eyes scanned in all directions. Suddenly, from a nearby side street, he heard the noise of gongs and drums.
It hit him instantly—Wenren Lian had mentioned it: for the next few days there would be Hundred Ghost parades, where humans dressed up as ghosts.
Without hesitation, Jiang Luo turned the corner and plunged into the side street.
The street was packed with young people in ghost costumes—Chinese ghosts, foreign ghosts, zombies and vampires all taking photos together. It was chaos, a parade of malicious ghosts, completely blocking the street.
Both sides of the road offered free little ghost costumes for bystanders to join in the fun. Since it cost nothing, most people opted for the little ghost outfit—at a glance, six out of ten people were dressed as such.
Jiang Luo grabbed one of the little ghost costumes and slipped into the parade. He threw on the cheap black robe, pulled on the distorted, pale mask, and instantly became just another face in the crowd.
He walked quietly with the others. A girl dressed as a ghost beside him suddenly exclaimed, “A hottie just came in!”
Jiang Luo looked up—and saw Chi You, calm and unhurried, walking into the street. He stood at the edge of the crowd, gazing in their direction.
The air was thick with the scent of the living, heavy with yang energy—Chi You didn’t like it.
“…Troublesome,” he muttered to himself. “So you’re hiding here.”
He scanned the crowd in a single glance but couldn’t pick out which one was Jiang Luo.
Author’s Note:
Chi You: Trying to get with my wife means getting slapped and forced into parkour. Why is it so hard?
…How could getting with your wife not be hard?!
