Gardenia’s words plunged Lu Liangting into silence, his brow deeply furrowed. He truly hadn’t thought much about that specific bank card.
His mother had always been rather averse to him interacting with women outside the family, due to certain arranged marriage issues. And recently, he “happened” to be getting closer to some girls. This news had reached his mother’s ears, leading to surveillance and monitoring.
That bank card originally held over one and a half million. Because of that luxury car of his, only a hundred thousand was left, so he indeed hadn’t considered it much before giving the card to Zhao Mingyue.
The problem now was that the card was given. It couldn’t just be taken back; that would be incredibly awkward. Besides, this was a token of thanks for Zhao Mingyue and Bai Yu. Who ever heard of asking for a thank-you gift back?
Thinking this, Lu Liangting didn’t dwell on it further.
It was just a bank card. At worst, he would go back and explain things clearly. His stepmother was somewhat sharp-tongued and mean, but surely she wouldn’t make things difficult for Zhao Mingyue over a single bank card. Moreover, all those girls who had been approaching him recently were all fine, weren’t they?
Thinking of this, he still couldn’t help but feel a headache.
Being monitored like this, he might not even be able to decide his own marriage. And he didn’t know what had been happening recently, but suddenly, many strange girls had started proactively approaching him, even pursuing him.
Lu Liangting could swear that before this, he absolutely did not know them!
He hadn’t even had any contact with them, so he couldn’t figure out why these girls were acting this way.
It hadn’t been like this before.
In the past, there were indeed some girls who coveted his family’s wealth and might have approached him deliberately because they thought he was rich. But those were a minority.
After being directly rejected by him, the vast majority of these girls wouldn’t persist. A small portion would slowly give up or shift their attention to someone else, such as a good friend of his.
After all, if they were after money, not the person, what did it matter who they chased?
Thinking of this, Lu Liangting simply closed his eyes to rest.
He really couldn’t do anything about it.
Too many strange girls had appeared around him recently. Various evidence showed they didn’t like his money; they liked him as a person.
Disliking money but liking a person they’d never interacted with?
Lu Liangting couldn’t understand it.
It could be said they were planted by someone, his stepmother, for example.
But if you looked at their methods and audacity, they really didn’t seem like people his stepmother could casually command.
Glancing at the young woman sitting in the backseat through the rearview mirror, Lu Liangting’s mind began to wander as he watched.
He thought of Bai Yu.
Noticing Lu Liangting’s direct gaze, Shen Shuyun felt a small surge of surprise. This person had never stared at her for this long before. Could it be that he was finally coming around?
The next second, realizing Lu Liangting’s eyes were unfocused and distant, Shen Shuyun hesitated, then had a sudden realization. An inexplicable rage flared up in her heart, and she just wanted to stab Lu Liangting in the chest.
“You know, staring at one girl while thinking about another is very rude.”
Her anger quickly subsided. While thinking Lu Liangting was truly a piece of work, Shen Shuyun also sighed inwardly.
What was this damn feeling of defeat?
She couldn’t beat Bai Yu in a fight. Her strength was far inferior. Back in their previous world, she was dominated, and now she was still being dominated. Well, that was nothing; no one could beat the Doctor anyway. She was the Top Donator boss, after all.
But!
If she couldn’t compete in strength, she had to surpass her in other areas, right?
The Doctor, that girl, was powerful in a fight and cunning in schemes. Fine, she wouldn’t compete on that front. What about competing for a man? Surely that killing maniac wouldn’t also know how to chase a man?
And what was the result?
She, on her end, was pursuing him painstakingly. She had almost… no, she had practically thrown herself at him, using all kinds of seduction and teasing. Last time Lu Liangting went to her place, she had been completely undressed, covered only by a bath towel, and then invited him to shower together.
This kind of blatant, delivered-to-his-doorstep temptation… how many men could refuse?
She figured that leaning against the bathroom doorway wrapped in a towel, her two long, smooth, bare legs shifting as she cast a soul-stealing wink at a man… that was far more tempting and alluring than simply lying naked on a bed with her legs half-open.
And the result? When she hinted so blatantly…
Lu Liangting had just stood at her doorway and didn’t even spare her a second glance!
Though the reason and excuse she summarized afterward was that she wasn’t wearing Black Stockings.
But still, that was way too hurtful!
Now look at Bai Yu. It seemed like she hadn’t done anything, just helped Lu Liangting a few times.
And this person couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Really, it was hateful, infuriating!
This feeling of being utterly crushed in every aspect—from combat and killing to attracting men—was extremely unpleasant.
‘Hmph. Looking at me, but thinking of another woman, huh.’
‘One day, I’ll make sure you don’t have the heart to think of anyone else!’
Lu Liangting came back to his senses, suddenly feeling a chill down his spine, sensing an inexplicable murderous intent.
Looking sideways, he saw Gardenia staring at him. She floored the accelerator. With a roar, the car surged forward, the extreme, dynamic acceleration pinning Lu Liangting firmly to his seat with the G-force.
“Gardenia, there’s a turn ahead!”
Just as Lu Liangting finished speaking, the screech of harsh braking filled the air as the car drifted around the corner.
The music inside kept playing, a song titled “All the Way North.”
At this moment, any thought of Bai Yu had vanished from Lu Liangting’s mind. All that was left was a soul trying to catch up after his body was thrown forward.
And what he didn’t know was that the person he had just been thinking about was currently bathing with someone else.
· · ·
“As expected, even ghosts need to bathe.”
The sound of running water filled the bathroom. Zhao Mingyue sat in the bathtub, holding Bai Yu in an almost embracing posture from behind, Bai Yu with her back to her.
Her delicate hand scooped up a splash of water and sprinkled it onto Bai Yu’s hair. Zhao Mingyue gently rubbed the three thousand strands of black hair cascading down Bai Yu’s back. Shampoo foam slowly spread in Bai Yu’s hair, its fragrance refreshing and pleasant.
Occasionally, her fingertips would glide over Bai Yu’s exquisite, tender skin, causing tiny ripples in the water.
“You smell even more fragrant. By the way, Little Sister Yu, I feel more and more like you’re becoming a living person, or at least your state resembles one. I can touch your skin very clearly now. The texture is just like a living person’s. No, it’s far better than a living person’s.”
Zhao Mingyue rinsed the foam from Bai Yu’s hair with the showerhead, the suds flowing away with the overflowing bathwater.
Putting the showerhead back, she placed her hands on Bai Yu’s shoulders, gently kneading her shoulders and the back of her neck. As she spoke, Zhao Mingyue was filled with profound emotion.
This texture, this touch… it was absolutely incredible!
It was still that non-irritating coolness, which in Zhao Mingyue’s view, was actually a bonus point.
After absorbing a large number of Red-Clothed Ghosts, Bai Yu’s state was infinitely close to that of a living person. The touch of her skin was incomparably delicate and smooth, allowing Zhao Mingyue to understand the true meaning of “so delicate a puff of air could break it.” It wasn’t fragility, but Bai Yu’s exquisite texture and fair delicacy.
Gently kneading, it felt somewhat like pudding. However, unlike the soft, mushy texture of pudding, Bai Yu’s body, while silky smooth, was still springy and elastic.
The most crucial point was that Bai Yu was a ghost. Her body didn’t have things like bones.
Her “bones” were formed from the blood threads she used for fighting, which meant her body not only avoided the deformity of having no bones, but felt bonelessly supple when held, making one utterly enamored and unwilling to let go.
The arrangement of her blood-thread bones was identical to an ordinary person’s, achieving a perfect physique.
As the saying goes, beauty lies in the bones, not the skin.
Bai Yu had both a perfect physique and a perfect appearance.
The key was, she was young! At fifteen, her body was still on the petite side, somewhere between a loli and a young maiden. You could call her a loli, or you could say she was a youthful girl.
“Ah~”
Zhao Mingyue hugged Bai Yu from behind, letting out a strange sound, like a creepy lolicon uncle who had just embraced a cute loli.
“I don’t know why, but holding you like this feels so good.”
Amidst Zhao Mingyue’s exclamations, the look of helplessness in Bai Yu’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
After Zhao Mingyue absorbed the Evil Spirit’s corpse, the slumbering Evil God inside her body had become increasingly uncontrollable. But just now, when Zhao Mingyue hugged her and absorbed her power—refined Resentment—the Evil God’s fluctuations inside her had actually calmed down.
Bai Yu thought carefully.
What if the Evil Spirit’s corpse acted as a stimulant for the Evil God inside her?
Then, would her own Fierce Ghost Power temporarily stabilize that stimulation? Was this the effect achieved?
‘Fierce Ghost Resentment, then…’
This was currently all speculation. Regardless of the specific reason, it was confirmed that the Evil God within Zhao Mingyue could indeed be suppressed by her Fierce Ghost Resentment.
This seemed like good news on the surface. However, Bai Yu didn’t dare to let Zhao Mingyue absorb large amounts of Resentment power.
Resentment power was a deadly poison to humans, though it depended on the dosage, of course.
In small amounts, it indeed wouldn’t cause much harm and could even have benefits. But when the intake reached a certain threshold, the human body would struggle to expel this Resentment, because Resentment power attacks the spirit.
This was also why she had repeatedly refused Zhao Mingyue’s request to sleep together.
If they really slept together, Zhao Mingyue would likely discover after a while that her mental state was deteriorating, eventually leading to a series of mental illnesses.
This was the fundamental reason why people haunted by Fierce Ghosts often weren’t mentally sound.
‘No, this has to be viewed relatively. Using a smaller cost to replace a larger cost.’
‘If only minimally affecting Mingyue’s mental state can suppress the Evil God inside her, then this cost is absolutely worth it.’
‘Once that Evil God acts up, at best, Mingyue briefly loses consciousness and her body is temporarily controlled by the Evil God. At worst, her consciousness is directly erased.’
‘We can try the former. The impact of Resentment on spiritual power isn’t small, but it’s not difficult to resolve if we truly want to. As for the latter, if an accident occurs, the only option is Possession—fighting this Evil God for control of her body.’
‘That carries the highest risk. To minimize the risk, we should pull that thing out and kill it.’
‘If this Evil God’s power is too great, then we’ll join forces with the Dragon Girl.’
‘Eternal Life Village is very important.’
‘During this period, I’ll try letting Mingyue absorb some more Resentment and observe the reaction.’
Bai Yu’s thoughts raced, analyzing the pros and cons and subsequent solutions.
This ghost of hers had a habit: she would list out every conceivable possible outcome and then devise ways to counter them one by one. That way, no matter what situation arose, she would at least have some mental preparation.
And as she was thinking, she suddenly felt the hand on her lower abdomen starting to become restless, slowly moving upward.
“Mingyue!”
Bai Yu’s tone noticeably shifted.
· · ·
A short while later, the ghost and the human emerged from the bathroom. Bai Yu wore a set of Rabbit Pajamas. Zhao Mingyue had bought them for her during their last shopping trip. However, the style was too pink and cutesy; Bai Yu felt it didn’t suit her well.
But she couldn’t resist Zhao Mingyue’s persistent pestering and fake crying, so she finally put them on.
After drying her hair, Zhao Mingyue cheerfully tied Bai Yu’s hair into two cute buns, added rabbit ear hair clips, and then pulled out her phone to take pictures of Bai Yu—click, click, click.
Looking at the aloof, helpless expression Bai Yu was trying so hard to maintain, the more Zhao Mingyue took pictures, the more peculiar her smile became.
This expression was just too perfect for Bai Yu!
At night, after all her fussing, Zhao Mingyue was finally willing to sleep.
“Bai Yu, how do you think I did at that hospital tonight?” Lying in bed, Zhao Mingyue couldn’t fall asleep.
“A bit reckless. Very different from your usual style,” Bai Yu replied.
“Very different, huh.” Zhao Mingyue’s tone was calm, a faint smile on her face. “Actually, I just felt the pressure getting a bit high, and I wanted to make some changes.”
“I’ve noticed that more and more old ‘friends’ are appearing around you. These people are somewhat dangerous. They seem very afraid of you, but also really want to make a move against you.”
“I was thinking, if I kept going on like before, I’d definitely end up holding you back.”
“Only if I become stronger too, even if not that much stronger, I can at least ease some of the pressure on you.”
“But you don’t need to worry; my adaptability is still quite strong.”
“Just… don’t dislike me for being too violent, for not having the slightest girlish charm.”
“My older sister always used to tell me I didn’t act like a proper girl, that I was crazier than any boy.”
Zhao Mingyue talked a lot. Gradually, her voice grew softer and softer, becoming slurred and indistinct until it was hard to tell what she was saying. Slowly, her breathing steadied, and she fell asleep.
She had been too tired today, all in an effort to make some changes.
Just as she said, Bai Yu considered her, so she should also consider Bai Yu.
Since she was staying with Bai Yu, she shouldn’t be a burden.
Was she really not afraid at all tonight?
Of course not. She just hadn’t shown it.
More often than not, the bolder and more reckless she acted, the more afraid she was inside. It was like shouting loudly to boost one’s own courage.
Bai Yu watched silently, saying nothing.
Zhao Mingyue was the Female Lead of this world’s original plot. She possessed many qualities and character settings befitting a female lead. But now, it seemed, compared to just being a ‘female lead,’ Zhao Mingyue was more like a living, breathing person.
When she couldn’t get by, she would seek pity from Wang Xinxin and then mock herself.
When she felt she should treat another person sincerely, she would boldly change herself, even inside a ghost’s den.
