After Li Shan left, Xia Leyang resumed searching online for information about the Gu family mansion incident. However, he couldn’t find any information about the identity of the female ghost.
The old man in the park mentioned that the female ghost was a secret lover kept by someone. There were also media reports online, but the stories with characters like “Xiao Fang” or “Ah Hua” seemed fabricated.
Xia Leyang really wanted to know who the female ghost was but couldn’t find any other ways. In the end, he had no choice but to turn to his elder sister, Xia Tianshui.
Three years older than Xia Leyang, Xia Tianshui was groomed as the heir when their mother was pregnant with her. After graduating, she took over the family business and became a well-known businesswoman in Rui City.
Although their mother later had Xia Leyang, the difference in their destinies was evident. Xia Tianshui had a life of hard work, while Xia Leyang had a life of luxury. Therefore, the family had fewer expectations for Xia Leyang, sending him abroad and allowing him to develop as he pleased.
Unlike Xia Leyang, Xia Tianshui had always stayed close to their father Xia Guohua, and her social network was naturally broader. When she heard that Xia Leyang wanted to know about the single woman who had committed suicide in the Gu family mansion, she immediately called him and instructed him to contact her classmate, a police officer.
“This is my classmate, a police officer,” Xia Tianshui said. “I’ll introduce you to him, and you can contact him yourself.”
Having recently graduated and being a novice in the workforce, coupled with spending all his time with Shang Tingzhi, Xia Leyang’s social skills had not been honed. Dealing with a police officer made him feel uneasy.
“Can’t you help me ask?” Xia Leyang awkwardly asked.
“I don’t have time,” Xia Tianshui said impatiently. “Just invite him to dinner, chat casually at the table. It’s simple; what’s the problem?”
Xia Leyang still resisted, “But…”
“Don’t give me any ‘buts’; either ask or forget it,” Xia Tianshui said, then suddenly remembered something about dinner, “By the way, Dad’s sixtieth birthday banquet is this Saturday at the Lakeside Cruise Hotel. Remember to bring your spouse.”
Ignoring Xia Tianshui’s use of “spouse,” Xia Leyang slightly dissatisfiedly asked, “Why didn’t you inform me earlier about the birthday banquet?”
“I just told you now, didn’t I?” Xia Tianshui said, “Uncle Shang and his family must know; Shang Ge will bring you there.”
“Are you kidding me?” Xia Leyang suddenly had a feeling that he had been kicked out of the Xia family and become a part of the Shang family.
There’s a saying, something about a married daughter being like spilled water. Although he wasn’t a daughter and hadn’t married, his family’s attitude toward him felt like he had become spilled water.
Xia Leyang wanted to argue with his sister, but citing busy work, Xia Tianshui decisively hung up the phone.
Checking the time, it was already 11 at night. He didn’t know if his sister was genuinely busy with work or busy dating a younger man.
“Do you know my dad is hosting a birthday banquet?” Xia Leyang, feeling a bit frustrated, put down his phone and moved closer to Shang Tingzhi, who turned off the bedside lamp and pulled him into an embrace.
“Yeah,” Shang Tingzhi replied calmly, the pillow in his arms making him extremely comfortable. He lazily asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Damn, you already knew.” Xia Leyang frowned, feeling even more displeased. “My sister even asked me to bring you, and you obviously knew before me.”
Shang Tingzhi said, “We’re all family. The order doesn’t matter.”
Hearing the three words “all family,” Xia Leyang subconsciously thought Shang Tingzhi was talking about him and Xia Tianshui, advising him not to be so calculating with family.
Little did he know, Shang Tingzhi was actually quietly implying something about the two of them.
Even though Xia Leyang misunderstood Shang Tingzhi’s intention, he was receptive to advice. Thinking about how good Xia Tianshui had been to him, he quickly let go of his frustration.
“That works too.” Xia Leyang blinked in the darkness, pondering, “During the banquet when the elders are there, I’ll clarify the situation.”
Shang Tingzhi raised an eyebrow with closed eyes and asked, “Clarify what?”
“Our relationship,” Xia Leyang said, adjusting his position in Shang Tingzhi’s embrace for more comfort. “They always think you’re my wife. Aren’t you uncomfortable?”
Shang Tingzhi: “?”
Unaware that Shang Tingzhi had opened his eyes, Xia Leyang continued talking in the darkness, “You’re really pitiful. With such good conditions, you can’t find a wife. Uncle and Aunt can only pair you up with a man. It’s really heartbreaking for those who hear it.”
Shang Tingzhi: “…”
Xia Leyang sighed with a touch of sympathy, then continued, “I’m an open-minded person, not against this kind of thing, but honestly, I don’t like someone taller than me.”
Shang Tingzhi squinted his eyes.
“I used to pursue a girl, fair-skinned, beautiful, and with long legs, but she didn’t like me because I was short. Since then, I swore never to date someone taller than me again.”
“Oh,” Shang Tingzhi responded without much expression.
“But your chest muscles are not bad,” Xia Leyang pointed and poked Shang Tingzhi’s chest a few times, unsatisfied, his hand then started wandering, “Abs are pretty good too, specially trained, huh?”
Xia Leyang touched Shang Tingzhi’s abs and said with regret, “What’s the use of training? No girls are interested.”
Allowing Xia Leyang to mess around for a while, Shang Tingzhi finally couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed Xia Leyang’s hand, asking, “Are you sure they think I’m your wife?”
“Why not?” Xia Leyang didn’t think much, “But don’t worry, I’ll make it clear to them at the banquet. I won’t take advantage of you.”
Intentionally emphasizing the phrase “take advantage,” Xia Leyang hinted that Shang Tingzhi had taken advantage of him twice, yet he generously gave Shang Tingzhi a proper status.
After a moment of silence, Shang Tingzhi spoke slowly, “Where did you get your confidence?”
“Huh?” Xia Leyang asked.
“Have you not seen my size, or do you have a misconception about your own size?” Shang Tingzhi happened to grab Xia Leyang’s hand, which was recklessly playing with fire, and with his middle finger, he traced Xia Leyang’s palm, slightly lowered his head, and asked, with a lowered voice, “Am I bigger, or are you?”
The warm breath sprayed onto Xia Leyang’s thick eyelashes, making him feel a bit itchy. He blinked, thinking the itchiness would go away, but it didn’t. He belatedly realized that the source of the itchiness was Shang Tingzhi’s palm.
“You…” Xia Leyang stared blankly at the handsome face so close to him. His mouth moved faster than his brain, and he blurted out the answer first. However, he quickly came to his senses and stubbornly said, “…you are older.”
Shang Tingzhi chuckled lightly, withdrew a bit, and stopped teasing Xia Leyang.
Even though the room was not lit, the faint moonlight revealed that Xia Leyang’s face had turned red. Shang Tingzhi was afraid that if he continued teasing, the young master would get angry.
But there were still things that needed to be made clear.
Waiting for Xia Leyang to calm down a bit, Shang Tingzhi lazily said, “You don’t need to clarify; they don’t think I’m your wife.”
“But…” Xia Leyang started.
“No ‘buts’,” Shang Tingzhi closed his eyes, his tone even more languid, “You can’t even say ‘wife,’ what else do you want to clarify?”
“I…where can’t I say it?” Xia Leyang anxiously argued, but what came out of his mouth was, “Wife-goose.”
Shang Tingzhi raised the corner of his mouth, a casual expression full of amusement. Xia Leyang, unwilling to admit defeat, tried again, “Wife-goose.”
“Alright, go to sleep,” Shang Tingzhi pressed Xia Leyang’s head onto his shoulder. In a tone that seemed to show off his ability to imitate childlike speech, he whispered near Xia Leyang’s face, “Wife-goose.”
Xia Leyang gritted his teeth in frustration, thinking that he must improve his Mandarin.
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