Chapter 36
Xia Leyang was frightened to the core by this discovery, his body covered in goosebumps. He pulled on Shang Tingzhi’s sleeve and nervously said, “This is the Gu Family Mansion!”
The Gu Family Mansion was a notorious haunted house in Rui City. As soon as the people around the pit heard this, they instinctively took a step back, distancing themselves from the eerie urn.
Shang Tingzhi also noticed the ominous atmosphere. He shielded Xia Leyang behind him, looked forward, and saw a black-and-white photo sticking out from the soil next to the urn. In the photo, there was a smiling woman in white.
The woman had an oval face, her forehead covered by a headband, revealing a full forehead. Her eyebrows seemed untouched, giving off a natural vibe. While her eyes and lips weren’t perfectly delicate individually, the combination was quite pleasant.
Shang Tingzhi frowned slightly and turned to Xia Leyang, asking, “Take a look. Is it her?”
The “her” in Shang Tingzhi’s words naturally referred to the female ghost. Since Shang Tingzhi didn’t know the ghost’s name and couldn’t directly say “female ghost” in front of so many people, he chose a more indirect approach.
However, Xia Leyang, the oblivious comrade, once again failed to grasp Shang Tingzhi’s meaning. As soon as he saw the photo, he grabbed Shang Tingzhi’s clothes excitedly, saying, “It’s her! It’s the ghost sister!”
Hearing about a ghost, the surrounding construction workers all rapidly retreated from the scene. Some hid behind trees, and others sought refuge behind cement trucks. In short, everyone found a shelter and continued to observe from a distance.
“No ghosts, no ghosts!” Liu Defa raised both hands and pressed down urgently, making soothing gestures. “These are just feudal superstitions. Don’t spread rumors!”
The construction site was already in trouble, and if news of the mass burial ground spread, it might not only affect student enrollment but also lead to workers quitting.
“I heard that you live in the Gu Family Mansion.” Zhang Wenlun, on the side, looked at Shang Tingzhi seriously. “Do you know this woman?”
As a colleague, unlike the superstitious workers around, Zhang Wenlun had his own judgments on feudal superstitions. Shang Tingzhi didn’t intend to hide it from him and said, “This is the ghost trapped in the Gu Family Mansion.”
“While I’m not very knowledgeable about funeral customs,” Zhang Wenlun turned his prayer beads while speaking, “the way this woman was buried seems like she might have angered someone.”
“She didn’t anger anyone. She encountered an utterly despicable scumbag,” Xia Leyang said indignantly. He looked at the wooden structure in the pit, suddenly remembering something, and asked, “By the way, was the ghost sister trapped in the Gu Family Mansion because of this haunted house?”
“Possibly,” Shang Tingzhi said.
“Then I’ll set her free,” Xia Leyang said, ready to touch the urn. However, Shang Tingzhi quickly grabbed him.
“Don’t act recklessly for now,” Shang Tingzhi frowned. “We don’t understand the customs here. Let me call Li Shan to come and take a look.”
Li Shan was genuinely busy, currently conducting a memorial service for someone else. Moreover, the construction site at Rui City High School was too far from the city center. Shang Tingzhi couldn’t easily free him up.
Shang Tingzhi documented the situation in the pit and sent it to Li Shan through his phone. Li Shan quickly responded, confirming that this was an extremely sinister burial method, trapping the ghost forever without a chance of reincarnation. The memories of the ghost’s past life were erased, and she could only be confined to the Gu Family Mansion.
Xia Leyang was furious and wanted to remove the talisman, but Li Shan warned them not to act recklessly to prevent the ghost from dissipating. So, Xia Leyang could only clench his fists in anger, trembling all over, unable to do anything.
Li Shan promised to come and see early the next morning. Shang Tingzhi instructed Liu Defa to secure the area and then, accompanied by the still frustrated Xia Leyang, returned to the Gu Family Mansion.
Xia Leyang, who was quick to get angry and quick to cool down, remained upset all the way back due to the ghost’s situation. Once they arrived at the Gu Family Mansion, he went straight to the second-floor bathroom and called the ghost out.
The ghost sat on the edge of the bathtub, yawning lazily. “What’s wrong again?”
Her tone carried a hint of impatience. However, Xia Leyang ignored her tone and said with a frown, “Ghost sister, we found your ashes.”
The ghost’s face finally showed an expression other than laziness and impatience. She sat up slightly, looked at Xia Leyang, and asked, “My ashes? Where are they?”
“Buried on Mount Luoyi,” Xia Leyang paused and said indirectly, “But there’s a bit of an issue, and we can’t take them out for now.”
“What issue?” The ghost asked inexplicably, “And why did you dig up my ashes?”
“We didn’t specifically dig them up; it just happened,” Xia Leyang didn’t tell the ghost about the situation of the urns. “Once I figure out who you are, I’ll help you find another place to rest, okay?”
The ghost seemed uninterested in the matter of burial. She had no reaction. Xia Leyang added, “My family is very wealthy. I’ll arrange a queen-like tomb for you.”
Upon hearing this, the ghost chuckled and floated a circle around Xia Leyang, then sat back on the edge of the bathtub. “You’re not related to me at all. Why do you care about my affairs?”
If Xia Leyang remembered correctly, this should be the first time the ghost had laughed since recalling her murder. Suddenly feeling a bit more at ease, he scratched the back of his head and said shyly, “Aren’t we friends?”
“You’re not my friend,” the ghost rolled her eyes theatrically and immediately laughed again. “You’re my good sister.”
Well, sisters it is.
Xia Leyang thought that the female ghost had already been through enough, and there was no need to be strict about titles.
In the evening, Xia Leyang processed the photos taken from the pit, then sent them to Wang Zuyu via email. If Wang Zuyu could recognize the ghost, it might lead to finding the murderer.
After doing all this, Xia Leyang closed his computer, lay on the pillow, and naturally squeezed next to Shang Tingzhi. He nudged Shang Tingzhi with his elbow, asking obediently, “Can you come tonight?”
Shang Tingzhi was browsing through content related to funeral customs on his tablet. He glanced at the tail-wagging Xia Leyang in a leisurely manner and replied indifferently, “No.”
“Why not?” Xia Leyang wrinkled his brow, propped himself up, and stared at Shang Tingzhi plaintively. “Are you still mad at me?”
Shang Tingzhi didn’t respond. Xia Leyang, seeking attention, pushed his arm a bit, then asked puzzledly, “Why are you mad at me anyway?”
Feeling quite wronged, Xia Leyang thought he hadn’t done anything wrong, yet he had a whole pot of blame dumped on his head.
Shang Tingzhi sighed helplessly, put down the tablet, and asked, “Have I satisfied you every night?”
Xia Leyang blushed slightly and mumbled, “Um.”
“The issue is,” Shang Tingzhi paused, “why should I do such a thing?”
“You say that,” Xia Leyang, feeling dissatisfied, “we give and take. I’m not just taking advantage of you.”
“Do you think I’m satisfied?” Shang Tingzhi asked expressionlessly. “Do you have no confidence in your own skills?”
Feeling quite upset, Xia Leyang bit his lip and fell silent. He admitted his lack of skills, especially in the beginning when he caused Shang Tingzhi considerable pain. However, it didn’t mean he hadn’t improved.
But…
But, indeed, every time Shang Tingzhi had to rely on his own hands to finish, which was completely different from him.
“You are unnecessary for me,” Shang Tingzhi summarized casually, his tone light but his words hitting the mark. “Since I have to rely on myself every time, why should I let you watch on the side?”
Xia Leyang twisted his fingers, finally understanding why Shang Tingzhi was angry.
In the end, it was because he kicked Shang Tingzhi away last night.
“You can let me practice more,” Xia Leyang pouted, “I’m clearly improving.”
Shang Tingzhi, not wanting to say more, replied indifferently, “I don’t want to play house with you anymore.”
The words “play house” deeply struck Xia Leyang’s heart. He grumbled with an inflated face, “You find so many reasons; I think you just want to sleep with me!”
“Yes,” Shang Tingzhi looked at Xia Leyang without changing his expression. “What’s the problem with wanting to sleep with you?”
Blushing, Xia Leyang stared blankly for a moment. He didn’t expect Shang Tingzhi to admit so bluntly that he wanted to sleep with him. Xia Leyang stammered and threw out two words, “Per-ver-ted!” Then, he lifted the quilt, got off the bed, and walked quickly to the next room. “I’m not sleeping with you tonight!”
If Xia Leyang didn’t let Shang Tingzhi cuddle him to sleep, then Shang Tingzhi would definitely have a fever the next day.
But regardless, Shang Tingzhi didn’t want to indulge the little troublemaker, so he didn’t try to stop him. After all, if he had a fever tomorrow, he could just drag Xia Leyang over to cuddle after that.
Xia Leyang walked through the bathroom to the adjacent bedroom. Along the way, he greeted the female ghost in a low voice a few times. However, the ghost couldn’t be bothered to show herself and lazily said, “Sleeping,” refusing to come out.
Without chatting with his good sister, Xia Leyang had to return to the adjacent bedroom alone and then climbed onto the double bed there all alone.
During this period, he had been sleeping with Shang Tingzhi every day and had become accustomed to the warmth of his chest. Suddenly, having only the cold wall as company felt quite uncomfortable.
!
However, despite the discomfort, Xia Leyang still had principles.
So, Xia Leyang forced himself to sleep, hugging the blanket. However, he tossed and turned until past two in the morning, remaining in a half-awake state, unable to enter the realm of dreams.
The feeling of insomnia was unpleasant. Xia Leyang, restless, hovered between peaceful sleep and his principles. After intense internal struggle, he suddenly sat up and decided to temporarily abandon his principles for the sake of a good night’s sleep.
By now, it was already past three in the morning. Xia Leyang stealthily entered Shang Tingzhi’s bedroom, only to find Shang Tingzhi breathing steadily, clearly in a deep sleep.
He set an alarm for six in the morning, planning to slip back to his room before Shang Tingzhi woke up. Unexpectedly, as soon as he climbed into bed, Shang Tingzhi reached out and pulled him into his arms.
Xia Leyang held his breath and dared not move. His back pressed against Shang Tingzhi’s chest, feeling the rhythm of his breath on the back of his neck.
After a while, seeing that Shang Tingzhi hadn’t reacted, Xia Leyang relaxed his stiff body and nestled softly into Shang Tingzhi’s embrace.
However, at this moment, the hand resting on his waist suddenly tightened, and a lazy chuckle sounded near his ear, “What’s this? Delivering yourself?”
Xia Leyang blushed instantly, but thankfully, a spark of inspiration flashed through his mind. He quickly hypnotized Shang Tingzhi, saying, “You’re dreaming… you’re dreaming… thoughts during the day… dreams during the night…”
Shang Tingzhi burst into laughter directly. He rolled over, pressing Xia Leyang beneath him, deliberately cooperating, “Dreams are even better, anyway, it’s not reality.”
“No, no, stop it!” Xia Leyang quickly pressed Shang Tingzhi’s hand, which was trying to lift his nightshirt, panicking, “You’re not dreaming, don’t mess around!”
Shang Tingzhi didn’t really plan to force himself on Xia Leyang. He turned back, pulling Xia Leyang into his arms again, then placed the fluffy head on his shoulder. In a low, sleepy voice, he said, “Sleep.”
“Sleep…” Xia Leyang murmured quietly, wriggling out from under Shang Tingzhi’s shoulder. “You’re right, you can’t do that.”
Actually, Shang Tingzhi wasn’t holding him too tightly, but Xia Leyang felt like he couldn’t breathe. His heart pounded like a little train running out of control, and it took a long time to calm down.