IWBL: Chapter 188

Thanks to Pan Jiming’s hard support, the KTV ghost; Fu Zige seemed to recall his years in the bar. At that time, apart from the friends who came specifically for him, there were a few guests who cheered for him like this.

On the empty stage, the illusory figure of a man appeared. It was a translucent shadow with a slender figure, a melancholy face and slight stubble on his chin. He gave off a lonely air and the most striking thing was his eyes. It wasn’t so obvious when looking through the crack in the door but now that his entire body had appeared, these two eyes were unusually ‘nimble.’

The KTV ghost’s eye sockets were like a black hole. The two blood-red eyeballs inlaid in the eye sockets were a type of ornament and they would flexibly jump up and down from time to time.

Pan Jiming let himself go. “Encore, encore. One more song!”

The KTV ghost gently stroked the microphone in front of him with one hand. He held it in the palm of his hand and started to sing into it. “Will you ever think of me at that time? The memories that are refusing to pass…”

The melody was low and sounded like a man reminiscing about the past. It was full of nostalgia.

“Okay, nice!” Pan Jiming looked to the left and right. He picked up half a chair leg from the ground and waved it around like a light stick. It wasn’t until the end of the song that he licked his mouth which was thirsty from all the cheering.

Xiao Li used his mobile phone to record the two songs sung by the KTV ghost and waited for the next one. However, this time the KTV ghost didn’t seem to keep planning on singing. He stood in front of the microphone for a long time, placed his forehead against the microphone and bowed deeply.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Li walked over and stood under the stage. He looked at the ghost and asked tentatively, “Do you want to go with me?”

In reality, such a situation would only result in killing the ghost or using some type of spell to bind and seal it. Otherwise, ghosts could easily gain power by killing. If Xiao Li ignored him, there would be other existences similar to the Ye family that would come.

Fu Zige didn’t raise his head. His body gradually dissipated, turning into smoke before finally being sucked into the microphone in front of him.

A blood-coloured eye suddenly appeared on the pitch-black microphone. It turned flexibly, looking for a direction before jumping from the shelf, seemingly intending to jump directly into Xiao Li’s arms.

Before it could touch Xiao Li, a golden thread stretched out from Xiao Li’s schoolbag. It came from the little yellow book at the bottom. This thread tangled together with the black microphone, pulled it and disappeared into the bag.

Xiao Li touched the bag and found that the microphone possessed by the KTV ghost wasn’t inside. He guessed that it was taken into the little yellow book like the previous Tan Li.

This was fortunate or it would take up space when he had more companions. He couldn’t hold a microphone in one hand, hide a doll in his pocket and run around with a light bulb. Since it had entered the little yellow book, he could wait until he went back to interrogate it.

The disappearance of the KTV ghost restored coldness and silence to the bar.

Xiao Li carried his school bag on one shoulder and the light ghost automatically jumped back. He told Pan Jiming before leaving, “It’s fine now.”

Pan Jiming saw it and thought that Xiao Li had used some type of magic weapon to collect the ghost so it could be slowly educated. He followed Xiao Li and spoke respectfully, “Master Moriarty, thank you so much. Why don’t we have a meal together so I can thank you? I can also invite Ye Zeqing.”

Xiao Li inexplicably thought of a sound: middle-aged men solved many things at the dinner table.

Xiao Li shook his head. “No need.”

“There is also the fee you were promised before.”

“No need.”

“Then… this, you must accept it.” Pan Jiming took out a gold card from his wallet. “It is my KTV’s VIP card. You can free access for life and can enjoy the highest diamond card treatment! Don’t refuse. We can be regarded as acquaintances. If you don’t accept then you will be despising me.”

He had the posture of taking a stand and Xiao Li didn’t want to play the ‘no, take it, no, take it’ game. He simply took it and placed it in his pocket.

The two of them exited the bar. Xiao Li looked back and placed the seal back on the door.

“I’ll take you back. Where do you live?” Pan Jiming opened the door of the car. “Or if it isn’t convenient, I will open a room for you near here. I  know a hotel owner—”

“I want to walk back.”

His previous sleepiness and tiredness had disappeared without a trace. He was wondering what had caused Fu Zige’s itchy eyes. Was it really a disease? In addition, that symbol…

It wasn’t too far away from his home. It was within a walking range he could accept and the night wind was more suitable for him to think.

“Huh? This…” Pan Jiming didn’t have time to stop it before Xiao Li had already disappeared down the road without a trace.

They hadn’t spent long in the bar. It was late at night when the sky was at its darkest and the city was at its quietest. Everything seemed like the pause button had been pressed and only Xiao Li was moving.

There was no noise, no birds chirping, only the occasional car whizzing past.

Xiao Li wandered all the way to the gates of his community. At this point in time, even the guard was asleep. He entered the community, bypassed several buildings in front and came to his building. Then he seemed to sense something and looked.

There was a car parked in front of him and a young man standing in front of it.

The young man’s sleeves were pulled up to his elbow and the buttons were undone to the second one. His slightly longer hair covered his eyes. His face was handsome and powerful and his eyes were thin. It was like he was in another world from his surroundings.

He was standing below Xiao Li’s house, leaning against the Maybach behind him as he looked up at the window upstairs. Looking at this height, it was Xiao Li’s bedroom.

Xiao Li walked over, eyebrows slightly furrowed. “Shen Chenzhi?”

The young man paused before standing up straight. He turned slightly, his gaze fell on the other person and he replied in a low voice. “Yes.”

Xiao Li took a few steps forward and came to Shen Chenzhi. He looked down at his watch and asked, “Why did you come to find me at this time?”

“What was the urgent matter? Was reality about to collapse?”

“I didn’t come to find you. I just wanted to see you.” Shen Chenzhi’s lips curled up and the indifference in his eyes was melted away by another emotion. “I have been away from you for too long. I wanted to see if you were good.”

Xiao Li repeated, “…See me? Downstairs?”

In addition…. too long? It had been less than a week since the day he got drunk.

Shen Chenzhi pursed his lower lip and spoke in a somewhat troubled manner. “I just want to be closer to you.”

So he unknowingly came here as soon as he returned to reality. The young man’s eyes crossed past Xiao Li and landed on the bag he was carrying. He paused for a moment before asking, “Why are you only back now?”

The little black cat crouched quietly in the bag, ears bent to the side as he pretended that he wasn’t there.

Xiao Li replied simply. “I went to help someone deal with, um, a haunted matter.”

“You can call me whenever you need it. I want you to call me.” Shen Chenzhi opened his arms and without waiting for Xiao Li to respond, he gave Xiao Li a very light hug. “In addition… for the sake of me being here so late, let me hug you.”

It wasn’t just a hug. Shen Chenzhi held this person in his arms, lowered his head and a soft kiss fell on the slender neck. He could hardly control his desire to continue pecking and kissing but he finally managed to restrain himself.

The kiss was so light that Xiao Li barely noticed it. It was more like the slight touch of a butterfly’s wings than a kiss. He covered the piece of skin that had just been kissed, watched Shen Chenzhi for a while before suddenly asking, “Where have you been?”

Shen Chenzhi didn’t think Xiao Li would take the initiative to ask this and he smiled. “Home.”

Xiao Li guessed that he might’ve gone to a foreign country. After all, he looked rich. Seeing him now, it should be fine. Xiao Li let the night wind take away the rising temperature. “Go back and rest early.”

“…En.”

Shen Chenzhi leaned against the car as he watched the figure gradually moving away. He pressed his tongue against his teeth before shaking his head and making a low sigh.

***

Xiao Li went all the way upstairs, opened the door, turned on the light and put down the bag that was on his shoulder. From inside, the little black cat unhooked the zipper with his claws and ran out by himself. He ran to the litter box and solved the matter of peeing.

It was past 3 o’clock in the morning. Xiao Li didn’t intend to stay up all night. He was going to take a shower and go to sleep, leaving the rest for tomorrow.

10 minutes later, Xiao Li walked out in a bathrobe. He bent over, picked up the shovel on the side and scooped up the urine block for the little black cat. He placed it in a plastic bag and threw it into the trash can.

After all this, Xiao Li hesitated for a moment before opening the curtains of the room and looking down. The place where the car originally parked was empty. Shen Chenzhi wasn’t downstairs. Xiao Li closed the curtains, wiped the water dripping down his cheeks, put the bath towel on the hanger and closed his eyes in bed.

10 minutes later, he opened his eyes again and stared at the ceiling. He couldn’t sleep.

In fact, after walking so many roads combined with the late hour, Xiao Li felt exhaustion coming from every part of his body the moment he laid down. His body was calling for sleep but when he closed his eyes, his consciousness was clear.

This situation wasn’t uncommon for him. It was because the excitement of his spirit was greater than the exhaustion of the body. The strange thing was that after closing his eyes, he wasn’t thinking about an instance, a clue or the foreign mystery novel he hadn’t finished before going to bed. Instead, he was thinking about Shen Chenzhi’s sentences.

“I just want to be closer to you.”

“I just want to see you.”

…Even if it was just through the window?

Xiao Li turned over, bent his back and buried his face deeper into the soft quilt. Then he turned over again. It wasn’t until the birds chirped in the sky and the first rays of dawn entered through the curtains that Xiao Li finally admitted it. He couldn’t sleep.

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