hem of skirt

The dazzling lights are reflected on the river. When the night wind blows, the lights sway with the water, like a flowing sand painting.

Yu Xi leaned against the railing of the cruise ship, holding a wine glass in one hand and resting her chin on the other, staring blankly at the river, occasionally tilting her head back to gulp down a large mouthful of wine.

The wind lifted her skirt, and the river scenery changed constantly as the cruise ship moved forward.

Ever since that incident in front of the company, the ghost, seeing that she was sullen all day, came to the boat and started drinking while staring at the water.

He had been following Yu Xi closely, keeping a one-meter distance, but now that he couldn't bear to watch any longer, he sped up and floated right up to Yu Xi.

"Drink less alcohol, it's bad for your health." After hesitating for a long time, he blurted out this sentence.

Yu Xi ignored him, simply swirling the wine in her glass. The dark red liquid touched the glass, leaving droplets that disappeared in an instant.

"Who do you think you are to boss me around like this?"

The ghost didn't speak, but silently clasped its hands together and leaned against the railing, mimicking her posture.

He knew perfectly well that, given his current status, he had no right to interfere in any of Yu Xi's life or emotional matters.

"Just consider it a friend's disapproval of you being like this."

Yu Xi lightly adjusted her silver-rimmed glasses, her dark eyes glancing at him. "Friend?"

"When did I say I wanted to be friends with a ghost?"

The ghost was not disappointed by her answer; instead, it went along with it, saying, "Becoming your loyal little dog, always at your beck and call, isn't that a good idea?"

Yu Xi was amused by the way he said it with such excitement. The wine in her glass swayed with the rise and fall of her chest. She looked down and smiled, saying, "Really? Then I'll really have to think about it."

“After all, a loyal dog will protect its master.” She turned and leaned against the fence, staring at the ghost. “What if you, who haven’t been tamed yet, turn around and bite me?”

Yu Xi's red dress accentuated her perfect figure, her hair styled in a low bun with a few unruly strands falling naturally around her ears. Against the backdrop of the night scene, she appeared even more alluring and captivating. Even knowing it's a trap, she would still willingly jump in.

The ghost was stunned, seemingly forgetting everything for a moment.

Yu Xi finished her drink in one gulp and turned to leave.

He followed anxiously behind her, saying, "I can help you with the manuscript."

Upon hearing this, Yu Xi paused noticeably. She naturally knew he was referring to the fashion show, where she was accused of plagiarism. The other party had chosen to present their show on the same day as her, only an hour earlier.

And coincidentally, she invited many reporters, complaining that her article had clashed with Yu Xi's, and that she had never revealed it to anyone before publication. She downplayed her grievances and used the voice of public opinion to the fullest extent.

"You?" Yu Xi shook her head, saying with a self-deprecating tone, "How could you possibly help me?"

As she spoke, she gripped the glass tightly, her fingertips rubbing until they turned white.

The ghost explained urgently, "I have a way to help you. You've forgotten, I can pass through any object, including the person who accused you of plagiarism."

“I can tell you everything I’ve heard about their plans.”

Yu Xi looked up at him intently, a slight flush rising in her cheeks from the alcohol, and a hint of a smile flickered in her somewhat hazy eyes.

"You're oversimplifying things."

The evening wind on the river grew increasingly fierce, whipping her skirt around. The drunkenness she had finally managed to cultivate was quickly swept away before she could even immerse herself in it and escape her troubles.

“No.” Seeing that she didn’t believe him, the ghost began to analyze, “I know that the person who accused you of plagiarism this time is Kim Hwan-mi, the fashion design director of K Company.”

"Both of your companies have always followed a similar style in design innovation and brand story marketing."

"But as everyone knows, Jin Xuexiao's trademark design is a minimalist fish. And in this article, Jin Xuexiao naturally used its own trademark."

"This is the company's trademark. Isn't she plagiarizing your manuscript?"

Every time Yu Xi took a step, the ghost would follow and say something.

His analysis was meticulous and logical, as if Xi needed to understand Jin Xuexiao and K Company.

"How do you know so much?" Yu Xi stopped at the door of the private cruise ship room she had booked. Her outstretched hand was suspended in mid-air before she could even grasp the doorknob.

The ghost lingered with her at the door. He tentatively asked, "Sister, can we go inside and talk? I'm worried about such trade secrets; there might be ghosts on the other side of the wall. It wouldn't be good if other ghosts overheard us."

Yu Xi wasn't fooled by his words. "Stop being so glib. Didn't you say it's very difficult for ghosts to come to the human world?"

"Sister, you have such a good memory." Seeing that she couldn't hide it any longer, the ghost said directly, "I just want to spend more time with you, sister."

Yu Xi chuckled softly, "Don't you spend a lot of time with me every day, following me around all the time?"

The ghost nervously tugged at the hem of her skirt, only to find that its hand passed right through the hem the moment it touched Yu Xi's skirt, leaving it grasping nothing.

Yu Xi was stunned when she witnessed this scene again. Before the company was established, Meng Chou, in order to earn more money, would secretly run a food delivery business behind her back after finishing his manuscripts and other tasks.

Each order only earned him a few dollars, but he always ran until 10 p.m. and returned to his rented room at 10:10 p.m. sharp. He didn't want Yu Xi to wait too long, and he also wanted her to have a better life, so he lied to her and said that he was under too much pressure and needed some time to go out and relax every day.

It wasn't until one day, when Yu Xi picked up his phone to order takeout, that she discovered he had already registered as a delivery rider.

People who used to have no worries about food, clothing, or money are now willing to work overtime to make a living, even at the cost of only having four hours of rest time each day.

"Meng Chou, what's going on?" Yu Xi held up her phone, and the screen lit up with the app's rider homepage.

Meng Chou smiled to cover it up and tried to take his phone back, but Yu Xi dodged quickly, and he couldn't get it back.

"Who registered this for me? When did this happen?"

"Maybe it's a prank?" Meng Chou racked his brains. In front of Yu Xi, he was completely flustered and couldn't lie at all, so he could only speak vaguely.

Yu Xi looked at him with an air of 'Do you think I believe that?' She continued to look through Meng Chou's phone and gradually discovered that he had taken on a lot of orders in the past few days, and his total mileage for food delivery was also astonishingly high.

“You’re already exhausted from work, and you still secretly run food delivery services behind my back after get off work.”

"I shouldn't have believed you when you said you were going to relax. Who goes on a relaxation trip for hours on end?"

"Look at you, you've been so tired and haggard lately!" she snapped, cupping Meng Chou's face in her hands, her eyes full of heartache as she looked at his thin face.

Meng Chou wrapped his hand around her small hand and comforted her, "How could you be tired? Running a food delivery business is just like racing a car. For me, it's like indulging in a racing passion."

Meng Chou has many hobbies, but his favorites are the piano and racing. Few people can connect the two, but Meng Chou is someone who has both hobbies and is good at them.

Yu Xi's eyes stung as she listened to him speak so casually, and she scolded him playfully, "I'd rather not eat those things than see you so tired."

Meng Chou lowered his head in apology, lifted the hem of her skirt, and swayed it, "Okay, I know I was wrong."

"I promise, I will make as much money as possible for Xiaoyu while ensuring my own safety, so I can take you to eat more delicious food."

He only apologized to her like a child, and Yu Xi noticed his habit of pulling on her skirt after they officially became boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Alright, guess what delicious treat I brought you today," Meng Chou said mysteriously, still wearing his coat after getting home.

Yu Xi said frankly, "I can't guess."

"Ta-da! It's the barbecue place you like." He said, unzipping his jacket. "I was worried the skewers would get cold on the way back, so I wrapped them inside my jacket."

"Try it before it gets cold."

Yu Xi watched him grin foolishly as he took out the skewers, eagerly opened the packaging, and handed them to her. She could no longer hold back her tears, and the moment she hugged him, tears streamed down her face.

Meng Chou joked, "Silly girl, don't be fooled by some kebabs. It's nothing."

"You're the idiot, Meng Chou, you're the biggest idiot."

A fleeting thought crossed Yu Xi's mind, and she suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, a mixture of pain and love.

"Sister, what's wrong?" The ghost saw that she was frowning in discomfort and quickly said, "I won't go in. I'll tell you everything I know."

The next second, Yu Xi opened the door and stepped inside first.

"Come in!" she said calmly.

Yu Xi didn't understand. As a ghost, he needed permission to enter any place; he couldn't just pass through anytime he wanted.

His politeness and adherence to their agreement made Yu Xi unable to refuse his request.

"So, who exactly are you? How do you know so much?" Yu Xi leaned back on the sofa, her arm draped lazily over a cushion, her tone questioning.

The ghost remained unhurried, as if it had anticipated her question, and answered fluently, "I used to be a college student studying fashion design, but unfortunately I died young. In the underworld, I learned a lot from many famous fashion designers that I couldn't learn in the classroom..."

"Get to the point!" Yu Xi was so tormented by the plagiarism incident that she didn't have much patience left. As he became more and more emotional, she quickly interrupted him. She didn't want to know too much about the ghost's background right now.

"To put it simply, I've been following your two companies since I was in the underworld, so I know a lot about you."

Yu Xi nodded, "Very professional, enjoys designing and researching clothing, and pays attention to companies in the market, that's great."

"By the way, it's been so long, and I still haven't asked you what your name is."