rainy season

Sitting next to him, Meng Yun stared at the open space with a gloomy expression. She immediately knelt down and asked, "Zeze, you mean there's an uncle there, right?"

Meng Qingze nodded obediently, "Yes, it's an uncle I've never met before."

Meng Yun raised an eyebrow slightly. With just one glance, the housekeeper understood and led Meng Qingze away from the table. He hurried to Yu Xi's side, seeing her still unmoved, and said, "Sister-in-law, Zeze just said..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yu Xi interrupted him, saying, "This is just childish nonsense."

“But I still think we should have someone come over to the house to take a look. Isn’t it said that children can see those things?” Meng Yun said, taking two steps forward and closing the distance between herself and Yu Xi.

For some reason, when she heard him say "those things," Yu Xi felt a sharp pang in her heart. She instinctively retorted, "Xiao Jun, I never thought you would believe in such ethereal things as ghosts and gods. This is a new era."

Meng Yun stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her up. "Whether I believe it or not, it's best not to sit here right now. Aren't you scared?"

That seemingly harmless face spoke those words, his gaze fixed on her, his large hand gripping her wrist tightly. No matter how much Yu Xi struggled, she couldn't escape his control.

Seeing this, the ghost quickly floated to Meng Yun's side, attempting to pull the two apart. The moment its hands touched Meng Yun's wrists, they passed straight through her.

"Just talk, what's with this 'getting handsy' thing?"

"Aren't you going to let go? What's wrong with you?"

"He has absolutely no sense of boundaries. What kind of good brother treats his sister-in-law like this?"

He complained in Meng Yun's ear, anxious and helpless. If he could touch him, the two of them would probably be fighting by now.

Meng Yun felt an inexplicable chill beside his ear. Taking advantage of his distraction, Yu Xi quickly broke free from his restraints and hurriedly retreated, putting some distance between them.

Yu Xi's wrist was slightly red. She didn't want to send Meng Yun away directly, so she leaned against the wall and glanced at him. "It's raining and the roads are slippery. Go back and rest early."

"Thank you for coming to keep Zeze company this afternoon."

Meng Yun's smile remained unchanged, seemingly quite satisfied with her reaction. He didn't make things difficult for her any further, and got up to pick up his coat from the mahogany hanger.

"We're all family, no need to thank me. I won't bother you any longer, sister-in-law, I'll be going now!"

The ghost that had been hovering behind Yu Xi looked at his back with disdain, "You've got some nerve, daring to stay here."

"He doesn't look like a good person!"

"You really talk too much," Yu Xi said abruptly. "Please get out of my house, now, immediately!"

Seeing that she remained unmoved, the ghost squeezed out two drops of bloody tears, knelt on the ground, lowered her head, and said aggrievedly, "Sister, you know that I am a lonely ghost with no one to care for me. I pleaded with the underworld officials, but they only granted me one year to live in the human world."

"The rule is that once I leave the cemetery, I must be taken in by the first living person I see. In return, I can do anything for you for the next year."

"I promise I'll be there whenever you call."

Yu Xi could tell he must have been over 1.8 meters tall when he was alive, but now, kneeling on the ground with his head bowed, he only added to her pitiful appearance. He looked younger than her, wearing a black overcoat over a matching suit with a dark red tie. The tailored suit perfectly showcased his broad shoulders and narrow waist.

It seems he was quite a handsome guy before he passed away!

She looked the ghost up and down, only to see that the ghost was also slightly raising its head, observing her, and saying repeatedly, "And look, sister, only you and your family can see me. I promise I will never cause you any trouble."

"Just let me stay. You definitely won't regret it. I was approved to come here, and my ghostly aura won't have any impact on you or your family even if I stay by your side for a long time."

Yu Xi ignored him and silently turned and walked upstairs.

The villa is decorated in a high-profile and luxurious style, with European-style wallpaper and carved marble columns. However, the bedroom contains a double bed with a large square headboard and painted yellow, which is completely out of place with the surrounding gorgeous decorations.

There were two pillows on the bedside table, and a 30-centimeter-tall Kitty doll sat between them. Upon closer inspection, you could see the pink hem of Kitty's skirt and the clumsy stitching marks.

The ghost peeked out of the bedroom door, politely refraining from entering. Upon seeing the doll, a fleeting light shone in its eyes, but only for a moment before an indescribable meaning surfaced.

Yu Xi ignored him and simply sat down at the dressing table to remove her makeup. He stood quietly at the door, watching her every move with such longing that he seemed afraid he would never see her again.

"You can come with me, but I have a few requirements."

Upon hearing this, the ghost agreed without hesitation, "Sister, I'll grant you any request."

Yu Xi slowly spoke, "First, don't enter my bedroom casually." As soon as she finished speaking, the ghost immediately moved backward until its floating feet were completely out of the tiled area at the bedroom door.

"Secondly, even though you are a ghost, you should still be mindful of the differences between men and women and maintain a proper distance."

"clear!"

"Thirdly, I should appear in front of Zeze less often. He is still young, and I am afraid that it may have some impact on him."

The ghost remained silent for a long time after hearing this, a hint of sadness flashing in its eyes, before uttering a single word with a touch of melancholy: "Okay."

After he finished speaking, he turned and floated towards the second-floor corridor, disappearing from Yu Xi's sight.

Seeing that he had left, Yu Xi got up, picked up the Kitty doll on the bed, and hugged it tightly to her chest. This doll was a gift from Meng Chou as an apology when they first met.

She clearly remembers that the first time she met Meng Chou was also on a rainy day.

During the rainy season, there were very few pedestrians on the A University campus. In order to earn more tuition fees, Yu Xi held an umbrella in one hand and carried a full bag of takeout in the other.

The takeout area at the school gate is far from the dormitories, and many people order takeout at noon but are too lazy to bring it back to their dorms. Yu Xi seized this business opportunity, charging 1.5 yuan per order and delivering it directly to the dormitory door.

Raindrops pounded on the umbrella, creating a misty fog. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to charge her electric scooter yesterday because she had too many classes, so she had to walk around the campus.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and her trouser legs were already soaked. A slight gust of wind blew, and the moisture hit her face, sending a chill through her body.

"Hey, get out of the way!" A shout suddenly came from behind her. When she turned around, a boy with a black backpack slung over his shoulder was falling straight at her.

Everything happened so suddenly that she didn't have time to dodge; she just instinctively tried to protect the takeout she was carrying.

"Thank goodness, I managed to catch you." His words fell on my ear, a gentle warmth brushing against my earlobe before disappearing in an instant.

Just as Meng Chou was about to throw her, he used the momentum to grab her wrist. The two spun around halfway in place. As Yu Xi's umbrella flew out, the two stopped at the same time, staring blankly at each other for a moment.

Raindrops dampened the stray hairs on Meng Chou's forehead. Despite the cooler weather, Yu Xi could clearly feel the intense heat of the other's palm, as if the warmth could be contagious, traveling along the veins in her wrist straight to her heart.

This scene seemed like something out of a movie, yet it was etched into her heart.

"Excuse me, classmate. The road was too slippery in the rain, and I was running fast, so I slipped." Meng Chou bent down to pick up her fallen umbrella, put it over her head, and then took out a Kitty doll with a heart-shaped transparent plastic packaging from his backpack and gave it to her.

"Consider this my apology to you." He said, running back into the rain. Yu Xi, with one arm around the Kitty doll, glanced down at it.

Her favorite thing is Hello Kitty, so everything from large items like handbags and suitcases to small items like water cups and pens is printed with various Hello Kitty patterns. It's not hard to discover her hobby.

But she couldn't bear to spend money to buy herself an authentic Hello Kitty doll, the price of which would have cost her several days' worth of living expenses.

Seeing that the delivery time was running out, Yu Xi didn't think twice and rushed forward with the Kitty doll in her arms.

Later, when Yu Xi asked Meng Chou about this incident after they started dating, Meng Chou smiled and said, "Actually, I wanted to confess my feelings that day, but you ran too fast and I almost couldn't keep up."

"Why didn't you say so when you gave me the doll?"

"I was afraid you'd think I was being perfunctory, and I was also afraid of taking up your time, so I..."

He lowered his head shyly as he spoke, his quiet and somewhat naive demeanor making Yu Xi want to tease him. This was the same aloof CEO he always was in front of others, only showing such an expression in front of her. She pinched his chin, feigning anger as she questioned, "So, you got together so casually afterward, weren't you afraid I'd think you were just going through the motions?"

"I'm not afraid."

"Why?" Yu Xi asked.

"Because I know that love has nothing to do with form. You know, I've secretly practiced confessing my feelings many times, where you can't see it."

Yu Xi stared intently at the Kitty doll in her hand, Meng Chou's words echoing in her mind. She curled up on the wooden bed where the two of them had once shared a bed, hugging the doll tightly in her arms, just as Meng Chou had hugged her before.

—

The sky was turning a pale white, and everything was refreshed after the heavy rain. Sunlight streamed in through the window, signaling a brand new day.

After everything was settled, Yu Xi opened the work group chat and scrolled through the messages, which were filled with an atmosphere of resentment and lamentation that seemed to engulf her through the screen. The plagiarism scandal hadn't subsided, the public relations department had been working all night, and the Weibo trending topic hadn't come down; instead, new pictures had been leaked by anonymous users, causing the company's stock to plummet.

Just as she was pondering her next move, a message from Dr. Liang popped up on WeChat: "[Your condition may have relapsed and worsened. Would it be convenient for you to come over this afternoon?]"

It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned it, because mentioning it reminded her of it. From the time she woke up in the morning until she saw Meng Qingze off to school, she hadn't seen that ghost again.

Has he left?

With this thought in mind, Yu Xi began searching for him in the villa, from the first floor to the second floor, and from the second floor to the back garden. She searched every corner she could find, but still could not find the ghost.

"I've completely gone mad, actually going to look for a ghost." Yu Xi said with a self-deprecating tone, but her thoughts shifted quickly, and she suddenly remembered that there was still one place she hadn't visited.

For a time, she couldn't accept Meng Chou's death. The housekeeper, fearing that seeing his belongings would remind her of him and hurt her again, put away everything related to Meng Chou.

That also includes locking the room.

With a try-it-and-see attitude, Yu Xi took out the key, and the moment she turned the doorknob, her heart ached slightly.