trade

The guest room was empty except for Yu Xi. Raindrops pattered against the window, making a crisp sound. Occasionally, flashes of lightning would streak across the sky, illuminating the night before returning it to a silent darkness.

The faint light from the phone screen reflected her wary expression. Yu Xi stared at the chat box, utterly bewildered as to why someone would hand over evidence to her mortal enemy, and do so with such high-sounding words, as if the pain she had endured was as light as smoke, easily dissipated with a breath.

But the wound in my heart is still bleeding and has not yet healed.

Yu Xi couldn't tolerate someone so readily dragging her and others' work into the mess. She replied, "[President Gu, no need to waste your breath. See you in court in a couple of days!]"

Looking at the message she sent, Gu Yuan on the other end of the line laughed and said, "That's the real you—Yu Xi. You're so competitive and always have this drive. Only someone like you deserves to be my opponent."

[Is Mr. Yu really not interested in a win-win plan?]

[Of course, regarding this plagiarism controversy, our K company will also issue an apology, and I am willing to fully compensate President Yu for the losses incurred due to the decline in Jinxuexiao's stock price.]

[With lawsuits and legal proceedings dragging on like this, can Jin Xuexiao hold on?]

Upon seeing this sentence, Yu Xi let out a deep sigh.

On the day the plagiarism incident broke, she urgently convened a shareholders' meeting. The public relations department and legal team tried their best to reverse the negative reputation and losses, but they still couldn't stop the sharp decline in stock price and market share.

The group of old foxes in Jinxuexiao had long been restless. After Meng Chou's death, they were always thinking of ways to make things difficult for Yu Xi, hoping to bring her down from the position of president.

Outdated ideas eroded their decaying bodies; they always thought, how could a woman be qualified to lead them? How could she be better than a man?

But Yu Xi refused to give up. No matter what she faced, she never thought of retreating and always stayed in her position.

[Accepting this collaboration was the wisest choice of all.]

Gu Yuan was still messaging her. At that moment, Yu Xi felt a splitting headache. She asked, "[So, what kind of cooperation are you talking about?]"

[It's very simple. Through this plagiarism controversy, our two companies will hold a joint press conference. I will apologize to your company to resolve this matter, and at the same time, announce that our two companies will jointly produce the summer clothing designs released this time.]

[This will maximize the promotion of this summer's clothing line, not to mention the guaranteed profits. As compensation, I'll give you 40% and you 60%.]

After all that, Gu Yuan just wanted to use the accusation that Yu Xi plagiarized to promote the two companies' upcoming summer clothing line.

Yu Xi gave a self-deprecating laugh, resting her hand on her forehead, her silver-rimmed glasses gleaming coldly beneath. "It's ridiculous, doing something so stupid just to get exposure."

Gu Yuan's analysis was correct. The best way to salvage Jin Xuexiao's reputation right now is to prove that Yu Xi did not plagiarize, and it would be even better if K Company could issue a public apology.

[Mr. Yu, don't hesitate any longer. You can take screenshots now as evidence. If anything I've said is false, you're welcome to sue me at any time.]

Yu Xi haphazardly tucked her curly hair behind her ears. Her fingertips paused on the screen as she looked at the unspoken "okay" in the chat box, her eyes stinging with tears.

I'm really unwilling to compromise like this, but if I wait until the court hearing, I might go bankrupt, and Jinxuexiao might have to close down.

This grievance stuck in my throat, turning into a powerless click of send at my fingertips.

After Yu Xi agreed, Gu Yuan on the other end remained silent until 5:12. Seeing that there was still no news, Yu Xi turned off her phone and curled up on the sofa.

She leaned back on the sofa, not yet having changed out of her silver-white high heels. As she leaned back, her long skirt lifted up, revealing her fair and slightly slender ankles.

She buried herself in the sofa, tapping the cushions with her fingertips, and muttered, "Chen Miao, where did you go? Didn't you say you'd be there whenever I called?"

"Even a ghost lied to me, they all lied to me!"

The shouts echoed through every corner of the guest room, but there was no response for a long time.

Yu Xi never imagined that the reason Gu Yuan agreed to a public apology was because of Chen Miao.

—

The underworld was dimly lit, as if completely shrouded in a murky, grayish-yellow mist. The air was filled with the smell of sulfur, mixed with a faint, sweet, fishy odor.

A weathered stone bridge spans the River of Oblivion, dark red blood seeping from the cracks in its stone. The bridge, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side, is filled with the spirits of the dead. The iron chains beneath their feet collide and drag on the bridge, making a constant clattering sound.

Chen Miao squeezed past the reincarnated ghosts and ran towards the bridge.

The old woman, stirring the soup with a wooden spoon, spotted him from afar. Her eyes darted around, and she said softly, "Foolish child, don't dwell on the past. A bowl of soup, all gone. Drink the soup, cross the bridge!"

Chen Miao had heard Meng Po say this countless times, but this time he refused without hesitation and instead asked, "Where are Ox-Head and Horse-Face? Why haven't we seen a single ghost messenger?"

"Go forward, and don't look back," Meng Po said sparingly.

Following the direction she pointed, Chen Miao quickened his pace and ran there. The path beneath his feet was barren, scorched earth, yet it felt soft and sticky, as if it could easily pull the dead inside, never to see the light of day again.

He felt no fear whatsoever. The further he went, the thicker the fog became, until he could no longer see anything around him.

"I know you're here. I want to make a deal with you." Chen Miao shouted into the depths of the fog. The next second, a huge figure emerged from the darkness, with a bull's head and a human body, its horns curved like bows, and a heavy iron chain in its hand dragging on the ground, making a piercing scraping sound.

"Anything is permissible within the laws of the underworld." A rough and somewhat impatient voice boomed like thunder.

Chen Miao felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this. Remembering Yu Xi's anxious expression, he clenched his fists and shouted with all his might, "I want to be able to touch everything in the mortal world."

After death, a person cannot touch anything in the mortal world, nor can they freely send dreams to their relatives. They are cut off from everything in the mortal world and can only temporarily return to visit during Qingming Festival or the Ghost Festival when the gates of hell open.

Such a demand is undoubtedly challenging the bull's bottom line, and the slightest mistake could result in utter destruction.

Chen Miao gritted his teeth, and the thought of Yu Xi gave him courage.

The bull's eyes were wide open, staring intently at him with a numb expression. It was more terrifying than any ghost he had ever seen, and its powerful aura was enough to subdue any spirit.

"What will you exchange it for?"

Hearing the answer, Chen Miao felt a glimmer of hope. He knew, of course, that a ghost would have to pay a price a thousand times higher to gain such an ability.

But he was willing, willing to offer his last bit of value.

Even if I can only accompany Yu Xi through one last season, as long as I can be with her and help her, that's enough.

After stating what he wanted to exchange, the bull-headed man lightly lifted the chain, and a wisp of white light floated out from his sleeve, landing on Chen Miao.

"Within a certain period of time, everything will go as planned."

After speaking, Niu Tou stood like a towering stone statue, returned to his original position, and disappeared into the thick fog without a trace.

The white light flew into Chen Miao's forehead and invaded his consciousness. In that instant, he was in a daze. The ghost's body was still his own, but he couldn't control his limbs. He knew it, but he just couldn't move.

Fragments of memories from after he became a ghost flooded his mind. One of them flashed by: his investigation of the 'Chen Miao' in the mortal world—the real 'Chen Miao', the 'Chen Miao' who grew up with Yu Xi, the 'Chen Miao' who was still alive and well.

He was merely a ghost who could see the lives of people in the mortal world, and he was imitating Chen Miao. He used Chen Miao's memories and habits, and borrowed Chen Miao's appearance to stay by Yu Xi's side.

He dared not tell Yu Xi his real name, nor did he dare to show her his true appearance.

He will always be a coward, even as a ghost.

"It's you again. Is it worth it? It would be so much better to be a carefree ghost. Why do you have to get entangled with those people in the mortal world?" A ghost who knew him saw him return and lay disheveled on the scorched earth, laughing with sarcasm and incomprehension.

"I love her, so I don't care about the cost."

"That's so touching. Do you dare to approach her with your real identity? Stop deceiving yourself. She's already forgotten you."

“It’s okay to forget, it’s better to forget, so as to avoid causing her any more sadness,” he retorted.

"They're all crazy. Why do they have to go through this again instead of being ghosts?"

No one could understand why he did this, making sacrifices for others without letting anyone know, silently doing everything that was beneficial to her.

Suddenly, the world spun around him, and he found himself back in the mortal realm, still using the appearance of 'Chen Miao,' at Gu Yuan's house.

Although he can come into contact with things in the mortal world, he still retains the characteristics of a ghost. He has no blood or blood, his skin is sickly white, he has no human body temperature, he can pass through any object at will, and he can actually touch them.

He rushed to Gu Yuan's house immediately, determined to seek justice for Yu Xi. He grabbed the sleeping Gu Yuan and, taking advantage of his position, completely subdued him.

"Are you a human or a ghost? How did you get in here?"

Chen Miao snorted, "Enough with the nonsense. If you don't want to die, do as I say."

When Gu Yuan, whose home was broken into in the middle of the night, saw this face in the dim light of the bedroom, he was so frightened that his limbs trembled. He obediently did whatever Chen Miao asked him to do.

All the messages Yu Xi received in the early hours of the morning came from Gu Yuan, whom Chen Miao had instructed.

Chen Miao knew from the beginning that the plagiarism incident was just a scheme set up by Gu Yuan to bring down Jin Xuexiao. Making him pay back in this way was simply giving him a taste of his own medicine.

Chen Miao left Gu Yuan's house when the first golden rays appeared on the horizon, and it was at this time that Yu Xi saw him again.

A Chen Miao who seems to have come back to life, a Chen Miao whose image overlaps with that in my memory.