Chapter 102 Water Ghost 25
Yu Jiao stared at the changes in the room in amazement.
The house was rented. Yu Jiao had just started working and had no assets, so her sister paid a year's rent in full. The landlord was a friend of her sister's, and Yu Jiao seemed well-behaved and sensible, so she felt comfortable renting the house to someone like her.
But now——
The gray and white walls looked like they were splashed with black glue, and the wall paint fell to the ground due to the dripping adhesive tape. This was not the worst part. The floor where Cheng He was tied up and the shoe cabinet in the entrance were corroded beyond recognition... Seeing the entrance, Yu Jiao remembered those terrifying snapping sounds and wondered what Cheng He's current situation was. However, her thoughts were soon interrupted by Zhou Qingyan.
He naturally hugged her from behind and said with self-blame and guilt: "...The problem is not too big. I will be responsible for cleaning it up. It should be easy."
The problem is not too big?
Yu Jiao stared at the wall that suddenly appeared in front of her, and looked up. The ceiling was a pure white wall, but now it was not only stained with black slime, but a large area of the wall was peeling off. The whole house looked like it had been maliciously destroyed, and there was no place to step!
"Why are you like this all of a sudden?" Yu Jiao turned around and glared at Zhou Qingyan. She touched his wet chest and asked in confusion, "Aren't you dead? How come there is so much water? Where did it come from? Why wasn't there before?"
The black mist had completely returned to his body. He couldn't explain why he was jealous of Cheng He to the point of going crazy. He knew that they had broken up, but when he saw Cheng He, he thought of the sweet scenes he had seen when he followed them and peeped at them in the past, and he couldn't bear it.
Zhou Qingyan slowly straightened Yu Jiao's head, not daring to look her in the eyes. He picked her up in a restrained position and placed her on the bed in the bedroom. The bedroom was not affected. He said, "You play in the bedroom for a while. I'll clean up the living room..."
Then she explained her problem: "Maybe my death is related to water. I was crushed underground by a collapsed snow mountain, and when I woke up, my body was covered in snow and water... That's why there is so much water after death."
"Is that so?" Yu Jiao asked curiously, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "Then if someone is burned to death, can they breathe fire? Also, can you make snowflakes appear? I want to see."
In Yu Jiao's impression, Zhou Qingyan was her boyfriend's good brother.
After Zhou Qingyan's death, Yu Jiao's impression of him was that he was a ghost with a mental problem.
She had never understood him.
Zhou Qingyan laughed helplessly: "Jiaojiao, I can't make snowflakes."
Yu Jiao was simply curious. She said "oh" and shooed Zhou Qingyan out of the bedroom. Then, she quickly pulled out her phone and checked the community homeowners' group messages. She didn't know if Cheng He was dead or alive. Although she hated him, she didn't hate him enough to want him dead. She searched through the group messages but didn't see any information about the building.
Just when she was feeling uneasy, she suddenly heard a police siren. Yu Jiao was startled and quickly looked out the window. From her perspective, she could see the door of the building. Sure enough, she saw the police come in and carry out a bloody man. It was undoubtedly Cheng He.
Even though cheating was wrong, seeing a living person suddenly become half-dead was still very sad, but it was even more terrifying. She covered her mouth, a sour feeling suddenly hit her, followed by a panic that almost enveloped her - Cheng He had the accident at her place, and if he died, she would be the suspect...
Yu Jiao was immersed in her fantasy when she felt a chill on her back that penetrated into her bones. Her body trembled involuntarily a few times and then fell into Zhou Qingyan's arms which were filled with a cold breath. He hugged her from behind, his arms tightly holding her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder, and rubbing his cheek slightly a few times.
"Jiaojiao, what are you looking at?"
Zhou Qingyan appeared silently, almost frightening Yu Jiao to death. She turned her head abruptly to look at him, and saw that his eyes were fixed on her face - this look seemed to say that if she showed even the slightest bit of distress, he would immediately kill the man who was still breathing.
Or, add her.
Yu Jiao was frightened by her own imagination and subconsciously twisted her body to hold his neck: "You, don't suddenly, um... suddenly look at me in such a weird way! It's scary!"
"Okay, I won't do that again," Zhou Qingyan responded quickly. He lowered his head and touched her lips, holding them for a long moment before asking, "Are you worried about Cheng He?"
Of course I can't say I'm worried.
There really isn't much concern.
Yu Jiao thought that Zhou Qingyan was the culprit for the current situation. If he hated Cheng He, he could have gone to another place. Why did he have to stay in her house? Thinking of this, her expression was inevitably a little resentful.
"Cheng He was taken away by the police. Will I be arrested?"
Zhou Qingyan's gaze on Yu Jiao's face was full of scrutiny, as if he was confirming the credibility of his words. He didn't find any worry or tension at all. The black energy surrounding him relaxed as a result, and rushed to Yu Jiao and wrapped around her body, as if to wrap her tightly inside.
"I won't find you."
Yu Jiao didn't understand.
Zhou Qingyan explained, "The security environment in the community is good. There are surveillance cameras installed in every building. They witnessed Cheng He fall down the stairs because he was frustrated and in a trance. It has nothing to do with you."
It had nothing to do with her.
Yu Jiao was still a little unaccustomed to Zhou Qingyan's embrace. In the past, she was too afraid to object, but now, for some reason, she lay half-lying in his arms at ease. After listening to his explanation, she couldn't help but ask, "Then... will Cheng He die?"
Zhou Qingyan's eyes instantly darkened, and Yu Jiao hurriedly explained, "I'm not concerned about him! I'm just asking out of curiosity, isn't that okay?"
Zhou Qingyan's gloomy expression was too terrifying, and his eyes seemed to want to eat her alive. Yu Jiao even felt the chest against which her back was leaning, given his terrifying skin color and body. The moment she finished speaking, a chilling chill immediately emanated from his chest, seeping into her internal organs along her skin. She trembled, and the more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt.
He complained quietly, "You just said you would behave well."
Yu Jiao was like a wet kitten, her soft fur sticking to her body. Her hair, soaked by the black liquid Zhou Qingyan had spilled, was shrouded in a chilly air. She curled up with a face full of resentment, probably cursing him in her heart.
Zhou Qingyan repeatedly told himself that he had to control himself, he had to control himself.
He closed his eyes tightly, suppressing the surging jealousy that had arisen since hearing Cheng He's name uttered from Yu Jiao's mouth. In fact, it wasn't just Cheng He, but whenever Yu Jiao mentioned anyone else's name, he always wanted to kill them—no one could occupy Yu Jiao's thoughts! No one!
Yu Jiao felt that the silence was a little strange. She was about to break free from Zhou Qingyan's embrace, but before she could make a move, she just turned slightly, and the man held her in his arms with even more domineering strength. He said in a very disjointed and obviously disguised gentle tone, "You won't die... Jiaojiao, I promised you that I wouldn't kill anyone. I just taught him a little lesson. The wound only looks serious, but it's actually nothing serious..."
As he said this, a resentful light flashed in his eyes.
Is it okay?
How is that possible?
Yu Jiao didn't know whether to believe what he said, but if she wanted to spend the night peacefully, she obviously couldn't mention Cheng He's name again, so she put the matter aside and nudged him with her elbow: "Is the living room cleaned?"
Zhou Qingyan didn't say anything.
Yu Jiao couldn't help it any longer, so she turned around and glared at him fiercely. She didn't know where she got the strength from to break free from his arms and ran to the living room. Seeing the room became even more messy after he tidied it up, she was so angry that she almost fainted.
Zhou Qingyan followed nervously: "...I want to restore it to its original state, but the black fog seems to only have a destructive effect... Jiaojiao, don't be angry, it's my fault. Otherwise, how about eating dinner first?"
…
The house was completely uninhabitable. They needed to hire a decorator to repaint the walls and replace all the furniture in the living room. But the money was nothing now. Zhou Qingyan transferred all the balances in his bank account to her. The annual interest earned from the money was enough for her to live on.
Thinking about it, it feels like a dream.
Yu Jiao wanted to share this with her sister, but she didn't know how to explain Zhou Qingyan's identity. Putting it aside for now, Yu Mo hadn't contacted Yu Jiao since she left Qingcheng for the mission. Her mission was confidential, and the destination was an undeveloped deserted island.
Yu Jiao wanted to contact him but couldn't.
With no one to discuss her current predicament with, Yu Jiao could only look to Zhou Qingyan for help.
Zhou Qingyan was washing the dishes after she had eaten. He wiped his hands and was about to hug her. Yu Jiao did not dodge. She sat obediently on the sofa, letting the man fall into her intimate and dependent arms, and silently counted a few seconds.
"Zhou Qingyan, what do you think we should do? This house is uninhabitable. If we want to renovate it, it will take several months. If we want to rent a new house, we may not be able to find one nearby."
The room was swept by black fog, and the air was filled with a strong and cold smell. Yu Jiao could not smell it, but Zhou Qingyan could. The dense air carried his breath and wrapped Yu Jiao in the invisible air, as if he was wrapped in his body. If possible, he didn't want to leave here... But the house did not look good, with peeling walls and damaged furniture. Yu Jiao was unwilling to stay in such a dirty environment.
Yu Jiao grew increasingly angry as she thought about it. She pinched the black mist wrapped around her wrist, wondering if she was afraid of Zhou Qingyan, how could she be afraid of it? She tore the light mist into a tangled mess, not noticing Zhou Qingyan's face suddenly turning red behind her.
The mist separated from his chest, it was just like... Zhou Qingyan lowered his eyes, pursed his lips for a long time, and then said tentatively: "I, um... Jiaojiao, pinch it gently, it's very itchy. I know a house that would be suitable for you. It's close to your workplace and the environment is nice too."
Yu Jiao turned around and looked at him.
I was so frightened by Zhou Qingyan's appearance that I was speechless.
When Zhou Qingyan came out of the kitchen, the expression on his face was still a little scary. He seemed to have been brooding over Cheng He, and the flames of jealousy were almost burning from the bottom of his eyes. He hugged Yu Jiao very hard, but Yu Jiao was thinking about the matter and didn't bother with him.
But now, he didn't know what he was thinking about, and blush appeared on both sides of his cheeks. His skin was very fair, so the slightest change on his face was extremely obvious. His eyelashes trembled a few times, and he stared at her shyly and sadly.
"You, what's wrong with you?" Yu Jiao was so scared that she couldn't even hold the black mist in her hand, but the black mist seemed to stick to her, wrapping around her fingers and not letting go.
Zhou Qingyan tilted his head: "It's okay."
He continued, "If you're looking to rent a new place, you might consider the place I mentioned. It's perfect for you. You'll like the decor of the house; it's designed to your liking."
It was obvious at this point, but Yu Jiao was rather slow to react. She turned around and asked, "Really? There's such a good deal. The decoration style is all based on my preferences. So how much is the rent? Is it expensive?"
She then added, "It doesn't seem like you need to worry too much about the price. You're definitely going to move in with me, right?"
The house was bought after Yu Jiao got a job. Now thinking back on what he did in his lifetime, it has to be said that even if Zhou Qingyan had not been aroused by his inner desires during his lifetime, he would still be a pervert who would never give up.
He had a house in the center of Qingcheng City, which he used to live in. Later, he learned that Cheng He was getting engaged to Yu Jiao and wanted to choose a wedding house near Yu Jiao's workplace. Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingyan was filled with jealousy. But when he returned to his quiet and deserted home, his jealousy turned to anticipation. More than once, he put himself in Cheng He's shoes: If it were his and Yu Jiao's wedding house, where would he choose? How big would he buy? What kind of decoration style would he choose?
The house doesn't need to be very big, a three-bedroom type is just right, one room can be used as a bedroom, another as a study, and one for future children. The decoration team is the one with the best reputation in Qingcheng City. The decoration style of the bedroom is warm and sweet according to Yu Jiao's taste. The curtains have lace, and next to the bed is a beige lazy sofa with a huge plush toy.
There is also a cloakroom at home that is filled with skirts he buys in his spare time.
Some are luxury goods of the season, some are ordinary dresses suitable for daily wear. The entire dressing room is almost occupied by women's clothes.
Zhou Qingyan wears more suits at work. He orders several suits of the same style at a time and puts them in a small corner in the huge cloakroom.
Such an arrangement gave him the illusion that his dream had come true.
It was as if he and Yu Jiao were really husband and wife, living together as a sweet and loving couple.
At dawn, I left home and reality shattered those dreamy imaginations.
When Yu Jiao actually came to the house he bought on the pretext of "buying a wedding house", she almost thought she was back in a dream.
Yu Jiao didn't expect that Zhou Qingyan had bought a house here. The area where she worked was not in the city center and was a certain distance away from Zhou Qingyan's workplace. She couldn't think of any advantages here that were worth him settling his family here. Could it be because the house prices were cheap?
It makes sense to think this way.
Yu Jiao did not feel at all uncomfortable in a strange place, especially the tense and awkward atmosphere in Zhou Qingyan's house. Instead, she secretly condemned herself for her somewhat domineering attitude. On the one hand, she felt that it was too spineless to accept Zhou Qingyan's kindness so comfortably, but on the other hand, she felt it was natural.
Until Zhou Qingyan hugged her from behind, put his face close to hers and asked, "Jiaojiao, do you like it here?"
All the good qualities in Yu Jiao's heart disappeared. This was what she deserved. Who would endure the intimidation and torture of the dead from time to time like her?
"It's okay." After she said this, she walked into the house and began to look around the house she was about to move into.
Zhou Qingyan did not have the arrogance and flamboyance of a poor man who had suddenly become rich. The house he chose was compact, but it had all the necessary spaces. The bedroom and study faced the sun, and the other guest room was on the shady side. It was empty and there was nothing good to see inside. However, the style of the bedroom surprised Yu Jiao.
The curtains are a combination of white gauze with lace edges and dreamy pink. Near the terrace is a soft lazy sofa with a giant plush toy placed next to it. The floor is covered with a white blanket, a color that gets dirty easily, but in the bedroom, I don’t know if it’s because no one has lived there for a long time or because the owner loves cleanliness, there is not a single stain on the blanket.
According to most people's preferences, the entire bedroom is more like the boudoir of an unmarried girl, rather than the style of a cold and domineering man in his late twenties.
However, the cloakroom was what surprised Yu Jiao the most.
The wooden sliding door was open, and inside was filled with women's skirts, including thin long skirts for summer, cotton coats for winter, and even gloves and cotton wool were arranged separately in a compartment. Yu Jiao had picked up her favorite women's handbags several times and placed them separately on the clothes hanger. Only in the corner were there men's suits, bow ties and other things.
Seeing this, Yu Jiao should have suspected that Zhou Qingyan was lying when he said he had never been in love, but she did not have such a normal and natural thought at all, because after she entered the cloakroom, Zhou Qingyan slowly followed behind her, until he opened the wardrobe full of women's clothes, he walked up to her and hugged her from behind.
Yu Jiao was trembling all over.
Zhou Qingyan's cold embrace made her vaguely aware of the approaching danger, like a hanging knife on her neck, and she didn't know when she would have to pay the price for her current indulgence.
——Abnormal, very abnormal!
How could a normal secret crush fill the cloakroom with clothes of the opposite sex? She even bought back the women's handbags that she had mentioned to her then boyfriend exactly. Yu Jiao had all the bags here, and some that she had only mentioned to Cheng He but had not bought yet also appeared in the cloakroom.
What kind of mentality does Zhou Qingyan have?
Yu Jiao didn't want to figure it out, and was even more afraid of it than accepting that she was haunted by a ghost.
But she had no chance to retreat. Last night, after she secretly grasped Zhou Qingyan's weakness and pinched his chin and said those suggestive words to give him hope, she no longer had the chance to escape.
Yu Jiao stood there nervously, biting her lip unconsciously, not knowing whether she was regretting her previous self-righteous behavior or because of the man's behavior at this moment.
This is Zhou Qingyan’s home.
It's his territory.
The more Yu Jiao thought about it, the more she felt that following him here was so stupid, so stupid! It was like she was actively walking herself into the mouth of her prey...
"Jiaojiao, do you like these skirts?" Zhou Qingyan liked to make the intimate gestures that only lovers would make. Knowing that Yu Jiao would not dare to refuse, he pretended to ask a few more questions: "Jiaojiao, why are you shivering? Is it because the temperature in the room is too cold... or are you afraid of me?"
He sighed, "You were so bold last night."
Yu Jiao couldn't see his face.
But there was a half-length mirror in the cloakroom. I don’t know if Zhou Qingyan did it on purpose, but at this moment the two of them were standing in front of the half-length mirror.
In the mirror, the man's face showed an extremely crazy obsession. His pale face without a trace of blood was suddenly bulging with blue veins. He was trying his best to endure the ecstasy of his sweet prey entering its nest. Afraid of scaring Yu Jiao, he reached out to cover her eyes and leaned over to bite her lips.
Yu Jiao didn't even have the strength to struggle.
This kiss was different from the previous ones in that it had a distinctly predatory aura, as if the prey was already at his mouth and he didn't need to bite it to death or worry about it escaping. He just needed to enjoy it slowly.
"Jiaojiao is still so timid," Zhou Qingyan reached out to wipe away the bright light. Yu Jiao huddled in his arms with a blushing face, a stark contrast to her ferocious appearance last night. To be honest, he quite missed her back then. She used to be so lawless and unruly, but now she seemed much more reserved. He gently comforted her, "...Are you so scared just by seeing a few pieces of clothing? Where's your courage? Jiaojiao...when will you understand my feelings? Don't be afraid. I can't bear to hurt you. Even if I were dead now, I wouldn't hurt you."
To Yu Jiao, his promise sounded as unreasonable and unreliable as a carnivorous animal announcing that it would eat grass from now on!
Yu Jiao just shrank her neck.
Fortunately, Zhou Qingyan didn't make things difficult for her. He hugged her and kissed her several times, saying some disgusting and irrelevant words more and more unscrupulously: "When will Jiaojiao realize that I can't bear to hurt you at all? Even if you hit me and scold me, I will be happy... If Jiaojiao understood my feelings, she wouldn't be so scared then, right?"
He rested his forehead against hers and said in a cool voice, "Don't worry, I can wait slowly. I'll wait until that day comes, right? Jiaojiao."
Yu Jiao shut her mouth tightly, her mind practically shutting down. She cursed herself again for being so clueless, unable to distinguish good from evil. Zhou Qingyan was a ghost! Even if they'd gotten along so well before, what good did it really mean? He was a fierce ghost who could strangle a living person at the slightest disagreement. She'd witnessed him murder with her own eyes... How could she have trusted him and followed him to his lair?
The room was cleaned very thoroughly, even though no one had lived in it for several months. Except for a light layer of dust on the windowsill, the bed in the bedroom could be lay down just by lifting the quilt. Yu Jiao had the next two days off. She and Zhou Qingyan stayed up all night last night to pack things, and now they were so tired that their eyelids were fighting.
Zhou Qingyan asked her to come to the bedroom to sleep.
He went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Until Zhou Qingyan stuffed her into the bed and she smelled the obvious masculine scent on the quilt, which was the same scent of fir that she used to smell on Zhou Qingyan. Now she no longer worried about whether he had covered her with the quilt. She even suspected that Zhou Qingyan did it on purpose.
Her limbs kept shaking. Zhou Qingyan left a gap in the door of the room. She stared at the gap nervously, always feeling that he would inadvertently reveal two blood-red eyes and stare at her.
The horrific scenes she imagined gradually increased, and she had to shift her gaze, staring at the lace pink curtains on the windowsill that were clearly designed for women. The heavy stone in her chest dropped again.
This house must have been bought because of her!
This wasn't a matter of her being sentimental, but rather that Zhou Qingyan's mental state before his death seemed no more normal than his current state...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com