Chapter 5 Little Devil (5) "It seems to like you quite a bit, meow?"...
Xie Tan had no time to concern himself with his new neighbor's complicated feelings. He turned on the lights, and the warm glow illuminated his new home, a two-bedroom, one-living room, one-kitchen, and one-bathroom apartment.
He hung his wet coat on the antique bronze floor-standing coat rack by the door, and placed two pairs of unopened slippers in the walnut shoe rack.
The layout was fresh and clean, with a soft sofa covered with a handmade crocheted curtain. He sat down, slumping slightly. On the low glass coffee table was an empty fruit bowl and a small ceramic vase filled with handmade daisies that would never fade.
Three flowerpots on the balcony were empty, with only soil and broken branches remaining. Next to the white rocking chair stood a floor-standing bookshelf, along with small ornaments such as crystal balls.
No one has lived here for a long time; it's covered in dust. But the people who used to live here probably loved it. Then one day they tidied it up, left, and never came back.
Xie Tan looked away: "Are you sure this isn't trespassing?"
The magical cat flew over and nuzzled his face, saying, "I can say with certainty that this house belongs to you, meow!"
Xie Tan decided to believe it for the time being, after all, Chekhov's gun really did allow him to turn the key and open the unfamiliar house.
This house has been vacant for many years, and the owner probably won't come back. Since there was room to work, he filled the void in his comic book world.
Xie Tan thought to himself, "The comic world's consciousness has given permission. If anything goes wrong, blame the author and let Cat No. 7 handle it."
He got up to look at the two bedrooms. One was simple and tidy, and although there were one or two overly cute little decorations, there were no signs of it being lived in. The wardrobe and bedside table were empty, so it was probably a spare guest bedroom.
The other master bedroom... Xie Tan didn't push the door open.
It's locked.
He had no other keys, nor could he find the bedroom key under the carpet or in the lampshade. He tried pressing the handle, but couldn't open it; the door was locked tight and wouldn't budge.
Xie Tan's heart, which had just been at ease, was now hanging in suspense again. He remembered that Yuan Luhang had kept the little devil in a separate room, which was locked unless Yuan Luhang himself went in.
Could this be one of the celebrity's properties?
Lu Jinzhao lived right across the hall. With his physique and face, just one glance was enough for Yuan Luhang to set him as a target.
Xie Tan thought it over and over and asked the system. The cat was startled, went through the wall into the bedroom, circled around and came out: "No, no, it's just an ordinary bedroom with a few boxes for old things, no little ghost cat."
That's good. Xie Tan nodded. He'd worry about it for now and call a locksmith tomorrow.
He quickly tidied the guest room, and before going to bed, he scrolled through his phone for a while. Since the comic hadn't been updated yet, he checked the forum posts.
One post summarized all the mysteries of the first story so far, such as what is in the golden base, the many mysteries about the man in black, who he is, what his purpose is, whether it was really a chance encounter, whether there was any extra communication when he and the little ghost were silently staring at each other, the function of that talisman, and what qualities the celebrity wanted to obtain from Lu Jinzhao.
These major questions have already been discussed extensively, and further updates to the manga are needed to provide new information.
In addition, there are some more divergent doubts and speculations.
For example, in the first episode, the room where the ghost is kept is shown, but the full body of the person who worships the ghost is not shown; only their hands are visible.
The content of the phone call was only outlined in a box. Although, as Yuan Luhang said, it was impossible to determine whether the person making the offering was speaking or the person on the other end of the phone was speaking.
According to the information, all that is known is that the person speaking will go from the alleyway in the underground parking lot to the abandoned music theater across the street, and that someone will be waiting there.
Not only Yuan Luhang meets this condition, but the man in black does too.
Rather than suspecting that the man in black was just a passerby, the poster is more inclined to believe that he was the one who made the call, arriving at the theater ahead of everyone else via the side path. The phrase "someone is waiting" doesn't mean Yuan Luhang was waiting for his assistant's car, but rather that the man in black was waiting for Yuan Luhang, who arrived a little later.
Although Yuan Luhang later went to see the fortune teller and reconciled with the person on the phone, the actions of the man in black afterward were not depicted, suggesting that he may have also made an appointment with someone.
Anything is possible; it might just be another little narrative trick.
The original poster, with a wildly imaginative interpretation, speculated: "Maybe it's not the celebrities raising ghosts at all, but the men in black!"
The man in black replied in his mind with a serious expression: I don't think so.
Xie Tan knew perfectly well that he hadn't made any phone calls or arranged any meetings, and he believed that the kid was Yuan Luhang's protégé.
However, it also provided Xie Tan with many ideas, such as why the donor's whole body was not drawn.
Yuan Luhang is the one who feeds the little devils; that can be revealed here, there's no need to leave it as a mystery.
Unless there was something else besides Yuan Luhang in the room where the little ghost was worshipped at the time.
Xie Tan originally wanted to see where the little ghost who had disappeared in the stairwell had gone, but the comic didn't update that quickly. He speculated, "He brought a new magical artifact, so he shouldn't have been restricted and recalled. Could it be that he sensed there was another person and that tonight wasn't a good time to make a move, so he went back first?"
Cat: "Maybe they hid and followed the target in when the door opened, meow?"
That's possible. Xie Tan frowned slightly as he recalled Lu Jinzhao's warm eyes. Being called the "true protagonist," he should be alright, right?
He turned off the desk lamp, and the cat whispered, "Goodnight, meow."
After a while, Xie Tan replied softly, "Good night."
Having not rested for so long, Xie Tan slept soundly, but not peacefully.
He felt as if he were trapped in boundless darkness, which at first glance seemed endless, but upon closer inspection, the darkness also had a shape. He felt as if he were locked in a box with sharp edges, like a coffin.
For example, the bedroom.
He became a little more awake, shivered. It was a bit cold at night. Had he left the window open?
He struggled to open his eyes, but his eyelids were still drooping. He was still too sleepy. His eyes moved unconsciously, glancing at the door, and then stopped.
The bedroom door, which should have been locked, was open.
A six- or seven-year-old boy stood at the doorway, his skin bluish-purple and his face still swollen, as if he had been strangled.
He held a dagger in his hand, while the one on the altar stared intently at him, chuckling.
The little devil didn't follow Lu Jinzhao; instead, he went into his house.
It has grown bigger again.
Xie Tan was completely unable to move; his body and consciousness seemed to be separated. Only his eyes could move; he was experiencing sleep paralysis.
Since he couldn't move, Xie Tan didn't waste his energy. He silently watched the little devil hop and skip to his bedside, his swollen face close to his, his all-white eyes unblinking.
Xie Tan looked back indifferently.
Seeing that he wasn't afraid, the little devil stepped back a bit, but then suddenly raised his dagger and brought it down with a whoosh.
She also has a star-shaped birthmark on her small arm, which is more complete than the birthmark on Yuan Luhang's arm.
Xie Tan closed his eyes, and the little devil giggled even more excitedly, as if they were playing a fun game.
The knife tip rested on his closed eyelids. Xie Tan did not respond. The little devil tilted his head and observed for a while before realizing that Xie Tan's breathing was steady and he was about to fall asleep again.
The little devil puffed out his cheeks unhappily, banging the hilt of his dagger against the bedside table repeatedly.
Xie Tan coldly turned over: "If you're not going to sleep, then get out."
The little devil immediately stopped knocking and secretly observed Xie Tan's breathing. He found that Xie Tan was completely asleep this time, so he lingered and climbed into bed.
It buried its head in Xie Tan's blanket, sniffed like a small animal, squinted its eyes contentedly, and snuggled up next to Xie Tan to sleep.
The next morning, Xie Tan woke up and looked at the bedside; sure enough, the little devil was gone again.
The cat hesitated, as if to say something but then stopped: "It seems to like you quite a bit, meow?"
Xie Tan was now completely certain: the little ghost could smell his pheromones, and it was because of the pheromones that he didn't kill him, and it even seemed... in the cat's words, that he "liked" him.
He observed for a long time before finally entering the crowd in the mall and slowly walking past, managing not to separate himself from the terrified crowd.
No one could smell his pheromones.
This world only has two genders, male and female. There is no ABO, and no pheromones, so of course no one can smell his pheromones.
His emotions are complex; will fate turn his imperfections into treasures?
He should be pleased that a part of his life is not only met with disgust, as if he had overcome something, proven something, and finally gained self-respect.
But it comes at a different price, like being haunted by ghosts?
But these emotions are all superficial, and absurdity outweighs them. Once he calms down, the absurdity disappears, and he becomes dull again.
So what?
Xie Tan didn't answer Maomao's question, but instead asked about the situation last night, since he was really tired and had fallen asleep.
"It slept close to you all night, and when the sun rose above the horizon, it disappeared, meow."
It seems that even with increased magical power, ghosts are still more likely to appear at night.
A few days later, Xie Tan could see the little ghost every night. It grew a little taller every day and stopped scaring him. Instead, it would come home and obediently snuggle up next to him, burying itself in the corner of his blanket to sleep.
During the day, Xie Tan would occasionally catch a glimpse of the little ghost, but following his established persona, he ignored it. The little ghost entertained itself, appearing or disappearing around him at any time, like playing hide-and-seek.
He eats at nearby restaurants or buys things at convenience stores, and occasionally he hears things like, "Are you bringing your younger brother out to play during the holidays?"
For so many days, the little devil has been following him around. Could it be that Yuan Luhang has discovered him again, or is he targeting him?
The cat whose spot was taken complained: "I think it just likes you and wants to stay by your side like a little shadow, but I admit it has good taste, meow."
The cat is proud again.
Xie Tan let it be. By the weekend, his spring cleaning was almost finished, and he had prepared all the daily necessities. So he called a locksmith to open the door to the master bedroom.
The windows and doors were open, carrying the musty smell of someone who hadn't been around for over twenty years.
But actually, his presence didn't bring any liveliness. Xie Tan told himself lame jokes, but he just felt that the room was already "lifeless" enough with his pheromones.
The cleaning went smoothly, but the locksmith's work didn't go so well.
After examining the lock, the mechanic looked relaxed and said it was a simple lock. However, after struggling for twenty minutes with his face contorted in pain, he still couldn't open it.
Xie Tan moved closer: "Is it not allowed?"
"Something's stuck inside, we can't get it out. Should we just remove the whole thing and change the lock?"
"Can."
So the locksmith searched for a suitable lock and laid out his tools to make it easier to remove the lock later.
Xie Tan's phone rang just then; it was a food delivery call. Footsteps could be heard in the hallway, getting closer and closer to the seventh floor.
He casually pulled up his hood and went to the gate to meet the rider. The first thing the rider said on the phone was, "Hello, which building in Heshun Community are you in? I can't find you. I've circled around three times."
Xie Tan leaned against the door, and when he looked up, he met the gaze of Lu Jinzhao who was coming upstairs.
Lu Jinzhao's amber eyes lit up. He quickly went upstairs, stopped at a suitable distance, and touched the back of his neck apologetically: "Hello, are you a new resident here? I'm so sorry about last night. I misunderstood you. Please forgive me. I hope I didn't cause you any unpleasantness."
He could only see a sliver of the other person's chin peeking out from under the hood; it was pale and delicate, and the lips were somewhat thin.
But he remembered brushing past her last night, a fleeting glimpse of half her face, and just that one glance made him pause. Now, the half-hidden, half-revealed face only added to the allure of her mysterious allure.
The neighbor in black turned slightly to the side, seemingly facing him, but answered the phone first: "The building in the far east corner, Building 9."
Lu Jinzhao ran over too fast and didn't notice that he was on the phone. He immediately shut up, made a "you go ahead and do your thing" gesture, and retreated to his own door, waiting obediently.
It looks a bit like... a puppy. The thought was impolite, but Xie Tan's mind quickly moved on. He nodded slightly in response, still mainly focused on the phone call, and frowned: "Lost?"
He didn't think the layout of Heshun Community was a maze, but the map display showed that the rider had been circling around, but now it was completely still and the rider's location couldn't be loaded.
"I'll come down to get you." Xie Tan made the decision, but just as he took a step, he remembered that there was a stranger in the house. He looked back and saw the locksmith still struggling with the bedroom door, his facial features straining.
The cat cheered from the sidelines: "Get fired up, meow!"
Xie Tan: "..." What is he worried about?
"Are you going downstairs to pick up your takeout? I can watch it for you," Lu Jinchao offered, then remembered he was a stranger too, "Or you can stay here and I'll go get it. I was just thinking of buying a Coke. Where's the delivery guy?"
Xie Tan raised an eyebrow, said nothing more, only said "Thank you for your trouble," and went downstairs.
Her voice was pleasant too. Lu Jinzhao smiled and stood guard by Xie Tan's door: "Don't worry!"
Lu Jinzhao looked into the room, politely avoiding looking too closely, and simply watched the locksmith at work.
This is the bedroom door, right? Is the lock too old and stuck?
He moved to Heshun Community when he was in high school and has lived there for three or four years. The landlady said that the apartment across the hall has been vacant for about the same number of years as he is old.
It had been almost twenty years since anyone had lived there, so it was perfectly normal for the door lock to be rusted and stuck; even locksmiths were stumped.
But the lock has been removed, so it should be over soon.
Lu Jinzhao turned his backpack to his chest, took out the desserts he bought on his way home, freshly baked, as an apology and a gift to his new neighbor.
With a loud clang.
He immediately looked up and saw the locksmith's tools lying to the side. The locksmith had fallen to the ground, staring at the lock in fear. When he came to his senses, he quickly gathered his things, shoved open the door, and ran away as fast as he could.
Lu Jinzhao, protecting his backpack and snacks, was unable to stop him.
What's wrong?
Although he was looking down to pick something up, he kept an eye on the locksmith's movements out of the corner of his eye. He didn't see the locksmith touch anything else, and the locksmith's expression... why did he look so scared?
He looked toward the bedroom door and saw it clearly this time.
The rusty door lock lay on the ground, its long black hair trailing down from the disassembled hole and becoming tangled inside.
A note from the author:
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The commentary was opened, but I forgot about it.
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