Chapter 7: Trouble (Please Vote)

Page (1/3)

Seeing that the call was from an unfamiliar number, Shen Siyuan had not intended to answer. But considering the hour, it was probably not an advertisement or sales pitch, so he picked up.

“Hello, may I ask if this is Mr. Shen Siyuan?”

A gentle female voice came through the phone.

“This is he. And you are…?”

“Hello, Mr. Shen. I’m Jiang Wenxin, Doudou’s mother. We met in the elevator today.”

“Oh. Is there something you need?”

Shen Siyuan remembered her.

“Well…”

Jiang Wenxin hurriedly recounted everything that had happened in the elevator, leaving nothing out.

Finally, she said, “I saw him lingering outside the door, unwilling to leave. I’m a little worried…”

“It’s all right. You don’t need to worry about that. As long as you don’t want him to come in, he won’t be able to enter your home. And don’t be afraid of him. The more frightened you are, the closer he’ll come. As for those lumps on his face, they show that he isn’t as kind-looking as he was when he was alive. Ghosts have no physical bodies, so they cannot restrain their own desires. Those desires manifest through their appearance. Besides that, some of the sins they committed while alive will also reveal themselves upon the soul…”

“But you don’t need to be afraid. As long as you fear him no more, he won’t be able to harm you. Even if he does affect you, the most you’ll suffer is a run of bad luck. Your life won’t be in danger.”

Shen Siyuan gave her a rough explanation. There was a reason the ancients had called ghosts unclean things. When a person’s three vital flames burned weakly, they were easily haunted by spirits.

Being haunted would not cause any real physical harm, but it would bring misfortune. One’s luck would decline, and nothing would go smoothly.

“Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Shen. I’ll thank you properly tomorrow,” Jiang Wenxin said gratefully.

“You’re welcome… I only did it for… well… Doudou’s sake. She’s very adorable. I’m rather fond of her.”

After exchanging a few more words, they ended the call.

Shen Siyuan simply felt there was nothing more to say. Jiang Wenxin, meanwhile, felt that thanking him over the phone was too insincere and intended to express her gratitude in person the next day.

After hanging up, Shen Siyuan cleared away the takeout containers on the table and turned on his computer, intending to play for a while.

He did not play competitive games, but an online role-playing game from Pig Farm. He had started playing it in college and had spent quite a bit of money on it over the years. He had quit for a while, then picked it up again, repeating the cycle many times. At this point, he played mostly for the nostalgia.

After logging in and finishing his daily quests, he saw that a friend with the ID “Oh, Mary” had come online.

This was one of Shen Siyuan’s few friends in real life. He had originally wanted to name himself “Mario,” but the name had already been taken, so he had settled on “Oh, Mary.” Fortunately, he played a female character as well, so the name suited him perfectly.

“Let’s hit the arena.”

Page (1/3)

Page (2/3)

Seeing him come online, Shen Siyuan called out to him at once.

“No can do. I’m joining a dungeon run to farm Fire Fox fragments.”

Fire Fox was a new mount that had recently been added to the game. Players could obtain it by collecting fragments from dungeons.

There was also a White Fox mount in the in-game shop, of course, but it cost money and could only be obtained through a lottery system. Getting one required at least three thousand yuan.

For a salaried worker like Shen Siyuan, whose monthly income was less than six thousand yuan, that was obviously far beyond his means.

He therefore had no interest in mounts, costumes, or anything of the sort.

“Oh, Mary” was different. He suffered from a severe collecting obsession. He did not merely collect premium mounts and costumes; he was also willing to spend enormous amounts of time gathering the free ones.

Naturally, someone who could support such a hobby was not short of money. His family ran a clothing business, making him a genuine second-generation heir.

His parents were also extremely supportive of his gaming. To them, this hobby was far better than starting businesses, collecting cars, collecting watches, or chasing women.

Thanks to him, Shen Siyuan had received quite a few rare costumes and mounts. It was not that his friend was especially generous. Most rare costumes and mounts were obtained through lotteries, and whenever he drew duplicates, he could not be bothered to list them in the shop. He simply gave them to Shen Siyuan.

When “Oh, Mary” declined to join him in the arena, Shen Siyuan soon logged off as well.

To be honest, he had lost interest in the game long ago. He was no longer like he had been at the beginning, staying up all night to play, filled with the desire to explore every corner of the game.

Yet when it came to quitting for good, he could not quite bear to do it. Every so often, he would feel compelled to log in and take a look, only to lose interest in everything the moment he did. He really was hopeless.

After shutting down the computer, Shen Siyuan saw that it was still early, but he had no idea what to do. His life was painfully dull: work, novels, games—nearly every day was exactly the same.

Perhaps he really should consider finding a girlfriend.

He had already guessed why his mother wanted him to return home that week. It was nothing more than another blind date. This was hardly the first time.

Shen Siyuan was not bad-looking, but he had neither a house nor a car. Who would want to be with him? He disliked himself enough as it was, let alone some young woman.

“Forget it. I’ll take a shower and go to bed.”

The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became, and he decided to wash up and sleep.

“Damn it. Even if I gain a fortuitous opportunity and become an immortal cultivator, I’ll still have to worry about money.”

With a self-mocking smile, Shen Siyuan rose and walked toward the bathroom. Just then, his phone rang again.

He had no choice but to turn back and pick it up from the table. The number looked familiar—it was connected to Doudou’s mother.

“Hello, Mr. Shen. Are you resting? I’m terribly sorry for disturbing you.”

The call had barely connected when Jiang Wenxin’s cautious voice came through.

“Not yet. Is something wrong?” Shen Siyuan asked, frowning slightly.

Page (2/3)

Page (3/3)

“Mr. Shen, I’m truly sorry. My husband came home tonight, and when I told him about Doudou, he thought I was insane. He nearly sent me to the hospital. Besides, Doudou wants her father to hold her, so we had no choice but to come see you. We hope you can help us…”

“All right. Since I’ve started helping, I’ll see it through. Just come up. I live—”

“I know. We’re downstairs right now,” Jiang Wenxin hurriedly interrupted.

“Then I’ll come down.”

Shen Siyuan was about to hang up. He was not surprised that Jiang Wenxin knew where he lived.

But she quickly added, “That old man named Lu has been following us the whole time. I don’t know how to make him leave…”

“It’s fine. We’ll talk when I come down.”

With that, Shen Siyuan hung up and went outside to head downstairs.

To be honest, Jiang Wenxin’s repeated calls had begun to irritate him. But when he thought of Doudou, and of the couple’s desperate longing for their daughter, he could understand them.

When he reached the entrance, he saw a man and a woman standing there awkwardly. Beside them were two ghosts, one old and one young.

There was no need to ask. The little ghost was obviously Doudou, while the old ghost was the old man surnamed Lu whom Jiang Wenxin had mentioned.

With his face covered in dense lumps of flesh, he was enough to make anyone with trypophobia feel violently sick.

“Big Brother.”

The moment Doudou saw Shen Siyuan emerge, she ran toward him.

“Mr. Shen.”

Seeing this, Jiang Wenxin hurried forward as well. Her husband, Tao Guangxia, followed close behind, studying Shen Siyuan with open curiosity.

Only the old ghost remained standing at a distance, making no move to approach.

Page (3/3)