Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
After a night of tossing and turning, Ye Chenfeng had a lot on his mind. Fortunately, he was sleeping inside while Ding Li was outside. When she got up, he could still catch a few more minutes of sleep.
But unexpectedly, Ding Li went to wash up.
With San Ya's mischievous friends around, it was impossible for Ye Chenfeng to continue sleeping. He was pulled out of his warm blanket and subjected to relentless questioning.
"Ye Chenfeng, come clean—how many times have you been with Ding Li?"
"Xiao Yezi, you were so quiet with her last night. Were you two touching each other…?"
"Ye Chenfeng, what was it like the first time you were with a girl?"
What was it like? How would Ye Chenfeng know? It was just that under certain stimuli, the primal desires lurking within him erupted like a volcano, uncontrollable and tantalizing. This feeling was indescribable and couldn't be openly expressed.
Ye Chenfeng felt extremely awkward as he was being teased by his friends when Ding Li walked in.
She held Ye Chenfeng's toothbrush in her hand, looking at the three of them with confusion, especially at Ye Chenfeng lying on the bed.
"What are you all doing?"
Su Bei chuckled awkwardly and said, "Oh, it's nothing. We're just joking around with Ye Chenfeng."
Ding Li looked suspiciously at Ye Chenfeng, who had gotten up and was tidying his clothes. "Let's go!"
Did the beauty seem angry? Shen Binghan exchanged glances with Qin Keqing and tried to smooth things over. "Ding Li, don't be mad. We were just joking with Ye Chenfeng."
Ding Li was on the verge of tears, looking as if she might cry. "Is this how you joke around? Last night you drenched me with cold water, and now you're getting all hands-on..."
It seemed that Ding Li had misunderstood her friends.
Ye Chenfeng tidied up the bed and grabbed Ding Li's arm. "They just took the joke too far. They were asking me about you earlier... But they mean no harm. Let's go out for breakfast together; Qin Keqing will treat us to make up for it."
Qin Keqing clicked her tongue, holding back her urge to curse. She thought to herself, Why should I treat? I'm always the one paying; how can you all have the nerve?
Su Bei, noticing Qin Keqing's displeasure, quickly said, "This time I'll treat! Ding Li, what do you like to eat? Order anything you want."
Ding Li replied, "I don't want to eat. I have things to do with Ye Chenfeng." She pulled away from Ye Chenfeng's grasp and walked out on her own.
Ye Chenfeng sighed in resignation and followed her outside.
Shen Binghan remarked, "I swear, I will never date a pretentious girl in my life."
Su Bei chimed in, "Actually, Ding Li is quite nice."
Qin Keqing added, "She's innocent, a bit childish, and somewhat cute. But you two were just messing around earlier. It was all fun and games until you pulled Ye Chenfeng's belt!"
"Hey, I just wanted to check what it looks like after it's broken," one of them joked.
"Can you not be so ridiculous? A guy has no marks after losing it; only girls..." Qin Keqing smirked slyly, and the other two friends caught on, bursting into laughter.
“Ding Li, don’t be like that. They are all my good friends; you’re being too petty,” Ye Chenfeng explained as he intercepted the fuming Ding Li, who was striding ahead.
Ding Li’s eyes were red, and her nose was flushed from anger. “They are all bad people. I wanted to leave last night.”
“The environment in a county town is different from that in the city, so the atmosphere is different too. You’ll get used to it eventually,” Ye Chenfeng said, following her as she walked ahead.
She huffed, “With them around and not me, you’re good now, but living with them will only lead you astray.”
Ye Chenfeng was at a loss for words at Ding Li’s absurd reasoning.
“Alright, let’s not talk about those bad friends anymore. Where do you want to go now?” Ye Chenfeng greeted familiar faces along the way. It was Sunday, and he should be heading home.
“To the barbecue stand,” Ding Li replied, wanting to verify something.
Ye Chenfeng knew exactly what she intended to do at the barbecue stand.
The two of them shared an unspoken understanding and hurriedly took a bus to Vocational University.
Even on a Sunday, Vocational University was bustling with people coming and going. Outsiders entered to enjoy the scenery while students rushed by with bags in hand, hurrying to catch their rides.
The barbecue stall was not far from Vocational University, just a few turns away, located near a free market for fresh produce. Most of the vendors selling vegetables here were farmers from the nearby suburbs, their fresh greens glistening with a light mist of water, looking particularly tempting.
In the chaotic marketplace, the barbecue stall was easy to find; one only needed to follow the faint blue smoke rising into the air.
Before reaching the stall, the aroma of grilled food wafted through the air—spicy, with hints of cumin, chili, ginger, and garlic. Occasionally, the shouts of vendors mingled with the long honks of passing cars.
This area was known for its unregulated street vending, where unlicensed tricycle taxis operated alongside motorcycle taxis. If city enforcement officers showed up, chaos would ensue. The vegetable vendors on tricycles were the quickest to flee; in such moments of panic, they would abandon their goods and pedal away as fast as they could.
Once, Ye Chenfeng witnessed a raid by city enforcement officers. The vendors scattered in fear, and an aunt pedaling her tricycle didn’t manage to escape in time and was caught; her vehicle was confiscated. She cried bitterly, tears streaming down her face.
The aunt explained that she had both elderly and young family members at home. The elderly suffered from dementia, while the younger ones were still in school. Her husband had a leg disability and couldn’t work, so their household expenses relied heavily on her income from transporting passengers on her tricycle. Losing her vehicle meant losing her means of making a living.
Her plight drew sympathy from many bystanders who questioned the enforcement officers and demanded the return of her tricycle.
However, the officers remained indifferent to her tears and insisted that she pay a fine to reclaim her vehicle. They warned her not to operate in that area again, which felt like a form of extortion. People were furious but felt powerless to speak out as they watched helplessly while the officers took away the aunt's tricycle.
Ye Chenfeng recounted this incident to Ding Li on their way there.
Ding Li was curious about what had happened to the aunt afterward.
"I don't know," Ye Chenfeng replied. "But I haven't seen her around here since." He glanced over at the barbecue stall where they had eaten last time; it was still run by the same owner, but business seemed slow now.
The boss no longer sold barbecue; he was now selling pancakes.
Pancakes, tea eggs, and milk tea made for a fine breakfast.
In fact, there was a regular trading market nearby. Ye Chenfeng had heard from the vegetable vendors that the stalls in the trading market weren't available to just anyone; they were resold in tiers, and ordinary vegetable vendors simply didn't have the capital to buy a stall.
This was the reason for the formation of the free vegetable market and a lingering consequence of the vicious cycle created by high-priced stalls.
Ding Li couldn't wait to interrupt Ye Chenfeng's explanation and rushed over to the barbecue boss, asking, "Boss, do you remember us from when we ate barbecue here last time?"
The boss, with a nose red like a strawberry resting on dough, looked at Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li, trying hard to recall. He said, "Many people come here for barbecue every day, so I can't remember clearly, but I do have some impression of you."
Ding Li understood what the boss meant. She said, "At that time, I asked you if you saw another girl who came with us. She was playing with her phone and didn't eat barbecue. You told me you could see her, right?"
The boss continued to think hard and then nodded, saying, "That did happen."
Could the boss see Chen Peiling? Ye Chenfeng wondered privately before continuing the conversation. "What was the girl playing with her phone wearing?"
"A gray trench coat, long hair, quite elegant. Why do you ask?"
Clearly, the person described by the boss was not Chen Peiling at all.
Chen Peiling was dressed in a bright red jacket, jeans, and a pair of Nicole travel shoes.
Ding Li sought to verify the matter regarding Chen Peiling because last night, a sudden memory of her had surfaced. In her hazy recollection, it seemed that Ye Chenfeng had some strange connection with Chen Peiling.
She suspected that Ye Chenfeng was playing both sides, weaving a story filled with lies.
At the moment she woke up, she had no idea what had happened. It was all based on Ye Chenfeng's words; he claimed that Chen Peiling was a ghost and that she had been in a relationship with another boy. Due to an unfortunate incident, they both ended up taking their own lives. Moreover, Chen Peiling had been very beautiful in life, but after death, she appeared frightening and terrifying.
Hearing the barbecue shop owner speak like this, Ding Li felt her doubts dissipate. Embarrassed, she linked her arm with Ye Chenfeng's and said, "Ye Chenfeng, Chen Peiling really is a ghost."
"Yes, just keep this between us. Don't mention it; she would be angry."
"Okay."
As Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li left the Free Market, he glanced at the entrance of Vocational University and said, "I'll go ask them for someone tomorrow."
Ding Li pecked him on the cheek and asked softly, "How will you do that?"
Ye Chenfeng embraced her and replied, "I want my wife back."
Some passersby glanced at them, causing Ding Li to shyly pull away from his embrace and whisper, "Thank you, Ye Chenfeng."
Ding Li finally stopped doubting herself. Ye Chenfeng sighed in relief and said, "I promised Chen Peiling I would help her find Ye Feng. So tonight, you should stay at your parents' place for one night. Tomorrow wait for me at the entrance of Vocational University. After you finish your business there, I have something important to take care of."
"Oh," Ding Li reluctantly agreed to walk towards the bus with Ye Chenfeng. After a few steps, she glanced back at the barbecue stand and suddenly noticed an old woman in the crowd. The woman was hunched over, with disheveled hair and a pale complexion, moving slowly as if searching for something, her gaze fixed on the ground.
This scene felt so familiar that Ding Li gasped in fright. If it weren't for Ye Chenfeng supporting her, she would have fallen to the ground.
"What's wrong?" Ye Chenfeng asked, seeing her trembling uncontrollably, her face pale, eyes staring blankly at a spot with sheer terror.
"She... she's here..."
"Who?" Following Ding Li's gaze, Ye Chenfeng saw nothing but people coming and going—some carrying baskets of vegetables, others with burdens on their shoulders, and some loudly hawking their wares.
"She... the Soul-Stealing Ghost..."
Hearing "Soul-Stealing Ghost," Ye Chenfeng's heart sank. He quickly formed a seal and chanted a spell to activate his Yin Eye—
The moment he opened his Yin Eye, everything before him turned a murky gray, and a strange black shadow flashed and vanished.
Was it Ghost Granny? Ye Chenfeng wondered as he looked back at Ding Li. She appeared dazed, murmuring, "It's finally my turn."
"What are you saying? Don't scare me," Ye Chenfeng shook Ding Li and asked loudly.
Ding Li withdrew her gaze, a glistening tear rolling down from her eye. She sighed weakly and said, "It's nothing. Let's go!"
Comment 0 Comment Count