Chapter 170: Ghost Assistant (II)

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Chapter 170: Ghost Assistant (II)

Shao Feidu had absolutely no desire to become friends with a ghost. All he wanted was for Shang Ke to leave as soon as possible. He might look harmless right now, but who knew when he would suddenly turn vicious and start throwing his head at people again?

“Are you really that afraid of ghosts?” Shang Ke floated as though sitting on a chair. “If you were born with yin-yang eyes, shouldn’t you be used to seeing them by now?”

Shao Feidu sat woodenly at the dining table, silently watching the middle-aged woman who delivered his meals set out the dishes.

The woman was around fifty and wore the same blank expression as Shao Feidu. After placing the food on the table, she turned around and went to the living room to watch television, looking as relaxed as though she were in her own home.

Shang Ke gave her a puzzled glance, then turned his attention to the table. There were three dishes, a soup, and a dessert. They looked presentable, but the food was already cold. He floated over to the insulated food case she had used. It was a high-end model with adjustable temperature and a built-in heating function, but the warming mode had clearly never been switched on.

Shang Ke had already looked into Shao Feidu’s background. He was the eldest young master of the Shao family, one of the four great families of the Northern Capital. Rumor had it that he had given up his inheritance rights for the sake of the piano. Even so, given his wealth and present fame, there was no reason an assistant—or even a meal-delivery housekeeper—should dare neglect him this openly.

More importantly, no matter how far his man had fallen, he was never someone who would quietly endure humiliation. Yet Shao Feidu simply ate the cold food without a single word of reproach.

Judging from his behavior, Shang Ke suspected that Shao Feidu might have some kind of psychological or neurological condition, although he had found no mention of one online. Was that why people felt free to bully him?

Shang Ke looked at him with pity. A man who had once been so overbearing was now being pinched and squeezed like a soft persimmon.

Lost in thought, his ghostly hand unconsciously reached over and patted Shao Feidu on the head.

Shao Feidu froze again, food still in his mouth.

Shang Ke withdrew his hand and promised, “Don’t worry, Dudu. I’ll have your back from now on. I won’t let anyone make you suffer.”

Dudu… Shao Feidu’s lips moved slightly before he slowly swallowed the food in his mouth.

After the meal, the woman cleared the table, picked up the insulated food case, and left.

“Doesn’t she do your laundry?” Shang Ke asked as he followed Shao Feidu into the bathroom and saw the pile of clothes in the hamper.

Holding a bathrobe, Shao Feidu stood silently in the bathroom and glanced from the corner of his eye at the ghost who refused to leave him alone.

“Go ahead and wash. I’ll wait outside.” Shang Ke considerately floated out, and the bathroom door closed behind him.

While Shao Feidu bathed, Shang Ke explored the surroundings. The villa complex lay some distance from the city center. It was indeed secluded, but almost too quiet, with little human presence and plenty of ghostly energy instead.

Night made the yin energy especially heavy, drawing wandering spirits out into the open. Most were harmless and would soon disappear. Only ghosts bound by powerful obsessions or hatred could linger in the human world for long.

Just then, Shang Ke heard a series of objects crashing to the floor inside the bathroom and immediately floated over to investigate.

The moment he passed through the bathroom door, he saw two ghostly hands reaching out of the mirror, long nails scraping over the glass with a piercing screech.

Shao Feidu was pressed against the wall, staring fixedly at those hands. He was obviously terrified again.

Shang Ke immediately floated to the mirror, grabbed one wrist, and hauled backward, trying to drag the ghost out. He pulled out seven or eight meters of arm without ever seeing the ghost itself.

Deciding the arm might never end, Shang Ke twisted it into a braid and shoved it back into the mirror. In an eerie voice, he warned, “This is my territory from now on. Don’t come out and scare people for no reason!”

A blurry ghostly figure flickered in the mirror and then vanished.

Shang Ke nodded in satisfaction. The System had provided no concrete information about his identity, but he was certain his strength among ghosts was anything but low. He had to be at least vengeful-ghost level; otherwise, there was no way he could tolerate sunlight or move objects with his mind.

“All right, he’s gone.” Shang Ke turned around and reassuringly patted Shao Feidu on the shoulder—only to stare in surprise when his hand actually made contact instead of passing through him.

To prove it was not an illusion, he used both hands to explore Shao Feidu’s naked body, paying particular attention to what was between his legs.

Just as Shang Ke was thoroughly enjoying himself, Shao Feidu finally spoke. “Have you touched enough?”

Watching those pale fingers glide over his body stirred an unfamiliar sensation in Shao Feidu. It was like being soaked in ice water while heat simultaneously burned beneath his skin—an uncomfortable collision of cold and fire that somehow carried an indescribable pleasure.

Shang Ke floated back a step and gave him an approving thumbs-up. “Nice body.”

Shao Feidu pulled a bath towel from beside him, wrapped it around his waist, and walked out of the bathroom.

Shang Ke used telekinesis to return the scattered toiletries to their places. Then he reached for the toothbrush and successfully picked it up. With a thought, he let it pass through his fingers and drop back into the cup.

During the day he could not touch physical objects, yet at night he could do so with ease. The heavier yin energy after dark must strengthen him enough to let him freely switch between tangible and intangible states.

Delighted by the discovery, Shang Ke turned to leave—only to forget to make himself intangible and walk straight into the bathroom door. He bounced back. It did not hurt, but it was deeply embarrassing.

He was still inexperienced at being a ghost. Mistakes were inevitable. Consoling himself with that thought, Shang Ke adjusted his form and passed through the glass door.

By then, Shao Feidu was already lying in bed and appeared ready to sleep, though his eyes remained open as he warily scanned the room. The moment he saw Shang Ke approach, he immediately looked away.

“Go to sleep. I’ll keep watch.” Shang Ke casually sat down on the floor.

With a ghost guarding the bedside, who could possibly sleep? Shao Feidu silently stared at the ceiling.

The room was utterly quiet except for the soft wind outside and the rustle of leaves.

Just then, the lights abruptly went out, plunging the room into darkness. Shang Ke heard Shao Feidu’s breathing hitch from the bed and let out an irritated cold snort. The lights immediately came back on. A woman’s head was slowly rising beside Shao Feidu’s pillow. Shang Ke raised an arm and, under Shao Feidu’s astonished gaze, smacked the head straight back down.

No sooner had he dealt with the head than the blanket at the foot of the bed trembled. Shang Ke strode over, yanked it aside, pried the ghostly claw from Shao Feidu’s ankle, and blasted the spirit away with his own ghost energy.

Shao Feidu’s unusual constitution allowed him to see, hear, and even touch ghosts. Daytime was manageable, but once night fell, there was nowhere for him to hide.

Anyone else would have obtained some protective charm or warding object to keep nearby, but judging from Shao Feidu, he had probably never done anything of the sort.

So did that mean he was harassed by ghosts every single night and had to struggle to fall asleep through the fear?

Shang Ke walked to his side and adjusted the blanket. “Don’t worry, Dudu. I’ll chase those little ghosts away for you.”

Shao Feidu remained silent.

Shang Ke leaned against the bedside and looked at him. “Do you know what a guardian spirit is? That’s me. I’m your guardian spirit, here to protect you from the other ghosts.”

Guardian spirit… Shao Feidu turned his head and looked directly at Shang Ke for the first time.

Once he set aside his fear, he realized that the ghost before him had an extraordinarily beautiful face. Soft black hair fell over his forehead, and light shimmered through a pair of amber eyes, making him look almost alive. Shao Feidu suddenly wanted to reach out and touch him, but in the end he did not.

What Shao Feidu feared was not merely ghosts. It was his own inability to fit in like an ordinary person, and the pain he had never learned how to express.

A cool palm brushed over his eyes, and Shang Ke’s voice followed. “Go to sleep, Dudu. You’re safe.”

Shao Feidu closed his eyes. To his surprise, the tension inside him gradually settled. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard Shang Ke add, “Oh, right. My name is Shang Ke. You can call me Keke.”

Keke…

After a peaceful night’s sleep, the first thing Shao Feidu did upon waking was look for Shang Ke. He searched the room and found no trace of him, leaving him inexplicably irritated. Didn’t he say he was going to be my guardian spirit?

When Shao Feidu entered the bathroom, he found the hamper empty. Looking toward the balcony, he saw his clothes hanging neatly outside to dry. The morning breeze carried a faint clean fragrance.

After washing up, he entered the living room and immediately heard a soft chime. Following the sound into the kitchen, he found several breakfast dishes arranged on the marble counter, still steaming hot.

“Good morning, Dudu.” Shang Ke sat floating at one corner of the dining table and greeted him with a smile.

During the day, Shang Ke’s body was translucent. Sunlight passed through him and fell across the flowers in a vase behind him, lighting the beads of dew on their petals.

Flowers? Only then did Shao Feidu notice the decoration that had not been there before. The ghost must have brought them. Surrounded by morning light, flowers, and the aroma of fresh food, his appetite suddenly awakened. He sat down and began eating breakfast.

“Going to the piano room after you finish?” Shang Ke asked.

Shao Feidu ate in silence without answering.

Shang Ke did not mind. “I know you play beautifully. Will you play something for me later?”

Shao Feidu still said nothing. Only after Shang Ke heard the front door open and floated away toward the entrance did he softly answer, “Mm.”

The person entering was the woman who usually delivered Shao Feidu’s breakfast. When she reached the dining area and saw the empty dishes, she froze.

“Young Master Shao, did you make all this yourself?” she asked suspiciously.

Shao Feidu ignored her, rose, and headed directly for the piano room.

The woman clicked her tongue at his back. “Looks perfectly normal. Shame he’s autistic.”

Autism? So he really was autistic? Hearing her mutter finally resolved Shang Ke’s lingering doubts.

She kept complaining as though being assigned to care for Shao Feidu were some enormous grievance. Annoyed, Shang Ke quietly shifted a table and chair with telekinesis and sent her sprawling face-first onto the floor.

Shao Feidu had already entered the piano room and heard none of the screams outside. He picked up the sheet music he had not put away the day before, sat at the piano, and rubbed his fingers. A white figure floated into the room at the edge of his vision. He slowly lowered his hands to the keys and began to play with practiced skill.

Ever since injuring his fingers two years earlier, he could no longer play for extended periods. In truth, he did not care as much as others assumed. He had chosen the piano because its music gave him peace and let him forget loneliness and fear.

More than performing, he loved composing. Creating music was like building a world of infinite possibilities, with himself as its king—granting its inhabitants life, or leading them toward death.

Halfway through the piece, the piano fell abruptly silent. Shao Feidu’s fingers hovered over the keys, trembling faintly.

His expression darkened, his gaze deep and suppressed, as though storm clouds were gathering behind his eyes.

Then, to his astonishment, the piano began playing by itself. A familiar, clear melody flowed like spring water—the very piece he had just been playing, the new composition he himself had written.

Several translucent fingers were faintly visible over the keys. Turning his head, Shao Feidu found Shang Ke beside him without knowing when he had arrived, taking his place and playing with complete concentration. In the sunlight, a faint golden glow seemed to surround him.

Shao Feidu had never known a ghost could be so beautiful.

While he stared in a daze, the music suddenly stopped. Shang Ke dissolved into a cloud of mist and vanished before his eyes.

“What happened?” Shao Feidu looked around and, unable to help himself, finally spoke aloud.

The piano room remained quiet for a moment before Shang Ke’s voice floated from somewhere unseen. “It’s too hot. Let me cool down first, then I’ll come keep you company.”

After being baked in sunlight for half the day, a certain ghost had accidentally evaporated…

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