Chapter 175: Ghost Assistant (VII)

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Chapter 175: Ghost Assistant (VII)

After accidentally “poking” Shang Ke out of existence, Shao Feidu slept badly all night. It was not until the familiar breakfast appeared on the table the next morning that he finally relaxed a little. Keke had not disappeared forever; he simply could not show himself for the moment.

Shao Feidu finished breakfast with a gloomy expression, but still followed the routine Shang Ke had established for him. He went outside for several laps, returned to wash up, and then shut himself in the piano room.

Shang Ke had arranged for the attorney to arrive at ten in the morning. Qiu Qi was punctual. He reached the villa exactly on time, straightened his clothes at the entrance, and rang the bell. Shao Feidu, however, was so absorbed in composing that he did not hear it at all.

This was a miscalculation on Shang Ke’s part. If someone had not “poked” him apart the night before, he would have been there to remind Shao Feidu. Since the attorney had already arrived, though, Shang Ke could hardly leave him standing outside.

The front gate silently opened. The attorney looked inside, stepped through, and called, “Mr. Shao? I’m Qiu Qi from XX Law Firm.”

As soon as he spoke, the piano-room door across the villa creaked open, and broken phrases of piano music drifted out.

Qiu Qi did not rush forward. He simply waited in the living room. Wealthy clients often had their eccentricities. What surprised him more was that such a large villa did not appear to have a single member of domestic staff present.

He did not wait long. The moment the piano-room door opened, Shao Feidu noticed it. He rose to close it, spotted the man standing in the living room, and immediately remembered what Shang Ke had told him the day before.

Shao Feidu walked out, ignored Qiu Qi’s extended hand, sat directly on the sofa, and expressionlessly said, “Please sit.”

That aloof, imperious demeanor nearly brought Shang Ke to his knees in admiration. In reality, however, Shao Feidu’s gaze was not focused on Qiu Qi at all. His mind had already wandered somewhere far away.

Qiu Qi was clearly composed enough not to take offense. He ignored the attitude and went straight to business.

When he finished speaking, Shao Feidu took a data chip from his pocket, placed it on the coffee table, and said, “Contract.”

Shang Ke nodded to himself. Good. Normal performance.

Qiu Qi inserted the data chip into his personal terminal and skimmed through it quickly. He soon understood that Shao Feidu wanted to retain him as his personal attorney and authorize him to pursue legal action against manager Mu Zhen for misappropriating funds. Attached to the agreement was a detailed record of every transfer—amount, date, and destination. With evidence this complete, once Shao Feidu reported the matter to the police, Mu Zhen would have almost no chance of successfully contesting the case.

Qiu Qi considered it a relatively straightforward commission, and the compensation was extremely attractive. The only complication was that his client did not want to appear personally and expected him to handle everything. He looked up to discuss the details, only to find Shao Feidu tilting his head and staring absently to one side.

There was nothing there. Qiu Qi had no idea what he was looking at.

“Ahem.” Qiu Qi coughed lightly, trying to draw his attention. Shao Feidu did not react.

Qiu Qi could only continue on his own, confirming the terms, stating his requirements, and clarifying the scope of his authority. After he had talked for more than ten minutes, Shao Feidu finally turned back and said succinctly, “Sign the contract.”

Qiu Qi decided this was without question the most straightforward client he had ever met—not a single unnecessary word. The agreement gave him broad freedom to act without constant interference from his employer. And given Shao Feidu’s international reputation, handling the case successfully would also be extremely beneficial to Qiu Qi’s own career.

Qiu Qi readily signed his name, then extended a hand. “Boss, I look forward to working with you.”

Shao Feidu stared at the offered hand until Qiu Qi nearly broke into a cold sweat. Only then did he extend his own hand and shake it.

After Qiu Qi left, Shang Ke cheered. His good mood stabilized his previously diffuse spirit form, allowing his ghostly figure to condense clearly again.

“Good job, Dudu.” Shang Ke pounced on him and kissed his cheek, only for his entire upper body to pass directly through Shao Feidu.

Yang energy really was a ghost’s natural bane. After what Shao Feidu had done the night before, Shang Ke probably would not be able to materialize physically again for some time. He did not mind. They had successfully retained an attorney, which made everything else much easier. Shang Ke dismissed Gibbs and the old housekeeper, then carefully selected replacements: a house steward, a private physician, four members of domestic staff, and several dozen bodyguards.

As for Shao Feidu’s future manager, Shang Ke intended to take that role himself once he revived. He did not trust anyone else with Shao Feidu—not even Shao Feidu’s own family.

To help Shao Feidu become independent as quickly as possible, Shang Ke wrote a program called “Keke Assistant.” Whenever Shao Feidu encountered a problem in daily life, he could open the program, speak a keyword, and immediately receive a relevant step-by-step guide. Shang Ke built the guides around Shao Feidu’s actual circumstances and tried to account for nearly every situation imaginable. More than thirty thousand entries took him almost half a month to compile.

The program also contained convenient shortcut buttons. 【Driver】 activated the vehicle AI, automatically brought the car out of the garage, and notified a driver or bodyguard that Young Master Shao wanted to go out. 【Breakfast】【Lunch】【Dinner】【Late-Night Snack】 each offered several preset meal options. There were also shortcuts such as 【Sick】【Online Shopping】【Do Not Disturb】 and many others, all of which Shang Ke had explicitly incorporated into the house steward’s employment agreement. Shao Feidu only needed to choose what he wanted; the house steward would handle the rest. His greatest obstacle was verbal communication, not a lack of basic knowledge about everyday life.

Shang Ke was hurrying to arrange all of this because he feared the revival process might not go smoothly and could keep him away longer than expected. If that happened, he had no idea what trouble or danger Shao Feidu might encounter in his absence.

“Dudu, I need to leave for a few days. Be good and wait for me at home.” That night, Shang Ke spoke to Shao Feidu as they lay together.

The instant he heard this, Shao Feidu lifted both arms and legs and wrapped himself tightly around Shang Ke.

“…Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.” Shang Ke soothed him gently.

Shao Feidu buried his face in the hollow of Shang Ke’s neck and refused to move, silently sulking.

Shang Ke continued coaxing him. “When I come back, I’ll be able to stay with you all the time.”

We can stay together all the time now! Shao Feidu remained unmoved.

After thinking for a moment, Shang Ke brought out his strongest argument. “When I come back, you can poke me as much as you want and never worry about making me disappear again.”

Shao Feidu’s head shot up. He stared at the wall ahead, clearly engaged in an intense internal struggle.

At last, he said, “Keke, take me with you. Wherever you go, I’ll go too.”

Shang Ke’s heart ached. He hugged the man beside him tightly and silently swore, Dudu, I will come back. Wait for me.

Before leaving, Shang Ke gave him a name, a phone number, and an address. “This ‘Yun Kexu’ is me. The number below belongs to the Yun family. If you haven’t heard from me after half a month, find a way to come look for me. Remember—you have to wait half a month. Don’t call before then.”

Shao Feidu tugged unhappily at Shang Ke. He had only just thought about calling the next day when Shang Ke immediately saw through him.

After dragging out the farewell for a long time, Shang Ke finally left Shao Feidu and headed to the hospital where Yun Kexu was being kept.

He had already investigated Yun Kexu thoroughly. Yun Kexu also came from a wealthy family and had an older brother and sister. Spoiled from childhood, he had developed a somewhat willful personality and enjoyed unconventional hobbies. Two years earlier, after getting drunk in a drinking contest with friends, he had staggered into the road and been struck by a speeding car, leaving him in a persistent vegetative state.

His family loved him deeply. Even after learning that he was unlikely ever to wake, they continued spending enormous sums to keep his body alive through medical equipment.

Yun Kexu might have been spoiled, but he was not a bad person. He did not indulge in prostitution, gambling, or drugs, and his upbringing and manners were impeccable when they needed to be. Apart from personality and hobbies, his circumstances matched Shang Ke surprisingly well.

Of every potential body Shang Ke had encountered so far, Yun Kexu was by far the most ideal. Surely this revival attempt would go smoothly…

Keke had been gone for three days.

Shao Feidu counted every day.

Qiu Qi was handling the case against Mu Zhen, and the house steward managed the household. All Shao Feidu really had to do was be a handsome man who focused on composing music and remembered to eat, sleep, and wash himself on schedule. Yet he had no desire to do anything. He only wanted Shang Ke to return. Whenever he had nothing else to occupy him, he opened 【Keke Assistant】, studying its daily-life guides while listening to recordings of Shang Ke’s voice.

Two days, three days, five days…

Shang Ke had told him that if no news came within half a month, he could go looking for him.

By the seventh day, Shao Feidu could no longer endure it. He pulled up the Yun family’s number and held his finger over the call button for a long time before finally pressing it hard.

After several rings, a woman answered. “Hello?”

Shao Feidu’s face stiffened. He remained completely silent until the woman eventually hung up, never managing to say a single word.

After a moment, he opened Keke Assistant and asked for help. “Want to call Keke.”

Shang Ke’s recorded voice immediately played: 【First, dial the number. After the other party greets you, use one of the following responses. 1. “Hello. I’m Shao Feidu, a friend of Kexu’s. May I ask whether Kexu is recuperating at home or still in the hospital? I’d like to visit him.” If they answer, say, “Thank you,” then end the call. If they refuse to answer, say, “Sorry to bother you,” then end the call. 2. Select one of the dialogue simulations for additional practice. 3. Ask the house steward or a bodyguard to investigate on your behalf.】

Ask the house steward or a bodyguard to investigate? Shao Feidu thought that sounded like an excellent idea.

At that moment, one of the bodyguards was smoking in the courtyard. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a tall figure bearing down on him with intimidating momentum. Startled, he immediately crushed out the cigarette and straightened his back as though awaiting inspection.

Shao Feidu handed him a slip of paper. When the bodyguard unfolded it, he found two words: 【Investigate Yun Kexu.】

“Yun Kexu? The youngest son of the Yun family?” the bodyguard asked cautiously.

Shao Feidu stared at him coldly.

“…Understood. I’ll investigate immediately.” The bodyguard corrected himself with impressive speed.

Only then did Shao Feidu turn and leave.

The bodyguard exhaled in relief and, not daring to delay, immediately began the investigation.

A day later, all available information on Yun Kexu was delivered to Shao Feidu. He skimmed rapidly until he found the most recent update.

Yun Kexu was at the same hospital Shang Ke had previously taken Shao Feidu to. He had been declared brain-dead two years earlier and had remained in an unresponsive vegetative state ever since.

Vegetative state… Shao Feidu’s fingers trembled faintly and his heart contracted painfully.

【When I come back, I’ll be able to stay with you all the time.】 Shang Ke’s voice seemed to echo in his ears.

He had promised he would come back.

Shao Feidu rose and strode quickly out of the villa, pressing the 【Driver】 shortcut as he went. For the first time in any real sense, he left home entirely on his own—all to find his Keke.

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