Chapter 17
Three months later, Lian Xia discovered that a new neighbor had moved in across the hall.
The haunted house she lived in was infamous throughout Shanghai, and the entire floor had been empty because of it. This was the first time she'd seen anyone move in.
And it was a familiar face.
Familiar, yet somehow different. He'd stopped using that off-putting hair gel and now wore his hair in a clean, textured crop. A simple charcoal-black T-shirt and white shorts hung on his broad shoulders and long legs—easy on the eyes.
But she'd always remembered him as slightly hunch-shouldered. How did he look so straight and upright today?
He didn't have much stuff—practically moved in light. Right now he was carrying two bags past her and heading inside.
"Chen Xi, why did you move over here?"
He gave a faint smile that made her heart race: "So I can take care of you."
The girl of iron will declined: "No need, I can take care of myself!"
He brushed past her and walked straight into her apartment behind her: "You need to eat less instant noodles. Your face will turn square."
???
Where did he get that nonsense?
My face isn't square at all! Lots of people compliment my bone structure!
Lian Xia was about to argue back in earnest when the young man shook a ladle at her from the kitchen with inexplicable coolness: "I'm making braised prawns. Want some?"
So her arguments immediately changed tune: "Yes."
Move in he did, and he brought along a mountain of fish, shrimp, and vegetables, using the excuse that he hadn't bought appliances yet to stuff her poor little fridge to bursting. So while he sweated away at the stove, she had to shuttle things back and forth in the living room like a diligent worker.
Meanwhile, on Gu Xichen's side.
Ever since the vengeful ghost sublandlord had changed professions, the apartment had lost its natural air conditioning. Plus, the kitchen had no exhaust fan. Making braised prawns nearly cooked him alive. When Lian Xia came in carrying fruit, this was the scene she found:
The young man had shed his T-shirt, wearing nothing but her small, tight apron on his upper body. Lean muscle lines glistened under a sheen of sweat. His waist was narrow and taut, cinching sharply from his hips. The deep groove between his waistband and hip line was rather imagination-provoking...
Lian Xia's first reaction was to tell him to put his shirt back on: "Hey, why are you..." He turned to look at her, those elegant, slender eyes full of question marks. She gave him a once-over, and for some ghostly reason, changed her tune: "Never mind. You work hard."
With that, she even grabbed a palm-sized fan and went over to fan him.
The young man wiped his sweat while instructing her: "My grandmother is sick. I need to go take care of her later... so I made extra for you. Keep it in the freezer and eat when you're hungry."
Seeing her zone out, he helpfully reminded: "Did you hear me?"
Lian Xia looked a bit dazed: "So white—I mean, so fragrant—no, I mean, these prawns look amazing!"
Gu Xichen had long gotten used to her disconnected thought process. He just shook his head with a smile, scooped a prawn from the pan, and started stir-frying a vegetable dish.
How good his cooking was, one could tell from Lian Xia's reaction—she simply couldn't stop sucking on the prawn heads: "This is so delicious!"
"No wonder you weren't impressed with the noodles I made!"
Seeing her remember details that had to do with Chen Xi, Gu Xichen coughed uncomfortably. He wanted to use his own existence to thoroughly erase that scoundrel's shadow from her life, but there was no rush.
They feasted.
Lian Xia ate while asking: "By the way, what's wrong with your grandmother?"
Gu Xichen didn't want to drag her in, so he only shared the essentials.
His new job was going well. He'd earned five figures in commissions his first month, and after probation was promoted straight to sales team leader. He'd been planning to move near Lian Xia when Chen Xi's grandmother fell ill.
The elderly woman had been chronically ill for a long time but kept putting off going to the hospital because she couldn't bear to spend the money. Gu Xichen had rushed around handling everything, got her stabilized and transferred to a nursing home, then immediately moved into the apartment across from Lian Xia.
After all, he couldn't stop worrying about her.
"The flavor's gone. Switch." Gu Xichen saw she was still sucking on that same prawn head and frowned slightly, pulling the dead-eyed crustacean from her mouth.
His long fingers grazed her soft lips.
Not realizing anything was amiss, he casually picked up a bigger prawn and placed it in her bowl, gesturing for her to eat it while it was hot.
Lian Xia's cheeks flamed red!
Why...
Why was every movement of his so natural, yet she seemed magnetized, utterly unable to look away?
Maybe it was the heat. The man sitting across from her tilted his head slightly and used the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead—nothing vulgar about the gesture, just the magnetic pull of youthful charm.
From him emanated a faint scent, mingled with the slight saltiness of sweat, something she'd never smelled on him before. How novel.
Yet for some reason, the scent felt familiar.
Perhaps this was his signature fragrance, his pheromones...
Chapter 18
It was just a meal, yet Lian Xia blushed the entire time. Gu Xichen even thought she might have heatstroke.
After they'd eaten their fill, they went down to the pedestrian street to walk it off.
Lian Xia looked at the tall, elegant young man beside her and felt like she might be seeing him for the first time.
Before, looking at him had always given her a sense of being pushed away... now she couldn't find a single thing about him she didn't like. What was going on?
Could someone actually change this much?
The key was that not only was he articulate, he was also willing to listen. When she spoke, those long, narrow eyes always watched her with focused gentleness, as though encouraging her to keep going.
"Everyone says I live in a haunted house. How come you dared to rent the place across from me?"
"Do you believe there are ghosts in this world?"
A light breeze ruffled his cropped hair, and his smile carried a hint of mischief.
"Well, even if there are, if the ghost doesn't mind that I'm broke, I don't mind that it's a ghost. Who's looking down on who!"
That seemed to hit his funny bone. He laughed—not the exaggerated, unbalanced laugh from before, but a warm, restrained chuckle, rich and steady as a cello, yet carrying a bright, lyrical melody.
She was a little indignant: "Besides, I'm not living here forever. Once I pass my exams, I can leave."
He stopped laughing, the clear light in his eyes turning probing: "Where are you planning to go?"
When it came to her aspirations, Lian Xia was both excited and a little shy: "...I want to go to a teachers' university in Shanghai!"
"This year I missed the second round by six points and had to settle for a different school, but I don't want to go at all."
She was lost yet brave, and he was clear-sighted and wise, pointing out her concerns directly: "Studying and working at the same time—you know your body can't handle that, right?"
Lian Xia was a bit deflated: "But I need to survive, and I need my dream too..."
"Is that so?"
He smiled. "You only get one life. It's not meant for settling... so try again."
In those clear, luminous eyes, the starlight of the entire sky seemed to be reflected.
"I'll support you."
...
...
He said it, and he meant it.
Ever since the kitchen master moved across the hall, Lian Xia never ate another bowl of plain noodles.
Good heavens, tonight it was snail noodles!
The long night stretched on, studying was the last thing on her mind, and she'd already been lured by that foul-yet-fragrant smell to go next door three times!
During this period, he'd taken over all her meals, even freezing late-night snacks for her night shifts. Today's snail noodles were no exception—he carried them bowl and all to her bedroom.
They slurped noodles across from each other, the atmosphere peaceful and warm.
Until he glanced around, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure: "Why haven't you been burning incense lately?"
Lian Xia: ????
Even this detail, and you noticed?
She slurped her noodles, mumbling vaguely: "Oh, the incense I bought before ran out ages ago. I was actually thinking of throwing away the censer sometime—"
Gu Xichen's voice rose sharply: "Don't you dare..."
Realizing he'd been too harsh, he quickly shifted to a passive-aggressive tone: "How bold you are now. Didn't you say you'd keep offering incense? Said that as long as you had a bite to eat, you'd never let the supply run out?"
Lian Xia suddenly remembered her promise, her eyes going wide: "I think I did say something like that."
Wait, wait, that wasn't the important part!
She made a sound of surprise: "How do you know?"
Oh no, he's going to give himself away!