Chapter 25 A Different World
“Idiot, I can’t go to the underworld. A ghost who still has regrets concerning the world of the living is unable to reincarnate.” Chu Bai smiled. “I don’t know.. where I will be going. But, the world is vast, and I haven’t explored all of it yet, so I guess there still is a lot of things for me to do!”
“Wait, don’t leave so soon.” I suddenly sat up on the bed. “I want to do one more thing for you.”
“Huh? What thing——Oi, why are you running, where are you going?”
Although the injury on my chest had begun to heal, It was still a bit painful when I was running. However, I didn’t care about it at all. The only thing in my mind was to do one last thing for her before she left.
“Wen Jiubo!”
Wen Jiubo was so startled when he saw me suddenly rushing into the old residence that he almost spilled out the cup of tea he had in his hand.
Wen Jiubo looked at me, frowning, “Gu Yu? Didn’t you say you had to go back to the dorm? Why are you..”
Before he could finish his sentence, I walked quickly in front of him and embraced him.
Later on, when I thought about what had happened, I realized Wen Jiubo’s expression was quite funny. He seemed to be absolutely dumbfounded about what was going on. He quickly lifted the teacup so as not to spill it.
“Please, Mr. Wen,” I whispered, using the name Chu Bai used. “Can you kiss me?”
Wen Jiubo’s gaze was filled with doubt, but when he saw the determination in my eyes, his expression became soft again.
“What a rare situation,” The corner of his lips curled up. “Okay.”
Then, in the fading light of dusk, Wen Jiubo bent down and left a soft kiss on my forehead.
I understood that what I did was just to relieve myself from the guilt I felt towards Chu Bai and may not help her at all.
However, deep down, I hoped that I could give her as many sweet memories as I could before she left.
At that moment, my body suddenly felt lighter. I staggered a bit, struggling to stand still. Then, I heard a familiar voice, a beautiful female voice.
“Thank you.”
On that evening, with crimson clouds on the horizon, Chu bai left, and I finally managed to see what she looked like.
She had a beautiful oval face, long black hair, a pair of big clear eyes, and she was wearing the clothes of the Ming Dynasty.
She looked like she was only 16 or 17 years old.
What a beautiful girl.
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“So..” Wen Jiubo purposefully dragged his words as he put the teacup on the table.
I glanced at him nervously and waited for a few seconds before he continued to talk,
“During this last week, you were possessed by a female ghost named Chu Bai, who secretly loved me for over 50 years, right?”
I lowered my head, embarrassed, and I nodded.
“You also asked me to kiss you because of her?” Wen Jiubo grinned.
“Of course, I didn’t ask for myself!” I rebutted angrily.
“Alright, I didn’t say it was your fault.” Wen Jiubo smiled. “I just think you’re really kind.”
“Yes, you’re right. Little Gu Yu is a kind kid.” Bai, who stood nearby, also nodded sincerely.
“I’m not happy at all even if you label me as a good person,” I rolled my eyes and said.
“No, I mean it.” Wen Jiubo looked at me, smiling. “I didn’t remember anything about that female ghost. But, even though you’ve known her for just a couple of days, you still cared for her a lot. You’re really a kind and nice person.”
I was a little embarrassed by his praise. I quickly averted my eyes to avoid having to look at him. However, at this moment, I noticed that something had changed in the room.
“Wen Jiubo, where is the fish tank?” I asked.
“Ah, you mean the goldfish Mr. Cat gave me?”
I nodded.
“It died just before you arrived.”
“Died?How come?” I was surprised. “Wasn’t it safe and sound yesterday?”
The goldfish brought some color and vitality to Wen Jiubo’s dull house; I didn’t expect it to die so soon.
“Yes, it’s a pity.” Wen Jiubo smiled faintly. “That goldfish Mr. Cat gave me was not ordinary. It was a rare fish which lived in the Sanzu river between the world of the living and the dead. Though Mr. Cat’s intention was good, the fish couldn’t live long in this world. I gave it the pure water from the well of this house, and yet it was unable to survive here.”
“Really.. I see,” I muttered.
Apparently, this fish lived in a world that was different from ours.
The worlds at each end of the river were different from each other, even our way of seeing things were different.
When we stood at different altitudes, we saw different worlds. And those two worlds would never interact with each other.
“Wen Jiubo,” I blurted out, “are we.. from the same world?”
Wen Jiubo stared at me quietly as if he wasn’t surprised at all that I asked this kind of question. “Probably not.”
I was dumbfounded and looked at him, asking for an explanation.
Are we from different worlds?
Of course, we are..
He was Wen Jiubo, a powerful exorcist who had lived for hundreds or even thousands of years and whose identity and age was a mystery.
While I was a weak college student, who was cut off from my own family. Wen Jiubo could find hundreds of assistants like me if he wanted to, however, I couldn’t leave Wen Jiubo’s world anymore..
“But, Gu Yu,” whispered Wen Jiubo, as he suddenly brought his face near mine while I was absent-minded. “For you, I’m willing to abandon my world and stay with you.”
My face flushed without warning; I pushed him away. “What are you talking about? This is sexual harassment; I’m calling the police!”
“How is this sexual harassment? I meant every word I said.”
“Shameless!”
“Ay, ay, you two, don’t start flirting around, all right? Please notice that I’m a single ferret!”
Just like that, the story about Chu Bai and the Gudiao ended. I was relieved, both physically and mentally, however, I gradually formed another plan for the future.
Yes, I needed to find out the identity of Wen Jiubo.