MLV Ch 17

Jiang Ye grabbed the bedside lamp and swung it back violently. Liu Bei vanished into thin air. The lamp smashed against the edge of the bed, its shade shattering all over the floor. Cries echoed from the ceiling. Jiang Ye looked up to see Liu Bei clinging to the corner of the ceiling like a spider. He leaped out of bed and rushed out of the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him in one smooth motion. The moment the door closed, Liu Bei crashed against it with a series of loud thuds. Jiang Ye sprinted to the entryway, racing against time to open the second package. It contained his secret weapon, which might just work.

After a couple of thuds, Liu Bei stopped. The bedroom fell deathly silent. Jiang Ye’s heart pounded with panic. A headless corpse would have been easier to deal with; it was just a reanimated body, and physical barriers were effective. But now he was facing a female ghost, against whom physical barriers were useless. Sure enough, the next moment, the locked bedroom door creaked wide open. Liu Bei’s ferocious face materialized in the darkness behind it.

Sweat poured down Jiang Ye’s face as he frantically jabbed at the package with a pair of scissors. The print shop owner had wrapped it too tightly; he’d been tearing at it for ages and still couldn’t get it open. He glanced up at the bedroom. Liu Bei was already out, standing at the doorway. Faster, faster, faster, Jiang Ye gritted his teeth, his hands a blur of motion. He looked up again. Liu Bei had moved several steps closer, now standing by the living room coffee table. Every time Jiang Ye looked up, she was a little closer than before. With all the strength he possessed, Jiang Ye ripped the tape off the cardboard box at top speed. Liu Bei’s red dress appeared before his eyes. She was right in front of him.

He looked up and met Liu Bei’s hideous, white eyes.

Jiang Ye tore open the package, whipped out its contents, and brandished it in front of Liu Bei. Her face froze. She flickered for a moment, then suddenly vanished. Gasping for breath, Jiang Ye nearly collapsed from exhaustion. He brought the item back into his arms. Under the orange glow of the entryway’s motion-activated light, he was holding a life-sized body pillow, printed with an image of Jin Feize. The ink was so clear that even Jin Feize’s long, curled eyelashes were distinct.

First, Jiang Ye dismantled the two pinhole cameras he had missed. Then, hoisting the 188cm-tall body pillow, he patrolled the entire apartment. This time, he didn’t even spare the spaces under tables and beds, the gaps between cabinets, or the areas behind curtains. He finally confirmed that Liu Bei was gone.

He placed the pillow on the bed and lay down with it, even pulling the covers over it to create the illusion that he was sleeping with Jin Feize. Just to be safe, he took out his phone, plugged it in, and found the audio of Jin Feize he had secretly recorded that morning.

“Don’t be afraid, I will be with you.”

He set it to loop.

After waiting for a while, Liu Bei did not reappear. It seemed she wasn’t coming back. Relieved, he put on earplugs and an eye mask, leaned against Jin Feize’s life-sized pillow, and drifted off to sleep.

The next day, he slept until high noon. He opened the third package, got dressed, and went out for his class. While queuing at a breakfast shop to buy rice noodle rolls for lunch, he saw Liu Bei in her red dress, standing on the opposite side of the road. Cars and pedestrians bustled by, a constant stream of people, yet no one seemed to notice the strange woman. Jiang Ye paid, and when he turned to look at the road again, Liu Bei had already crossed and was standing on his side, much closer than before. Unfazed, Jiang Ye carried his food and walked into an alley. Once deep inside, he turned his head. Liu Bei was standing right behind him.

Jiang Ye put down the rice noodle rolls, unzipped his jacket, and revealed the white T-shirt he was wearing underneath. Printed on it was a colorful portrait of Jin Feize. Liu Bei’s face froze once again. In the blink of an eye, she vanished. Jiang Ye calmly picked up his food and walked towards the guitar training center.

Jin Feize was standing at the entrance of the practice room, waving at him from a distance. He sized up the unharmed Jiang Ye, a hint of surprise in his expression. 

“I didn’t think you’d actually have a way to deal with the ghost. You really surprise me.”

Jiang Ye said flatly, “Thanks to you.”

“Our little Ye is just that amazing. What can I do? I’m liking you more and more,” Jin Feize said with a grin.

Jiang Ye ignored him.

“Something happened to Shen Duo, did you know?” Jin Feize added.

Jiang Ye frowned.

“Shen Duo can’t help you, and the academy certainly can’t help you. Only I can,” he said. 

“Ask me for help.”

Jiang Ye stared at him and asked, “Why is Liu Bei afraid of you?”

“Liu Bei? Who’s that?” He tilted his head, thinking. 

“Ah, that ugly freak. Is she the one following you?”

Jiang Ye asked, “Have you had dealings with her?”

“Not at all. I simply hate ugly people. Is she afraid of me? Perhaps she feels ashamed of her own appearance when she sees me. I know she has a crush on you; she even confessed to you on the school’s confession wall. But with me around, how could you possibly like her?”

Jiang Ye: “…”

He couldn’t help but remember when Jin Feize was still the “witch,” he would sometimes complain on WeChat about ugly people in his class pestering him. He wasn’t a good person; he was even a bit cruel and malicious. Jiang Ye had always thought he was unpopular, but who knew he was Jin Feize, beloved by everyone at school. Besides Jiang Ye, no one would ever know what an evil heart was hidden beneath that gentle facade.

“I’m going to class. Goodbye.” Jiang Ye started walking toward the practice room, but saw Jin Feize following him.

He frowned at Jin Feize, who said innocently, “I have class too.” He pointed to a new guitar inside the room. 

“That’s mine.”

Jiang Ye: “…”

Anyone with money could come here, and Jin Feize had plenty of it. Jiang Ye couldn’t stop him. Fine, I’ll just pretend he doesn’t exist. Jiang Ye sat down in his spot, placed his guitar on its stand, and lowered his head, lost in thought. Was there a way to communicate with ghosts? If he could find a way to talk to Liu Bei, he might find out why she was haunting him. He took out his phone and searched Baidu: How to communicate with ghosts? The first answer was “碟仙 (Diéxiān),” a saucer spirit. Jiang Ye had never believed in such things, but now his life was filled with a headless corpse and a female ghost, each more bizarre than a saucer spirit. Jiang Ye decided to give it a try.

“I want to drink milk tea,” Jin Feize said suddenly.

“…”

Jiang Ye knew that if he didn’t go buy it for him, he wouldn’t get a moment of peace. The teacher hadn’t arrived yet, so he went out to buy the milk tea. He also bought some drawing paper on the way and returned to the practice room to create the character board for the saucer spirit ritual. The weather was nice today; the sun came out after two lessons. Jiang Ye focused intently on drawing the board, his forehead beaded with sweat.

Jin Feize took a sip of the milk tea and frowned. 

“This isn’t sweet enough.”

Jiang Ye, engrossed in his task, ignored him.

He asked, “When can I taste your lips again?”

The tip of Jiang Ye’s pen froze. He was already trying his hardest to tolerate him, but Jin Feize always managed to cross his line.

Jiang Ye closed his eyes and said, “Stay. Away. From. Me.”

Jin Feize paid him no mind, propping his chin on his hand and leaning closer. 

“So, when?”

The distance between them shrank abruptly. Jiang Ye couldn’t push him away, so he just scooted to the side. 

“In your next life.”

Jin Feize watched him for a moment, then looked down and took out his phone. Jiang Ye’s gaze darkened, and he pressed down on Jin Feize’s hand.

Jin Feize smiled. 

“When?”

“…When do you want?”

“Tonight.”

“…” Jiang Ye gritted his teeth and asked in a low voice, “How long are you going to use this to threaten me?”

Jin Feize thought about it seriously before answering, “Until you’re dead, and your head is sitting on my pillow.” He smiled sweetly. 

“I’ll be able to kiss you then without any threats.”

Jiang Ye stared at him coldly. Their eyes met, and sparks seemed to fly where their gazes clashed. Jin Feize didn’t look away, his expression gentle and composed, completely unbothered by his anger. Rage surged in Jiang Ye’s chest, but he was helpless. In this guy’s eyes, he was probably just an interesting toy. He couldn’t help but wonder where he had gone wrong to have provoked this devil.

Jin Feize leaned close to his ear and whispered, “You haven’t answered me. Is tonight okay?”

Jiang Ye lowered his eyes, forcing his fury down.

“Fine.”

Finally satisfied, Jin Feize stopped bothering him.

He didn’t learn a single piece of music that day; all he did was create a handmade Ouija board. When class finally, mercifully ended, he waited for Jin Feize to go to the bathroom, then rolled up his character sheet, went downstairs to the supermarket to buy a small dish, and went up to the training center’s rooftop. He spread the sheet on the ground, placed the dish in the center as Baidu instructed, and pressed his right index finger on it. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Saucer Spirit, Saucer Spirit, I ask you to come out.”

He waited for a moment. The temperature around him instantly dropped. On a hot day, the air felt as if it were frosting over. The sunset glow was cold, the wind bit at his bones, and he saw a pair of bruised, purplish bare feet appear on the other side of his handmade board.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.

“Are you Liu Bei?” he asked.

He saw Liu Bei squat down. Her cyanotic fingers pressed onto the dish and pushed it towards “Yes.”

“Were you killed by the headless corpse?” he asked again.

The dish moved to “Yes” again.

Jiang Ye thought for a moment, then asked, “Is my mother still alive?”

Liu Bei’s fingers paused for a while before finally moving. Jiang Ye held his breath as he watched her push the dish to “Yes.”

Jiang Ye let out a sigh of relief and continued, “Is Shen Duo still alive?”

This time, Liu Bei paused for even longer, not moving the dish for a long time.

Finally, she pushed the dish, slowly sliding it towards “No.”

Jiang Ye’s brow furrowed deeply. So, something terrible really had happened to Shen Duo.

He lifted his head and stared into Liu Bei’s murky eyes.

“Last question. Why are you always following me, and what do you want me to do?”

The dish began to move uncontrollably, pointing to one character after another. Jiang Ye slowly read them out loud:

“Come—to—Taisui—Village. Find—me.”