Arc 5
There is a Ghost in Your Heart (5)
Chu Tian was sensible. He helped to bring the water basin back and forth.
Lin Jianxi had a high fever and Ye Chen faithfully took care of him all night. He kept muttering Ye Chen’s name in his dream. Ye Chen was right beside him, diligently wiping his body with alcohol.
Lin Jianxi’s high fever eventually broke. Chu Tian stood on the side of the bed, watching Ye Chen stay still by Lin Jianxi’s side. His big eyes blinked, “Jiejie, is Gege sick?”
“Mn.” Ye Chen’s eyes were tinted red. She prompted Chu Tian, “Go rest.”
“Xiao Tian doesn’t dare to sleep alone,” Chu Tian fidgeted, “Xiao Tian will sleep next to Gege, is that alright?”
Ye Chen nodded and let Chu Tian climb onto the bed.
Ye Chen was a bit fatigued. She lay on the same bed with Chu Tian and Lin Jianxi. Chu Tian doefully glimpsed at Ye Chen and softly requested, “Jiejie, can you please tell me a bedtime story?”
Ye Chen didn’t respond right away. She opened her eyes and was met with Chu Tian’s clear eyes.
Long time later, she narrated, “Long, long time ago, there was a girl who was chosen by God to save a prince.”
“A curse was cast on the prince by a wizard. Every time he woke up, he would forget everything about the previous day. The girl’s task was to bring the prince, who would constantly lose his memory, to search for the things that God asked them to. When all was found, the curse would be lifted.”
“On the first day, they were tasked to search for an apple. The prince found it and handed it to the girl. Later, the girl handed it to Heaven.”
“On the second day, they were tasked to search for a pear. The prince found it again. He wanted to eat it, but eventually, he handed it to the girl. And, the girl handed it to Heaven.”
“On the third day, they were tasked to search for a strawberry. This time, when the prince found it, he confided to the girl that he wanted to eat it. However, the girl couldn’t go against God’s will, thus, she still handed it to Heaven.”
“On the fourth day, they were tasked to search for a watermelon. As usual, the prince found it. At this time, the girl had fallen in love with the prince. Therefore, she told the prince, ‘If you want to eat it, you can eat it’.”
Reaching that point, Ye Chen paused. Chu Tian wriggled in his place, “And then? What happened to the girl?”
“She lost everything God bestowed her. God chastised her, if she makes the same mistake again, she will perish.”
“She met the prince again on the fifth day. As before, the prince didn’t remember her. Their task for that day was to search for a fig. The prince liked the fig to a large extent. So, when the prince found it, he tried to hide it. The girl was furious and they quarreled.”
Ye Chen didn’t continue the story; Chu Tian waited quietly. After some time, Chu Tian whispered, “And later, the girl… How was she?”
Ye Chen parted her lips, but she had no clue how to continue the story. Chu Tian continued, “Jiejie, did that girl cry?”
Ye Chen curled up her lips with a quiver, “Why do you think she cried?”
“Because she was miserable.” Chu Tian answered gravely, “She always remembered the prince, but the prince didn’t. Every day, he always woke up worry-free, meanwhile the girl always woke up full of worry. Would the prince fall in love with her again today? If the prince didn’t love her today, what should she, the one that always remembered her love for the prince, do?”
“She had to work hard to complete the task given to her by God. Yet, the things God wanted were the things that the prince also wanted. Every time, she ‘seized’ the things the prince wanted to complete her task. Every time, the prince ought to despise her a bit more. What should she do after she completed all the tasks and the prince remembered everything? By that time, would the prince still like her?”
“On the one hand, she was afraid that God would punish her and she would die. On the other hand, she was afraid that the prince would always remain frozen in time. Every day, they would meet each other again. Every day, they would fall for each other again. In consequence, she became increasingly afraid that the prince would totally hate her in the future.”
“Above all, the prince was not aware of all this. The girl was all alone. She walked the road by herself and she endured everything by herself.” Chu Tian’s face softened with sadness, “She must have an awfully hard time.”
Ye Chen’s eyes were half-lidded. Her eyelashes fanned down with tremors. She repressed the emotion in her eyes.
“Sleep.” Ye Chen produced a raspy voice. She held Chu Tian in her arms, “It’s late.”
“Mn. Jiejie, good night! Tomorrow, Jiejie must tell me the ending of the girl!”
Chu Tian was coaxed by the story and lay obediently in Ye Chen’s arms. When Chu Tian fell asleep, the emotions Ye Chen had repressed flare-up. Her lips quivered and her tears fell one by one.
38’s voice rang like cold water, “Host, you are crying.”
“What. Can’t I cry after a quarrel…” Ye Chen sniffed, with tears and snot.
She anticipated 38 would delve into the topic, but 38 merely handed her a handkerchief with its standard smile.
“Children are all like this,” 38 comforted. “Don’t take it to heart.”
Ye Chen burst into tears as soon as she heard this.
“I’m a baby, too!”
She wept even harder.
38, “……”
It ultimately patted Ye Chen’s shoulder, with some tenderness in the mechanical sound.
“Don’t be sad,” it said gently, “38 will always always be with you.”
Ye Chen’s cries ceased for a while. She raised her head and stared at 38 blankly. She rushed over and hugged 38, resuming her cries, “I won’t fall in love anymore. With you by my side, 38, I will forget!”
“Stop right there…!” 38 roared, “I don’t want to have a relationship with a human!”
Ye Chen, “……”
Your standard was quite peculiar.
Ye Chen cried out until she was exhausted with 38 in her arms. When she was done crying, she fell asleep with Chu Tian in her arms.
The time Lin Jianxi woke up, he was offered such a scene. Ye Chen and Chu Tian slept next to him. Ye Chen was holding the snoring Chu Tian in her arms.
Lin Jianxi was out of his mind for a second. The trepidation in his dream was not gone yet. He wished to toss the child in Ye Chen’s arms away, but in the end, he didn’t take any action on it. He merely extended his hand and fished Chu Tian out of Ye Chen’s arms into his.
Chu Tian was a heavy sleeper and wasn’t bugged by the change of position. Instead, he nestled against Lin Jianxi’s chest, appearing extremely attached. When Chu Tian was fished from her arms, Ye Chen roused up. She caught sight of Lin Jianxi staring at her.
She reached out and set her palm on his forehead. With a voice belonging to someone that just woke up, she spoke, “Mn. It’s all good. What do you want to eat? I will cook it for you.”
However, as soon as the words left her mouth, Ye Chen recalled that she was a ghost. Everything she made would contain Yin Qi. Lin Jianxi was sick, he shouldn’t get exposed to Yin Qi. In actuality, because of his sickness, Ye Chen shouldn’t have stayed near him at all. Yesterday was a special case because no one could take care of him.
She suddenly disdained her identity as a ghost. She hung her head, “I forgot. I shouldn’t cook you anything right now. You should make it yourself…”
“Mn…”
Lin Jianxi replied. Ye Chen judged that his state was stable enough. She got up and said, “Continue your sleep with Chu Tian. I will return to my room.”
Ye Chen floated out. Before she reached the door, she heard a voice behind her, “Jie, sorry.”
Ye Chen halted. Such a simple sorry and her grievances surged out.
Children would stumble, and when the person they depended on picked them up, they would pour out their grievances. In this term, it could also apply to adults.
Ye Chen was not grieved after a busy night. But, when she heard him say “sorry” so earnestly, the dam cracked.
She angled her head around and said in a nasal tone, “I was too harsh yesterday. Don’t take it to heart.”
“Mn…” Lin Jianxi lowered his eyes, “I know. Jiejie was not intentional. I don’t mind it.”
Seeing Lin Jianxi’s well-behaved appearance, she unconsciously stepped backward.
She desired to hug him and pour out all her grievances, but she resisted it when she saw the face of the 16 years old boy.
She stopped in front of Lin Jianxi and said, “Jianxi, there are many things I can’t tell you, but you have to know that in my heart, you are always the most important. Understand?”
Lin Jianxi lifted his head and revealed his gentle countenance, “I understand, Jie, you won’t treat me badly.”
Then, Lin Jianxi grasped Ye Chen’s hand, he expressed solemnly, “I used to be capricious and couldn’t understand Jiejie’s kindness. I won’t be like that again in the future. After all, Jiejie will always be nice to me, right?”
“That’s great if you understand…” Ye Chen murmured, “Also, sometimes, I am not the best at words. You should just adapt to the circumstances. Yesterday was so cold, you should have returned to your room and rested. Look, now you got sick, aren’t you uncomfortable?”
“Mn. I understand.” Lin Jianxi was perfectly obedient. “Jiejie, have a rest. I will accompany Xiao Tian.”
The fatigue in her body was genuine, so she gave him a nod and went to her room.
When Ye Chen left, Lin Jianxi closed his eyes and lay back on the bed.
A few days later, Lin Jianxi was back in good health. He attended school as normal. When Lin Jianxi was at school, Ye Chen was idle. She investigated the case of Chu Tian’s parents and noticed the Public Security Bureau had taken care of it. The case was found to be robbery. She didn’t dive into it.
In the meantime, she started to teach Chu Tian about Feng Shui.
All in all, he was the Male Lead. He learned everything quickly. He could draw inferences from one instance and read ten lines at a glance. Moreover, Chu Tian was born to like these things. When Ye Chen taught him, she was the one that had no time to rest. Hence, when Ye Chen sent Lin Jianxi to school, she brought Chu Tian with her. Lin Jianxi was in class, listening to his teacher; Ye Chen was downstairs, teaching Chu Tian about Feng Shui. From his seat, Lin Jianxi occasionally glanced at the windowsill. There used to be a black-robed female ghost sitting on the windowsill, but now it was empty. Nothing was there.
He pinched his pen and lowered his head without words.
Days later, he touched the topic lightly to Ye Chen, “Jie, Xiao Tian still has school. He should go back to his school.”
Ye Chen was absorbed in teaching Chu Tian and was struck silly by his words.
Chu Tian would be a famous Feng Shui Master in the future. In the worldline she received, it was rumored he didn’t go to school. In particular, he should have worshiped a Master during that time.
As a matter of fact, people in Feng Shui Circles mostly didn’t attend school, Ye Chen included. They had too many things to learn about Feng Shui.
Ye Chen pondered about it and asked Chu Tian, “Xiao Tian, do you want to go to school?”
Chu Tian’s expression changed drastically. He was horrified and shook his head fast, “Xiao Tian doesn’t want to leave Jiejie. Xiao Tian won’t leave anywhere.”
Lin Jianxi stared down at Chu Tian expressionlessly. When Ye Chen turned around, a smile had been plastered on his face.
“He doesn’t want to, then he won’t need to. I will teach him.”
Lin Jianxi nodded perfunctorily, “Then, can I learn it, too?”
Ye Chen blinked twice. She had pestered Lin Jianxi to learn Feng Shui for so long and Lin Jianxi was not interested in the slightest. Why the sudden change of heart?
She subconsciously asked, “Didn’t you say that you want to be a programmer?”
“Does Jiejie want me to?”
Lin Jianxi’s smile stunned her. For a beat, Ye Chen felt the person in front of her was Shen Jingfeng.
That man had always been like this, burying all his emotions under a smile. Ye Chen felt her heart was stuffy. After a moment of silence, she voiced, “It’s not that I don’t want you to be a programmer, but… You can’t.”
Ye Chen glimpsed at him. He was much taller than when he was fourteen. People would not consider him as a child now.
She estimated that it was time to tell him many things.
Before, she treated Lin Jianxi as a child. And as a child, he needed her protection and company.
And now that he looked at her with a smile like this, she deemed that it was time to tell him everything.
She sighed and beckoned Lin Jianxi, “Jianxi, come here. I will tell you something. Xiao Tian, go out and play by yourself, okay?”
Chu Tian obediently ran out to play,
Ye Chen let Lin Jianxi sit down. She bit his lips. After some struggle, she told everything to Lin Jianxi.
He was the eldest son of the Lin Family. He should have a blessed fate. He might be as talented as her and had a smooth life, but he was forsaken by his family.
“The Eight Yin Ghost-faced spider that chased you is born not because of your sins, but because of the Lin Family. So Jianxi, it’s not that I don’t want you to be an ordinary person, but that you can’t be an ordinary person.”
Lin Jianxi was mum. He looked up and smiled bitterly, “Why didn’t you tell me these in the past?”
“I… I was afraid you couldn’t stand it.” Ye Chen hesitated, “At that time, you were too young and there was no one by your side…”
She knew inside out how fragile a person was when they had no one to depend on.
“So, who is by my side now? “Lin Jianxi stared at her fixedly. Ye Chen replied instantly, “I am.”
“Jiejie,” Lin Jianxi smiled, “That’s mean, when you saw me, you already knew that I was the child of the Lin family. Was that why you came to me?”
Ye Chen didn’t reply right away.
She examined him silently, with tangled emotions in her indifferent and clear eyes.
She appeared to be nervous.
She, who always used to jest around and hide all her heart, tightly clench her clothes and peeked at him carefully.
“I came to you,” she stated earnestly, word by word, “just because you are you.”
“So, will Jiejie leave one day?”
At that, she pursed her lips.
She could lie to Chu Tian, but she didn’t want to lie to Lin Jianxi. In the case of Lin Jianxi lived a long life, she didn’t want him to spend the rest of his life in her lies. She would leave in three and a half years, but she couldn’t tell him that.
She had intended to wait until the time of parting and say goodbye. She didn’t reckon the question would knock on her door this early.
Lin Jianxi chuckled slowly. His gaze downcast, “I see. From today on, I will follow Jiejie to learn Feng Shui. I won’t go to school anymore.”
“If you want to go to…”
“I don’t.” Lin Jianxi cut in, “Since the Eight Yin Ghost-faced Spider is targeting me, it is dangerous for me to go out every day. It’s better to stay here lest Jiejie gets troubled with worry.”
“I have worried Jiejie a lot.” Lin Jianxi stretched out his hands and grasped her hand. He claimed, “I can’t bear to continue to worry Jiejie.”
His hands were warm. She was merely a soul, her hands had no weight or temperature. The way he held her hand made her heart pound, but she showed no trace of it on her face.
Ye Chen felt a little sore in her heart, as if her hard work finally reaped a response. She averted her gaze to the floor and hummed indifferently, “Mn. ”
From that day on, Lin Jianxi was in the Daoist Temple with Chu Tian, learning under Ye Chen.
Chu Tian learned fast, so did Lin Jianxi. Chu Tian was a child and sometimes distracted, but Lin Jianxi was different. Like he was racing against Fate, he got up before dawn every day and didn’t sleep until late at night.
As a ghost, Ye Chen sometimes sleeps. When she woke up, nine out of ten, she could see that the light in the opposite room was still lit.
One night, she floated to the opposite window sill and saw Lin Jianxi sitting on his desk. He looked like he was painting.
He had lost some weight and had become a handsome adult. Any girl of his age most likely couldn’t stop the palpitating of their hearts when they saw him.
He appeared to be deep in thought about someone. The brush glided on the paper. His eyes were tender and affectionate. Ye Chen couldn’t resist the urge and crept over the wall, trying to see the person he drew.
Unfortunately for her, after Lin Jianxi learned from her, he could feel Ye Chen’s presence the moment she entered the room. As a result, before Ye Chen got to see the painting, he had hid the paper in his arms in panic.
Ye Chen extended her hand to snatch it but Lin Jianxi’s reflex was quick and he avoided it. He fell to the floor and Ye Chen tried to help him. The other party took that sliver of time to swallow the paper into his mouth. Only after that did he scramble to catch Ye Chen’s helping hand,
But, instead, he touched something soft.
Ye Chen stilled and Lin Jianxi’s eyes bulged. He released his grip and plunged to the ground once again.
Ye Chen stared at Lin Jianxi blankly. The man’s mouth was stuffed, like a little squirrel. And the hand still maintained the posture of “Erkang hand[1]“, which looked amusing.
Both of them were embarrassed. Ye Chen coughed, “Spit it out. I won’t peek at it.”
After hearing this, Lin Jianxi made a “hold up” gesture. He rose to his feet and dashed to the toilet. He spat out the paper, tossed it into the toilet, and flushed it away.
He was done destroying the evidence but it was obvious the embarrassment hadn’t gone away. Ye Chen laughed, “Don’t tell me you are drawing something shady….”
Lin Jianxi blushed, “I am not…!”
“I understand.” Ye Chen raised her hand and patted him on the head. He was much taller than her, so she need to tiptoe. She studied the person who was now an adult and her eyes crinkled, “It’s late. Go to bed.”
“Mn, I’ll go to bed right away.”
Lin Jianxi was still a little restrained, Ye Chen nodded. She pulled the cloak on her body and left.
When she returned to her room, Chu Tian’s head poked out from the beam. “Ge. I saw it. You were painting Jiejie.”
“Shut up. Go sleep!”
Lin Jianxi hurled the book at hand.
Chu Tian was talented and lively. Recently, he had developed the habit of not sleeping in the middle of the night. Ye Chen didn’t know it, but Lin Jianxi, who was in the same room as him, knew it first-hand.
As soon as he heard Chu Tian’s words, he knew that this bastard must have been on the beam for a long time. He was so pissed that the blue veins on his hands showed, he yanked him off the beam and tied him into a sushi roll. He pressed him on the bed, and warned, “Don’t tell Jiejie about this, or I’ll…”
“You will what?” Chu Tian challenged Lin Jianxi. Lin Jianxi clenched his fist, “I’ll kill you with my fist.”
Chu Tian bobbed his head at once and motioned zipping his lips.
That night, Lin Jianxi had a dream.
His hand was touching some softness. He was on a wooden bed, and beneath him was Ye Chen. His hand swiped her hair and his voice was hoarse, “Marry me, okay?”
The sound of the other party’s “Mn” was lingering to the bone, like a wave lapping the shore, ups and downs.
The taste was engraved on his bones. Unforgettable as if he had done it many times.
The passion in Lin Jianxi in the dream coiled in his heart and he was gasping for breath.
The next day he woke up, Lin Jianxi could sense the damp patch on his bed. He was stupefied. Although he didn’t know exactly what it was, he probably could guess it. He was sheepish and tiptoed to change the sheet. Just as Lady Luck would have it, Chu Tian woke at that moment. He saw Lin Jianxi pulling the sheet.
He rubbed his eyes and asked, “Ge, did you wet the bed, too?”
Lin Jianxi, “……”
Chu Tian jumped out of bed and patted Lin Jianxi’s thigh. He wanted to pat his shoulder, but he couldn’t reach it. He could only pat his thigh. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Jiejie.”
“Mn, keep it a secret.”
The tips of Lin Jianxi’s ears were burning red.
Lin Jianxi washed his face and brushed his teeth. It only took less than half an hour.
Yet, in less than half an hour, when he went to the main hall for breakfast, he witnessed Chu Tian betrayed him for Ye Chen, “Jiejie, you don’t know this, but Gege, even if he is already that old, still wet his bed!”
Lin Jianxi’s blood instantly boiled up and he roared, “Chu Tian!”
He wanted to kill him.
He must kill him!
He was right to throw this defective product into the orphanage!!!
Lin Jianxi’s roar scared Chu Tian to escape. Lin Jianxi rushed aggressively to catch him. Along the way, he touched Ye Chen’s smiling eyes. He froze on the spot.
The other party seemed to understand everything, but she didn’t say it. It made Lin Jianxi’s heart flustered. He hesitated and his imposing manner weakened. He bowed his head and said, “Eat… Let’s eat…”
Ye Chen smiled with mirth in eyes and nodded, “Yeah, let’s eat.”
Lin Jianxi sat next to Ye Chen and secretly glanced at her. She died at the age of 20, and now he was seventeen.
In three years, he would be the same age as her.
The same age as her… but, what of it?
Lin Jianxi was absent-minded. He watched the person in front of him put the vegetables for him, and muttered some trifles with him. There was tenderness in her movements, as if the years were always like this, so quiet and stable.
He asked himself again. What would be the difference if he were as old as her?
Maybe… He could stop calling her Jiejie……
Maybe… He could break from his identity as a child in her heart……
If he was no longer a child…….
Lin Jianxi’s mind blanked. If he……
He looked at Ye Chen with those what-ifs, a question popped up in his heart.
He couldn’t answer the question.
He was incapable of answering it.
However, the question was planted in his heart. Many times, he would ask himself the answer late at night. He was reserved to answer it.
The Daoist Temple had been built for three years. At the end of spring, many peach blossoms bloomed.
Ye Chen considered Lin Jiangxi’s strength and compared it with the Lin Family’s strength within her memory. She couldn’t rest her heart.
Time didn’t bequeath her the privilege to wait.
She went to the website of the most famous Feng Shui forum and began to browse the news of the Lin Family.
This forum had a special kind of VIP account. One must own a VIP account to search comprehensively for a large Family like the Lin Family. The original “Ye Chen” account was a VIP account, so Ye Chen logged in to this account and surfed to the forum.
There was a verification before logging in to the account, that was, using the Divine Consciousness similar to the Cultivation World. Ye Chen verified it with her Divine Consciousness and dived in easily.
Nonetheless, the moment her Divine Consciousness skimmed the Internet, countless copper bells began to ring in a room of the Jiang Family in City B, to be exact, Jiang Huai’s room.
Jiang Huai was attending to guests in the living room. The instant he heard the copper bell ring, he stiffened. He then sprinted at full speed to his room.
The room was covered with wind chimes and spells. An array with many strange lines was surrounded by strings of copper bells. It was the only open space in the whole room.
Jiang Huang panted and stopped at the door, watching the array flicker.
He walked to the center of the array with shaking legs. He knelt on the ground and stroked the glittering stone. His tears flowed down.
“A’Chen…” he muttered hoarsely, “You finally… returned…….”
The author has something to say:
[Mini Theater]
Recently, there was a riot. Readers were rushed to the hospital.
Reader: “What about Mo Shubai?”
Doctor: “Dead.”
Reader: “Who got ahead of us?!”
Doctor: “Ten thousand.”
Reader: “???”
Doctor: “Dead because of ten thousand words a day.”
Reader: “…”
Ten thousand words a day is a dream. The flag is broken. I can’t move anymore.
Today is 6000 and it will be 6000 on the 6th…….
I’ll come to life again on the 6th.……
I want to take my time…….
Footnotes
Ry’s Corner
Just a side note, but actually, wiping your body with alcohol when you get a fever isn’t helping much. In fact, it’s better if you don’t. Yes, it temporarily cools your body. But, the cooling will signal your body to turn up your body temperature even higher.
I nearly missed today’s update, QAQ.
Please consider checking ‘The Memory Lost in Space‘ in case you like a good read(feels)! I’m gonna always put this here because I’m obsessed with it! No thanks needed.
If you like what I do please consider buying me ko-fi! Who needs sleep, anyway. I don’t offer Advanced Chapters like Lyre yet, but you are free to water this thirsty cat!
Words count (excluding title, footnotes, TL’s corner): 4427
Elysian Pit 
Ooh
Picked up another bun
I hope that guy at the end doesnt show up. Even though he will i wish he wouldnt. Right now ye chen is playing house, go away childhood friend
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