Chapter 9: Looks Like It Likes You Too

Xu Huai called back twice, but Song Lianzhou hung up both times. Song Lianzhou’s meaning was very clear: he shouldn’t call now; he should be taking care of Xie Jing.

Seeing this, Xu Huai had no choice but to walk back to the ward. As he walked, he wondered: Could the fact that he sees ghosts when he touches Xie Jing be related to Xie Jing’s physical condition and emotions? What kind of bizarre principle is this?

Although being able to see ghosts directly is beneficial in their line of work, saving a great deal of trouble, it poses significant dangers for him. After all, his birth chart is unique, and his psychological endurance requires improvement. In summary, it’s best to determine the reason as soon as possible.

While thinking and worrying, Xu Huai couldn’t help but send Song Lianzhou another message.

[Xu Huai: Is there really a way?]

[Song Lianzhou: Guaranteed.]

When Xu Huai pushed open the ward door, he found that Xie Jing, who had been lying down, had already sat up in bed, leaning against the headboard. A fluffy, ball-shaped object had appeared on the pure white bedsheet, and Xie Jing was extending a finger, gently stroking the soft feathers of the ball.

Hearing the movement, Xie Jing looked up and smiled at Xu Huai at the door, his eyes crinkling: “Does the boss have something urgent that requires him to leave early?”

Although he had a smile on his face, there was a hint of imperceptible coldness in his words. The sparrow closest to the source of the cold air couldn’t stand it and chirped softly.

Xu Huai shook his head, turning his gaze to the little bird curled up on Xie Jing’s lap.

Xie Jing: “It’s raining outside. It probably wanted to take shelter from the rain and flew in on its own.”

It was lucky that the little bird couldn’t speak human language. Otherwise, it would definitely expose Xie Jing’s lie. In this room, only the orchid by the window had witnessed the man on the bed picking up the frightened, unconscious little bird and bringing it onto his bed.

Xu Huai was a little surprised: “These kinds of little birds are very wary. If they aren’t injured, they wouldn’t be so well-behaved and squat here like this.”

“Maybe it’s special.” Xie Jing tapped the little bird’s head with his fingertip. “It’s very good, it won’t peck people.”

Seeing Xie Jing’s action, Xu Huai’s hands also started to itch. He had no resistance to these kinds of fluffy little animals. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have picked up three lion cats at once and taken the whole litter home.

As if understanding what Xu Huai was thinking, Xie Jing said, “Do you want to pet it?”

The light, floating force on the crown of his head earlier was a silent threat. As soon as Xie Jing finished speaking, the little bird fluttered its wings and landed lightly on his shoulder before Xu Huai could answer.

Seeing the little bird’s eager flight, Xie Jing’s gaze fell on Xu Huai’s shoulder: “Looks like it likes you too.”

Xu Huai’s attention was already focused on the little bird on his shoulder, completely unaware of what the word “too” in Xie Jing’s words implied.

Just as Xie Jing had said, this little bird wasn’t afraid of him. Xu Huai extended a finger in front of his chest, and the bird very cleverly flew down from his shoulder and stood on his finger.

Xu Huai couldn’t help but stroke the sparrow’s head with his other hand: “Is it the one that was on the windowsill earlier?”

Xie Jing: “Yes.”

It didn’t seem like a wild bird, but rather like someone had deliberately trained it. But who would abandon other beautiful birds to raise a brown sparrow?

After petting it for a while, Xu Huai stopped and didn’t move. The little bird flew back to the window on its own, its black eyes staring at the two people in the room, standing there quietly, with no intention of leaving.

Xu Huai also walked to the window, pulling up part of the curtain with one hand and looking outside.

Strangely, the ghost who had died by hanging and lingered nearby was nowhere to be seen. He could only feel the faint Yin energy outside the window.

Xu Huai glanced back at Xie Jing thoughtfully.

He didn’t know if the ghost had left on its own or if he couldn’t see the ghost because he hadn’t touched Xie Jing.

He wanted to verify it, but going over and touching Xie Jing now was a bit too abrupt… He couldn’t just say, ‘Xie Jing, can you let me touch you?’

That might be too sudden.

The rain outside the window grew heavier. Seeing raindrops drifting in from outside the window, Xu Huai reached out and closed the window a little. Water droplets rolled onto Xu Huai’s hand as he closed the window, and Xu Huai used these water droplets to dab his wet fingertip on the transparent windowpane.

Using his hand as a pen and the rain as ink, a talisman composed of intricate lines appeared on the window in a short while.

The ward was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Undisturbed, Xu Huai drew smoothly. But when he finished the last stroke, Xu Huai’s face also paled a bit.

Xu Huai was drawing a simple warding talisman, the type he created most often in the department. He could typically draw over ten each day without any issues. However, today, completing this one talisman left him feeling several times more fatigued than usual, and his vision even momentarily went black when he stood up straight.

Xu Huai grabbed the windowsill, exhaling lightly.

Could it be that he had spent too much energy in Xie Jing’s house earlier, and now he didn’t have enough energy to draw talismans?

“Boss, are you alright?” Xie Jing’s voice came from the bed behind him.

Xu Huai turned his head, slightly stunned.

Instead of waiting for the usual questions about the “ghostly drawings” on the glass window, he first received a word of concern.

Xu Huai met Xie Jing’s somewhat worried gaze, and after only a second, he shifted his gaze away.

“It’s nothing, just a little low blood sugar.”

Xie Jing didn’t quite believe Xu Huai’s explanation: “The boss’s complexion doesn’t look too good. Are you really alright? Why don’t you get some sleep and rest?”

There was a single cot next to Xie Jing’s bed. Xu Huai shook his head, but still walked towards the cot:

“I’ll just sit down and rest for a while.”

Xu Huai wasn’t in good health, but he couldn’t be considered weak either. During his time in the [National Security Special Protection Department], the amount of exercise he got from field work had improved his physical fitness and muscle mass to some extent. Although not much, he wasn’t as fragile as a piece of paper that would fall over with a gust of wind like he was when he was a child.

His body, which was thinner than that of other adult men, combined with his somewhat pale complexion, gave Xu Huai, who was now sitting on the cot, a fragile appearance.

Only Xie Jing knew.

If that “fragile Taoist” stuck the talisman he drew on the window directly on a ghost’s face, the soul of a weaker ghost would probably shatter on the spot.

The feeling of pain running rampant throughout his body made Xie Jing narrow his eyes, but his tone was no different from usual: “It’s okay to just rest for a while.”

Xu Huai didn’t intend to sleep at first. After all, the evil ghost clinging to Xie Jing was too mysterious, and this place only had the temporary talisman he had drawn, unlike his home. He wasn’t at ease.

What if that evil ghost came to find Xie Jing now?

But unexpectedly, his eyelids were unusually heavy. Just as his consciousness was about to leave, Xu Huai suddenly realized something.

That’s not right.

…Something really wasn’t right.

But it was too late to realize it now.

He had already fallen into a deep sleep.