Huò Níng wasn’t in a hurry to connect with the new viewer. Instead, she muttered a string of incantations under her breath, and a certain ghost hiding nearby—one that had been too scared to face her—drifted over.  

This ghost was heavy with resentment, a full-fledged malevolent spirit.  

But in front of Huò Níng, it was as docile as a kitten.  

Huò Níng raised her hand and formed a seal, slapping a talisman onto it.  

The talisman acted as a restraint, preventing it from harming anyone while also ensuring that those who came into contact with it wouldn’t suffer any disturbances in their energy fields.  

Once that was done, Huò Níng rummaged through her bag and tossed another talisman at it.  

“Deliver something for me. The address is on the note. Just teleport there. I’ll pay you later.”  

As she spoke, she scribbled something on a piece of paper, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it over.  

The malevolent ghost: “……”  

In the face of absolute power, it wouldn’t dare complain even if she didn’t pay—let alone when she’d explicitly promised wages.  

The ghost obediently nodded and, in the next second, floated out the window.  

The live-stream audience: “?”  

[Host, who the hell are you talking to?!]  

[The host’s lost it—talking to thin air!]  

[Host, switch to acting! Your performance is solid. Even I’m cringing, but you’re holding strong!]  

[Holy shit! Holy shit! Host, you’re my god! Auntie Huáng Xiù just went live—her daughter woke up the second she drank that talisman water!]  

[Ahhh! I believe in science! How does science explain this?! The moment she drank it, she woke up, and even her complexion improved!]  

Huò Níng curled her lips. That malevolent ghost worked fast.  

She gave the ghost squatting in the corner a thumbs-up. “Good job. You’ll get paid after the stream.”  

The ghost: “……”  

Whatever. It was just a ghost doing gig work.  

[CosmicUltraMegaHandsomeGuy: Host, forget the wages for now—save me first! I’m being driven insane by this ghostly romance!]  

[CosmicUltraMegaHandsomeGuy] gifted ‘Phoenix Coronet and Embroidered Robe’ x1.  

—[Cheesy Grape Tea, Less Ice, 30% Sugar] gifted ‘Flowers’ x66.  

—[Rǎn Rǎn the Rich Girl] gifted ‘Red Wine’ x11.  

Huò Níng sent a connection request to [CosmicUltraMegaHandsomeGuy].  

A fair-skinned, slightly disheveled, curly-haired teenager—around nineteen years old—smiled shyly at the camera.  

“Hey, Host Sis. My name’s Xu Wang. Let me tell you, I finally figured out why I’ve been single this whole time. Turns out, living people aren’t into me—it’s the ghosts who have a crush on me!”  

[…I was just thinking this kid was kinda cute, but now I feel insulted.]  

[If they’d had your face back when the Great Wall was being built, Emperor Qín wouldn’t have needed to exhaust the people and drain the treasury!]  

[Damn, that’s an advanced roast.]  

(Explanation: Xu Wang’s face is so shocking (or scary), it could’ve scared off invaders—so Emperor Qín wouldn’t have needed to build the Great Wall.)

Huò Níng glanced at the space beside Xǔ Wàng.  

She leaned back slightly, lips quirking in amusement. “Oh? A ghostly romance?”  

“Go on. Tell me what’s going on.”  

Xǔ Wàng scratched his head.  

“Hey, Host, why aren’t you doing that thing where you just pinch your fingers and instantly know how I got tangled up in this, then flip your hand and solve it for me?”  

Huò Níng crossed her arms, her eyes glinting with mischief.  

She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t worry about it. I have my reasons.”  

Xǔ Wàng shook his head. “I don’t believe you. Unless you shoot a golden light through the screen to hit the space next to me.”  

[Bro, this isn’t a TV drama.]  

[I can hear your scheming from the next province over!]  

[Kid, that earlier auntie was an actress, but you? You’re the real sucker here.]  

[Keep it up and the kid’s gonna cry.]  

[What? You’re gonna make the kid cry? Heh heh heh heh, I love seeing pretty boys with red-rimmed eyes!]  

[This is the comments section, not the uncensored zone!]

Huò Níng took a sip of water, a mischievous grin playing on her lips as she blinked her bright, lively eyes.  

With a tone that was totally not gloating, she said, “Kid, your room is pretty clean, huh?”  

Just look at this spotless, tidy space.  

Compared to her own messy place, she suddenly felt a twinge of shame!  

Huò Níng made a mental note to catch another ghost someday to clean her room.  

As for why she didn’t just hire a human—  

Was that something a broke loser with three million in debt should even consider?!  

“You’ve been pretty well-behaved lately too—eating at the school cafeteria when you’re on campus and cooking for yourself during breaks.”  

“Your cooking skills have improved a lot this summer.”  

If she hadn’t mentioned it, it would’ve been fine.  

But the moment she did, Xǔ Wàng’s head drooped, and he let out a dramatic wail.  

“You think I want this?!”  

“I didn’t clean this room! I just wanna be a wild, messy king, but every time I wake up, my room’s magically tidied!”  

“And the second I order takeout, it somehow ends up in the trash!”  

“It’s been so long since I’ve had grilled cold noodles, sour-spicy noodles, stinky tofu, or spicy crayfish!”  

Huò Níng’s stomach growled at the mention.  

Back in the mystic arts sect, she only ever ate cafeteria food!  

She’d never even tried the stuff he listed!  

Her eyes sparkled. “What’s sour-spicy noodles? Are they good?”  

Xǔ Wàng nodded furiously. “So good! Host Sis, if you help me deal with this ghostly romance, I’ll buy you *

ten boxes of sour-spicy noodles!”  

Huò Níng was severely tempted.  

But—  

She cleared her throat. “How do you know it’s a ghostly romance?”  

Xǔ Wàng scratched his head. “My roommate told me. He said there’s a female ghost who’s into me, so she cleans my room and throws away my takeout.”  

“He also said she’s trying to train my cooking skills so that when I get to the underworld, I can cook for her!”  

“Wuuu, Host Sis, pleaaase, can you tell this ghost that humans and spirits don’t mix? We’re not compatible!”  

[Bro, have you considered that maybe someone’s just pranking you by trashing your food?]  

[And your parents might be sneaking in to clean while you’re asleep.]  

Seeing this comment, Xǔ Wàng’s expression dimmed, his usual energy fading.  

“My mom passed away six months ago. My dad’s with someone new now, so I don’t live with him.”  

[Wuuu, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know! I’m the worst!]  

[That commenter’s gonna wake up at 3 a.m. and slap themselves.]  

“I thought it was weird too, so I set up a camera in my room. It caught my clothes folding themselves! And I saw a white shadow!”  

Just remembering it made Xǔ Wàng shudder, goosebumps rising all over.  

“Host Sis, you gotta save me! I’ve been single for 19 years—I haven’t even gotten a girlfriend yet! I don’t wanna marry a ghost!!”  

“I mean, I know I’m the handsomest guy in the universe, but humans and ghosts don’t mix! Her crush on me is doomed! Host Sis, you have to talk some sense into her!”  

Huò Níng: “……”  

She couldn’t take it anymore.  

Taking a deep breath, she plastered on a very patient smile.  

“What ghostly romance? Kid, don’t overthink it—that’s your mom.”  

Her gaze even held a hint of pity.  

“You don’t even have luck with living people, let alone ghosts. Let’s be real, okay? No more wild fantasies—you’ve got four more years of singlehood before you meet your soulmate.”