Chapter 26: A Demon Afraid of Ghosts—Does That Make Any Sense to You?

Standing outside the door was Yin Qing in a white dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders. She held a blister pack of medicine, her head tilted as she looked at him with a stiff smile.

But her voice… her voice had completely changed.

It now sounded like someone parched from wandering the desert, hoarse and grating to the ear.

“Teacher Bai, I told you—I came to bring you medicine. Why wouldn’t you open the door for me?”

As she spoke, Yin Qing took slow, deliberate steps toward Bai Yu.

Bai Yu stared at her. Every step she took was mechanical, and her body was unnaturally stiff—like a puppet on strings. Clearly, she wasn’t acting like a normal person.

Upon closer inspection, her chest wasn’t rising or falling.

She wasn’t breathing!

Bai Yu gasped in horror and stumbled backward, retreating until he had no more room. Then he threw his head back and screamed:

“HELP! THERE’S A GHOST!!”

---

Xie Shiyu had to work overtime today and didn’t return home until 9:30 PM.

As he reached his bedroom door, the door next to his suddenly opened and a head popped out.

“Xie Shiyu, you’re finally back! I have a gift for you—wait right there!” Tu Shanju said before pulling her head back in.

Xie Shiyu blinked, puzzled about what gift she might have for him—but a little anticipation flickered in his heart.

Still, he didn’t peek into her room. He simply stood at his door and waited.

A few seconds later, Tu Shanju reappeared—this time, her whole body came out. In her hand, she held a red string.

“Here, I made this peace charm for you. Wearing it close to your body is good for your health and protection. Although your fortune is already strong, this is just a token of appreciation—for taking such good care of me.”

Tu Shanju opened her palm to reveal a peace charm etched with intricate talismanic markings.

The carvings were tiny and precise. It clearly took her a lot of time and effort.

He looked carefully at her hands and, seeing no wounds or cuts, was relieved.

But Xie Shiyu didn’t reach out to take it—instead, he leaned forward slightly, bowing his head.

It was clear what he meant: he wanted her to put it on him herself.

Tu Shanju pursed her lips. Caught off guard by his sudden closeness, her ears flushed red.

She hesitated for a second, but eventually picked up the red cord, leaned in slightly, and fastened it around his neck.

She lowered her eyes to adjust the charm, just in time to meet Xie Shiyu’s gaze as he looked up at her.

Their eyes locked for only a moment before she quickly averted her gaze.

“Um—I’m going out in a bit. You’ve worked all day, so get some rest. Goodnight!”

Xie Shiyu watched her scurry back into her room, smiling softly.

He had always known exactly what he wanted.

As a child, when he first saw her, he’d wanted to keep that soft, sweet version of her all to himself.

Now that they were older, that possessive instinct was still buried deep within him.

Of course, he was good at hiding it with a smile.

People say all love at first sight is rooted in physical attraction—and he didn’t deny it.

The moment he received her call and heard her gentle voice and blunt words, it felt like the world went still and his heart fluttered.

Before meeting her again at the old estate, he had impulsively changed into more casual clothes at work, not wanting her to feel distant from him.

And when he actually saw her—apologizing with guilt in her eyes after scaring his mom—her pure, straightforward demeanor made him fall for her eyes instantly.

She was simple and transparent. Her emotions were written all over her face. She said what she thought and had no interest in hiding things.

Sometimes what she said left people speechless—but that was part of her charm.

He had fallen for her at first sight, and he had no intention of hiding it.

Granted, she might get a little shy around him, but he knew she didn’t yet have real feelings for him.

Still, there was no rush. Isn’t “marriage before love” the trend these days?

Besides, now that she’s on his boat, there’s no way he’d ever let her off.

Xie Shiyu pulled himself back to the moment, looking down at the peace charm resting near his collarbone, his lips curling upward.

He took out his phone and opened the blank chat window between him and Tu Shanju.

With long fingers, he typed out their very first message:

[It’s late. I’ll go with you. I’m waiting in the living room to be your driver.]

---

Tu Shanju was already on her way to the hotel when she received Bai Yu’s call.

The moment she answered, a cacophony of wailing and screaming came through the phone.

Bai Yu sounded like he was running—his breathing ragged and panicked.

He shouted at the top of his lungs, “AHHHH!!! Tu Shanju, Tu Shanju, HELP! There’s a ghost! That female ghost is trying to grab me! Shit, she’s catching up!”

Tu Shanju was speechless, her temples throbbing. “I’m on my way. Just hang in there.”

“AHHHH! I CAN’T! She locked the door—I can’t get out! There are bugs all over it—it’s disgusting! Ahhh! She’s trying to scratch me!”

Bai Yu kept screaming into the phone. Even Xie Shiyu, who was driving, looked over curiously.

“That Bai family heir who insisted on entering showbiz… Bai Yu?”

Tu Shanju scratched her forehead and nodded. She ignored the ongoing shouts from the other end and simply hung up the call.

Xie Shiyu nodded knowingly and continued to focus on the road. But after a moment of hesitation, he asked, “He was shouting for help—should we call hotel staff to help unlock the door?”

“No need. He’ll be fine.”

He’s a fox demon. That’s just a living corpse controlled by corpse poison. It can’t hurt him.

But still, that Bai family cub really needed to work on his courage.

A demon afraid of ghosts—does that sound reasonable to you?

Say it out loud and people would laugh their heads off.

Hearing that, Xie Shiyu didn’t ask again and concentrated on driving.

Tu Shanju tapped her phone a few times and sent Xu Jiangshan her current location.

The hotel was near the film and television city—somewhat remote.

When they arrived, Tu Shanju was stopped at the front desk.

The whole hotel had been booked out by the production team. Non-staff were not allowed inside.

But she had Xie Shiyu.

This minor issue was resolved in under two minutes.

Soon, the elevator opened and Director Liao Wu hurried out to greet them.

“President Xie, I apologize for keeping you waiting. What brings you here so late at night?”

The Xie Group had investments in many industries, including the entertainment world.

So Xie Shiyu was considered a solid gold-tier backer—people in showbiz treated him with utmost respect.

Xie Shiyu didn’t particularly like this Director Liao.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on why—something about him just felt off.

He ignored Liao’s outstretched hand and replied coolly, “I need to speak with Bai Yu, but I don’t have his number. Could you ask him to come down?”

Liao Wu paused for a second, then quickly recovered, smiling politely.

“President Xie, Bai Yu mentioned after filming wrapped that he had another job to attend. He should be on a flight right now.”