Chapter 6: Paper Phone

The car window rolled down, revealing a handsome and resolute face.

Ling Yiran was taken aback for a moment, “Xing Han.”

Xing Han looked at him and asked, “Are you here to find me?”

“Yeah…” Ling Yiran felt like Xing Han’s eyes were as sharp and intense as an eagle’s, giving him the illusion of being stared at by Yama King. Instinctively, he said, “I’m sorry.”

After saying those three words, he was puzzled. Why did he suddenly apologize? Was it for last night’s call?

Well, he did call while the other was busy, making a “death call” to “tease” him. No wonder Xing Han would be upset.

Xing Han raised an eyebrow.

Ling Yiran awkwardly cleared his throat, “I drank too much last night and called you talking nonsense. I hope you’re not mad.”

Xing Han wasn’t one to hold grudges and knew how people could act when drunk, “Get in the car.”

Ling Yiran was confused, “Get in the car for what?”

“To talk.”

“Oh.” Ling Yiran quickly opened the door and sat in the passenger seat.

Xing Han asked, “Are you feeling better?”

“Better.”

“What did you want to see me about yesterday?”

Ling Yiran paused, “I did have something, but now it’s nothing.”

Xing Han furrowed his brows. Yesterday, Ling Yiran seemed anxious, not like someone with nothing going on. And if it was really nothing, he wouldn’t have come all the way to the military district today. But since Ling Yiran didn’t want to say more, Xing Han didn’t press further.

“Where are you headed next? I’ll give you a ride.”

“I’m going to Immortal Guest Mountain.” Ling Yiran, in the mortal realm, had died shortly after birth, so he grew up in the Underworld. He had heard from the Lord of Impermanence who fetched his soul that he was born into a wealthy family, living at the top of Immortal Guest Mountain. He didn’t know if the Ling family was still there after a hundred years. No one had ever offered incense or burned paper money for him, so he couldn’t know the Ling family’s situation. Plus, the Underworld had rules against checking one’s past life affairs. He wasn’t interested in the Ling family’s matters, so he knew nothing about them. However, the Ling family was a wealthy family, and their mansion on Immortal Guest Mountain was ancestral, so it shouldn’t have been sold. Now that Immortal Guest Mountain had been transformed into a villa area for the wealthy, it was even less likely that the Ling family would sell such prime land.

Xing Han asked, “Your family is on Immortal Guest Mountain?”

“No,” Ling Yiran half-truthfully said, “I heard from my elders that we have relatives living on Immortal Guest Mountain, but since we haven’t been in contact for so long, I don’t know if they still live there. So my elders asked me to go and check.”

“Are they also named Ling?”

“Yes.”

“As far as I know, only one family named Ling lives at the top of Immortal Guest Mountain. I wonder if they’re the ones you’re looking for.”

Ling Yiran was curious, “How do you know there’s a Ling family at the top?”

“My family lives halfway up Immortal Guest Mountain. I’m heading home to see my grandma and the others,” Xing Han said. He had just completed a major task and had a few days off to visit his family.

“What a coincidence!”

“Yeah. Do you want to come to my place for a bit?”

Ling Yiran quickly said, “No, no need.”

He noticed that Xing Han seemed unaware of the yin marriage, which likely meant it was arranged by his family. If he just went to meet the Xing family, he’d probably scare them to death and become the fastest soul-snatching ghost officer in history.

Xing Han noticed his raised voice and nervous tone, giving him a suspicious glance.

Realizing he overreacted, Ling Yiran awkwardly smiled, “I’m shy.”

Xing Han: “…”

“Maybe next time, if there’s a chance,” Ling Yiran quickly changed the subject, “Uh… Xing Han, what do you think about our marriage?”

He actually wanted to know if Xing Han was aware of their yin marriage.

Xing Han, always straightforward, said, “I agreed to marry you because my family was pressuring me.”

“Then do you…” Ling Yiran hesitantly asked, “Do you know that we are, we are…”

Seeing him stammer, Xing Han finished for him, “You mean a secret marriage?”

The words “secret” and “yin” sound similar, and it’s easy to mishear. Ling Yiran did just that, mistaking “secret marriage” for “yin marriage.” “Yes, yes, you know about this?”

If he knew it was a yin marriage, why wasn’t he afraid?

“I know. I can agree to keep the marriage a secret, but before we get married, I hope we can understand each other better before deciding to marry.” Xing Han wanted to find someone to marry to stop the nagging, but he also wanted to understand the other person’s family and character to avoid post-marriage troubles.

Ling Yiran was dumbfounded, finally realizing that Xing Han meant “secret marriage” instead of “yin marriage.” He facepalmed, “I finally understand where your problem is, brother. You’re something else, mishearing like that. But I can’t blame you; even I misheard just now.”

“What?” Xing Han didn’t catch his muttering.

Ling Yiran lowered his hand, “I said I respect your decision.”

Xing Han said, “Can you call my phone again? My phone broke last night, and it didn’t show…”

“Okay.”

Before Xing Han could finish, Ling Yiran cheerfully took out his phone and pressed a few buttons. Then, suddenly remembering something, he froze, stiffly raising his head to look at Xing Han.

Xing Han was staring at the phone in Ling Yiran’s hand, not for any other reason than the fact that it was a paper phone, the kind only sold at paper shops.

The two of them fell into an awkward silence.