Chapter 97: One on one time with Gao Jialan

Suyang’s voice was thick and soothing to the ears. His voice was like a nursery rhyme from afar. He instantly added colour to my life and made me soar. I was so happy.

But isn’t it too early to make an eternal promise? Although it was so rushed, I still chose to trust Suyang and myself. I had faith that we would stay by each other’s side forever.

For the remaining part of my life, I sincerely hope that Suyang and I could join hand in hand. 

I don’t want him to be ahead of me, or behind me. Instead, walk beside me. 

If God exists, could you hear my wish? 

—–

When I woke up the next morning, I looked at myself in the mirror. My face was swollen like a bun. In addition, there were still tear stains from last night; I could barely crack my eyes opened.

Deep down, I thought to myself, who could’ve thought humans could look so ugly? Fortunately, Suyang was still sleeping so he didn’t notice.

The moment I attempted to open my eyes wider, they began to burn. I was feeling half dead as I squeezed out some toothpaste onto my toothbrush.

I brushed my teeth half asleep. When I opened my eyes again, I could see a pale reflection of Wen Yufan through the mirror. He was standing right behind me.

“You!….*cough cough* Why are you appearing again?” I choked on the water I used to rinse my mouth. I directly spat everything out as I continued to cough non stop uncontrollably.

I patted my chest to re-adjust my breathing. I gave Wen Yufan my killer glare.

Honestly, at this rate, one day, I’ll probably die from ghost fright. 

“Do you want to give me a heart attack?” I quietly muttered as I continued glaring at him. I rinsed my mouth again and roughly wiped the foam off my mouth with the back of my hand. Then, I deliberately walked through his body.

Now, I was certain that he was Wen Yufan;  the grandson of the Wen clan who passed away last month.

When I came out of the restroom, I could hear Gao Jialan preparing breakfast from the kitchen. Perhaps she felt bad for staying here, so she took the initiative to do all the housework.

As a lazy person, I was ecstatic that someone was so willing to help me do my job. So, naturally, I didn’t stop her. Of course, I shamelessly still expected Suyang to pay my salary.

I began to imagine doing nothing and earning money. Instantly, a cunning smile formed on my face.

“What are you thinking about? What’s with your disgusting smile?” Suyang came out of his room. His face looked worse than mine. His eyes were scarlet like a rabbit. I was stunned.

“Uh… what happened to you?!” I approached Suyang and asked out of concern, “You didn’t sleep well last night?!”

Suyang coldly humph. He pushed my hand away and headed straight to the washroom. “You were hugging me the entire night. It would be abnormal if I could sleep well…. I need to go back and nap. No need to call me for breakfast.”

“If you want to nap, then why are you out here?”

“I need to use the restroom!” Suyang had one hand on his stomach as he yelled.

Clearly, he was in a nasty mood due to his lack of sleep. But he shouldn’t be so rude to such a recent girlfriend though…. Sigh. I was probably the only one who could handle him. We’ve only dated for twenty days or so. Why does it feel like we’ve been together for 20+ years?! 

I shook my head at the restroom door.

“Don’t you have any other clothes?” Now, I was leaning by the kitchen door. Gao Jialan was wearing the same thing she had worn for the past two days.

“I-I-I…..” Gao Jialan began to stutter, “It was an emergency. When I left, I forgot to bring my clothes with me…”

I went over and stood next to Gao Jialan as I whispered into her ear, “Emergency? Could it be that you owe someone a lot of money or you had escaped from some type of crime?”

“No!” Gao Jialan anxiously waved her hands. She looked so serious. I was just kidding, I didn’t expect her to have such a huge reaction. Perhaps, there was something she was afraid I would discover?

Honestly, although I agreed to let her stay, I was still quite concerned.

“Since I have already promised to let you stay, I will not go back on my word. Plus, you are a few years older than me. So, you’re somewhat an older sister. No need to be so rigid around me.”

After thinking back to yesterday, I realized I might have caused Gao Jialan to feel very stifled. I was worried she would feel very uncomfortable, so I wanted to soften the atmosphere.

“I know I am an uninvited guest. Thank you so much for taking me in. I guarantee you that I will not cause any trouble. Also, I can help you with the chores. As long as it is something I can do, I promise you I will do my very best.”

Gao Jialan was totally the housewife type of woman.

“Follow me to my room. Let me select a few outfits for you to wear. You can’t just keep wearing the same thing over and over again.”

I tried selecting a few outfits for Gao Jialan. Surprisingly, none of them fit.

A woman’s weight was one of the most tabooed topics. I felt so bad. “These outfits seem a bit too small…. Probably it’s because you’re taller than me. It’s normal that they won’t fit. Why don’t we go buy a few from a mall?”

“No, it’s alright. Buying clothes require spending money. I don’t have much money…” Gao Jialan took out a few loose pyjamas as she used her body as a comparison. “I’ll just wear these.”

“How could you only wear pyjamas? Let’s go buy some clothes after breakfast. I’ll pay. Listen to me. It’s settled.” I gave her a smile, “Also, there’s a lot of questions I want to ask you privately. I hope you will give me honest answers.”

Suyang was sleeping the entire time. After we were finished breakfast, Gao Jialan and I headed to the mall near the apartment.

Finally, it was just me and her. I could ask whatever I wanted.

It was a Wednesday morning. Aside from some sales associates, there weren’t many people around. Although we were both in the mall, our minds were not on the clothes. We randomly walked a circle. Then, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“I want to continue our talk from the other day. You know I can see ghosts, right?”

“Wow. you’re so direct. You get straight to the point.” Gao Jialan smiled.

“I’ve always been like this. If you find it overwhelming, I’m sorry. But there is something I really need to clarify.”

“I told you, we are from the same orphanage. When you were younger, you would often talk to the air. You said you could see things that other people couldn’t see. In the past, I thought you were lying. But after I grew up and thought about it more deeply, I figured you could really see ghosts.”

I nodded, “Plus, you caught me talking to a ghost that day in the kitchen. So that must have confirmed your doubts.”

“Yes! Although it’s a bit unfathomable, I still believe it. Because, the person you saw wasn’t just anyone random. It was…”

“Wen Yufan!” I rushed to speak before her. “That night, the ghost I saw was Wen Yufan! I remember you said he was your husband!”

Gao Jialan halted her steps as she stood next to me. She whispered, “Initially, I thought if I never told you, you’ll never figure out his name. I thought I could hide this from you.”

“Hide it? What are you trying to hide? The fact the ghost is Wen Yufan? Or the fact that you’re the granddaughter-in-law of the Wen clan?”

I brought myself closer to Gao Jialan’s proximity. I was a bit excited, “I told you. If you’re hiding something big from me, I won’t let you stay at our apartment for long.”

Gao Jialan lowered her head. She looked like a child who had committed an offense, “So now, you’re…”