Chapter 139
Chapter 139
She could not bring herself to strike-or rather, she was unwilling to.
Whatever happened afterward was missing from the Bridal Ghost’s memories.
They jumped directly to the imperial decree that had her… dragged away to become the dead Prince of Lanling’s concubine and be buried with him.
Qiao Yu witnessed the third kind of ghost marriage Luo Yunmeng had described.
Tao Zhuyue’s mouth was sewn shut while she was alive. Soul-Locking Nails were driven through her joints. Then she was sealed inside a coffin and buried beneath the jujube trees…
She remained there until a production crew arrived. To clear the set, they cut down one of the three jujube trees sealing her soul.
Once Tao Zhuyue saw daylight again, violent storms continued for days and eventually caused a landslide. The entire crew was buried beneath the earth and trapped inside the script.
In a single breath, Qiao Yu seemed to live the Bridal Ghost’s entire life…
“Qiao Yu!”
Shang Yan seized his shoulders and shook him hard, finally pulling him free of the vision.
Qiao Yu blinked. His throat felt parched. After a long while, he murmured, “Based on a true story…”
“What?” Shang Yan had not heard.
Qiao Yu repeated, “Based on a true story… Tao Zhuyue-no, I mean the Bridal Ghost-was the real person behind your role.”
But she had not been as fortunate as the script claimed. She truly had been buried alive.
He pulled free of Shang Yan’s hands and walked toward the Bridal Ghost.
Shang Yan remained in place, but his fingers tightened around the Soul-Hooking Chain.
Qiao Yu stopped beside the Bridal Ghost. Without saying a word, he reached out and pinched her chin.
Everyone stared. Even Bian Feibai was baffled, and his mouth ran ahead of his brain. “Ghost, the real-life romance?”
Shang Yan shot him a sour glare. “Where do you see romance between them?”
Bian Feibai tried to continue, but Zuo Qingquan quickly covered his mouth and dragged him out of Shang Yan’s line of sight.
Only then did Shang Yan withdraw his gaze and look back at the man and ghost.
Qiao Yu held out a hand to Luo Yunmeng. “Scissors.”
“Huh?” Luo Yunmeng took a pair from her Spatial Grid and handed them over. “How did you know I had scissors?”
“I didn’t. I just asked.”
As he spoke, Qiao Yu pinched the Bridal Ghost’s lips beneath Luo Yunmeng’s speechless, horrified gaze and snipped through the thread.
The black stitches instantly fused back together.
The Bridal Ghost wailed in pain, yet strangely did not attack. Her white eyes stared at Qiao Yu, their meaning unclear.
After some thought, Qiao Yu produced a scalpel.
Stranger still, the Bridal Ghost leaned closer and offered him her face.
Well…
Belatedly, Luo Yunmeng touched her freed neck. Other than a few pressure marks, the sharp sleeve had not harmed her at all.
Frowning, she looked at Boss Qiao preparing to cut. “Benefactor, what’s going on?”
At the word “Benefactor,” Qiao Yu’s wrist jerked and the scalpel cut a notch into the corner of the Bridal Ghost’s mouth.
The Bridal Ghost shot upright and stared at him with reproachful white eyes.
Qiao Yu glared at the interfering Luo Yunmeng, then gave the Bridal Ghost an apologetic smile. “That mistake was caused by circumstances beyond my control. Come here. I promise my hand won’t shake this time.”
Refusing to believe him, the Bridal Ghost backed away three steps and growled a threat.
“Really. I swear!”
Before Qiao Yu could pounce, she turned and fled. As her resentment diminished, the long-disconnected Live Stream Room came back online.
The moment it reconnected, the audience witnessed a most unusual chase.
-What’s happening? Did the Bridal Ghost fall for him too?
-After watching this, I’ve summarized six points…
-Well? Say them!
-Come look! The commenter above exposed themselves. Confirmed Honest Ghost.
-He pursues, she flees, but even with wings she’ll never escape.
-What phone are you using? It can send voice messages. Pretty fancy.
-Waaaah, why did the streamer cover his face?
-Wake up. The streamer is a demon, not some merciful saint. You want to see that heavenly face without paying? Dream on.
-My bank PIN is 131421, and my payment PIN is 1314521.
Qiao Yu stopped to interject. “Pop quiz. What’s your card number?”
-Pffthahahaha! Stumped, aren’t you? The streamer really dares to ask!
-I’m dying!
Tired from running, Qiao Yu braced his hands on his knees and panted. “Stop, stop. If you really don’t trust me, I’ll think of something else…”
The Bridal Ghost stopped and tilted her head, confused.
Qiao Yu raised a work ID between his index and middle fingers. Smiling with what he considered kindness, he said, “How about I find you an actual professional?”
While the Bridal Ghost was distracted, he grabbed her arm. Both vanished in the blink of an eye.
Bian Feibai rubbed his eyes, jumped out, and spun in a circle. “Wait. Where did your boyfriend go?”
That was a tolerable question, so Shang Yan unusually answered him. “The hospital.”
“The hospital?”
Shang Yan nodded and guessed, “Maybe he took the Bridal Ghost for reconstructive surgery?”
Bian Feibai: ??
Did he want to listen to what he had just said…?
Holding the deputy director’s ID, Qiao Yu expertly opened the elevator and rode to the seventh floor.
The Bridal Ghost whimpered beside him, saying no one knew what.
Qiao Yu glanced at her. “Tsk, you’re even more pitiful than Ren Yan. A simple elevator ride gets you this excited.”
The Bridal Ghost: “…”
When the doors opened, Doctor Ghosts wandered outside like walking corpses.
At the sound, they instinctively stopped and bared hideous teeth.
The Bridal Ghost prepared for battle, her sleeves trembling with surging resentment.
Qiao Yu stepped out first. Wearing the expression of a leader conducting an inspection, he smiled and waved. “Comrades, thank you for your hard work.”
The “comrades” froze, howled, and fled.
Furious, Qiao Yu dragged the Bridal Ghost after them. “Hey! Stop running! Stand still or I’ll dock your pay!”
None listened. The Bridal Ghost finally extended a sleeve, wrapped up the slowest one, and hauled him back, ending the chase.
Qiao Yu kicked the Doctor Ghost without courtesy. “Why did you run? Was I going to eat you?”
The Doctor Ghost babbled incoherently.
“Don’t play stupid!” Qiao Yu shoved the Bridal Ghost forward. “You have five minutes. Remove the black thread from her mouth, then repair the damage with cosmetic surgery. I expect a beautiful Bridal Ghost returned to me. Understand?”
The Doctor Ghost stared. “Five minutes…”
Qiao Yu considered it and decided five minutes was rather inhumane. He handed over Doctor Zhuang’s scalpel. “Fine. I’ll collect her tomorrow.”
“No need to thank me.”
That was addressed to the stunned Bridal Ghost.
“Next time I say, ‘Comrades, thank you for your hard work,’ remember to answer, ‘We serve the people.’ Got it?”
That was addressed to the Doctor Ghost.
Without waiting for either reaction, Qiao Yu left. Behind him, the Doctor Ghost shouted in distress, “One day isn’t enough either!”
Save me save me save me…