Chapter 7

Chapter 7

This level of difficulty was beyond a ghost’s capabilities, so Xiao Qian couldn’t help me even if she wanted to.

She helped me hide the necklace inside a flowerpot on the windowsill.

I transformed back into a wisp of a soul and crawled into a flower bud for a sweet, deep sleep.

In the morning, Lian Huai’s alarm went off, and I woke up with a yawn.

Lian Huai had been able to see me since the day he was born, but if he took off the necklace, he would lose that ability.

I sat on the windowsill with my legs crossed, waiting to see his reaction.

Lian Huai wasn’t a very still sleeper; usually, either his blanket or his pillow would end up on the floor.

I hadn’t looked after him last night, so the first thing he did upon waking was sneeze twice.

Then, out of habit, he reached for the necklace around his neck.

It was empty.

His eyes snapped open, his sleepiness vanishing instantly.

He panicked.

He leaped out of bed, tossing the bedding and pillows every which way. He swept everything off the desk onto the floor, rushing around frantically to check under the bed and behind the desk legs.

He found nothing.

Lian Huai ran his hands through his hair, his voice trembling involuntarily.

“Xingxing, stop messing around. Come out, quickly.”

I waved at him. “I’m right here.”

But he couldn’t even hear my voice anymore.

The room was a disaster zone by the time his mother rushed in, alerted by the noise.

“Lian Huai, what are you doing!”

Lian Huai acted as if he hadn’t heard her. Consumed by anxiety, he blindly and frantically searched for the necklace, ignoring his mother’s attempts to stop him.

I suppose it would be hard for anyone to accept the sudden disappearance of a personal item they’d worn for eighteen years without a moment’s separation.

But his reaction was a bit much.

It was as if his very life had been snatched away.

I looked down at the light shimmering among the green leaves, and a pang of pity stirred in my heart.

Since I couldn’t actually leave anyway, what was the point of playing tricks on him like this?

With a sigh, I gave the flowerpot a gentle shove. It crashed to the floor, the sound echoing through the room.

Lian Huai’s head snapped up.

He dug the necklace out from the spilled soil and clutched it tightly in his palm, the corners of his reddened eyes making him look as if he’d suffered a great injustice.

Sigh.

If I’d known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have done it. It makes me feel like I’m an old woman bullying a child.

I wanted to pat his head.

The moment I realized I had to reach up quite high just to touch him, it finally hit me how tall he had grown.

As it turned out, he was no longer a child.