Chapter 31: It’s Just Food Delivered to the Door

“Is the body still there?” Yu Wangxiao asked thoughtfully.

“I heard they’ve already called an embalmer over to arrange her appearance. The body is being kept at home. Seven days later, the Gu family will hold a farewell ceremony and a simple funeral, then cremate her directly.”

“It’s fine. Go find Director Li first.”

“Got it, Boss.”

Yu Wangxiao looked at Lin Jiangye’s confused face and smiled. “How about it? Seven days from now, will you come steal a corpse with me?”

“…”

Lin Jiangye was silent for a moment. “If I were you, I’d go steal her from the embalmer tonight, just in case waiting causes trouble.”

“If we’re discovered, it won’t be very decent. The best timing is when she’s sent to the crematorium. Ashes are very easy to replace.”

“That makes so much sense!”

Lin Jiangye agreed. After all, if he really had to go through more trouble today, he would also feel tired.

Yu Wangxiao’s mattress at home was especially comfortable. Last night, he had not been able to relax and enjoy it properly, so tonight he still planned to sleep early and recover his body.

Unfortunately, this plain little wish did not seem that easy to realize.

When they arrived at the hospital, Gu Jiu’an had already undergone a minor surgery, and the result was quite good. His severed left arm was suspended in a splint. His luck was still not bad; at least he could still take care of his daily life.

His father was not so lucky. He lay in the ICU, intubated. Family members could only stand outside and observe through a small window.

Gu Jiu’an was in low spirits. From the looks of it, he had already heard the news of his grandmother’s death. His already poor complexion had become even more gloomy.

He stood up and lightly pressed his lips together. “Mr. Yu, Jiangye, thank you for coming to visit my father. It’s already late. Go back and rest early.”

Lin Jiangye walked over and handed him a fruit basket, milk, and two boxes of bird’s nest. These had all been bought by Chen Ming on the way. Even if the other party did not need them, as his classmate, Lin Jiangye still had to give something.

He looked around the cold and empty VIP ward and asked Gu Jiu’an, “Why are you the only one here? Didn’t your relatives come?”

“They all went to see Grandma. They’re rummaging through boxes and cabinets in her bedroom, unwilling to give up on finding a will. If they have the chance, they might even steal a few jade bracelets.” Gu Jiu’an smiled, the gloom in his eyes shifting. “They wish they could stay far away from me, because they don’t like me and are also afraid of making things difficult for me.”

As he spoke, the smell of smoked bacon on him became stronger and stronger. Lin Jiangye was a little worried that this person would really turn into a yandere, so he hurriedly comforted him. “In any case, you’ve already won. The Gu family is yours now. Why do you still need them to like you?”

“The real battle is still ahead… Forget it, you don’t need to worry about these things. Just live happily.” Gu Jiu’an shook his arm. “Also, sign my cast.”

“Wu?”

Gu Jiu’an’s expression improved a little, and he smiled. “When I go back to school, other people will sign it too. Li Liang will definitely draw randomly on my arm. Help me take a good spot first.”

“That makes sense… I happen to have a pen here. I’ll draw you a little cat. The pajamas Yu Wangxiao bought for me are all cats, so I’ve already mastered this animal’s body structure.”

Lin Jiangye was full of interest. He casually took out the recording pen from his pocket. That was right, it could really be used as a pen.

He acted swiftly and decisively, lowering his head to start drawing. Gu Jiu’an froze, his mood extremely complicated. When he looked down again and saw the chibi cat on the cast that looked almost printed, even with lively, lifelike fur… Gu Jiu’an’s mood became even more complicated.

“You actually draw this well. Did you learn?”

“Mm? No, I’ve never drawn before.” Lin Jiangye tilted his head and added two more cats with quick strokes. “Actually, it’s just copying. As long as the hand doesn’t shake, it’s fine.”

“…Have you ever considered that you might be a genius?”

“Not possible. I’m not very smart.”

The two of them familiarly muttered to each other for a while. At the same time, Director Li stood beside Yu Wangxiao with a subtle expression and his arms crossed, gesturing toward the two of them with his chin. “Chairman Yu, you don’t mind?”

“I mind,” Yu Wangxiao answered lightly, his expression unchanged.

“If you mind, you have to say it directly. Dating isn’t like going to work. How can you make someone else guess your thoughts?”

“My one is too simple-minded. I’m afraid he’ll only feel that the things I mind are… inexplicable.”

“Being simple is good. Isn’t it only simple people who are willing to listen to you and think for your sake? Just say you don’t like him having a good relationship with other people. You don’t even need to give a reason.” Director Li waved his large hand. “Don’t forget to find Old Wang for psychological counseling at the end of the month. Chairman Yu, you absolutely must go. Young Master Lin also needs to go. If it really doesn’t work, you two can do couples counseling too. It’s not like you lack that bit of money.”

“I know. Stop nagging.” Yu Wangxiao smiled helplessly. “How is Gu Yuan’s condition now? Can he still be saved?”

“Too much blood loss. From what I see, he can’t be saved. Brain death.”

“Dying this easily doesn’t seem like his style.” Yu Wangxiao looked thoughtful. “Pay more attention on your side these next few days. Don’t let him really cause some big news.”

“Guaranteed to complete the task. Even if he comes back to life, I’ll press him dead again with a pillow. That damned old bastard…” Director Li turned and patted the head nurse. “Xiao Liang, add a wrist restraint to the patient. Better safe than sorry.”

“Okay, Director.”

The tall, large male head nurse moved efficiently. The ward door was slowly opened.

Perhaps even Yu Wangxiao had not expected that the worry he voiced would actually become prophetic.

Lin Jiangye heard the movement and curiously tilted his head to glance into the ward.

Just this one glance suddenly made him feel an indescribable chill run down his spine. It was as if his heart had been gripped tightly by an icy hand. Boundless cold capable of freezing someone to death on the spot surged toward him, like countless filthy icicles crazily piercing through his pores, desperately trying to drill into his body.

Everyone else had no reaction. Lin Jiangye realized that at this instant, only his heart was filled with strange unease.

The only abnormality was that door leading to the ICU ward.

“Nurse Liang, don’t go over!” he shouted without hesitation.

The head nurse was startled and instinctively stopped at the ward door. Immediately afterward, the man on the hospital bed seemed to move, like unconscious muscle twitching.

“Wah—! Wah—! Wah—!”

“Who’s crying?!” Gu Jiu’an’s expression changed. His nerves, which had only just relaxed not long ago, tensed again.

He had read the research report Yu Wangxiao gave him. The thing currently letting out an infant’s wail was most likely a ghost infant. Its body was formless and colorless, and ordinary detection equipment could not locate it at all.

Moreover, ghost infants had different danger levels. If someone was walking on the road and inexplicably felt their body turn cold, or suddenly experienced low blood sugar without warning, that meant the ghost infant had only happened to pass by and had no malice.

But if a ghost infant’s cries could be heard by everyone… then every person who heard the crying should not even think about leaving alive.

After every tragic case, investigators could only analyze the audio and video in the recording equipment. They could not even see a shadow, so to this day, there was still no effective method to fight against it.

The life-saving item barely usable to drive away ghost infants was only the meteor shower fragments Yu Wangxiao had mentioned. There were tens of millions of people in A City alone. Even if the meteorites were ground into fragments and distributed, it would probably still be far from enough.

“Listen to him. We leave now.” Yu Wangxiao was rather calm. After being glared at by Lin Jiangye, he actually seemed to be in a fairly good mood. He took a gun out of his suit pocket and skillfully loaded it.

Director Li also realized the danger of the situation. His face immediately turned serious. He hurriedly supported Gu Jiu’an’s uninjured arm and pulled him away. “Little President Gu, come with me first. This place isn’t very safe.”

“Then my father…” Gu Jiu’an did not stop walking and said a polite line for show.

Director Li apologized. “We can only prioritize ensuring your safety. After all, everyone has their own fate. Your father really doesn’t have this blessing, right? Go, go, go.”

These words happened to hit exactly what Gu Jiu’an wanted. He wished his father would be killed by some inexplicable danger, so he immediately followed the advice and quickened his steps.

Before leaving, he subconsciously turned back to look at Lin Jiangye, feeling worried… but he could not see clearly.

Because Yu Wangxiao was following behind him, looking at him expressionlessly. The instant their eyes met, he suddenly and slowly curved his lips, revealing a friendly and calm smile.

Gu Jiu’an’s hair stood on end. He was almost frightened into vomiting by that smile and turned to leave.

A childhood shadow was something extremely difficult to overcome, no matter how desperately he wanted to grow up.

***

“Tuantuan, tell me in time if there’s anywhere you need help.”

A familiar voice suddenly came from Lin Jiangye’s brooch. Unfortunately, at this moment, he had no thoughts to complain about Yu Wangxiao’s perverted behavior.

“It’s fine. Just stay farther away from me.”

He walked into the ICU ward and closed the door behind him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His voice gradually became very light and very distant, without emotion, like an empty echo drifting through the corridor.

“Okay. I’ll wait for you.” Yu Wangxiao’s gaze shifted slightly. He refused the hot tea Director Li handed over and calmly cut off communication.

“Beep, beep—”

“Wuwaaaah—”

The monitor equipment gave off piercing light sounds, interwoven with the increasingly shrill wailing of the infant, like the world’s most annoying symphony.

Lin Jiangye stood in front of the hospital bed and could not help knocking the bald man’s forehead.

There was no special meaning. It was just to vent anger.

His eyes had already completely lost the whites. They flowed and squirmed like thick streams, glowing with a fine, soft, dim light. This was his instinctive stress reaction when attacked, because his stomach hurt, his heart hurt, and a strange twisting pain circled and spread through his whole body. It was also very cold.

It was as if some strange life was sprinting inside his body, tangling around his heart and lungs, trying to attack his brain. No… there were two of them.

Not only that, Lin Jiangye could also feel the jade fragments vibrating inside him at the same time, extremely cold, like shattered shards of ice flying wildly.

He was very glad he had eaten all the fragments in advance. Otherwise, he probably would not have been the only one suffering; everyone present might have been affected.

There was no safer place than his stomach. Although he could not directly digest and absorb stones, at least it prevented other people from stealing, locating, and prying through them… However, it could not prevent ghosts from prying.

Someone wanted to possess him and had brought that bawling little brat ghost in with them.

Lin Jiangye strongly suspected that this person was Gu Jiu’an’s father, this guy whose forehead he had just slapped red.

Because at this moment, he could only survive with the help of a ventilator. The moment brain death was established, this body objectively lost its soul.

And Lin Jiangye could smell food. Even now, that ordinary fragrance still lingered in the ICU ward.

This proved one thing—the bald man’s true time of death was shortly after Yu Wangxiao and he arrived at the hospital.

As long as the smell could be detected, the soul had not gone far, nor had it been harvested by his colleagues. Since that was the case, the strange thing stirring and causing chaos in Lin Jiangye’s heart and lungs was most likely it.

This kind of bizarre situation, placed on any ordinary human, would carry enormous risk, including Lin Jiangye when he had just arrived in this world. In his weakened state, if he had been careless for even a moment, he might have been impacted so hard he could not stand, forced to leave that body that did not belong to him.

But things were different now. This current body was something he had created himself. It wrapped seamlessly around his mind, built from his power, belonging only to him.

So the stitched-together soul that had charged into his body, even if its momentum was indeed great, and even if it truly made him feel cold and hurt… still could not escape its destined fate.

It was just food delivered to the door.

“Now that you mention it, this really is the time I want to eat a late-night snack.” Lin Jiangye spoke softly.

His lips did not move, yet the sound of chewing spread from his chest. Along with the suddenly dropping room temperature came one wailing scream after another, and a sharp, tooth-aching friction sound like bones being crushed.

“It’s been a long time since I personally ate. Wu, mm… thank you for the meal.”