🌻Chapter 3: Haunted

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Maybe it was some kind of beginner’s protection period, but Bian Xu followed a tutorial and actually managed to cook a few home-style dishes that turned out surprisingly decent.

Halfway through the meal, a loud bell rang from the living room. Wen Xun’s expression shifted slightly. In a gentle tone, he urged Bian Xu to take Chips back to the room.

Bian Xu frowned, but still obediently picked up the cat.

“Remember, no matter what you hear, don’t make a sound, and don’t leave the room.” Wen Xun repeated once more.

Bian Xu nodded at him, then closed the door.

That night, he didn’t sleep well.

He heard two door-opening sounds from outside. Each one heavier than the last.

Then came the cold. An unnatural, bone-deep chill, as if something was rampaging through the room. Bian Xu wrapped himself tightly in the blanket, trying to trap in whatever warmth he could.

Chips was also uneasy. It kept staring at the door. When Bian Xu called it softly, it ran over and rubbed its face against him.

Bian Xu lifted the blanket, letting it lie beside him, then kissed its head.

A sharp crash suddenly came from the living room, like glass shattering on the floor.

Bian Xu froze. He pulled the cat closer, trying to force himself to sleep.

He drifted in and out of consciousness. Every time he was half asleep, it felt like someone was whispering in his ear. Every time he woke, the room was dead silent.

After a few cycles of this, his nerves felt like they were about to snap.

Only when morning light finally slipped through the curtains did he manage to fall into a deeper sleep.

He was woken by knocking.

Rubbing his dry eyes, he felt sore all over.

“Are you awake?” Wen Xun’s voice came from outside.

Bian Xu responded and got up, looking for the cat.

Chips had disappeared. After searching for a while, he finally found it lazily basking in the sunlight.

Exactly as Wen Xun had said.

Seeing that it had no intention of moving, Bian Xu left it alone.

He threw on some clothes, washed up, and opened the door.

To his surprise, Wen Xun had been standing outside the entire time, though his posture looked a little strange.

The living room was spotless. Compared to last night, nothing seemed out of place. For a moment, Bian Xu even wondered if everything he heard had just been a dream.

He frowned, but then his gaze landed on something beside the coffee table.

Broken glass.

“What happened here?” he asked, pointing at it.

Wen Xun stood stiffly, almost like he was in military formation. His hand was still frozen mid-air in a knocking position.

He glanced at the glass and forced out a stiff smile.

“I dropped a cup while drinking water.”

Bian Xu didn’t believe him. But he also didn’t want to ask further.

The more you ask, the more mistakes people make. Maybe not asking was the safest option.

Wen Xun still didn’t leave.

“What is it?” Bian Xu asked.

Wen Xun glanced past him into the room.

“Where’s Chips?”

“Asleep in the sun,” Bian Xu replied.

A brief silence fell again.

Just as the quiet started to feel suffocating, Wen Xun suddenly asked, “Do you want to go grocery shopping together?”

Bian Xu paused, then agreed.

He had already noticed last night that the fridge was basically full of potatoes. After digging through them for a long time, he had only managed to find a few tomatoes and eggs. Even without Wen Xun suggesting it, he was planning to buy groceries anyway.

The supermarket near the apartment was just a short walk away.

Bian Xu grabbed a small shopping cart at the entrance and naturally pushed it toward Wen Xun.

“You push it,” he said.

Wen Xun didn’t respond, but took it anyway.

Bian Xu had no experience cooking or grocery shopping. In the end, he resorted to Xiaohongshu for help, picking and choosing ingredients for quite a while before filling several bags.

Wen Xun stayed quiet the entire time. He only spoke when Bian Xu asked what he wanted to eat.

“Anything. I’ll eat whatever you make.”

By the eighth time he said it, Bian Xu put down the eggplants and turned to glare at him.

Wen Xun stopped and looked at him seriously.

“What’s wrong?”

“You sound like a robot. The best way to respect a chef is to give them something to work with,” Bian Xu said, though he was smiling.

Wen Xun tilted his head, as if genuinely trying to understand.

After a long pause, he said slowly, “What I want to eat… can you make it?”

That rubbed Bian Xu the wrong way.

“I can learn!”

Wen Xun gave a small, stiff smile. “Then tonight I want steamed fish. Is that okay, Chef?”

“Leave it to me.”

Of course, that night, Bian Xu learned the hard way that beginner’s luck had its limits.

The steamed fish was burnt.

Unexpectedly, Wen Xun ate it all without complaint. From then on, for several days, even when Bian Xu burned or overcooked dishes, Wen Xun still finished every bite cleanly.

That gave him a strange sense of accomplishment, enough to ease his anxiety about finding work.

Bian Xu had recently started looking for jobs.

He liked drawing and had studied art, so after thinking it through, he posted his comics on a website.

By chapter eight, the platform contacted him to offer a contract and various benefits.

Bian Xu wasn’t sure what to do, so he mentioned it during dinner.

Wen Xun simply looked at him.

When Bian Xu raised an eyebrow, Wen Xun finally said calmly, “Do what you want.”

Bian Xu paused, then smiled.

After that meal, he stopped hesitating. He signed the contract and became an internet “salary slave,” spending every day drawing with his eyes half-open.

Wen Xun came by a few times to remind him to cook, but Bian Xu had fully embraced modern solutions and told him to order takeout instead.

On the third time Wen Xun tried to push him, Wen Xun finally walked into his room.

He looked at the dark circles under Bian Xu’s eyes and sighed helplessly.

“What’s going on with you?”

Bian Xu didn’t understand at first, until Wen Xun brought a mirror over.

He froze.

Who the hell is this homeless man?

He had been locked in his room drawing for days, only eating, sleeping, and washing when necessary.

His hair was a mess, his eyes were dark and sunken, and even stubble had started appearing on his chin.

He stared at himself in shock, touching his face in disbelief.

He felt like something about him had changed.

Wen Xun’s gaze landed on a small teddy bear on the bedside table.

“What’s this?” he asked.

Bian Xu followed his gaze. His face immediately darkened.

“I swear I have no idea where it came from. Do you believe me?”

Wen Xun didn’t answer.

Instead, he walked over to it.

For a moment, Bian Xu thought he saw the teddy bear move. He blinked, thinking he was losing his mind.

When he looked again, the teddy was floating in front of him.

“What the—”

He stumbled back, hitting the desk. Pain shot through his back.

“Medicine box is under the coffee table. Clean yourself up,” Wen Xun said calmly.

That calm voice strangely grounded him.

Bian Xu scrambled out of the room.

The door slammed shut behind him.

When Wen Xun came back out, he was holding the teddy bear that had frightened Bian Xu.

Bian Xu instinctively stepped back.

“It’s fine now,” Wen Xun said, tossing it into the bin.

But Bian Xu still didn’t feel safe.

“Don’t be afraid of me,” Wen Xun said awkwardly, almost like he was bad at comforting people.

“What even happened?” Bian Xu asked.

“It followed you home,” Wen Xun said.

“…Huh?”

Wen Xun helped him clean his wounds, holding him still while applying medicine. His grip was firm, almost too firm, leaving no room to struggle.

After finishing, Bian Xu was sweating.

“Can you be gentler next time?” he complained, voice slightly raised. It sounded more like a whine than a complaint.

“Mm,” Wen Xun replied.

Bian Xu had no idea about the teddy bear. All he could think about was drawing.

Only drawing.

Wen Xun tapped his shoulder.

“When was the last time I asked you to cook?” he asked softly.

“Three days ago?”

Wen Xun nodded.

“You haven’t eaten properly in three days.”

“…What?”

Wen Xun didn’t answer. “Go cook first.”

Bian Xu seriously suspected Wen Xun only rented a roommate so he could get a private chef.

Aside from the cat and food, Wen Xun seemed interested in nothing else.

After another improvised meal, Bian Xu decided to confront him.

“What’s going on exactly?” he asked.

While washing dishes, Wen Xun turned on the tap. The water pressure was too strong and splashed all over Bian Xu.

Now soaked, Bian Xu was even more annoyed.

“You’d better tell me or I—”

Before he could finish, Wen Xun turned off the tap and pinched his cheek.

“Are you a dog?” he asked.

Bian Xu lost his momentum instantly.

“Go change your clothes. Wait in your room. I’ll explain everything.”

“Make sure you do,” Bian Xu muttered.

Wen Xun entered the room before the clock struck.

Bian Xu had just showered and was playing with Chips.

Chips lay on its back, exposing its soft belly. Bian Xu laughed and scratched it, then hugged and kissed it.

Wen Xun coughed awkwardly.

Only then did Bian Xu notice him.

“Just sit on the bed,” he said casually.

But Wen Xun didn’t sit.

“You’ve been haunted,” he said directly.

Bian Xu barely reacted, only stiffening slightly before returning to the cat.

Wen Xun leaned against the door.

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Scared of what,” Bian Xu muttered.

He had been haunted once before at six years old. After that, nothing had happened again.

Now that it was happening again, he strangely felt like, of course it was.

Then he reached for his protective talisman.

It was gone.

His expression changed immediately.

He searched everywhere. Pillow, blanket, the entire room.

Nothing.

Wen Xun stopped him. “Don’t look. It’s probably gone.”

Bian Xu nearly broke down.

That talisman had been his only source of safety since childhood. Without it, he felt like he had lost half his life.

Not to mention the “rotten peach blossoms” trying to kill him.

“I’ll go check the temple tomorrow,” he muttered.

“I’m here,” Wen Xun said.

“You don’t need to be afraid.”

Then he added that the teddy bear was likely a wandering spirit attached to him, harmless, just fulfilling an unfinished wish.

“Probably wanted money,” Wen Xun said awkwardly.

Bian Xu stared at him.

So it was just two greedy spirits meeting him by accident.

Great. Even his life choices were unlucky.

“Go to sleep early,” Wen Xun said. “Do you still sleep hugging your cat?”

Bian Xu nodded.

Wen Xun froze slightly.

Then, almost abruptly, he left the room. His ears were red.

Bian Xu stood there, confused.  “…Do I really look that scary?”

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TRANSLATOR NOTE

I will be posting two chapters every Tuesday and Friday.