Chapter 7

Seeing it was an unknown number, Shen Siyuan didn't want to answer, but considering the time, it likely wasn't an ad or sales call, so he picked up.

"Hello, may I speak with Mr. Shen Siyuan?"

A gentle female voice came through the phone.

"This is I. Who are you…?"

"Mr. Shen, hello, I'm Jiang Wenxin, Watching Dou Dou's mother—we just met in the elevator today."

"Oh, what's the issue?" Shen Siyuan realized upon hearing this.

"That…"

Jiang Wenxin quickly recounted everything that had happened in the elevator, word for word, to Shen Siyuan.

Finally she said: "I saw him pacing outside the door, unwilling to leave—I'm worried…"

"Don't worry. As long as you don't want him, he can't enter your home. Also, don't fear him—the more afraid you are, the closer he'll get. Those growths on his face? They show he's not as benevolent as he seemed in life. Ghosts have no physical form; unable to suppress their desires, those desires manifest outwardly. Moreover, sins committed in life also appear on the soul…"

"But you needn't fear. As long as you aren't afraid of him, he won't harm you. At worst, you might just have bad luck—no threat to your life…"

Shen Siyuan gave a general explanation: the ancients called ghosts impure things for good reason—if a person's three fires are weak, they easily become haunted.

Being haunted won't cause direct physical harm, but it brings misfortune, a decline in fortune, and constant setbacks.

"Thank you~ thank you so much, Mr. Shen. I'll properly thank you tomorrow." Jiang Wenxin kept bowing her thanks.

"No need to be formal… I'm doing this for… uh… Watching Dou Dou's sake. She's adorable—I like her." Shen Siyuan said.

They chatted briefly, then ended the call.

Shen Siyuan felt there was nothing more to say; Jiang Wenxin felt verbal thanks over the phone were hollow, and planned to thank him in person tomorrow.

After hanging up, he tidied the food containers on the table, then turned on his computer to play the game for a bit.

He didn't play competitive games, but a RPG online game from Pig Farm—he'd been playing since university, investing steadily, taking breaks, then returning again and again, many times over. Now he played purely out of nostalgia.

He logged in, cleared today's daily quests, then saw a friend with the ID 【Maryo】 come online.

This was one of Shen Siyuan's few real-life friends. He'd originally wanted to name himself 【Mario】, but the name was taken, so he chose 【Maryo】 instead. Fortunately, he played a female character, so the name suited him.

"Let's hit the arena."

Seeing him online, Shen Siyuan immediately called out.

"Can't. I'm running a dungeon with a group to farm 【Fire Fox】 fragments."

【Fire Fox】 is a new mount just added to the game, obtainable only by farming fragments in dungeons.

Of course, Shangcheng also sells a 【White Fox】 mount—but it costs money, and you get it via lottery. To obtain it, you need at least three thousand yuan.

For Shen Siyuan, whose monthly salary is under six thousand, it's completely unaffordable.

So Shen Siyuan had zero interest in mounts, outfits, or anything like that.

But 【Maryo】 was different—he had a severe collecting obsession. Not just paid mounts and outfits, he loved spending huge effort collecting even the free ones.

Of course, he could afford such a hobby because he wasn't short on cash—his family ran a clothing business; he was a true second-generation rich kid.

His parents even strongly supported his gaming habit, considering it infinitely better than entrepreneurship, cars, watches, or prostitutes.

Thanks to him, Shen Siyuan had received many rare outfits and mounts—not because Maryo was generous, but because these items were usually obtained via lottery, and whenever he got duplicates, he couldn't be bothered to list them on the mall and just gave them straight to Shen Siyuan.

Seeing 【Maryo】 wasn't coming to the arena, Shen Siyuan quickly logged off. Honestly, he'd long lost interest in the game—he no longer stayed up all night chasing its mysteries like he did at first.

Yet he couldn't bring himself to quit entirely. Sometimes he'd log in just to take a peek—but once online, he lost interest in everything. He was truly pathetic.

He shut down the computer. It was still early, but he didn't know what to do. His life was dull: work, read novels, play games—unchanging. Maybe he really should consider finding a girlfriend.

He already guessed why his mother wanted him to go home this week—it was another blind date. This wasn't the first time.

Shen Siyuan wasn't bad-looking, but he had no house, no car—who'd want him? Even he disliked himself, let alone some girl.

"Forget it. Shower and sleep." The more he thought, the more irritated he became. He prepared to shower.

"Damn it. Even if I gain a chance to cultivate, I still have to worry about money."

Shen Siyuan chuckled bitterly, stood up, and headed for the bathroom—when his phone rang again.

Shen Siyuan turned back, picked up the phone from the table—the number was familiar: Jiang Wenxin's.

"Hello, Mr. Shen, are you resting? I'm sorry to disturb you."

As soon as he answered, Jiang Wenxin's cautious voice came through.

"Not yet. What else?" Shen Siyuan frowned slightly.

"Mr. Shen, I'm really sorry. When my husband came home tonight, I told him about Watching Dou Dou. He thought I was crazy—almost took me to the hospital. Also, Watching Dou Dou wants her father to hug her, so we had no choice but to come see you. Please help us..."

"Alright. I'll help to the end. Just come over. I live…"

"I know. We're already downstairs." Jiang Wenxin cut him off quickly.

"I'll come down."

Shen Siyuan said this and prepared to hang up—he wasn't surprised Jiang Wenxin knew his address.

Jiang Wenxin hurried on: "That… that old man with the surname Lu—he's been following us. I don't know how to make him leave…"

"Don't worry. Talk when you get down."

Shen Siyuan hung up immediately.

Then he stepped out, preparing to go downstairs.

Honestly, he found Jiang Wenxin's repeated calls annoying—but thinking of Watching Dou Dou, and their desperate longing for their daughter, he understood.

When he reached the lobby, he saw a man and woman standing nervously by the door. Beside them stood two ghosts: one old, one small.

Without saying it, the small ghost was Watching Dou Dou. The old one was the Lu elder Jiang Wenxin mentioned.

His face covered in growths—anyone with a fear of clusters would be nauseated.

"Gēge."

Seeing Shen Siyuan appear, Watching Dou Dou ran straight toward him.

"Mr. Shen~"

Seeing this, Jiang Wenxin hurriedly stepped forward two paces, her husband Tao Guangxia following closely behind, curiously sizing up Shen Siyuan.

Only that old ghost stood far off to the side, not moving forward.