Chapter 51: The Little Ghost Dating a Human

“Indeed.”

Song Huaichuan lowered his eyelashes and smiled, a hint of understanding on his face, along with some loneliness. He had been absent from Song Yaoyao’s life for too long.

“Brother,” Song Yaoyao called out to him and reached over to give him half of the cake from his plate. “Eat this.”

“Okay, thank you.” Song Huaichuan was slightly stunned, and the smile at the corner of his eyes widened.

He ate the soft, sweet cake that Song Yaoyao had given him and took the initiative to ask, “So, can you tell your brother how you two met?”

“Mm…” Song Yaoyao held his cake spoon, with cake in his mouth, and gently puffed out one cheek as he carefully thought about how to explain.

At first, he had been a sneaky little ghost. Later, Xie Ningwan caught him, and then…

Song Huaichuan sat across from him, his brows and eyes soft as he watched his vivid little expressions, patiently waiting for him to speak. Song Yaoyao made up a simple little story and told it to Song Huaichuan.

“Very cute.” After hearing how Song Yaoyao had moved into Xie Ningwan’s home and become his “little assistant,” Song Huaichuan chuckled lightly, though his eyes reddened a bit again.

“…Brother.” Song Yaoyao stopped his story and looked at him with concern.

“Sorry, Yaoyao,” Song Huaichuan turned his head and blinked, then looked back with a gentle expression. “Your brother is just too happy to have found you.”

Song Yaoyao looked at him and said, “I’m very happy too.”

He had crossed over to this place, met Xie Ningwan, found his family and brother, and was no longer all alone.

Although the System had not yet explained the truth of all this to him, he was living very happily and contentedly right now.

Song Yaoyao rested both arms on the tabletop, sitting obediently with bright, sparkling eyes. Song Huaichuan leaned forward slightly and stroked the top of his head.

Song Yaoyao and Song Huaichuan chatted in the coffee shop for quite a while. Song Huaichuan also told Song Yaoyao a bit about the general situation at home.

“Your childhood room has been kept all this time. I cleaned and organized it myself, waiting for you to come home and live there.” Song Huaichuan’s eyes were full of anticipation.

“Thank you, Brother.” Song Yaoyao felt a bit expectant and curious too.

Song Yaoyao’s phone on the table buzzed once. He turned his head to look—it was a message from Xie Ningwan.

Xie Ningwan: 【Where is the little ghost?】

Song Yaoyao’s social account only had three contacts: Song Huaichuan, Assistant Lei, and Xie Ningwan pinned at the top with a special notification sound.

Xie Ningwan: 【Still at the coffee shop?】

With his little bear doll profile picture, Song Yaoyao tapped the screen with his fingers and replied: 【Yeah, are you done talking?】

【Mm.】 Xie Ningwan replied.

“Is that President Xie?” Song Huaichuan asked.

“Mm.” Song Yaoyao nodded, looking up.

They had just finished their meal anyway. Song Huaichuan glanced at his watch and said, “Your brother will walk you upstairs.”

Song Yaoyao: “Okay.”

Before leaving the coffee shop, Song Yaoyao also packed a strawberry taro milk tea like the one he had drunk last time.

He had thought before about drinking one together with Xie Ningwan.

Song Huaichuan seemed to have something in the afternoon. He walked Song Yaoyao to the door of Xie Ningwan’s office, hugged him, and then left first.

Song Yaoyao waved to Song Huaichuan, said “See you later, Brother,” and then entered the office holding his milk tea cup.

The office door was left with a gap specially for the little ghost. Song Yaoyao slipped in sideways through the gap, his voice soft and cheerful. “I’m back.”

“You’re back.” Xie Ningwan was not sitting in his office chair but on the sofa, his head tilted back slightly with the back of his head resting on the sofa backrest, looking a bit tired.

When he heard Song Yaoyao’s voice, he turned his head toward him in that position. His eyes were deep, his brow bones sharp and low, but his expression was soft, and the corner of his lips hooked up lightly.

“Did he bully you?”

Song Yaoyao saw that he did not look well. After walking closer, he placed the milk tea on the coffee table and climbed onto the sofa, sitting on Xie Ningwan’s lap.

Xie Ningwan held his waist and adjusted his leg position to help him sit steady. He had wanted to say no to his question, but when the words reached his mouth, he said, “Mm.”

Concern showed on Song Yaoyao’s face as expected. He wrapped his arms around Xie Ningwan’s neck and asked, “What did he do this time? Ask you to forgive Xie Hui and the others?”

“Really smart.” Xie Ningwan lifted his head from the sofa backrest and rested his forehead on Song Yaoyao’s shoulder, enveloping him completely from the front, his voice low and mellow.

Song Yaoyao did not notice how overly intimate their posture was. He got angry and said indignantly, “You shouldn’t forgive them.”

“Mm,” Xie Ningwan agreed, “I haven’t forgiven them.”

Song Yaoyao said unhappily, “If I were still a little ghost…”

“If you were still a little ghost, what would you do?” Xie Ningwan prompted.

“If I were still a little ghost, I would have knocked over his teacup just now and snatched his cane,” Song Yaoyao said fiercely, “then snapped it in half!”

Xie Ningwan laughed, his jaw resting on his shoulder. “So impressive.”

“That’s how impressive I am.” Song Yaoyao put his hands on his hips and lifted his face.

“Mm, especially impressive.” Xie Ningwan coaxed, then asked, “Assistant Lei said he gave you a hard time before I came back?”

“He didn’t give me a hard time.” Song Yaoyao wrapped his arms around his neck again and said.

But he felt a bit like the little white flower protagonist in a novel who was put through the wringer by a vicious parent.

“That’s good.” Xie Ningwan kept one arm around his waist and lifted the other to stroke the back of his head.

The two sat embracing quietly for a while. Xie Ningwan’s head stayed resting on his shoulder, feeling a bit heavy. Song Yaoyao leaned back a little but was held too tightly to move.

“What’s wrong with you?” Song Yaoyao felt he was still off and reached up to pinch his ear.

Xie Ningwan hugged him tighter, pressing him deeply into his arms, his voice low and slightly hoarse. “I’ve figured out the case with my parents.”

…

Song Yaoyao was stunned for a moment. “You’ve already found out?”

Xie Ningwan did not notice the other implication in his words and did not avoid him. “Mm, I’ve found it all out.”

“I…” Song Yaoyao struggled a bit, wanting to turn his head to look at his face.

“I don’t need you to turn back into a little ghost to help me punish them. I just want you to stay with me like this.” Xie Ningwan said.

…Xie Ningwan seemed to be sad.

Song Yaoyao stopped moving and hugged him comfortingly. “You have me now. I’ll stay with you.”

Just like how Xie Ningwan had stayed with him before he found his parents and brother.

“Thank you, Yaoyao.” Xie Ningwan hugged him tighter, his breath warm on the back of his neck.

Song Yaoyao did not know how long he was held. He felt like he had become a doll little bear. That was probably how the doll little bear felt every day when Xie Ningwan held it.

After a long time, with Song Yaoyao’s legs straddling Xie Ningwan’s lap until they went numb, his waist aching, and his shoulder even heavier, he was finally released and helped up.

“Are you okay?” Song Yaoyao clung to Xie Ningwan’s shoulder and looked into his eyes.

“I’m fine.” Xie Ningwan looked up. There was not much sadness in his deep, profound eyes. The depths were like lake water, intently reflecting the figure of the little ghost in front of him.

Song Yaoyao looked carefully into his eyes and saw no redness, so he relaxed.

“Is this for me?” Xie Ningwan’s gaze passed over him to the coffee table behind and suddenly asked.

“Ah,” Song Yaoyao turned his head and realized the strawberry taro milk tea he had bought for Xie Ningwan was still on the table. “I bought it for you.”

It had been sitting there so long it probably was not as good anymore. Song Yaoyao stretched his arm to pick it up and asked, “Do you want to drink it now?”

“I do.” Xie Ningwan seemed to have recovered his mood quite well.

The little ghost Song Yaoyao was very considerate and even poked the straw in for Xie Ningwan before bringing it to his lips. Xie Ningwan took a sip from his hand.

Song Yaoyao: “Is it good?”

Xie Ningwan: “It’s good.”

The fresh strawberry blended with the rich milk, lingering sweetly and delicately around the two of them.

That evening at home, Song Yaoyao lay in the center of the master bedroom’s big bed.

Ever since he had fought for the right to sleep in the master bedroom and then further secured the right to use the master bathroom, Song Yaoyao had been steadily taking over Xie Ningwan’s territory. He was just one step away from planting a flag at the door.

He had just finished his bath now, lying on his back in his little bear pajamas, holding up the little bear doll and examining it closely.

The little bear doll used to shed little fuzz balls everywhere until it was almost bald with exposed cotton threads. Assistant Lei had taken it to get sewn up, and now it looked brand new.

Song Yaoyao carefully observed the little bear doll’s new “skin.” The mattress dipped beside him as Xie Ningwan, fresh from his bath and in pajamas, sat on the bed.

Song Yaoyao naturally glanced at him first, then his gaze swept back and fixed on him.

“What is it?” Xie Ningwan asked.

“Hahahaha—” Song Yaoyao suddenly burst out laughing. He hugged the little bear doll and rolled over once, flipping to his side to look at his new pajamas.

It must have been Assistant Lei’s doing on purpose—preparing the same little bear-printed pajamas for Xie Ningwan as Song Yaoyao’s. The little bear pajamas looked cute on Song Yaoyao, but on the cold and stern Xie Ningwan, they clashed hilariously and awkwardly.

“Hahahahaha.” Song Yaoyao laughed without restraint as he pounced onto him.

“Song Yaoyao.” Xie Ningwan wrapped an arm around his waist, his tone faintly dangerous.

“Hahahahahaha.”

Xie Ningwan pinched his waist lightly in warning.

“Haha—” Song Yaoyao was ticklish and twisted around itchily, laughing even harder with bent eyes.

Xie Ningwan rolled over and loosely pinned him down, pinching his cheeks. Song Yaoyao rolled left and right to dodge.

He struggled a bit and escaped from under Xie Ningwan’s body, but the next second, Xie Ningwan caught up, gripped his slender waist, and pulled him back.

“Ah! Hahaha…” Song Yaoyao flailed and struggled, completely under Xie Ningwan’s control.

The little bear doll even fell to the floor, but its owner, Song Yaoyao, had no time to care about it.

“Haha…” After several rounds, Song Yaoyao laughed until he was tired and dodged until he was exhausted. He softly burrowed into the covers, panting lightly.

Xie Ningwan propped himself up over him with one hand, their breaths close yet distant.

Xie Ningwan looked down at Song Yaoyao’s flushed face from laughing: bright and sly, with liveliness shining from the corners of his eyes and brows.

“Yaoyao, have you thought about the question I asked you last time?”

Song Yaoyao was still catching his breath and was a bit dazed. He looked up at him blankly without answering right away.

Xie Ningwan said, “You’ve kissed me, hugged me, and slept with me. Don’t you want to take responsibility?”

“…?”

Song Yaoyao widened his round eyes.

Xie Ningwan sighed. “You’re a naughty little ghost. You kissed me but won’t give me a title.”

Song Yaoyao had already admitted their relationship in front of Song Huaichuan, but hearing Xie Ningwan say it like this, he could not help but retort.

“Don’t make it sound so ambiguous. It’s not like we really slept together.” His ear tips reddened as he argued back.

Xie Ningwan raised a brow. “Then what would count as really sleeping together?”

Song Yaoyao had been sprawled on top of Xie Ningwan before, but now he lay on the pillow, pinned under him.

This position was very unfavorable for him. He flipped over to crawl away, but Xie Ningwan had already lowered his head and kissed him once.

“Baby.”