In the early morning, Xie Ningwan woke up, and the first thing he did was lower his gaze to his arm.
There was no one beside him. The boy he had vaguely seen sleeping next to him last night had indeed been a dream.
He rubbed his brow and got out of bed.
After a while, Song Yaoyao also woke up. He yawned, rolled around on the bed once, glanced at the neatly folded blanket on the bed, and thought, ‘Last night, Xie Ningwan really didn’t discover me.’
Song Yaoyao was in a great mood. Last night, he had even dreamed of turning back into a human. He happily floated up, following the stairs downstairs to find Xie Ningwan.
The Little Bear Doll wasn’t completely dry yet, so Song Yaoyao had no companion today and had returned to his invisible state.
When he went downstairs, Xie Ningwan was making breakfast in the kitchen, and a glass of milk was placed on the dining table in the restaurant.
“Is this for me?”
Song Yaoyao deliberately asked in an extremely soft voice. Xie Ningwan couldn’t hear him speak and stood at the counter without responding, so Song Yaoyao confidently picked up the milk glass. “You’re not saying anything, so it’s for me.”
Song Yaoyao gulped down the milk. Xie Ningwan finished making breakfast and came out of the kitchen carrying bowls and plates. He then saw a glass floating in mid-air, with the milk in the transparent glass decreasing bit by bit.
He had long since taken it in stride—or rather, he had placed the milk there precisely to bait the little ghost.
“Song Yaoyao,” Xie Ningwan pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down. He looked toward the milk glass and casually asked, “Where did you sleep last night?”
Song Yaoyao finished drinking the milk and licked his lips before making a sound. “I slept in my own room.”
His voice was soft, warm, and gentle, carrying a hint of innocence.
Xie Ningwan nodded and didn’t press further. He began eating breakfast.
…The dream he had last night—the boy in it was probably what Song Yaoyao looked like. He recalled that not long ago, during his car accident, he had also seen the shadow of a boy rushing out to protect him, though the memory had become unclear after he woke up.
Now, those two figures had merged into one person—a little ghost.
Song Yaoyao didn’t know what Xie Ningwan was thinking. He only assumed he was testing him again and, seeing that he seemed to believe he had slept in his own little room last night, breathed a sigh of relief.
After breakfast, the driver was already waiting at the villa gate. Xie Ningwan tidied up and prepared to go to the company.
Of course, Song Yaoyao wanted to go too. Without the Little Bear Doll today, he habitually stepped forward two paces upon leaving and grabbed Xie Ningwan’s hand.
This time, however, he grabbed it solidly.
Previously, when he touched Xie Ningwan in his soul form, it had only been a wisp of cool mist, but this time, he truly touched Xie Ningwan’s hand.
“!” At the moment of contact, Song Yaoyao recoiled his hand as if electrocuted and lowered his head to carefully examine his palm.
Xie Ningwan also paused noticeably. He looked at his own hand and turned his head toward the direction where Song Yaoyao stood.
“Song Yaoyao?” he called softly.
Song Yaoyao hesitated as he stared at his hand for a good while. Hearing Xie Ningwan call him, he tentatively extended a finger and poked Xie Ningwan’s hand back once more.
It wasn’t the illusory touch from before; he had really touched it.
Song Yaoyao’s eyes widened.
Xie Ningwan lowered his gaze, his line of sight also falling on the spot where the man and ghost made contact on the back of his hand.
The sensation transmitted from there was slightly cool, yet different from the previous breeze-like coolness—it had substance.
Song Yaoyao slowly pressed his palm against Xie Ningwan’s and gently stroked it.
The driver was still waiting outside. Xie Ningwan gripped Song Yaoyao’s hand in return and first took him to the car together.
Song Yaoyao was still dazed by his sudden ability to touch Xie Ningwan directly, while Xie Ningwan pondered silently.
The “hand” of the other person in his grasp felt indescribable—no skin, no warmth, like holding a clump of air.
After getting in the car, Xie Ningwan continued holding Song Yaoyao’s hand without letting go. Song Yaoyao extended his free other hand and wiggled it. It was still transparent, but when he tried touching the car wall and seat, he found it completely different from the previous sensation of passing through.
He had really gotten stronger!
Song Yaoyao quickly shifted from dazed to ecstatic.
He turned to look at Xie Ningwan’s profile, withdrew the hand held by Xie Ningwan, and carefully touched Xie Ningwan’s arm.
Xie Ningwan didn’t move, letting Song Yaoyao do as he pleased.
Song Yaoyao touched left, right, here, there, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Xie Ningwan sat upright in his seat. At first, he allowed the little ghost to grope around on him randomly, but later, seeing that he showed no signs of stopping and even wanted to overstep bounds, he raised a brow.
The driver in the front seat drove straight ahead without glancing sideways, focused on the road and adhering strictly to his professional demeanor, not daring to look casually at the boss in the back.
Even so, with only the two of them as “people” in the car on the surface, Xie Ningwan found it inconvenient to scold the extra little ghost aloud—that would seem like a genuine supernatural event to the driver.
Xie Ningwan tapped his fingers on the leather seat beside him. Just as that mischievous little ghost’s hand started sliding from his neck toward his face, he raised his hand and caught it.
He gripped the unruly hand and pinched its palm with a bit of force.
The little ghost settled down.
Song Yaoyao had been completely immersed in the joy of being closer to turning back into a human. Only when Xie Ningwan grabbed him did he suddenly think:
Now that he could touch Xie Ningwan, it would no longer be convenient to deliberately snuggle and bump against him from time to time like before—he would get caught immediately!
He would have to be even more careful from now on.
When they arrived at the company, Xie Ningwan had led Song Yaoyao along by the hand the whole way. His walking posture was natural, and no one could tell he was holding a little ghost.
Once inside the office, Xie Ningwan released him.
“What’s going on?” He was also concerned about the little ghost’s sudden change.
Song Yaoyao shook his head. Realizing Xie Ningwan couldn’t see him and there was no Little Bear Doll nearby, he spoke up again, his voice still innocently pure. “I don’t know either.”
He absolutely wouldn’t tell Xie Ningwan about how he secretly ambushed him every day, absorbing his fortune to grow stronger until he finally achieved his grand goal of returning to human form!
But he truly didn’t know why he had grown so much stronger all at once.
Considering that the little ghost usually acted clueless, and since he had already asked about it last time, Xie Ningwan figured he probably didn’t understand his own situation either. He didn’t pursue it further and pondered together with him.
A knock sounded at the office door. The assistant, as usual, brought coffee and the documents needing Xie Ningwan’s review, along with an extra glass of milk and a plate of desserts.
Over these many days, the assistant had perceptively taken to delivering an extra serving of milk and snacks to the president’s office every day.
After delivering the documents and coffee, the assistant turned and left. Xie Ningwan sat at his desk and quietly handled the files needing signatures. The coffee and milk were pushed to the opposite side of the desk, in front of the little ghost’s seat.
Song Yaoyao had already drunk milk at home that morning and didn’t feel like it now. He took a small sip and set it aside. From the thick stack of file folders on Xie Ningwan’s desk, he pulled out his study aids and workbook, placing them in front of him.
He felt he would soon turn back into a human, so he needed to review in advance.
Just as Song Yaoyao prepared to study seriously, the system that hadn’t appeared in days suddenly floated into his mind.
【Greetings. Upon inspection, the host’s soul power has fluctuated, with a significant energy increase.】 The little orb emanating a white glow said.
Song Yaoyao was thrilled and eager to tell it about his changes, but the system explained first.
【This is the effect of the host’s intimate contact with the protagonist. Congratulations.】
【It’s so effective,】 Song Yaoyao rejoiced. His daily routine lately had just been lying on Xie Ningwan. 【Does all that count as intimate contact?】
【No,】 The system recited in its calm mechanical tone the words it had told Song Yaoyao at their first meeting. 【Intimate contact refers to kissing, bodily fluid exchange, oral…】
Song Yaoyao couldn’t help feeling embarrassed listening to it and asked blankly, 【But I didn’t do any of that.】
【You did.】
The system orb rotated for a moment and pulled up a scene from last night’s charity gala.
Song Yaoyao recalled based on the segment playing in his mind and paused, remembering.
Yesterday at the gala, he had wanted to taste the champagne. When Xie Ningwan was about to drink, he had leaned in… and it seemed their mouths had brushed just a little.
At the time, his mind had been full of that sparkling pretty champagne, and later he had been drawn to the dessert table and those two villain baddies Xie Ming and Xie Ninghong, selectively ignoring that slight touch.
Now that the system mentioned it, he remembered anew, and the tips of his ears turned red.
【As you see,】 the system continued, 【As informed previously, kissing, bodily fluid exchange, oral… intimate contact is the most effective way to absorb fortune.】
Song Yaoyao pursed his lips, his face flushing red.
System: 【Believe you are now feeling the effects. Please keep it up. We wish you success in completing your goal soon.】
…
Just a light brush that didn’t even count as a real kiss had let him absorb so much power. Then…
Song Yaoyao buried his head, occasionally flipping a page in his book along with the sound of Xie Ningwan turning documents, pretending to study seriously.
What if he really kissed him?
Though Song Yaoyao had grown quite bold now, almost doing whatever he wanted in front of Xie Ningwan—riding on his neck, lying on his head—actually imagining doing those things with Xie Ningwan still made him shy.
Song Yaoyao’s books and notebooks took up more than half of Xie Ningwan’s desk.
He looked up from his book, staring at Xie Ningwan’s jawline, inwardly weighing and fretting. The signing pen left a small ink blot on the paper.
·
That evening, Xie Ningwan had to attend a business dinner with a partner’s CEO.
Before changing clothes and heading out, Xie Ningwan said to Song Yaoyao, “Tonight’s business talk will be boring. You stay home.”
“Okay.” Song Yaoyao nodded obediently.
In truth, he hadn’t wanted to go today anyway. He needed to stay home and think carefully about his next moves.
