The next day, Xie Ningwan went to the company again. Song Yaoyao, deprived of his human meal ticket to leech fortune from, stealthily took stock of the little things he had stolen from Xie Ningwan, then quietly put them back and swapped them for some that Xie Ningwan had used most recently.
After doing all this, Song Yaoyao lay on the sofa again and watched cartoons, waiting for Xie Ningwan to return.
Everything was as usual.
There were also some things that were not as usual.
While Xie Ningwan worked at the company, the computer screen displayed the surveillance feed from home, showing a little ghost watching TV.
His assistant brought in the files that needed handling that day. Xie Ningwan lowered his head and focused on his work, occasionally glancing up at the surveillance footage.
From the living room view, the indentation on the sofa had disappeared. Xie Ningwan switched cameras and spotted his wardrobe door open again in the bedroom feed—right there.
He leaned back in his office chair and handed the signed documents to his assistant, his gaze still fixed on the computer screen, observing what the little ghost would do next.
Then he saw the little ghost stealthily touch each of his suits and shirts one by one. Finally, it seemed to select the one it liked most, pulled it out, and draped it over itself just like before.
That was not all. He even saw the little ghost tug open his underwear drawer and hesitate in front of the compartments for a moment.
Xie Ningwan: “?”
President Xie’s expression changed unpredictably in an instant.
He suddenly remembered that the little ghost had seemed to try peeking on him while he showered the night before.
The assistant took the files and noticed Xie Ningwan’s odd expression. Thinking he had made a mistake at work, he cautiously probed: “President Xie?”
The little shadow seemed to struggle for a moment but ultimately took nothing and closed the drawer.
Xie Ningwan snapped back to attention and withdrew his gaze: “…It’s nothing.”
…
That evening, Xie Ningwan returned home. He naturally shrugged off his suit jacket, draping it over his arm to reveal the shirt and vest underneath, then loosened his tie.
As usual, the first thing Xie Ningwan did upon returning home was head upstairs to shower.
He walked steadily through the living room with a composed demeanor. When he passed the TV, he suddenly paused and stopped.
The little ghost, following closely behind him, was caught off guard by his abrupt halt and bumped straight into his back.
Song Yaoyao collided with Xie Ningwan’s body and instinctively raised a hand to rub his forehead. But first, he saw Xie Ningwan, who had stopped by the TV, suddenly reach out and touch the back of the television.
Song Yaoyao: “…!?”
He floated beside Xie Ningwan, staring in slight daze as Xie Ningwan felt the warmth of the TV.
A moment later, Xie Ningwan withdrew his hand.
Song Yaoyao’s eyes widened in shock and suspicion as he stared at Xie Ningwan, holding his breath in concentration. Yet Xie Ningwan showed no further reaction and simply headed upstairs.
This left a stunned Song Yaoyao behind: “?”
What was going on? Had Xie Ningwan already suspected something? Or was it just because he had seen the TV turn on by itself that morning, so he casually checked it?
Paranoid, Song Yaoyao chased after Xie Ningwan, trailing behind him before darting in front to scrutinize his expression closely.
Still, he found no clues.
Everything Xie Ningwan did next was the same as always. After showering, he went to the study to work, with no further unusual behavior.
The only minor anomaly was that before entering the shower today, Xie Ningwan had pulled the shower curtain closed.
But that was a small thing and probably had nothing to do with him.
He was just scaring himself.
Song Yaoyao relaxed a little and let out a breath.
Ordinary people would not think a ghost had moved into their home. This world was not a supernatural one anyway, so it was unlikely Xie Ningwan would guess at his existence.
Besides, he was the ghost. Even if he were discovered, the one who should be afraid was Xie Ningwan, not him!
Song Yaoyao bolstered his own courage with a pep talk. While his morale was still up, he boldly stole Xie Ningwan’s signed fountain pen and hid it back in his room.
In the study, Xie Ningwan looked at his desk. The fountain pen he used most often had vanished.
He rubbed his fingers, recalling the warmth he had felt behind the TV earlier, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.
For several days in a row, Song Yaoyao worked diligently. Whenever Xie Ningwan was home, he stuck close to him. When Xie Ningwan was away, aside from watching cartoons and storybooks, he touched everything Xie Ningwan had come into contact with.
He believed he had done everything flawlessly, and Xie Ningwan showed no signs of noticing anything amiss.
Finally, his efforts paid off. One evening, Song Yaoyao kept his usual watch outside Xie Ningwan’s bathroom door when the System informed him that he could now follow Xie Ningwan out of the house.
Song Yaoyao’s eyes lit up.
Though he had diligently leeched fortune from Xie Ningwan during this time, Xie Ningwan spent most of the day at the company, so Song Yaoyao had limited opportunities. This would make things much more convenient.
The next day, when Xie Ningwan went to work, Song Yaoyao followed him out. He accompanied Xie Ningwan to the company to increase their time together.
“ Good morning, President Xie.” The assistant was already waiting at the door. When Xie Ningwan emerged, he opened the car door for him.
“Morning.” Xie Ningwan nodded.
“Morning.” Song Yaoyao followed closely behind Xie Ningwan and nodded as well, imitating him.
Xie Ningwan sat in the back seat. The assistant closed the door for him, and Song Yaoyao hurriedly squeezed in beside him, sitting shoulder to shoulder.
Considering his faint soul power, he inched even closer until his entire ghostly form was practically leaning against Xie Ningwan.
Once seated, Song Yaoyao curiously eyed Xie Ningwan’s assistant. He knew of this assistant—surname Lei—who often handled work matters for Xie Ningwan and had even been to their home. He was the first person Song Yaoyao had seen up close in this world besides Xie Ningwan since arriving.
The car set off toward the company. Song Yaoyao leaned across Xie Ningwan and pressed against the window on one side, gazing curiously at the world outside.
It had not been many days since he arrived in this world, but it felt like he had not left the house in a very, very long time.
Every building, bridge, shop, and pedestrian outside the window did not seem new to him but like old acquaintances he had not seen in ages.
The Xie Group building was not too far from their villa. Xie Ningwan got out at the entrance, and Song Yaoyao followed, sticking tight to him.
The company was bustling. It was morning rush hour, with many employees heading inside. They stopped to greet Xie Ningwan upon seeing him.
Xie Ningwan merely nodded slightly, his strides long.
Song Yaoyao struggled a bit to keep up and felt a little panicked amid the crowd. He hurriedly reached out and lightly grasped Xie Ningwan’s hand.
They took the executive elevator into Xie Ningwan’s private office, and Song Yaoyao kept holding his hand the whole way.
Once inside the office, Song Yaoyao let go, floated around Xie Ningwan’s office, and began poking and prodding here and there: “Wow.”
The office was very spacious, with an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows facing bookshelves. Besides Xie Ningwan’s desk, there was a guest sofa and tea table set, and a door in the adjacent wall led to what was probably a lounge.
Everything was neatly in its place, each item serving its purpose. There was not even a single photo on the desk.
“President Xie, these are the files that need your review today.” As soon as Xie Ningwan sat down, the assistant brought coffee and folders.
Xie Ningwan sat behind his desk and began handling his work.
Warm sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing Xie Ningwan in brightness.
After touring the office, Song Yaoyao sat in the chair opposite him and stared.
This was not the first time he had seen Xie Ningwan working, as he often did so at home. But it was his first time seeing him at the company.
A serious person was truly attractive, and Xie Ningwan was already very handsome to begin with.
A while later, Xie Ningwan went to a meeting. Song Yaoyao did not follow and chose to wait in the office.
He did somersaults on the office ceiling until he got dizzy and floated lightly down into Xie Ningwan’s chair, solemnly staring at the numerical documents on the computer screen like Xie Ningwan.
He recognized all the characters, but together they made no sense to him.
Bored, his gaze wandered until it landed on the coffee on the desk that Xie Ningwan had only sipped twice.
He leaned toward the coffee cup and tentatively took a sip of Xie Ningwan’s coffee, then smacked his lips.
So bitter…
Song Yaoyao stuck out his tongue, but opportunities to sneak food were rare. Despite the bitterness, he took another big gulp.
Delighted on his own, Song Yaoyao amused himself in the office for a good while. Suddenly, he heard sounds outside—Xie Ningwan was back.
Feeling lighthearted, he planned to circle around to the opposite side of the desk and return to his previous seat. But midway, he accidentally bumped into a folder placed at the edge of the desk.
Pa! With a crisp sound, the folder fell to the floor.
Xie Ningwan was at the door, listening to his secretary recap the meeting highlights, when he suddenly heard a noise from inside the office. He frowned and pushed the door open.
He saw the files he had approved that morning scattered on the ground. Now, those pages were floating up on their own and stacking neatly in midair.
Xie Ningwan: “…”
Had the little thing followed him out?
