Chapter 4: Double Crisis

The little girl freed the doll from its packaging box. She carefully felt the doll’s head, then hugged it tightly to her chest.

The woman pushed the door open and asked with a smile, “Do you like it?”

“I love it! Thank you, Mom!” The little girl ran forward, spreading her arms, and hugged the woman tightly.

Bandage Monster: …

He found no warmth at all in the scene. Tao Fangyi was still secretly observing Bandage Monster. Bandage Monster knew he should go along with Tao Fangyi’s expectations and at least pretend to like the child.

But he couldn’t do it.

Bandage Monster deeply despised younglings. He hated these half-finished products who were completely self-absorbed and had no sense of boundaries.

These little parasites exuded a sickening aura from head to toe, endlessly demanding tolerance, demanding affection—like humanoid monsters.

Bandage Monster crossed his arms and silently leaned against the wall, expressing his attitude through silence.

But he couldn’t stay in his little corner forever. The little girl carried Tao Fangyi off to eat. As soon as Tao Fangyi left the room, a tugging sensation pulled at Bandage Monster’s neck.

Bandage Monster: “?” No way!

He was forcibly dragged away from his spot against the wall.

Bandage Monster couldn’t take it anymore. He ran over to the child’s high chair, crouched down to meet Tao Fangyi’s eyes, and lowered his voice. “Take this thing off my neck!” It was practically a pet collar!

【Impossible.】 Tao Fangyi couldn’t speak or move, but he could transmit his voice straight into the other’s head. 【I can’t let you run around unchecked.】

Tao Fangyi was quite satisfied with this mission target. The child named Ren Xinxin was very well-behaved—anyone could see that from the way she thanked her mother after receiving the gift.

【You’re my assistant now,】 Tao Fangyi said.

“I could reveal myself to these humans right now and scare the piss out of them!” Bandage Monster just couldn’t take it anymore.

【No! We’re only collecting fear value, not making them live the rest of their lives in the shadows!】 Tao Fangyi warned sternly. 【If you show your true form, I’ll call my colleagues from the Combat Department!】

Bandage Monster clicked his tongue. “I just want to confirm one thing. We’re here to terrorize children, not to be nannies, right?!”

Tao Fangyi suddenly fell silent.

That silence filled Bandage Monster with despair.

Tao Fangyi: 【At least we don’t have to cook or clean the house.】

“AAAAAAAH!” Bandage Monster clutched his head and let out a wretched howl.

“Hm?!” The family of three eating dinner seemed to sense something. Goosebumps rose on their skin. All three looked up, exchanged glances, then each wore a confused expression.

Tao Fangyi felt his bracelet vibrate—he received 0.01 points of fear value.

【Don’t get so worked up! Your resentment is too powerful; it could be detected!】 Tao Fangyi was nervous. 【You could start by observing this lovely family.】

Bandage Monster looked at the family of three eating their meal.

The four-year-old had sauce smeared around her mouth. She handled her chopsticks fairly well, but she clearly couldn’t manage the problem of splattering broth.

As for the two adults,

they chewed with their mouths open, making loud smacking sounds, and slurped noisily while drinking soup.

“Yeah, lovely.” Bandage Monster’s tone turned calm. “Don’t you think their lip-smacking sounds like a clapper talk?” And that “clapper talk” seemed to be mocking his future.

Tao Fangyi fell silent again.

Bandage Monster couldn’t read any subtle expression on an abstract doll’s face. To him, the other just seemed to be in a daze.

【Something’s off.】 Tao Fangyi suddenly spoke.

“Thank goodness you finally realized the labels you slapped on them are wrong.” Bandage Monster’s tone carried a hint of sarcasm.

【After that brief moment of fear, why didn’t they say anything? Why are they just eating with their heads down?】 Tao Fangyi thought this was a very serious question.

Bandage Monster smacked his hand over his face.

【Normally, after exchanging glances, they’d ask each other, ‘What just happened?’ or ‘Did you feel that too?’ But they just lowered their heads and ate in silence.】

“They’re not silent—they’re eating pretty loudly,” Bandage Monster corrected Tao Fangyi.

【Their family must be facing some problems.】 Hopefully nothing that would affect this child’s life.

Bandage Monster said nothing. He found a spot to crouch by himself and started thinking about how to get rid of the collar around his neck.

Suddenly, Tao Fangyi said to him, 【They show no hostility toward each other, so their relationship is probably fine. That means for their family, this isn’t some fatal flaw.】

Bandage Monster: …

“You really are a gentle horror doll.” Bandage Monster enunciated every word, heavily stressing the word “horror” so Tao Fangyi wouldn’t miss the sarcasm.

Tao Fangyi caught it, of course, but some things, once acknowledged, lead to endless arguing. So he pretended not to understand and sincerely praised, 【You’re actually a very gentle fierce ghost too.】

Bandage Monster felt even worse. The feeling of punching cotton suffocated him.

【By the way, do you have a name?】 Tao Fangyi felt he couldn’t keep calling him “you”—it was disrespectful.

“What does a dead spirit need a name for?”

【Don’t you remember your name from when you were alive?】

“I only know I’m a dead spirit.”

【Then should I call you ‘Deceased’ from now on?】 That would be too weird.

“Whatever.”

【Then I’ll call you Little Wang? That sounds friendly.】 And the pronunciation is rather down-to-earth.

Bandage Monster: …

【But don’t you think the ‘Wang’ for death is unlucky? The ‘Wang’ with three horizontals and one vertical is mightier, more majestic, with the bearing of a king.】 Tao Fangyi still thought “Little King” was cuter. 【The full name could be Wang Qiang, because a king is always powerful.】

Bandage Monster: “Don’t make me drag you down with me.”

【Then what’s your full name?】 Tao Fangyi promptly abandoned the down-to-earth strategy.

“Isn’t one ‘Wang’ character enough? Why slap on so many? Hard to remember and hard to write.”

Just “Wang”?

【Sounds cool.】 Tao Fangyi praised. 【Very stylish.】

The bandage monster, who had now renamed himself Wang, didn’t protest with any more sarcasm. He was evidently satisfied with the compliment.

Tao Fangyi breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Communicating with older children was always more troublesome.

Tao Fangyi glanced at Wang’s silver hair and suddenly thought of his old friend’s child—the good little kid printed on the tag. 【I also have a junior with silver hair.】

Wang gave an “Oh.”

【That boy has a very gentle smile,】 Tao Fangyi continued.

That child was probably over a hundred years old too. Tao Fangyi had never met him, always busy with his own affairs most of the time.

Tao Fangyi planned to officially visit his old friend after becoming a permanent employee.

“Gentle?” Wang touched his own arm. “Tch.” He said nothing more, but his disdain had already overflowed.

Tao Fangyi: …

It seemed this topic couldn’t continue.

Tao Fangyi could only put aside Wang’s issues for the moment and observe his mission target’s parents.

But those two couldn’t discuss their problems right in front of the child.

What kind of big deal could it be?

Tao Fangyi wasn’t sure, and his mission target was currently immersed in the joy of her new toy.

After dinner, four-year-old Ren Xinxin placed Tao Fangyi on her bedside table. She earnestly took out drawing paper and carefully drew several circles on it. Those circles were plates, and only she knew what the food drawn on them was.

“You must be starving.” Ren Xinxin stroked the little toy’s head.

“She didn’t wash her hands before touching you! Her nail beds are all black!” Wang couldn’t stand such filthy hands touching a brand-new doll.

Luckily, Ren Xinxin was soon taken away by her mother for a bath.

“Thank you for caring about me.” Tao Fangyi touched his own head. He could speak now.

“I was not caring about you!!” Wang gritted his teeth to remind him. “I just can’t stand that kind of unsanitary behavior myself.”

“But thank you anyway.” Tao Fangyi scooted aside. “Want to have dinner together?”

Wang: ???

“Where’s the food?” Wang was baffled.

Tao Fangyi pointed with his round hand at the abstract child’s drawing in front of him.

Wang: “Are you messing with me?”

Tao Fangyi touched the uneven chopsticks on the paper with his round hand. Blue ripples spread across the paper, and the abstract chopsticks slowly detached from the sheet, transforming into slender bamboo chopsticks.

Tao Fangyi picked up a circle composed of red and black lines and extended it toward Wang. “Want a taste?”

Wang stared at the chopsticks for a moment. “Do I need to remind you? Those chopsticks have nothing on them.”

“They do. Give it a try.” Tao Fangyi pushed them further toward Wang.

Wang couldn’t frown, but the corners of his mouth turned down. He clearly suspected Tao Fangyi was messing with him.

But Tao Fangyi’s hand was still raised.

Wang slowly crouched down and opened his mouth. This time the triangular fangs inside didn’t wriggle like they were on treads.

He leaned close to the chopsticks in Tao Fangyi’s round hand, then bit down gently.

Crack—the sound of a crispy shell splitting.

Then a milky fragrance burst inside Wang’s mouth. “This is…”

“What is it?” Tao Fangyi asked.

“Fried cheese.” Wang distinctly felt the slight pull of melted cheese, yet he still saw nothing on the chopsticks.

Wang had no eyes. His vision wasn’t limited by physical structure, and he could control it at will. Right now, Tao Fangyi’s chopsticks were still empty, holding nothing at all.

“Oh! It really is something kids like to eat.” Tao Fangyi picked up a piece for himself and touched it to the spot where his mouth would be.

He didn’t even make a chewing motion.

“Not very good cheese,” Wang remarked.

“We can only taste the flavors this child has experienced.” Tao Fangyi didn’t care much for sweets, but he was glad to savor the child’s feelings. “A child’s imagination is a precious thing.”

“Who draws fried cheese with bright red and black lines?” Wang thought it was just a tangled mess of wires.

“Don’t be so hard on little children.” Tao Fangyi tasted every dish. They were all sweets.

He symbolically ate a couple of bites, then stopped. Then he heard the bathroom door open. Tao Fangyi returned the chopsticks to the paper, where they reverted into two blobs of color—one thin, one thick.

The little girl rushed back into the room and hugged Tao Fangyi tightly.

“Wonderful.” Wang curled his lip. “Her hair is still dripping. Now you’re dirty and wet again.”

The girl’s mother ran in and carried her out to dry her hair.

“I keep feeling like this child looks familiar.” Tao Fangyi looked toward the door.

“The kid is only four.”

“I mean her mother.” Tao Fangyi explained. “Her name is Yang Hongling; that name sounds familiar too.”

Wang shrugged. He’d never heard the name, anyway.

After drying her hair, the girl ran back in, hugged Tao Fangyi, and wanted to keep playing.

“Xinxin.” Yang Hongling suddenly spoke. She crouched down, her eyebrows slightly raised, trying to be as gentle as possible. Tao Fangyi couldn’t ignore the wrinkles on her face.

Holding the doll, Ren Xinxin’s eyes widened.

She still retained some features from her past life, like those big eyes and thick eyelashes.

Water buffaloes were originally very beautiful creatures.

“Do you remember Sister Yaoyao?” Yang Hongling asked softly.

Tao Fangyi froze, and then he finally remembered where the familiarity came from.

That was it! He did know Yang Hongling!

She was the mother of his previous mission target.

“Is it Sister Li Yao?” Ren Xinxin asked.

Just as expected.

Tao Fangyi’s focus was always more on the child; he didn’t need anything from the adults, so adults only served as background in his missions.

What’s more, humans aged far too quickly. Tao Fangyi often couldn’t keep up with their changes.

Li Yao was the reincarnation of a demon fox. Tao Fangyi had also appeared beside her when she was four.

She was a somewhat shy, very gentle girl.

Her family was harmonious… at least when Tao Fangyi carried out his mission.

Tao Fangyi had seen Yang Hongling when she was younger, back when she laughed more openly with few traces of time etched on her face. Back then, Yang Hongling had also been keeping watch over a four-year-old child.

The difference was that the child wasn’t this one, and the husband at her side was not this one either.

“Is Sister Yaoyao coming to stay with me?” Ren Xinxin was very excited. She clutched Tao Fangyi’s round hands, clearly holding a wonderful impression of that sister.

“Yes, Sister Yaoyao might live with us from now on.” Yang Hongling breathed a sigh of relief.

“When is she coming?!” Ren Xinxin’s eyes went wide and round, as if she wished she could see that half-sister from the very next second.

“Soon.” Yang Hongling reached out to stroke Ren Xinxin’s head. “Very soon.”

What on earth was going on? Did the relationship fall apart? Divorce? Li Yao was granted to her father?

But from what Yang Hongling meant, Li Yao would be living with them in the future.

【Oh my god. I feel like something terrible is going to happen.】 This was the first time Tao Fangyi had ever faced such a crisis.

“Yeah, something terrible.” Wang leaned against the window and looked down. The ghostly aura was growing thicker and thicker—so thick it was suffocating.

He had followed this prey here.

But this irritable fierce ghost hadn’t shown any intent to attack; it had gone into hiding.

Yet not long after Wang was bound, the ghost’s resentment could no longer be contained.

Was this fierce ghost hiding from him?

The bandages around Wang loosened slightly, floating around his head. Wang made direct contact with the other’s resentment—【Tao Fangyi…】

Hm?!

Wang wasn’t entirely sure. He looked back at the rag doll who was worrying with a grim face behind him. “What did you say your name was earlier?”

【My name is Tao Fangyi.】 Tao Fangyi took a moment to answer Wang’s question, then went back to worrying about the child.

Wang tried again to sense the fierce ghost’s resentment.

——【Tao Fangyi, you traitor!!】

Wang folded his arms across his chest, his posture much more relaxed. “Ha. Now this is getting interesting.”