The sun had already set and the last ray of sunshine had fallen below the horizon. All around, the landscape had become dark. The halo from the street lamps and the energy-saving lights on snack stalls across from the school did nothing to dispel his fear.

The night made the presence of death stronger. Dusk blurred the features of pedestrians, making them nebulous and indistinct, and in such a sinister atmosphere, even living people with weak Yang energy looked somewhat like ghosts.

Lin Feiran piled the three plastic bags at his feet, squatted, and hugged his knees. He was so terrified that he looked like a little mushroom. He asked Gu Kaifeng urgently, “What are you doing? Are you busy?”

“No, I’m washing something and will be done soon.” The sound of water running from a faucet could be heard from the other side. “Baby, is there something wrong?”

Lin Feiran pursed his lips and looked between the iron rails of the school gate. Ghosts become active after sunset and he could see that the path from the gate to the dormitory was filled with ghosts. A group of ghosts with a rather large zone for movement flocked to the school gate, floating in and out from both the iron rails and the entrance in an unending stream.

After the sun went down, the frivolous ghosts came out to play!

Spending a long time in the graveyard every day made the ghosts foolish, so they spent the night having their fun. How leisurely.

Lin Feiran did not want to ask for a favor from Gu Kaifeng, so he braced himself and thought about rushing in. He stood up in a flash but when he saw the dense sea of ghosts, he hesitated for a moment and lost his courage. He squatted back down like a mushroom and pleaded in a panic, “Can you come pick me up at the school gate?”

Gu Kaifeng turned off the faucet after hearing this, leaving his half-washed things to soak in the basin. He wiped his wet right hand on his pants and asked while exiting the dormitory, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Feiran felt so helpless he wanted to cry, but he could only say, “Nothing’s wrong, can you just come and pick me up? Tomorrow I’ll treat you to milk tea.”

By this time, Gu Kaifeng had already made his way out of the building. His expensive sneakers barely made a sound when he leaped down the three steps out front. Gu Kaifeng ran towards the school gate, all the while taking pains to control his breathing as he asked, “There’s nothing wrong but you want me to pick you up? Are you flirting with your husband?”

Lin Feiran was brushed again by a careless passing ghost. The chill made him quiver. Full of resentment, he said, “I’m not!”

Gu Kaifeng took big strides towards the school gate. He pretended to be unhappy and said, “Oh, then I’m not going.”

Even though the sounds of him running and panting were rather well suppressed, if one were to listen carefully, they could still be heard. The problem was that Lin Feiran was terrified and cold, shivering from the ghosts that were continuously brushing past him; he could not listen intently to Gu Kaifeng.

Gu Kaifeng, who had already arrived at the school gate, said, “You didn’t say who you’re flirting with.”

Lin Feiran sniffled. He really did not want to make his way back to the dormitory alone. Bracing himself and wearing the face of one who is ready to die a martyr, he bravely roared, “I’m flirting with my husband! Was that ok? Are you satisfied? And you still haven’t picked me up yet!”

“Husband is arriving in a second. One... I’m here.” The voice from behind Lin Feiran synchronized with Gu Kaifeng’s voice over the phone. Immediately after, two fingers gently pinched the nape of Lin Feiran’s neck.

In the space of a moment, the season suddenly changed from early winter to midsummer. The cold and desolate evening wind and the Yin energy that gathered in graveyards all year round ceased to exist. The surrounding air was instantly soaked in the molten syrup of warm and sweet Yang energy. The Yang energy suffused through the environment and entered Lin Feiran’s body through his fingertips, dispelling his feelings of fear and helplessness. Lin Feiran squatted on the ground like a small mushroom as an indescribable feeling surged violently inside. When he turned around, he saw Gu Kaifeng standing behind him with his phone in hand, chest heaving. From a glance, it was evident he had run the whole way.

Seeing Lin Feiran looking at him, Gu Kaifeng put his phone and hands into his pant pockets. He tilted his head slightly and gave a devious smile. Deliberately playing it cool, he said, “So you really admitted it, you were flirting with your husband.”

Lin Feiran did not get angry or deny it; he just stood silently with his three bags in hand. He looked at Gu Kaifeng, his two eyes shining like two stars whose reflection shimmered in the water.

“Give them to me, I’ll carry them all.” Gu Kaifeng snatched the three bags from Lin Feiran’s hands and weighed them in his own. He said with a voice full of understanding, “You couldn’t carry them by yourself, could you?”

Lin Feiran whispered softly, “I can carry this much.”

In fact, he really really could carry them!

Gu Kaifeng knew that Lin Feiran was not the type to admit defeat, so he didn’t ask again. He stuck his face towards Lin Feiran, the corners of his lips raised happily, and said, “Husband has come to pick you up. Give me a reward.”

Lin Feiran’s heart jumped in his chest. He gently poked Gu Kaifeng’s handsome cheek with the pad of his finger then said, “The reward is over.”

“That was a bit half-hearted. Alright, I’ll collect it myself.” Gu Kaifeng craned his neck and gave Lin Feiran a quick peck on the cheek.

“Hey! You...” Lin Feiran covered his face and looked around in a panic. “What if somebody sees!”

“Is there anyone around?” Gu Kaifeng also looked about. There were actually some students in the distance who were returning just like them, but they were too far away to be able to see anything.

When Lin Feiran brought this up, Gu Kaifeng thought it was a good time to take advantage of the situation. Gu Kaifeng bent at the waist, stuck his head directly in front of Lin Feiran, and quickly kissed Lin Feiran’s soft and beautiful lips. Lin Feiran widened his eyes in surprise, but he was kissed again before he could protest. This kiss was even deeper, with Gu Kaifeng sucking on his lips before letting him go.

Lin Feiran was extremely embarrassed after having been caught off guard and suddenly kissed three times. When he recalled how the school’s gate was bustling with ghosts, he could not fathom just how many of them saw the scene just now. The extent of his shame instantly multiplied and his face was burning hot.

Gu Kaifeng became addicted to kissing and like a big dog who could hardly wait for his master to come home to shower him with love, he sneakily came closer for a fourth. Lin Feiran rushed to push away Gu Kaifeng’s doggy head and cursed in a hurry, “Don’t kiss so many times!”

Gu Kaifeng replied in a flirtatious tone, “Then I’ll only kiss a few times.”

Lin Feiran, who could not fight back and who had been fooled around with again: “......”

Gu Kaifeng felt he had taken every possible advantage and was very satisfied. He lowered his head to look inside the bags and asked with curiosity, “What are you buying these things for?”

Lin Feiran scratched the tip of his nose and looked away as he vaguely replied, “It’s for my grandpa... Tomb Sweeping Day isn’t for a while yet, but these things can be used when the time comes.”

“Tomb Sweeping Day?” Gu Kaifeng laughed, “Isn’t that still half a year away?”

Lin Feiran replied fiercely, “I’m buying them early to prepare, can’t I do that?”

“Of course you can, whatever RanRan says is right.” Gu Kaifeng peered into the bags again and spotted a fluffy white rabbit plushie. He said with amusement, “This is also for our grandpa?”

Lin Feiran: “......”

Gu Kaifeng praised, “Our grandpa really has quite the personality.”

Lin Feiran had to force himself to find an explanation. “Those are for my younger relatives. Can you stop looking?”

“Okay.” Gu Kaifeng very obediently straightened up immediately, raising his head to look ahead.

When they returned to their dorm room, Gu Kaifeng placed the three big bags on the ground, rolled up his sleeves, and returned to the water room to finish washing his things. Lin Feiran wandered around the building in search of a place in which he could make the offerings for the ghost in secrecy.

At last, Lin Feiran secured a utility room that held nothing of value; there was a dirty mop, a broom, some rags, and the like. The door was usually left unlocked, but it had a latch so it could be locked from the inside. It also had a small window so after the incense was burned, the smell could easily be dispersed. One could say it was the perfect place.

Lin Feiran looked left and right about the room and felt very satisfied. He went back to the dorm room, planning to grab the things he needed to make offerings to the ghost of the girl.

By the time Lin Feiran made it back, Gu Kaifeng had finished washing his clothes and was hanging them to dry in front of the window. He suddenly said, “RanRan, I found out that your socks actually don’t smell at all.”

Lin Feiran’s instinctive reaction was to raise his tail and he proudly said, “Of course. I’m very clean; even my sweat doesn’t smell. Even if I wear my socks for three days straight, they still won’t stink, unlike those...”

Halfway through his sentence, Lin Feiran suddenly turned to Gu Kaifeng with a frightening look on his face.

Gu Kaifeng looked at him with a smile and said, “Continue talking.”

Lin Feiran frantically grabbed at his hair. “How do you know that my socks don’t stink!?”

Gu Kaifeng calmly answered, “Because I helped you wash them.”

“You, you...” Lin Feiran pointed at Gu Kaifeng, “You didn’t just wash them! You definitely also...”

Lin Feiran was too embarrassed to say the rest, but Gu Kaifeng unabashedly nodded, “Yes, ah.”

Lin Feiran flopped onto his chair with a bang and rubbed his chest with his palm to console himself. He felt that he very desperately needed a quick-acting heart-saving pill!

“What’s wrong with your husband washing your socks?” Gu Kaifeng asked brazenly and without shame.

“The problem is that you also...” Lin Feiran blushed and could not speak any further.

Gu Kaifeng raised his eyebrow, “Also what?”

Lin Feiran was so angry that he simply ignored him. He took the things he needed to make offerings to the ghost and went out. Gu Kaifeng caught up to him with two strides and asked, “What are you going to do?”

Lin Feiran stared at Gu Kaifeng fiercely, gritted his teeth, and spat out, “I’m going to put a curse on your head!”