a few days since Hua Yuan began living in the huge residence called Paradise Manor.

In these few days, Hua Yuan had already picked favorites.

There were four people that Hua Yuan saw the most in these few days.

Yin Yu, Xie Lian, Hua Cheng, and Xin.

Hua Yuan sees Yin Yu the least and he was Hua Yuan's favorite.

Hua Yuan sees Xin the most and she was Hua Yuan's least favorite.

Hua Yuan had taken a great liking to Yin Yu. Yin Yu was quiet but considerate. He doesn't talk much but was there to help Hua Yuan. Hua Yuan almost died when he tried to open a room that apparently he shouldn't try to open at the end of a hallway. Yin Yu was there to make sure Hua Yuan doesn't get lost (or killed) in the manor. It was almost like Yin Yu was always there, but within the shadows, only appearing when Hua Yuan called him or needed him.

One time, Yin Yu taught Hua Yuan how to fold paper cranes out of ghost paper.

Later, the ghost paper cranes turned into ghost paper cranes that can fly on their own and flew around Paradise Manor where they kept soaring and gliding through the air until Xie Lian found one of them being cooked in his soup. Then the cranes vanished and it'll be a while before Hua Yuan sees them again. Hua Yuan has been bugging Yin Yu to show him more tricks after that. Although, Yin Yu did not know himself, how the cranes turned alive. But it did remind him of something.

Hua Yuan found out later that Yin Yu was like him, being picked up by Hua Cheng while being homeless on the street. Although Yin Yu was much older than Hua Yuan when he was picked up and was only working as Hua Cheng's subordinate, one could say that it was Hua Cheng who took him in. Thus, Hua Yuan decided Yin Yu to change from Yin Yu Shushu to Yin Yu-ge.

Hua Yuan thought highly of Yin Yu.

Xin on the other hand, being Hua Yuan's least favorite, was getting on Hua Yuan's last nerve.

Xin was in the corner of his vision almost 24/7. There were those few instances where Hua Yuan saw, from the corner of his right, the cat sliding out of his vision.

For the most part, Xin stays solitary. The cat was like a semi-transparent watermark, but occasionally it suddenly changed its posture, sometimes the cat would have a bun in its mouth (eating) or a face mask on its face completed with cucumber slices (spa time). Sometimes Xin would be sleeping with a mask over her eyes. There were even those Zs signs and the snot bubble.

And once, Hua Yuan saw Xin kowtowing to two mini round cat statues that resembled awfully close to that of Lord Chengzhu and his husband. It even had the smug face and scimitar of Hua Cheng and Xie Lian's signature smile and his bamboo hat and white silk band. It was bad for Hua Yuan because he had to witness the cat's butt in the air from his viewpoint.

Now all this, Hua Yuan could tolerate.

What he couldn't tolerate was what was now known as The Great Cookie Incident.

But that's a story for another time. Maybe in another chapter. Xin already got enough screen time.

It had been about a week since Hua Yuan began living in the huge residence called Paradise Manor.

He had not stepped foot out of the Paradise Manor since day one.

He didn't really need to. Everything was provided for him in the manor, and Paradise Manor was huge enough that he hadn't been bored of exploring it yet.

But this particular day, as Hua Yuan was walking through a corridor covered with paintings of Never Ending flowers, he felt a bit dull. Perhaps the lack of access to the internet was finally getting to him.

He would like to go outside for some fresh air. But is the air really 'fresh' in this Ghost City?

Maybe Hua Yuan should find out.

Of course, Hua Yuan couldn't just walk out of Paradise Manor as he pleased. He had to ask the Great Ghost King, commonly known as Crimson Rain Sought Flower, the Great Lord Hua Chengzhu for permission to leave the residence first. (Yes, that was sarcasm.)

Hua Yuan turned around and started walking towards where Hua Cheng would be during this time of the day.

Now, if Hua Yuan was being honest, Hua Yuan thinks Hua Cheng and Xie Lian really didn't 'adopt' him. Yes, they did take him in, but there was a difference between being declared as the official son of the Ghost King, Hua Cheng, and the Martial Emperor, Xie Lian, and being "Oh, since you have nowhere to go, we'll let you have a place to live! With us! :D"

Hua Yuan was not thick-skinned enough to call Hua Cheng or Xie Lian what one will generally call their parents.

Respectfully, Hua Yuan called Xie Lian, Daozhang, and Hua Cheng, Chengzhu.

But to Hua Yuan, that does have a charm of its own.

And well, that was all.

Now, then how did Hua Yuan complete the mission? Technically, he wasn't officially adopted.

It was easy, Hua Yuan had found a loophole.

You see, the moment the system told Hua Yuan that he completed the mission was when Hua Yuan told Xie Lian that it wasn't Little Yuan, but Hua Yuan. Ha. Yeah, that's right, he stole Hua Cheng's surname and the system deemed it as a completion. So sue him.

Hua Yuan reached the main hall of Paradise Manor. There, in the center, was Hua Cheng, doodling on a parchment with a bored expression.

The Ghost King was slouching there, with an elbow propped on the table, his palm against his cheek. Hua Yuan could confirm he must be suffering from a lack of Xie Lian.

Was this really the guy who was feared by all of Heavens? Hua Yuan was almost skeptical. Almost.

Hua Cheng noticed Hua Yuan's presence too fast.

"You. Midget, get over here." Hua Cheng gestured to Hua Yuan to get over there with a finger.

Hua Yuan got over there.

"Good morning, Chengzhu," Hua Yuan said, smiling, mentally balling up a fist. Who is he calling midget? Five years olds are supposed to be small. Why, he bet the man was even smaller when he was five.

"It's the afternoon."

"..."

"Good afternoon, Chengzhu," Hua Yuan said, smiling pleasantly. How was he supposed to know? Ghost City had the night sky 24/7.

"You can stop faking that smile right now," Hua Cheng said. "What do you want?"

"Hua Yuan has no idea what Chengzhu is talking about, Hua Yuan is smiling because he's happy to see Chengzhu," Hua Yuan said, smiling through his teeth.

"Oh, is that it?" Hua Cheng asked, amused. "What are you doing here then?"

Um. You are the one who called me over. "Hua Yuan just wants to ask Chengzhu for a favor," Hua Yuan said.

"How cute, what could a five-year-old ask me? Do you want a little doll to sleep with at night?"

"No!" Hua Yuan practically screamed at Hua Cheng's face.

"..." both were taken aback.

"What Hua Yuan means is..." Hua Yuan was now crying on the inside, "Hua Yuan doesn't want a doll."

"Oh? Then what does Hua Yuan want?" Hua Cheng reached out a hand and pinched Hua Yuan's cheek. "What does he want then?"

Hua Cheng thought this was quite entertaining. It was much more fun teasing this little kid than it is to practice calligraphy.

Then Hua Cheng watched as the kid's face went dark. The kid slowly raised a hand to cover the little pink mark on their cheek. Then two lines of tears silently run down their face.

"Why are you crying." Hua Cheng barked out.

"Be-b-because you're being mean to me-?" Hua Yuan said almost like a question. At first, he planned to cry to earn pity points and also because that pinch does hurt. But now he just stared at the Ghost King, with a hand on his cheek, mouth opened, almost forgetting to continue crying. He trembled like a leaf.

"Just because I'm being mean to you?" Hua Cheng slammed a hand at the table. He pointed at Hua Yuan and growled, "Do you always cry when someone's being mean to you? Brat, the world is cruel, if you cry at everything you would not survive. You have to crush everyone to make sure nobody would ever look down on you. You have to make them quack in fear at the sound of your very name. Never shut your eyes when in fear. Open them wide and stare down at that fear until it starts fearing you. Here's a life lesson for you; trust nobody." Hua Cheng picked a brush and crushed it into fine dust with one hand. The Ghost King scowled at Hua Yuan.

At that, Hua Yuan started bawling. What a psycho! What a scum! What a two-faced fox!!! Acting all sweet and innocent in front of Gege and then bullying a five-year-old into tears behind Gege's back!! Truly the man that can make the heavens tremble in fear at the sound of his very name!!! DOES HE HAVE NO SHAME?!

"I- I just want to go outside-!!" Hua Yuan sobbed loudly.

"Go ahead."

"Why won't you let me- huh??" Hua Yuan stopped crying. A look of bewilderment passed his tear-stained face.

"..."

Hua Cheng had resumed his earlier posture, sitting there with an elbow propped on the table, his palm against his cheek, doodling at the parchment with a bored expression.

Hua Yuan hiccuped.

Hua Cheng looked up. "What are you still doing here? Go go, you are interrupting my calligraphy practice." Hua Cheng shooed Hua Yuan away with his hand as if he was a pesky fly.

But Hua Yuan remained rooted at the spot.

"Well?" Hua Cheng said annoyed.

In a small voice, Hua Yuan said, "But I need some money."

Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow. "What do you want me to do about it?"

In an even tiny voice, balling up his fists on both sides of his body, Hua Yuan said, "Can I have an allowance."

"Hm, what was that?" Hua Cheng asked. "I didn't hear you."

Hua Yuan repeated, hands clenching, "Can I have an allowance."

"What was that?" Hua Cheng asked. "Speak louder, nobody can hear you."

Hua Yuan knew very well that Hua Cheng had heard him the first time. Hua Yuan lost it.

"CAN I PLEASE HAVE SOME MONEY?!"

"Ah, why didn't you say so in the first place," Hua Cheng drawled lazily. He tossed Hua Yuan a pouch. "Here. Try not to spend it all in one place. And try not to get killed."

"..." Hua Yuan grasped the money pouch in one fist and hurried out of the main hall as fast as his little legs could take him.

Hua Cheng let out a chuckle as he watched the kid go.

Then he narrowed his eye. "Yin Yu," he said.

。。。

。。。

。。。

Hua Yuan reached the main door of Paradise Manor. He slowed down and stopped. He checked the money pouch. It was very heavy and he couldn't put it past Hua Cheng to have put rocks in there than actual money.

He looked inside.

Hua Yuan was almost blinded by the flashes of gold and the sparkling silvers. There was even ghost money.

"..."

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Word Count: 2151