Good Night, Mr. Ghost - Chapter 16
Mr. Ghost held him close and said, “It’s all in the past now, but Chenyi, do you really not hate him?”
Jiang covered his eyes with the back of his hand and whispered, “I hate him so much. I wish he could pay with his life for my parents. But… he has a family too, and they begged me to forgive him. So I said, let it be. I heard he got two years, with probation. I didn’t really care.”
His parents were gone.
Should another family be torn apart because of it?
“It’s okay now. I’ll be with you from now on,” Mr. Ghost gently comforted Jiang.
Jiang’s tears had already soaked his hand. He turned around, hugged the young man, and wiped his tears on the other’s clothes, saying, “Hmph, they wanted to see me get married and have kids. Well, I won’t! I’ve found a guy now, that’ll show them!”
“Isn’t that a bit harsh? After all, they’re my in-laws.”
“Hmph, already siding with them, you stinky man,” Jiang grumbled.
Meng Loudi couldn’t help but laugh, holding him in his arms. “So what do you want me to do? Isn’t a daughter-in-law supposed to be filial to her parents?”
Amused by the term “daughter-in-law,” Jiang smiled and snuggled against Mr. Ghost, “Alright then, if you ever see them, let me know.”
“Okay.”
“Loudi, can you be a messenger too?” Jiang suddenly realized.
If his parents appeared again, Loudi could pass messages for them.
“Yes,” Mr. Ghost replied gently.
Jiang was delighted, hugging the man, and they shared a sweet moment together.
“Let’s play some games,” Jiang suggested.
They had been sweet for too long today, and while Jiang could continue, games were still a priority.
“Sure,” Mr. Ghost agreed, releasing him.
Jiang got up and asked, “Loudi, do you know how to use a phone? Do you need me to teach you?”
“No need, I’ve watched you long enough to learn.”
“Wait-have you been watching me all along?”
“Yes, because Chenyi is so adorable. I want to keep watching you, always,” Mr. Ghost said smoothly.
Thus, Jiang couldn’t criticize Mr. Ghost’s creepy behavior. Should he blame himself for being too cute?
Heh.
Jiang covered his mouth and said, “Mr. Ghost, please control your words and don’t flirt everywhere.”
Mr. Ghost held his wrist and squeezed it gently, “Do I need to restrain myself when flirting with my own love?”
“Love requires restraint too!” Jiang declared confidently.
Meng Loudi chuckled softly, “Love is greedy. I want more of Chenyi’s love.”
Jiang couldn’t handle it. This dog man was too much, always trying to flirt with him.
After all, he was a man with nearly a thousand years of experience.
Jiang was flustered.
Jiang Chenyi got up, his ears burning red, and sighed, “Anyway, my love is all yours. Let’s go, carry me in the game.”
“Alright,” Mr. Ghost replied with a smile.
In this round, Meng Loudi won completely.
Their gaming skills had already shown a significant gap.
Jiang Chenyi clung to his husband’s leg, eagerly watching him dominate the opponents.
“Ah, I died again,” Jiang whined, collapsing onto the bed.
Mr. Ghost, sitting at the computer desk, glanced at his man and said, “It’s okay, I’ll help you.”
“Okay, but why are you so good after just a month?” Jiang asked, sitting cross-legged at the bed’s edge, eyes fixed on Mr. Ghost.
Mr. Ghost chuckled, swiftly and accurately taking down enemies with headshots.
He remembered his beloved’s words.
Never abandon a game halfway.
Until victory was achieved.
Mr. Ghost removed his headphones and turned to Jiang Chenyi, “Perhaps it’s talent. I can quickly master many things.”
Jiang’s face was expressionless, and he grumbled, “Are you bragging?”
“Yes,” Mr. Ghost admitted without hesitation. He reached out, pinching the young man’s cheek, “I learn many things quickly.”
His words carried an ambiguous meaning, making Jiang suddenly uneasy.
Don’t ask why, it just felt ominous.
It seemed his ghostly husband had some scheme.
Meng Loudi, noticing his lover’s serious expression, subtly changed the subject, “Come on, let’s play another round. This time, I’ll protect you.”
“No, no, I’m not a little girl. I don’t need protection, just make sure we win first place!” Jiang snapped out of his deep thoughts and dove into the game.
The two of them indulged in gaming.
Then at ten, Mr. Ghost ended the last game and took Jiang to wash up.
Jiang Chenyi, after brushing his teeth, said, “I forgot, I should prepare a set of toiletries for you too.”
“No need to trouble yourself,” Meng Loudi, ever the considerate partner, didn’t want to burden Jiang.
“How is it trouble? It’s necessary. We can go to the nearby mall tomorrow. If you want to choose yourself, that’s fine too,” Jiang said, drying his face.
“Since you have a phone now, do you know how to use mobile payments?” Jiang asked.
Unsurprisingly, Mr. Ghost’s answer was, “Yes.”
“If you want to come with me to shop, that’s fine too,” Jiang smiled.
Jiang had a special enthusiasm for everything couples did together.
Mr. Ghost simply rinsed his mouth, then went to bed with the young man.
Jiang Chenyi, in shorts and a T-shirt, hugged Mr. Ghost’s waist and softly said, “My Mr. Ghost.”
“Yes?”
“I feel so happy.”
“So do I.”
They embraced each other and drifted into sleep.
In the middle of the night, the person on the bed moved, quietly getting up and walking to the living room.
In the moonlight, two shadows sat on the sofa, seemingly waiting for something.
Mr. Ghost didn’t turn on the lights. He approached the sofa and bowed, “Good evening, Father and Mother-in-law.”
The middle-aged man on the sofa glared, “Who’s your father-in-law and mother-in-law?! You’re old enough to be my ancestor!”
The gentle middle-aged woman patted his hand, scolding, “Old Jiang, what are you saying? This is who our Chenyi chose, our daughter-in-law.”
To be honest, Mrs. Jiang wasn’t sure if this thousand-year-old ghost was her daughter-in-law or something else.
After all, it seemed her silly son couldn’t handle him.
Meng Loudi remained patient, neither hurried nor annoyed, respectfully standing there.
Mrs. Jiang looked at him, sighed, and said, “It’s Jiang’s choice. Since he chose you, we can’t interfere. We just hope Mr. Meng treats him well. The child has suffered for so long, it’s good he finally has someone.”
Mr. Jiang snorted, rolling his eyes dramatically.
Even if it was his son’s choice, he saw this ghost as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, though his silly son hadn’t noticed!
Mrs. Jiang discreetly pinched her husband’s thigh.
Mr. Jiang gasped.
Meng Loudi, as if blind to their actions, said, “I will certainly treat Chenyi well. Chenyi is special.”
“That’s good, that’s good,” the woman said softly. “We’ll visit from time to time, hoping you two will last long.”
“You’re always welcome,” Meng Loudi bowed.
The two ghosts exchanged a glance and vanished into thin air.
Mr. Ghost smiled. Gaining the approval of Chenyi’s parents was wonderful.
Of course, he didn’t mind their occasional check-ins.
Meng Loudi leisurely returned to the bedroom, climbed into bed, and held Jiang, happily drifting to sleep.
One man and one ghost spent three sweet months together, and soon it was the New Year.
If not for Mr. Ghost occasionally doing things normal people couldn’t, Jiang might have forgotten his man was a ghost.
The two men weren’t too particular, only starting to put up couplets on New Year’s Eve.
Of course, with Meng Loudi, the ghost with cheats, they didn’t need to do it themselves. They just watched the couplets put themselves up.
They had also prepared the New Year’s goods.
Jiang Chenyi hadn’t celebrated the New Year properly for a long time. In the past few years, he just bought some frozen dumplings and cooked them.
This was his and Mr. Ghost’s first New Year’s Eve together, and it had to be special.
They made dumplings and prepared the New Year’s Eve dinner together.
Mr. Ghost and Jiang sat in the living room, making dumplings, laughing and joking. Of course, this mainly referred to Jiang.
Mr. Ghost remained gentle and elegant, fresh and handsome.
Suddenly, Mr. Ghost paused and looked at the young man with flour on his face, “Chenyi, your parents are here.”
Jiang: “Huh?!”
In Meng Loudi’s eyes, a couple emerged from the room with the memorial tablets, wearing bright red new clothes.
Those were the ones they had burned for Jiang’s parents a few days ago.
Jiang Chenyi was momentarily at a loss. He looked at Mr. Ghost and asked, “Where are they now?”
Right there, Mr. Ghost indicated the spot where the couple stood, gesturing for Jiang to look.
Jiang looked but saw nothing.
He felt a pang of disappointment.
Mrs. Jiang approached, looking at her son with a smile, “Silly boy, why that expression?”
Mr. Ghost said, “Chenyi, your mother asked why you have that expression.”
Jiang suddenly felt a lump in his throat, sniffed, and leaned closer to Meng Loudi, muttering, “What, should I greet you with a smile?”
Mrs. Jiang understood. Jiang still held some resentment towards them. Although it wasn’t their fault, Jiang Chenyi still blamed them.
Yes, Jiang was unreasonable like that.
Who wanted to reason with them?
It was all their fault!
Jiang’s parents approached, and Meng Loudi, holding Jiang, moved to the side, leaving space for the elders to sit.
Jiang clutched the man’s clothes, flour sticking to them, and awkwardly asked, “So, what else did they say? And can they hear me?”
“They can,” Meng Loudi patted his head, “I’ll tell you everything they say.”
“Silly boy,” Mr. Jiang shook his head, sighing.
It was their fault. They shouldn’t have left this silly boy alone.
But it was fate.
It had to be them.
Mrs. Jiang quickly said, “How have you been lately? We know, and we don’t mind, as long as you like it, Chenyi.”
Mr. Ghost, like a tape recorder, repeated the mother’s words.
Jiang: “I do like it. Loudi treats me very well.”
“That’s good. Live well with Loudi,” Mrs. Jiang said.
Mr. Jiang crossed his arms, snorting, “If he bullies you, tell us. Your old man may be a ghost, but dealing with a young man is easy.”
Meng Loudi couldn’t help but laugh.
Jiang rolled his eyes, just like his father, and said, “Loudi’s been around for hundreds of years. Who’s dealing with whom is uncertain.”
Mr. Jiang raised an eyebrow, “If he bullies you, I’ll deal with him. If he dares fight back, I’ll bring all your grandparents over. I don’t believe we can’t beat one person!”
Meng Loudi smiled harmlessly, “Rest assured, I’ll take good care of Chenyi.”
