“The essence of duality, the fire of yang in the heart—”
Shi Pengpeng pressed a finger to Hui Xi’s forehead, dispersing the lingering resentment of the vengeful spirit attached to the dead bones.
Hui Xi felt the faint chill on her body dissipate, the ghostly presence that had haunted her finally vanishing completely.
Overwhelmed with joy, she covered her face with her hands, tears streaming down.
“It’s gone, wuwu, it’s really gone…”
Shi Pengpeng felt a mix of emotions, unsure what to say.
She silently patted Hui Xi’s shoulder, waiting for her to calm down before taking her to meet the case supervisor.
The supervisor was overjoyed to hear Hui Xi was willing to testify.
As Yu Tian’s rising star, she knew many of their secrets, and her testimony would undoubtedly make the investigation much easier.
Hui Xi also pointed out which other influencers had been coerced by Yu Tian, suggesting they would likely testify if their safety could be guaranteed.
Upon hearing this, the supervisor quickly arranged for more practitioners to assist in resolving the issues affecting those influencers.
The chaotic night quietly passed, and Yan Jing drove Shi Pengpeng back to the city.
The moon had sunk low in the west, a faint glow of dawn appearing on the horizon.
Despite not sleeping all night, Shi Pengpeng felt no drowsiness.
Sitting in the passenger seat, fragments of the night’s events kept flashing through her mind.
Suddenly, Yan Jing called out, “Pengpeng.”
Shi Pengpeng snapped back to attention.
“Hmm?”
Yan Jing kept his hands on the wheel, eyes fixed ahead, his tone casual.
“About what happened at the banquet… I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have acted like that in public without your permission…”
“Oh, it’s fine,” Shi Pengpeng waved it off breezily.
“You were just influenced by that resentment…”
Yan Jing shook his head and replied: “No, I wasn’t.”
Shi Pengpeng: “…Eh?”
Yan Jing’s expression remained calm, but his knuckles whitened slightly on the wheel, betraying a hint of tension.
After a pause, he continued softly, “Those were my true feelings.”
Shi Pengpeng: ?
Shi Pengpeng: !!!
The unexpected confession left her momentarily stunned.
“Pengpeng, I’ve been wanting to find the right moment, the right place, and the right way to confess to you. But seeing…”
He trailed off.
But Shi Pengpeng understood his unspoken words—he’d seen her flirting with that guy for perks…
Shi Pengpeng: =_=
“It was because I already had selfish thoughts that the resentment could influence me,” Yan Jing admitted.
There had been many of Yu Tian’s influencers at the event, many carrying enchanted dark charms, yet none of those chaotic energies had affected Yan Jing.
Due to his past with the Unwithering Bones, Yan Jing was always cautious in public.
Moreover, with his protective artifacts and cultivation, Hui Xi’s vengeful spirit shouldn’t have been able to infiltrate his mind.
But in that moment, his possessiveness toward Shi Pengpeng had overridden his rationality, allowing the spirit to slip through unnoticed.
Some of those inappropriate actions might have been influenced, but the emotions behind them were undeniably real.
“I know this confession is too hasty, but since I’ve already said it, I won’t take those words back. More importantly, I don’t want you to misunderstand-to think those words were influenced by external factors…”
Yan Jing spoke each word deliberately, with utmost seriousness, “Pengpeng, I’ve liked you for a long time. I want to be with you.”
Shi Pengpeng was completely stunned.
It wasn’t that she had never considered the possibility of Yan Jing pursuing her, but hearing him confess so earnestly, word by word, still left her reeling.
Her hands unconsciously gripped the seatbelt, her heart pounding wildly.
She regretted not taking Xiao Pan’s advice earlier to properly think this through.
Staying silent for too long would be rude, but in her daze, Shi Pengpeng blurted out, “You’ve liked me for a long time? How come I never noticed…”
Yan Jing: “…”
The moment the words left her mouth, Shi Pengpeng regretted them.
She forced a dry laugh and quickly tried to backtrack, “I didn’t mean it like that I’m just a little surprised…”
“It’s my fault.” Yan Jing let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
“I didn’t make it obvious before. I wasn’t good enough to you…”
“That’s not true,” Shi Pengpeng said, suddenly feeling awkward.
“You’ve always been good to me.”
Looking back, even though they often bickered and teased each other and she used to scare him with ghost stories he had always taken care of her.
Like that night years ago when she went to hunt the “Big Ghost.”
Despite his fear of the supernatural, Yan Jing had still rushed to the desolate outskirts in the dead of night, worried for her safety.
…Even though he later stubbornly claimed he hadn’t gone for her just sleepwalking past by coincidence.
After reuniting in Xiluo, he had always been generous toward her.
Whenever trouble arose, he never said much, but behind the scenes, he quietly did so much for her.
It didn’t take much effort for Shi Pengpeng to recall all the little moments they had shared.
Before, she had simply felt at ease around him.
Sure, he was stubborn, his temper sharp, and his words could be as hard as stone.
Sure, they constantly ribbed each other but wasn’t that just a kind of comfortable familiarity?
Shi Pengpeng knew she wouldn’t interact with other men the same way.
Maybe Yan Jing had always held a special place in her heart.
But… dating Yan Jing?
Shi Pengpeng stole a glance at him.
His profile was striking sharp brows, a straight nose, a jawline that could make anyone’s heart skip a beat.
If they hadn’t met so early, making her immune to his looks, she might’ve lost her composure long ago.
Come to think of it, he had a great physique too.
Her gaze drifted down to his arms.
Yan Jing had shed his suit jacket from the banquet, leaving only a dress shirt that faintly outlined the contours of his muscles.
Unbidden, she remembered the time on Xiangshi Mountain when she was too exhausted to walk, and he had carried her on his back.
Sigh.
If she had known she’d one day consider dating him, she should’ve taken the chance to feel him up back then-just for research purposes…
Her thoughts spiraled one moment recalling Yan Jing appearing with a flashlight at the Zhao family gravesite, luring away the paper effigies for her.
Recalling how Yan Jing drank the blood of the deceitful beast and stubbornly insisted she wasn’t cute, Shi Pengpeng suddenly remembered how he had pinned her against the wall and kissed her in the hallway earlier…
Pinned against the wall and kissed…
The thought struck Shi Pengpeng like a bolt of lightning.
The immediate priority was to uninstall that audiobook app in her hands!
However, Yan Jing had said he wasn’t entirely influenced by possessive thoughts-that was his genuine feeling…
Her heart felt as if being gently caressed by a soft feather, tender yet stirring an itch that made her restless.
Moved by the moment, Shi Pengpeng unconsciously blurted out, “Bro…”
At the same time, Yan Jing spoke, “Pengpeng.”
Shi Pengpeng paused: “…?”
“There’s no need to answer me right now,” Yan Jing said.
“It’s my fault for not planning this better and making it so rushed. Take your time to think it over. You can answer me whenever you’re ready.”
Shi Pengpeng hadn’t expected him to say that, and a complex feeling welled up inside her.
In her memory, he always carried himself with noble elegance in front of others, but with her, he was endlessly patient.
A slow smile curved her lips as she teased him deliberately, “What if I say no?”
Yan Jing’s face lit up with joy at her words.
“You said ‘what if,’ which means you think there’s a 99.99% chance you’ll say yes! Right?”
“…?”
Is this how CEOs focus on key points?
Just as she was speechless, Yan Jing continued lightly, “Even if that 0.01% happens, I’ll just keep pursuing you. It’s not that troublesome. After all, I’ve liked you for so long anyway.”
His tone was casual, as if discussing the most ordinary matter, yet Shi Pengpeng could hear the unwavering determination unique to him.
She smiled and said: “Alright, I’ll think about it seriously.”
The incident at the Cat’s Paw Night quickly trended on social media.
The downfall of Yu Tian Culture, the industry’s largest MCN company, sent shockwaves through the entire sector.
Especially shocking was how Xu Qin, the top star who had basked in applause and admiration on the red carpet just the day before, had become a wanted criminal overnight, leaving everyone stunned.
The authorities naturally didn’t disclose the truth about his possession and skin-changing, only announcing his pursuit for involvement in transnational money laundering.
Netizens lamented:
[Such a beauty, yet laundering money!]
[How could such a male bodhisattva go astray?]
[Sigh, I knew something was off when he suddenly changed his image all that fake righteousness was just a cover for dirty money.]
[Pfft, he was just acting proper for the cameras. I heard he was letting people touch his abs at Cat’s Paw Night!]
[Question: Now that he’s a fugitive, if I accidentally tear his clothes while capturing him and touch his abs, does that count as self-defense?]
A day later, Shi Pengpeng and Yan Jing returned to Yuan Yi Temple.
To discuss matters privately, Xiao Lingshu had hung up a “Closed” sign, leaving the temple empty of tourists.
As soon as Shi Pengpeng and Yan Jing entered the gate, they heard a clamor in the courtyard.
When they went over to look, they were met with quite a sight:
The yard was filled with swirling dust as a lion-dog, a rabbit, and a wooden man chased and tussled with each other.
Xiao Lingshu stood by, enjoying the spectacle and egging them on, clapping and cheering:
“Go on, Nian! Show them your mighty tiger pounce!”
“Ohoho, that rabbit’s sneaky-just what you’d expect from a deceitful E-beast!”
“Come on, Woodie! Spin around and smack them with your arms!”
Encouraged by his words, the three monsters fought even more vigorously.
The Nian beast, being the strongest, gained the upper hand with a flying leap, nearly catching the E-beast in its jaws.
But the E-beast dodged nimbly behind the wooden man at the last moment.
Not slowing down, the Nian beast ended up biting the wooden man’s leg instead.
The wooden man didn’t feel pain, but the sudden tug made him trip and fall flat on his face, arms and legs splayed out.
As soon as he hit the ground, a small black bat shot out from under the eaves, flapping its wings furiously at the Nian beast’s face.
“Squeak―! Bad dog, bad dog! You sneaky bully, biting Woodie again! I told you not to do that!”
The Nian beast stood up on its hind legs indignantly, swiping its front paws at the bat: “Grrrowl!”
“Stop fighting, you two,” the wooden man said, getting up and dusting himself off before reaching out to separate them.
“Remember the temple rules-what if someone sees you?”
“Squeak! Fine, whatever you say.”
The bat reluctantly folded its wings and settled down.
The wooden man raised an arm, and the bat promptly hung upside-down from it.
Shi Pengpeng was both exasperated and amused, and a little surprised.
“Sister Liu and Woodie seem to get along really well?”
“Yep, they hit it off right away. Guess it’s fate,” Xiao Lingshu replied.
“Sister Liu’s been sleeping on Woodie’s arm these past couple of nights -saved me from making another nest.”
In the courtyard, the bat murmured gloomily, “Actually, vampires sleep in coffins…”
Xiao Lingshu didn’t bat an eye.
“Hahaha, Sister Liu, you’re joking! This is a proper Taoist temple-there’s no such thing as vampires here. You’re just a lucky little bat, that’s all.”