Qu Yanning thought for a moment, then followed the sound while holding the cat.
Retracing his steps and turning a corner, he saw a little girl with pigtails by the flowerbed, wiping away tears as she cried.
“Hey there,” Qu Yanning squatted down about a meter away, softening his voice as much as he could. “Where are your mom and dad?”
The little girl wiped her tears and sobbed, “Mommy and Daddy don’t want Qiaoqiao anymore.”
Qu Yanning moved a bit closer and said gently, “That can’t be right. Did you get separated from them?”
Qiaoqiao suddenly burst into fresh tears at the thought. “A big monster tried to eat Qiaoqiao. I looked for Mommy and Daddy, but they ignored me.”
Qu Yanning reached out to pat her head.
Anyone who brought a child here to play probably wasn’t going to abandon them on purpose— it was likely she just got lost.
He tried to take her hand and said, “How about I help you find them?”
Qiaoqiao nodded, her eyes still red.
“Do you know where your parents live?” Qu Yanning asked.
Qiaoqiao nodded confidently, puffing out her little chest. “I know!”
But Qu Yanning had clearly overestimated a child’s sense of direction.
Qiaoqiao looked to be about six or seven years old, and though she spoke clearly, she sat on Qu Yanning’s arm staring blankly at a row of nearly identical hotel apartments.
Her chubby little finger wavered back and forth before she pointed uncertainly. “That one!”
Qu Yanning nodded and carried her in that direction.
People passed by occasionally, casting him strange glances.
Xie Qi swished his tail and jumped from Qu Yanning’s shoulder into the little girl’s arms, lying across Qu Yanning’s arm with her.
Qiaoqiao trembled a little, clearly afraid of him. Xie Qi gave her a warning glance, and Qiaoqiao pouted, inching carefully closer to Qu Yanning.
The elevator stopped on the ninth floor. Qu Yanning stepped out, still carrying her.
The hallway was empty and all the doors were tightly shut. He asked, “Do you know which room it is?”
Qiaoqiao stared around for a long moment, then shook her head. “They’re not here.”
Qu Yanning frowned, realizing the child probably only had a vague memory of the place.
He thought for a second and figured it was best to ask the hotel staff for help. Her parents must be worried sick.
Carrying Qiaoqiao downstairs, he headed straight to the hotel’s service center.
As they passed by the beach area, Qiaoqiao clutched his shirt tightly, her eyes red again as she shrank back in fear.
“There’s a big monster over there. Let’s not go that way,” she said between sobs, wiping her eyes.
Qu Yanning gently wiped her tears away and rocked his arm a bit, coaxing her, “If we get the hotel staff to help, we’ll find your mom and dad faster.”
Qiaoqiao wrapped her arms around his neck, tears still streaming down her face, but said nothing— just nestled even deeper into his arms.
Xie Qi flicked his tail in annoyance, leapt lightly to the ground, and looked up at Qu Yanning with a meow.
Then he stretched out a paw and pointed in a direction, meowing again.
“You want me to follow you?” Qu Yanning asked, unsure.
Xie Qi nodded solemnly, tail held high, and took the lead.
To avoid crowds, he picked a small path through the garden.
Fortunately, it was already evening. Most tourists were either at the beach, having barbecue, or at the bar, so the hotel area wasn’t very crowded.
Man and cat made it to the lobby and waited for the elevator without running into anyone.
Qu Yanning pressed the button for the ninth floor.
As the elevator rose, a flush of color appeared on Qiaoqiao’s pale face.
She lit up and said to Qu Yanning, “It’s here, it’s here! Mommy and Daddy are here!”
Qu Yanning patted her head and shifted her to his other arm. “You’ll be home soon.”
Xie Qi sat crouched by his feet.
As soon as the elevator stopped, he stepped out, swishing his tail as he walked, then turned in a small circle before stopping in front of Room 906. He let out a soft meow.
“This the place?” Qu Yanning asked.
Qiaoqiao nodded eagerly, ready to be put down.
Her chubby little face still streaked with tears now lit up with a big smile.
Qu Yanning set her down and raised his hand to knock on the door.
After a few knocks, the door finally opened. A woman in her thirties answered. From her clothes and appearance, she looked fairly well off.
“Can I help you?” Her eyes were a little red, but she still gave Qu Yanning a polite smile.
Qiaoqiao beside him chirped sweetly, “Mommy!”
“I found Qiaoqiao in the garden and brought her back,” Qu Yanning said, gesturing to the little girl. The woman followed his hand with her eyes— but saw nothing.
Her expression immediately turned suspicious. She looked at him warily. “How do you know our Qiaoqiao’s name?”
Qu Yanning froze. He glanced at the little girl beside him, then back at the guarded woman. His expression went stiff.
“Thank you, big brother,” Qiaoqiao gave his hand a playful shake, flashing him a bright smile, then happily ran into the apartment.
Qu Yanning stood there in stunned silence, locking eyes with the woman.
At that moment, he realized he’d stumbled into something supernatural again. He silently tried to figure out how to make a quick exit.
Before he could think of anything, a voice of surprise came from inside the apartment: “Honey! Qiaoqiao’s awake! Come quick!”
The little girl’s sweet voice also came from inside: “Mommy!”
The woman rushed back inside without even closing the door behind her.
Qu Yanning: “…”
He peeked into the apartment, but the entryway blocked the view. He bent down to scoop up the cat and scurried away like a thief.
Inside the hotel room, the adults were laughing and crying as they embraced their waking daughter.
They had only gone for a short walk by the beach, and when they came back, their daughter had a sudden high fever and fell unconscious.
Thankfully, she had finally woken up. The woman smothered her rosy-cheeked daughter with kisses.
Still a bit groggy from just waking up, Qiaoqiao asked her mother in a daze, “Where’s the big brother who brought me back?”
“Big brother?” The woman blinked. “What big brother?”
Qiaoqiao thought hard, her little head a mess of confusion.
She rubbed her eyes and said timidly, “There was a big monster at the beach. The brother brought me back.” But when they tried to ask more, she couldn’t explain anything clearly.
The woman suddenly thought of something and quickly went to the door. It was still open, but the young man at the threshold had already disappeared.
Downstairs, Qu Yanning hugged the cat and sneaked off. He looked up at the building and muttered to himself, “As long as she’s home, it’s fine.”
Xie Qi let out a soft meow and nuzzled into Qu Yanning’s neck.
His warm little body pressed close, driving away the chill clinging to Qu Yanning and smoothing out the goosebumps that had just risen.
Qu Yanning kissed the cat and said with a self-mocking smile, “Er Ye was right. I really am a ghost magnet.”
Ears tilted back, Xie Qi widened his eyes innocently and rubbed against Qu Yanning’s chest like he was acting cute.
The phone in Qu Yanning’s pocket suddenly started buzzing like crazy. Holding the cat in one arm, he freed a hand to answer.
It was Chu Zhou. He’d been out walking, and halfway through realized Qu Yanning had disappeared, so he called to check.
Qu Yanning hesitated for a moment, then said he’d run into a lost child by the road and took some time to bring her back.
On the other end, Chu Zhou told him to hurry back— they were going for barbecue later.
Qu Yanning agreed, hung up, and turned around to head back.
On the way, he bumped into someone familiar— Zhao Dongqi, who was carrying a surfboard toward the beach. Qu Yanning waved and asked, “Surfing this late?”
Zhao Dongqi smiled reflexively and started to say, “Wanna come?” but stopped mid-sentence, shot Qu Yanning a fierce glare, and bolted off with his surfboard.
Qu Yanning: “…?”
He gave the cat’s paw a gentle squeeze. “That guy’s big and strong, but throws mood swings like a teenage girl.”
Xie Qi pulled his paw back and swatted him, clearly not interested in commenting.
The barbecue spot was on another section of the beach, also run by the hotel.
A large area had been roped off, dotted with colorful umbrella-shaped thatched covers.
Strings of multi-colored bulbs hung overhead, blending into a bright wash of lights from afar.
In the center of the barbecue stalls was a stage, where girls in sizzling outfits were singing and dancing. The pounding music mixed with the crowd’s noise— it was lively and loud.
The barbecue was self-serve. A row of freezers lined the front; you picked what you wanted, paid, then found an open grass-roofed hut.
Under each one was a full set of grilling tools. With cold beer in hand and a sea breeze on your skin, the atmosphere was both relaxing and indulgent.
Since they’d already eaten dinner, neither of them had much appetite.
They grabbed a box of beer and a little seafood, then picked a spot near the water to sit on beach chairs and chat over drinks.
Qu Yanning cracked open a can of beer, took a sip, and closed his eyes in comfort as the icy drink slid down his throat into his stomach.
He let out a long, content sigh.
The scent of the beer wafted into the air.
Xie Qi twitched his nose and, curious, climbed up Qu Yanning’s arm to peer wide-eyed at the beer can in his hand.
Qu Yanning brought the can closer for him to sniff, then mischievously took another swig himself, tapping the cat on the forehead. “You’re not allowed to drink.”
Xie Qi flicked his hand away in annoyance.
Beer was new to him, and seeing the two of them enjoying it so much, he couldn’t help but get tempted.
But Qu Yanning wouldn’t let him have any.
He plopped the cat onto his lap, running a hand through the soft fur while clinking his beer can against Chu Zhou’s.
They exchanged a look, smiled, and drank.
After more than half a year of friendship, some words of thanks no longer needed to be said.
Xie Qi thought there was something different about Qu Yanning in this moment.
He crawled up his shirt and perched on his shoulder.
Every time Qu Yanning drank, he leaned over to take a sniff.
“You greedy little thing,” Qu Yanning tapped his nose, then dipped a finger in the beer and held it to Xie Qi’s lips. “Here, just a taste.”
Xie Qi tilted his head in hesitation, but in the end, curiosity won. He darted his tongue out and gave the damp fingertip a quick lick.
The beer was bitter at first, but carried a faint sweetness from the grains. Xie Qi shook his head—he wasn’t quite used to such a weird taste.
“Want more?” Qu Yanning took the chance to kiss him, then blew on a grilled oyster to cool it down and fed it to him.
Xie Qi enjoyed Qu Yanning’s attentive care, squinting his eyes in contentment as he ate, letting out a soft purring sound from his throat.
While the two of them cozied up together, Chu Zhou could only drink his beer alone.
Someone from a nearby table tried to strike up a conversation, but he just raised his glass, took a sip, and didn’t respond.
In this kind of relaxed setting, even zoning out was a pleasure.
The beach barbecue stayed lively until after one in the morning, and only then did it start to quiet down.
As the crowd thinned out, the sea breeze turned cold. C
hu Zhou shivered, hugging his arms, and the two of them finally got up and headed back, still feeling reluctant to leave.
Xie Qi was a little woozy as Qu Yanning carried him.
Earlier, while Qu Yanning wasn’t paying attention, he’d sneaked another half-can of beer.
Now the whole cat was slightly tipsy, flopping around limply in Qu Yanning’s arms.
Holding the cat with a sigh, Qu Yanning rubbed his fluffy round belly and muttered, “Greedy little thing.”
Back at the hotel, they each washed up quickly and went to bed.
In the middle of the night, Qu Yanning woke up needing to pee.
Still groggy, he stumbled to the bathroom— he’d had too much to drink, and now his bladder was full.
After relieving himself, he was just about to head back to bed when he suddenly heard a faint singing outside.
The voice was strange— not a song with lyrics, but a drifting, airy melody. His already foggy head felt even more muddled listening to it.
“Who the hell sings in the middle of the night…” Qu Yanning rubbed his temples and walked out to the balcony to check.
He looked around but didn’t see anyone on the neighboring balconies.
The cold sea breeze hit him, and he shivered, sobering up a little.
His gaze swept casually across the beach— then he froze. A vague human figure was walking straight into the sea.
“!!!”
Qu Yanning leaned over the railing, eyes wide, making sure he wasn’t seeing things.
He swore under his breath, then ran to Chu Zhou’s door and pounded on it. “Someone’s jumping into the sea— I’m going down to check! Call for help!”
Chu Zhou was half-asleep and confused for a few seconds before it hit him.
He shot up and rushed to throw on some clothes, scrambling to call the front desk.
Back in the hotel room, Xie Qi was snoring softly in his sleep, turned over and completely passed out under the effects of alcohol, sleeping soundly and sweetly.
Qu Yanning sprinted to the beach as fast as he could.
The waves were rough and the wind strong. The figure was already far out— seawater had risen past their chest.
“Hey!” Qu Yanning shouted at the top of his lungs, telling them to get back to shore, trying to stop them from doing anything stupid.
But the person didn’t respond at all, just kept drifting deeper with the waves.
Qu Yanning looked back toward the beach.
No one had arrived yet. Gritting his teeth, he yanked off his shirt and charged into the water.
The sea was freezing, and he shivered hard.
But he pushed through, quickly reaching the figure and grabbing their arm, trying to drag them back. “Whatever it is, we can talk about it! Don’t do something like this!”
The person didn’t move at all.
A chill ran down Qu Yanning’s spine. His gut told him— he might’ve run into another ghost.
The arm he held was ice-cold, and he couldn’t tell if it was from soaking too long or something else entirely.