Yan Jing asked a few more questions to confirm that these two ghosts indeed didn’t know much about the inside story, then coldly spat out a word: “Scram.”
“Alright, alright, thank you, big brother, for sparing our lives.”
The two ghosts, terrified, scurried to a corner and gradually faded into the wall, disappearing.
From afar, their faint conversation could still be heard.
“Damn it, those marketing accounts lied to us again. Didn’t they say this ‘Unwithering Bone’ was afraid of ghosts and useless?”
“Wah wah wah, we’re so unlucky. Even after death, we’re still being scammed online!”
Only after their shadows completely vanished did Yan Jing finally let out a breath, relaxing his entire body.
He pulled his hand out of his pocket, palm open, revealing that the talisman he had been holding had turned into a pinch of paper ash.
As Shi Pengpeng had said, the talismans she drew now had slightly weaker spiritual power and durability compared to before.
However, Yan Jing had the Unwithering Bone, which was enough to deal with some minor ghosts.
Or rather, it wasn’t that he couldn’t handle those ghosts all along it was just that he couldn’t overcome the shadow in his heart.
As for now, well, the resentment of a heartbroken person was far heavier than any ghost.
Not to mention just two minor ghosts; even if a demon god resurrected and appeared before him, it would probably get punched twice.
Yan Jing returned home, opened his phone, and searched using the keywords provided by the two ghosts.
Sure enough, he found several videos related to the Unwithering Bone posted recently by bloggers in the metaphysics and paranormal niches.
Two of the videos directly marked the IP address of Luojiang Riverbank in the description.
Yan Jing’s eyes darkened.
Zhao Xiwen had once mentioned that the fact he possessed the Unwithering Bone was discovered by the National Preceptor, who was still at large.
The matter of Longevity Island was probably far from over.
He forwarded the videos to Wei Chi, asking him to trace the source with trusted technical experts.
No matter who leaked the information, daring to stir up trouble on his turf was clearly a deliberate provocation.
After sending the message, his thoughts drifted back to Shi Pengpeng.
Back then, he was tormented by the little witch, and now he was still being tormented by her.
The funny thing was, she never knew.
***
Shi Pengpeng returned to her rented apartment, holding the large bouquet of roses Yan Jing had given her.
As she fumbled for her keys to open the door, she happened to run into her landlady, who was visiting a neighbor.
The landlady exclaimed, “Oh my, such big flowers! They must be expensive. Did your boyfriend give them to you?”
Shi Pengpeng smiled.
“No, a good friend gave them to me.”
The landlady gave her a knowing look and chuckled.
“If a good friend gives you this, they probably want to be more than just good friends.”
Shi Pengpeng neither confirmed nor denied it.
“Haha, Auntie, you’re quite experienced, huh.”
“Of course! When I was young, I had many suitors,” the landlady said, glancing at the roses a few more times.
“This good friend of yours is quite generous, willing to spend money on you. If they’re not too ugly, you should consider it.”
Shi Pengpeng: “…”
At times like this, it was best to just smile.
“Alright, alright, thank you, Auntie,” Shi Pengpeng nodded obediently, smoothly slipping through the open door.
“Goodbye, Auntie.”
Once inside, Shi Pengpeng rummaged through her cabinets and found a vase she had bought during a group purchase with colleagues for fresh-cut flowers.
The bouquet of roses was so large that only about a third of it fit into the vase.
After some thought, she took out a small bucket she usually used for storing clothes and placed the rest of the roses in it.
Finally, she carried a bucket of flowers to the small balcony and placed it neatly, then set the vase by the window next to the bed.
The white roses framed within the window, reflecting the night scenery outside, looked as beautiful as a painting.
Shi Pengpeng propped her hands on the small table, gazing at the bouquet of roses, feeling a subtle and indescribable emotion.
Actually, the landlord’s words weren’t entirely unreasonable.
If someone else had sent her this bouquet of roses, Shi Pengpeng would definitely have thought they were pursuing her.
But Yan…
Probably not, right?
Leaving aside whether Yan Jing had any feelings for her, who in the world would pursue someone like this?
And with such a sarcastic tone?
Shi Pengpeng wasn’t inexperienced in being pursued, but she had never encountered this kind of approach before.
After all, Yan Jing was the CEO of Cat’s Paw.
Surely he wouldn’t act so abstractly?
Still, if someone else had sent her such a large bouquet of roses, she probably wouldn’t have accepted it either.
For some reason, Shi Pengpeng suddenly remembered Xiao Pan’s question, “If he were to seriously pursue you, would you accept him?”
It was hilarious.
Yan Jing had always been putting on an act in front of her, never really serious.
After thinking for a long time, Shi Pengpeng still couldn’t figure out what Yan Jing meant.
In the end, she concluded that he must be acting up again.
But the roses were indeed beautiful.
The more she looked at them, the more satisfied she felt.
She casually took a photo and posted it on her social media.
The next morning, Wei Chi walked into Yan Jing’s office as usual, ready to report on work.
The moment he saw Yan Jing’s expression, he was startled and asked, “Mr. Yan, you look so exhausted. Did you not sleep last night?”
“Hmm.” Yan Jing rubbed his temples wearily.
“I had some things to deal with yesterday and didn’t sleep well.”
In fact, it wasn’t just “not sleeping well” he hadn’t slept at all.
Wei Chi was surprised.
Yan Jing was known for his boundless energy, often staying up late for international meetings.
No matter how late he stayed up, he could always recover quickly the next day.
Seeing him so exhausted was truly rare.
Wei Chi didn’t dare to pry into his private matters, so he cautiously asked, “Should we proceed with today’s work as usual?”
“We’ll talk about it later.” Yan Jing waved his hand, signaling for him to leave.
“I’ll come back when you’re ready.” Wei Chi was about to leave when Yan Jing suddenly remembered something and said, “Wait.”
Wei Chi stopped in his tracks.
“Is there something else?”
Yan Jing tapped his fingers on the desk, as if bringing it up casually.
“I remember you once said you have a lot of experience in pursuing someone, right?”
Wei Chi was momentarily stunned before recalling that during the detour to pick up Shi Pengpeng for the Nian Guang filming site, he had casually mentioned it after being unable to stand his boss’s awkward attempts at pursuing her.
Wei Chi modestly replied, “I wouldn’t say I have a lot of experience, but I was fortunate enough to successfully pursue my current girlfriend, so I guess I’ve learned a thing or two.”
Yan Jing: “Then tell me about it. I’ll take some notes.”
Wei Chi: “Mr. Yan, are you planning to pursue someone?”
Yan Jing said nonchalantly, “Yes, I’m going to pursue Pengpeng.”
After a night of tossing and turning, he had finally come to terms with it.
The fact was that he liked Shi Pengpeng, and there was no way he could stop liking her now.
So, he might as well pursue her properly.
Even if that blind date had been a misunderstanding, he was determined to turn that misunderstanding into reality.
Hearing this, Wei Chi understood but pretended to be surprised.
“Oh, you like Miss Shi? That’s quite unexpected.”
Yan Jing glanced at him.
“Your acting skills are mediocre. You’re not cut out for sarcasm.”
Wei Chi rubbed his nose and chuckled awkwardly, “Not at all, I just thought what you said before was true.”
Yan Jing remained composed, smoothly shifting the topic, “Well, my taste wasn’t great back then. I didn’t realize Pengpeng was so adorable.”
Wei Chi smiled, “It’s not too late to realize it now.”
He then shared his experience of pursuing a girlfriend.
After listening for a while, Yan Jing furrowed his brows slightly and asked with some doubt, “Does this really work? It sounds quite formulaic.”
Wei Chi laughed, “The reason it’s a formula is because it works. Besides, chasing girls is like this. The method is secondary; the key is the other person’s thoughts.”
Yan Jing neither agreed nor disagreed, “I’ll think about it.”
Wei Chi smiled again and added, “Actually, there’s one trick I think is quite good, but it probably wouldn’t work on Miss Shi.”
Yan Jing: “Oh, what is it?”
Wei Chi gave a meaningful smile, “Watching horror movies together.”
Yan Jing: “Hmph, what a despicable man.”
Yan Jing waved his hand, “Alright, you can leave now.”
“Sure,” Wei Chi walked to the door, then suddenly thought of something and smiled, “By the way, the flowers Miss Shi posted on her WeChat Moments last night, were they from you?”
Yan Jing: “Huh?”
Last night, he had been too distracted to open Shi Pengpeng’s WeChat and had no idea she had posted anything.
Hearing this, he quickly opened WeChat and clicked on her profile from the top of his list:
AAA Local Specialty Retail and Wholesale: Drastically improving quality of life. [Photo]
The photo was of the roses he had sent.
Yan Jing was momentarily stunned, then a smile crept onto his lips.
Although the little witch was surprisingly dense, at least he had left a mark in her life.
What he needed to do now was to expand that mark until it invaded her heart.
Yan Jing liked the post and then sent Shi Pengpeng a message.
Yan Jing: [Little witch, wait for me after work. I’ll take you out for a feast.]
Half an hour later, she replied.
AAA Local Specialty Retail and Wholesale: [Bro, sorry, I’m on a field trip to Pinghe Village today and won’t be back until late. Black.jpg]
AAA Local Specialty Retail and Wholesale: [Next time for sure]
Yan Jing: “…”
In just a few months, Pinghe Village had undergone a dramatic transformation.
Everywhere you looked, the village was brimming with vitality.
Now, the bamboo crafts from Pinghe Village were undoubtedly the hottest products on Cat’s Paw, selling out instantly every time they were listed.
The village’s veteran craftsmen were overwhelmed, and many young people who had left for work saw the opportunity and returned to learn the craft.
They also introduced more products that catered to the tastes of younger generations, which were well-received online.
This craft, which had nearly been lost, was finally being passed down.
Moreover, thanks to the viral video by Xu Qiannian and Banzhuan, Pinghe Village had become a popular check-in spot.
Many people traveled here specifically to visit, boosting the local tourism economy.
It was said that funds had already been allocated to develop Pinghe Village into a model new rural area.
As soon as Shi Pengpeng entered the village, she saw several households renovating their houses.
Wen Miao told her these were being turned into guesthouses.
Along the road, besides the bamboo weaving households, there were many newly opened small shops, and the villagers’ smiles were noticeably brighter.
Shi Pengpeng’s visit this time was to sign a new contract with Pinghe Village.
The e-commerce company she co-founded with Tan Wei had already been registered, and all e-commerce operations would be transferred to the new company.
The products from Pinghe Village had a semi-public welfare nature, and while the profits weren’t particularly high, they held significant meaning for her.
Therefore, she still considered these products one of the company’s key projects.
Pinghe Village was also very grateful to Shi Pengpeng.
Although they no longer needed agents and had no shortage of companies eager to sell their products, the village still signed a priority clause with her, ensuring that their products would be supplied to her company first in the future.
Before signing the formal contract, Wen Miao, as usual, took Shi Pengpeng on a tour of the village to showcase the various new products recently developed.
As soon as the villagers saw Shi Pengpeng, they enthusiastically stuffed her hands with local specialties like dried bamboo shoots and cured meat.
The gifts were so abundant that Wen Miao even fetched a small cart to carry them all.
Shi Pengpeng was both amused and deeply moved, promptly taking a photo to commemorate the moment.
“AAA Local Specialty Retail & Wholesale: Gifts from the villagers. [Photo]”
Just after posting it on her social media, she received a like and a comment from Yan Jing.
Yan Jing: “Looks good, bring some back for me.”
“……?”
If she remembered correctly, he had previously claimed he was too busy with work to cook and had refused her offer to send these local specialties!
What a fickle man.
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