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Chapter Text

Sweat rolls off his forehead as he kicks the empty cardboard box aside.

Assembling his new couch wasn’t an easy job, but now that he’s done, he will cry if he sees the instruction book again.

“Look at you, the bird’s finally leaving the nest, huh?” Qiao Ling huffs as she moves a chair into the apartment.

“I had to, no one even bothers to go to a photo studio these days, my parents can't feed me for my whole life.” Cheng Xiao Shi replies, wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead. Moving boxes in the middle of August wasn't an easy job after all, maybe he should've hired someone to do it.

Oh, right, he's fresh out of college and broke.
Not that he couldn't ask his parents for money, but his ego is too big for him to do that.

“Guess you're not my landlady anymore.” He smirks playfully, sprawled on his newly built couch.

It’s probably just him, but this couch is the best thing to ever exist, especially when he assembled it himself.

“How did you afford rent for an apartment this nice anyway? You're dirt poor.” Qiao Ling brings up as she takes the trash outside.

Stepping into the doorframe, Qiao Ling inspects the apartment. It's pretty spacious for an apartment that costs 700 yuan per month, being in the city center with public transport nearby and all. It also looks like it has just been renovated, as if someone is really desperate to sell it.

“HAHAHAHA, you won't believe this, but apparently this house is haunted. Imagine letting THAT stop you from getting such a steal.” settling in his new bedroom without a bed( he will have to sleep on a lone mattress for a few months), Cheng Xiao Shi admires his new apartment.

“This doesn't even look haunted at all. Even if it is haunted, I'll charm the ghost with my sunny personality.”

“Yeah, right.” Qiao Ling says as she fumbles for a bottle of water, tossing one to Cheng Xiao Shi
“Where's the AC? I can't take this anymore,” she says, chugging her water.

“AC? We don't have that, but that's pretty much the only bad thing about this sweet apartment.”

Aside from being haunted

“Ill just tough it out with my favorite fans.”

“..Where are my fans?” Cheng Xiao Shi scans the room nervously, his expected circle of fans nowhere to be seen( imagine it as 6-7 fans forming a circle ).

“Uhhhhh, they shouuuuuld be in the truck.” The truck.

Qiao Ling looks down the window just in time to see the truck drive away.

“OH MY GOD. CALL THEM AND TELL THEM TO COME BACK.” Cheng XiaoShi shrieks, tugging at his hair as he watches the truck disappear.

Qiao Ling dials the company's number several times until the other end finally picks up. Cheng Xiao Shi nervously watches as his sister’s expression slowly drops.

“They said no. The boss’s mom was hospitalized, and he had to drive out of the province right now..” Qiao Ling felt like Cheng Xiao Shi’s face would be green right now if it wasn't for the heat shading his face red.

“Too bad, I guess. Here, you can have my fan, you can tough it out, girl, I believe in you!” She hands him an itty-bitty pink handheld fan that she brings with her.

“Wha- this fan isn't even strong enough to move a fly!” He complains.

“You're welcome! I'm gonna go now, I've got a girls' date with Xu Shan Shan!” Ignoring the ungrateful protests, she farewells as she steps out the door.

Qiao Ling feels someone tapping her shoulder as she leaves the apartment, a blue-looking man looks between her and the apartment.

“You just moved here?” he asks, talking as if he's about to deliver bad news

“Oh, no, it's my brother.”

“....Tell him good luck, he'll need it.” He mutters and walks away

“Hey! What is that supposed to mean?”

—---------------------------

The soggy instant noodle breaks in half under the pressure of Cheng Xiao Shi’s chopstick.

I shouldn't have cooked it for so long

He sure felt depressed, eating disgustingly soggy noodles in a humid, hot room with no AC in the middle of August. Gosh, did he miss the home-cooked meals his mom made. Maybe he could visit tomorrow. His parents have a lot of free time nowadays, buying the time studio from Mr. Qiao, they're basically retired, with just a few customers here and there.

“Mom, I think I want to move out after I graduate.” He brought it up during dinner one day.

“Hm, ok.” His mom mumbles through her food.

“..Are you guys not gonna beg me to stay or something?” Cheng Xiao Shi jokes

“No! We were just waiting for that day to come. I'm proud to see you become independent, son.” His dad replies, not catching the joke.

“Don't worry, Dad, I got a job as a photographer for a wedding company, I'm gonna climb the ranks, take over the company, and bring you guys loads of cash back one day!” He says cheerfully, voice muffled with the food in his mouth.

“Nah, your mom and I got enough money; the language school paid well.”

“Killjoy.”

Those were the good old days-

Tap. tap. tap.

As Cheng Xiao Shi immerses himself in his little flashback, he hears faint footsteps behind him.

Who's there?

Cheng XiaoShi turns his head around.

He scans the room. He sees the corners of the wall peeling off, he sees the gecko on the ceiling, he sees the ajar bedroom door, revealing a sliver of the darkness inside the room.

There's no one in the apartment but Cheng XiaoShi.
Assuming the gecko to be the noise maker, Cheng XiaoShi goes back to eating his dinner.

Jeez, the ghost stories are really fucking with my brain

Getting up and stretching himself, Cheng Xiao Shi heads to the showers.
He withdrew his feet from the tub as soon as he dipped his toes in the hot water.

What was I thinking? I don't need to be boiled, aside from being baked

The lights flickered as he waited for the water to cool, dimming and brightening in an irregular rhythm.

He pauses for one second. Then rolled his eyes and got in the tub.

Humming a lullaby his mom used to sing to him when he was little, Cheng Xiao Shi scrolls through his phone while showering( yes, he's using the phone over a tub of water ), and he's not planning on getting out of the bath for another 30 minutes.

It wasn't until the water started to warm up that he finally found the will to actually take a shower.
He feels heavy as he drags his wet body up from the tub, pressing on the bare tiles without a carpet.

Humming a song trending online, Cheng XiaoShi dries himself as he stares at his reflection in the mirror. Damp, long hair pokes out from all directions, strands resting on his shoulder.
without his iconic hair tie. He rubs a particularly long strand, turning around to see the back view of his hair

I should cut my hair soon. He thinks, cutting his hair will probably be harder without help from his parents—----- The lights go out completely, cutting off Cheng XiaoShi’s thoughts.

What the fuck.

An eerie vibe fills the room, the stare the faint silhouette of his reflection gives him resembling more of a glare, at least in his own imagination. He blindly puts on his clothes while he moves his hand across the bathroom counter, in hopes of finding his phone.

He turns on the flashlight of his phone as soon as he finds it on the edge of the sink, lighting up the small area around him. Ignoring the loud silence and his reflection, he stumbles out of his bathroom.

Slam!

The door lets out a large slam right after Cheng Xiao Shi leaves the bathroom.

Damn. Is the wind that strong here?

Wait, the window wasn't even open.

A chill went down his spine while he was looking at the door with a confused expression

He's right behind me, isn't he He makes a joke in his head, not expecting to actually find anything behind him.

Turning his head, Cheng Xiao Shi is met with a translucent silhouette of a young man; the luminescent glow of the ghost makes his presence apparent. His white bangs covering his eyes as he lowers his head, dressed in clothes quite up to date for a ghost. The ghost slowly looks up, reaching out his hand to Cheng Xiao Shi, who is frozen in fear at the moment. He screams as the ghost attempts to touch him.

—------------------------------------

3 doors to the left, the neighbor files his nails as he hears the scream.

“Another one?” His wife asks from the living room

“Yeah, poor guy.”

Chapter Text

Cheng Xiao Shi raises his arms in front of his head on instinct, trying to block the “attack” from the ghost. The ghost went through him, stumbling forward when he failed to touch Cheng Xiao Shi.

Shit. It felt nice.

An icy sensation rushes through Cheng Xiao Shi’s body. It felt like heaven for a guy who was baked alive for hours.

But that isn’t enough to convince Cheng XiaoShi that he will live. He squeezed his eyes closed and waited for his impending doom.

…….

He put down his arms and was immediately flashbanged

Is this the white light? He sighs, squinting his eyes to take a better look at his surroundings.

Oh. It was just the lights, they're back on.

“Huh.”

The ghost disappeared, along with all traces of the otherwise freaky experience Cheng Xiao Shi just experienced. He stands in place, heart still thumping, and scans the room for any sort of danger.

The same wall, the same chairs, the same gecko, the same couch.

Cold sweat runs down his temples as he takes a tentative step forward. Nothing happened.
He didn't get jumpscared and a game-over screen; he’s alive.

Realizing the fact that he’s probably not dying any time soon, he takes out his phone and goes straight to Qiao Ling's contacts

—------------------------------

11:34 pm

Cxs : wakeup
: wakeup wakeup wakeup wakeup

Ql : what.

Cxs : HE’S REAL

Ql : What's real

Cxs : the ghost

Ql : ….
: I'm trying to sleep here, buddy

Cxs: NOOOOOO IM NOT KIDDING
:LET ME STAY OVER PLEASEEEEEE

Ql : if your apartment’s too hot for you to fall asleep, just say so
: I’m drinking out with XuShanShan and DongYi, just come over if you have my keys

Cxs: i lost them

Ql : too bad then, tough it out, just dont get a heat stroke

Cxs : PLEASEEEE IM TELLING THE TRUTH HE TOUCHED ME

Ql : i bet you liked it
: freak

—---------------------------------

Cheng XiaoShi had no choice but to drag himself to his room after QiaoLing didn’t respond to his 30 messages. She’s probably having fun third wheeling DongYi and XuShanShan. They had actually asked him to come too, but tomorrow was his first day at work, and he didn’t want to come late.

12:35am

He can probably get a nice 7 hours of sleep if he goes to bed now.

—---------------------------------

Cheng XiaoShi shows up at his first wedding photoshoot, first hour, and he’s already feeling like shit. He stands there, looking completely out of scene with his eyebags and dark circles, clearly disheveled.

He adjusts his angle, pointing his camera at the bride and groom. The camera screen and the sun are absolutely burning his eyes right now.

“Please look over here. Tilt your head a bit to your right, that's right, look at the bride. Smileee!” He instructs, mustering the best cheery voice he can do right now.

The camera snaps, capturing the happy newlywed. He hopes he didn’t screw the pictures up; he wishes the couple would look back at the pictures years later and appreciate them. Cheng Xiao Shi zones out as the couple checks out the pictures.

He didn't get much sleep last night, sleeping with the lights on and blasting happy music( which made it even scarier ). Luckily, he didn't get his toes tickled by some ghost blaming him for stuff that happened a decade ago( although that would probably cool Cheng XiaoShi down, with him wrapping himself up with his blanket during summer ). Poor Cheng XiaoShi basically stayed up all night, too scared to actually fall asleep, but nothing happened the whole night.

Is the ghost still in my apartment? Is he gonna attack me?
He replays his interaction with the ghost in his head over and over again, trying to piece together something, literally anything, to explain what the fuck just happened last night.

Even if Cheng Xiao Shi only saw the ghost for a second before covering his eyes with his arms like a teenage girl watching a horror movie, he could recall that the ghost didn’t look scary if you really think about it.

Perhaps he isn't evil or crazy for revenge.
After all, all the ghost did was go through Cheng Xiao Shi.
The ghost might even be a nice addition to the house as AC if he isn't hostile.
Maybe he could even arrange something for that to happen..

Shit, I'm not possessed right now, am I?
That’s what usually happens when a literal ghost goes through your body.

“Hello?? Mr cheng??” The groom taps Cheng Xiao Shi on the shoulders repeatedly before the photographer has the chance to freak out at his own theory.

The groom and his family were kinda rude to Cheng XiaoShi the whole time, but he was too tired to notice anything at all.

“Oh- sorry, I was zoning out, haha.”

“Can you retake this photo? My wife’s makeup was smudged.”
Getting back to work, Cheng Xiao Shi buries all the questions he has in the back of his mind; it's not a problem if you don't think about it.

—-------------------------------------

The sky gets darker as Cheng Xiao Shi walks further away from the city center. Street vendors can be seen near the park and apartment complexes. A few sparrows are bundling around the area, eating the sweet potato scraps from the vendors.

He walks back home with the slowest pace he could manage, despite telling( gaslighting himself ) that he’s not scared of the ghost and that he could make the ghost into his new bestie, he still loathed the idea of going back there. He left the apartment as soon as he could, waiting at the wedding place before it even started.

His first job actually went pretty well overall; he got the job with the help of his college friend, whose uncle runs a wedding planning company. Maybe he can start his own business and charge more when he gains more experience, then he can stop living on scraps.

“Young man, you want me to read your palm? I'm sensing some negative energy on you.” A hoarse voice shakes Cheng XiaoShi out of his thoughts.

It was an old lady sitting on a tiny stool, obviously just another superstitious scam.

“No thanks, I gotta get home.” Not really. Cheng Xiao Shi replied and kept walking.

“Wait! I can read your face!” The old lady grabbed his wrist in an attempt to make him stay.

“No thanks.”

“Your fingerprints?”

“Is that even a thing?” Cheng Xiao Shi sighed, starting to get annoyed, “Look, auntie, I don't believe in fortune telling-”

“Wait! Wait! I can sense it! There's an evil spirit troubling you!” The old lady says, with her best spooky voice, like the type of voice adults use to scare children into going to bed early. A lightning strike on a mountain behind the lady. Chen Xiao Shi freezes.

Ok. what. It isn't even raining

“...Even if what you're saying is true, how is fortune-telling gonna help?” Cheng Xiao Shi chirps, if you pay attention, you would hear his voice slightly trembling.

The lady lets go of his hand and nonchalantly starts weaving her basket again, as if she wasn't the one desperate to do some business just now.

“Well, since you're not superstitious, I don't think I can help you,” the lady says

“W-”

“Except for an exorcism done by us, a humble family-run business, and since you're so young, I'll give you a discount, say 3000… yuan.” This time, the old lady really sensed something, something's up with the kid. A perfect opportunity to milk money from him.

“I didn't even say anything about you telling the truth! Plus, I can't afford an exorcism.”

“Well, your next best bet is to beg the spirit to become your ally. You can buy die xian* papers inside; if that doesn't work, try the western ouija board; it might be a foreign ghost. 20% off if you buy both.”

Cheng Xiao Shi raises his arms in front of his head on instinct, trying to block the “attack” from the ghost. The ghost went through him, stumbling forward when he failed to touch Cheng Xiao Shi.

Shit. It felt nice.

An icy sensation rushes through Cheng Xiao Shi’s body. It felt like heaven for a guy who was baked alive for hours.

But that isn’t enough to convince Cheng XiaoShi that he will live. He squeezed his eyes closed and waited for his impending doom.

…….

He put down his arms and was immediately flashbanged

Is this the white light? He sighs, squinting his eyes to take a better look at his surroundings.

Oh. It was just the lights, they're back on.

“Huh.”

The ghost disappeared, along with all traces of the otherwise freaky experience Cheng Xiao Shi just experienced. He stands in place, heart still thumping, and scans the room for any sort of danger.

The same wall, the same chairs, the same gecko, the same couch.

Cold sweat runs down his temples as he takes a tentative step forward. Nothing happened.
He didn't get jumpscared and a game-over screen; he’s alive.

Realizing the fact that he’s probably not dying any time soon, he takes out his phone and goes straight to Qiao Ling's contacts

—------------------------------

11:34 pm

Cxs : wakeup
: wakeup wakeup wakeup wakeup

Ql : what.

Cxs : HE’S REAL

Ql : What's real

Cxs : the ghost

Ql : ….
: I'm trying to sleep here, buddy

Cxs: NOOOOOO IM NOT KIDDING
:LET ME STAY OVER PLEASEEEEEE

Ql : if your apartment’s too hot for you to fall asleep, just say so
: I’m drinking out with XuShanShan and DongYi, just come over if you have my keys

Cxs: i lost them

Ql : too bad then, tough it out, just dont get a heat stroke

Cxs : PLEASEEEE IM TELLING THE TRUTH HE TOUCHED ME

Ql : i bet you liked it
: freak

—---------------------------------

Cheng XiaoShi had no choice but to drag himself to his room after QiaoLing didn’t respond to his 30 messages. She’s probably having fun third wheeling DongYi and XuShanShan. They had actually asked him to come too, but tomorrow was his first day at work, and he didn’t want to come late.

12:35am

He can probably get a nice 7 hours of sleep if he goes to bed now.

—---------------------------------

Cheng XiaoShi shows up at his first wedding photoshoot, first hour, and he’s already feeling like shit. He stands there, looking completely out of place with his eyebags and dark circles, clearly disheveled.

He adjusts his angle, pointing his camera at the bride and groom. The camera screen and the sun are absolutely burning his eyes right now.

“Please look over here. Tilt your head a bit to your right, that's right, look at the bride. Smileee!” He instructs, mustering the best cheery voice he can do right now.

The camera snaps, capturing the happy newlywed. He hopes he didn’t screw the pictures up; he wishes the couple would look back at the pictures years later and appreciate them. Cheng Xiao Shi zones out as the couple checks out the pictures.

He didn't get much sleep last night, sleeping with the lights on and blasting happy music( which made it even scarier ). Luckily, he didn't get his toes tickled by some ghost blaming him for stuff that happened a decade ago( although that would probably cool Cheng XiaoShi down, with him wrapping himself up with his blanket during summer ). Poor Cheng XiaoShi basically stayed up all night, too scared to actually fall asleep, but nothing happened the whole night.

Is the ghost still in my apartment? Is he gonna attack me?
He replays his interaction with the ghost in his head over and over again, trying to piece together something, literally anything, to explain what the fuck just happened last night.

Even if Cheng Xiao Shi only saw the ghost for a second before covering his eyes with his arms like a teenage girl watching a horror movie, he could recall that the ghost didn’t look scary if you really think about it.

Perhaps he isn't evil or crazy for revenge.
After all, all the ghost did was go through Cheng Xiao Shi.
The ghost might even be a nice addition to the house as AC if he isn't hostile.
Maybe he could even arrange something for that to happen..

Shit, I'm not possessed right now, am I?
That’s what usually happens when a literal ghost goes through your body.

“Hello?? Mr cheng??” The groom taps Cheng Xiao Shi on the shoulders repeatedly before the photographer has the chance to freak out at his own theory.

The groom and his family were kinda rude to Cheng XiaoShi the whole time, but he was too tired to notice anything at all.

“Oh- sorry, I was zoning out, haha.”

“Can you retake this photo? My wife’s makeup was smudged.”
Getting back to work, Cheng Xiao Shi buries all the questions he has in the back of his mind; it's not a problem if you don't think about it.

—-------------------------------------

The sky gets darker as Cheng Xiao Shi walks further away from the city center. Street vendors can be seen near the park and apartment complexes. A few sparrows are bundling around the area, eating the sweet potato scraps from the vendors.

He walks back home with the slowest pace he could manage, despite telling( gaslighting himself ) that he’s not scared of the ghost and that he could make the ghost into his new bestie, he still loathed the idea of going back there. He left the apartment as soon as he could, waiting at the wedding place before it even started.

His first job actually went pretty well overall; he got the job with the help of his college friend, whose uncle runs a wedding planning company. Maybe he can start his own business and charge more when he gains more experience, then he can stop living on scraps.

“Young man, you want me to read your palm? I'm sensing some negative energy on you.” A hoarse voice shakes Cheng XiaoShi out of his thoughts.

It was an old lady sitting on a tiny stool, obviously just another superstitious scam.

“No thanks, I gotta get home.” Not really. Cheng Xiao Shi replied and kept walking.

“Wait! I can read your face!” The old lady grabbed his wrist in an attempt to make him stay.

“No thanks.”

“Your fingerprints?”

“Is that even a thing?” Cheng Xiao Shi sighed, starting to get annoyed, “Look, auntie, I don't believe in fortune telling-”

“Wait! Wait! I can sense it! There's an evil spirit troubling you!” The old lady says, with her best spooky voice, like the type of voice adults use to scare children into going to bed early. A lightning strike on a mountain behind the lady. Chen Xiao Shi freezes.

Ok. what. It isn't even raining

“...Even if what you're saying is true, how is fortune-telling gonna help?” Cheng Xiao Shi chirps, if you pay attention, you would hear his voice slightly trembling.

The lady lets go of his hand and nonchalantly starts weaving her basket again, as if she wasn't the one desperate to do some business just now.

“Well, since you're not superstitious, I don't think I can help you,” the lady says

“W-”

“Except for an exorcism done by us, a humble family-run business, and since you're so young, I'll give you a discount, say 3000… yuan.” This time, the old lady really sensed something, something's up with the kid. A perfect opportunity to milk money from him.

“I didn't even say anything about you telling the truth! Plus, I can't afford an exorcism.”

“Well, your next best bet is to beg the spirit to become your ally. You can buy die xian* papers inside; if that doesn't work, try the western ouija board; it might be a foreign ghost. 20% off if you buy both.”

Cheng Xiao Shi wanted to attempt telling her that he isn't having paranormal troubles, but closed his mouth and walked into the store defeated.

“YOU SHOULD BUY MORE VERSIONS OF EACH! ONE VERSION MIGHT NOT WORK. 50% OFF IF YOU BUY 10-” the lady shouts from outside the store. Not that it was necessary, the store was relatively small, it was dimly lit, with joss paper bundled around the store, and incense around. It's a pretty traditional store, sticking out like a sore thumb compared to other stores in the street.

The area was pretty aesthetic and modern, being near the city centre and all. The restaurants and stores were built in a way to attract younger customers, but there are still a few aiming its business towards the locals.

He walks in.
In the very back of the store was the party games section.
Colorful board games stacked on top of each other, the cartoonish displays of ghosts and vampires stand out from the rest of the store.

“There's no way she actually expects me to talk to a spirit using party games,” Cheng Xiao Shi mumbles as he pays at the counter.

—-------------------------------------------------

“Are you there?” Hand on the plate, Cheng Xiao Shi asks his first question. He is sitting on his bed with only the nightlight on and some incense burning. He can feel chills down his spine even though he is still getting baked alive in his room.
He pales as he waits for a response, his head playing different scenarios where this little communication session goes wrong.

Silence.

Cheng XiaoShi can hear his own heartbeat. Maybe he’s scared.

—----------------
12 : 02 am
Cxs : You should come over right now

Ql : What, why? Did your house flood or something?

Cxs: No, I need to communicate with the ghost, but I can't play Die Xian alone
: Srsly
: Has anyone told you how kind you are?

Ql : dude, what?
You're talking to the die xian itself, not the “ghost”.
: plus I'm not coming over at 12:02
: if you're soooooooo scared of the “ghost” in your apartment, you can just come back to the photo studio

—-------------------

Ouija board it is.

After doing some actual research about Ouija boards, Cheng Xiao Shi placed his finger on the planchette and asked again.

“Hello? Mr.? Are you here?”

Still silence

“I'm not gonna exorcise you!”

Unless you want to kill me, of course.

“We can be friends, I'll burn you some money if you want.”
Maybe if he befriends the ghost, he won't attack him. Better to have another friend than an enemy. What's a better way to gain an ally than bribery?

….

Maybe I gotta speak English?

“Hello! How are you? ” Using his best English, Cheng Xiao Shi squeaks out the classic phrase.

“Me, you, frieendd.” Cheng Xiao Shi searches for a picture of a group of children holding hands and playing to emphasize his intentions.

….

The planchette moved, for a second. Just a tiny bit. But that's all the hope Cheng Xiao Shi needs. This is like making first contact with aliens.

Nothing more than a peaceful conversation.

“I'll burn money, you don’t kill me?” He points his finger between the ghost( or where he estimated the ghost would be right now) and him, then waves the joss paper around.
…..

“You can also help me cool down!”

Oh, maybe he didn't understand how to help Cheng Xiao Shi.

“Touch me?”

…..

i

!!! a response!

d

i

o

t

What does idiot mean again?

Jotting down the letters, Cheng Xiao Shi searches up the word

…

ouch. that hurt.

As he scrolled through the search engine, Cheng Xiao Shi turned his attention back to the planchette when he felt a comforting chill.

There is one translucent hand on top of Cheng Xiao Shi’s. His mouth hung open, and he felt as if his soul had left his body.

He looks up.

This time, he didn’t scream.

Chapter Text

He sits in the corner of the living room. Who is he? He can't remember anything. There are little pieces of memories in his mind, the only thing he gets are emotions. A mix of everything, really, but sadness in the end.

He used to have “roommates,” back when he had more self-awareness. There was a family, an inventor, a couple, and an old man with his dog. Neither of them stayed for long, but he was fine with that. He liked his peace and quiet; that's why he mostly came out at night, looking through the residents' stuff to entertain himself, until they eventually move away.

He lost the ability to see his roommates one day. Then the ability to think altogether. For a decade, he was living like a jellyfish. Just wandering without thoughts, every day.

His consciousness would strengthen occasionally, when a new set of furniture appeared in the house, and if he tried really hard, he could hear the faint voices of the roommates that he couldn't see.

His home used to be bigger; he has faint memories of it being torn down. After that, he was confined to a small room in the taller, bigger house.

He would entertain himself with the stuff inside his home. At those times, he could recall more bits and pieces of his past. But then, the only thing that keeps him sane(at least to some point ) stops appearing after a while. He spends his days sitting in one corner or looking out the window.

Until he showed up.

The man talks to himself as he moves his stuff around.

He hasn't seen another person for decades. He would interact with some animals when his home got torn down; a few dogs would come to him when he was watching the concrete grow taller and taller.

He followed the man around the house all day.

The man eventually leaves the living room and goes to the bathroom.
He waits outside the bathroom door, thinking for the first time in years.

Cheng XiaoShi

That was the first thing that popped into his mind when he saw the man. A name. He didn’t overthink it, at least not intentionally.

He realized that he can think better when he’s in the dark, particularly at night. The lights blink off as he falls into his thoughts.

"You mean... If we do this handshake, does it mean we're partners for life?"

Cheng XiaoShi walks out of the room, using the phone’s flashlight to light up the room.
He left the door open, an act that pisses the ghost off for some reason.

As an act of kindness, the ghost closes the door for him and follows the man, walking forward.

Cheng XiaoShi stopped, causing the ghost to phase past him. He turns around to look at him to check what's wrong.

The next thing he knows, they are making eye contact. he looked freaked out, just like his roommates in the past.

Is he gonna move out, too?

Without thinking, he reaches out to touch the man. He can't remember what happened after.

When he regained his consciousness, he saw Cheng XiaoShi talking.
He sits in the dim room, filled with the scent of incense and paper.

The gibberish that the man was spouting before is starting to make sense.

Is he talking to me?

————————-

The room is completely dark, with some light seeping through the hotel window; crickets can be heard chirping outside. Daytime is much longer in Yingdu; luckily, the weather was decent.

“Hello, how are you?” Cheng Xiao Shi says, in English.

Placing his finger beside Cheng Xiao Shi’s on the planchette, Lu Guang stares at the board with a blank expression. “... what are you even trying to achieve with this?”

Lu Guang pauses, a small smirk forming on his face.

“Well, how else are we supposed to entertain ourselves? The wifi here is horrible.” Cheng Xiao Shi says as if he is preaching a fact. “Oh my god, oh my god, look, it's moving.”

i d i o t

—————---------

Chapter Text

Hot damn.

Any fear that Cheng Xiao Shi had of the spirit was wiped away in an instant. How could he possibly be evil? That’s the most harmless face I’ve ever seen.
The ghost is looking at Cheng Xiao Shi like he's a child seeing something he's never seen before, inspecting his face.

What surprised Cheng Xiao Shi was that, aside from being really fine, the ghost was clearly Asian, instead of Caucasian, considering that he only responded to the Ouija board in English.

Someone didn't sleep through his English classes.

Wait, what do I do now?
Do I say hi? What language should I use? Should I ask for his name? His number? What number? He’s dead

“What’s your name?” still using English, Cheng Xiao Shi pieces the sentence together with the few English words he knows.

————

“...That was you, wasn't it?” Putting down his phone, Cheng Xiao Shi deadpans at Lu Guang.

“Maybe it is and maybe it isn't.”

“You can't just do that, that's disrespectful to the spirit in this room!”

“How do you know that there's a spirit in this room?”

“You know, Xu ShanShan told me, there's this hotel in Yingdu where a couple was killed, you know, we might be in this veeery hotel, in the same room.. They say that the hotel had put a bible in the drawer to hold off the spirit….” The light from the phone illuminating Cheng XiaoShi's face in the dark room, Cheng XiaoShi attempts to scare Lu Guang.

Rolling his eyes, Lu Guang removes his fingers from the planchette. With a click of the cord, the lamp lit up. Lu Guang opens the hotel drawer and takes out a bible.

“..Lu Guang?”

————-

lu4 guang4

Lu Guang spells out.

“That's uh.. A nice name.” Cheng XiaoShi says in his native tongue, he lets out a nervous chuckle.

The room falls into silence.

Well, this is awkward.
Maybe this would be easier if he weren't staring at me like I'm a deformed test subject.

“Do you mind if I take a picture?”

Silence

Damnit, how do I ask that in English?

n o

A single snap of the phone camera rings around the silent room. Cheng XiaoShi checks the photo, preparing to send it to his ignorant sister to prove that he isn't going crazy.

Nothing. Lu Guang is clearly seen in the picture.
Damn, he's photogenic.

Cheng XiaoShi looks up from his phone, ready to ask another question, only to be met with an empty room again. His photography subject is nowhere to be seen again; worse, the room starts to warm up once again with his disappearance.

—----------------

Cxs : im not crazy
: :attachment:

Ql : ????
: What? A wall and 2 cardboard boxes?
: nice room

Cxs : NO
: Can you not see him?

Ql : Who??? You're genuinely starting to creep me out.

—------------------

A bible, held in Lu Guang’s Hand.
The room is poorly lit with the yellow light from the lamp, the perfect setting and vibe to freak out right now.
Oh my god. We’re actually in the haunted room, we're all gonna die.

Lu Guang can read his thoughts just by looking at his face. He rolls his eyes and lightly smacks Cheng XiaoShi on the head.

“Most hotels put Bibles in every room drawer, silly.”

“Oh.”

Cheng XiaoShi gets up from the bed after receiving a small shove from his partner.
“Get up and go take a shower, we gotta sleep now.” He starts to push Cheng XiaoShi to the shower as he says that.

“Can I not? I'm not even that dirty-” Cheng XiaoShi protests, he just wants to go on his phone on the bed.

“No, that's disgusting, you can sleep on the other bed if that's what you want.”

“Fineee.” Cheng Xiao Shi replies after the bathroom door closes from the outside.

The lights in the bathroom aren't the strongest ones, illuminating the area poorly; they would occasionally dim for a second. Cheng XiaoShi slowly turns his attention to the mirror, an object that he sees daily but is now ten times creepier.

He cracks the bathroom door open and pokes his head out.
“Wanna join?”

“..Are you scared?”

“No.”

“Yea, right, I already showered, go tough it out yourself.”

“But you love me!”

“No.”

“Lies.”

—------------------

Cheng Xiao Shi wakes up, sweating from the heat.
What was he dreaming about again? He remembered it was something important, but he couldn't seem to remember.
Lu Guang.

He talked in his dream. Is that what his voice is like?

“Lu Guang?” Cheng XiaoShi called out, but he didn't get a response. Standing up and stepping out of his mattress, he looks around the house for any sign of the spirit. Brushing off his disappearance, Cheng XiaoShi starts to get ready for work. Aside from being the company's designated photographer, he had to help out at the office and edit photos daily. He occasionally glances to his side, hoping to catch a glimpse of a certain ghost.

The faint clicks of a mouse can be heard as Cheng Xiaoshi edits the newlyweds. The couple was smiling, sunlight casting over them like it was a paid actor. They looked beautiful.

I wonder if I would be the one getting my pictures taken one day.

With his thoughts drifting away from work, Cheng XiaoShi zones out once again. He recalls his interaction with Lu Guang.

Lu Guang

Pretty name, he thought. He minimizes the photo editing software and goes to the search engine instead.

Wait, which Lu is it and which Guang?*

“Hey, stop slacking.” Cheng XiaoShi jolts at the voice. The boss, Uncle Chen, a tiny 70-year-old man, is behind him. Despite his official title, the one who really runs the company is his son, but the old man just likes being in charge.

“Sorry! I was just trying to search for something about the editing software.” He lies.

“Oh, sorry, I thought you were slacking. We need those pictures by today.”

Cheng XiaoShi nods

“Don’t slack.”

“Ok.”

“I hate slackers.”

“Ok.”

Uncle Chen walks away with his hand behind his back, side-eyeing the other editors on his way. His son walks up to him and helps him walk.

“Dad, what did I tell you about leaving the employees alone? You're putting pressure on them.”

“This is my company! I'll do whatever I want to my employees!”

—----------------

Nothing.

Where is he?

There are only 2 rooms in Cheng XiaoShi’s apartment, the bedroom and the bathroom, aside from the living room. The living room is really spacious, making up for the lack of rooms. If this apartment weren't already occupied by a certain spirit, the rent would be much higher. It didn't take Cheng XiaoShi long to look around the whole apartment with all the rooms to come up with the conclusion that Lu Guang is either hiding from him, or he's gone.

Cheng XiaoShi walks back to his room, defeated. His parents bought him another bedframe after hearing about his pathetic living conditions from QiaoLing. It's probably arriving soon.

Where could he possibly go?

Cheng XiaoShi glances at his wall, which has metal bars on it and-

Wait, those aren't metal bars, they're sliding doors.
That's a closet.

Maybe he should get his clothes out of the cardboard boxes now; they have been pissing him off anyway.

Opening the closet, Cheng XiaoShi is met with a breeze of cool air.

“Lu Guang?” Sitting inside the closet, with his knees brought up to his chest and his arm wrapped around it, he looks like a robot that got turned off. He looks dead.

Cheng XiaoShi waves his hand in front of the ghost. He’s been bolder since Lu Guang had shown no signs of being hostile. The act didn't draw a reaction from Lu Guang, who is still sitting in the closet.

“Uhh, ok, I'm just gonna put down my clothes, if you don't mind?” Cheng XiaoShi turns around and goes to pick up his stuff.

“Cheng XiaoShi?..” A faint, soft voice rings behind him. Just like the one in his dreams.

Damn, when did my dreams become so accurate?

Chapter Text

Man in long black hair.

Cheng XiaoShi.

partner.

—------------------

“Wow, you can talk?”

Why didn’t he do that yesterday?

“Come on, let's get you out of there.”

Putting down the box, Cheng XiaoShi walks toward Lu Guang, making a motion of pulling him up from the closet. Lu Guang still stares.

Oh.

For a moment, he forgets that Lu Guang is a ghost.

But instead of air, Cheng XiaoShi’s hand comes in contact with an icy wrist. Registering the actual touch, Cheng XiaoShi’s eyes widen, and he looks up to find Lu Guang just as surprised as he is.

His hands go through the wrist a moment later, as if the touch never happened.

“Do you want to sit on the chair? Or my mattress, although it's not that much different from the floor..” Cheng XiaoShi rambles, yet the ghost still stares, no word coming out of his mouth.

“Please say something.” Cheng XiaoShi begs, the silence is bugging him out.

“Cheng XiaoShi.” The ghost says, in a muted voice. He looks at Cheng XiaoShi.
It was.. Quite endearing, actually. His heart skipped a beat.

“Yes, that's me! You must have heard it from Qiao Ling or something. Do you want something to do? I got some books and a Rubik's Cube if you're bored.” Cheng XiaoShi looks through his other box, trying to find the comic books crumbled at the bottom of his box.
“Do ghosts even get bored?”

…

Who’s Qiao Ling?

A thin stack of comic books was placed in front of Lu Guang, a small flop sounding from the impact…

—---------------------

Sunlight seeps through the window of the photo studio, creating the perfect environment for reading, with the lights naturally landing on the pages.

He flips the pages of his novel, the scent of paper comforting Lu Guang. It was a relaxing afternoon, with Cheng XiaoShi out for groceries, Lu Guang took the time to enjoy some peace and quiet. Although he did miss the chatter, he won't admit that. Lu Guang glances at the clock, 6:35. He should be back soon.

“Surprise!” The cheery voice came behind Lu Guang, just before he got his novel taken out of his hand from above. A familiar hand covers Lu Guang’s eyes as he leans back, trying to look at the obvious culprit.

“Guess whooo?” someone sings songs, trying to ragebait Lu Guang.

“Cheng XiaoShi, I know it's you. Give me my book back.” Lu Guang deadpans, unimpressed. Reaching out his hand for an attempt to grab his book from the teasing hand. He came in contact with something else instead.

A stack of magazines?

Is he trying to ask me if he's hotter than the magazine models again?

Prying away the hands over his eyes, Lu Guang looks at the stack of paper he’s holding.

Comic books?

“I don’t read these.”

“Member of Anime Club and never touched a comic book? Lame.”

“Hey! I only joined cause the president asked really nicely.” Lu Guang says. he's telling the truth.
The dark-haired boy leans down and drapes himself over his lover.

“PLEASEEEEEEEEEE” he begs, voice slightly muffled against Lu Guang's shirt.

“PLEASEEEEE YOU’LL LIKE IT IT'S SO GOOD PLEASEEEEEEEE” It’s a comic series Cheng Xiao Shi used to be obsessed with when he was in high school. How could he possibly resist buying them after seeing the new volume? Now he can drag Lu Guang down with him, and they can both hyperfixate over it.

Is this Cheng XiaoShi’s definition of asking nicely?

“..fine, now get off me.” If it works, it works.

—----------------------

Lu Guang’s fingers, transparent, saved from the white, framing his figure, fumble through the pages. His fingers would eventually make contact with the sheet of coated paper after a few tries, no longer going through it.

He can't even exactly understand the comic, but reading it brought an unspeakable comfort to Lu Guang. The words and art, like a broom, sweeping away the thick layer of dust in his head.

From some point, Cheng XiaoShi joins in Lu Guang, leaning against the wall next to the closet column in which Lu Guang settles, pointing at the comics and explaining the confusing parts. Time passes just like that, in a cold summer room, filled with light commentary and the sound of flipping pages.

—----------------------

12:04 am

Cheng XiaoShi yawns; he’s been reading the comic books with Lu Guang for the past 3 hours. He might’ve enjoyed it too much; normally, it wouldn't be his thing. Lu Guang didn't say a single word throughout the whole session, but Cheng XiaoShi found enjoyment in the relaxing environment, having a walking AC next to him. For the first time in days, he wasn’t suffering from the summer heat.

He shares his knowledge on the comics occasionally, almost spoiling Lu Guang in the process. The ghost might be silent, but Cheng XiaoShi knows he's listening.

As Lu Guang closes the last comic book, Cheng XiaoShi lets out another yawn.

It's late, isn't it?

The boy who used to stay up till 4 am playing games without a single tire, is now yawning at 12 am.

I guess I'm old now, huh.

Getting up and stretching his back, Cheng XiaoShi goes to brush his teeth.
He comes back to find Lu Guang in the same position he was in before, except that he's just staring into nothing once again.

“..Do you want to come over? It's getting late,” motioning to the spot on the mattress next to him, Cheng XiaoShi says another thing without thinking.

He can't help it; it's like he’d done this before. His brain still struggles to register that Lu Guang is literally a ghost, just like the movies and books.

Except he isn't. He doesn't want revenge, he doesn't want to kill Cheng XiaoShi, he doesn't even have a speck of blood on his face, and his nails are neatly trimmed. huh.
The spirit reminds Cheng XiaoShi more of a curious stray cat than a blood thirsty monster.

“I..” Lu Guang finally opens his mouth, letting out a mere syllable. Cheng XiaoShi lights up.

Ice Prince is finally deciding to talk?

“Don't.. Need.. sleep.” Lu Guang says, finally completing the sentence after a few tries.

“Come on, that spot can't be comfortable either.” Cheng XiaoShi tries again. He feels bad for Lu Guang, just thinking about the fact that he’d probably been sitting in the same spot for a whole day.

“Can't feel.. doesn't matter.” The ghost replies weakly. He seems to have trouble speaking.

The spirit's word didn't change how Cheng XiaoShi feels. It's the feeling when you feel bad for your virtual character, or the guilt you feel for neglecting your Minecraft dog, who has been sitting in the same spot since forever.

“Come on, you’ll feel much better sitting on a mattress, trust me, you can zone out over there.”

Yes, then I can finally sleep without sweating like a pig.

Lu Guang still stays in the closet.

“Fineee, you can sit and sulk in the closet if you want. Just know that you will make me really happy if you come closer.” Cheng XiaoShi sighs, then wraps himself in his blanket in a dramatic fashion, posing like a neglected wife.

He feels the air around him getting colder. He grins under the blanket. The blanket stays on; sleeping with it is much better anyway.

Taking off his hair tie, the sleepy man glances over his shoulder. The spirit still has his knees up against his chest, sitting right next to Chen XiaoShi, staring into nothing again.

He chuckles, which seems to catch Lu Guang’s attention.

“Soo.. Does this mean you won’t try to kill me?” Cheng XiaoShi jokes, a bit too energetic for someone who’s probably gonna be sleep deprived the next morning.

Lu Guang looks back at him, face emotionless. If it were anyone else, Cheng XiaoShi would probably be scared by his apathetic face.

“No.” He answered.

“Friends?” Cheng XiaoShi takes his hand out of the blanket, reaching it out to his new roommate.

Lu Guang stares at the hand reached out to him before he takes the warm hand into a handshake. His own lips turned up into what is called a smile.

Cheng XiaoShi’s face lit up the moment Lu Guang agreed to their little friendship handshake. Giving the cold hand one last squeeze, he said his goodnight and turned back around to sleep, feeling a bit too comfortable in Lu Guang’s company.

That was one of the best sleeps he had, although he can't seem to remember the better ones.

Chapter Text

“Oh! And take these too, you won't believe how many leftovers we have after you moved out!” Mrs. Cheng exclaims, shoving lunch boxes into Cheng XiaoShi’s. She had come over to visit during the weekend.

“Sweetie, have you been eating well? You're getting skinnier,” she touches his cheek, sweeping his bangs away to get a good look at her son's face.

“Moooom, it's only been a week.” Cheng XiaoShi says, getting slightly embarrassed by his mom's smothering.

“You still haven’t answered my question! What have you been eating for the past 5 days?”

Instant noodles and cheap takeout.

“Uhhhhhh.”

“It's instant noodles and takeouts, isn't it? How many times do I have to tell you! Those are not healthy! Do you know about all the junk they put in the ingredients?”

“Mommmmm, it's finee”

“No, it isn't, did you know your cousin had to quit his job cause of all the underlying health issues he got from eating those noodles?” The worried mother looks through her bookshelf as she rambles about the unhealthy cousin.

The weight in Cheng XiaoShi’s arms gets heavier as a heavy book is added to the pile of stuff he's holding.

“Gosh, I feel so bad for not teaching you how to cook when you were younger. I was just so busy!” He could already feel his mother getting emotional. He was fine with not knowing how to cook; all the sparks of oil and boiling water flying around scared him anyway. In fact, the 3-inch thick cookbook in his arms scares him just as much.

“The next time I come over, you're cooking me and dad a three-course meal!” She huffs; she knows her son, he will probably find an excuse to put the cookbook in a musty corner and forget about it.

“...fine.”

“Great! Take care of yourself!” His mom waves, giving out her last warning, and she leaves the apartment.

“Byeee…” he mumbles, after the door closes.
“.. what's that?” a new voice pops up behind him.

Cheng XiaoShi jumps at the voice, only to find his new roommate looming behind his shoulder, trying to take a look at the book.

“Nothing, just some cookbook.”

“..can I see?” The ghost asks, almost sounding shy.

“Sure!” Setting down the book, Lu Guang watches as Cheng XiaoShi flips through the book.

The ghost scans through the book quietly.

Cheng XiaoShi dies inside as he looks through the cookbook. Unfamiliar terms and complicated directions swim around his head, tangling it in the process.

Sweet and sour pork - total time: 2 hours.
Ingredients :
1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white sugar

1 egg white

2 green onions, chopped

1 quart vegetable oil for frying

½ cup cornstarch….. Pass

Kung pao chicken.. Pass

Barbeque ribs, total time 3 hours… pass

He settles on the simplest dish he can find— tomato egg stir fry. Closing the cookbook, Cheng XiaoShi goes to check his fridge. Cold air and the slightly musty scent of household fridges hit his face. Unsurprisingly, the fridge was empty. Saved for a half-eaten pizza, that is.

Cheng XiaoShi sighs before pulling on a fresh tank top and grabbing his keys, preparing to go get some real stuff in his fridge. Shoving his phone into the right pocket of his black jorts, he heads for the door.

Where are you going?

The ghost instinctively follows his roommate to the door, only to get stopped before his tracks by the barrier that trapped him inside for years.

Cheng XiaoShi turned back to see Lu Guang stopped behind the door frame. He raises his brow in confusion.
“Come on, we can't make anything with overnight pizza!” A warm hand comes in contact with Lu Guang's, causing the ghost to stumble out of the bubble-like barrier.

???

The warmth never left Lu Guang's icy wrist, as it guided Lu Guang through the crowded streets and towards the local grocery store.
Not once in his undead days did Lu Guang ever venture out that far, not even when he was allowed to roam free.
They arrived at their destination, but a gentle tug pulled Lu Guang away from the entrance of the grocery store and into a nearby alley, away from the sights of passing strangers.

“We’re here, kind of.” Cheng XiaoShi stops. He turns around to face his undead roommate. Clasping his hands together in a begging gesture, the dark-haired man starts to ramble.

“Pleaseee please don’t wander away from me! I’m kind of responsible for your actions right now, so I don't want you to scare anyone around here! Not that you're scary- it's just that-”
Failing to find the right words, he pauses.
“Please just don't wander?..” the rambling man pleads,

Lu Guang’s shock was displayed on his cold face, with his brows raised and his eyes slightly wide. He nods, slowly.

—---------------------

“Why are we here? We're here to get vegetables, remember?” A pale hand tugs at Cheng XiaoShi’s hoodie sleeve, trying to guide him back to the produce section.

Ignoring his boyfriend's protests, Cheng XiaoShi marches towards the snacks section, swinging his basket in joy.
“Lighten up, GuangGuang~ it's not a grocery run if you're not buying enough snacks to last a month.” The dark-haired boy chirped as he threw his arm around the shorter male.

Lu Guang watched in horror as concerning amounts of junk food fell into the basket, his expression gradually darkening.

“I think that's enough for you,” he stops Cheng XiaoShi from putting another family-sized Doritos into the cart( they switched the basket out cause it wasn't big enough ).

“There can never be enough chips.” He whines, fighting Lu Guang's hand, slowly moving the package towards the cart.

Another hand snags the bag out of his hand, putting it back where it was.
“No, that's enough, we're going to get some real food now so we don't starve to death tonight.”
Fighting against Cheng XiaoShi's protests, Lu Guang removes half the junk food from the cart.

Looping his arm through Cheng XiaoShi’s, he drags his partner towards the produce section.

—-----------------------------

Disgust. One of the emotions that Lu Guang was reminded of ever since Cheng XiaoShi’s appearance.

The ghost thinks as he watches bags of bright colored products fall into his companion's basket.

Honestly, he didn't even know what those bags were, although he could make out a few words. He's been improving ever since Cheng XiaoShi showed up. He just knew those bags were bad.

The obnoxious human kneels down to flip through the bag of biscuits, trying to reach for the one in the very back.

He sets the basket down, unguarded. The perfect chance. Lu Guang reached down and picked some of the bright colored bags out.

They don't belong in there.

The spirit quietly places the bags back where they were.

He felt content; it's like the first thing he actually did after decades of doing, well, nothing. Satisfaction.

After that, Lu Guang was determined; he would take the bags out right after they went in. It went on for 10 minutes, and Cheng XiaoShi didn't even notice.

Clang

A sound rings out from the other end of the aisle. An old man watches the pair in shock( or rather, just Cheng XiaoShi ), letting the jars in his arms fall down. They shattered, jam spilling out in the area.

Bags of chips and crackers, floating.

Employees soon rushed to the scene. One guides the old man away from the glass shards, and the other cleans the puddle of jam on the floor.

“I.. They.. I..” the old man stuttered, waving his fingers in the direction of the pair.

They were gone.

“Hey, where are you going? I told you not to wander!” Cheng XiaoShi whispered, catching up to Lu Guang, who speed walked away from the scene as soon as it happened, breaking their promise.

The ghost stopped.

Meat and Produce.

Without saying a word, Lu Guang reached out for Cheng XiaoShi’s wrist and pulled him towards the area. Now, everyone is staring at the stumbling man getting pulled by an invisible force.

….

—--------------

Setting down the bag of groceries, Cheng XiaoShi picks out the ingredients he needs for his dinner. All he needs to do is mix some pre-cooked chicken into the eggs and tomatoes, and bam— dinner.

Damn, I’m a genius

Picking up the cutting knife, the beginner cook pauses.

What if I accidentally cut my hand off?

His hand slightly shakes as he inches the knife towards the tomatoes.

“.. That's not how you hold a knife,” a soft voice whispered. Looking down at Cheng XiaoShi’s knife-holding hand.
The ghost leaned in, covering warm hands with his, guiding his roommate's hand to the upper part of the knife handle.

He missed the blush spreading across the living’s face.

“Oh, o-ok, thanks.” Cheng XiaoShi uncharacteristically stuttered.

The knife sliced through the tomatoes with ease, and Cheng XiaoShi still has ten fingers.
Lu Guang watches as Cheng XiaoShi gets comfortable with holding the knife.
Cheng XiaoShi almost misses the small smile that crept up the ghost's face.

They cook together, with Lu Guang pointing out any mistakes Cheng XiaoShi made with a short remark, chatter, and the scent of warm food filled the kitchen.

“Then my mom banned me from eating sweets for a whole month.” The dark-haired man concludes his story as he dumps the tomatoes into the eggs; he flinches as sparks of oil fly up from the impact.
“Speaking of which, where did you learn how to cook?”

“I..” can't remember?

—-------------

A high-pitched squeak comes out of Cheng XiaoShi’s mouth as a spark of oil hits his forearm.

“Jeez! It's just oil, suck it up and flip the steak!” a feminine voice hissed. Qiao Ling rolls up her sleeve and forcefully grabs her little brother's arm, forcing him back to the stove.
He lets out a dramatic scream.

A small laugh takes the attention of the bickering siblings. They turn their heads to Lu Guang, who is learning how to make scrambled eggs.

“Are you laughing at me?”

“..no.” Lu Guang lies. He gives in and lets out another laugh.

“Look at Lu Guang, he’s doing so much better than you are, and he knows as much as you do!”
“His dish is easier than mine!”

Leaving her poor brother alone, she goes over to Lu Guang to check on his progress. It just hurts her soul to see two grown adults still unable to cook( heavy on Cheng XiaoShi ).

—--------------

“A sister.” The ghost answers.

—-----------

Cheng XiaoShi places a portion of the meal in front of Lu Guang, who is puzzled by the gesture.

“But I don't need to eat?”

“Can you, though?” Cheng XiaoShi says, sitting down next to Lu Guang at the kitchen counter.

“I never tried.”

“Well, you should! Eating is, like, one of the basics for happiness, dead or alive.”

He hands the ghost a spoon.

He takes a bite.

It's warm. He doesn't feel hungry or full. Just warm. It's surprisingly good for someone who has never cooked before. The eggs are slightly bland since Cheng XiaoShi forgot to buy seasoning for them. But otherwise, it's a nice meal.

He takes another bite. Cheng XiaoShi stares, smiling.

—------------

Cheng XiaoShi watches as Lu Guang drops another piece of celery into his bowl.
“Didn't take you as a picky eater.” He teases. They ordered takeout from the nearby restaurant to celebrate Lu Guang moving in.

“I’m not a picky eater, I'm just sparing you some extra nutrients for your dumb brain.” Lu Guang defends himself as he drops another celery into Cheng XiaoShi’s bowl. The latter eats the celery without complaint.

“Awwwww, did the books you read not tell you veggies are good for you?”

“Shut up.”

“Here comes the airplane~” Cheng XiaoShi motions as he slowly inches a piece of celery towards Lu Guang, who dodges it.

—

“And then you mix the celery into the eggs–” Qiao Ling explains as she shows her brother the bowl of chopped celery. Her brother stops her.

“Wait. Don't add the celery.”

“Huh? I thought you loved them!” She exclaims, confused.

“Well, I don’t like them anymore.”

“Sureeee..” She drawls, unconvinced.

The familiar line of the studio speaker rang.

“I’m back.” Lu Guang’s voice can be heard as he climbs the stairs.

The topic was soon forgotten by Qiao Ling as she turned her attention to her favorite pupil.

—-------------

In the corner of the diary section. A man watches the dark-haired boy and his “friend”.

Interesting.. It's getting bolder.

“Uh, excuse me? Can you, like, move? I need to get the milk.” A woman asks with an annoyed tone. The man shuffles a bit to the right, and he looks back at the pair.

Where did they go?

Chapter Text

Cheng XiaoShi could’ve sworn he had cracked the spirit's cold heart after their dinner together.
Except his new roommate was still as quiet as a mouse.

But he did accept the fact that his new apartment was indeed haunted, and he is “stuck” with living with a ghost pretty well. Not that he was complaining. Cheng XiaoShi won't deny the fact that Lu Guang’s presence made his independent adult life less lonely. The ghost stopped disappearing randomly now; in fact, he is visible and present all the time, watching Cheng XiaoShi do whatever he's doing with curiosity. Additionally, his presence also lowers the temperature dramatically, saving Cheng XiaoShi from the summer heat.

The dark-haired man is more than happy to live with his new roommate. Although he would only make simple remarks or replies, Cheng XiaoShi would squeal in joy internally( and externally sometimes ) every time he talked.

Cheng XiaoShi did try sneaking in some questions to satisfy his curiosity.
“Sooooooo… were you single?”
“How old were you?”
“How long have you been here?”
“What did you do before?”
“Where are you from?”
Most of the questions are answered with silence or a simple “I don't know” or “I forgot.”
But recently, Lu Guang started to have answers, real answers.

He managed to gather that :
-Lu Guang had been here before the apartment was built( cxs assumed he got the modern style-change after he died )
-he’s in his 20s
-he wasn't a complete loner

Soon enough, Cheng XiaoShi had made his own little game— bait Lu Guang into talking.
Sure, he had no problems starting the convo, but it felt so much better having the other talk first.

“You're holding the knife wrong, again.”
“Your shirt is inside out..”
“The soup’s boiling.”

“Why are you staring?” The ghost asks, side-eying his roommate, who is resting his head on his right hand, staring at Lu Guang.
“'Cause you're beautiful~” Cheng XiaoShi cooed casually. Still staring.

The strat was quickly patched as Lu Guang noticed his tendency to be suspiciously oblivious. But Cheng XiaoShi isn’t gonna let that stop him—---

“HEY! ARE YOU SLACKING?” The raspy voice shakes Cheng XiaoShi out of his plotting. He jumps at the voice as usual; he's never going to get used to this.

“No, sir, look! I'm editing the pictures!” Using his mouse to form a circle around the photo, Cheng XiaoShi attempts to convince Uncle Chen to get off his case.

Mr. Chen should be coming anytime soon…

“Dad!” As expected, the son showed up to drag his dad away.

“The people you're hiring are getting more and more incompetent! I just know it when they're slacking!” The old man waves his fist in the air comically.

“They're just doing their job!”

“Hmph!”

The college grad had spent the last few days in the office after his last photoshoot. He would pick up a few extra gigs, but they don't pay much for now.

4:42 pm
I should be able to get out after I finish these up.

—---------------------

Saving the last file, Cheng XiaoShi rotates his wrist, making a faint crunching noise in the process.

He tosses the bag over his shoulders and heads home, closing the office lights in the process.

—---------------------

The walk back home was peaceful as usual. Until he reached the park area. After walking through the city, Cheng XiaoShi would always pass the street with the superstitious lady’s store. The shops are situated on the right side, all of them are local businesses, and most of them are corner stores. It is actually a decent place to rent a store, with the park entrance on the other side of the street. Children would take their parents to buy snacks and boba after playing at the park.

Sounds of children playing weren't unusual, but today, it's much louder.
a lot louder.
Ignoring the oblivious screams and giggling, Cheng XiaoShi focuses on getting home.
someone is waiting for him, afterall.

At least that's what he likes to think.

“Mister, mister, would you like to take a look at the charity sale?” A group of giggly girls taps on the older man’s arm.

“No tha-”

wait.

Charity sale

“Sure!” Cheng XiaoShi grinned, trying to match the kid's energy.

The noise gets louder and louder as Cheng XiaoShi follows the girls.

In the center of a park, there's a stand of items and trinkets for sale, with the name of an elementary school on the banner. Considering the fact that most of the stuff for sale is second-hand, none of them were over $10.

Must be a school-hosted event.

Despite being an event hosted by an elementary school, presumably for kids, none of the kids screaming and laughing are actually trying to sell anything, running around the playground obnoxiously, leaving the actual job to their parents.

A kid bumps into Cheng XiaoShi as he runs away from his friend. “Sorry!” He blurted while running, not even bothering to look back.

Sighing, the dark-haired man walked towards the stand. One thing catches his attention.
A huge cardboard box.

books for sale, $5 each

—----------------------------

“I’m back!” The door of the apartment clicks, revealing its resident.

“Missed me?” Cheng XiaoShi grins, sitting down next to Lu Guang on the sofa.

He could've sworn the ghost rolled his eyes.

“Hey, don’t ignore me! Look what I got for you!” Unzipping his bag, Cheng XiaoShi takes out a stack of books.

They were clearly meant for Lu Guang; the other male couldn't sit still long enough to read a book to save him.

He picked the thickest ones. Anyone would assume Lu Guang would be the type to spend his free time reading a book with words so small you’d have to squint to see them.

That also meant Cheng XiaoShi never bothered to actually check what the books are about.

'bedtime stories for kids'

“Uhhhh.. That one was a mistake, maybe I can return it or something.”

'150 local insects'

Third time's the charm.

'interactive pop-up book, return of the cowboy aliens.'

……

Cheng XiaoShi turns his attention back to his bag before the atmosphere gets awkward. His face lights up when he sees what's inside.
A legitimate novel.

Those fancy-looking ones with just a simple cover, with their title printed in a font that screams “books for big boys”.

It's perfect.

—--------------------------

Giving Lu Guang books was the worst idea Cheng XiaoShi ever made.

Unlike how he was when they first met, Lu Guang is now capable of holding objects for a long time; Cheng XiaoShi almost forgot he was the ghost who could barely flip pages.

He was overjoyed at first, it's like watching the stray cat you brought in play with the toys you bought. Eventually, he got more books for Lu Guang to read.

Until he figured out he basically helped Lu Guang replace himself with books. That Cheng XiaoShi got him. The ghost that would follow Cheng XiaoShi and watch him do literally anything is now spending all his time on the couch, reading.

What can he do to recover his place as Lu Guang's entertainment monkey again?

—--------------------------

’ Lu Guang!’

…

‘Lu Guang!’ Cheng XiaoShi urges telepathically.

‘Oh, sorry, what was it again?’

Cheng XiaoShi lets out a sigh of relief internally upon hearing Lu Guang’s voice. He is currently diving back in time, being in an old man's body.

A lady hired them to find her family heirloom, which was lost after her dad died. She suspected her stepmom of taking it, but she fell into a coma after her husband’s passing.

Turns out, a life as an old man isn't eventful. He’d been spending the last 3 hours drinking tea and watching the news. This might just be the hardest job he’d go on. According to Lu Guang, something should be happening at 4 pm

It's 4:15.

“Well? Do you want to go out to the park with me?” The old man’s wife asked. She is visibly a lot younger than he is, probably around her 30s.

‘WHAT DO I SAY?’

‘...’

‘LU GUANG!’

‘Oh, tell her no.’

Cheng XiaoShi did as he told and watched as the stepmom headed out. He began the search for the heirloom.

‘I found it.’

‘..huh?’

‘I found it.’

‘..ok’

Hey.. wait.
Lu Guang isn't usually this unresponsive.

He claps.

He sees his partner sitting on the couch with his legs crossed. Reading.
It only gets worse from there.
Lu Guang would spend all day on that book, taking it everywhere, even reading it at the dinner table.

—--------------------------

“Cheng XiaoShi, where's the book Qiao Ling gave me?”

“I dunno man, maybe you left it somewhere and forgot about it.” Cheng XiaoShi replies, his eyes glued to his phone, trying to act out the nonchalantness.

No way. Lu Guang remembered precisely that he had left the book on the reading table before he went out.

Unsurprisingly, he found his book under Cheng XiaoShi’s pillow. He really could've chosen any spot but that one, with the pillow lifting and revealing part of the book over time.

Walking behind where the dark-haired boy sat on the couch, Lu Guang gave him a light smack on the head with the book.

“Choose a better hiding spot next time, don't pull that shit on my stuff again.” Lu Guang warns in a playful tone, yet still manages to sound scary.

“Sorry..”

He sighs

“...I’ll try to put it away during missions. And during dinner.”
He can see Cheng XiaoShi’s face lighting up at his words.

—----------------------------

Having his book snatched out of his hand at random times became a natural occurrence ever since.

“Play with meeee,” a familiar voice drawled as the weight of the couch dipped with a newly added weight. Lu Guang’s phone( which was also snatched ) was stuffed back into his hand, unlocked, and opened on a game that Cheng XiaoShi pestered him into downloading.

He rolled his eyes at Cheng XiaoShi, who was lying down horizontally on the couch next to him.

“You're acting childish again.” The white-haired man deadpanned.

“Respect your elders, GuangGuang~ I'm just trying to get you to rest your eyes. You're going to go blind reading all those books one day.” Cheng XiaoShi jabbered.

“You're telling me to rest my eyes. By using my eyes on a smaller screen.” Lu Guang concluded.

“Yeah, pretty much.” Cheng XiaoShi grinned, completely ignoring the stupid shit he just said, reaching out his hand to play with Lu Guang's hair just for the sake of it.

He lets him.

—----------------------

A head loomed over the ghost’s shoulder. Trying to get a glimpse of what Lu Guang is reading.

“..What are you doing?” He finally asked after having his roommate on his shoulder for half an hour.

“Trying to enjoy modern literature.” Cheng XiaoShi shrugged, resuming his “reading”

…..

“Why is the girl trying to steal her kingdom’s magic fire?”

“She's a spy from the other kingdom, pay attention.” stupid

—---------------------

“What are you trying to do this time?”

He eyes Cheng XiaoShi suspiciously. Cheng XiaoShi, who is reading the same book on the couch. He even had glasses to come with the act.

“If you can't beat them, join them.” He shrugs.
“What are the glasses for? You don't even have a prescription.”

“Quiet, it's for dramatic effect.”

—--------------------------

The ghost lets out a faint laugh, which causes his roommate to widen his eyes and stare at him as if he had grown another head.

“.. What's so funny?” Cheng XiaoShi asks.

Lu Guang laughed. It's a pretty laugh, he thought. He should do that more often.

Cheng XiaoShi scans through the page they're reading. The protagonist is fighting an army of dragons.

What’s so funny about that?

“Nothing, just.. A flashback.”

Hearing his answer, Cheng XiaoShi drops the topic and goes back to pretending to read the book. He steals a few glances at the man beside him, replaying his laugh in his head.

Chapter Text

1:02am

The door clicks in the silence of the night, accompanied by the arrival of the apartment's resident.
He crept down the living room, ignoring the bathroom and going straight for the bed.

“Are you not gonna shower?” A sharp voice broke the silence. The silhouette of a young man started to appear in front of the bedroom door.

“Geez, when did you learn how to do that?” Almost looking guilty, Cheng XiaoShi rubs his neck while teasing the ghost.

“Why are you back so late?” Lu Guang asks, his voice much gentler after noticing his roommate's tired eyes.

“Someone wanted to get married at night. Smart choice, actually, we don't have to burn alive under the sun anymore.” He yawned. “Could’ve toned down the partying though.”

He stretched his back while nonchalantly walking towards the bedroom, intending to walk through the nagging spirit.

Instead, he bumped right into his roommate. Up close, the ghost is noticeably a few inches shorter than the other. A detail that he never really noticed before.

“Please go take a shower.” The spirit pleaded, though it sounded more like a demand.

“Fineee, Mom.” Cheng XiaoShi drawls, slowly turning around and dragging himself to the bathroom.

—-------------------------

Stepping out of the shower, Cheng XiaoShi did feel much better than before. He probably would’ve enjoyed the party if he weren't there for a job, having to take candid pictures of the partying crowd the whole night; the loud booming music didn't help much either.

The first thing he sees when he exits the bathroom is his undead roommate, reading a book on the couch as he usually does.

“Are you not gonna sleep?”

“I don't need sleep.”

“If you don't haunt people or sleep, what do you even do at night without my priceless company?”

“I read.” Lu Guang answered, not bothering to look up from his book for the dumb question.

“Yeah, duh, I meant before I introduced you to books like god did humans to fire.”

What did he do at night?

“I just sit somewhere, eventually I just forget what happens until something interesting happens.”

“That's just sleeping! You can sleep after all.”

“But I don’t need it.”

“Well, you should still join me to protect me from the cruel summer heat.”

“....”

Cheng XiaoShi heads to bed after getting ignored by his roommate, pulling up his blanket. It is technically September now, but the weather is still a bitch. But he doesn't mind baking under the blanket for now, he knows he’s gonna need it later.

After all, he didn't miss the faint footsteps entering the bedroom before he finally fell asleep.

—----------------------

The days following his first night job were worse. He took an extra gig, a high-paying one for someone new to the industry. It was a 5-day-long photoshoot with some millionaire's wife that he had to attend after his actual job. How hard could working with some self-absorbed hag that thinks she’s the shit after marrying rich be anyway?

“Jeez, how the hell do you make my beautiful face look so bloated in this picture? Retake it,” the lady insulted after looking over the retakes.

Apparently, the only reason they hired him for the job was that no one else was willing to work for her.

“Sure, Mrs. Lee.” He said through gritted teeth, trying his best to hide his annoyance. You know what, he might not be the best photographer, maybe she was telling the truth. But her cocky, self-obsessed attitude still pissed him off.

“What are you looking so annoyed for, huh? You should be lucky I hired some inexperienced kid like you.” She huffed in his face, he could see the chunky clumps of mascara on her lashes, she’s really getting too close than what Cheng XiaoShi's preferred.

Sighing and apologizing, he picked up his camera for another round of retakes. This is gonna be a long week.

—---------------------------

“So she screamed at the makeup artist cause her eyeliner wings were uneven or something.” Taking another bite out of an apple, Cheng XiaoShi continued to rant. “Then she somehow found a way to rip on me for not telling her it was uneven and had me retake the pictures.”

Lu Guang hummed, acknowledging his roommate, who was slouched on the couch. After finishing the book, he decided to clean the dishes accumulating in the sink.

“And tomorrow I will have to go to this new place with her, it's like an hour away from the city, and she's not paying for the taxi fare.” He groaned, running his hands along his forehead.

“Then why don’t you quit or something?” Lu Guang asks absentmindedly as he dries a cup off.

“GuangGuang, you should’ve seen how much she’s paying me, it's basically half my monthly salary, maybe even more. I’d take a few days of torture for that.”

GuangGuang? A few weeks of moving in, and he’s already starting with the pet names?

It’s nice to talk to Lu Guang; he might not be a talker, but he’s a great listener. Although Qiao Ling still texts her little brother daily, nothing beats talking to someone in person.

The pair settles into a comfortable silence as Cheng XiaoShi begins to edit the pictures. He’ll have to stay up for some time for the set of photos taken today. With Uncle Chen’s presence in his job, he wouldn't think of taking some time from his job to edit the lady’s pictures.

I guess the old man wasn’t useless after all..

“Is that the client?” finishing on the dishes, Lu Guang sat next to his roommate, watching him work.

Cheng XiaoShi smiled at his presence. Having the ghost watching him do whatever was a luxury after he started reading.

“Yeah.”

“...Those pictures are really good.”

Turning to face Lu Guang, Cheng XiaoShi’s face totally lit up, a wide grin plastered on his face.
“Really?! You think so? She always told me it was shit and that I should quit!” He exclaimed, successfully grabbing the ghost's shoulders with both his hands.

“Why are you listening to her anyway? Didn’t you hate her?”

“Yeah, but still.” Cheng XiaoShi said, still grinning. “So you like my photos? The high and mighty Lu Guang complimented me?”

“..I know how to compliment people, those pictures are nice.”

“Awwwww, thanks~ Do you want to see the picture I took of you when we first talked?” He cooed, taking out his phone to look for the picture.

“Focus on your work.”

—-------------------------------

The afternoon is calm at the lake, branches of purple flowers hang above the bridge connecting the two sides of the lake. It is a perfect place for couples and picnics. But today, the usual flow of tourists and couples was nowhere to be found, the whole lake booked by one person.

An annoying, booming voice screeched from the bridge.

“OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. GIVE ME A MOSQUITO SPRAY.” Mrs. Lee waved her hand around her, trying to scare the bugs away.

Cheng XiaoShi rolled his eyes in his mind. They're literally above a lake, where mosquitoes lay their eggs, what did she expect?

Her assistants side-eyed each other. It is apparent that no one here remembered to bring bug spray of any sort.

“YOU IDIOTS. HOW CAN YOU FORGET FUCKING BUG SPRAY? YOU! SWAT THESE PESTS FOR ME.” The middle-aged woman screeched, pointing at one of her assistants. The assistant let out a small sigh before killing the mosquitoes flying around her boss.

Cheng XiaoShi fell into another routine of taking pictures and retaking them over and over again until the lady deemed it was good enough to put into her self-glazing collection. The poor assistant would have to rush to her boss’s side every time an insect of any sort shows up near her( save for butterflies, of course. They get the pretty privilege ).

No one cared when the lady let out another blood-curdling scream; no one even cared. It was probably the smallest thing ever.

“HOLY-SHIT- HOLY SHIT- GET IT OFF ME.” She waves her arm around again. But Cheng XiaoShi managed to take a good look at the culprit of this hassle.

A brown, fuzzy caterpillar clings to her sleeve, flinging around as she tries to shake it off. Cheng XiaoShi watches as the caterpillar lets go of the sleeve and goes straight flying. It lands on his bare hand instead.

Instinctively, he shakes the caterpillar off too, not wanting to risk a sting. He forgot that he was holding his camera with the same hand. The crew watches as the digital camera flies off to the lake while the caterpillar lands gracefully on the wooden rails( hopefully a bird doesn't eat it ).

“Can you swim?” The woman asks, finally toning down her voice.

“Yea– -” Cheng XiaoShi answers, he can guess what she wants him to do. But he couldn't predict the hand that came pushing him over the rail.

“Go get it, boy.”

He plunged into the lake before he could react, the fall penetrating the layer of algae floating on top of the body of water.

What the fuck.

The lake isn’t that deep by any means, but deep enough to prevent a grown adult from touching the bottom.

Cracking his eyes open, Cheng XiaoShi quickly found the camera tangled in some water plants. Closing his eyes, he blindly reached for the camera, clumsily detangling it from the plants.

Last day. Just get it over with, and I can get the god damn money.

Floating back to the surface, he shook off the water from his camera as he climbed up to the bridge, coughing up some water.

“What-”

“Ah-ah, I’ll pay you double, just shut the fuck up.” The woman rolled her eyes and dismissed her photographer before he could lash out at her abuse.

Swallowing his words back into his throat, he opened his camera to check on its health. It was fine. Cheng XiaoShi proceeded to continue photographing his client until the sun eventually dried him off.

—------------------------

The sun sets as Cheng XiaoShi packs his things, with the number of mosquitoes increasing as the sky darkens.

“Hey, we’re going out for dinner, wanna join? My treat.” One of the assistants tapped on his shoulder. The woman had 2 assistants following her everywhere, he had assumed that they were related by their matching pink hair. The sister is quiet while the brother does all the talking.

“Uhhh..”

“Come on, man, you finally finished working for that self-absorbed bitch, it’d be a shame to not celebrate.” The assistant persuaded, now resting his arm on Cheng XiaoShi’s shoulder.

He’s right, though. Cheng XiaoShi could really use some relaxation after the shit he’s been through this week.

“Sure, where to?” He grinned, following the twins to a bustling restaurant.

The trio settled down in a booth, ordering their meals, with the brother translating his sister’s sign language to the waiter.

“Can you drink?” The brother paused his order to ask Cheng XiaoShi.

“Yea, I’m literally older than you guys! I can show my ID if I have to.”

“Cool. Beer for all of us, thanks.” Finishing their order, the group started easy conversations and small talk until their food and drinks arrived.

“So, how much did she pay you guys to work for her?” Cheng XiaoShi asks, words slightly slurring from the alcohol. Despite all the warnings his body sends him, he finishes the last of his beer.

“Not a lot, at least not enough to put up with all her bullshit.” Eying Cheng XiaoShi’s empty mug, he added, “You want more beer? We can always get more.”

“Nah, I don’t want to get too drunk.”

“It's gonna be fine, you're not even driving back yourself, this is the perfect opportunity to get drunk” The boy let out a sly smile before ordering more drinks.
—----------------------------

“Really? that’s why you guys worked for her?” Cheng XiaoShi exclaimed, his face tinted pink from the alcohol.

“Yea, I doubt that she actually knows what’s been going on with her husband anyway. That dumb bitch.” The brother chuckled. He took a small sip from his mug.

“So do you guys work for the police or what?”

“..Not quite.”

“So, detectives?” He slurred again, glancing at the clock on the wall for the time.

11:53 pm

“Looking forward to leaving already? Got someone waiting for you back home?” Noticing his actions, the brother grinned.

“Sure.” Cheng XiaoShi giggled drunkenly.

“I thought you lived alone.” The brother added, amused.

“Heh. Not quite.”

“So, who is it-” Just as he was about to finish his question, the older man suddenly stood up from his chair, making a loud screeching noise.

“Sorry, guys, but I think I'm gonna go now.” He farewelled in a playful manner, dragging himself to the door as he grabbed his bag.

‘Call him a cab,’ The sister signed. The twins wait with Cheng XiaoShi as they wait for the cab to come.

The sister helps the drunk man to the car when it arrives. A hand stops her from closing the door.

“Wait! You guys never told me your names!” He slurred, eyes squinting as if he was having trouble seeing.

“You don’t need to know that.” The brother added as he closed the door. Leaving the car to take Cheng XiaoShi home.

—----------------------------------
jingle

Look who’s finally back. Lu Guang thought as he heard the familiar noise in his sleep.

jingle jingle jingle

The continuous jingle successfully interrupted Lu Guang’s attempt to sleep, kicking him out of his half-asleep state.

He walks over to the door, irritated, before opening it for his roommate.

What's so hard about unlocking the door?

The man stumbles through Lu Guang’s form as he enters the house, reeking of algae and alcohol.

Walking through the ghost felt like having a bucket of ice water dumped on your head, sobering up the dark-haired man instantly.

“Hehe.. GuangGuang! I missed youuuu~” He giggles as he stumbles back towards the ghost for a hug.

He should've just let Cheng XiaoShi go through him again.

He sighs as he leans into the warm embrace, using the opportunity to help his roommate to the bathroom.

—-------------------------------------

“I’m not letting you drink ever again.” He drags one drunk 6 foot tall boy through the streets as they return to their hotel.

“Comeoneee~ it was funnn” The giggling boy drawls, slouching further as he puts more of his weight on his poor partner.

“Sure, if you consider being chased by an angry mob of soccer fans fun.” Lu Guang rolls his eyes as they enter the elevator.

He drops Cheng XiaoShi on his bed as soon as they reach their room, finally relieved of the weight.

“Go take a shower and sleep.”

“Only if you're joining me.” He winks at the white-haired. Cheng XiaoShi had taken a habit of flirting with him whenever he got the chance to.

For some reason, he didn't mind it at all.

“I’m not doing this again. You can rot in your bed of disgust if that's what you want.” Ignoring the other male’s flirting, he grabbed his clothes and went to the bathroom.

As expected, the brunette is still in the same spot on the be,d dead asleep when Lu Guang finished washing himself. Sighing in defeat, he returned to the bathroom.

He hesitated as he came back with a damp towel.

How is he supposed to do this again? He reached down to unbutton his friend’s blue shirt.

Lu Guang stops as a hand grabs his wrist.

“I’m just trying to clean you.” Despite his calm demeanor, a pink blush tinted his otherwise pale face.

Cheng XiaoShi’s expression was uncharacteristically unreadable as he stared at his partner’s face. He brings his other hand to move strands of Lu Guang’s white hair behind his ears, revealing his ears, also tinted pink on the tips.

“..What are you doing?” Lu Guang asks just for the sake of it; he knows what Cheng XiaoShi is trying to do.

No words came out of the other’s mouth as he slowly pulled Lu Guang down, giving the latter all the time to break away as he leaned up to meet him halfway…

—---------------------------

Drunk groans shake Lu Guang’s mind back from the foggy past.

Helping Cheng XiaoShi into the tub, he tries to recall the flashback he was having. He can't remember what happened next, no matter how hard he tried to.

“What do I do now?” Cheng XiaoShi slurred, standing in the tub fully clothed. He looked like shit, his clothes wrinkled with small patches of green plants, his hair was messy, and his eye was tinted pink, likely from infection.

“Take off your clothes and wash yourself.” Lu Guang answered as he walked through the bathroom door, giving the other privacy.

He can eventually hear water splattering against the porcelain tub, and a faint humming accompanies the stream of water.

—----------------------------

“Your fatass is taking up all my space.” Lu Guang lightly kicked the other leg occupying his space in the tub, causing water to slosh around. Turns out, 2 grown men aren’t going to fit in the same tub comfortably.

After countless jokes about showering with Lu Guang, he finally made it happen; this is the day. But now the flirtatious, overconfident boy can’t help but feel himself heating up, his face and shoulders tinting pink. He felt better when he looked up to find his partner equally flushed.

“That's it, this is stupid, we’re standing up and actually showering.” Lu Guang stands up from the water, pulling Cheng XiaoShi with him.

The dark-haired slips halfway, bringing down the other with him.

—---------------------------

thud

The noise shakes the ghost out of his little flashback again, turning his attention back to the bathroom door. He knocks.

“..Cover up, I’m coming in.”

Unintelligible noises came through the door in response to the ghost. He pokes his head in through the door after some time. The man is lying flat on his back against the floor; he isn’t even trying to get up, eyes half closed as if he’s about to fall asleep.

“Leave me alone, I’m sleeping.” He slurred

Lu Guang ignores him, guiding Cheng XiaoShi up from the cold tiles to dress himself, then leading the pair to the bedroom.

Cheng XiaoShi lies on his bed in the same manner he was on the floor.

“I think I’m gonna throw up.”

The ghost’s face fell as he heard the sentence his roommate slurred out. He shoved the trash can into Cheng XiaoShi’s arms, only for nothing to come out.

It didn't take long for the drunkie to settle down to sleep. He lies on his back, staring at the ceiling as if there are a million stars, and the ghost watches as he does so.

“Cheng XiaoShi.” He voiced, unlike the first time he said his name, the name of the man lying on the bed came out with certainty.

“Have we met before?”

He watched as black pupils went from up to down, staring at his form at the end of the bed. Pieces of his black hair covered his eyes. Cheng XiaoShi only giggled before slurring, “Of course we met before, silly~ I see you every day ”

The giggles softened, his squints at the ghost before blurting, “Come closer.”

The ghost inched closer. Scooching over, moving from the end to the bed to the middle.

“No, closer.”

The ghost sits at the edge of the bed, turning his torso towards the drunk. If he wanted to, Cheng XiaoShi could encircle the ghost with his arms.

“Let me touch you.” He whispered, reaching out his hand towards his roommate's pale form. Now in the dark, the room is slightly lit by the ghostly luminescence emitting from the spirit.

His hand made contact with a head of cold, white hair. He resumed his giggling after gently ruffling it. He knew that his hand would never land on his hair if his roommate didn't permit him to do so.

He withdrew his hand, his eyelids were threatening to drop, and he’s definitely gonna have a headache tomorrow.

“Goodnight.” He smiled before sleep finally overtook him.

Chapter Text

“No, don't leave me! I can't live without you,” the protagonist says, shaking the love interest's shoulders as he bleeds out on the floor.

“Yes, you can, live for me… my lamb.” The love interest dies.

My lamb?.. Is that his last word?

Dramatic lines come out from the laptop speaker; the sound quality isn't the best, and neither is the plot. The light from the laptop illuminated the pair sitting on the bed, huddling together in the bottom bunk, watching an “action” movie.

Despite being placed in the action category, the movie had been going on for half an hour about a corny romance subplot involving two characters with no chemistry at all.

Whose idea was it to give romance so much screentime? Lu Guang complains to himself.

sniff

The white haired man freezes at the sound coming from his left. He turns his head to find his lover hunched over in the worst position known to mankind, crying.

“...are you serious?” Lu Guang says, side eyeing Cheng XiaoShi,
“What do you even see in them anyway? The only interaction they had was just eye contact for half of the movie.”

“You won’t get it.” Cheng XiaoShi sniffs again. “I know I would jump in front of a bullet for you.”

“Sure you will.” Lu Guang yawns, rubbing his eyes. “I think I'm gonna sleep now, my eyes hurt.”
Staring at a tiny screen for hours in the dark will do that to you.
Pulling the covers up, Lu Guang lies down to sleep. “We can finish the movie tomorrow.”

Cheng XiaoShi closes the laptop, with the only light source gone, the room is now pitch black. He lies down next to Lu Guang and stares at the ceiling(? Or the bottom of the top bunk, idk ).

….

The area lights up once again, this time from a phone.

—----------------
¥6750.60( about $900 )*

Getting his first paycheck, Cheng XiaoShi’s bank account finally gets out of its double-digit hell.
Eliminating rent and the money he needs to get food. The rookie photographer still has some money to spare, not to mention he has a lot of extra money from that woman.

could get some new furniture?

Cheng XiaoShi scrolls through a second-hand furniture website while he eats his dinner. His apartment looks pathetic, equipped with only a couch gifted from his parents, some chairs, some basic kitchen equipment, and a bed.

What are some household essentials?
Bed, chair, microwave, oven, fridge…. Tv.

He did miss watching TV while eating after all.

The dark-haired man looks at the sofa, on which sits one ghost, reading the novel Cheng XiaoShi brought him.

The spirit still doesn't talk much after 2 weeks of living together. But at least he can speak and flip books without struggling now.

He observes his undead roommate, his white hair framing his soft features, dark brows furrowing as he takes in the information from the book. It's getting easier to see Lu Guang now; he barely disappears randomly now, appearing consistently in Cheng XiaoShi’s life. You can't even tell the man is translucent at times, unless you squint really hard, with more colors showing on his body, ditching the old all white color palette. Although this version was still not particularly colorful.

“What are you reading?” Cheng XiaoShi pokes his head over Lu Guang’s shoulder, invading the spirit's personal bubble. Not that any of them cared, Lu Guang was too focused to even notice.

“You gave me this book, though?” Lu Guang says, voice steady. He flips over to the next page with his pale fingers.

“That doesn't mean I actually read it before!” He defended himself.
He took the book from his parents' house, where it had been stored on a dusty bookshelf for years. The old couple hasn't picked up a book since the introduction of phones.

Who would prefer books over screens anyway?

“Hey.. Lu Guang.”

“What?” Looking up from the book, the ghost replied.

“Aren’t you bored of reading books all day?” Cheng XiaoShi, who is now sitting down next to Lu Guang and resting his head on his hands, asks.

Why is he asking that?

“I don't even read books all day.”

“Yes, you do, what do you even do when I'm gone anyway? You're unemployed.”

“Of course I'm unemployed, I'm dead.” Lu Guang deadpans. He can feel his intelligence regressing as he speaks to his roommate.

“Yeah, but what else can you do?”

“I cleaned the house one time.”

……

“You can do that?” Cheng XiaoShi blurted.

“I can’t live knowing that your bathroom looked like that— did you not notice?”

no

“Ok, fine, do you want a phone?”

A phone?
“..Why would you get me a phone?”

“Why not?” Cheng XiaoShi says, still staring at Lu Guang while he dramatically twirls his short hair.

“I can't even use phones. I tried once when you were asleep, but it didn't respond to my touch. I doubt I can remember how to use them anyway.”

“Yeaaaaa, but doesn't your kind use phones to send people creepy messages or something?”
Cheng XiaoShi teases.

“Now you're just being insensitive.”

“Ok, but how much can you remember though?”

……

“Comeonee, tell me your backstoryyy.” The black-haired man whines after getting ignored.

He should be able to use controllers, right?

Finally leaving his roommate alone, ChengXiaoShi takes out his phone again.

##### brand TV, good condition. ¥600

Filling out his card info and paying without hesitating, he lets out a satisfied smile before resuming his mindless scrolling.

—------------------------------

ding dong

The sharp ring wakes Lu Guang from his nap. Recovering his consciousness, he eyed the door.

That idiot probably forgot his keys again.

He gets up from the couch and walks to the door. The door clicks as it unlocks.

It was someone. Not Cheng XiaoShi, but someone. He hasn't seen anyone other than Cheng XiaoShi for a century. Maybe he had already regained the ability for a while, but he hasn't had a chance to go outside since the grocery run.

The person is dressed in some sort of uniform. By his side is a cart with a large, flat box on top.
He looks as surprised as Lu Guang.

“Hello?” the unfamiliar voice called out. He slightly steps inside the house, attempting to look for its resident.

“Ummm, I need someone to sign for the package?” He called out again.

……..

Stepping out from the apartment, the guy takes out his phone and starts going on it, probably contacting someone.

“Weird, I swear on my life I heard the lock click.” He mumbled, taking the cart as he prepared to leave for his next delivery.

“WAIT!” Lu Guang turned his head to the familiar voice.

Cheng XiaoShi

“Sorry- I got caught up with work, I'll sign the package.” He explains as he signs the paper.

“...ok.” The guy leaves a simple reply before turning to leave, leaving the two alone.

Cheng XiaoShi turns to his door to see Lu Guang standing there, wide-eyed.
They maintain eye contact for a few seconds until it breaks.

“Who was that?”

“Delivery guy.” Cheng XiaoShi gave a swift reply before picking up the box and moving it inside. He should have stopped the guy from leaving so he could help.

Lu Guang watches as his roommate lays the box on the floor and starts cutting it with a knife.
“.. What's this?”

A smile crept up on Cheng XiaoShi’s face.

“You’ll know~”

—--------------------------------

10:31pm

By the time Cheng XiaoShi finished setting up the television, the sun was already setting, casting a warm orange over the apartment.

Looking out the window, Lu Guang can see trickles of kids and other residents of the apartment walking around. Looking out the window had been one of the few things the ghost liked to do when he was conscious, alone in the empty house. But recently, the activity had been replaced by books.

“Are you not gonna make yourself something to eat?”

“I ordered us pizza.” Cheng XiaoShi answered as he went through the movies on the streaming service.

It didn't take long for Lu Guang to realize it was useless to argue with Cheng XiaoShi about providing a literal dead person food. Despite all that, the ghost still felt bad every time he ate food coming from his roommate's pockets.

Gesturing to the spot next to him, Cheng XiaoShi invited, “Come here, I gotta show you some peak media.”

His signature grin displayed on his face; he's definitely excited for the movie marathon. A purple blanket sits on top of the couch.

The couch didn't dip when the ghost settled down on the spot next to his roommate, but the drop in temperature made up for it. Sensing the ghost’s arrival, Cheng XiaoShi pulls down the blanket, trying to wrap it around both of them.

It phased right through the other.

Unsurprised, Cheng XiaoShi tries to cover the ghost with the blanket again, but it didn't fail to phase through the white ghost.

The latter was amused at the display, finally opening his mouth when his roommate prepared to start another attempt.

“Why do we need a blanket?”

“You can't possibly watch a movie at home without a blanket!” He gasped

“It's not even cold.”

“Nah, might as well be winter with you here.” He brings up the blanket to both of their shoulders, no longer phasing through Lu Guang’s shoulder. The two fall into a comfortable silence as the movie intro plays, the light from the new TV illuminating the dark room.

Cheng XiaoShi places a bucket of popcorn between them, finishing a significant amount of it before the movie even starts. He shifts on the couch until he finds a comfortable spot for himself to slouch in.

He steals a glance at the white haired man next to him, his knees tucked against his chest like the time he hid in the closet. The glow from the TV paints his form with a purplish glow, his eyes fixed on the screen in front of him.

—-----------------------------------

Back To The Future…

Beauty And The Beast…..

Finding Nemo…

His arm slowly grows tired from raising it to scroll through the screen on the plane seat. Lu Guang lets out a sigh as he lowers his hand, failing to find one to entertain him for the plane ride. He tries to run his finger through his white hair, only to find the cat ear hat that his partner convinced him to wear.

Maybe I should just read.

He moves his leg to get up to retrieve his books from the luggage, only to be stopped by a gentle weight on his shoulder.

Cheng XiaoShi, asleep, leaning on him, head on his shoulders. His own body relaxes, abandoning the books to the luggage.

—----------------------------------

3:02 am

Cheng XiaoShi’s breath hitched when he felt a light, feathery weight on his shoulders. He looks down to find his roommate, sleeping.

on him

He froze, scared that a single move could startle the spirit. They're so close, Cheng XiaoShi could count Lu Guang’s eyelashes if he just looked down. In contrast to his white hair, Lu Guang’s brows and lashes are a darker shade of grey, a trait that he just noticed.
The man sleeping on him looked like a delicate art carved by a god; Cheng XiaoShi felt like tracing his fingers along his features.

The movie playing on the screen was long forgotten, the corny lines of the romance movie exit out of his ear as soon as they enter. Faint thumps of his own heartbeat drum through his mind, muting out the rest of the world.

An empty popcorn bucket, knocked down from the couch some time ago, brushes his feet as he tries to readjust his position.

A chill runs down his body as the ghost slides down from his shoulder from the small motion. Now fully leaning on his roommate's chest, Lu Guang is still asleep.

No longer a ghostly translucent form, Lu Guang’s opaque form obscures Cheng XiaoShi’s body as he gradually slides down.

What do I do?

He panics as he raises an awkward arm to hold the ghost in place to keep him from fully sliding down.

He stands up, still trying his best to hold Lu Guang still. Despite the ghost weighing basically nothing, his arms shake as he slowly lays the man on the couch, pulling the blanket over his sleeping form.

He closed the TV, cutting off the noise and chatter coming from it.

—----------------------------

3:45 am

Blue light burns his eyes as Cheng XiaoShi stares into his phone, waiting for a reply from his sister.

she’s probably asleep

Cheng XiaoShi looks out of his room at the sleeping ghost. The white silhouette lies peacefully on the couch, without the rise and fall of his chest. It's so easy to pretend that he’s just a normal roommate.

Too easy.

The dark-haired man sighed, closing his phone, and wrapped himself in his blanket. For once, he didn't start immediately sweating once he used his blanket. Maybe fall is coming after all.

It wasn't easy for Cheng XiaoShi when he finally pried his eyes off the head of white hair on his couch.

Chapter Text

Okay so im lwky busy rn and i have another personal project going on. But the new chapter is almost done just give me like a few more days cus im planning to rewrite some parts. ( btw ill prolly rewrite some earlier chapters too im not even gonna lie i didnt put that much thought on it. you dont have to re read them tho what happens stays the same im just fixing some in consistencies abt lg's ability as a ghost and some general writing stuff to TRY to make it better.

Chapter Text

”Cheng XiaoShi.”.

—--------------------
3:44 am

Cxs : IM NOT KIDDING, IM LIVING WITH A GHOST

Ql : uh-uh, I'm not buying that.
: If that's true, I just know you’d be hiding back at the photo studio right now.

Cxs : dude, I'm not a scaredy cat, plus the ghost is literally just a normal guy, he’s just dead.

Ql : Oh, really?

—---

Qiao Ling still doesn't believe him; he can hear her sarcastic reply over the screen. She’d probably be laughing, too.

The subject of their conversation is lying next to him, asleep. It’s not the first time he has seen the ghost visibly asleep, although you wouldn’t really call him visible. Asleep, the ghost’s form is reduced to a faint shadow. It didn't bother Cheng XiaoShi, given that Lu Guang usually disappears completely when he “sleeps”.

He probably likes me enough to sleep around me
Cheng XiaoShi smiles to himself at the thought.

—---
3:39 am
Cxs : [attachment]
: look he’s sleeping!

Ql : ghost’s dont sleep, stupid

Cxs : That’s a hurtful stereotype

Ql : dude all i see is a empty mattress stop shitting me
: atleast photoshop some medieval peasant on it before sending it.

Cxs : No! He just looks like a good looking guy.
: he has white hair, though. read 12:43

3:40 am

Ql : White hair? I never thought you were into older guys.

Cxs : NO HES LITERALLY AROUND OUR AGE AND HES REAL

Ql : what is he wearing?

Cxs : what? He’s not wearing some medieval uniform if you're wondering.
: just a white long sleeve shirt with a black shirt underneath and black pants.
: do you think his grandsons burned him those clothes or something? read 12:46

3:45am
Cxs : not cool, man, say something.

—---------------------

Qiao Ling rarely left him on read, but it wasn't deep enough to stop him from sleeping.

He forgets about the conversation as soon as he starts to scroll on his phone before sleeping.

Huh.

Water will be out for 3 hours starting 7 pm tomorrow.

Whatever, time to go to sleep.

—---------------------

The book closes with a thud, finishing the new book, Lu Guang turns around for a nap. He’d have to ask his roommate for a new one when he comes back from work.

He lies on his back on the couch, waiting for slumber to take him. Cheng XiaoShi had offered him to use his bed for as long as he could remember, but it still felt wrong to Lu Guang to use Cheng XiaoShi’s bed, although technically, the latter was the one living in the ghost’s home.

His thoughts quiet down as if someone's turning down the volume; he drifts into sleep…

Maybe Cheng XiaoShi will be back when he wakes up.

knock.
“Lu Guang.”

His eyes snap back open at the sharp knock, accompanied by a feminine voice. He looks toward where the voice came from, the door.

“Lu Guang.” The voice calls out again, this time with 3 even harder knocks.

How does she know my name?

Cheng XiaoShi never told his roommate not to open doors for strangers.
—-------

Qiao Ling knocks on the wooden door again after receiving no response, this time with more force than the last.

“I know you're in there. Whatever you are, open the door.”

……

The door slowly swings open just as she prepares for another knock. She steps inside the apartment without hesitation. An unnatural breeze welcomes her as she steps inside the apartment. She knows for sure Cheng XiaoShi didn't have AC inside his apartment, let alone let it run when he’s out for work.

But she’s not here for Cheng XiaoShi.

Anytime now.

The apartment was empty, she walks around, inspecting the space for clues.

“Hmmmmm. I'm pretty sure Cheng XiaoShi doesn't read mystery novels.” Qiao Ling sang, dangling the novel by the cover, performing an examination on it. An invisible hand snatched the book as soon as she finished her sentence.

—--------------------------------

Lu Guang stares at the woman as she stares at the book he holds protectively against his chest. She had the same shoulder-length haircut as the woman in his memories, but he couldn’t remember what she looked like.

what is her problem?

Her eyes widened for a moment when Lu Guang retrieved his book from her,

The ghost remains frozen as the woman on the couch slowly puts her head in her hands and just pauses.

—--------------------------------

Qiao Ling was a weird girl.

Dreams had occupied her sleep since she was little, dreams about a life that was both similar and yet so different from hers.

It was like living 2 lives, and it somehow worked out in her consciousness; something in her told her what the dreams actually were. She didn't tell anyone about the dreams, maybe she would've when she was younger, but she had always thought she was just reliving her day in her sleep when she was a kid.

That changed as she grew older, the differences between her current life and the one in her dreams, Mr. and Mrs. Qiao leaving, the kid from the boba shop going missing, powers, Lu Guang.

The dreams stopped about a month ago; it was a nightmare, everyone’s dead. She woke up screaming as a gunshot echoed in her head.

After the memories fully settled in her brain, she figured out that all the differences between her current life and her past one are that everything that went wrong before seemed never to happen here.

She noticed the kidnapper taking away the kid; they never got tangled in some freaky serial murderer case, and Mr and Mrs. Cheng never left. She had sat in front of a table with all the clues jotted down. All cause powers didn’t exist in this world.

Everyone that she had known in her previous life seemed to be present in her current one; she met them almost exactly like how she did before, whether it was Cheng XiaoShi, XuShanShan, or DongYi. She still met Cheng XiaoShi when they were kids, and they still formed their own little college friend group.

Except for Lu Guang.

She had assumed it was an anomaly, that he would show up eventually, and she always thought that he would definitely remember the past, too. But he never showed up.

Well, he did now. Kind of.
Now that her theory was confirmed, she realized she never really believed in it.

After the initial shock, she accepted the truth, she had considered giving herself a slap to the face to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, but if she wasn’t dreaming, the first thing Lu Guang sees when they reunite is QiaoLing slapping herself.

This feels real enough anyways. She winced when she saw the floating book again, only to avert her gaze as soon as she made eye contact( or where she thinks his eye would be ) with the Lu Guang-shaped shadow

“Haha, sooooo..” She spoke after staying silent for nearly 20 minutes and received no reply.
“How’s life?”

Silence.

Sighing, she decides to ask the question that had been on her mind the second she stepped into this apartment.

—--------------------------

“Why are you dead?” She blurts out, the words coming right out of her mind with no phrasing whatsoever.

Why are you dead.

Why are you dead?

What kind of question is that?

The woman's question and actions didn’t explain anything, and they certainly aren't helping Lu Guang’s confusion at the moment. He hesitates. What is he supposed to say to that? He doesn't even know the answer himself.

But if he won't do anything, he won't get any answers either.
“I forgot.” Okay, not the best answer, but it's not like he can do any better right now.

—---------------------------

Her head perked up at the voice, she doesn’t really expect a reply from the ghost; he’s definitely Lu Guang. His voice felt so new, despite all the times she had heard it in her memories. She can feel her nose souring, but by how this is going, she’ll probably be crying about something else instead.

“Do you remember?” She exclaimed, a bit too loudly. Guess she won’t have a buddy to talk about their tragic past after all.
—---------------------------

Remember?

Remember what?
All he has are bits and pieces of his previous life, which looked like a smudged painting in his mind.

“No.” Lu Guang isn’t even sure if he wants to remember.

—----------------------------

Qiao Ling had two choices right now. A), sob her heart out and tell Lu Guang about everything, from him meeting Cheng XiaoShi and the whole case that basically ruined their lives. B), chicken out and leave him with a bunch of questions.

“Can I see your face?” She pleaded. It’s kinda hard to have a conversation with a white shadow.

—---------------------------

“I.. don’t know how. The man I live with can see me just fine.” Lu Guang hesitated before adding.
“Maybe try to close the curtains?” Cheng XiaoShi mentioned that he had a white glow on him before. Lu Guang was convinced that his roommate could actually see him; they never failed to make eye contact when he wanted to. But now thinking about it, he wasn’t exactly visible, wasn’t he? The people who had stayed in his house before left after they got freaked out enough, and even if they did see him, they would always tell their family they saw a shadow.

Looking back at the day Cheng XiaoShi took him grocery shopping, no one seemed to notice him either( except for that old man ). He had to admit that the days when Cheng XiaoShi first came rarely pop up in his mind. Those memories felt like a hazy dream to him, the kind of images you get when you try to recall what happened when you were drunk. Luckily, he doesn't have that problem anymore, though it has been quite a while since he could actually think clearly like this.

The woman pursed her lips slightly, looking like she had just swallowed a bucket of words back into her throat. She continues the conversation as she makes her way to the window.
“Do you at least remember Cheng XiaoShi?” She asked timidly, voice souring.

She stops at the window, looking out as she waits for a response.

”Cheng XiaoShi”

“Have we met before?”

His head begins to throb when he tries to recall the contents of his little dream like flashbacks.

—-----------------------------------

She sighs as she waits for another response. Closing the curtains, she catches something on her last glimpse of the window.

Cheng XiaoShi. He enters the building after swiping his residency card.

She paled; she didn’t really have an explanation for why she was in his house on a weekday, he didn't give her a key to his house yet, so she would have to come up with an explanation on how she got in, too. Telling him the truth would mean that she has to tell him about everything else too, and QiaoLing is not prepared to do that yet.

She turned around to see Lu Guang, staring back at her with concern, now that his features are more visible. Maybe she closed the curtains a bit too aggressively. Doesn’t matter, she needs to get out of here as soon as possible, she is not dealing with him right now.

“I’m QiaoLing, by the way, in case it helps!” QiaoLing rambles as she takes her bag.
“Can I hug you?” She is not gonna run headfirst just to phase through the ghost.

“Sure.” She didn’t wait for him to finish his answer before pulling Lu Guang into a hug. The ghost was cold, but she didn’t care.

“Don't tell Cheng XiaoShi I was here.” She instructs before closing the apartment door.

—---------------------------------------

“Hey boys~” Qiao Ling welcomed herself into the photo studio as always, the speaker sounding as she pushed open the door.

The space is unusually quiet, given that Cheng XiaoShi lives here. She takes a deep breath before continuing into the photo studio.

“Hello?” She calls out again, serious about not wanting to walk in on anything. She lifts a tentative hand to the curtains, which provide privacy for the living space of the two.

The red curtain reveals Cheng XiaoShi and Lu Guang taking a nap on the couch, leaning on each other, the latter squeezing his eyes together with the sun shining on his eyes.

She smiles as she closes the curtain for the two, taking one last glance at them before flipping the ‘closed’ sign over the door.

She had known Cheng XiaoShi her whole life, their parents being close friends and all. Thinking about it, she had never gone more than a week without seeing that air-headed boy.

They attended the same schools, although they were a few grades apart; she would still walk him back home and help him with his homework, even when she went to high school while Cheng XiaoShi was in middle school.

After Cheng XiaoShi’s parents went missing, her family basically adopted him into their family, looking after him like their own. For her whole life, QiaoLing considered Cheng XiaoShi her little brother.

She has known Lu Guang for much less time than Cheng XiaoShi, but she still developed the same affection for him anyway. In general, she is glad that Cheng XiaoShi found someone his age to be his friend; she can’t say she wasn't surprised when their relationship developed into something else.

“Qiao Ling jie.” A deep voice stopped her from leaving the photo studio.

“Ah, sorry, did I wake you up?” Turning her head, she lets out an apologetic smile to the white-haired man behind her.
“I’m already leaving. Go back and get some more rest, you two just got out of the hospital.”

“Can we talk?”

—-------------------------------

Cheng XiaoShi whistles as he unlocks his apartment. He tended to forget his keys after living in a photo studio for years, where you could just walk i. That also meant that Lu Guang had to open the door for him every time he forgot his keys, and he genuinely felt bad about being an inconvenience.

“I’m back.” He called out.

He never got a “Welcome back” from his roommate, but he at least acknowledged his existence every time he came back from work. Today, the ghost is reading a book on the couch like always. Except he isn't reading the book. He was just looking at the book, zoning out.

He didn't notice Cheng XiaoShi’s presence until the stove was turned on and the water in the pot started to boil, steam and bubbling noises waking Lu Guang up from his thoughts.

The exhaust hood drowns out Cheng XiaoShi’s humming while he dumps the noodles in the pot, the theme song of a magical princess show QiaoLing used to force him to watch along when they were kids. He had always protested against it, going on about the show being a girls show, but he had to admit the show was entertaining. Despite the song being kinda shit, it was catchy as hell, and it wasn't his fault that he can't get it out of his head once it pops out again.

Catching his roommate standing next to him, the corner of his eye, he casually greeted him. “What's up?”

“Who’s Qiao Ling?” He asked

“Huh?” Lu Guang’s question caught him completely off guard. “My sister, that's not related to me.” He still answered.

“Oh.”

“Why?” Cheng XiaoShi questioned

“Nothing.”

“She came by today, didn't she?”
“Oh! Did she leave me anything?” He adds, not noticing how the ghost froze at his question.

“...No.” Lu Guang answered, relieved. Cheng XiaoShi doesn’t seem to suspect anything.

“What about her?” Cheng XiaoShi wondered, did Lu Guang think she was his girlfriend? He shuddered at the thought; he remembered how his classmates used to ship him with QiaoLing since they were seen together every day.

“Nothing, just looked like someone I used to know.” He replied half-heartedly, looking as if he’s about to zone out again.

“Who is it?” His interest piqued by Lu Guang’s answer, his roommate barely talks about his past. Despite being extremely interested in said past, he would never make Lu Guang uncomfortable for his own entertainment.

“A good friend.”

Cheng XiaoShi’s face lit up at the legitimate answer. This is one of the rare occasions where the ghost didn’t say “I forgot” or “I’m not sure.”. An intrigued grin spread across his face, which is where Cheng XiaoShi stops thinking before speaking.

“Really? I thought you were gonna say you forgot!” He blurted. Shit. That came out wrong.

“...What?..” Lu Guang faltered. Did he really say that all the time?

Cheng XiaoShi’s expression turns into a visible panic, “Wait- Wait, I wasn’t complaining or blaming you or whatever, I'm just surprised-”

“I can still remember some stuff!” The ghost protested in an attempt to prove himself.

It's that intrigued face again.

“Really? What can you remember?” Pausing for a moment, he added, “Only if you're comfortable sharing, of course!”

What can Lu Guang remember?

If there was one thing he could be sure of in his blurry flashbacks, it would be

you.

“Some guy.” Lu Guang replied, looking away after realizing he’s staring.

Cheng XiaoShi’s face hung in disappointment.

“Some guy.” He deadpans

“Some guy.” Lu Guang parrots

“Come onnn, that's barely anything. Can you remember who he is?” Cheng XiaoShi playfully whines, leaning closer to Lu Guang, his body language telling the ghost, ‘you can tell me anything’. “You know how in the movies, people help amnesia patients recover their memories?” He added

Lu Guang blinked at him, then at the pot behind Cheng XiaoShi.

“We should totally do that.” Cheng XiaoShi continues in a joking tone. He was being serious.

“It's boiling over.” The ghost points a finger at the pot, angry bubbles spilling from all sides.

“Huh?” A sharp pain spreads through the joint of his elbow as Cheng XiaoShi turns to the pot, unintentionally hitting it in the process, followed by an even sharper pain in the whole of his forearm.

He lets out a small yelp as he jerks away from the stove on instinct. Stumbling backwards, he drops to the floor, phasing through Lu Guang in the process.

Cold hands were all over him before he processed what was happening. Cheng XiaoShi looked up to see his wide-eyed roommate crouching in front of him. Lu Guang's form was fully opaque, looking no different from a living person, save for his unusual pale skin; he didn't even have the consistent eerie glow around him.

And he was also dangling Cheng XiaoShi’s burnt arm in front of him.

—--------------------

He picked the arm up by the wrist, inspecting the forearm in horror. Deep red patches of skin stare back at him; a few developing blisters can be found on the burnt skin.

What are you supposed to do when someone burns themselves again?

It wasn't his fault that the last time Lu Guang had the chance to deal with something like this was centuries ago.
And the fact that Cheng XiaoShi is quiet isn’t helping his internal panic.

He paused before asking, “What do I do?”

Cheng XiaoShi returns as if Lu Guang smacked him out of his personal daydream.
“I think you get ice or something on it.” He answered. Lu Guang can hear his roommate's voice straining.

Despite that, he still asks, “Does it hurt a lot?"

—--------------------

Oh yeah, it hurt a lot. It hurts like shit, and Cheng XiaoShi didn’t like it. But there was something about seeing Lu Guang worried about him. Maybe they are besties after all. He lets out a small giggle at the revelation. Lu Guang only shot him a weird look before leaving his side for an ice pack.

The ghost froze as he reached for the freezer.
“Wait.” He paused, brows furrowed. “You don’t use ice packs on burns.”

“What do you mean?” Cheng XiaoShi strained, without the ghost and his cold beside him, the pain from the burn worsened. Or maybe that's just how burns normally feel.

Lu Guang marches back towards Cheng XiaoShi and grabs his arm in an attempt to lead him back to the sink. The ghost’s cold fingers brush against the burns.

Cheng XiaoShi does a small inhale at the touch, the ghost’s cold hands felt really nice on his burns

“They worsen the burn, go run your arm under tap water.”-----

His hand acted out before his brain had a chance to catch up, grabbing Lu Guang's arm and holding him back.

Before he realizes, they were making eye contact.

….

“What?” Lu Guang blurted. He looks annoyed and a second away from exploding with how long they're dragging this out, with a second-degree burn at risk.

This is kinda awkward.

“Uhhh, umm, uhh–” Cheng XiaoShi stutters. He hasn't stuttered in years; he doesn’t like to brag, but he did have an excess amount of confidence all the time. The last time he stuttered, he was trying to confess to a girl in middle school with everyone hyping him up for weeks. He was rejected, but as puberty hit, his popularity grew with his personality and good looks. Soon after, he was the one rejecting people. It was also around that time that he found out he wasn't into girls.

“Uhhhhhhh—” He continues.

Lu Guang watches Cheng XiaoShi’s neck turn as red as his right arm. He would probably be suppressing a laugh right now if his roommate's arm weren't half-burned and still untreated.

“The water is out right now?” The ravennette squeaks a measly sentence out in uncertainty. It seems like Lu Guang has better things to think about than how pathetic Cheng XiaoShi looks right now.

Without talking, the ghost dropped back on the floor beside Cheng XiaoShi and placed both of his cold hands on Cheng XiaoShi’s burnt ones.

Cheng XiaoShi can feel his whole body heating up at the sudden intimacy. This can’t be good for him. He opens his mouth—----

“We can’t use ice packs, I’m not exactly solid, and I don't release body heat, so this is the best we can do.” Lu Guang cuts him off before he can say anything embarrassing. He settles on staring at the ghost instead.

The spirit is back to being his usual translucent form, although his glow isn't visible under the lights. He looked tense, studying the burns under his hand.

Cheng XiaoShi follows the other’s gaze down to his forearm, partly visible through the ghost’s translucent hands. He winced at the sight. As soon as he looked down, it looked worse than it did before; his arm was now decorated with patches of deep red burns with a few developed blisters. It was much worse than he imagined. If he had to rate his pain on a scale of 1-10, he would say 6, but his arm looked like it was worth an 8 on the scale.

Seems like Lu Guang is doing wonders here

—---------------------------------------

Being trapped in a tiny apartment after dying really isn’t ideal for anyone, but it’s not like Lu Guang ever had a choice.

Or maybe he did, either way, he can’t remember, and he was stuck in an empty apartment alone for most of his time as a ghost, whether he likes it or not. That also meant that he is trained to be resilient to boredom after decades( or centuries? ) of having barely anything to entertain himself. For that, it took him quite a while to catch on to Cheng XiaoShi’s gaze.

“..What?” He looked up to find Cheng XiaoShi shamelessly gawking at him. The dark-haired man didn’t even bother to hide said gaze.

“Nothing, just, distracting myself from the searing pain I'm feeling.” He drawls jokingly.

“Dumbass.”

—--------------------------------------------

Cheng XiaoShi stares at his bandaged arm, which was done pretty neatly, and he has Lu Guang to thank for that. He would have to redo his dinner, though.

6:57pm

He still has time.

Chapter Text

ik its been awhile since the last chapter. and im not even gonna lie the thing ive been busy on aside on working on my halloween costime and finals is freaking roblox adopt me( i started playing it again ) and i only wrote like 500 words and idk my literacy just felt constipated the whole time idk if that makes sense but yea.

so first im gonna play adopt me like i am as im writing this shit, then ill have a long think abt the new chapter( and whether if i should rewrite the whole thing cus icl its kinda buns and theres a million ways the prompt could be better, when i was writing the new chapter, i was like "shit yea i shouldve done that instead of that" the whole time, and i write for fun so thinking abt how awesome my fic would be if i did that instead isnt rlly fun for me. )

thats pretty much it, hauntlets starting. happy halloween guys!!