Chapter 121: News About the Parents
The next day, when Chen Yi called to wake the two of them up, it was already 1 p.m.
Li Mu was woken up by their conversation. He yawned, stretched, and let out a soft and lazy hum of comfort.
“Seriously, don’t make sounds when you stretch,” Yu Fan said with a smile after hanging up the phone. He got up and looked at Li Mu. “It makes people want to grab your head and give it a good rub.”
Still sleepy from not getting enough rest, Li Mu looked a little dazed. His face was slightly red, his arms stretched above his head, and his eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. He didn’t respond to Yu Fan’s teasing.
Yu Fan glanced at him and pouted. “You're making it too easy for guys to get the wrong idea. Do you act like this in the dorm too?”
“No…”Li Mu barely got the word out before yawning. Then he used his arms to push himself up slowly, rubbing his eyes as he said, “Didn’t sleep much last night… and the blanket was too thick… it was hot…”
Just waking up, he hadn’t switched back to his usual cold and calm self yet. He still looked confused, and his voice was soft and cute.
His voice now sounded almost the same as a girl’s, only a slight neutral tone made it different.
When he lifted the blanket off himself, he shivered.
His whole body was sweaty. Under the blanket, it had been so hot he thought he might die, but now that the blanket was off, he was freezing.
Yu Fan found it hard to look away. Li Mu’s clothes were soaked in sweat and clung to his skin. His body shape was clearly outlined.
He’s probably close to getting a B cup… right?
Even though he thought that, he couldn’t actually tell measurements just by looking. Still, he guessed in his heart and quickly turned his head away, silently repeating to himself:
He’s a guy, he’s a guy… wait, yeah, right! That’s totally a girl, okay?!
Then, the image of last night popped into his mind. Li Mu passed out in the bathtub, and that small, cute “little Li Mu” that could only be described as adorable.
It doesn’t matter!
He suddenly jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom to wash up.
When he came out, Li Mu had already put on his usual cold expression. He wore a jacket, covering most of his figure, and was now sitting at the edge of the bed playing on his phone.
Normally, seeing him like this wouldn’t make anyone think much. But after seeing that soft and sleepy version of him earlier, the contrast was both cute and strangely attractive.
But right now, Yu Fan wasn’t interested in that anymore.
“What are we doing next?” Li Mu looked up and asked.
Yu Fan quickly put on his usual sunny smile. “We’re going to visit a shaman.”
“Oh.” Li Mu nodded lightly and got up from the bed. Then he asked, “Why did it take you so long to brush your teeth and wash your face?”
“Stomachache.”
They washed up, packed their things, and checked out.
In the hotel lobby, they found Chen Yi, who had been waiting for a while.
“Let’s eat first,” Chen Yi said. He looked tired, had dark circles under his eyes, and kept yawning.
It was almost time for afternoon classes, so the streets of Yingfeng Town were filled with students in school uniforms.
The high school girls walking by didn’t catch the attention of either Chen Yi or Yu Fan. Instead, it was Li Mu who kept looking around, quietly observing the town where Lin Xi used to live.
After lunch, they got in the car. As they drove off, Chen Yi turned and reminded them, “That shaman has a bad temper, so don’t say anything stupid later.”
Yu Fan and Li Mu both nodded at almost the same time.
But as the car continued on its way, Li Mu started to feel that the view outside the window looked more and more familiar.
“Uncle, is the shaman a man or a woman?” Yu Fan asked, bored.
“A woman. She’s been doing this for decades. Show some respect when we get there.”
“Oh, an old lady?”
“She “said” she was very pretty when she was young, maybe even prettier than Li Mu.”
Li Mu looked up and said with annoyance, “Why did you emphasize the word "said"? And don’t compare me to her.”
After driving for about ten minutes, they arrived at the foot of a familiar mountain.
Only then did Li Mu realize who they were talking about.
Wait… isn’t that fortune-teller on the mountain a scammer?
“Let’s go,” Yu Fan turned back and waved at Li Mu. “Be careful not to fall.”
“I know.”
Li Mu replied, but he still couldn’t believe that this fake fortune-teller actually knew how to deal with ghosts.
Maybe Chen Yi had already called ahead, because before they even reached the cemetery, the old fortune-teller came down halfway to meet them.
Chen Yi immediately walked over to greet her. “Granny Zhou, it’s been a while.”
The old lady nodded at him. Then she saw Li Mu standing in the back. Her face suddenly lit up with a warm smile, and her dry hand waved at him. “Back to visit this old lady again?”
“You know her?” Yu Fan whispered in Li Mu’s ear.
“Yeah, met her once before. I thought she was a scammer...” Li Mu replied, then quickly walked forward to greet her.
The old woman smiled and gently took Li Mu’s arm, then motioned for the others to keep walking up the mountain.
Her home was near the public cemetery. A small, simple wooden house covered with a plastic tarp for waterproofing.
Inside, the space was really small. There was a bed, a table, and some cooking tools in the corner. Somehow, she had electricity, and a dim yellow light bulb flickered overhead.
Even though it was tiny, the room was very clean. As soon as they stepped in, they could feel the chill in the air.
With all four people inside, the room felt even more crowded. The old woman made Li Mu sit beside her on a bench, but Chen Yi and Yu Fan had to stand next to the table.
Wasn’t this old lady being a little too friendly to Li Mu?
Yu Fan gave Chen Yi a look, worried that the shaman might have some bad intentions toward Li Mu.
The old lady didn’t look nice at all, more like a scary witch in a movie. But even though Chen Yi noticed Yu Fan’s glance, he just kept chatting casually with the old woman.
After some small talk, Chen Yi finally brought up the real reason they came. “Granny Zhou, about three or four years ago, did a couple in their forties ever come to see you?”
Li Mu suddenly became very alert.
The old woman nodded with a smile. “Yes, this girl must be their child, right? She looks just like them.”
“A boy.”
“Oh right, her parents disappeared a few years ago,” the old woman sighed and gently patted Li Mu’s head. “It must be hard for such a young girl to have lived on her own for so long, right?”
“A boy.”
She looked up and smiled again. “Back then, her parents came to me to borrow a ghost.”
Li Mu and Yu Fan both looked at her in confusion.
Wait, people can borrow a ghost?
“Borrow a ghost?” Chen Yi asked curiously. “What for?”
“They said it was to protect their home and family.” The old woman continued to pat Li Mu’s head and smiled. “With such a cute daughter, I can understand.”
Li Mu weakly reminded her again, “A boy.”
But Yu Fan froze for a second, then suddenly had a bold guess. “That ghost… was it wearing a suit?”
The old woman looked at him. “Oh? You’ve seen it?”
His face darkened, and he shivered at the memory. “It almost killed me… and it was their own ghost?!”