After Ghost Marriage with My Arch-Rival - Chapter 15

Caught red-handed immediately after spreading the rumor.

Liu Xiangyi felt a flicker of guilt for exactly one second before firing back with his signature unearned bravado:

“Anyway, you’re dead now. You’re a ghost. Whether you’re ‘functioning’ or not shouldn’t really matter anymore, right?”

Zhong Qinhuai gazed at him, a deeply meaningful smile playing in his eyes. “President Liu, by suddenly spreading rumors about my impotence, are you trying to hint at something?”

Liu Xiangyi: “?”

Zhong Qinhuai swirled the red wine in his glass. He seemed lost in thought for a few moments, as if a realization had suddenly dawned on him. The corners of his mouth curled into a sharp arc.

“Speaking of which, although President Liu and I are ghost-married, it seems we haven’t completed all the formal procedures yet. For instance, the wedding night. Consummating the marriage.”

Liu Xiangyi: “??”

“After all, President Liu has such a profound secret crush on me. It’s only natural that you’d feel resentful about a marriage that exists in name only, thus leading you to spread rumors about my performance.”

In less than a minute, Zhong Qinhuai had seemingly constructed an entirely logical narrative to explain why Liu Xiangyi was slandering his manhood. Finally, he inquired with mock politeness:

“So, when would President Liu like to schedule the completion of this particular procedure?”

Liu Xiangyi: “…”

He dug this hole himself; now he had to fill it, even if it meant swallowing his own tears.

He cleared his throat. “That won’t be necessary.”

He wanted to pivot away from this dangerous topic as fast as possible, but Zhong Qinhuai intercepted him immediately.

“How could it be unnecessary? Otherwise, it would be quite unfortunate to let President Liu continue laboring under the delusion that I’m impotent, wouldn’t it?”

With that, Zhong Qinhuai tilted his head back, drained the wine in a single gulp, and set the glass on the side table. Then he stood up and began walking toward Liu Xiangyi.

For the banquet today, Liu Xiangyi wore a black silk shirt. The top two buttons were undone, accentuating the smooth, elegant lines of his neck. His signature willow-leaf eyes were slightly curved, always carrying a hint of a smile that made him look gentle and affectionate to anyone he looked at.

The moment he had entered the ballroom, he had become a magnet for guests seeking to network. His status as the heir to the Liu family was one thing, but his radiant appearance made it almost impossible for anyone to resist drawing closer.

Zhong Qinhuai stepped in front of him. Just as his hand reached for Liu Xiangyi’s collar, Liu Xiangyi seized his wrist.

Liu Xiangyi’s eyes narrowed. This kid wouldn’t actually try to ‘consummate’ anything right here, would he? It sounded absurd, but Zhong Qinhuai had always been a loose cannon.

Perhaps the shock and panic in Liu Xiangyi’s eyes were too blatant. Zhong Qinhuai took one look and seemed to read his thoughts perfectly. He let out a soft chuckle.

“There’s no need for such alarm, President Liu. A procedure as significant as a wedding night, how could it possibly be held so haphazardly in a place full of strangers?”

Liu Xiangyi: “…”

He didn’t know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or keep his heart suspended in mid-air. Realizing there was no immediate danger, he finally let go of the ghost’s wrist.

Then, he watched as Zhong Qinhuai’s fingers meticulously fastened his collar buttons, one by one.

Once the expanse of porcelain-white skin and the refined lines of his collarbone were hidden away, Zhong Qinhuai finally withdrew his hand. He took a step back, a half-smile on his face.

“President Liu, if you don’t wear your clothes properly, it makes it very easy for people to take them off.”

Liu Xiangyi: “…”

This kid is a total control freak.

Refusing to be dominated by Zhong Qinhuai, Liu Xiangyi reached up to undo the buttons. His fingers fumbled and pulled, but the buttons felt as if they’d been fused shut with industrial-strength glue. They wouldn’t budge.

Liu Xiangyi: “…”

I’m done. This kid was getting more and more brazen now that he was a ghost.

Since he couldn’t undo them, he gave up. Liu Xiangyi didn’t care much about such a trifle; he was far more concerned about that “wedding night” Zhong Qinhuai had mentioned.

After leaving the lounge, he couldn’t stop ruminating on it. No matter how he looked at it, the guy was his arch-rival. Surely, he wouldn’t want to go through with it for real? It was probably just more “lip service,” same as always.

But then, remembering the forced kiss in the car the night before, Liu Xiangyi wasn’t so sure.

As he was lost in thought, Zhang Ruolan approached again. He was sharp-eyed and immediately noticed the change. His gaze settled on Liu Xiangyi’s now tightly-buttoned collar, and he broke into an ambiguous grin.

“Won’t even let us have a tiny peek anymore? It seems your ‘significant other’ isn’t just feisty, President Liu—he’s also quite possessive.”

Liu Xiangyi knew Zhang Ruolan was misinterpreting things again, but having learned his lesson from the impotence rumor, he simply offered a polite smile.

“President Zhang, you’ve got it wrong. This person is broad-minded, considerate, and perfectly reasonable. He knows I’m at this banquet for business networking; he would never intentionally cause trouble for me.”

As soon as he finished the sentence, a soft chuckle echoed in his ear. It carried a slight chill, like a damp mist coiling around him, clinging to his skin. A thin layer of frost seemed to settle on the tip of his ear.

Liu Xiangyi couldn’t help but touch it. It wasn’t an illusion. It was genuinely cold.

He scanned the room but saw no sign of Zhong Qinhuai. However, he was certain the kid was nearby.

Just then, Zhang Ruolan offered a mysterious smile. “President Liu, the main hall is a bit dull. Why don’t I take you somewhere else?”

Liu Xiangyi was already too distracted by the “wedding night” comment to care for networking. But the name of the Liu heir carried too much weight; people were practically lining up to shake his hand—a hand that currently couldn’t be shaken. Eager for a quiet place to hide from the incessant guests, he followed.

They traversed a long corridor. When the door at the end swung open, it revealed a hidden bar.

The lighting was dim, and the room was filled with beautiful men and women weaving through the crowd. Zhang Ruolan led Liu Xiangyi to a booth and waved a hand. Several attractive young stars immediately headed their way. Zhang Ruolan introduced them with a flourish:

“President Liu, these are all trending celebrities. They’re high-value, charming, and I guarantee they’ll provide excellent ’emotional value’!”

He then pointed to Liu Xiangyi and told the group: “This is President Liu of the Liu family. The Liu Group that owns half the landmarks in this city? That’s his family. He rarely visits bars, so you’d better treat him well today.”

Liu Xiangyi hadn’t expected Zhang Ruolan to take him to such a noisy place, but it was still better than watching guests perform Parkinson’s-style hand tremors in the main hall. Even if he disliked the chaotic atmosphere, he maintained his usual poise and refinement, offering Zhang Ruolan a modest smile.

“You’re exaggerating.”

The dim, flickering lights of the bar bathed Liu Xiangyi, highlighting the noble air of a man raised in wealth. His smile was faint, never appearing condescending, but rather refreshing and approachable.

The eyes of the five stars lit up instantly. They scrambled to sit around him. Two women on his left, two men on his right. One woman, a step too slow, refused to be left out. She walked right up to Liu Xiangyi and offered a coquettish smile.

“President Liu, you don’t mind if I sit here, do you?”

Liu Xiangyi: “?”

Before he could even answer, the actress prepared to sit directly in his lap.

Liu Xiangyi: “!”

Just as she was about to land, the snow-white kitten in her arms suddenly flew into a frenzy. It lashed out with a tiny paw, scratching the actress across the cheek.

With a sharp shriek, the woman bolted upright. As she rose, the kitten seized the opening and leaped directly into Liu Xiangyi’s lap.

“Yuanbao! What’s wrong with you?”

The actress reached out to reclaim it, but the kitten was nimble. It dodged her hands and lunged at the two actresses sitting to Liu Xiangyi’s left, claws bared. They screamed and jumped back, clinging to each other in terror.

Once the left side of the booth was cleared, the kitten whipped its head around and pounced toward the two male stars on the right. Startled out of their wits, they scrambled away from the booth to avoid the tiny fury.

The actress tried several more times to catch her pet, but the kitten was jumping and hissing with savage intensity—biting anyone who dared draw near while circling Liu Xiangyi like a tiny sentry.

The actress was on the verge of tears. “Why has Yuanbao gone mad? He’s usually so well-behaved!”

Watching the display, Liu Xiangyi had a sinking suspicion: Is that ghost currently possessing this kitten?

To test his theory, Liu Xiangyi reached down and scooped the circling kitten into his arms.

The actress’s eyes went wide with horror. “President Liu, be careful.”

The cat had clearly lost its mind. If her pet scratched the legendary heir of the Liu family, she could never pay for the damages.

But just as her heart leaped into her throat, she realized that the kitten, which had been a whirlwind of violence seconds ago, was now nestled calmly in Liu Xiangyi’s embrace. It rested its tiny head against his chest, paws firmly planted on his shirt.

However, its golden slit-pupils remained fixed on the crowd, darting around with predatory alertness. It let out a “Meow!”—a sound that was meant to be a fierce roar but came out as a tiny, high-pitched hiss—warning everyone to stay away.

The celebrities were stunned. What in the world.

Liu Xiangyi was certain now: this cat was possessed.

The ghost inside this kitten hadn’t stopped there; he had knocked over a row of wine cabinets, scratched five celebrities, and turned the entire bar into such a scene of chaos that the patrons were fleeing in droves.

And the culprit was currently snuggled in his lap, chin held high, tail swaying with smug satisfaction.

Liu Xiangyi: “…”

He prevents people from shaking my hand.

He inexplicably mauls five major stars.

He even controls how I button my collar.

He truly couldn’t fathom what kind of madness had gripped Zhong Qinhuai tonight. Was it really just because of that rumor? Regardless, the party was over. After bidding a hasty farewell to Zhang Ruolan, Liu Xiangyi left.

At midnight, the yellow Bentley glided down the asphalt road. A mass of black mist surged silently above the passenger seat. From within the fog, a pair of hands emerged and—with a distinct click—buckled the seatbelt.

Liu Xiangyi heard the sound but didn’t bother to look. He arched an eyebrow. “Look, President Zhong, it was wrong of me to spread that rumor about your performance. I apologize. But you’ve had your fun tonight; can we call it even?

Will you go back to normal tomorrow?”

A second later, the mist dissipated, leaving Zhong Qinhuai sitting in the passenger seat. He replied languidly:

“President Liu’s slander has caused me significant psychological trauma. You think a mere apology is enough?”

Liu Xiangyi: “And?”

“Naturally, I have to prove the truth to you. We still haven’t finished the formal procedures for our marriage. Why not tonight?”

At this, Zhong Qinhuai’s lips slowly curled into a familiar, provocative smirk.

“Or is President Liu scared?”