After the Young Master’s Death, He was Kissed by His Mortal Enemy! - Chapter 90

A significant amount of time had passed, and the phone had long since run out of battery and shut down.

Cheng Yi, who had followed Shen Ran inside, looked quite surprised when he saw the device in Shen Ran’s hand.

“Oh? Isn’t that the phone you left in my car that night?”

Seeing the phone triggered Cheng Yi’s memory of that evening. “Wait, how is your phone here at your house? And what phone are you using now, then?”

Shen Ran remained silent, pulling another phone from his pocket. “This phone is not that phone, President Cheng.”

He plugged the device into a charger. While waiting for it to power on, Shen Ran gave a brief, simple explanation of the situation to a clearly bewildered Cheng Yi.

Truth be told, seeing Cheng Yi’s dazed expression gave Shen Ran a strange sense of satisfaction.

Ahahaha! To think the ever-calculating, effortlessly composed President Cheng could actually look so utterly clueless!

That out-of-it look was a rare sight, and honestly, the contrast was a bit adorable.

“Business aside, it is actually quite illogical for this phone to be here. You see, this phone was reborn back here along with me.”

“The phone was reborn?”

Cheng Yi looked even more stunned.

“I can wrap my head around a person being reborn. But a phone? How does a phone get reborn? That kind of thing should be beyond the cycle of life and death, shouldn’t it?”

To Cheng Yi, a phone was like money. It was an inorganic, non-living object. You cannot take it with you when you die, and you certainly do not bring it with you when you are born. So how could it follow a person through rebirth?

One could not really blame Cheng Yi for his confusion; this was, after all, well beyond the scope of normal human understanding.

Having said this much, Shen Ran could not help but grip the phone tighter, a particularly soft smile appearing on his face. “I think the reason this phone was able to come back with me is probably because of you.”

“Because of me?”

Shen Ran glossed over what had happened back then with a casual air.

He did not mention a single word regarding the heartbreaking details, choosing instead to keep his tone light:

“You know how it is. Young people these days have all sorts of shameful little secrets on their phones. Search histories, photo galleries, chat logs with friends, and that sort of thing.”

“True. I suppose so.”

“And then you found out I was dead. To make sure my reputation remained unsullied in the mortal realm, you conveniently tossed my phone into the incinerator. I imagine that is how the phone ended up coming back with me.”

“Tsk, is that how it happened?”

Cheng Yi frowned slightly, but he did not doubt the story.

After all, as ridiculous as it sounded, it felt oddly plausible when applied to the two of them.

Seeing that Cheng Yi was not suspicious, Shen Ran breathed a secret sigh of relief, his smile widening.

It was better that Cheng Yi did not remember the past. There was no need for regret.

Back then, when Cheng Yi had found this phone in the apartment, he had maintained a facade of calm, but he must have been incredibly unsettled.

Similarly, when he rushed to the crematorium to confirm the death, Cheng Yi must have been utterly heartbroken.

Everything that followed in Hawaii, the things Cheng Yi did, the ring he gave, and the words he said, every single detail was enough to break one’s heart.

It was better if Cheng Yi did not have those memories.

Retrieving those kinds of memories is a painful ordeal. Shen Ran knew this because he had experienced it firsthand.

It was enough that he remembered.

After charging for a short while, the battery was just barely sufficient.

Unplugging the phone, which was slightly warm from the charge, Shen Ran pulled Cheng Yi back into the living room.

If his theory was correct, then:

“Cheng Yi, I am going to formally introduce you to a rather special friend. You must stay calm and do not let yourself get spooked, okay?”

Remembering how panicked and disheveled he had been when he first met Xiao Dong, Shen Ran cautioned him repeatedly to prevent Cheng Yi from following in his footsteps.

He even took a moment to crouch down and whisper to Xiao Dong.

“Xiao Dong, whatever you do, do not scare this big brother. This guy has a very sharp tongue! If he gets a fright, I am afraid he will launch an all-out attack on both of us!”

Xiao Dong nodded obediently. “I understand, Brother Shen Ran.”

Once everything was ready, Shen Ran handed the phone to Cheng Yi and ran around turning on every single light in the apartment.

With the home brightly lit, Shen Ran directed him: “Open the camera, point it straight ahead, and take a look.”

Cheng Yi did as he was told.

Standing behind him, Shen Ran stood on his tiptoes and craned his neck, looking at the screen with bated breath and a touch of nerves.

Ordinary people could not see spirits, but he could.

By that same logic, an ordinary phone could not capture Xiao Dong, but this special phone should be able to.

His eyes flickered as he stared intently at the screen.

The camera was aimed at a small patch of empty space in front of them, but on the phone screen, a small figure appeared.

Xiao Dong’s form was slightly translucent. He was fidgeting with his small hands, looking a bit shy, his large eyes blinking as he looked back at them through the camera lens.

“Can you see him now?” Shen Ran asked.

“I can.”

Hearing this, Xiao Dong immediately stood up straight and gave a polite bow to the camera, offering a tiny wave as a greeting.

“Hello, Big Brother. I am Xiao Dong.”

Through the phone, Cheng Yi could see Xiao Dong, but he still could not hear him.

Shen Ran took it upon himself to act as the simultaneous translator: “He is saying hello to you. He says, Hello Big Brother, my name is Xiao Dong.”

Xiao Dong nodded vigorously in agreement, looking at Cheng Yi with a mix of timidness and anticipation.

While Cheng Yi was surprised, his reaction was not nearly as dramatic as Shen Ran’s had been.

Or rather, Cheng Yi was actually quite composed as he held the phone.

Based on the gentle, soft tone Shen Ran had used while talking to thin air earlier, Cheng Yi had guessed it might be a child. It turned out he was right.

Cheng Yi even realized something instantly: “Shen Ran, back at the Qingshan Welfare House, you were eating when you suddenly looked like you had seen a ghost. Was it because you saw this little guy?”

“How did you know!?” Shen Ran was floored.

“Just a guess.”

After the initial surprise, Cheng Yi accepted Xiao Dong’s existence quite quickly.

A rogue-ish smile played on his lips, though his voice remained quite gentle.

“Xiao Dong, right? Hello. I am your Big Brother, Cheng Yi.”

“Wait a second, Cheng Yi! Why are you being so kindly?” Shen Ran was caught off guard.

As expected, he received a speechless side-eye from Cheng Yi.

“I am not that old yet. Please use gentle instead of kindly, you illiterate Ran.”

Cheng Yi gentle?

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