The Beauty with Terrible Luck Falls in Love with a Ghost - Chapter 41

“Nothing, nothing happened. I hid as soon as I heard movement outside.” Han Youyou kept her head lowered, her voice soft and trembling with tears, a sound that could easily stir affection.

Yet no one present seemed moved. Even the usually chivalrous Yang Luoyu offered no comfort.

An He No. 1 said, “I showered and went to bed as usual. I usually struggle with insomnia, but this time I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. When I woke up, there were three of me!” She clutched her hair in despair, her once-beautiful locks now a tangled mess. “Now there are only two of me left! I don’t know if the other one is alive or dead. I wish this impostor would just drop dead too.”

Yang Luoyu No. 1 stroked his chin. “Same here. I slept deeply but woke up startled in the middle of the night, only to find another version of myself lying across from me on the bed.” He paused before adding, “Normally, I prefer sleeping in the middle, it feels more comfortable.”

Jiang Pingcheng No. 1 glared angrily. “I dreamed about my wife, only to wake up and realize I was hugging myself.”

Jiang Pingcheng No. 2 was equally furious. “I was eating crayfish when one jumped out of the plate and started eating me! I woke up terrified and opened my eyes to see a face exactly like mine. Can you even imagine? Seriously, folks!”

The vividness of his description struck a chord, and everyone shuddered in shared dread.

When it was Zuo Lihua’s turn to speak, she thought for a moment and said, “I was preparing cat food when the cat suddenly ran off. I chased after it and ended up getting lost. It was pitch black, and I didn’t have my phone, so I just walked slowly along the wall. I don’t know how long I wandered before I ran into Luoyu, who brought me here. I didn’t sleep.”

“Aren’t you scared?” An He No. 1 hugged a sofa cushion tightly, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on Zuo Lihua.

Zuo Lihua met her gaze unintentionally and was suddenly reminded of the pool of blood in An He’s room when she left, and the cold, sinister eyes in the basement. A chill shot straight through her.

Suppressing her discomfort, she replied calmly, “Of course I’m scared. Who wouldn’t be at a time like this? But since everyone’s scared, I didn’t think it was necessary to say so.”

Yang Luoyu No. 2 sighed. “You’re so brave, Sister Lihua.”

Zuo Lihua continued, “Youyou and I don’t have pendants or duplicates. Is it because we didn’t sleep?”

Jiang Pingcheng No. 1 nodded. “Makes sense!”

An He No. 2 chimed in, “Exactly. As expected of Sister Lihua.”

Han Youyou had been “secretly” shedding tears the whole time. It was “secret” only in the sense that she wasn’t hiding it, she cried openly but silently, as if enduring some unspeakable, overwhelming grievance.

This tactic had always worked well in the past. People would gather around to comfort her, and she could get whatever she wanted. After all, who doesn’t love a beauty? Especially one who looks lovely even when crying. Even her former best friend, Han Hai’er, had been won over by her tears. When she returned to her biological parents, the same trick had worked like a charm.

But now, something was off. After her initial statement, no one paid her any attention, no glances, no responses. It was as if she had become invisible.

On the contrary, as soon as Zuo Lihua finished speaking, a chorus of voices chimed in, praising her. Why? How could this woman, who had stolen over twenty years of her prosperity and privilege, be so popular? She even had to outshine her in public, truly despicable and shameless!

Han Youyou gently bit her lip and lowered her head, her long eyelashes veiling the turbulent jealousy raging within. She didn’t feel like crying anymore. After pretending for so long, genuine emotions manifested differently.

A tissue was offered before her.

Han Youyou blinked slowly and looked up.

Zuo Lihua held out the tissue with a concerned expression.

Han Youyou: “…”

Han Youyou trembled with rage!

What did this mean? Was this woman mocking her? That bitch who had stolen over a decade of her life was actually provoking her!

Her hands, hanging at her sides, clenched and unclenched repeatedly. Suppressing the urge to chop off her own hand, she accepted the tissue.

Everyone was here, all bound together like grasshoppers on a string. She still needed these people to help her escape this predicament. She couldn’t act on her impulses.

Han Youyou’s smile twisted almost imperceptibly.

Zuo Lihua was also uncomfortable. She knew full well that offering a tissue could be misinterpreted.

But! Han Youyou had been crying for so long! No one had paid her any attention! Not a single person!

As her nominal older sister, she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing!

The undercurrents between them went unnoticed by others, or perhaps they were noticed but ignored, as the meeting continued.

Jiang Pingcheng 1 said calmly, “The ‘Splendid Wonders’ crew probably chose the wrong location. This building is ancient, over two hundred years old. It was once used as an inn, later served as a funeral parlor, and has been looted and occupied by bandits multiple times. It’s also held enslaved people, carrying many spirit rings. Unfortunately, we’ve triggered them.”

An He 2 remained composed as well. “So, what do we do now? We’re definitely not on the original floor anymore. The staircase we took earlier was far more than two stories.”

Jiang Pingcheng 2, mirroring Jiang Pingcheng 1’s posture, said, “Generally speaking, as long as none of us are targets of the spirit rings, we should be safe once we leave this haunted house.”

“Probably not,” Yang Luoyu 2 replied. “The crew wouldn’t actually throw us into a death trap. This place has been abandoned for decades. Even if the spirits hold grudges, their enemies have long been dead.”

Jiang Pingcheng 3 looked grave. “Not necessarily. The scouts didn’t trigger anything, but we did. That suggests one of us might be a target. Even if the original enemies are dead, their bloodlines could persist.”

An He 1 panicked. “Huh? Then what do we do?”

Jiang Pingcheng 3 glanced back at her. “First, we find a way out.”

Yang Luoyu 2 chuckled. “Brother Jiang, I didn’t know you were knowledgeable about this sort of thing.”

Jiang Pingcheng 1 explained, “I played a Taoist priest once and consulted with experts while preparing for the role. You’re not so bad yourself, you actually managed to find this safe room.”

When they first discovered their duplicates, fear drove them to flee the room. By the time they tried to return, they were already lost. It was Yang Luoyu who tracked each of them down.

The Yang Luoyu’s seemed somewhat embarrassed. The one who had spoken earlier, Yang Luoyu 2, blushed and turned away. “My first love was a ghost hunter, so I picked up a thing or two… but it’s only superficial knowledge.”

An He No. 1 exclaimed in amazement, “You actually managed to connect with someone in the industry? And you even broke up?”

Yang Luoyu No. 1 finally showed a look of indignation on his face. “She was just after my good looks! Once she got what she wanted, she dumped me!”

“…”

“Pfft!” An He couldn’t hold back a laugh.

“Don’t laugh!” the three Yang Luoyu’s said in unison.

Zuo Lihua suppressed the upward curve of her lips, thinking to herself that these people were truly extraordinary. No wonder they could calm down so quickly and even had the energy to joke around and laugh at others, it turned out they had prior experience.

Even An He, who claimed to have no such experience, seemed less flustered due to the distinct personalities of her two duplicates.

She couldn’t help but glance at Han Youyou again.

Han Youyou was indeed the most normal-acting one, she was still crying, though it was all an act.

She couldn’t resist slipping her hand into her pocket and gripping the crumpled paper.

What was Han Hai’er doing? Where had she gone?

“I made this.” Yang Luoyu No. 3, who had been mostly silent, took out a sheet of A4 paper and placed it on the table.

It was a floor plan of the house, five diagrams in total, clearly showing cross-sections of each floor. The lines were straight and precise, with meticulous attention to every corner. In one room of the fourth cross-section, there were five simple shapes of different styles.

Zuo Lihua took a look and was astonished to realize that this was actually the floor plan of this very house!

Her gaze toward Yang Luoyu instantly filled with awe.

Calling this “just scratching the surface” was far too modest! This person was definitely skilled!

Jiang Pingcheng No. 1 gasped sharply and patted the shoulder of Yang Luoyu No. 1 beside him. “Dude, you’re amazing!”

The praise was anything but humble, but due to the exaggerated gesture, it was clearly an act.

No one minded, though. As the straight man in a comedy duo, the praise was meant to be sincere.

An He joined in, praising both of them, but not forgetting to trade a few jabs afterward.

Only Han Youyou remained silent. She walked over to Jiang Pingcheng No. 3 and tugged at his sleeve.

When Jiang Pingcheng No. 3 looked over, she said with teary eyes, “Can I stay with you, big brother? I’m scared.”

Jiang Pingcheng No. 2 broke into a wide, cheerful grin. “Of course! We’re all sticking together. The whole point of gathering everyone here is to make sure we don’t split up. This isn’t a movie, staying together is our best option.”

“Oh… okay…” Under everyone’s gaze, Han Youyou reluctantly withdrew her hand.

An He No. 1 stared at her for a long moment before grinning. “Sister Youyou, Luoyu is younger than you. You can’t call him ‘big brother.'”

Han Youyou hadn’t expected An He to speak to her, let alone pick a fight. She was instantly taken aback and immediately categorized An He as part of Zuo Lihua’s faction, mentally noting it down for future reference.

She cursed An He a thousand times in her heart, but her expression remained unchanged. Instead, she timidly apologized to Yang Luoyu.

“Sorry, Yang Luoyu…”

“You weren’t calling him.” An He No. 1, still seated on the sofa, twisted around and stretched out an arm to pull Yang Luoyu No. 3 over, shoving him in front of Han Youyou. “You called the wrong one!”

Han Youyou: “…” Her face flushed red with embarrassment, but she couldn’t utter a single word. Even her tears dried up.

Yang Luoyu No. 1, the one she had apologized to, quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “It’s fine, we’re all the same person. Sister Youyou, you can go back and sit down.”

An He No. 1 instantly exploded: “What do you mean alone! I refuse to be ‘alone’ with these things!”

An He No. 2, the very “thing” being referred to, shot back with a glare sharp as knives: “Go die. Once you’re dead, I’ll be the only me left.”

An He No. 1 sneered, glaring back: “Ha! The fox’s tail is finally showing! You just want to kill the real one, impersonate them to return to life, and let the real one take the fall as your scapegoat!”

What she said had crossed everyone’s minds. The problem was, all these “people” looked exactly alike, even they themselves couldn’t tell each other apart. At times, they’d even wonder if they were the fake ones and the other was the real self, blurring the line between illusion and reality. So, in the end, they all defaulted to believing they were the genuine article.

Except for An He. Ever since one side of the triangular pendant turned red, the two An He’s had grown increasingly distinct in personality. Neither resembled the person they’d known when they first met.

This, in turn, gave Yang Luoyu and Jiang Pingcheng new suspicions.

Zuo Lihua paid no mind to their thoughts. All she cared about was where Han Hai’er had gone and when she’d be back.

In Zuo Lihua’s view, these people were all suffering for no reason.

The soul rings had been triggered because Han Hai’er was present. The old ghosts were delighted to see new ghosts, they saw them as fresh prey. The new ghosts, in turn, were thrilled to encounter the old ones, eager to boost their own spiritual power. Both sides had designs on the other, and like dry tinder meeting a spark, a clash was inevitable.

“The building we’re in now isn’t the same as the previous one,” Yang Luoyu pointed at the floor plan, indicating the fourth floor they were on. “The previous one was renovated later, to be precise, it was torn down and rebuilt on the original foundation using the same materials. For example, this fourth floor we’re on now didn’t exist before. I think we should try to return to the previous building. If we can get back, we might be safe.”

Just then, the hand in Zuo Lihua’s pocket suddenly felt heavier. A soft, cool little creature materialized out of nowhere into her palm.

Zuo Lihua paused almost imperceptibly, then gently stroked the thing’s fur with her thumb.

The little creature responded by flicking its icy tongue to lick her palm.