The Beauty with Terrible Luck Falls in Love with a Ghost - Chapter 5

Zuo Lihua took out her keys, ready to unlock the door, but as she inserted the key, she realized the door was already open. A narrow gap remained between the two doors, from which a viscous, gelatinous darkness seeped out, as if trying to pull Zuo Lihua inside.

Without giving it much thought, she assumed Ning Dongbang had left it ajar during his earlier visit.

But when she pushed the door open, she discovered the room wasn’t as pitch-black as she had imagined.

On the contrary, the massive floor-to-ceiling window on the entire wall provided excellent natural light. The furniture was predominantly in warm tones, and from the entrance, the decor followed the currently popular retro European style. However, the room felt chilly from long disuse, carrying a faint, not unpleasant, musty odor.

The room was clean, requiring no additional tidying.

Zuo Lihua placed her bag on the entryway table and, holding only her phone, went to sit on the sofa.

The sofa was unbelievably soft. The moment she sat down, it enveloped her from all sides. Caught off guard, Zuo Lihua lost her balance abruptly, her heart skipping a beat. By the time she regained her senses, she was already half-sunk into the cushions.

The soft silk sofa cover brushed against her cheeks, cool to the touch, but more than that, it brought an unexpected comfort.

Exhausted from the day, Zuo Lihua decided then and there not to get up, she would lie down for a while.

So, she adjusted into a more comfortable position, tucking her fair, slender legs up, and stayed put.

She took out her phone and instinctively opened Weibo, wanting to see how she was being criticized, but the page wouldn’t load. Upon closer inspection, she realized there was no signal for some reason.

I’ll have to ask Brother Ning to fix this. A public figure can’t afford to have no signal.

Though she thought this, she had no desire to move. Her body felt limp, as if the sofa had awakened every lazy bone in her.

She set her phone aside and let her gaze wander aimlessly around the room. Soon, her eyes were drawn to the enormous floor-to-ceiling window nearby.

The glass wall, composed of three tall windows, created an immersive atmosphere. The glass was spotless, free of dust, with the curtains drawn to either side. Sunlight filtered in, soft as a mist, gentle enough to look at directly without straining the eyes. Outside, verdant, unnamed vines hung down, swaying gently in the breeze from the courtyard, evoking a sense of tranquility far removed from the mundane world, a serene, timeless peace.

The landlord must be someone with a keen sense of ambiance, Zuo Lihua thought, her mood gradually calming. Before long, drowsiness began to set in.

Just as her eyelids were about to close, the swaying vine suddenly morphed into a different shape, like a child impaled from top to bottom, limbs twisted, head hanging backward unnaturally, eyes wide and glaring. Its furious gaze met Zuo Lihua’s somewhat dazed one, and it shot her a vicious glare.

Zuo Lihua froze, all sleepiness instantly vanishing.

Her body reacted faster than her mind, attempting to stand, but the sofa sapped her strength, and she failed.

When she looked out the window again, the vine had returned to its original form, still that tender plant with a few round, broad leaves.

…Did I imagine it?

Zuo Lihua relaxed, raising a hand to rub her temples.

Half-asleep and not in the best mental state, it was only natural she might have seen things.

Though it turned out to be a false alarm, Zuo Lihua had lost all desire to sleep. She clumsily extricated herself from the blankets and decided to take a look around the villa first. After all, she would be living here for a long time to come.

Her steps unsteady, she headed toward the hallway, completely unaware that after she got up, a pale, bluish arm had suddenly draped itself over the sofa’s armrest. The arm slid slowly along the fabric, as if absorbing the residual warmth and lingering fragrance left behind.

Under the sofa, a damp lock of black hair twitched and retracted into the shadows.

After exploring the villa, Zuo Lihua discovered it had ten rooms in total, including the basement. Seven of them were bedrooms, each furnished with a large bed, wardrobe, and other essentials. She chose a room on the second floor with a balcony as her bedroom, planning to convert the adjacent room into a walk-in closet. Two other rooms would be turned into a gym and a studio. Since she was living alone, there was no need for so many rooms anyway.

In the kitchen, she found fresh vegetables, meat, and other ingredients neatly arranged in the refrigerator, almost as if organized by someone with obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Strangely enough, there was even a portion of cold, steamed rice.

Zuo Lihua naturally assumed that Ning Dongbang or Sun Xiaoyang had prepared these for her. But had she ever mentioned wanting fried rice?

Frowning, she dug through her memories and eventually recalled an incident from the previous month. After filming a prank variety show, she had been so famished she felt dizzy and dragged Ning Dongbang aside, saying she craved soy sauce fried rice. In the end, they didn’t get to eat it, the director treated everyone to seafood instead.

“Brother Ning is something else, preparing all this without telling me. What if I hadn’t noticed? Such a waste.” Zuo Lihua muttered to herself, leaning against the refrigerator door.

Well, she might as well make tomato and potato fried rice. No sense letting Brother Ning’s thoughtful gesture go to waste.

To outsiders, Zuo Lihua appeared to be a pampered young lady who never lifted a finger in the kitchen. In reality, she had started learning to cook as early as middle school.

Back then, her mother had developed stomach issues and refused to eat meals prepared by the housekeeper. Heartbroken, Zuo Lihua took it upon herself to learn cooking from the housekeeper. Out of love for her daughter, her mother managed to eat a few bites, which greatly encouraged Zuo Lihua. Even the blisters on her hands from burns miraculously didn’t seem to hurt anymore.

From then on, whenever her mother fell ill, Zuo Lihua would step into the kitchen. Over the years, her mother’s poor health had inadvertently honed Zuo Lihua’s culinary skills. She never spoke of it to others, and since there was no need for her to cook outside, no one ever knew.

Taking the ingredients out of the fridge, Zuo Lihua smoothly turned on the faucet to wash the tomatoes and potatoes, only to find no water came out.

“Huh?”

Frowning, she lightly tapped the curved metal pipe.

It didn’t make sense. Ning Dongbang was a thorough person, if he had prepared the ingredients, surely he wouldn’t have forgotten to ensure the water and electricity were connected.

She tried knocking on the pipe again, the hollow bang bang echoing like an empty skull devoid of brains.

Sighing, Zuo Lihua set the ingredients aside and went to the living room to fetch her phone.

The living room was eerily quiet, feeling even colder than before, and the light had dimmed noticeably.

Unconcerned, she assumed it was just the natural shift of sunlight as the day progressed. Picking up her phone, she saw there was still no signal.

Zuo Lihua frowned, thinking she should try going out to the yard. But she had barely taken two steps when she heard the sound of running water from the kitchen.

She paused mid-step and immediately headed toward the kitchen.

Sure enough, the water was back on. Clear water flowed through the metal pipes, and as she drew closer, droplets splashed onto her skin, cool and refreshing.

Since the water was running again, making a phone call could wait. Things had to be done one at a time, and right now, the top priority was frying the rice.

Zuo Lihua held a potato with her jade-like fingers, a knife in her other hand, and began to peel it with swift, clean motions. Her body was leaned back slightly, her golden curls casually tied up in a bun. Stray strands of hair messily half-concealed the beautiful lines of her neck. The mundane task of cooking, so full of the scent of hearth and home, looked exceptionally pleasing to the eye when she did it.

A thick, bloody mist gathered behind her, gradually forming a terrifying dark shadow. The shadow was slightly taller than Zuo Lihua. Its withered, tree-like limbs stretched forward, and the position of its head could be vaguely discerned, tilted slightly forward. It slowly approached Zuo Lihua, enveloping her completely in an embrace-like posture.

Zuo Lihua suddenly felt a weight on her, as if something was pressing down. She looked back, puzzled. Behind her was the double-door refrigerator embedded in the wall, and nothing else.

She tilted her head in confusion, her golden hair falling forward with the movement. The dark shadow reached out and grasped the ends of her hair in its hand.

Zuo Lihua was completely oblivious. The side dishes were already stir-fried; she had to quickly pour in the seasoned rice.

Sizzle. The sound of the rice and vegetables hitting the hot oil rang out. At the same time, Zuo Lihua reached up and turned on the range hood.

Before long, the unique aroma of soy sauce fried rice filled the air.

The dark shadow clinging to Zuo Lihua’s back seemed to have smelled it. It craned its spherical, head-like appendage over Zuo Lihua’s shoulder, straining to get closer to the wok.

The rice was already cooked, so it didn’t need much frying. A few tosses and it was ready to be served.

Zuo Lihua dished out the rice, a perfect plateful, and carried it to the living room.

Just as she was about to eat, her phone rang.

Zuo Lihua had no choice but to put down her spoon and answer.

“Brother Ning?” Zuo Lihua answered. It was a call from Ning Dongbang, but there was no sound.

Zuo Lihua sighed and walked out into the courtyard.

“…Yeah, the signal here is pretty bad.” Zuo Lihua said, wandering aimlessly around the yard. She didn’t notice a camera, hidden by the trees behind her, quietly peeking out.

They were paparazzi from a small entertainment tabloid. They had followed her all the way from the city center, hoping to dig up some firsthand gossip on this popular starlet.

They had watched Zuo Lihua and her manager, a man and a woman alone, enter this secluded villa. A short while later, the manager had run out in a hurry, straightening his clothes while repeatedly looking back at the villa. The paparazzo felt he had hit the jackpot. He had already thought of tomorrow’s headline!

[After Stealing Her Best Friend’s Boyfriend, A Certain Starlet Gets Entangled With Her Manager, Moving Out of Her Apartment Overnight to the Suburbs. A Hidden Agenda or Unbearable Loneliness…]

It would generate buzz from any angle!

He was already prepared to stake out the place all night. While Zuo Lihua’s fame was still hot, he would definitely give her a huge push towards total ruin!

He had seen plenty of these useless celebrities who had nothing going for them except their looks. Most had chaotic private lives and were hardly decent people, yet they effortlessly earned money that ordinary folks couldn’t make in several lifetimes. Why should they?

By exposing them and bringing their despicable behavior to light, he was serving justice!

With this thought, the reporter pushed the camera lens forward a little more. He could faintly hear Zuo Lihua calling out to someone named “Brother Ning”, her brows furrowed tightly, looking rather displeased.

Had they fallen out? The reporter’s heart leaped with joy at the thought. He could already picture Zuo Lihua tearfully begging him for mercy, pleading with him not to expose her. Concealed by the plants, he took two steps forward and crouched beneath the window.

A smirk crept uncontrollably onto his face, as if he could already see tomorrow’s headlines flooded with the results of his painstaking undercover reporting.

Inside the room, the shadowy figure, with limbs as thin as sticks, propped itself up on the table, crouching over the plate like some alien creature. Its head was almost buried in the dish.

The golden, soy-glazed vegetable rice visibly darkened, as if coated with a layer of shriveled insects.

The shadow emitted a faint “gurgle,” seemingly expressing satisfaction. It crawled a short distance on the table, then abruptly paused. In a flash, it lifted its head and looked out the window, as if confirming something. Then, with a kick of its hind legs, it shot like lightning past the window and vanished outside.