The Ghost Insists on Giving Me a Beautiful and Powerful Wife! - Chapter 2

A deliberate pause, her tone drawn out.

Just that one form of address, and Yu Ruoyin felt like her mind had gone blank as she followed the woman back into the milk tea shop.

It wasn’t until she sat down on the small sofa near the counter that she finally began to collect herself.

She looked at the woman sitting opposite her and scratched her head in embarrassment.
“I didn’t mean it just now, I… it was that female ghost, she was controlling me.”

Yu Ruoyin finally managed to explain.

The woman wasn’t surprised by her words. She still looked at Yu Ruoyin with a gentle smile.
“I know.”

“You know?” Yu Ruoyin was astonished. “Then why did you still…”

Yu Ruoyin thought that since the woman knew it was the ghost controlling her, it made no sense for her to still call her “little wife.” But then again, even if it hadn’t been the ghost, it wasn’t right for her to just go along and call her “pretty wife” either.

Not to mention—she wasn’t little.

Yu Ruoyin wanted to clarify this point, but saying it now felt awkward, so she just stared at the woman, hesitating over whether to open her mouth.

The woman was also watching her, not nervous like Yu Ruoyin was, but more as though she was admiring her.

Yu Ruoyin grew increasingly uneasy. The woman noticed her discomfort and finally spoke again.
“My surname is Jiang, given name Huaining. I still don’t know yours.”

“Yu… Yu Ruoyin.”

Jiang Huaining seemed pleased that she answered, and the faint smile between her brows deepened.
“I own property, a car, and this shop. I have some savings. My temper isn’t the best, but it’s not too bad either. I should make a decent wife.”

What? Wife?

Didn’t Jiang Huaining already know she had just been controlled by a ghost? Why was she still going along with the ghost’s plan?

Yu Ruoyin was dazed. “Aren’t you—”

Jiang Huaining cut her off, asking instead:
“Do you want to know why that ghost attached herself to you?”

“Isn’t it just because I’m unlucky?” Yu Ruoyin’s eyelids drooped slightly, her voice tinged with a bit of loneliness. “I’ve always been unlucky.”

She was just stating a fact.

Jiang Huaining fell silent for a moment.

Then, instead of pursuing that subject, she answered Yu Ruoyin’s unspoken question about the ghost’s motives:
“That ghost is named Lu Qingzhen. Her true identity is actually that of a Yin official of the underworld. She lured you here because she wanted something from my shop.”

“Yin official? Like Black and White Impermanence? Soul collectors?”

Yu Ruoyin immediately thought of the underworld figures most commonly seen in movies.

Jiang Huaining kept smiling, the ripples in her eyes reflecting only Yu Ruoyin.
“There are many types of Yin officials. Ah Zhen is one, but she’s not Black or White Impermanence. Those who are responsible for collecting souls in the underworld are usually Yin Chai, not Yin officials.”

If Jiang Huaining had said all this before today, Yu Ruoyin would’ve just thought she was crazy.

But now Yu Ruoyin strained her ears, terrified to miss a single word.

So ghosts really existed… Black and White Impermanence too.

Absurd.

If she hadn’t just seen one herself, she’d never have believed it.

Yu Ruoyin sighed several times, taking a long while to speak normally again.
“She… she wanted something of yours. But what’s that got to do with me?”

Jiang Huaining smiled. “Because I want something from the King of the Underworld.”

“There’s a type of fruit called Chunxian. It has no roots, no branches, no leaves. Once it has absorbed enough essence of sun and moon for ten thousand years, it will finally be born in an extremely cold place. A Chunxian just emerged in the underworld a few days ago. I asked the King of the Underworld for it. She said she’d give it to me as a wedding gift once I got married. But that was just an excuse. Unexpectedly, Ah Zhen overheard.”

“Ah Zhen said, since the King of the Underworld gave her word, she can’t go back on it. If I really want the Chunxian, then I should just find a wife.”

Yu Ruoyin pointed uncertainly at herself. “Me?”

“Mm.” Jiang Huaining nodded.
“Ah Zhen wanted something from me, so she offered to help me find a wife. Her original plan was for me to wait here in the shop until she scared a suitable girl over, and then I would swoop in to save her. Maybe the rescued girl would then agree to marry me in gratitude.”

Yu Ruoyin wanted to shake her—ghosts can’t be trusted!

That plan sounded unreliable from the start. Yet Jiang Huaining had been willing to go along with it.

In the end, she didn’t overstep, only looked at Jiang Huaining with a complicated expression.
“But you still went out.”

“I saw her bullying you from afar,” Jiang Huaining answered softly. “I was worried.”

Her voice was gentle, with subtle pauses between phrases, making it sound even softer.

The rhythm was so soothing that Yu Ruoyin wanted to keep talking with her. But deep down she knew she shouldn’t linger—she had no intention of becoming anyone’s wife.

She sneaked glances at Jiang Huaining and decided she seemed much easier to reason with than the ghost.

“Sis—” She started, but felt the title was too intimate, so she quickly corrected herself:
“Auntie Ning, I don’t think I can be your wife. I should go home.”

She deliberately raised Jiang Huaining’s status, determined to create distance between them.

But Jiang Huaining’s gentle eyes suddenly turned cold.
“No.”

The little red mole at her eye’s corner darkened into black. The air in the shop instantly dropped several degrees, and Yu Ruoyin shivered violently.

She rubbed her arms and leaned back against the sofa, needing the support to feel even a little safe.
“W-why?”

Jiang Huaining leaned forward, bracing her arm on the table.

Those beautiful eyes were stripped of their warmth, and Yu Ruoyin suddenly couldn’t bear to look at them.

She ducked her head, avoiding her gaze.

Jiang Huaining didn’t seem to notice, her tone firm.
“I want the Chunxian fruit. You can’t leave.”

She had warned earlier that her temper wasn’t the best. Until now, Yu Ruoyin had only seen her gentleness. This was the other side—cold and domineering.

Yu Ruoyin lowered her head even further.

She silently grumbled to herself: If she’s this powerful, why not just rob the King of the Underworld? Why bully an ordinary person like me instead?

She didn’t say it aloud, just muttered under her breath.
“What’s so special about that fruit, anyway…”

Jiang Huaining finally noticed her bowed head and fidgeting fingers.

Leaning back again, she looked at her deeply and spoke faintly.
“It keeps one’s beauty from fading.”

Few women wouldn’t be interested in that.

Yu Ruoyin was no exception. She raised her head again.
“Really?”

“Really.” Jiang Huaining’s fingers tapped lightly on the table as her gaze locked on Yu Ruoyin.
“I’ll share half with you.”

Such a precious thing, and she offered to share it just like that.

Suspicious.

Yu Ruoyin was tempted, of course. But if she truly didn’t age, wouldn’t people see her as a freak and lock her up somewhere? Just imagining that miserable ending extinguished her momentary impulse.

Still… it really would be a shame if Jiang Huaining’s face ever grew old.

She couldn’t even picture her with wrinkles and sagging skin.

Yu Ruoyin shook her head, instinctively resisting.

Jiang Huaining noticed the lingering look on her face, then the shake of her head, and suddenly smiled again.
“Go on, then.”

?

She had just been so forceful about keeping her here, and now she was letting her go?

Yu Ruoyin immediately suspected a trick.

Her nature, kindly described as “keen,” less kindly as “paranoid,” made her prone to overthinking.

She stayed frozen in place.

Jiang Huaining’s eyes softened again.
“I won’t blame you for abandoning me so soon.”

“I didn’t!” Yu Ruoyin protested quickly.

Jiang Huaining leaned closer, propping her chin on her hand as she gazed at her.
“Didn’t you just call me pretty wife? And now you’re leaving. Isn’t that abandoning me?”

The lighting inside was much better than outside. With Jiang Huaining leaning across the table, the glow illuminated her face perfectly.

Yu Ruoyin could see even the tiniest strands of hair at her temples. Not a single flaw on her features. The little red mark at her eye corner glowed vividly, piercing straight into Yu Ruoyin’s chest.

“That was Lu Qingzhen…” she mumbled in weak defense, her voice trailing off.

Jiang Huaining smiled at her reaction.
“I was teasing. I may want the Chunxian, but I don’t want to force anyone. If you don’t wish it, then go. I’m sure Ah Zhen will find me another wife. She may not be as good as you, but she won’t be too bad.”

“You… how can you just…”

Yu Ruoyin couldn’t describe the feeling. Now that Jiang Huaining was really letting her go, she didn’t feel all that happy about it.

Maybe she was worried Jiang Huaining would be tricked by the ghost, or maybe she just thought her attitude toward marriage was far too casual.

Twisting the hem of her clothes, Yu Ruoyin hesitated.
“You two… you two really shouldn’t be doing this.”

Jiang Huaining didn’t reply, only asked with a smile:
“Am I pretty?”

“Y-yes, very pretty.”

Not just pretty. She’d never seen anyone prettier.

Seeing her dazed reaction, Jiang Huaining nodded in satisfaction.
“Since I’m not ugly, if you don’t want to marry me, someone else surely will.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to…

Yu Ruoyin herself couldn’t even figure out what she was feeling.

Complicated, she rose to her feet and edged toward the door.

But just as she reached it, a cloud of black mist knocked her back toward Jiang Huaining.

The ghost again.

Lu Qingzhen reappeared in ghostly form, hands on her hips as she scolded:
“Are you out of your mind? Such a gorgeous wife, and you want to walk away? You’re not allowed to leave—you’re staying here!”

“I didn’t—” Yu Ruoyin felt wronged. “It’s not that I don’t want her. It’s that she only wants the fruit.”

She froze.

Now she understood why she hadn’t truly wanted to leave.

Jiang Huaining probably didn’t like her, but she herself… kind of liked Jiang Huaining’s face.

She had lived eighteen years with nothing but bad luck. Now a ghost was forcing a beautiful wife on her, one who looked and acted just like her ideal type.

Aside from being so sudden, it was perfect.

If she walked away today, with her luck, she’d probably never meet someone like Jiang Huaining again.

Yu Ruoyin squirmed with embarrassment. She had resisted so much earlier, and now here she was, sulking.

She wasn’t the only one who could change moods.

Lu Qingzhen rolled her eyes dramatically, while Jiang Huaining stood and gently brushed Yu Ruoyin’s shoulder.
“I never said I only wanted the fruit.”

Yu Ruoyin’s ears twitched. Slowly, she slid back into her seat.
“I’m eighteen this year, still a student. I just got my admission letter from Chong University. My parents are both gone. My grandmother’s whereabouts are unknown. I might…”

She began listing her situation like Jiang Huaining had earlier, but Lu Qingzhen cut her off.
“Save the introductions! I’m filing a complaint first.”

“A complaint?”

Not only Yu Ruoyin but even Jiang Huaining looked curiously at her.

Lu Qingzhen pointed at her own still-scorched face, then at Yu Ruoyin.
“She spat on me! Even sprayed me with blood from her tongue! Boss Jiang, she’s yours now. You have to compensate me!”

That had only been because she scared her!

Yu Ruoyin wanted to protest, but Jiang Huaining raised a hand to stop her.
“Very well. I’ll compensate you.”

Lu Qingzhen grinned smugly—until Jiang Huaining reached out a hand toward her.
“But you’ll also need to pay for our medical bills. My little wife bit her tongue and bled because you frightened her. It must’ve hurt. And there’s the mental trauma too. Oh, and since you’ve given me a wife, that makes today my wedding day. You should give a gift.”

Jiang Huaining’s voice remained soft, yet somehow the ghost who had frightened Yu Ruoyin so badly earlier now looked terrified herself. She nervously backed toward the door.
“Boss Jiang, a wedding night is precious, worth a thousand gold! I won’t disturb your bridal chamber. I’ll leave now and come back another day.”

Her fawning tone was completely different from before.

Yu Ruoyin suddenly realized she had forgotten to ask about Jiang Huaining’s identity.

She could bargain with a ghost, ask favors from the King of the Underworld… surely she wasn’t human.

Was she a ghost too?

Didn’t ghosts drain people’s life energy?

Yu Ruoyin edged toward the door again.

But before she could reach it, Jiang Huaining grabbed her arm.
“Running away right before the bridal chamber? That really is abandoning me.”

“I-I wasn’t running.”

Her voice lacked conviction. She fiddled with her clothes and tried not to look at her—though her eyes betrayed her and fell right back on Jiang Huaining.
“Did you just say bridal chamber?”

Jiang Huaining nodded lightly.

Yu Ruoyin’s eyes lit up, then quickly dimmed.
“Isn’t this… a little too fast? Shouldn’t we wait until you get the fruit—?”

She stumbled over her words, but somehow Jiang Huaining understood.

Taking her arm, Jiang Huaining pressed her soft chest against it and murmured,
“I never planned on a fake marriage with you.”

“Then… then…”

Her fingers brushed Yu Ruoyin’s waist, teasing lightly as she whispered,
“Let’s go upstairs, shall we?”

The ticklish touch on her waist couldn’t compare to the flutter in her heart—it felt like a feather brushing against it.

Yu Ruoyin’s eyes stayed fixed on Jiang Huaining’s face, her gaze drawn especially to the enchanting mole at her eye corner.
“O-okay.”

Her head was spinning.

Through the haze, she heard Jiang Huaining murmur to herself.
“Just as I thought.”

“You said… what?” Yu Ruoyin blinked awake for a moment.

“Nothing.”

She was sure she’d heard it, but if Jiang Huaining said no, then no—it wasn’t like she would forget her own words.

Dazed, Yu Ruoyin followed her upstairs.

Her mind kept replaying “no fake marriage,” mixed with the ghost’s taunting “bridal night worth a thousand gold.”

She felt both anxious and expectant.

Before entering the room, Jiang Huaining let go of her and stepped in first, beckoning with a smile.
“Come in.”

Her smile was stunning, the little red mole at her eye corner radiating an intoxicating allure.

Yu Ruoyin was dazed again. Without thinking, she followed her in, not even noticing the charms plastered all over the room. She just reached out instinctively for that pulsing red mark.

Jiang Huaining’s skin, though not youthful in age, was flawless and tender, smooth like fine jade.

Her fingertip lingered at that spot—the one place that stood out, bright and alluring, begging to be caressed.

She rubbed the little mole, watching it flush even redder, the surrounding hue glowing back to life.

The scarlet hue seemed to climb up her finger, and Yu Ruoyin lost herself.
“C-can I kiss it now?”

She felt insane. But Jiang Huaining didn’t refuse.

“You can.”

Her gentle encouragement only fueled the restless craving.

Yu Ruoyin leaned in, so close she was practically pressed against her.

She had aimed for the mole, but somehow her lips landed on Jiang Huaining’s instead.

They were sweet.

Like honey.

Yu Ruoyin savored the taste, cupping her face, her tongue teasing at her lips as though determined to lick away every drop of nectar.

Too sweet.

But it felt like the honey was layered too thick. After so long, she’d only managed to taste the surface.

Eager, she deepened the kiss, nibbling until Jiang Huaining’s lips flushed with blood.

Yet Jiang Huaining didn’t push her away. She only smiled and whispered between her breaths:
“My little wife, it’s time to sleep.”

Suddenly, Yu Ruoyin’s head felt heavy. She collapsed, but Jiang Huaining caught her, cradling her waist and laying her gently on the bed.

Yu Ruoyin swallowed nervously. She thought Jiang Huaining would start undressing her. But instead, she only bent down to kiss her lips softly.
“Sleep.”

Then she let go, and… nothing more.

Jiang Huaining left quickly, leaving only the taste of honey on her lips.

Yu Ruoyin realized she’d been tricked.

Well, not exactly tricked. Jiang Huaining had only said she didn’t want a fake marriage, never that she wanted a real one.

Yu Ruoyin tried to sit up, but discovered she was utterly drained. She couldn’t even lift her arm, only wiggle her fingers.

Is kissing a ghost really this exhausting?

How could just one kiss leave her feeling like she’d faint?

Could Jiang Huaining have some scheme?

Too late to wonder now. Maybe she wouldn’t wake up tomorrow. After all, ghosts killing people wasn’t unheard of.

If she disappeared, Zhuang Ciyue would definitely scold her.

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