The Ghost Insists on Giving Me a Beautiful and Powerful Wife! - Chapter 3

Yu Ruoyin eventually woke up. When she opened her eyes, her body didn’t feel any discomfort. The only difference was that on her neck appeared half a crimson fruit, about the size of an almond. It was crystal clear, more like red jade than an actual fruit. If she looked closely, she could even see shimmering light flowing inside, making it seem like a treasure.

Yu Ruoyin suddenly recalled Jiang Huaining’s words about giving her a share of the Chun Immortal.

Could this be it?

If she ate it, would she stay youthful forever?

With that guess in mind, Yu Ruoyin rubbed the half-fruit hard.

It felt just like jade.

She poked it with her fingertip but didn’t leave the slightest mark. It didn’t seem edible at all.

Afraid to keep trying, she decided to take the red fruit off. But the red cord that strung it seemed to sense her intent—it slowly tightened, pressing closer and closer against the skin of her neck. If not for the absence of pain, she would’ve thought it was going to slice her throat open.

Yu Ruoyin didn’t dare move recklessly anymore.

She was just an ordinary person—it was hard not to fear such things beyond her understanding.

She leaned back against the bedhead, frozen in place.

When the cord sensed her intention to remove the fruit fading, it lengthened again, loosening its grip on her neck and returning to stillness.

On the nightstand, Yu Ruoyin noticed a brand-new phone.

There was a blue sticky note attached. She pulled it off and read:

“Little wife, accept this!”

The handwriting was clearly Jiang Huaining’s.

Yu Ruoyin’s cheeks flushed. Jiang Huaining seemed to really enjoy calling her that. In fact, she thought Jiang Huaining could just call her “wife” like she did.

She wasn’t young anymore. Now she was someone with a wife.

Her hand unconsciously touched her lips—then she snapped back to her senses.

This wasn’t right.

She seemed to be slipping into the role too quickly. Without even clarifying Jiang Huaining’s true identity, she was already instinctively calling her “wife.” And here, there was no ghost forcing her.

Yu Ruoyin exhaled secretly, trying to calm her restless heart. She reached for the phone.

The moment the screen lit up, Jiang Huaining’s gentle smile filled her eyes.

The blush on her face deepened. Jiang Huaining was breathtakingly beautiful. When she smiled, the little red mole at the corner of her eye seemed to glow, its contrast with her fair skin adding a dangerous allure—quite different from her usual grace, but even more captivating.

Yu Ruoyin stared at the photo in a daze. The more she looked, the prettier she seemed.

It didn’t feel like ghostly enchantment—more like lustful obsession.

She felt ashamed.

If Zhuang Ciyue saw her like this, she would definitely scold her.

She had never thought of herself as lecherous. Of course, it could just be that she had never met someone this stunning before.

Still, something felt off. She seemed too eager to stare at Jiang Huaining.

Just one photo, and she could gaze at it endlessly.

That wasn’t normal. Though she couldn’t pinpoint why, it wasn’t right.

Pushing away the unsettling thoughts, Yu Ruoyin began browsing through the phone. When she noticed the time, she froze—she had slept for a day and two nights. It was already the third morning since she had entered the milk-tea shop.

Did kissing a ghost drain that much energy? But Jiang Huaining wasn’t a ghost—she remembered seeing the room filled with talismans before she fell asleep.

Talismans.

Yes, the talismans!

To confirm, Yu Ruoyin quickly looked around.

But the room no longer had any talismans—just large, old-looking ornaments.

Where were they?

She was certain she hadn’t imagined them. Even if her mind had been muddled, her memory had always been good. She remembered clearly: how that ghost, Lu Qingzhen, forced her into the shop and tried to hand her a wife, and how Jiang Huaining coaxed her upstairs.

The talismans had been there.

Absent-mindedly flipping through the phone again, she suddenly remembered she hadn’t contacted Zhuang Ciyue in days.

It was Zhuang Ciyue who had recommended that job to her two days ago.

Regardless of whether it worked out, she should’ve messaged back.

She carefully recalled Zhuang Ciyue’s number. To her surprise, the SIM card in this new phone was the same as her old one—the one that had been destroyed by the ghost. That made things easy. She quickly logged back into her accounts and sent Zhuang Ciyue a message:

[Sister Yue, I already interviewed at that shop you recommended.]

Zhuang Ciyue was usually very busy, so Yu Ruoyin didn’t expect a fast reply. Yet today, the response came instantly:

[When did I ever recommend you a job? Yu Ruoyin, don’t tell me you’ve been hacked.]

What?

Yu Ruoyin was dumbfounded. She hurriedly typed back:

[Two days ago! Didn’t you tell me to go interview there?]

Zhuang Ciyue soon sent a screenshot of their chat. When Yu Ruoyin opened it, she saw that their conversation had last ended five days ago, when Zhuang asked what university she had enrolled in.

That wasn’t right.

She was sure she’d gone to Longyu Street because of Zhuang’s message—then came the heavy fog, the ghost, and then…

Could it be that her being lured into Longyu Street wasn’t a coincidence? That Lu Qingzhen hadn’t stumbled upon her, but had been targeting her from the start? But that didn’t make sense either. With Jiang Huaining’s qualities, she could’ve had any wife she wanted—why her?

Yu Ruoyin knew she wasn’t bad-looking, but compared to Jiang Huaining, anyone would pale.

Not just appearance—there was also that indescribable charm.

Whatever it was, Jiang Huaining had a way of making people enchanted. Otherwise, Yu Ruoyin wouldn’t be so utterly captivated.

Lost in thought, she was startled when Zhuang Ciyue suddenly called.

“Yue-jie.”

The moment she answered, Zhuang Ciyue’s loud voice boomed through:

“Yu Ruoyin, don’t tell me you’ve actually seen a ghost!”

Zhuang had once been a refined, soft-spoken lady with a gentle heart.

But ever since she’d returned to her hometown for school three years ago, her temper had grown fierce—and her voice, louder.

Yu Ruoyin silently moved the phone farther from her ear. When she didn’t reply, Zhuang suddenly grew serious:

“Don’t tell me I guessed right.”

Yu Ruoyin understood why Zhuang reacted this way. In the past, she would’ve hurried to cut her off, insisting ghosts didn’t exist, scolding Zhuang for even mentioning them.

That was the old her.

Back then, she didn’t believe in ghosts. She was terrified of them, wouldn’t even let others bring them up.

Now, she couldn’t say that anymore. Just thinking of Lu Qingzhen still gave her chills.

She wiped the cold sweat from her brow and stammered:

“Y-Yes. I saw a ghost. You won’t believe it, but ghosts are real!”

She expected Zhuang to scream, or react with shock, or excitement—something. Instead, there was only silence.

After a long pause, Zhuang asked something completely unexpected:

“Ruoyin, what about the phone I gave you?”

The phone destroyed by Lu Qingzhen had been a gift from Zhuang three years ago, when she left the city. She had warned Ruoyin not to replace it until they met again. Yu Ruoyin hadn’t much money anyway, and the phone was still usable, so she would’ve kept it regardless.

If not for Lu Qingzhen, she would’ve used it much longer.

Since Zhuang was her only friend, and a firm believer in spirits who even longed to meet one, Yu Ruoyin didn’t hide it:

“It was destroyed by a ghost.”

“How could that be…” Zhuang fell silent again—then suddenly exclaimed:

“Yu Ruoyin! The Red Magpie Palace position has been occupied—you’re married? When did this happen?”

What? Red Magpie Palace?

Yu Ruoyin didn’t understand a word, though she did catch the part about being married. She could only answer honestly:

“I… I do have a wife now.”

Knock, knock, knock—

A knock came at the door. Flustered, Yu Ruoyin quickly said:

“Yue-jie, I’ll talk to you later—it’s probably my wife calling me.”

She hung up, hurried to the door, and pulled it open.

“I’m not little!” she blurted.

“…You…” Jiang Huaining paused, hand still raised mid-knock, a bit taken aback. Slowly lowering her hand, she gazed at Yu Ruoyin with a teasing smile.

Yu Ruoyin stared back. Jiang Huaining wore a pale-blue qipao today. Her waist-length hair was pinned up, baring her long, fair neck and delicate arms. A few loose strands framed her face, adding to her allure.

A breeze slipped through the hallway window, lifting those strands so they brushed against her snowy skin.

They weren’t touching Yu Ruoyin, but she felt ticklish all the same—face ticklish, heart even more so.

She was entranced. Jiang Huaining, seeing her dazed look, smiled even brighter:

“My little wife, are you hungry?”

“Yes.”

She wasn’t sure if it was hunger, but after days without food, she figured she should eat.

Jiang Huaining entered, handed her fresh toiletries, and nudged her into the bathroom.

Still foggy-minded, Yu Ruoyin followed her downstairs afterward, forgetting once again to ask about Jiang Huaining’s true identity.

They sat at the table nearest the counter, already laden with a spread of breakfast dishes.

“Just the two of us?” Yu Ruoyin asked uncertainly.

“Mhm.” Jiang Huaining’s soft gaze was almost melting.

Embarrassed, Yu Ruoyin lowered her head, grabbed a bun, and took a bite.

Her phone kept buzzing.

She glanced quickly—it was all messages from Zhuang Ciyue:

[Yu Ruoyin! You hung up on me! You shameless thing, ditching friends for a woman! Tell me clearly about the ghost and this so-called wife of yours!]
[Don’t tell me you’re being tricked by a female ghost—scammed out of money and your heart!]
[You love-brained fool, say something!]
[…]

The more Yu Ruoyin read, the stranger it seemed. Zhuang wasn’t surprised at all by her saying ghosts existed. Even if she wasn’t scared, this reaction wasn’t normal.

And how had she immediately concluded from something about a “Red Magpie Palace” that Yu Ruoyin was married? Definitely not normal.

Plus, knowing her phone was gone, she’d asked about it first of all.

Yu Ruoyin swallowed the bun, typed back:

[Yue-jie, did you already know ghosts were real?]

Another long silence.

Just when Yu Ruoyin thought Zhuang wouldn’t reply, a message came:

[Wait until I return to Chong City—I’ll explain then.]

So, Zhuang did have secrets.

Yu Ruoyin didn’t think Zhuang meant her harm, but it was clear she had been hiding something. That phone she gave her probably wasn’t ordinary either.

As Yu Ruoyin mulled over it, Jiang Huaining noticed her distraction.

“My little wife, what’s wrong?”

Yu Ruoyin looked up at her, thoughts shifting:

“Do you… have other wives?”

Jiang Huaining blinked. “No.”

“Then why do you keep calling me little wife? It makes me sound like some concubine.”

“There’s only you. There will only ever be you.” Jiang Huaining laughed softly. “Then I’ll call you A-Yin from now on.”

“Okay.” Yu Ruoyin nodded in satisfaction. “Then… what should I call you?”

“Beautiful wife.” Jiang Huaining paused, then added, “Of course, you can also keep calling me Auntie.”

Yu Ruoyin lowered her head, guilty. Clearly Jiang Huaining hadn’t forgotten that little slip of the tongue.

Sipping her milk, she tried to think of how to explain—but felt she’d forgotten something important.

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