Chapter 33: Who Doesn't Know How to Boast

"Yelling? Zhang Xiaobei, I’m just worried about you. You promised to meet the Ghost King tonight!" she said, inexplicably.

I couldn't help but find it amusing and asked, "You’re a ghost and I’m a human. Why do you care about me?"

"Ungrateful, are you? Fine, you said it yourself—I won’t bother anymore!" With that, she turned and left again.

In truth, I knew I shouldn’t treat her that way. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but my mood was foul and I didn’t care to restrain myself.

I lay in bed until about five in the afternoon when He Yanran returned. Seeing me, she exclaimed in delight, "Xiaobei, you’re back! I was just about to call and ask when you’d be home."

I smiled faintly and glanced at the bags in her hands. "Did you go shopping?"

"Yes, and I bought you an outfit. You’ll look handsome in it!" she said, her excitement mingled with a hint of shyness as she laid the clothes on my bed.

"You bought this for me? I already have clothes," I said, surprised. I should have been the one taking her shopping.

"Try it on!" she urged, eyes full of anticipation.

"Alright," I replied, getting up. Since I’d been napping shirtless, I simply pulled the new shirt over my head. It was a simple black hoodie—nothing extravagant, but stylish enough.

"You look great! Very handsome!" Yanran said, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

I found myself feeling more at ease around her than with anyone else.

"If it looks good, I’ll wear it tonight. Thank you," I said, tousling her hair.

"No need to thank me—it was your money, after all!" she replied, lowering her head in embarrassment.

I smiled and let it go. Whether it was my money or hers didn’t matter; what counted was the thought behind her gift.

"Are you going out again tonight?" she asked, noticing the somber look on my face as I sat back down.

I nodded. "Yes, after dinner."

"Then shall we have dinner together?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course. Besides you and Lin Chuan, I don’t know anyone else here. He’s busy, so it’ll just be the two of us."

"What, am I such a reluctant choice for dinner?" she said, a bit disappointed.

"Not at all. Let’s go out and find something tasty," I said, pulling on the new clothes she’d bought as I headed for the door.

But she grabbed my arm. "There’s a whole outfit—there are pants, too! Change those as well!"

"...Who are you taking me to meet?" I eyed her suspiciously.

To my surprise, I hit the mark. She looked embarrassed. "I ran into an old high school classmate in town. She insisted we have dinner together tonight."

"Is it a man or a woman?"

"A woman—but her boyfriend will be there too," Yanran explained.

I understood immediately and grinned. "So you bought me these clothes so I could act as your boyfriend?"

"If you don’t want to go, forget it," she said, looking away.

"Of course I’ll go. You bought me new clothes—I can’t let you eat dog food alone with your friend. But I have to leave before ten tonight!"

"That’s fine. I don’t want to stay with her that late either," she replied.

Watching her, I couldn’t help but sigh. Women really do love to compare themselves to each other. But if she was willing to bring me along, she must have some faith in me.

With that thought, I picked up the pants she’d bought and looked at her with a mischievous smile. "Should I change here, or in the bathroom?"

"Uh… just change here," she said shyly, turning away.

I chuckled. "True, after all, we hugged last night—what’s there to hide?"

"I’m washing my face—it’s too hot!" she said, ignoring me as she retreated into the bathroom.

Just as Yanran left and I was halfway through changing pants, Tan Xiao suddenly appeared again, startling me. I stared at her, speechless. "Did you do that on purpose this time?"

She glanced at me, cheeks reddening as she turned away. "I only came because I needed to talk—I didn’t do it on purpose!" She looked back at me, this time with a look of disdain. "Besides, you still have your pants on. Nothing to see here. I’ve seen you shower before anyway."

"...So, what is it?" She left me at a loss for words.

"Another dead woman was found on Qianyuan Road. Her spirit has disappeared, too," Tan Xiao reported.

"Sigh, why are there so many murders lately? I’m exhausted."

"It’s been turbulent everywhere, and it seems tied to the black market. You’ll be busy for a while," she said.

I nodded with a sigh. "I understand."

"Are you really going to see the Ghost King tonight?" she asked, still worried.

"Yes. I promised. If I don’t go, Yang Minghui won’t survive the night. Besides, I want to know why she wants to see me."

Seeing I was determined, Tan Xiao gave up trying to persuade me. "If that’s the case, I won’t say more. But remember—don’t let her charm you, and whatever you do, don’t touch her!"

"What? Touch… touch her?" I looked at her in surprise. "Why?"

"She’s a terrible lecher. And… forget it, I shouldn’t gossip about her. I’m heading to Qianyuan Road to look for the woman’s ghost. Come by if you can."

I nodded. "Has anyone called the police?"

"Yes, patrolmen are already there."

"Then I’ll deal with it tomorrow. I have other things to do today." With that, I put on my shoes, walked to the bathroom door, knocked, and called, "I’m changed! You can come out."

A moment later, Yanran emerged, surveyed me, and gave a satisfied smile. "Not bad—more handsome than her boyfriend!"

"Really? What if he’s richer than me?" I asked.

"That doesn’t matter. As long as you’re better-looking, you’ve already won!" she said, a little smug.

She was quite adorable like this.

"Let’s go. Where are we meeting your friend for dinner?" I asked.

"At the Xiyuan Hotel," Yanran replied.

"Xiyuan? Her boyfriend must be loaded," I said, glancing at her.

"I don’t know. She said she’d treat us, so it doesn’t matter where it is. If she wants to show off her wealth, let her," Yanran said with a sly smile.

I had a hunch it wouldn’t be that simple, but since we hadn’t met yet, it was best to just go and see.

We left together and took a taxi to the Xiyuan Hotel. Yanran called her friend, who said they’d arrive soon.

Sure enough, before long, her friend showed up with her boyfriend in an Audi. It looked a bit old, and my instincts told me it was secondhand.

"Yanran, have you been waiting long?" Her classmate approached, arm in arm with her short, skinny boyfriend.

Though their clothes looked pricier than ours, they seemed like cheap knock-offs.

"No, we just arrived," Yanran replied, linking her arm through mine.

Her friend glanced up at me—taller than her boyfriend by half a head—and asked, "And this is…?"

"I’m Yanran’s boyfriend. Nice to meet you," I said.

"…Oh, hello," she replied, looking genuinely surprised.

From her reaction, it was clear Yanran hadn’t told her she’d be bringing a boyfriend, catching her completely off guard.

"Yanran, you never told me you had a boyfriend. Want to introduce us?" her friend asked.

"Yes, this is my boyfriend, Zhang Xiaobei," Yanran replied, then turned to me. "My high school classmate, Xu Min, and this is her boyfriend, Yu Hang."

I nodded with a smile, but Yu Hang looked at me with undisguised contempt. I had no idea where his confidence came from, but with me there, they wouldn’t be able to push Yanran around tonight.

"It’s hot out—let’s go inside," Xu Min said, sizing up my outfit before giving a slight smile. "From the looks of things, you two probably haven’t been here before, have you?"

"Uh…"

"That’s right—we haven’t. We don’t come to town often," I answered quickly, seeing Yanran hesitate.

They seemed thrilled by this and said, "So you still live in the countryside? That won’t do. You’ll never see the world that way. You really ought to come to the city more often, or you’ll get left behind."

"Miss Xu, you’re really concerned about your old classmates," I said, matching their arrogance with a smirk. "But you’re mistaken. We live in Nanjiang now. We’re just back visiting family. The county’s developed a lot these past few years, but a county town is still a county town—no match for the big cities."

"…Oh, so you live in Nanjiang? I’ve been there myself. My boyfriend goes on business trips there all the time," Xu Min said, her face turning a little sour.

"Is that so? Next time you’re in town, give us a call. If your boyfriend is busy, you and Yanran can go shopping together," I said, immediately seeing through her lie.

"Ha, sure, we’ll definitely contact you next time," she replied, her smile growing forced.

Her boyfriend, however, was a bit sharper. "I hear property prices in Nanjiang are sky high. Are you renting?"

"Prices are fine, but our place is an old house—waiting to be demolished," I replied evasively.

At that, their faces grew even darker. They’d intended to mock us, but hadn’t expected to be outdone as Nanjiang homeowners—demolition means a windfall, after all. It was as if they’d been slapped in the face.

Perhaps unsure what to say next, Xu Min forced a smile and asked, "If you’re so well-off, Mr. Zhang, why do you dress so modestly?"