IMGH Chapter 10

Changing Face Faster Than Flipping Pages

Jiang Yi looked at Qiu Rui’s outstretched hand—fair and slender, a good hand indeed, but unfortunately without substance. He swallowed hard, struggling internally: to shake or not to shake?!

Seeing Jiang Yi’s rigid facial lines and pained expression, Qiu Rui realized his subconscious gesture had caused Jiang Yi distress.

Qiu Rui withdrew his hand and said, “Sorry, force of habit!”

Jiang Yi laughed dryly, “It’s fine, it’s fine!”

Although Qiu Rui’s face remained calm, sorrow and despair were still hidden between his brows. Anyone who woke up inexplicably turned into a ghost would have a hysterical nervous breakdown. Jiang Yi comforted him, “The City God Temple only opens in the morning. I’ll go find that stinking Taoist first thing tomorrow and make him break the formation to return your soul.”

Qiu Rui pointed at a dialogue box that popped up on the computer screen, laughing eerily, “You’d better solve your own problem first, or I’m afraid you won’t make it to tomorrow morning!”

Jiang Yi turned his head in confusion. When he saw the dialogue box from his VIP reader “Bloodstained Flying Dagger” pop up on QQ, he immediately screamed and frantically clicked the mouse.

“I’m done for, done for! I was so busy chatting with you that I forgot to upload the chapter!”

“Do you write male-oriented or female-oriented fiction?” Qiu Rui asked, watching Jiang Yi log into the author backend.

“I’m a man, so naturally male-oriented. What, you read web novels too?” Jiang Yi replied while pasting and uploading the chapter he’d written.

“Mm, I read some when I have time, but I don’t like reading serialized novels. I generally only read completed ones!”

Jiang Yi rolled his eyes, “It’s people like you who lower the overall income of us web novelists.”

Qiu Rui chuckled, “Who knows if you’re serial pit-diggers or if you’ll abandon your stories!”

“Authors who leave plot holes definitely have character problems—your work ethic reflects your character!” Jiang Yi shook his head proudly. “I never leave plot holes, no holidays all year round, continuous updates without breaks!”

Qiu Rui was obviously curious about the web novelist profession and said to Jiang Yi, who was busy replying to reader comments, “What genre do you write?”

The two chatted from web novels to stock prices and real estate, from military armaments to Crimea’s annexation by Russia, from initial wariness to opening their hearts.

Qiu Rui laughed heartily, “I didn’t expect we’d have so much to talk about!”

Jiang Yi nodded, “I didn’t expect to get along so well with a ghost!”

Qiu Rui’s originally cheerful handsome face instantly froze over. He snorted coldly, “No one can live forever. All that lives must die—sooner or later you’ll return to dust!” With those words, he turned and floated out of the bedroom.

Jiang Yi awkwardly rubbed his nose. They’d been chatting so well just moments ago—how could he get angry so suddenly? His face really changed faster than flipping pages.

Qiu Rui floated around the house with a dark expression, feeling extremely annoyed. Having his soul inexplicably captured was already infuriating enough, and now he had to stay under the same roof with such an unreliable person.

As Qiu Rui moved about, he felt puzzled deep down—why would he show such rare good feelings toward someone he’d just met for the first time? It was truly strange.

…..

Qiu Rui stopped in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, looking at the silver embroidered patterns on the curtain, complicated doubts tangling and knotting in his mind.

Exactly who wanted to trap him here?

Was it an accident, or deliberately done?

Was Jiang Yi that person’s accomplice, or was he truly clueless as he claimed?

During their recent conversation, Qiu Rui had also been secretly observing Jiang Yi. Although the topics they discussed were ordinary, Qiu Rui, who had seen countless people and understood how to read expressions, felt that Jiang Yi perhaps truly hadn’t deceived him.

Qiu Rui sighed softly. Even racking his brains now wouldn’t help matters—everything would have to wait until Jiang Yi went to the City God Temple tomorrow to find Taoist Cao before any conclusions could be drawn.

Qiu Rui was trapped by the formation and couldn’t leave this house. Some matters still required Jiang Yi’s help. Even if Jiang Yi harbored ill intentions, now wasn’t the time to tear off the mask and fall out with him. Qiu Rui felt that until he’d figured out the other party’s true situation, he could only bide his time and wait.

Qiu Rui had inherited the family business at 18, and since then had never truly enjoyed life. His original dream of traveling the world and seeing all its beautiful scenery had been completely sealed away in the depths after taking over the family enterprise. Busy work, family infighting, business competition—wearing different masks while maneuvering through this complicated society, living like a walking corpse every day—it all made him feel weary. He really wanted to cast everything aside to pursue his dreams, but he couldn’t. He had his responsibilities, his obligations. Sometimes he wondered what he was even living for.

But after becoming a ghost, he finally understood that nothing was better than being alive, because only in living was there hope.

Qiu Rui wanted to lift the curtain by the window to look at the outside world, but now even such a simple action was beyond his ability. He couldn’t do anything now, and a sense of defeat swept over him like a tidal wave, drowning him.

He gently slid down and sat on the floor, burying his head between his bent knees. At this moment, Qiu Rui felt the world had abandoned him.