Looking at Tô Ngọc Đình’s smiling, squinty-eyed face, I asked warily,
“How do I know you’re not lying to me?”
Tô Ngọc Đình pulled out a piece of paper.
“This is a contract item. It can verify what I’m saying.”
I touched the item and saw what it did. I tapped Use, and it confirmed that Tô Ngọc Đình was telling the truth.
[This girl may be smart, but she’s not too smart. Tô Ngọc Đình really isn’t lying—but she didn’t mention that someone will die as a result.]
[All right, with this item as proof, she’ll definitely believe me.]
As Tô Ngọc Đình watched me pull Bạch Vũ away, a mocking smile curled her lips.
“My dear big sister, I hope this isn’t the last time we meet.”
She happily walked over to Lý Vỹ, clutching the comb in one hand and tugging at his sleeve with the other.
“Lý Vỹ, I have good news for you.”
Lý Vỹ wearily stepped away.
“Đình Đình, we need to go into the hotel and find some items to deal with the ghost bride tonight.”
“Tonight, we’re taking the route where we help the ghost bride steal the groom.”
Meanwhile, Bạch Vũ and I went back to our room.
Just as Tô Ngọc Đình had said, a ghost groom’s outfit was already in the room.
Bạch Vũ started to pick it up, but I suddenly stopped him.
“Wait.”
Bạch Vũ looked at me in confusion.
“What is it?”
I looked at him, embarrassed and conflicted.
Could I tell him I didn’t want him playing the ghost groom?
Even if he was marrying a female ghost, my damn possessiveness was getting the better of me.
I stammered, trying to stop him.
“How about I play the groom? What if the ghost bride wants a woman?”
“But doesn’t the story say she likes a man?”
I was at a loss for words. That did make sense.
As I racked my brain for an answer, Bạch Vũ’s face suddenly moved close to mine.
“Could it be someone’s jealous—and jealous of a ghost bride, no less?”
My face instantly turned as red as the sunset.
“Someone took advantage of me while I was asleep last night and felt my abs.”
I fell silent.
8.
“So these days, it’s not just male creeps—there are female creeps too.”
“You’re the first person ever to touch my abs. Don’t you think you should take responsibility for me?”
At that, my heart skipped a beat.
“What kind of responsibility?”
“How about you repay me with yourself?”
What a great deal!
“Don’t you dare regret it.”
As Bạch Vũ stared in astonishment, I suddenly pushed him down onto the bed and kissed him fiercely.
Even in broad daylight, nothing could get in the way of our romance.
After the storm passed, I quietly lit a cigarette.
I thought it over, then said the most romantic thing I’d ever said in my life.
“I’ll keep you stocked with beef jerky from now on.”
Bạch Vũ gazed at me passionately.
“I’ve been waiting so long to hear you say that.”
I happily hugged the jade pendant hanging around my neck.
It was the only keepsake my mother had left me.
Mom, can you see? Learning a skill really does come in handy. I won myself a handsome husband with my cooking!
I suddenly remembered tonight’s game instance.
“What do we do if the ghost bride comes tonight?”
“I have a plan.”
I anxiously grabbed his sleeve.
“Whatever you do, I won’t let you marry her.”
Bạch Vũ smiled gently and kissed my cheek.
“You can’t bear to part with me?”
I nodded shyly, over and over.
“We avoided her last night. Let’s avoid the ghost bride again tonight. You already have the item we need to clear the game, anyway.”
I smiled knowingly.
Then I pulled one, two, three, four, five… more than twenty combs out of my sleeve.
“Granny was so generous yesterday. She gave me a comb for every plate of stir-fried pig intestines, so I’ve collected a whole pile.”
The comments burst into laughter.
[Oh my God, there are enough combs here for every player to clear the game.]
[Granny’s way too generous. She’s stolen all the glory; we don’t even need to fight the next two bosses.]
Bạch Vũ stared in astonishment for a moment, then chuckled.
That smile was so beautiful.
Like a breeze passing through dew-soaked white roses.
Just looking at him made my mouth water.
“A Ling, you’re so clever.”
“Then tonight, just like last night, let’s avoid the ghost bride.”
I nodded repeatedly, but just then, someone knocked at the door.
Granny, the woman from yesterday, stood at the door, looking embarrassed.
Remembering the pile of combs she’d given me, I greeted her warmly.
“Would you like some stir-fried pig intestines again today?”
Granny shook her head sheepishly.
“My granddaughter is getting married today. I’d like to ask you to make some wedding pastries for her.”
“She’s my only grandchild. According to the traditions of my hometown, I should be the one to make her wedding pastries by hand. But I have gout, and my fingers are so stiff I can’t bend them. I lost the cooking skills I had when I was young a long time ago. A girl only gets married once in her life, and I want her day to be perfect.”
Seeing Granny’s kind face, I hurriedly nodded and agreed.
“Then I’ll meet you in the kitchen downstairs.”
A little while later, in the kitchen, Granny’s granddaughter and I stared at each other.
She wore a bright-red wedding dress, and her lipstick stretched from the corners of her mouth all the way to her ears.
The dark makeup around her eyes looked like blood running down from beneath them.
9.
My eyelid twitched.
Was she a cosplay fan? But even cosplayers wouldn’t wear makeup like that to a wedding, would they?
Granny hurriedly tugged at her granddaughter.
“Ah, this child hates to part with me. She was crying in her room just now and ruined her makeup.”
I murmured, “Oh,” and nodded repeatedly.
“Miss, what kind of wedding pastries would you like?”
The girl was so nervous that it took her ages to get a sentence out.
“Husband, do you want to marry another woman?”
The room fell deathly silent.
I felt Bạch Vũ turn his head beside me. His shoulders shook as if he were trying not to laugh.
The girl’s face turned red, so red you could see it through the thick white powder.
At that moment, elsewhere, the comments were laughing so hard they were crying.
[So this female ghost character is afraid of people?]
[Every time she meets someone, she says exactly one sentence. When she gets nervous, it just comes pouring out.]
[Is this really a horror game instance? I thought it was a comedy show.]
I rubbed my ear. Had I heard wrong again?
The main thing was that the girl’s voice was so quiet, and she spoke so fast that all the words ran together. I couldn’t make them out.
I carefully tried to remember what she’d said.
Marry someone? Could she mean…
“Oh, you want cookies, right?”
Why couldn’t cookies be the wedding pastries?
The little bride looked at me awkwardly, then gave a small nod.
What a cute, shy little girl!
I grinned like a doting aunt and took out a packet of yeast.
Before long, the oven roared to life, and the sweet aroma of cookies and chocolate spread through the kitchen.
I took freshly baked chocolate cookies out of the oven.
The little girl reached out a slender finger and gently picked up a cookie, then jerked her hand back when it was too hot.
She blew on her hand, then picked up the cookie again.
Her fingertips felt its warmth and a slight slickness of oil. She brought it to her nose; the aroma of baked butter felt warm and reassuring.
She carefully took her first bite.
Her teeth met an exceptionally crisp crust, followed by a satisfying crunch as bits of chocolate melted smoothly under the pressure.
In a corner I hadn't noticed, Bạch Vũ and Granny had also snuck a cookie each and were munching away.
Suddenly, the little girl's eyes grew misty.
I was about to step closer and check her hand, but she grabbed mine and held on tight.
“That bastard of a husband hasn't come around in years. I don't need him anymore. Why don't the two of us just live together? I'll help you conquer the world, and you can stay home, looking pretty as a flower and cooking for me... Sob, sob.”
The little girl wept like a rain-soaked pear blossom, while I stared at her in bewilderment.
“There's someone I already like.”
I pulled Bạch Vũ, who was still trying to sneak a cookie, against my shoulder.
The little girl shot Bạch Vũ a jealous glare, then shyly pulled a paired-union cord from her robes and placed it in my hand.
“Think it over. I don't mind being your second wife.”