Chapter Eighteen: Why Don't You Come Down and Keep Me Company?

Moonlight seeped through the window and spilled into the hospital room. The lights were off, and in the dimness, a young girl in a white dress stood, her hair loose and her hand resting on another girl’s shoulder.

Shen Jingrong turned her stiff neck to look back, and met a pair of dull, lifeless eyes.

A chill rushed through her heart, her body trembling uncontrollably.

“My dear sister, it’s so lonely down there. Won’t you come keep me company?” Shen Qingli’s voice was hollow, echoing hauntingly around the room, chilling to the bone.

At those words, Shen Jingrong seemed to finally find her voice again and screamed, “Ah! A ghost!”

She thrust her hand forward, shoving at the figure before her, but her hand met only empty air. Shen Qingli floated weightlessly in the room.

“Sister, you’ve frightened me,” Shen Qingli said mildly, raising her hand slowly to reach for Shen Jingrong.

“No! Please, no!” Shen Jingrong shrieked as she watched Shen Qingli “fly” toward her. Terror nearly sent her into a faint, but she managed to scramble to the door, flinging it open and fleeing the room in a panicked, stumbling rush.

“It’s the undead! She’s come back from the dead!” she shouted as she ran, so terrified that she barreled straight into a column and fell unconscious.

Shen Qingli watched her sister’s pitiful state and snorted with laughter before returning to the hospital room.

She turned on the light. The props she’d used just now were simple tricks—after all, Shen Jingrong, that little schemer, had been pestering her endlessly, always muttering unpleasant things.

“Coriander, thank you for protecting me,” Shen Qingli said, sitting at the edge of the bed, her thoughts connecting with her green little companion.

[You don’t need to thank me, Host. It’s my duty to protect you. That’s what I’m here for.]

“Waking up this time is all thanks to you,” Shen Qingli replied.

Before Coriander could answer, her attention was drawn to the sound of the door opening wide. She looked up to see Xie Jinchuan panting heavily, and her lips curved into a subtle smile. “Uncle…”

Before she could finish, she was enveloped in a tight embrace.

Stunned, Shen Qingli could feel Xie Jinchuan’s hurried breath, the slight tremor in his arms from his rush.

“Thank goodness you’re awake. Thank goodness,” he murmured, his voice thick with relief and worry, every word sincere.

“Uncle, I’m awake. I’ve made you worry,” Shen Qingli replied, trying to return his embrace, but he gently pushed her away and looked at her sternly.

“Shen Qingli, haven’t I told you not to run off like that?”

Sensing his genuine concern, her heart softened, a strange warmth flowing into her chest.

It was comforting, and made her happy.

“I just didn’t want to disturb you while you were in a meeting,” she said, lowering her head slightly and tugging at his sleeve, her tone playful, a silly smile on her face.

“Do you have any idea that I—” Xie Jinchuan began, but suddenly stopped, then changed course, “I’m still young, I don’t want to be a widower.”

“From now on, you are not to leave my side, not even for a moment. Do you hear me?” Though his words were stern, Shen Qingli knew well that beneath his sharp tongue was a soft heart; he truly cared for her.

“Won’t you get tired of me, Uncle?” she asked, hugging his arm and smiling.

He looked at the cheerful girl beside him, and his gaze softened. “I will never tire of you.”

Hearing this, Shen Qingli’s heart skipped a beat.

She had to admit, how could anyone not be moved by a man like this?

“I’ve already sent Luo Yu to the police, and the men who kidnapped you have been crippled,” Xie Jinchuan said, straightening her hair as he spoke.

“Thank you, Uncle. Truly, only you care for me now,” she replied, handing him a hair tie with practiced ease.

But the next moment, she sensed something unusual.

After he’d tied up her hair, Xie Jinchuan turned to face her.

Shen Qingli caught a faint, inexplicable aura from him.

Could it be that her uncle wasn’t an ordinary man?

The thought flickered in her mind, but she didn’t voice it.

She looked up with a smile. “Uncle, you smell so nice.”

He reached out and patted her head affectionately.

“Shall we go home?”

She nodded, and the two slipped quietly out the hospital’s back door.

After all, news of Shen Qingli’s miraculous return from the dead would spark another wave of gossip if it got out.

On the way home, Shen Qingli glanced at Xie Jinchuan, who was driving, and reached out to Coriander in her mind.

“Coriander, I felt a surge of spiritual energy from Xie Jinchuan!”

“Do you think he could be a supernatural being too?”

[Are you worried about something, Host?]

Shen Qingli didn’t notice the system’s slight unease. She pondered for a moment before replying, “Not really. It’s not as if Xie Jinchuan would want anything from me, and I have nothing to offer.”

At that, Coriander breathed a silent sigh of relief.

[He treats you very well.]

Shen Qingli nodded in agreement. “Yes, he treats me especially well!”

Her eyes sparkled with light at the thought.

“What are you thinking about?” Xie Jinchuan’s voice suddenly broke the silence.

She looked at him, playfully batting her eyes. “I was wondering what faces my father and the Lu family would make if they saw me back from the dead.”

They’d probably be scared out of their wits.

Xie Jinchuan frowned, as if recalling something, and said calmly, “Tomorrow is the Lu family’s banquet. You’ll get to see for yourself.”

A faint smile played on Shen Qingli’s lips.

She’d overheard from Coriander what the old master of the Lu family had said—calling her unlucky, a harbinger of misfortune!

Well, she would make sure to pay the old man a proper visit.

Seeing the mischief in her eyes, Xie Jinchuan’s lips curved with amusement.

Elsewhere, when Shen Jingrong came to and realized she was home, she relaxed at once. But as soon as she saw her father, she grabbed his arm and cried, “Dad! Sister isn’t dead! She’s come back from the dead!”

Father Shen frowned and shook off her hand. “What nonsense are you spouting now?”

“Tomorrow is the Lu family’s banquet. Clean yourself up! Don’t embarrass me!”

“Dad! I’m serious! Shen Qingli really isn’t dead!”