Play A Game

But was Liu Xinyu who would lose her temper because of a mere ghost? How was that possible? This Tang Tang could only jump here and shout, what else could she do? So, Liu Xinyu didn't think she had to deal with her.

Cupping her face with her hands, she brazenly continued to stare at Qi Yuze who was focused on studying. Amidst the tranquil ambiance of the library, Liu Xinyu's eyes were settled on Qi Yuze's attentive state. The soft glow of the afternoon sun bathed him in a golden halo, accentuating the contours of his face. 

Liu Xinyu found herself captivated by the way the light played upon his face, highlighting the subtle lines and curves. Qi Yuze was engrossed in his studies, forgetting the world around him.

At first, Liu Xinyu just wanted to tease him again but now, she found herself a little fascinated. There was an aura of quiet intensity about him, a magnetic presence that drew her in. Lost in her reverie, she couldn't help but wonder who he really was. She hadn't forgotten the concern that Nan Xing's voice carried when she called for him and she also hadn't forgotten that his cold eyes seemed to light up when she mentioned Nan Xing.

There was some connection between him and her young mother that she was unaware of. And the curiosity to unveil this secret kept scratching at her heart. If she was someone important to Nan Xing then how come she never heard about him?

Even if she didn't have an impeccable memory, she was certain that if she had seen this face before, she wouldn't be able to forget it. She didn't think anyone would be able to forget it.

At that moment, amidst the hushed whispers of turning pages and the gentle rustle of paper, Liu Xinyu wanted to peek into his mind.

"Stop looking at him already!" 

The young girl's ghost couldn't take it anymore. She was bothered by Liu Xinyu's unabashed gaze towards Qi Yuze. She kept trying to cover Liu Xinyu's sight and this really annoyed Liu Xinyu too. She found this ghost to be a bigger nuisance than she thought she was.

Yes, Liu Xinyu was a very self-aware person. She was a nuisance and she knew it. She had no shame in accepting that too. She was a duplicitous person too. But she didn't think there was anything wrong with her character as long as she had a clear conscience. 

"Where did you even come from? Why are you so unbridled? There are so many girls who are trying to find excuses to get close to him. Look, even that girl just passed like five times from this place pretending to find a book. But her purpose is obviously to steal a glance at him. However, none of these girls are as shameless as you to sit in front of him and stare! That is rude! You are making him uncomfortable!"

'Then he should tell me that himself. I am blind. I can't take subtle hints,' was Liu Xinyu's response but she only said it in her head because she couldn't open her mouth to argue with a ghost in front of Qi Yuze. That'll only prove that she had some mental issues. Of course, that's not the impression she wanted to leave on Qi Yuze.

Even though, her first impression wasn't good too.

Liu Xinyu rubbed her ear. She also wanted to buy a Walkman for her personal use just for the sake of her personal mental health. She didn't think she'd be able to stay sane if she kept running into ghosts at every other corner. She really needed to do something about this problem.

Tang Tang was tired of shouting and was hopping mad at Liu Xinyu's actions. So, she wanted to teach her a lesson. Anyway, there was a reason why no one tried to get close to Qi Yuze in the library. Not only because he preferred to be alone, but also because Tang Tang would always find trouble for the girls who got close to him. 

Her eyes slowly turned red and her cute face distorted in a scary way. She looked towards the light hanging up and stared at the lights intently, the lights slowly started shaking as if it was gonna fall at any minute now. 

But before it could, someone held the back of her head and pulled her aside before slamming her into the aisle of the books. It made a thud but only Liu Xinyu heard it since Qi Yuze still had his headphones on.

"What? Even death doesn't stop you from doing evil," came Yiyi's voice tinged with anger and annoyance. 

"Let me go!" yelled Tang Tang. "I just want to teach her a small lesson. And who are you to stop me? I'm the one who rules in this library. Go find a new hideout for yourself."

Yiyi snickered when she heard that, "Little girl, do you know if you hurt a human you have no chance to enter the underworld? You'd only be a lost soul. Either you'd end up being a dark ghost or you'd perish. No, I should say, either way, you'd perish. Dead are not allowed to meddle in the land of living. Know your place. What are you? A gangster? You rule? I just read that monarchy ended way too long ago. Who allowed you to daydream when you are dead?"

Liu Xinyu smiled when she heard Yiyi's voice. She had to say, her ghostie was still the best. She not only came to help Liu Xinyu but she was also quite cool as she taught this young ghost a lesson who didn't know the height of heaven! She really thought she was all that? Just a puny little ghost and was trying to mess with her.

"Why are you stopping me?" asked Tang Tang angrily. "So what if I perish? What does that have to do with you?" But her momentum had dropped once she looked at Yiyi. There was no other reason but that even humans could tell which person they could offend and which they couldn't. Of course, the ghosts could tell that too. And just a glance at Yiyi, she knew she was met with a tough one.

"Nothing," replied Yiyi. "But..." She paused as she pointed towards Liu Xinyu and went on, "That one is mine. You try to hurt her and I'm gonna make you disappear right this instant. Now, get lost!" Yiyi watched Tang Tang leave before she turned and found Liu Xinyu giving her a smile. Yiyi put her fist before her lips as she faked a cough and pretended like nothing happened.

Liu Xinyu almost laughed out loud at her reaction. 

What she didn't know was that her smile was captured into Qi Yuze's eyes right now as he froze. He seemed to be stunned for a moment and didn't know how to react. Originally, he was focused on his studying but he had to say, he couldn't ignore Liu Xinyu's presence even when she just sat there in front of him, doing absolutely nothing.

He knew what he looked like. Although he didn't care about his good-looks and never thought he was extraordinary, he still was used to the attention he received over the years because of his good looks. At first, it was troublesome but slowly, he learned to just ignore that attention and minded his own business. So, no matter how many eyes were on him, he could stay unbothered.

Qi Yuze thought he was unfazed until he was met with Liu Xinyu's gaze. Even when he didn't look up, he could feel the intensity of her gaze as if seemed to be searing into him. He fidgeted under that gaze which never happened before. He felt a little nervous too which was so not like him too.

Qi Yuze looked up and found her smiling which left him even more at a loss. He couldn't understand why he was feeling this way. But he knew one thing. He wanted to know what her eyes held. What exactly was she trying to get out of him? He knew if when girls looked at him shyly, he also was familiar with the look of love in their eyes. He was also very familiar with some really bold and licentious ones tried to undress him with their eyes. 

But Liu Xinyu's eyes didn't carry any of those emotions. They were too clear as if she had nothing to hide. But the more it was the case, the more he knew she had a lot to hide behind those eyes. He did not think she had fallen for his face, he did not believe her curiosity in him came from the fact that he saved her. And he did not believe a word she said.

'A liar! Good at disguise!' These were his evaluations of hers from the three times they met. 

Seeing him paying her attention and even taking off his headphones, Liu Xinyu perked up. "Are you done? Can I talk now? You didn't answer my questions from last time. I still want to know about your name. If you think it's too fast to know the number, we can start from name, right? After all, this find of fate doesn't come every day. We should take it as a sign. Don't miss this chance and let's get to know each other, okay?"

"What do you want?" asked Qi Yuze, his voice carrying a hint of tiredness. "I don't want to know you. Is it that difficult to understand?"

"Not really. It's very obvious that you don't wanna know me," replied Liu Xinyu carelessly.

"And yet, you're pestering me? Is it fun?"

"Fun for me. Not fun for you."

"So, you do know it's not fun for me."

"I know everything. I am very clear about it."

"But you're still not respecting my privacy."

Liu Xinyu looked at him seriously, "I can respect your privacy. How about we play a game?"