LABMY CH45

The system was utterly infuriated by Jian Yuanbai and snapped, “Then why don’t you just kiss Jiang Tang while he’s awake and see how he reacts?”

Jian Yuanbai replied in surprise, “That would be too perverted. It would scare Jiang Tang. I’m not that kind of person.”

“He still thinks I’m his brother-in-law,” Jian Yuanbai clicked his tongue and sighed, “I didn’t expect you to be so perverted, System.”

The system was dumbfounded, staring at this man who had just turned the tables on it. It wished it could come out and slap him with its tail. So the system could scare people as it pleased, but it had no rights, huh?

It couldn’t understand. It really couldn’t understand. “Don’t tell me… you’ve fallen for Jiang Tang… in just a few days?”

Jian Yuanbai’s tone deepened, “Actually, on the very night I first saw Jiang Tang, I had a dream.”

“In the dream… he took my virginity.”

Of course, this was just to fool the system, which he thought had erased his memories. The night he discovered Jiang Tang was his little pillow, he stayed by his side all night without even closing his eyes.

Jian Yuanbai added, “I am very virtuous. My virginity can only be given to my wife. So, do you understand now?”

The familiar scene and familiar words made the system feel like it was reliving the same trauma from the previous world. This time, the frustration was even more unbearable.

The system stared at Jian Yuanbai with a complex expression, wanting to tell him that he had long lost his virginity. But it couldn’t. If Jian Yuanbai started asking questions, the system wouldn’t be able to explain it.

Holding back its rage, the system could only bluff, “Jiang Tang will never like you. In the future, he will have two wives. Two!”

Hearing this, Jian Yuanbai let out a soft chuckle and gently kissed Jiang Tang’s forehead as he lay in his arms, whispering, “He will.”

The kiss was fleeting, but as soon as their skin touched, Jiang Tang woke up. His eyes were still a bit dazed when he saw Jian Yuanbai, “…Brother-in-law?”

Jian Yuanbai could’ve woken Jiang Tang up normally, but he chose to kiss him to dispel the ghostly energy that had caused him to faint. The system, feeling stifled, simply chose to look away.

“Brother-in-law, what happened?” Jiang Tang belatedly realized that he was being held in Jian Yuanbai’s arms, in a princess-carry position. The broad and firm chest he leaned against, along with the man’s unique scent, seemed to completely envelop him.

Feeling awkward, Jiang Tang struggled out of Jian Yuanbai’s embrace and quickly changed the topic, “How did we fall asleep?”

As he spoke, he turned around and saw Liu Hong still asleep and the black cat, with its fur bristling, staring warily at Jian Yuanbai.

Following Jiang Tang’s gaze, Jian Yuanbai said, “It wasn’t the cat’s doing.”

“This black cat was actually protecting its owner. The one who tried to harm Liu Hong was another ghost.”

Jiang Tang asked, “Then… where’s that ghost now?”

Jian Yuanbai replied, “I exorcised it.”

In just five words, Jiang Tang took two full minutes to process them, still struggling to understand, “Can a ghost… exorcise another ghost?”

Jian Yuanbai’s tone was calm, “Through physical exorcism.”

Jiang Tang: …

After a moment of silence, Jiang Tang looked at the still unconscious Liu Hong and asked, “Why hasn’t she woken up yet?”

Jian Yuanbai didn’t walk over. He simply waved his hand as if brushing away dust. In the next second, Liu Hong suddenly woke up.

She sat up abruptly and apologized, “I fell asleep just now. Sorry about that, I’ve been severely sleep-deprived lately.”

“Did you hear the cat’s cries?”

Jiang Tang glanced at the now docile black cat sticking closely to Liu Hong and said, “Your cat has been visiting you every night, but it’s actually been protecting you.”

Liu Hong looked confused, “Protecting… me?”

Jiang Tang nodded, “Yes. Think carefully. Before you started hearing the cat cries, did you experience anything strange or do something unusual?”

Hearing this, Liu Hong’s expression grew more puzzled as she furrowed her brows and tried to recall.

Seeing her struggle, Jiang Tang added, “It’s fine if you can’t remember. The ghost that was after you can’t come back anymore.”

“Since it’s settled, I’ll be leaving now.”

“Wait,” Liu Hong called out to him. “I haven’t properly thanked you yet. Leave me your contact info. I’d like to treat you to a meal.”

“And… I need your help with something.”

Jiang Tang replied, “No need to thank me. I didn’t do much. Just tell me what you need.”

Liu Hong suddenly looked at her right leg and slowly reached out her hand, as if stroking something invisible in the air. Under Jiang Tang’s shocked gaze, she smiled, “I noticed you’ve been staring at this spot since earlier.”

Liu Hong’s gaze was filled with longing and tenderness as she made stroking motions with her hand, “It’s here, right?”

Jiang Tang looked at the black cat that squinted its eyes and proactively rubbed against Liu Hong’s palm. “Yes, it’s very cute.”

Liu Hong nodded in agreement, her expression filled with reluctance yet also relief. “Can you talk to it? Can you tell it… it doesn’t need to guard me anymore and should move on to reincarnation?”

“It’s so clingy. No one can see it, and it can only play by itself. It must be lonely too.”

Jiang Tang pursed his lips and said uncertainly, “It can hear you, but I’m not sure if it can understand.”

“Sorry, I might not be able to help you.”

After all, even if this cat had turned into a ghost after death, it could still only meow as a warning.

Liu Hong was stunned for a moment, then waved her hand hastily, “No, no, you’ve already helped me solve that unknown ghost. I’m very grateful. I’m the one being too greedy.”

No, that ghost wasn’t dealt with by me, Jiang Tang thought silently. However, he didn’t mention Jian Yuanbai’s presence, fearing it would scare Liu Hong. Instead, he said, “I didn’t do much. No need to thank me. It’s late, get some rest.”

Under Liu Hong’s repeated thanks, Jiang Tang left her house. Just as Liu Hong was about to close the door, the black cat glanced at her longingly one last time before slipping out through the gap.

“Meow~”

A soft cat’s meow came from behind Jiang Tang. He turned around and saw the little black cat that had been following Liu Hong closely.

Even though he knew he was talking to a cat, Jiang Tang still asked seriously, “Do you need something?”

The little black cat, naturally unable to respond, took two steps forward, then suddenly jumped onto Jiang Tang’s shoulder and meowed again, “Meow~”

Jiang Tang panicked a little and awkwardly moved, “I’m allergic to cat fur. Can you get down and talk?”

The black cat sat firmly on his shoulder, showing no intention of coming down. It meowed once more, “Meow~”

Jiang Tang had no choice but to carefully lift the cat by its paws and place it on the ground. Then, he took two steps back, squatted down, and stared at the little black cat. “Do you want me to pass on a message to Liu Hong?”

Under the dim streetlight, with darkness all around him, Jiang Tang squatted there, patiently talking to a cat in the middle of the night. The seriousness of the moment made him look oddly adorable.

The black cat meowed softly, then suddenly leaped into Jiang Tang’s arms. It circled around as if claiming its territory and, taking advantage of Jiang Tang’s squatting position, nestled itself comfortably on his lap.

Jiang Tang tried to analyze the cat’s behavior. “Do you want to follow me?”

At this moment, Jian Yuanbai’s voice sounded, “It’s already dead. Staying with Liu Hong for too long isn’t good for her body. Since you’ve learned ghost-controlling techniques and are filled with yin energy, it naturally wants to follow you.”

Jiang Tang: “I see.”

“Meow.”

Jiang Tang awkwardly held the black cat and tentatively stroked its soft fur. Under the streetlight, he raised his hand to check for fur, but his hand was perfectly clean.

“So… ghosts don’t shed fur?” Jiang Tang blinked in confusion. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel the urge to sneeze either.

This made Jiang Tang quite happy. He had always loved fluffy little cats, but due to his cat fur allergy, he would sneeze uncontrollably every time he touched one. He had no choice but to give up the idea of owning a cat.

Unexpectedly, fate found a strange way to solve his problem.

Jiang Tang decided to try forming a ghost contract with the black cat using his ghost-controlling technique. Very quickly, he felt a faint connection between him and the black cat.

Jiang Tang lifted the little black cat and pressed his face against its soft belly, “What’s your name?”

The black cat was very obedient and didn’t resist when its belly was rubbed. It simply meowed softly, “Meow~”

Jiang Tang smiled, “How about I call you… Ghostie?”

He held the cat up and affectionately rubbed its wet little nose, “Ghostie.”

After a whole day of ghost-hunting, he didn’t manage to capture a single ghost but ended up contracting a ghost cat instead.

Jiang Tang brought his only “catch” back to the inn and placed the little black cat on the bed. Before heading to the bathroom, he kissed its forehead, “I’m going to take a shower. Be good and stay here.”

Jiang Tang walked into the bathroom, leaving the little black cat, weak and pitiful, sitting alone on the pristine white bed.

The black cat’s eyes widened as it stared at the tall, dark figure that suddenly appeared, exuding a thick aura of ghostly energy and a cold, menacing expression.

Because the black cat had been contracted by Jiang Tang, it naturally wasn’t afraid of Jian Yuanbai, who was connected to Jiang Tang. However, the natural suppression between ghosts still made it instinctively curl up.

Jian Yuanbai casually picked up the little black cat and grabbed a soft cushion from the sofa, placing it under the bed. He then put the black cat on the cushion and squinted his eyes as he gave a faint warning, “Stay here quietly for the night.”

In the pitch-black space under the bed, the little black cat blinked blankly. However, it obediently lay down and closed its eyes to pretend to sleep.

Meanwhile, Jian Yuanbai, who had been by the bed, disappeared. In his place, a little black cat with a sulky face appeared.

He hadn’t even been kissed by his wife yet! And now, a mere cat had received such affection. How infuriating!

When Jiang Tang finished showering and sat on the chair to dry his hair, the little black cat eagerly jumped onto his lap. Jiang Tang didn’t sense anything unusual. After all, this cat had been clingy from the start.

With one hand holding the hairdryer and the other gently stroking the soft, smooth fur, Jiang Tang waited until his hair was dry before carrying the cat to the bed.

Jiang Tang didn’t sleep. He leaned against the headboard, tilting his head slightly to gaze out at the dark night through the window.

The little black cat in his arms clung to him, rubbing against him from side to side and even trying to stand up to nuzzle Jiang Tang’s face with its head.

Jiang Tang sighed helplessly and lifted the cat up, tapping its moist little nose with his fingertip. “Ghostie, do you think I’m useless?”

“I went to subdue a ghost, but I ended up getting hypnotized by one and couldn’t help at all.”

Jiang Tang chuckled bitterly, “If it weren’t for my brother-in-law, Liu Hong and I might have died there.”

He curled up slightly, hugging the cat tightly and burying his face in its soft fur. His tone was filled with loneliness and helplessness. “With someone as weak as me… can I really avenge my family who died tragically?”

A normal cat wouldn’t understand what he was saying, but the “cat” in his arms was different. However, Jian Yuanbai didn’t know how to comfort Jiang Tang at this moment.

Jiang Tang wasn’t talking to Jian Yuanbai, who should have been inside the jade pendant.

He was talking to a little black cat that couldn’t understand or respond.

The black cat stretched out its tongue and gently licked Jiang Tang’s face, as if soothing the sad and fragile person.

“Meow~” — Don’t worry, you’ll become very powerful in the future.

Jiang Tang raised his head helplessly, “You’re about to lick my mouth.”

Actually, the cat had already licked the corner of his lips.

And… “Wait, am I hearing things? Why did your meow sound a bit strange?”

The cat in his arms instantly froze.