LABMY CH47

Jian Yuanbai was completely stunned by this direct hit. What did he want?

After a brief moment of confusion, he immediately came to his senses. This question wasn’t even a real question.

What did he want? That was too simple. What he had always wanted from Jiang Tang was just one thing. He firmly declared, “A wife.”

Jiang Tang was a bit confused. It wasn’t that he didn’t hear clearly, but he just couldn’t believe it. “What?”

Jian Yuanbai: “I want you to be my wife.”

Jiang Tang blinked. At that moment, what popped into his head wasn’t the most crucial issue but rather: “Then why do you keep calling yourself my brother-in-law?”

He looked at Jian Yuanbai with an extremely strange expression. “You’re into this kind of thing?”

“A brother-in-law complex?”

Jian Yuanbai was speechless. “I’m not!”

“I’m really not that kind of pervert.” He could shamelessly admit that to the system, but not in front of Jiang Tang. Otherwise, he couldn’t imagine what kind of image he would have in his wife’s heart.

Jiang Tang squinted slightly, “Then why did you call yourself my brother-in-law?”

Jian Yuanbai carefully chose his words, “I wanted to claim a socially close identity with you so that you would trust me more easily.”

“To get closer to you.”

In the original storyline, Jian Yuanbai’s character pretended to be an ancestor to lower Jiang Tang’s guard, but he was quickly exposed, leading to unnecessary trouble. So Jian Yuanbai switched identities.

But this reason was obviously something he couldn’t tell Jiang Tang.

Jiang Tang thought for two seconds and said, “So you used the identity of my brother-in-law to get closer to me, and your ultimate goal was to make me your wife.”

With an extremely complicated tone, he asked, “Before you died, did you ever date anyone?”

Jian Yuanbai answered without hesitation, “No.”

He had only done the most intimate things with his little pillow, and his little pillow was Jiang Tang, so naturally, there was no one else.

Jiang Tang wasn’t surprised and nodded, “I could tell you’re good at pursuing people.”

Jian Yuanbai’s eyes lit up with joy. “Does that mean you agree to be my wife?”

He looked at Jiang Tang with anticipation. If he had a tail, it would be wagging like crazy right now.

Jiang Tang’s expression became even more complicated. After spending so much time together, he finally realized that Jian Yuanbai’s thought process was sometimes truly bizarre. Did he really think he was good at chasing people?

He didn’t say this out loud, but instead, he directly rejected him, “I don’t like these immoral, taboo storylines. You should find someone who shares your… interests.”

…

Why, why in this world, couldn’t he just play a mute?

If he hadn’t said anything at the start, none of this would have happened.

Jian Yuanbai was now truly at a loss for words. If he had known this world’s Jiang Tang was his little pillow, even if he really were the brother-in-law, he would have sworn to death that he wasn’t.

How could he possibly throw himself into such a scandalous pit?

“I really don’t like that stuff,” Jian Yuanbai insisted.

Jiang Tang replied with understanding, “Everyone has different preferences. As long as it’s not illegal, it’s fine. I know some people enjoy that kind of… thrill. You don’t have to be nervous.”

His words were considerate, and his heart was understanding. Everything was perfect — except for the fact that Jian Yuanbai wasn’t actually into that.

Having such a thoughtful wife… wasn’t always a good thing.

In Jian Yuanbai’s mind, the system was laughing hysterically. Meanwhile, Jiang Tang comforted him with a gentle and understanding face. At this moment, Jian Yuanbai desperately wished he had a “Restart Life” button.

Some things were so simple, yet so difficult to explain. With a serious and solemn expression, he said, “I’m not into taboo relationships. I like you.”

“When I claimed to be your brother-in-law, I hadn’t even met you,” Jian Yuanbai leaned in closer to Jiang Tang, his eyes filled with dangerous intensity. “I fell in love with you at first sight.”

He leaned in so close, with one hand propped against the headboard of the hospital bed, trapping Jiang Tang in a space filled with his presence. His gaze slowly roamed over Jiang Tang’s face, like a predator cornering its prey.

Jiang Tang’s small animal instincts sensed danger. He wanted to escape, but behind him was a solid wall.

Helpless, he could only lower his head to glance at himself, then look up at Jian Yuanbai. “I’m a man.”

“I’m very certain that you’re a man too.”

Jian Yuanbai grabbed his hand and said seriously, “Can love be defined by gender?”

The system, watching from the sidelines, was utterly shocked. It couldn’t believe these words came from Jian Yuanbai’s mouth. But it wasn’t worried because it knew Jiang Tang would reject him.

In this world, Jian Yuanbai hadn’t yet deeply embedded himself in Jiang Tang’s life, and Jiang Tang had just lost three of his closest family members.

As expected, Jiang Tang pulled his hand back and said, “Sorry, I don’t like men.”

“If you want to become human again, I’ll do my best to help you,” Jiang Tang turned away, putting distance between them. “But I can’t deceive you.”

He naturally understood that if he agreed to Jian Yuanbai’s feelings, this powerful ghost would be even more willing to help him.

However, having grown up in a loving and morally upright environment, Jiang Tang couldn’t bring himself to do something so manipulative.

Jian Yuanbai: “But you don’t reject my hugs. You even asked me to hold you.”

Jiang Tang was stunned and awkwardly explained, “I’m sorry… I was just… pretending you were my family and wanted to feel what it’s like to be hugged again.”

The soft-hearted and slightly dependent Tang Tang had suddenly been forced to face everything alone after losing his loved ones.

Unknowingly, he had projected his feelings onto Jian Yuanbai, who had been by his side since the tragedy struck.

He sighed and tried to explain more clearly, “I only see you as… my brother-in-law, you understand?”

“I know you’re not really my brother-in-law, but after all this time together, I’ve come to see you as family.”

It wasn’t until Jiang Tang’s real brother-in-law arrived that he realized — fake was fake. His real brother-in-law had his own life and couldn’t stay by his side like Jian Yuanbai, who was bound by a contract as a ghost.

Jiang Tang had hoped to build a sincere, family-like relationship with Jian Yuanbai, even if they weren’t actual family.

But he never expected…

Jian Yuanbai felt as if a knife had pierced straight into his heart—precise, brutal, and merciless. So, it turned out he had been overthinking everything.

He had claimed to be the brother-in-law, but in reality, he didn’t want to be Jiang Tang’s brother-in-law at all. Jiang Tang knew from the start that he wasn’t the brother-in-law, yet he still treated him as one, like family.

So, why did he claim to be the brother-in-law in the first place? Jian Yuanbai regretted it deeply.

Before he could recover from this emotional blow, he felt a push on his shoulder. Jiang Tang’s hand pressed against him as he said:

“We’re probably not suited to be this close.”

“Can you get off me now?”

Jian Yuanbai, feeling both disappointed and wronged, let out a soft “Oh” and rolled over to the small space next to Jiang Tang on the hospital bed. “Just give me a chance. I’ll love you more than anyone in this world.”

Jiang Tang: “Also, get off the bed.”

After Jian Yuanbai reluctantly climbed off the bed, Jiang Tang offered a suggestion: “It must be exhausting for you to keep appearing in front of others all the time, right? Should we take a break from each other for now? We haven’t known each other for long, and love at first sight isn’t exactly reliable. Once you calm down, you might realize this was just a moment of confusion.”

Failing in his confession, being kicked off the bed, and even being asked to separate—Jian Yuanbai was on the verge of breaking down. Yet, out of spite, he said, “Fine, let’s separate.”

Jiang Tang watched as he left angrily, slamming the door behind him. He didn’t chase after him or try to keep him. He simply lay on the bed, turning his head to watch the wind blow the fallen leaves outside the open window.

Suddenly, a small black cat appeared in his view. With impressive agility, it leaped from a tree branch outside the window onto the windowsill, then dashed into Jiang Tang’s arms.

“Ghostie.”

Jiang Tang hugged the cat in surprise and joy. “I’ve been too sick these past few days to take care of you. Where have you been playing?”

He lowered his head affectionately and kissed the cat’s fluffy forehead. Just as he was about to give it a second kiss, the little black cat tilted its head up and stuck out its tiny tongue, coincidentally licking Jiang Tang’s lips.

What could a little cat understand? It seemed to find Jiang Tang’s lips soft and unfamiliar, something it had never tasted before. So, it eagerly stretched up, trying to lick Jiang Tang’s soft, pink lips over and over again.

“Hey?”

“Wait, Ghostie.”

“Stop, stop.”

Jiang Tang panicked and tried to push away the fluffy little head, but how could a human be more agile than a cat? When Jiang Tang pushed from one side, the cat would approach from the other.

Until…

Jiang Tang pressed his lips together in disbelief, feeling the tiny tongue that had slipped inside his mouth. Overwhelmed with shame and anger, he grabbed the little black cat by the scruff of its neck and placed it firmly on the ground.

“Stay right there and don’t come near me, you hear?”

“Meow.” A low, pitiful meow was cut off halfway. The little black cat awkwardly covered its mouth with its paw and lay on the ground, looking utterly wronged.

It didn’t even fully meow, just let out a single sound. But since Jiang Tang was already angry, he didn’t notice the subtle difference.

The little black cat crawled under the bed and, after a while, peeked out from the other side. With its big, round eyes, it hopped back onto the bed and affectionately rubbed its tail against Jiang Tang’s hand, purring softly, “Meow~”

Jiang Tang looked at it helplessly and messed up its fur in frustration. “Now you know how to act cute?”

“Do you realize what you’ve done wrong?”

The innocent little black cat, who had done nothing wrong, meowed in confusion, completely unaware of the massive blame it had just been unfairly saddled with.

Even with its fur messed up, the little black cat didn’t struggle. It simply lay beside Jiang Tang and quietly licked its fur to fix its appearance.

At that moment, in a scene unseen by anyone, a tall, broad-shouldered man with long legs, resembling a big cat, secretly hugged Jiang Tang from behind and sneakily kissed his beautiful side profile.

He had no intention of separating. Separation would only mean losing his wife.

The little black cat, wrongfully blamed, quietly licked its fur, while the true culprit—the big cat—secretly licked his wife.

…

Jiang Tang gradually noticed that something was off with his cat. It was becoming increasingly clingy and, strangely, seemed to be gradually visible to others. He recalled what Jian Yuanbai had mentioned before: after signing a contract, the contracted ghost would grow stronger along with the ghost tamer’s strength.

So… did Ghostie become stronger?

After thinking for a long time without any conclusion, Jiang Tang felt too embarrassed to ask Jian Yuanbai about it. Since it wasn’t exactly a bad thing, he simply brought the little black cat back to school.

As soon as he entered the dormitory, he bumped into his roommate, who was just about to leave.

“Tang Tang!” The dorm leader looked thrilled to see Jiang Tang and rushed over for a bear hug. “Where have you been all this time?”

Jiang Tang helplessly pushed him away. “Family issues.”

“Jiang Tang.”

A voice came from behind the dorm leader. A man in a suit vest turned his chair to face Jiang Tang. “If something happened, you can come to us.”

Jiang Tang smiled and called the man by name, “No need, Li Sui. I’m fine. There’s nothing that would trouble you.”

The dorm leader rambled on from the side, “How is it trouble? You’ve been gone for so long, not answering calls or replying to messages. Our Sui-ge even went to the counselor to ask for your address, but luckily, the counselor didn’t give it.”

Li Sui stood up and walked toward Jiang Tang. “I already had your address. I just didn’t come because I was afraid you’d be unhappy.”

In other words, even if the counselor hadn’t given him the address, Li Sui had found Jiang Tang’s residence through other means. He simply didn’t show up out of consideration for Jiang Tang’s feelings.

Suddenly, Li Sui froze in place, unable to take another step forward, standing exactly three steps away from Jiang Tang.

Li Sui’s face turned pale as he stared in horror at the black cat Jiang Tang pulled out of his bag and held in his arms. Just as he was about to speak—

“Jiang Tang! Your black cat—”

A tidal wave of darkness surged forward, engulfing Li Sui in an impenetrable black void in less than a second.

Within the darkness, a tall, broad-shouldered man with long legs appeared. Despite Li Sui’s height of over 180 cm, he still fell short before this man.

The man looked down at Li Sui with sharp, intimidating eyes, a dangerous red light flashing within them. With a cold and contemptuous tone, he warned, “If you dare say one more word, I’ll make sure you never have the chance to speak again.”

Jian Yuanbai narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice filled with danger. “Stay away from Jiang Tang. Stop having those thoughts.”

Every word dripped with possessiveness: “Jiang Tang… is mine.”

The next second, a slender hand waved in front of Li Sui’s eyes, snapping him out of the darkness.

Jiang Tang looked at him with concern. “What’s wrong?”

Li Sui’s face turned pale as he forced a smile. “Nothing… Just… why is your cat black? Black cats are unlucky.”

The black cat in Jiang Tang’s arms suddenly leaped out, scratching Li Sui’s suit vest into shreds in just a few swipes. Then, like a victorious peacock, it proudly swayed its tail and hopped back into Jiang Tang’s arms.

Black cats are unlucky?

Says the guy wearing a suit vest as a student. What a poser.

—

(Li Sui’s existence is purely to provide Jian-ge an opportunity for public “transparent kissing” play. His role is minor, feel free to skip if you can’t handle it.)