Bringing My Rival Back to Life (Accidentally) - Chapter 23

After finishing his work for the day, Zhu Xiao attended a meeting at the college. By the time he returned, it was already evening.

Wu Jiu had been waiting in Zhu Xiao’s office, so bored that he felt like grass was growing under his feet. He had finished his PPT, added two more points, and even cleaned Zhu Xiao’s desk out of sheer boredom.

Wu Jiu felt like he had waited for an eternity, and finally, Zhu Xiao finished work.

Zhu Xiao packed up his things, turned to the withering mushroom (Wu Jiu), and asked, “Where to?”

Wu Jiu pulled out his meticulously planned itinerary, which he had spent an hour crafting: “Let’s go eat first. There’s a Cantonese restaurant near the school. I checked today, and it has great reviews.”

Zhu Xiao curiously asked, “Do you still need to eat?”

After all, Wu Jiu was now a ghost.

Indeed, Wu Jiu no longer had a physical form and couldn’t consume food from the human world as he used to.

Wu Jiu replied, “But you do. I can watch you eat.”

“Let’s go, it’s getting late. Don’t starve yourself,” Zhu Xiao said, eyeing the smoke coming from Wu Jiu’s head. “Are you really going like that?”

“And you’re going to eat in front of me,” Wu Jiu added.

Even if Wu Jiu was invisible to others, it would look odd to go to a restaurant with him. There would be a table full of food, but only Zhu Xiao eating. Wu Jiu’s perfect plan was vetoed before it could even be executed. “Ah, what should we do then?”

Zhu Xiao thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go to your grave.”

Wu Jiu was shocked: “Go… to do what?”

“A picnic.”

…

Zhu Xiao was serious about the picnic. He immediately took Wu Jiu to explore the market near the school.

It was getting late, and there wasn’t enough time to prepare food and bring it over, so Zhu Xiao planned to buy some ready-made items.

The market near the school was always bustling at night, filled with young students coming and going.

Zhu Xiao and Wu Jiu, one human and one ghost, blended in seamlessly.

The food street they were exploring had everything imaginable. Wu Jiu, having spent too much time in the underworld, felt like trying everything he saw.

As they walked and bought, they ended up with quite a few bags of food.

Looking at the brightly lit and lively market, Wu Jiu suddenly remembered that during their school days, both he and Zhu Xiao had visited this market, but never together. Zhu Xiao used to come with Zhao Zirui and others, while Wu Jiu always came alone.

To be precise, Wu Jiu had discovered that Zhu Xiao had been there with Zhao Zirui and, out of spite, decided to visit the next day. He tried everything Zhu Xiao had tasted and found it to be just okay.

Lost in thought, Wu Jiu’s resentment flared up: “Zhu Xiao, why are you so familiar with this place? Have you been here with someone else?”

Zhu Xiao, who was paying for some octopus balls, was taken aback by Wu Jiu’s sudden outburst but still replied, “No.”

There had been times before, but ever since he met Wu Jiu, even if he had the inclination, he didn’t have the time.

Moreover, things were different now compared to their undergraduate days. The roommates who used to go to the night market with him had long since scattered to different places.

After all these years, the person he was now strolling through the night market with had become Wu Jiu.

Wu Jiu leaned over to see what Zhu Xiao was buying and wrinkled his nose at the octopus balls in his hand: “I don’t want to eat that.”

The reason was simple. A long time ago, he had seen Zhao Zirui eating them with Zhu Xiao, who seemed to enjoy them. But when he tried them alone, he found the round little balls increasingly annoying, like the roommates who had eaten with Zhu Xiao, and he ended up disliking them by association.

“Why?” Zhu Xiao asked.

Wu Jiu snorted, “They’re too ugly!”

Zhu Xiao didn’t understand Wu Jiu’s obsession with the appearance of food. “Then I’ll eat them myself.”

…

By the time they reached the end of the street, they had bought a lot of things. On their way out, Zhu Xiao also picked up some fruit and bread as the main course.

After purchasing everything, they took a taxi together to Wu Jiu’s cemetery.

It had to be said that Wu Jiu’s cemetery was a picturesque place, with flowers and grass and few people. Although it was night, the lights were bright, and the flora was clearly visible.

… Surprisingly suitable for a picnic.

Zhu Xiao placed the food they had bought into clean containers and arranged them on the offering plate, lighting some incense.

After the offering ritual, Wu Jiu, being a ghost, could partake in the feast.

Then, one human and one ghost, they sat on the ground in front of Wu Jiu’s witty tombstone and shared the food they had just bought.

Zhu Xiao opened his octopus balls, picked one up, and was about to take a bite when he noticed Wu Jiu staring intently at him.

Zhu Xiao’s hand holding the ball tilted slightly towards Wu Jiu and asked, “Do you want some?”

In just a second, Wu Jiu’s initial aversion to the octopus balls disappeared.

He leaned down and took a bite from the ball on Zhu Xiao’s hand.

After tasting it, Wu Jiu found it surprisingly good, not as bad as he remembered. He suddenly understood why Zhu Xiao liked them and asked for another one.

Zhu Xiao raised an eyebrow, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t eat?”

Wu Jiu, unfazed by his own inconsistency, replied, “Ghosts can be fickle too.”

It turned out that it wasn’t the octopus balls that were unappetizing; it was eating them without Zhu Xiao that made them taste bad.

After finishing their meal, they didn’t go anywhere else. Instead, they strolled and chatted in the cool evening breeze, under the starry sky, enjoying the tranquil night.

“What was the answer to the question you searched for last night?”

“Which one?” Wu Jiu asked.

Zhu Xiao mentioned a time: “Four fifteen in the morning.”

As soon as he mentioned the time, Wu Jiu remembered. It was the question he had searched for at midnight, spending 999 ghost coins on the underworld’s internet to find out “how many blind dates does it usually take to start a relationship.” The enthusiastic little clever ghost had provided him with an answer.

“That was an accident,” Wu Jiu didn’t really want to admit that he had been searching for such trivial things in the middle of the night and even spent money on it. “Didn’t we agree to pretend we didn’t see it?”

Mentioning this made Wu Jiu feel embarrassed. The Communication Office didn’t develop useful functions but focused on these useless designs. Moreover, no one had told him that this feature was linked to the Yin-Yang Messenger.

Zhu Xiao glanced at him, “I never agreed to that.”

He had given Wu Jiu some face by not responding, but he wasn’t blind; it was hard to pretend he hadn’t seen it.

“…”

“So, what was the answer?”

It seemed Zhu Xiao wasn’t going to let it go. Wu Jiu accepted reality, closed his eyes, and simply stated the answer he had searched for.

“At least ten times to thoroughly and comprehensively understand each other and make the right decision.”

He had stared at this answer for a long time last night, almost memorizing it by heart.

He even spent another 666 ghost coins to ask, “Do I really have to go on ten blind dates?”

The little clever ghost had replied seriously: Yes, you must go on ten! A rational decision made after thorough understanding is a sign of respect for both parties and for the relationship! Starting a relationship after just one or two blind dates is extremely irresponsible and frivolous! You can’t rush into matters of the heart, or you’ll be disliked!

Wu Jiu remembered the little clever ghost’s words, with “irresponsible” and “frivolous” being thrown at him like mountains.

Initially, he had wanted to ask, “Can I start a relationship after just one blind date?” But it seemed too eager and undignified, so he changed it to “how many blind dates does it usually take to start a relationship” before sending it.

Now, he didn’t need to ask anymore. Apparently, no one starts a relationship after just one blind date.

Although Wu Jiu wanted to get it over with in one go, he decided to let it go. Taking it slow was the best and most responsible approach.

“Rest assured, I will go on ten blind dates with you,” Wu Jiu had made up his mind. “I am a person who is very responsible in relationships.”

… So, it would take ten more times.

Zhu Xiao didn’t stop him from being a “very responsible person in relationships.” His voice didn’t seem to convey any regret. “Alright.”

By the time they returned from Wu Jiu’s grave, it was already past eleven at night, and Wu Jiu had to head back to the underworld.

“I’m leaving,” Wu Jiu said.

Zhu Xiao asked, “Are you coming tomorrow?”

“Of course!” Wu Jiu replied affirmatively. “See you tomorrow.”

Zhu Xiao nodded. “You can go now.”

Wu Jiu walked away, glancing back every few steps.

After leaving just a meter away, he already started thinking, “Why isn’t tomorrow here yet?”

He walked very slowly, but his mind was racing, trying to think of an excuse to turn back one more time.

… If only it were tomorrow already.

After Wu Jiu completely disappeared from sight, Zhu Xiao checked the time on his phone: 23:57.

Since Wu Jiu had become a ghost, it was as if he were Cinderella, even the time he left was so close to the mark.

On a whim, Zhu Xiao waited there for three minutes, one hundred and eighty seconds, ticking by one by one. He watched as the time on his phone jumped from 23:57 to 00:00, and the date changed from today to tomorrow.

A car with its headlights on sped by, blinding Zhu Xiao and making him squint.

Feeling a bit silly for waiting those three minutes, Zhu Xiao shook his head, put away his phone, and was about to leave.

But just at that moment, a voice drifted over: “Zhu——Xiao——”

Zhu Xiao looked up and blinked hard.

Not far away, a smoking ghostly figure ran over from the end of the light source.

At night, a ghostly figure, and it was smoking.

To a normal person, this scene would actually be a bit eerie, but Zhu Xiao knew it was Wu Jiu.

“Why are you still here?”

“Why did you come back?”

They both stopped speaking at the same time, neither answering.

After three seconds, they spoke in unison again.

“Are you waiting for me to come back?”

“Did you come back for me?”

Still, no one answered.

However, the answer was already clear.

Wu Jiu grinned, “Zhu Xiao, you were waiting for me.”

Zhu Xiao: “I was just standing here.”

“Lie,” Wu Jiu said cheerfully, “You were waiting for me.”

“What if I didn’t come back?” Wu Jiu said on purpose, “Would you just keep waiting here?”

Anticipating that Zhu Xiao would grab his ear and tell him not to push his luck, Wu Jiu preemptively saved face: “But that won’t happen because I had a feeling, so I came back.”

“……”

“Why did you come back, then?”

It couldn’t be that Cinderella had lost her glass slipper, could it?

Wu Jiu finally remembered the important matter and said seriously, “Zhu Xiao, I just suddenly thought of something very important that I have to tell you right away.”

Zhu Xiao was puzzled, “Why not just say it on the Yin-Yang Messenger?” Why go through the trouble of coming back?

“No way.”

Wu Jiu had run over quickly, and the smoke above his head had turned wavy. He took a deep breath to calm his breathing, making the smoke above his head look prettier and appearing less anxious and more composed.

“This is very important and must be said in person.”

What could be so important?

Zhu Xiao said earnestly, “Go ahead.”

“I just thought that although the little clever ghost makes sense,” Wu Jiu said thoughtfully, “we should analyze each case individually.”

“We’ve known each other for so many years and already understand each other well.”

Zhu Xiao didn’t understand why he suddenly brought this up, “So?”

“Even the fruit stand at the school gate knows to give discounts to regular customers,” Wu Jiu changed the subject, “……Zhu Xiao, can you give me a discount too?”

Zhu Xiao looked at him, still not quite understanding: “Huh?”

Before explaining, Wu Jiu clarified, “Let’s get one thing straight, I’m not in a hurry—well, I am a bit, but in any case, I’m not frivolous or irresponsible. I’ve thought this through carefully.”

“And then?”

What Wu Jiu was about to say seemed a bit hard to say. He scratched his head, his gaze wandering around, and his face turned red.

Zhu Xiao patiently waited for him without rushing.

After building up his courage, he looked directly into Zhu Xiao’s eyes and blurted it out in one go.

“Let’s not wait for ten blind dates… eight, no, five times. After five more blind dates, you start dating me.”

“……Is that okay?”

Wu Jiu was a little anxious after asking.

He was thinking about whether to emphasize to Zhu Xiao again that he was a gentleman and a very responsible person in relationships… it wasn’t going back on his word; he was just a little bit, just a tiny bit, anxious.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Xiao suddenly smiled, his eyes and brows curving like the moon they had just looked at together.

Wu Jiu was momentarily stunned and suddenly understood the meaning of “the bright moon in one’s arms.”

Then he heard him say, “Okay.”

Zhu Xiao said, “See you tomorrow.”

Tomorrow would be the second time.

Wu Jiu corrected him, “It’s already tomorrow after midnight.”

He didn’t want to wait another day!

Zhu Xiao changed his words, “Then see you today.”

“Today,” Wu Jiu said, “I’m leaving.”

He thought of something and stepped back, “Right, you should go back quickly. Don’t wait for me here! I really mean it this time.”

As he left, he said again, “See you today!”

Zhu Xiao replied, “See you today.”

Bringing My Rival Back to Life (Accidentally) - Chapter 23

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Hate that cliffhanger, don’t you?

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