Bringing My Rival Back to Life (Accidentally) - Chapter 24

For the second blind date, Wu Jiu spent the time waiting for Zhu Xiao to get off work crafting another perfect plan. Learning from his previous experience, this time he didn’t choose a bustling and highly-rated restaurant. Instead, he thoughtfully ordered takeout for Zhu Xiao, planning to watch a movie together after the meal.

The dark cinema wouldn’t attract any attention to them; even if Zhu Xiao sat next to a ghost, no one would notice. This tried-and-true plan was something Wu Jiu had researched online the night before. The clever ghost had told him that watching a movie was a common activity during blind dates, which could effectively enhance intimacy and avoid awkward silences—though Wu Jiu felt that he and Zhu Xiao wouldn’t have that problem.

He chose a recent horror film for them to watch. It wasn’t for any romantic purpose; he just remembered that Zhu Xiao used to watch horror movies before their dream visits, and he guessed Zhu Xiao might be interested in such films recently.

Zhu Xiao had no objections to his choice. After all, he had desensitized himself to horror movies and wasn’t easily scared anymore.

He just wondered, “You’re already a ghost. Won’t you find it strange to watch this kind of movie?”

“It is a bit,” Wu Jiu admitted. “When I was human, I didn’t think much of it, but now as a ghost, it feels like my reputation is being violated.”

Since Wu Jiu took office, the underworld had become increasingly civilized. Disheveled appearances and bloodied faces were considered unsightly, and all ghosts were conscious of maintaining a proper appearance when going out. Even if they had died in a gruesome manner, they would clean their faces before stepping out.

In short, ghosts like the ones in the movie were almost extinct in the underworld.

Zhu Xiao agreed. If it weren’t for the horror movie, he wouldn’t have thought Wu Jiu would look so abstract and even underwent desensitization training.

At the cinema, Zhu Xiao picked up the tickets and the complimentary popcorn. They arrived early and had to wait for a while.

Zhu Xiao found a corner with fewer people and sat down, right next to the poster of the movie they were about to watch.

The ghost on the poster was gouging its own eyeballs, with blood dripping everywhere.

Zhu Xiao stared at the ghost on the poster for a while, and the ghost beside him felt neglected. It forcefully occupied two-thirds of his field of vision and asked, “What are you thinking?”

Zhu Xiao wasn’t thinking anything in particular. He just found the difference between the ghost on the poster and real ghosts a bit striking—or perhaps Wu Jiu had another ghostly appearance he didn’t know about?

He pointed to the ghost on the poster and asked Wu Jiu, “Can you do that too?”

“I generally don’t,” Wu Jiu replied. He could, but after spending so much time in the human world, the concept of hygiene was deeply ingrained. He wouldn’t act like ordinary ghosts and play with his eyeballs like marbles anymore.

“Are you really interested?” Wu Jiu couldn’t resist teasing, “I could reluctantly perform it for you.”

No one would want to see a performance of gouging eyeballs. Zhu Xiao quickly declined, “No, thanks.”

“Are you sure?” Wu Jiu pressed on, “I can also stretch my tongue really long.”

Zhu Xiao’s expression turned disgusted, “No.”

“You’re so gullible, Zhu Xiao,” Wu Jiu said with a teasing tone, “Do you really think I would perform? I wouldn’t.”

Considering they were in a public place, Zhu Xiao restrained himself and didn’t hit him.

After sitting for a while, it was time for their movie to start. Zhu Xiao had bought two tickets but only checked one. Wu Jiu, being invisible, floated in.

To avoid drawing attention, they had purchased tickets for the last row, where they were surrounded by empty seats.

Soon, as the cinema lights dimmed and the movie began, the ghost who loved gouging eyeballs made its appearance first. For some reason, perhaps because they had just talked about it, Zhu Xiao found the otherwise horrifying scene quite calm and even a bit amusing.

After watching for a while, Wu Jiu felt that sense of reputation infringement again. If it weren’t for the fact that the laws of the underworld and the human world didn’t overlap, he might have contacted the legal department to send a lawyer’s letter from the underworld to the director.

As he watched, Wu Jiu’s attention shifted from the movie to Zhu Xiao. Zhu Xiao sat casually, one hand supporting his chin, the other resting on his knee. Wu Jiu’s gaze fell on the hand on Zhu Xiao’s knee.

That hand seemed so close. Wu Jiu adjusted his sitting position and leaned a little to the right, his knee just a few centimeters away from Zhu Xiao’s.

Wu Jiu glanced at Zhu Xiao’s hand out of the corner of his eye. He really wanted to ask the clever ghost if it was okay to hold hands during the second blind date. If not, could he at least touch it lightly?

Lost in thought, his fingers twitched restlessly, rubbing against each other. Fortunately, the cinema was dark enough that Zhu Xiao couldn’t see his fidgeting.

For some reason, Zhu Xiao suddenly turned to look at him. After a moment, he placed his hand on the armrest between them.

Why did he suddenly let go like that? What did it mean?

Wu Jiu pondered, his attention now completely off the movie. Before he could figure it out, Zhu Xiao rotated his wrist, placing his hand palm-up on the armrest.

With the light from the movie screen, Wu Jiu could see Zhu Xiao’s hand more clearly. It was fair-skinned and slender, with distinct knuckles and fingers spread casually, like a silent invitation. In the flickering light, the screen’s dancing light seemed to play a tune on his fingers.

What did he mean by suddenly turning his hand over? Was it an invitation to touch?

Wu Jiu glanced at Zhu Xiao again. Zhu Xiao was staring straight at the screen, seemingly engrossed in the movie.

He stealthily moved his own hand onto the armrest, but didn’t touch Zhu Xiao’s. He glanced at Zhu Xiao again, who showed no reaction, as if giving silent permission.

Unable to resist, Wu Jiu slightly lifted his right hand and inched it towards Zhu Xiao’s. But just as he was about to make contact, his left hand came up and firmly pressed his right hand back down.

No, he couldn’t.

His hand was too cold.

Humans had so many blood vessels in their hands; what if his ghostly chill affected Zhu Xiao?

While he was battling with himself, Zhu Xiao glanced at him sideways, his fingers twitching, clearly growing impatient.

Wu Jiu thought for a moment, then reluctantly placed the popcorn bucket in his hand onto Zhu Xiao’s.

By blocking Zhu Xiao’s hand with the popcorn bucket, he wouldn’t be tempted to think about touching him anymore.

Zhu Xiao: “……”

“Zhu Xiao, it’s better if you don’t touch me. I’m a ghost, and my body temperature is very low,” he explained. As a ghost, his temperature was naturally different from that of a normal living person. Especially his hands, which felt like they had just been taken out of the refrigerator. If a normal person touched them, they would definitely feel the cold.

So these past few days, when he was with Zhu Xiao, he tried his best not to make contact. Even if they were very close, Wu Jiu would carefully maintain a one-centimeter gap.

Moreover, Zhu Xiao had just recovered from a cold. If he accidentally got chilled again, wouldn’t that be his fault?

Zhu Xiao looked down at the popcorn bucket now in his hand and fell silent. A few seconds later, he indifferently tightened his grip on the popcorn bucket and moved his arm away from the armrest.

The distance between them returned to the width of two armrests.

……

After leaving the cinema, Zhu Xiao hadn’t spoken a word, maintaining a cold demeanor.

Wu Jiu sensed something was off and tried to start conversations several times, only to be met with silence.

Even when he made a show of gouging his eyeballs to make Zhu Xiao laugh, there was no significant reaction.

“Is Zhu Xiao angry? Why?” Wu Jiu reviewed every detail of what he had done.

Then he thought of the popcorn bucket he had placed on Zhu Xiao’s hand in the cinema and had an epiphany: “Could it be because I didn’t let you touch me just now?”

Zhu Xiao neither confirmed nor denied it, focusing on walking and ignoring him.

“I’m doing this for your own good. Don’t be fooled by the smoke coming from my head; my hands are really cold,” Wu Jiu explained incessantly. “You just got over your illness! What if you catch a cold from me?”

Zhu Xiao still ignored him.

In a moment of desperation, Wu Jiu blurted out, “Stop being angry! I’ll let you touch me.”

Zhu Xiao finally gave him a glance.

“But I really am cold. Just a quick touch, don’t hold on for too long,” Wu Jiu said with feigned reluctance, though he was secretly delighted. “Go ahead and touch me.”

Zhu Xiao stopped in his tracks.

“Come here,” he said.

“Uh, well…” Wu Jiu hesitated for only a second before abandoning his pride. “Okay.”

Perfect! Since Zhu Xiao wanted to touch him so badly, he could reluctantly hold hands with Zhu Xiao for three seconds… No, three seconds was too short; let’s make it ten. Any more would be unacceptable because he was a man of principles.

Wu Jiu’s joy was almost palpable. He extended his hand, inviting Zhu Xiao to hold it.

He still remembered his principles: “Just ten seconds, no more.”

Zhu Xiao nodded and slowly raised his hand.

As he did so, Wu Jiu’s eyes grew brighter.

However, Zhu Xiao didn’t place his hand on Wu Jiu’s.

——The next second, Zhu Xiao expressionlessly pinched Wu Jiu’s ear and lifted it slightly.

He used his fingertips to gauge the temperature of Wu Jiu’s ear and said indifferently, “I don’t think it’s that cold.”

Wu Jiu tilted his head, following the direction of the ear-pulling. He winced and complained, “Zhu Xiao, why did you do that!”

His ear had been flushed from excitement and was naturally warmer than his ghostly hand.

Zhu Xiao let go of his ear. “I’ll do it like this.”

According to Wu Jiu’s original intention, Zhu Xiao didn’t touch his hand. Wu Jiu’s hand grasped at air, and he began to feel discontented.

“My hand is really cold. If you don’t believe me, feel it,” Wu Jiu said, then added, “But don’t touch for too long, just ten seconds.”

Zhu Xiao flatly refused: “No.”

“I’m not lying. You’ll know if you touch it.”

“No.”

Wu Jiu resorted to every trick in the book: “Really don’t? It’s a ghost hand, very rare.”

Zhu Xiao casually asked, “Ten seconds?”

Wu Jiu nodded, saying, “Just ten seconds.”

He was a man of principles.

“Alright.”

Zhu Xiao stepped closer and took Wu Jiu’s fingers in his hand.

It was a bit cold, like holding a piece of ice. But not as exaggerated as Wu Jiu had claimed; it was still within the tolerable range.

Wu Jiu held his breath, feeling the gaps between their fingers being filled.

One, two, three, four… Wu Jiu was so focused on their intertwined hands that he forgot how to count after “four.”

“Done,” Zhu Xiao said after ten seconds, pulling his hand away. “You said ten seconds.”

“……”

No matter what, Wu Jiu was a man of principles. He had said ten seconds, and he couldn’t go back on his word.

“Of course,” Wu Jiu insisted, “I didn’t plan on going over.”

Zhu Xiao made an “oh” sound, creating distance between them and continued walking.

Wu Jiu followed, walking beside him with a gap of ten centimeters between their shoulders.

Before long, the ten centimeters turned into five.

Seeing that Zhu Xiao didn’t react, the five centimeters became two.

Being principled was good, but Wu Jiu was almost suffocated by his own principles.

Finally, Wu Jiu couldn’t hold back and called out: “Zhu Xiao.”

Zhu Xiao asked, “What?”

“……Could you touch me for another ten seconds?”

Bringing My Rival Back to Life (Accidentally) - Chapter 24

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Hate that cliffhanger, don’t you?

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