"But you touched me too, so by your logic, shouldn't I be the one getting angry?" Pei Chiyao raised his eyebrows, smiling at Zhi Yao.
Zhi Yao explained with a wronged expression, "I didn't mean to!"
She really didn't mean it!
"Alright, don't be angry anymore. You touched me once, I touched you once, so now we're even, right?"
Hearing Pei Chiyao say that, Zhi Yao somehow felt that it made sense.
She thought about it, but still didn't agree. "You can make me not angry, but only if..."
She left it hanging.
"Only if what?" Pei Chiyao could immediately tell this little fox was plotting something mischievous.
"Only if you help me braid my hair!" Zhi Yao had been craving those pretty braided hairstyles she saw online, but her clumsy fox paws were simply too inept. Every time she tried braiding, it ended up a mess with strands of hair pulled out.
She quickly grabbed her phone and showed Pei Chiyao a video tutorial on how to do a boxer braid hairstyle. "I want this braid."
Pei Chiyao knew Zhi Yao had wanted him to braid her hair for a long time.
The little girl gazed lovingly at the video. "They say if you sleep with this braid overnight, your hair will be beautifully wavy like beach waves when you wake up!"
She was drooling over it.
Zhi Yao turned to Pei Chiyao and couldn't help but cling to his arm and wheedle, "Please, I know you're the best at this."
If Zhi Yao hadn't begged him like that, Pei Chiyao might have refused.
But when he met her sparkling eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say no.
"Just this once."
Zhi Yao immediately nodded vigorously, "Uh-huh uh-huh!"
She didn't care about his "just this once" disclaimer - in her mind, whenever Pei Chiyao said that, it meant he would do it again next time too!
She lay on Pei Chiyao's lap, enjoying his gentle braiding, but soon grew bored. She took out her jade pendant from her clothes and squinted at the two jade pieces.
Suddenly, Zhi Yao screamed in fright.
She tumbled off Pei Chiyao's lap, nearly getting her hair caught in the hairdryer. Luckily, Pei Chiyao acted quickly and turned the hairdryer off.
Before he could scold the restless little thing, Zhi Yao snatched the jade pendant from her neck and flung it onto the bed. She clung to Pei Chiyao's waist, burying her head in his embrace with tears streaming down. "Pei Chiyao, she's so scary!"
"What's wrong?"
Zhi Yao sniffled pitifully and pointed at the jade pendant. "Remember those two ghosts I trapped inside?"
When she peeked inside earlier, one of the ghosts had its bloody jaws wide open, devouring spiritual energy - it nearly scared her to death!
"I remember, what about it?"
The little girl extricated herself from Pei Chiyao's embrace and shakily reached for the jade pendant. As soon as she grabbed it, she quickly handed it over to Pei Chiyao, as if she were holding a burning hot potato instead of a jade piece.
When Pei Chiyao took the jade pendant, the previously murky water color inside immediately cleared up.
The little fox huddled around Pei Chiyao and pointed at the pendant. "Hold it up to your eye and look into it!"
Pei Chiyao did as instructed, but didn't see anything.
"Nothing."
"How's that possible!"
Zhi Yao exclaimed in disbelief, "Let me look again!"
She snatched the pendant and, sure enough, saw the bloody gaping maw again. Even with her mental preparation, Zhi Yao was still badly startled.
"Waaaah! You're bullying me!"
She was furious!
How dare that ghost make such a face at her!
Pei Chiyao couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. He reached out and tapped Zhi Yao's head. "Let them out."
Let them out?
Zhi Yao stared at Pei Chiyao in a daze. "Are you sure? What if they run away?"
"They won't."
Pei Chiyao's tone was very assured.
Zhi Yao always trusted Pei Chiyao completely, so she obediently did as he said.
The little girl raised her index finger and gently tapped the flower mark on her brow. In the next moment, two tiny black specks suddenly broke free from the jade pendant and rolled onto the floor, revealing their true forms.
Seeing their corporeal bodies, Zhi Yao complained unhappily, "You're so mean! I helped you, but you still scared me like that!"
The little girl finished speaking and hid behind Pei Chiyao, only peeking out with her eyes to look at them.
Originally thinking Tang Tang's mother would remain in her previous frenzied, deranged state, Zhi Yao didn't expect her to seemingly regain her senses.
Her eyes were no longer blood-red, and her hair was no longer disheveled like before.
Her voice was light and gentle when she spoke, "Apologies, Tang Tang was naughty and scared you."
The pale woman gave a thin smile. "Thank you, miss, for your assistance. Earlier... I was possessed by resentful energies, mistaking the child for the illegitimate daughter of that despicable man who betrayed me. I nearly harmed an innocent girl. If you hadn't trapped me in this jade pendant, allowing me to absorb some of its spiritual energy, I might not have regained my clarity."
She had been lucid for a while now, and Tang Tang had informed her of everything truthfully.
Learning that the man she resented for so long had met his retribution, she didn't feel relieved at all, only a sense of bewilderment.
Zhi Yao said nothing.
But Pei Chiyao spoke up, "Since you are already dead, there is no need to cling to past grievances. It is time you reincarnated."
The woman stared at Pei Chiyao, flustered. "Yes, you are right."
For some reason, when she looked at this man, she felt a sense of fear and apprehension...
There seemed to be an immensely powerful force emanating from his being...
But remembering that neither of them meant any harm, her fear subsided.
She gazed at Zhi Yao for a while, then suddenly blushed and said, "Sir, there is something I'm not sure if I should tell you..."
She had seen, or rather heard, what happened earlier in the car.
Ah no, she shouldn't say "seen" - she quickly covered Tang Tang's eyes and ears.
She had been a wandering ghost for so long that she could tell Zhi Yao's origins were extraordinary.
It seemed some kind of seal remained on her body.
"If it is not something that should be said, then there is no need." Pei Chiyao's tone was dismissive.
The female ghost wasn't bothered by his attitude. "It concerns this young lady."
Immediately, Pei Chiyao changed his demeanor. "Then please, speak freely."
