Chapter 32

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

Original Title: 挖坟挖出鬼

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 32

The stage was lit up with twinkling silver and blue lights. A black-haired girl with bangs was surrounded on the raised stage, her delicate chin nodding to the beat, matching the drumbeat as a new song began. The men and women on the dance floor were cheering and screaming loudly. Coupled with the sound of the glasses shaking like dice on the table beside him, the noises hit Lin Yan’s temple like a chisel and pierced straight through his skull. Lin Yan downed the rest of his whiskey. He sank into the sofa, crossing his arms and legs, staring blankly at the stage.

There was a whistle from the crowd. Several boys pushed Weiwei onto the stage. She tried to wave her hands in protest, embarrassed. When she found that there was no getting out of it, she just laughed and followed the black-haired girl’s dance steps. She danced even better than the other girl. Her overalls and beret were tidy and sophisticated. She moved like a queen dressed in casual clothes, and each of her confident expressions looked vibrant.

There was a wave of cheers. Not only were the guests who came to celebrate Weiwei’s birthday cheering, but even the rest of the bar patrons stopped to cheer for her. Lin Yan gave a depressed smile. This scene was so familiar to him. This time last year, they were having a passionately entertaining and wild time. Back then, he lost the game and was punished to rush onto the stage to take off his shirt. He kissed Weiwei with his shirt off, earning the envy of the audience amidst the roaring cheers that almost blew the roof of the bar.

Lin Yan cast his gaze to the ceiling. The small bright blue spotlights were magnified into a blurred mess. His drunken state dulled his senses, but he was still very much aware. An empty space of air isolated him from the joy and noise of the crowd. He drowned his sorrows in the dark corner alone, isolated and miserable. There wasn’t a lonelier feeling than witnessing the happiness of others. Lin Yan filled his glass with more alcohol. The half-melted ice clinked against the side of the glass. The whiskey dried out his throat, his face burned…

A chill covered his hand. Lin Yan shrugged him off. He kept silently muttering: leave me alone, leave me alone.

I’m really pissed off.

My life shouldn’t be like this. Xiao Yu, do you think that this is the day I’m supposed to be living? I’m tired of being on edge every day for something I can’t even see, not knowing whether I’ll live or die. Every day I’m locked in my apartment learning fucking Maoshan techniques. Why me? Why did you pick me?

“Lin Yan!” Weiwei waved at him vigorously from the stage. Her cheeks, damp with sweat, glowed. She was like a butterfly fluttering in glimmering gold glitter, “Come here. Dance with me.”

Lin Yan held the table and tried to stand up, but his legs were too weak to listen to him. He shook and flopped down again. He lay across the table, feebly waving his hand at Weiwei

The queen gracefully leaped off the raised stage. She moved through the crowd on the dance floor and walked towards him. Her thin figure and loose overalls looked beautiful, and she impatiently pushed away the men that tried to come up and talk to her. Weiwei pulled up a chair across from Lin Yan and sat down. She fanned her face with her hand: “It’s boring to drink alone. Give me a cup and I’ll join you.”

“Here.” Lin Yan slammed his cup on the table. He picked up the whiskey bottle and slid it towards Weiwei. Before she could respond, he took a big swig of his own drink, the spicy liquid pouring into his stomach. “I haven’t wished you a happy birthday yet. Cheers.”

He felt himself laugh. even though he felt like crying. Through his drunken gaze, Weiwei’s champagne-coloured image was dangling in front of his field of vision in a hazy glare, familiar and untouchable, like in the good old days that were never coming back. Just get absolutely wasted. He didn’t have to think about this stuff if he was blackout drunk. Lin Yan unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, tilted his head onto the back of the sofa, and took another sip.

“What’s wrong? Happy-Go-Lucky Comrade Lin Yan drinking booze? Unheard of.” Her long slim hand unscrewed a bottle of black tea, a string of silver bracelets clinked as her wrist shook. Weiwei handed the drink to Lin Yan: “Water it down a bit. You’ll end up puking later. We’re all celebrating my birthday. You got yourself drunk. I’ll take it as a sign that you still haven’t moved on from me. I might have to take a few measures.”

Lin Yan hummed. He turned towards Weiwei, his warm breath mixed with the stench of alcohol hitting her face: “What kind of measures? Like giving me your body?”

Xiao Yu sat off to the side, his icy gaze piercing Lin Yan’s heart like a thorn. He avoided Xiao Yu’s eyes. Under the influence of alcohol, everything he had been through recently was fighting to come out. He suppressed his thoughts and pushed them down, but he wanted to cover his ears and scream his mind at the top of his lungs. But he couldn’t say anything. No one would believe him. The only thing he could do was open his eyes and try to find a way out of the lonely darkness. Lin Yan irritably tugged on his collar. He took Weiwei’s wrist and pulled her against the back of the sofa, leaning forward to face her gold-dusted eyes. Why not? Why shouldn’t he do this? This was the life he deserved!

Weiwei froze. She struggled to free herself from Lin Yan’s grip: “You’ve had too much to drink. Give me your keys. I’ll take you home.”

Another wave of dizziness washed over him and the ceiling spun in circles. Lin Yan couldn’t help but bend over and dry heave a few times. His stomach flipped. He staggered, supporting himself on the table, and moved towards the bathroom. He couldn’t support himself but, before he could fall, two hands wrapped around his waist to catch him. Lin Yan turned his head, confused, and bumped into Weiwei. It was just like old times - nothing had changed. The only thing that had changed was him. He had been dragged into the darkest corner of the abyss by invisible forces, endlessly falling, unable to find anyone who could save him.

It was a warm and soft embrace, with the unique scent of a woman’s perfume. It was completely unlike the one he was used to; the chilly aura, cold and untouchable, his slender fingers, his thin waist… The secret and sinful fantasy he was imagining made Lin Yan shudder and burn with shame.

“Stay away from me.” Lin Yan panted heavily. He covered his mouth to keep himself from vomiting: “I’m a fucking walking plague. Anyone who touches me is cursed.”

He dropped like a sack into the back seat of his car when Weiwei drove him home. Even the cold wind that kept pouring into the car couldn’t keep him conscious. He couldn’t remember how Weiwei’s slender body managed to help him into the elevator. In the darkness, he instinctively grabbed onto the person next to him. He could smell her sweet orange-scented lipstick. Her shoulders were too narrow to lean on…

The hem of a red dress flashed around the corner of the stairs and a silver bell-like giggle sounded from the depths of the corridor. Lin Yan’s heart sank.

This desolate corridor led straight to hell.

Lin Yan struggled to pull out his keys. When Weiwei’s arms wrapped around him from behind, he bit his lip and roughly pushed her away. “This isn’t what I meant.” Lin Yan frustratingly pulled at his hair: “You need to go. Don’t stay here.”

“Let’s start over.” Weiwei played with the shiny silver bracelets on her wrist. “I’m not seeing anyone either.”

“I’m with someone already. I’m getting married.” Lin Yan gritted his teeth, a chill shooting down his spine: “Hurry up and leave! Are you listening to me?”

“You still don’t want me. You always tease me and never want me.” Weiwei’s eyes grew desperate. “What’s wrong with me? What is so wrong with me that you constantly have to tease me like this?”

“Go. You need to leave now.” Lin Yan’s gaze moved behind Weiwei’s shoulders and focused on the tall dark shadow behind her. His cold face was overwhelmingly volatile. He saw Xiao Yu’s hands and protruding knuckles wrap around Weiwei’s throat, commanding, domineering, and selfish eyes staring back at him. Lin Yan shook his head. He staggered into his living room and slammed the door in her face.

I just want to go back to my old life. What’s so wrong with that?

Xiao Yu coldly looked down at his embarrassing state, his frigid body lingering in the darkness like an endless nightmare.

I can’t do this anymore. I can’t live in this hell anymore.

Lin Yan knelt on the floor, his head leaning on the sofa, sobbing like a child. Why do you have to take everything away from me? I would give anything to go back to the life I had before. No more ghosts, no more curses, no threat of imminent death. I want to be able to go to my parents’ house for dinner with my fiancée and watch boring news broadcasts every night. Will you let me have that again? Will you let me go?

The violent dizziness made it impossible for him to stand back up. Cold hands hugged his torso, wrapping around his waist, and pulled him down onto the sofa. Lin Yan helplessly held his head in his hands. Now I can’t even get a fucking hard-on when I’m with her anymore. Xiao Yu, you bastard. You owe me the life I deserve!

Icy lips covered his. He nipped at Lin Yan’s tongue, sucking up the blood that oozed from the bite. The possessive kiss took Lin Yan’s breath away, his face flushed red. Xiao Yu suddenly let go of him. He clutched his shoulder and said: “Lin Yan, don’t mess with me.”

“Who the fuck is messing with you? Who’s the one provoking who here?” Lin Yan stared at him with red-rimmed eyes and whimpered: “Aren’t you the one who wants to follow me? Why shouldn’t I do that? There’s nothing that can happen between us. I wouldn’t be able to tell my parents about us. I wouldn’t be able to tell my friends anything. I’ll be a bachelor for the rest of my life in everyone else’s eyes. Xiao Yu, you’re dead. You’re a ghost. Why are you forcing me to do this? You took everything from me. I don’t want to like men. I don’t want to be gay. I don’t want to be treated like a fucking psycho that talks to the air!”

Lin Yan fell onto Xiao Yu’s shoulders and cried, cursing. He had never been so wronged or humiliated like this before. However, Xiao Yu just sat silently, his expression chillingly frightening.

After a while, he pushed Lin Yan away and strode towards the bedroom. When he came out, his arms were filled with a bunch of things. Upon closer inspection, they were all things left by Weiwei when they broke up. Lin Yan had wanted to keep them as a memento. He didn’t want to throw them away.

“What are you doing!?” Lin Yan’s voice trembled.

In the next second, he understood. Lin Yan curled up on the sofa, watching Xiao Yu throw everything Weiwei-related he had in the apartment in front of him. Pyjamas, slippers, the box with an engagement ring inside, the bag he hadn’t gotten rid of yet, a teddy bear, matching couples mugs, photos; everything was destroyed one by one in front of him. Ceramic cups were smashed into pieces on the ground, pieces of fabric falling like bits of snow. The whole room was a disaster.

“Stop it, this is my home!”

The sound of torn cloth tore through his head like the sound of a chainsaw.

“That’s enough…” Lin Yan said with a low, dishevelled voice.

The destruction didn’t stop there. Her toothbrush was snapped and thrown on the ground, nail polish was spilt everywhere, her umbrella was slashed into threads. The ghost carried on like no one else was in the room. Soon the living room floor was covered in debris. Chairs piled with all the items tumbled to the floor.

Xiao Yu yanked off all the buttons on a long skirt and then tore it in half with a sneer. It fluttered to the ground, covering the ripped-up teddy bear on the ground.

The last thing Xiao Yu picked up was a velvet jewelry box holding the engagement ring he bought for Weiwei. Xiao Yu took out the sparkling little stone and snapped it off, forcing it into Lin Yan’s chest. The deformed ring bounced into the gap between the sofa cushions, disappearing for good.

“Lunatic! You’re insane!” Lin Yan had a splitting headache. He covered his face and looking at the room full of debris. A photo of him and Weiwei was on the ground, torn down the middle, and Weiwei’s face had been scratched into a deep black hole. He trembled with anger and incoherently screamed at Xiao Yu: “You…you’re such a jealous man! Have you finished venting yet? Get the hell out! This is my home!”

Xiao Yu raised his chin and coldly said: “No.”

“What the fuck do you want…”

Before Lin Yan had finished speaking, Xiao Yu was already fiercely kissing him.