After Being Watched by My Paranoid and Gloomy Deceased Wife - Chapter 17

Wouldn’t a normal person politely say, “I’m doing great too”?

This question is beyond the scope!

Help! How do I respond when she says that? Is she joking with me?

Looking at Zhang Ruoan’s sad, even helpless expression, I couldn’t convince myself that this was just a joke.

It was a bit awkward. Xi Rong was busy arranging the food. I wished I could take her place.

“Uh… is work not going well?” I asked Zhang Ruoan.

At this age, it’s either work frustrations or emotional entanglements—

It got more awkward. She couldn’t be too devastated from a rejected romantic pursuit, could she?

Zhang Ruoan shook her head. She looked at my eyes, and sadness seemed to be one with her.

“It’s nothing.”

There was no light in her eyes. She looked dimly at the table where Xi Rong was busy pretending to work.

“It’s not Lulu’s problem,” she said.

Her attitude was too naturally intimate. I couldn’t help but feel suspicious. Was our relationship really this good before my car accident?

And so good that this Xi Rong was even jealous.

University feels like more than ten years ago to me, too distant. Even if we were close once, that’s ancient history.

I couldn’t find any information about her in my memory, yet Zhang Ruoan was very familiar with me.

“Lulu, aren’t you going to sing karaoke? We’ve picked some songs for you. You sing first.”

She smiled at me, which looked more like a forced smile to me. Then Xi Rong handed the microphone to me.

I was a bit confused about what they were up to. I wanted to ask Xi Rong, but she mouthed something to me.

She winked and made faces. I: …

I picked up the microphone, blew into it to check the sound, and then told her emotionlessly, “I don’t understand.”

Xi Rong was so startled she nearly jumped up.

It was hard for her. The average age present was 37, and she almost reached the height of youth by jumping on the spot.

“Hey, hey, high jump?”

“Pui, pui, pui! Who’s high jumping at the age of needing calcium supplements? If you’re not singing, move aside!”

Xi Rong snatched the microphone from me, glanced at Zhang Ruoan. They exchanged looks, and then she ran to the song selection station to pick songs.

I also sat down on the sofa, choosing a spot far away from Zhang Ruoan.

I couldn’t help it. She really looked like an odd person, sitting there, not picking or singing songs, just quietly watching me with melancholy and sad eyes.

She did look a bit like she had a crush on me.

Scared, I quickly found something to busy myself with.

While looking down at my phone, pretending to reply to messages, I casually glanced at the shadow.

Hmm… the lighting here is too dazzling. I can’t clearly see what the shadow looks like, but I know my waist is icy cold.

A slight, cool breeze lifted the hem of my clothes. I felt a cold touch gently brushing my lower back.

Hiss, it shouldn’t be happening right now! I leaned back, pressing my waist tightly against the sofa.

Yet that wisp of wind circled my ear, like someone gently sucking on my earlobe. I didn’t dare to move or react.

Another wisp drilled into my clothes, gently lifting and kneading. This realization made me want to curl up.

The rotating lights of the KTV swept past me. A few beams of light suddenly projected onto me. In that instant, I clearly saw the shadow.

She was leaning on my back, her hands moving continuously. The deep, inky blackness, like a shadow puppet, was intimately resting its head against mine.

Shadow, why does it have two pairs of hands?

The shadow of the other pair of hands slid down. The cool breeze also gently caressed downwards along my waist. They both had clear intentions.

I recalled the sweat-soaked bedding from last night, the pillowcase stained with tears, and the increasingly accumulating, uncontrollable pleasure that dampened the sheets…

I cannot do the same thing here!

Zhang Ruoan is still watching!

But those few beams of light were acting up. They usually flash by, but they didn’t immediately leave me.

I was like a clown performing on a grand stage; every expression and movement was clearly visible in the light.

The brief few seconds felt like a long time. My body was stiff, and I didn’t dare to move.

The wind also seemed to have some reservations. It only circled gently around my inner thighs, stirring up moisture.

The light beams left, and I returned to the dim shadow, slightly relieved.

Amidst the dizzying changes in the light and shadow, I gripped the microphone tightly. My phone screen suddenly lit up, looking somewhat dazzling at this moment.

I saw Guan Lan sent me a message.

[Guan Lan: I’ll be back in Xizhao soon. Lulu, is there anything you want as a gift?]

The sensation in my chest was clear. I didn’t know why the hallucination was acting crazy at this moment.

A drop of sweat, due to my restraint, rolled down my forehead, was carried by the wind, and landed on the phone screen.

I wanted to reply to Guan Lan’s message. I opened the chat box, but saw the screen flicker a few times, jumping to the settings.

Another drop of sweat fell, almost landing on the delete button.

I couldn’t let that happen! I quickly retreated back to the message page.

I was gripping the microphone too tightly. I saw my fingers press a few faint damp marks onto it.

My body started to heat up again.

I turned off the microphone and put it aside, afraid that its amplification might be too sensitive, exposing my distress to my friends.

The melody cut a few times. Xi Rong sang two songs and then prioritized mine.

I didn’t want to sing during such an awkward time. Although the wind had stopped its actions, I didn’t know when She would resume.

While She was quiet, I had to find a way to avoid singing.

“You guys sing first.”

I waved my hand and then shifted my gaze to Zhang Ruoan.

“Don’t you want to sing one? Give us a demonstration.”

Xi Rong looked at me in disbelief, as if I had said something incredible.

“You’re asking her to sing for you? Heavens, aren’t you afraid of being ‘dimensionally reduced’?”

“Didn’t you used to hog the microphone? Fine, you’ve changed and don’t like KTV anymore, but you won’t even sing a song?”

I didn’t understand. “What is ‘dimensionally reduced’? Does it mean singing well? If she sings well, shouldn’t she sing then?”

Zhang Ruoan showed no change. She remained the same, her melancholic eyes making me feel uneasy.

Xi Rong rolled her eyes at me, then cut my song and handed her the microphone.

She even comforted her with a remark, “Don’t mind her now, acting all silly and forgetful. When she remembers, she’ll regret it bitterly. We can laugh at her then.”

Zhang Ruoan suddenly smiled. With lowered eyes, the smile diluted the sorrow on her face, and I realized her features were quite nice.

“Then it’s better if Lulu doesn’t remember.”

Zhang Ruoan’s voice was amplified and spread through the microphone, and I suddenly noticed that her vocal quality was uniquely pleasant.

The ominous feeling came true.

“Don’t talk about separation, I won’t cry because of it…”

I was stunned. Weren’t we all supposed to be silly geese? How did a swan sneak in?

Xi Rong pointed at me, baring her teeth and laughing for some unknown reason. It was obvious she was mocking me.

Zhang Ruoan, who was originally looking at the lyrics, also looked over, her eyes slightly curved, her smile faint.

The initial distance suddenly closed, and the atmosphere became lively.

I subconsciously glanced beside me, feeling hollow inside.

I always felt like something was missing, making the scene before me incomplete.

My heart was beating fast. My gaze fell on the shadow next to me. The shadow of slender, beautiful fingers brushed over the microphone I had set aside.

It was just a brush; nothing would change.

At this moment, an ear-splitting static noise came from Zhang Ruoan’s microphone. The noise disappeared in less than half a second, and none of us paid it any mind.

After Zhang Ruoan finished singing, Xi Rong, with a mischievous smile, brought my song back up and picked up the microphone.

“Lulu, sing well. Show everyone what you’ve got.”

She’s being treacherous! I haven’t sung for years, and now with the singing goddess Zhang Ruoan here, doesn’t she know I’m afraid of losing face?!

Xi Rong, who received my look of condemnation, was unrepentant and even gloatingly handed me the microphone.

She added, “Look how good I am to you. This song is your best one. You used to say you could sing it with your eyes closed without looking at the lyrics.”

The intro started. The melody did feel familiar, but I had no memory of this song.

Did I frequently request this song before?

Xi Rong had selected the duet version. This version was clearly more suitable for two people to sing.

I saw Zhang Ruoan frown and look at the screen. Xi Rong seemed to realize something, and the gloating smile vanished from her face.

She paused the accompaniment, her expression becoming tense and solemn.

I was a little dazed. I felt her voice suddenly becoming very loud, like speaking in an empty, unpopulated music classroom, the echo hitting the walls and smashing back in circles.

“You probably don’t know this song well since you haven’t sung it for years. I’ll switch to one you definitely know.”

The accompaniment was paused, but a faint melody continued in my ear, picking up the music that had stopped.

In the psychedelic lights, I suddenly felt a pang in my heart. It felt like someone was tapping a fine awl against my head, one tap at a time.

My breathing became rapid. I couldn’t see the shadow anxiously wrapping its arms around me.

A chill enveloped my whole body. A cool breeze covered me.

My eyes stung. In front of me were still the five-colored lights, but I was wide-eyed, and the room changed its appearance.

This decoration must be from many years ago. People were laughing, their laughter merging, rising and falling. “I” was holding a microphone, seemingly laughing too.

A joyful and bright segment.

Xi Rong looked like she was in her early twenties, wearing her striped shirt and floor-length pants. “You two come, you two come. This one needs you two.”

I looked at the small screen. The years had passed, and the MV on it was the same as the one Xi Rong had just played.

KTV screens have long been updated, but some things don’t easily change.

A unique voice caught my attention, young and full of vitality.

I looked over. She looked somewhat familiar. After a moment of distraction, I realized this might be a younger Zhang Ruoan.

Zhang Ruoan smiled brightly, the corners of her downturned eyes lifting with cheerfulness.

She looked happy and pure, her cheeks full, waving her hand at “me,” her eyes sparkling.

“You two must sing well. I specifically composed the music and wrote the lyrics for you two.”

You two?

The person beside me laughed and said “Okay,” then wrapped their arm around my waist, resting their head on my shoulder.

“Lulu sings first.”

“I” seemed very unwilling. “No, I don’t sing well. Wait until I practice more.”

“Then how about we sing together? Coming to KTV is for relaxing. You don’t need to feel pressured like that. I believe in Lulu.”

“We’re singing together now, okay? Come on, three, two, together~”

“Lulu? Lulu, what’s wrong?” Someone was shaking me.

My eyes were teary and blurry. I couldn’t distinguish which room was in front of me.

Zhang Ruoan’s thin appearance rushed into my view.

In the hallucination, who was the person beside me?