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"My Tenant is a Female Ghost" features a female ghost.
"Why are you here?" The woman sitting in the corner was none other than Zhang Ni.
Ever since Bai Zhuo had been played by Zhang Ni, his impression of her had soured. It wasn't that he disliked her ambition; everyone has their own way of living, and Bai Zhuo wouldn't casually judge others' lives. He simply couldn't stand her vengeful nature.
Bai Zhuo looked around to confirm he hadn't come to the wrong place and asked, "I'm here for a reunion. Are you sure you're in the right place?"
Zhang Ni, who also didn't think much of Bai Zhuo, merely frowned and said nothing.
At that moment, someone approached with a smile. "Hey! If I'm not mistaken, this must be our school's tyrant, Bai Zhuo! Haha, Bai Zhuo, you haven't changed at all; still the same as before!"
The speaker was Zhang Gui, the class monitor from Bai Zhuo's high school days. His tone was odd, almost mocking. "So, do you know Ni Ni?"
"Oh? You must be... Zhang Gui?"
"The tyrant actually remembers me! How have you been lately?" Zhang Gui made small talk.
"Well, I've been okay, just getting by. So, is she your girlfriend?" Bai Zhuo glanced at Zhang Ni and asked.
"Yeah, just started dating a couple of days ago. Pretty, right?" Zhang Gui wrapped an arm around Zhang Ni and lifted his chin as if to show off.
Bai Zhuo curiously asked Zhang Ni, "What about Zhu Hui?" Upon hearing Zhu Hui's name mentioned, Zhang Ni felt irritated and wished she could bite Bai Zhuo! Noticing Zhang Ni's silence, Bai Zhuo shrugged and chuckled lightly before finding a seat for himself.
In the private room, there were over twenty people—some alone and some with family. Regardless of gender, everyone greeted Bai Zhuo casually. Even his tablemate Ke Long only smiled at him without saying much. After three years of being classmates, they felt like strangers now, leaving a slight bitterness in Bai Zhuo's heart. It seemed he shouldn't have come after all.
Across the room, Zhang Gui wrapped his arm around Zhang Ni's waist and leaned closer to her, clearly displaying his possessiveness. He asked, "Ni Ni, do you know that guy?"
"I've only seen him once or twice; we're not really familiar," Zhang Ni replied absentmindedly.
Zhang Gui was not quite satisfied with his girlfriend's attitude and asked, "So what's going on with Zhu Hui?"
Zhang Ni, already feeling flustered, shouted, "Are you annoying or what? Haven't you checked enough yet? I need to go to the bathroom." She shrugged off Zhang Gui's hand, grabbed her bag, and headed outside.
Zhang Gui hurried after her but glanced back at Bai Zhuo, who was sitting alone, his eyes filled with anger. Bai Zhuo could clearly see the emotions in Zhang Gui's gaze and cursed, "Damn it, we're all surnamed Zhang; it's like a family reunion... I really shouldn't have come; this is just another hassle."
Old classmates arrived one after another while Bai Zhuo sat quietly on the side, observing coldly. He felt indifferent towards those classmates.
Once most of the guests had arrived, Zhang Gui returned alone. However, his face was beaming with joy, and anyone who understood could tell what he had been up to, leading to some teasing from his classmates.
As he walked past Bai Zhuo, Zhang Gui smiled at him. It seemed like a greeting but was actually a show of dominance. Bai Zhuo shrugged it off and paid no mind.
Zhang Gui had some prestige in the class. He scanned the room from his seat in the middle of the booth and finally fixed his gaze on Bai Zhuo. "About three-quarters of you are here; those who should come have come, and those who shouldn't have also shown up..." Hearing this, Bai Zhuo knew Zhang Gui was referring to him as one who shouldn't be there. He showed an unhappy expression but held back from reacting. Zhang Gui continued, "However, we still have one important person missing; let's be patient a bit longer."
Someone asked, "Class monitor, who is this important person?"
"Seriously, I'm starving here! We agreed to meet at five o'clock; if someone is late that's fine, but we can't delay for too long!"
Zhang Gui tossed a peanut at the chubby guy who had spoken. "Tao! With your size, you're still thinking about food? If you get any thinner because of hunger, you'll owe me thanks!"
Everyone burst into laughter at this, and the atmosphere became lively. Zhang Gui said, "Alright, alright, no more teasing. Who remembers who the Overlord confessed to that year?"
Suddenly, the conversation inexplicably turned towards Bai Zhuo, catching him off guard.
"Oh? The Overlord... Bai Zhuo is here too?"
"Ah! I know now, it's our Class Beauty, Liu Yun!"
"Oh, so it's her! I almost forgot about her."
"Yeah, back in the day, our classmate Bai Zhuo was so reckless. He stopped Liu Yun at the school gate and confessed his feelings in front of everyone... Hahaha!"
"What recklessness? It was just a toad wanting to eat goose meat. It caused such a stir that all the students knew about it."
"Hey, hey, don't say that in front of her!" someone advised.
"Hah, you guys don't know the whole story! Let me tell you, at that time Liu Yun already had a boyfriend. Before that, Bai Zhuo had confessed to Liu Yun once. She jokingly said that if he confessed to her publicly at the school gate, she would accept him. Who would have thought Bai Zhuo actually went and did it? Hahaha... I'm dying of laughter..."
In front of Bai Zhuo, everyone chattered about him. His deskmate, Ke Long, couldn't take it anymore and said, "Hey, we're all classmates here; don't go too far!"
Someone retorted, "Just because we're classmates doesn't mean we can't joke around a bit. Ke Long, the person involved isn't even bothered; why are you making a fuss?"
At that moment, Zhang Gui spoke up, "Alright, alright, Ke Long is right; everyone stop."
It was quite amusing; the instigator of the situation was Zhang Gui, yet he was also the one defending Bai Zhuo in the end. This person had quite a scheming mind.
Despite the teasing, people still listened to Zhang Gui. They chuckled a few times and stopped discussing the matter. Zhang Gui raised his glass to Bai Zhuo in a gesture of respect: "Bai Zhuo, where have you been hanging out lately? I started a company and I'm looking for people; want to come work for me?"
Bai Zhuo didn't respond. He adjusted his black glasses and stood up, walking towards the door.
"Hey, Bai Zhuo, where are you going? Aren't you waiting for your goddess? Liu Yun will be here soon; let's eat together!" Zhang Gui called out.
Bai Zhuo stopped in his tracks, remaining silent for a long time before letting out a scoff and saying, "Eating together? Am I that familiar with you all?"
The moment those words left his mouth, it was clear that Bai Zhuo had drawn a line between himself and the others. A few classmates who were feeling bold stood up, wanting to pick a fight, but they were quickly held back by their peers. Zhang Gui, taken aback by Bai Zhuo's response, felt a storm brewing on his face. However, outnumbered, he held back his anger. He sneered, "Ha! Are you afraid of running into Liu Yun? I hear Liu Yun is now an executive at some big company! Just a coward who can't even muster the courage to face someone... truly pathetic..."
Zhang Gui's words had turned personal, yet Bai Zhuo still managed to restrain himself as he clenched his fists and walked toward the door. Seeing that his provocation had failed to keep Bai Zhuo from leaving, Zhang Gui shouted, "Tsk! A kid without proper upbringing just doesn't understand manners."
Just one step away from the door, Bai Zhuo suddenly halted. His ears were sharper than most, and Zhang Gui's words echoed clearly in his mind.
"What did you just say?"
Bai Zhuo's tone was icy, as if he had transformed into a different person. Zhang Gui was momentarily stunned, realizing he was intimidated by someone like Bai Zhuo. In a fit of rage, he laughed mockingly, "Oh! Look at you, acting all dignified! You think you're better than me? A kid without parents to teach him! No manners at all!"
Bai Zhuo turned and walked toward Zhang Gui. He was relatively thin and only about five foot seven, making him appear somewhat shorter in front of Zhang Gui. Looking down at Bai Zhuo with disdainful laughter, Zhang Gui taunted, "What’s this? You want to hit me? You're so weak; it's hilarious! A kid without proper upbringing..."
"Damn it!" Without another word, Bai Zhuo slapped him across the face. Zhang Gui had never expected Bai Zhuo to strike first; the force of the slap left him momentarily stunned.
The sound of the slap echoed in the private room as if it reverberated off the walls, causing an immediate hush among everyone present. It felt as though they could all hear each other's breaths.
"Alpaca!" Zhang Gui finally snapped back to reality and grabbed a nearby bottle of alcohol to swing at Bai Zhuo's head! However, after years of battling supernatural beings, Bai Zhuo dismissed such street-fighting tactics entirely.
With a slight sidestep, he easily avoided the bottle. Frustrated, Zhang Gui raised the bottle again and hurled it toward Bai Zhuo's head. But Bai Zhuo was quick on his feet and dodged effortlessly.
The bottle smashed against the door behind Bai Zhuo with a loud crash, shattering into pieces on the floor. At that moment, the door suddenly swung open. Everyone turned to see Liu Yun standing there.
"What happened? Why did you drop the bottle?"
Liu Yun, dressed in a floral dress with light makeup, looked quite pleasant. Bai Zhuo turned to take a glance at her; Liu Yun had changed so much. She was no longer the pure and cute Liu Yun from his memories. He had expected to feel some awkwardness or embarrassment upon seeing her again, but when they actually met, those emotions did not surface. Instead, he felt calm and found her somewhat familiar, though he couldn't quite recall where he had seen her before.
However, Zhang Gui did not hold back because of Liu Yun's presence. After all, he had been slapped in front of so many people and needed to regain some face. The anger in his eyes was evident as he grabbed a chair nearby and walked toward Bai Zhuo.
Liu Yun exclaimed, "Zhang Gui? What are you doing?"
"You think you can just walk away, Bai? Liu Yun, step aside. If I don't deal with this guy tonight, where will I put my face?"
Liu Yun hadn't expected to encounter such a situation right after arriving. Calculating her options, she pulled Bai Zhuo aside. "Mr. Bai, you should leave first. I'll handle this."
"Huh?" Bai Zhuo looked at Liu Yun in confusion, searching his memory for where he might have seen her before.
Seeing his reaction, Liu Yun felt a pang of bitterness. What kind of status did she hold now? It seemed she didn't even leave an impression on him. How foolish she had been in her youth... Liu Yun thought to herself and forced a smile. "Mr. Bai, you might not remember me, but I'm Chairman Huang's secretary."
"Chairman Huang... Huang Jiangliu?" Bai Zhuo suddenly realized; she was Liu Yun!
From what he could see, Huang Jiangliu's gratitude was indeed understandable. Bai Zhuo began to piece together some things, and his mindset gradually shifted as he replied expressionlessly, "Alright then, I'll leave this matter to you. In a few days, I'll call him about something."
Liu Yun understood that the "he" Bai Zhuo referred to was Huang Jiangliu. She nodded. "Got it, Mr. Bai. You go ahead and take care of your business."
Bai Zhuo left the room without looking back, leaving everyone in the private room stunned and unable to calm down for a long time. Although Zhang Gui was surprised, the slap from Bai Zhuo had landed squarely on his face. He angrily shouted, "Liu Yun! Who is that guy that you would help him out?"
Liu Yun realized that the gathering couldn't continue under these circumstances and decided to be straightforward with Zhang Gui. Coldly, she said, "Zhang Gui, I don't know the history between you and Mr. Bai, but I advise you not to provoke him; he's not someone you can afford to mess with!"
Zhang Gui laughed arrogantly, "Hahaha... what a big joke! Am I, Zhang Gui, afraid of this wild child?"
Zhu Hui, having suffered a revenge from Huang Jiangliu like a landslide due to a bad word from Bai Zhuo, thought it was ridiculous that a private company boss would dare to lay hands on him. Liu Yun thought this and sneered, "Heh, it's up to you whether you listen or not. When trouble arises, you better think carefully about your actions today."
Zhang Gui finally couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked, "Wasn't he once your pursuer? Have you forgotten how you played him back then? Why are you so cowardly now? He's just an orphaned wild child; what are you afraid of?"
Liu Yun shook her head without responding, putting down the bill in her hand and turning to leave. She knew that some things didn't need to be fully revealed; leaving some unsaid would be more intimidating.
Liu Yun left as well. Zhang Gui grumbled as he picked up the bill and took a closer look at the amount spent that night. To his surprise, Liu Yun had quietly settled the nearly ten thousand bill without a word! After seeing the bill, Zhang Gui finally calmed down. Liu Yun had become successful, but when he saw Bai Zhuo still acting submissively, he wondered what kind of background this orphaned wild child had. Did my slap really go unanswered?
...
Bai Zhuo walked out of Ningjiang Hotel, exhaling a breath of foul air, feeling very downcast. After walking a few steps, he suddenly noticed someone sitting by the flower bed smoking. The dim light cast on her made her look somewhat desolate.
"Want one?" Zhang Ni offered a cigarette to him.
Bai Zhuo wasn't in the mood and initially didn't want to pay attention to Zhang Ni. However, seeing her haggard expression, he curiously sat beside her and said, "I don't smoke."
"A man who doesn't smoke? Heh..." Zhang Ni chuckled lightly, elegantly pinching the cigarette with her fingers and taking a puff before exhaling beautifully. The smoke curled around her as she continued, "I know you're curious about how I ended up with Zhang Gui again... actually, Zhu Hui... went bankrupt." (To be continued.)
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