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Lovesick Ghost Tales
墨書 Inktalez
The phone fell silent once again, and Xin Yi furrowed his brow as he pushed the car to the edge of reckless driving, taking shortcuts wherever he could, managing to cut down the travel time by nearly ten minutes. Finally arriving at Song Bunan's doorstep, he was anxious about what he might find inside. Even the usually calm Xin Yi felt his hands tremble as he fumbled with the keys, struggling to unlock the door.
Once inside, he was relieved to see that the floor was clean, with no signs of anything broken. The air was filled with a sweet aroma, reminiscent of cookies or some other dessert. Meanwhile, the "troubled" Song Bunan sat at the dining table, pouting and looking quite pitiful. Upon seeing Xin Yi enter, his face contorted in sadness.
The little boy waddled over, his lips pursed in a way that made it seem like he could hang an oil gourd from them. He tugged at Xin Yi's sleeve, still shaken from earlier, and pointed at a clearly damaged phone on the table. "It fell into the sink..."
Xin Yi recalled that Song Bunan had never been particularly interested in gadgets; it wasn't until college that he learned to use messaging apps like WeChat. Previously, he would just call or text to find people. The phone Bunan held was one that Song Buxian had bought for him during his freshman year—an outdated model that had become sluggish over time but was still sufficient for someone who only sent messages and didn’t play games.
Gently picking up the phone, Xin Yi noticed water dripping from its seams, and bits of flour stuck to the screen confirmed its irreparable state. "How did it end up in there?" Now calmer, he set the ruined device aside and checked if Bunan had any other injuries. The boy, curled up in his chair looking both wronged and adorable, reached for a plate filled with round cookies and offered one to Xin Yi while explaining, "I just put the cookies in the oven when you called. I thought I could wash dishes while talking on the phone, but then my message notification went off and it fell into the sink. When I pulled it out, it was off and wouldn’t turn back on. If my brother finds out, he'll be mad at me..."
Unaware of how much he resembled a spoiled child at that moment—his head downcast—Song Bunan missed Xin Yi’s gaze shifting from worry to affection. Xin Yi accepted the cookie Bunan offered and gently ruffled his hair with an exceptionally tender tone. "It's okay; it's just an old phone. We can go buy a new one."
Looking at the high-tech wreck on the table, Xin Yi sighed. "It was still working; I just changed its case recently. Brother Xinyi, please tell my brother not to come over tonight; I’ll go look for a new one myself tomorrow."
It was already past six o'clock; soon Brother Hua and his wife would arrive. If they went out to buy a phone now, they would be unable to get back inside. Song Bunan collected himself and turned to Xin Yi with bright eyes. "Brother Xinyi, you have to try my cookies!"
The cookies were a light golden brown sprinkled with shiny white sugar crystals; they were still warm from baking. Not particularly fond of sweets, Xin Yi took a bite under Bunan's eager gaze. The crisp texture was just right; surprisingly, it wasn’t overly sweet but rather refreshing due to the sugar topping. There were sesame seeds mixed in as well, creating a delightful blend of flavors.
Holding half a cookie in his hand, Xin Yi smiled at Song Bunan’s beaming face and generously praised him for making such delicious cookies. The boy's mood visibly lifted as he grinned widely, revealing two prominent front teeth while turning back to grab another piece from the plate and stuffing it into his mouth like a hamster hoarding food.
"I’m not great at cooking, but I’m really good at baking cookies! I’ve studied cookie recipes seriously!" Song Bunan's spirits seemed to brighten under Xin Yi's influence as he began swaying happily in his chair again. Xin Yi fought back the urge to pinch his cheeks.
Just as he reached for another cookie, the doorbell rang. Song Bunan leaped from his chair as if welcoming someone incredibly important. Standing in the dining room watching towards the door, Xin Yi saw that before anyone could step inside, Song Bunan had already dashed forward for an enthusiastic hug.
"Brother Hua! I've missed you so much!" Unaware of how tightly he was gripping his cookie until it crumbled in his hand due to surprise.
The person being hugged seemed accustomed to such affection as he stepped inside while turning back to address someone behind him: "This is Bunan—my silly little brother." The second person was tall and muscular; even though he wore an oversized T-shirt, it clung tightly due to his build. He had long hair and faint scars on his face but appeared very gentle overall.
"Bunan," said Brother Hua with a smile, "this is Qian Gu—my partner. You can call him Brother Qian Gu." Still clinging onto Brother Hua like a koala bear, Song Bunan perked up at this introduction but hesitated before attempting another hug.
An awkward silence ensued as Xin Yi tossed aside cookie crumbs from his hands and prepared to ease the tension when he noticed Song Bunan shyly reaching out towards Qian Gu's beautifully sculpted arm.
"Sister-in-law is so pretty..." With excitement making his round face even rounder, Song Bunan’s eyes were glued to Qian Gu as if mesmerized by him.
Clearly unaccustomed to such attention, Qian Gu shot an exasperated glance at Brother Hua before pinching Song Bunan's cheek playfully: "What are you doing so close to my wife? Huh?!"
The boy laughed foolishly after being pulled away and clung onto Qian Gu’s shirt hem while saying in a soft voice: "Because Sister-in-law is super pretty! She has muscles!"
"Just call me 'brother.' We're both your brothers; no need for all this nonsense! Can we come in already? Blocking the doorway isn’t polite! Are you going to greet us and then leave?" Qian Gu wasn’t swayed by Song Bunan’s charm; instead, he firmly moved past him while pulling Brother Hua along into the house. Upon spotting Xin Yi in the dining room, Qian Gu exclaimed in surprise: "Oh! There's someone else here! Hello! I'm Ming Hua—Song Bunan's brother."
Xin Yi wiped his hands clean and politely approached for introductions while noticing how Song Bunan trailed behind Qian Gu like a shadow calling him “sister-in-law.” This was a side of Song Bunan he'd never seen before—much more relaxed than when they were together.
Hiding a hint of displeasure deep within himself, Xin Yi invited both men to sit down but couldn’t find any teacups for tea preparation. Observing this scene unfold before him made Ming Hua raise an eyebrow before kicking Song Bunan lightly: "Get me some water! Why are you clinging onto my wife like that? If you like her so much, go find your own!"
Song Bunan, undeterred by the scolding, tilted his head defiantly and tugged at Qian Gu's arm, sticking his tongue out at Ming Hua. "No way! I'm sticking with my sister-in-law. It’ll drive you crazy, ha ha ha!"
Qian Gu, who had been wearing a pleasant expression since entering, suddenly smiled at Song Bunan's antics. His gentle demeanor made him seem even more approachable. He reached out to ruffle Song Bunan's fluffy hair and softly said, "Alright, stick close."
Feeling particularly pleased with this permission, Song Bunan gleefully pulled both of them over to the sofa before bouncing off to make tea. Qian Gu seemed to prefer silence, sitting quietly beside them while observing his surroundings. Ming Hua, familiar with the place, grabbed the remote and turned on the television, chatting casually with Xin Yi. After exchanging a few pleasantries, before they could get to know each other better, Song Bunan returned with a large tray.
"I baked cookies! Xin Yi Brother said they’re especially delicious! Sister-in-law, you should try some." The other two watched as Song Bunan handed over a uniquely shaped cat-themed plate filled with cookies of various designs, some even adorned with colorful sprinkles. In contrast, the cookies on the other trays were plain and unremarkable.
Xin Yi understood why Song Bunan was so happy and sighed in resignation as he prepared to take a piece. Just then, Ming Hua rolled up his sleeves and stood up. "I’m going to teach you a lesson for ignoring your sister-in-law!" He playfully slapped Song Bunan on the head before snatching the plate away.
Qian Gu smiled faintly and effortlessly picked up a cookie from the plate, gesturing for Song Bunan to sit down quickly.
Fortunately, Song Bunan chose to sit next to Xin Yi and directly handed him a teacup. After Xin Yi took it, he grabbed a cookie shaped like a cat's head from the plate and intended to stuff it into Xin Yi's mouth. "This one has a bit of lemon in it! It’s so fragrant."
Like a child showing off a new toy, Song Bunan beamed with pride. No matter how much Ming Hua teased him, he wouldn’t refuse the little cookie. After confirming that it tasted good, Ming Hua immediately launched into another round of playful banter. "Why aren’t you answering your phone again? Do you just keep your phone around so you can avoid contacting us?"
Holding his cup of hot tea, Xin Yi quickly shook his head in denial. "My phone fell in water! After I fished it out, it wouldn’t turn on anymore; Xin Yi Brother can vouch for me!" He instinctively prepared to explain when Ming Hua cut him off.
"How clumsy! Your phone fell in water? Did you buy a new one? If not, let’s go buy one now. Do you have any preferences?"
Despite Ming Hua's teasing remarks towards Song Bunan, his concern was evident. Xin Yi noticed Song Bunan shaking his head and responding with the same words he had used earlier. At that moment, Qian Gu also joined in their conversation. After taking a sip of tea, he gently asked, "Is your back injury feeling better? I heard from Xiao Tu that you just got back from the hospital."
Immediately rushing over to Qian Gu's side with a bright smile, Song Bunan replied cutely, "I’m fine! Just a small scratch! Hee hee hee, Qian Gu Ge is so handsome..."
Ming Hua rolled his eyes dramatically and sighed as he took another sip of tea. "How old are you still acting like this?" Seizing the opportunity to speak, Xin Yi curiously asked if he had always been like this. Ming Hua leaned closer as if ready to share an interesting story.
"When I first met this kid, he was just over five years old. He was wrapped up like a dumpling in the hospital because of his back injury. This tiny little thing sat on a bench crying loudly enough to give me a headache. Even after his aunt tried comforting him for ages by promising him candy when they got home, he didn’t stop until a girl walked by—she must have been into fitness or something because she had an amazing figure. The moment he saw her, he stopped crying and pointed at her back saying: ‘So pretty!’ From that day on, everyone knew that Song Bunan has been obsessed with muscles since childhood."
Realizing how significant this story was, Xin Yi turned to look at the protagonist of this tale but found that Qian Gu was too absorbed in admiring his own muscles to notice what was happening around them.
I should start working out too. Xin Yi thought to himself as he mentally added this to his agenda.
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