The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: How Could I Be Afraid?

Ye Mingze was indignant at her scolding.

”None of you believe me, do you?”

Ye Shixian’s delicate brows furrowed. ”Just think about it. You know this is impossible. How long has he been dead? How could he possibly come back now?”

Ye Mingze retorted, ”Well, Ye Chutang and the others came back, didn’t they?!”

’And they’re scarily powerful, too!’

Ye Shixian wished he would just shut up. ”People are people, and ghosts are ghosts. How can you confuse the two? Besides, ghosts don’t exist. You must have seen and heard wrong. Father is already stressed enough over Mother’s affairs, so don’t cause any more trouble.”

She gave Ye Mingze another once-over. ”You actually fainted from fright last night. If word of this gets out, who knows how people will laugh at you!”

Ye Mingze’s face turned pale with anger. He spun around resentfully and pulled the covers over his head.

”In any case, I’m not staying in that room anymore!”

’Who knows if there’s something unclean in there!’

Ye Shixian closed her eyes, suppressing her irritation.

Her younger brother had been spoiled since childhood, which was how he developed such an arrogant and willful personality.

He never considered the bigger picture when he did things; his mind was filled with nothing but himself.

”Impossible. You just moved rooms. There’s no way Father will agree to you moving again.”

The residence might be large, but that was no reason to cause such a commotion.

”Besides, if you really move, won’t people assume you actually saw a ghost? Then the entire residence will be the subject of gossip! With Father’s current status, what do you think you’re doing?”

The harsh scolding finally made Ye Mingze regain a sliver of rationality, but he still felt aggrieved.

The figure he saw before he fainted, and that carefree, smiling voice, were seared into his mind, impossible to forget.

’If I keep living there, I’ll probably have nightmares every single day!’

”Th-Then I’ll just move out! That should be fine, right?”

Ye Shixian sneered. ”Move out where? To Chunfeng Lou?”

Ye Mingze choked, a guilty look flashing across his face.

Just then, a servant came to announce that Ye Chutang had arrived.

Ye Mingze shot up in bed. ”What is she doing here!?”

Ye Shixian shot him a glare before saying, ”Show our cousin in.”

Hearing footsteps, Ye Mingze caught a glimpse of a slender, upright figure in his peripheral vision. He snorted coldly and turned away, unwilling to look.

Ye Chutang came around the screen and saw Ye Mingze lying in bed with his back to her.

His head was wrapped in white gauze, and a bowl of unfinished, dark-brown medicinal soup sat by the bed.

’Looks like the injury was quite serious?’

Ye Chutang said, ”I heard Mingze was injured, so I came to see him.”

Ye Mingze sneered. ”Here to laugh at me, are you?”

”Mingze,” Ye Shixian warned him. ”Please forgive him, Cousin. Mingze received a shock yesterday, and his nerves are still frayed.”

Ye Chutang gave a faint smile. ”It’s alright. We actually heard the news last night, but there were too many people coming and going, so we didn’t want to intrude. If there’s anything you need help with, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Before Ye Shixian could speak, Ye Mingze said in a snide tone, ”Help? Who would dare ask for your help? Ever since you came back, one strange thing after another has happened in this house. What bad luck!”

He blurted it out without thinking, and Ye Shixian’s expression changed instantly.

’It’s one thing to think such things, but how could he say them to her face!’

Her heart tightened, and she quickly stepped forward to mediate. ”Cousin, Mingze didn’t mean it like that, you—”

”Strange things?” Ye Chutang asked in return. ”Are you referring to running into my brother’s returning spirit last night?”

Although Ye Heng had strictly forbidden the servants from spreading the news, there’s no such thing as a wall that doesn’t leak. Word had gotten out not only within the Ye Family, but many people outside had heard about it as well.

Hearing her bring it up herself, Ye Mingze dropped the pretense and laid his cards on the table.

”That’s right! Who knows if it’s because of you—”

Hearing such an accusation, Ye Chutang didn’t get angry. Instead, she raised an eyebrow slightly. ”This is my brother’s home. Isn’t it perfectly normal for him to come back?”

A dead silence fell over the room.

Ye Mingze’s expression froze on his face. He never expected Ye Chutang to react this way!

’Wouldn’t most people deny it when they hear something like that? Why isn’t she bothered by the taboo at all!?’

Ye Chutang glanced around, taking in the room’s furnishings, a nostalgic look appearing in her eyes.

”This desk, these chairs, this screen... Father picked them all out according to my brother’s preferences. He had a lively personality. Sometimes, when he didn’t feel like studying, he would lie here by himself to slack off and end up sleeping for the whole afternoon.”

The hairs on Ye Mingze’s arms stood on end!

Ye Chutang’s red lips curved slightly, as if recalling a fond memory from the past. She smiled. ”Actually, it’s not just this place. He’s been everywhere in this house; he knew it all very well. My health used to be poor, so he would run around with Yan and A Feng, then buy tasty treats to bring back, sneaking them into my room and telling me not to tell anyone.”

As Ye Chutang spoke, her slender, pale fingers lightly traced the armrest of a chair, and she let out a soft sigh.

”A pity... that’s all in the past now.”

Ye Mingze opened his mouth, but before he could speak, his eyes met Ye Chutang’s gaze.

Her dark, gentle eyes were clear and serene as she said with all sincerity, ”That’s why I’m actually quite envious of you, Mingze. Can you tell me how you ran into my brother? I miss him very much, too.”

Ye Mingze’s face went ashen, a chill shooting straight to his head.

Ye Shixian also froze on the spot, her temples throbbing.

’Who would have thought Ye Chutang...! She actually came here to ask about *that*!?’

Ye Shixian’s throat tightened. She forced a smile, but it looked worse than a grimace.

”C-Cousin, you must be joking. There are no such things as ghosts and spirits. It was just Mingze seeing things, which caused this misunderstanding—”

”Aren’t there?” Ye Chutang cut her off, blinking gently. ”But I believe the gods are watching from three feet above our heads. In this world, right and wrong, cause and effect... everything comes with retribution.”

Ye Shixian’s heart thumped, and she shut her mouth.

Ye Mingze stared at the young woman in disbelief. She had such a pure, gentle appearance, yet the words she spoke so softly and slowly were like heavy hammers, striking him mercilessly on the head.

The air seemed to freeze. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Yet Ye Chutang seemed completely unaware of the impact her words had on them, shaking her head with a sigh.

”Or perhaps, such encounters are a matter of fate and can’t be sought out?”

A chill shivered through Ye Mingze’s heart. He looked at Ye Chutang as if she were utterly incomprehensible.

’Who in this world would actually be eager to see a ghost? She’s completely insane!’

”Y-You’re not afraid? Th-That’s—”

”Afraid?” Ye Chutang tilted her head slightly, a faint smile spreading across her lips. Her eyes seemed to be veiled in a hazy mist, as if she were recalling something, making her expression unreadable.

She spoke softly, one word at a time:

”He is the brother who protected me my whole life. I couldn’t be more eager to see him, so how could I possibly be afraid?”