Lin Wan felt like she'd been “haunted” lately. She went back to her hometown and came away with an exorcist who looked innocent and harmless but was actually full of tricks.
Shen Ci had eyes that curved like crescent moons when he smiled, and he got so animated telling ghost stories that he could even describe exactly how many flowers were embroidered on the red shoes of Su Man Niang, a performer from the Republican era. He circled the old house with a compass, calling it “spirit hunting,” then took the opportunity to catch Lin Wan around the waist when she jumped in fright. “Don't be scared. It's just a little ghost that recently learned to walk through walls. It's terribly clumsy.”
But when a vengeful ghost really did flip over a table, his smile vanished in an instant. Blue flames flickered from the talisman between his fingers, and as he stood in front of her, his profile was as cold as ice. Touching the jade pendant that had grown hot, Lin Wan wondered: Was this man even harder to figure out than a ghost?
Even stranger, their ghost-hunting scenes always turned into full-blown flirtation. Hiding in a wardrobe, they accidentally pressed too close, his breath brushing her ear. Holding hands to recite an incantation, his palm was so hot it felt like it might catch fire.
“Shen Ci, we're here to catch ghosts!” Lin Wan pushed him away, blushing.
He lowered his head and chuckled in her ear. “I know. But we can fall in love on the side. The ghosts won't mind, will they?”
The secret of the old building was hidden in faded opera costumes, the burning pain of the jade pendant linked to the bond between their ancestors, and the scars beneath Shen Ci's gentle mask were tightly entwined with her fate. When a clumsy little ghost became their “love assistant,” and the resentment of vengeful spirits fueled their romance, this chaotic ghost-hunting trip had long since turned into a mutual journey of “fighting ghosts while blushing and falling for each other.”
After all, talismans are what you need to deal with ghosts. To win the heart of the one you love, you need sincerity.
