Chi Yan felt embarra.s.sed by such a public display of affection in broad daylight. He muttered under his breath, "Stop fooling around," and pushed Ye Yingzhi's hand away. He didn't realise what a possessive embrace it had been.

But before he could reject the lady again, she had walked away on her own accord.

Fl.u.s.tered, Chi Yan wondered if she had been affronted by their actions.

Meanwhile, a distance away, Mr Liu watched as his wife walked back with a white face. He quickly snuffed out his cigarette, "What's wrong? I thought you were going to do a good deed to bring luck to our grandchild? Why did you allow that lad to continue staying at Hu's place? He didn't look like he could withstand one night there."

Mrs Liu shook her head, "There's nothing we can do."

Seeing her pale face, Mr Liu kept quiet. After following her husband into the house, Mrs Liu then patted her chest, and whispered next to her husband's ear, "The lad had already been haunted by something even more powerful."

Shocked, Uncle Liu looked left and right before whispering back, "Then did you warn him?"

Mrs Liu hung her head and after a pause said, "I didn't dare to…"

The both of them stayed silent. After awhile, regaining her composure from the scare, Mrs Liu reminded her husband, "Did you see his action? As if there was a 'person' behind him, and treating him like a human. We better warn the kids to stay away from him, in case they offend it."

As dusk fell, Chi Yan wanted to go for dinner, however Ye Yingzhi said, "I saw a store along the way selling fresh fish and vegetables. Shall we buy some food and I'll cook for you back in the apartment?"

Chi Yan wondered to himself that Yingzhi didn't seem to like to eat out. However, thinking about the state of the eateries, he was convinced that it might be better to get the fresh produce and cook themselves. As usual, Chi Yan was unable to reject his lover's request. He thought wryly that it was as if Ye Yingzhi had cast a bewitching spell on him, for him to be all kinds of acquiesce to him.

At night, they tangled on the sheets for a long time until Chi Yan slid deeply into sleep.

An uncertain amount of time pa.s.sed, and he woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of water splas.h.i.+ng, like something had burst out of water somewhere close to them…

His heart skipped a beat and he jacked upright on the bed. He looked out of the window and saw that not far on the surface of the lake was a gleaming silvery light. The skies were clear with the bright moon hiding the stars, and everything was clear in sight. Nothing weird was happening and it looked to be a peaceful and wonderful night.

Chi Yan let out a sigh of relief and thought that perhaps he had a strange nightmare. Beside him, Ye Yingzhi was sleeping peacefully, his breathing even. Worried that he might accidentally awaken him, Chi Yan slowly tried to slide back down with small movements. However, Ye Yingzhi still woke up. Seeing Chi Yan in a seated position, he got up too and put an arm around his shoulders. His deep voice gravelly with sleep, "What's wrong?"

Chi Yan shook his head, and looked into his lover's dark eyes, "Nothing, I had a nightmare."

Ye Yingzhi pulled him into his arms, pressing a kiss onto his ear, comforting, "Don't worry, I'm here."

Perhaps the night was too cold and lonely, Chi Yan actually felt that Ye Yingzhi's breath was chilly. However, his embrace was still tight and warm. He nodded, trying to suppress the unease in his heart.

Just as he was going to lie back down, a knock sounded at the door.

Chi Yan's heart shuddered, and he felt a sense of deja vu. He turned and looked at Ye Yingzhi.

Ye Yingzhi could see the fright and unease in Chi Yan's wide eye look, and lovingly kissed his eyes, forcing them to close. Chi Yan felt the feather-like kisses and heard him say, "I'll go take a look. It's probably nothing."

At his words, an overwhelming sense of foreboding engulfed Chi Yan and he called out, "No, Yingzhi, don't go!"

He wanted to pull at Yingzhi’s clothes, but when he realised he was s.h.i.+rtless, he could only wrap his arms around his waist. He buried his face against his body, and whispered again, "Don't go."

Ye Yingzhi smiled and ruffled his hair, his hand sliding down to caress his neck, "What's wrong?"

By now Chi Yan had realised how childish he sounded and acted, and blus.h.i.+ng, he looked up at Ye Yingzhi. Ye Yingzhi patted his back, "I'll just take a look and will be back soon. You go to bed." He swiftly got out of bed and put on his shoes, not giving Chi Yan another chance to hold him back again.

Chi Yan watched as Ye Yingzhi walked over to the door, a familiar sense of fear creeping up over his body – memories of green and white eyes, an eerie white light, a continuous, rhythmic knocking, a black spirit tablet…

The thing behind the door…was not human!

Chi Yan vaguely remembered how he had specially set up an altar for a tablet at his house to keep these things away from him. However whose tablet, what was written on it, whose name was it…

At this moment, the door creaked and opened, but no other sounds came.

His worry for his lover overtook all the other strange and confused thoughts. Chi Yan jumped off the bed, and the chill from the tiles seemed to clear the cobwebs from his mind. He looked up to see Ye Yingzhi's face. Ye Yingzhi pulled him over to the bed and stuffed him under the covers.

'I told you I'll take only a second. Why did you come over? And not even wearing anything. It's so chilly here at night, what if you catch a cold?'

Chi Yan obediently let Ye Yingzhi fuss over him, and the chaotic and unusual thoughts cleared away the moment he glimpsed his lover's face. Poking Ye Yingzhi, he asked, 'What happened Yingzhi?' The knocking had stopped once Ye Yingzhi opened the door.

'I don't know. There was no one outside when I opened the door. It could be a drunk man knocking at the wrong door and he left just as I opened it," mused Ye Yingzhi.

Chi Yan was unconvinced, 'But the knocks continued up to the second before you opened the door. We are on the second floor, even if he left immediately, you would have still seen him?' Moreover, how could someone drunk be knocking at such a steady rhythm? Was it even…a person knocking at the door?

What the lady said to him in the afternoon came to his mind suddenly, 'Hu's house was unclean…'

Chi Yan s.h.i.+vered uncontrollably and burrowed deeper into Ye Yingzhi's embrace.

Ye Yingzhi was pleased by Chi Yan seeking solace and protection in his arms. He tightened his arms around him and dropped a kiss on the crown of his head, his hand rubbing gently on his back. 'It was too dark outside, maybe I didn't see clearly. It's ok, we just have to be more careful at night. No one can defeat me in a fight.'

Chi Yan kept quiet.

Ye Yingzhi suddenly chuckled, and with his left hand, lifted Chi Yan's face, looking into his eyes, 'Baby, you are not seriously considering that what the old lady said about ghosts could be true?'

What old lady, she was just a middle aged woman…Chi Yan's face reddened at having his fears exposed, as well as the proximity of Ye Yingzhi's face. He looked away, 'No way, I didn't believe her.'

The moonlight streaming through the blinds revealed the appealing blush on Chi Yan's face. Ye Yingzhi couldn't help but kiss him, murmuring, 'Don’t I seem like a ghost? An evil ghost? I'll gobble you up, savour you every day…'