50: On the Way to Resign

The subway was crowded, packed like a tin of sardines.

Qin Yan couldn’t help but think—do the ghosts who are reincarnating together also experience something like this? Even though they agreed to reincarnate together, would they miss their stop because they were squeezed out?

Zhou Shurong was beside him, shielding him from part of the crowd.

But it was quite unfortunate—his body was cold, probably because the air conditioning was too weak or had been absorbed by the crowd. The space was a bit stifling, and some people, drawn to the coolness of Zhou Shurong’s body, couldn’t help but press up against him.

Zhou Shurong almost got knocked over.

Even a ghost had its dignity, and this was a bit embarrassing.

Resigned to it, he exchanged a look with Qin Yan, signaling him to step in and help.

Qin Yan couldn’t help but chuckle. After Zhou Shurong became a ghost, he really let go of his former restraint, no longer caring about his image. If he could smoke, he definitely wouldn’t be avoiding Qin Yan like he avoided a tiger.

“Hey, miss! Your umbrella is poking my boyfriend.”

The girl immediately blushed.

She had often seen posts online where people described how crowded the subway was by saying that they ended up falling into someone’s arms. Today, she experienced it herself. The person she fell against was very handsome—pale to the point of looking sickly—but since there was no space to move, she just accepted it.

Now, someone pointed it out. She had just pressed against someone’s boyfriend.

Ah, social death!

She hadn’t even brought an umbrella, and now she understood that the young man’s words were a polite, kind reminder.

She hurriedly apologized, then awkwardly turned, using her backpack to create some distance between them.

The surrounding people didn’t care about her blushing face. Instead, they looked curiously at Qin Yan and Zhou Shurong, glancing back and forth. Ah, two men in a relationship. It was rare, so people stared.

They were good-looking, and aside from the old people, no one really had a strong aversion to it.

It was just a curiosity.

When the train arrived at the next station, Qin Yan straightened his clothes and muttered in complaint, “I’ve been out of work for a few days and forgot how crowded the 8 AM trains are.”

“Hey, your hem is all messed up too.” He curiously fiddled with Zhou Shurong’s clothes, which seemed no different from before.

Zhou Shurong looked at him as he adjusted his clothes. “You reminded me. I have a car.”

“I know you have many cars, but those are the ones you used to have.”

“No, I still have one.”

Qin Yan raised his head in confusion.

Zhou Shurong lowered his head and whispered, “My father had a car made for me. I can ride it.”

Qin Yan was surprised. “He really made one?”

Zhou Shurong nodded.

“That’s really luxurious.”

Then he pointed to himself and asked, “Can I ride it too?”

Zhou Shurong waved his hand. “I don’t know. Want to give it a try?”

Qin Yan couldn’t help but feel excited. Wow, that’s so cool.

“We’ll try it when we get back.”

They stopped at a new little shop outside Xingyue Kindergarten. Qin Yan felt guilty and didn’t want to see the kids from the Sunflower class. He only watched as the school bus pulled up to the gate, and the children hopped off one by one, carrying their backpacks.

They waited a little longer until the cheerful laughter faded away. Only then did Qin Yan set off.

“Do you want to follow me, or stay here?” He was a bit worried. The kids had lower immunity, and with Zhou Shurong being a ghost, he wondered if his presence might have a bad effect.

Zhou Shurong, ever understanding, said, “I’ll stay here.”

He smiled. “When you come out, remember to take me with you. I have no money on me, and I’ll be so pitiful walking home alone.”

“I know.”

Qin Yan waved his hand in goodbye.

After he left, Zhou Shurong sat behind the glass wall, watching. The sign for Xingyue Kindergarten was a bit chipped, and the school bus had already left. Some adults were lingering around nearby.

The new shop server hesitated for a long time before coming over, stammering, “S-sir, would you like something to drink?”

Zhou Shurong turned his head, catching a glimpse of her awkward face, and extended his pale hand. “Let me have a look.”

She quickly handed him the menu.

This was a shop that promoted healthy, additive-free drinks, and the menu was full of vibrant, eye-catching pictures. It was a bit overwhelming, and he pointed to a green fruit and vegetable juice. “I don’t have money on me. When my companion comes back, you can charge me then.”

“Oh, okay!”

She returned to the counter, the small shop only having her as the staff. She was in charge of everything—cashier, drink-making, and customer service. She was also the manager, and opening a small shop had been her dream for years.

There was only Zhou Shurong in the store. She sat at the counter, half her face hidden behind the computer screen, with just one eye peeking out, observing carefully.

He was a very refined, gentle man, his skin so pale it looked like snow, as if he had been very ill, but he wasn’t frail.

He wore gold-rimmed glasses and an ivory-white suit, exuding a noble and elegant aura, which made this little shop seem much grander.

Someone walked past and immediately said, “I’ll have a coffee.”

The girl, who was both the shopkeeper and the only employee, waved her hands frantically. “Sorry, we don’t sell coffee. We only have fruit teas and vegetable juices.”

The person turned to look at Zhou Shurong. “It’s not coffee. What’s he drinking?”

“Spinach, pineapple, and almond vegetable juice.”

The person showed a puzzled but curious expression. “Well, then, I’ll have one of those.”

The girl happily made her first sale of the day.

After sending the customer off, she sat back down and stared blankly. Suddenly, she noticed a change in Zhou Shurong’s gaze. Following his eyes, she saw a young man approaching from the kindergarten. It was the man’s companion.

She immediately stood up and began preparing the ingredients…

“How did it go?”

“Okay. After a night’s rest, the principal has calmed down. It’s just that when I was leaving the office, I ran into the kids.”

By his tone, it seemed like it wasn’t easy.

Qin Yan pressed his forehead and smiled bitterly. “I didn’t want to lie, so I told her the truth. Though the kids are young, they have good memories. They can remember the lies their family tells them for a long time.”

He vaguely recalled the past.

Zhou Shurong asked, “Did she cry?”

“No, but she was very angry.” Qin Yan smiled. “She put her hands on her hips, flicked her braid, and seriously told me that I shouldn’t make promises so easily.”

“What promise?” Zhou Shurong’s curiosity was piqued.

“Once, while playing a game, I promised the kids I would stay with them until they graduated.”

“Well, that definitely can’t be taken lightly…”

“Then, she told me I couldn’t leave secretly and should properly say goodbye to my friends.”

“Friends?”

“Yes, in kindergarten, the teachers need to be friends with the kids.”

Saying this, Qin Yan lowered his head. Uncle Zhou couldn’t see his face, but he knew Qin Yan was smiling, and his tone was cheerful. He said, “I listened to her, went back to the classroom, and seriously said goodbye to the children and Mi Zhou.”

He raised his head, his eyes moist, pulling out a small red flower from his pocket to show Zhou Shurong, and with a mixture of laughter and tears, he said, “This is the reward Mi Zhou gave me for admitting my mistakes and improving.”

Zhou Shurong couldn’t help but laugh.

At this moment, the waitress brought over a green vegetable juice.

Zhou Shurong said, “I ordered this for you. Healthy vegetable juice.”

Qin Yan thanked her and picked it up to examine it.

Zhou Shurong said, “Try it.”

Qin Yan obediently took a sip.

“How is it?”

“It’s quite good, with coconut water added…” He tasted it carefully. “What’s it called?”

Uncle Zhou leisurely replied, “Spinach pineapple almond vegetable juice.”

“No wonder it has a vegetable taste!”

“Haha, I was curious about what it would taste like, so I ordered it for you.” Zhou Shurong laughed. “But since they can sell it, the taste shouldn’t be bad.”

Qin Yan continued drinking the vegetable juice and said, “You’re still curious about what other vegetable juices are like. Let me try them with you.”

Uncle Zhou teased, “Is this your excuse to satisfy your cravings?”

“Am I that kind of person?”

“Forget it. I’m just afraid you’ll go home with a full stomach.”

“You… you’re getting more and more peculiar in your speech! I don’t want to argue with you.”

After finishing the vegetable juice, they paid and were about to leave. The longer they stayed outside, the more risks there would be.

Qin Yan wanted to see his car, so they walked to a secluded spot with no one around. Qin Yan looked around to ensure there were no surveillance cameras.

Zhou Shurong suddenly produced a red luxury car out of thin air. Before Qin Yan could express his surprise, the car was instantly engulfed in flames under the sun, turning to ashes.

Qin Yan: “…”

Zhou Shurong: “…”

Not managing to look cool, Zhou Shurong couldn’t help but cough. “Turns out it can’t be used during the day.”

Qin Yan was speechless. “I knew it, something used by ghosts could never—”

He suddenly remembered the little ghost holding an umbrella that Zhou Langxing encountered during the day. He told Zhou Shurong about it, and Shurong lowered his eyes in thought.

Oh—perhaps that umbrella was a ghost gear.

This car that was burned wasn’t a ghost gear.

He shared his guess, and Qin Yan learned about the existence of such a mysterious item as a ghost geae. He couldn’t help but wonder, “Why did you need me to push you to tell me?”

“What do you want to know?”

“A lot, a lot,” Qin Yan said seriously, looking at him. “I want to know everything about you.”

“Alright, I’ll tell you a story when we get back.”

“Tell one part, leave the rest. I’ll listen to it as a bedtime story tonight.”

He pretended to be disdainful. “You really have a lot of requests. Should we buy some snacks so you can listen and eat at the same time?”

Qin Yan immediately agreed.

They entered the Ping’an community, and in Building C, there was a small shop selling snacks and daily necessities. Qin Yan usually didn’t go there because it was a bit more expensive than other places, but if he was too lazy to go out, he would go there. This time, he felt the community was safer.

Qin Yan grabbed some instant noodles, dried noodles, and a few ice creams and popsicles.

At the checkout, Zhou Shurong stood near the counter, picked up a box of condoms, and curiously looked at the flavor, whispering to Qin Yan, “They even have durian flavor.”

Qin Yan felt a little embarrassed but glanced over, and sure enough, it was durian flavor. Durian smelled bad but tasted good. Well, not necessarily; to some people, durian might actually smell good.

“Put it back, put it back,” Qin Yan whispered. “We don’t need it.”

Zhou Shurong heard this, pursed his lips, looking quite unhappy.

His emotions were becoming more and more apparent.

In the past, even if he wasn’t happy, it was hard to tell.

Maybe he had been suppressing something for too long and had to release it.

Qin Yan sighed, put the snack back in the basket, and, facing Zhou Shurong’s surprised gaze, muttered, “Maybe we’ll use it one day.”

Zhou Shurong slowly blinked, his thick eyelashes fluttering. After a moment, he smiled and whispered, “Can we change it to strawberry flavor?”

Well, after stepping back, he picked another one.