Star-Crossed Lovers: The Ex-Convict and the White Rabbit - Chapter 13 - Playing Ghost

Chapter 13 – Playing Ghost

Lu Yin kneeled back two steps and evaded his palm. She wiped her eyes, “No need, I can do it myself.”

She sniffled, her voice aggrieved and carrying extreme caution.

Lu Qiang squatted with his elbows on his knees. He was very close, the silhouette of his strong body like a brick wall.

He blocked the only minuscule source of light. Lu Yin’s world once again sank into darkness, the intimidation pressuring her. She couldn’t help but curl her body up.

He looked at her, “Are you afraid of me?”

After a moment of silence, she answered as she slowly started moving, trying to stand back up, “… No.”

Lu Qiang smirked, “Then what are you hiding for?”

Lu Yin froze and squeezed out a smile, “I’m really not.” She pretended to be relaxed and tried not to look at him. Her hands on the ground, she exerted strength into her torso and raised herself from the ground. Pain shot from her ankle. She bent her knees and huffed.

Lu Qiang was still squatting, eye level with her softly curved calves. His gaze trailed upwards to the two small dimples on the back of her knees. In the dark, the fragile muscle connected her delicate, long legs, weak yet strong at the same time.

The index finger resting on his knee moved unconsciously and he raised his eyes to once again look at her.

Lu Yin tried to move her foot forward, but her ankle was struck with stabbing pain and wouldn’t let her move forward. She yelled and fell back, but she accidentally fell back into an impenetrable concrete wall.

Her back and knees fell perfectly between his arms, hips on his knees. The moment she raised her head, the cigarette between his teeth was beside her face.

Lu Yin froze for a moment and struggled, “Sorry…”

Lu Qiang’s grip was firm, no matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t escape.

The person in his arms was restless, she kept trying to get down, causing a section of her slim waist to writhe in his palm like a snake. He subconsciously pinched her and she stiffened, not daring to move.

Lu Qiang got up, lowered his eyes and glanced at her chest. She was wearing a white tank top, the loose and wide kind. It was too dark on the rooftop and he could only see a sheet of white, but the warm and soft feeling against his chest was very real.

Finally, he looked at the ashes on the ground and turned towards the door.

The building had six floors and was old-fashioned. Two flights of stairs equaled one floor and had voice-activated lights installed. Lu Qiang stomped down. The lights flickered on. Lu Yin narrowed her eyes under the exposure of the strong light. She suddenly felt an all-consuming sense of shame.

Lu Yin lowered her head, not knowing where to place her hands and finally rested them on her bangs.

Above her came a deep laugh, he asked, “Which floor are you living in?”

Lu Yin said, “Second floor.”

Lu Qiang asked, “You broke up?”

“No.” She denied.

“Then how do you explain going to the rooftop in the middle of the night pretending to be a ghost?”

Lu Yin said, “I wasn’t pretending to be a ghost, I was just burning something.”

“For the dead?1 [javascript:void(0)]Joss paper, also known as ghost or spirit money, are sheets of paper or papercrafts made into burnt offerings common in Chinese ancestral worship (such as the veneration of the deceased family members and relatives on holidays and special occasions).”

Lu Yin choked, not daring to speak.

Lu Qiang carried her easily down two floors, “You were dumped?”

Lu Yin was wary, “Nonsense, my… husband is at home.”

“And he didn’t play ghost with you too?”

Lu Yin clenched her hands tightly and lowered her eyes, “He’s asleep.”

Lu Qiang didn’t continue talking and turned down the stairs to the third floor. He stomped his foot, the lights didn’t turn on. Lu Qiang coughed heavily.

Her arm trembled against his chest, Lu Yin subconsciously moved away, “The one on this floor is broken.”

After a few seconds, he asked, “Third floor?”

“Yeah.” Lu Yin said, “It’s been a month.”

Lu Qiang didn’t say a word but scoffed suddenly.

The dark environment made everything around her seem more silent than it was. She could hear his heavy breathing, accompanied by his monotonous, rhythmic footsteps. It was a short few meters, but she suffered more in these short seconds than the past few minutes.

There were a few steps left. She breathed a sigh of relief, but soon she was holding her breath again… Lu Qiang suddenly withdrew his arms, turned her upright. His rough palms ran across her thigh, as if adjusting his position, yet also as if – her hands tightened – testing her weight on purpose.

Lu Yin’s heart leapt to her throat.

Now that they were on the second floor, she suddenly yelled, “I forgot something on the rooftop.”