I quietly gazed at the hotel in front of me. Howard Zhang was holding Susan Li's hand, looking impatient as he rushed inside. They quickly disappeared from sight, while I pressed my aching forehead.
I had no intention of following them. What surprised me greatly was that Susan Li shouldn’t even exist in the Dark Place, yet she was standing right before my eyes, alive and real. She hadn’t received an invitation to the Dark Banquet.
She exists in the Dark Place, and her aura is exactly the same as Susan Li’s. Even though most of my power has faded, my Ghost Network’s senses are precise—they never lie to me.
I kept standing on the empty street, waiting. After nearly two hours, I saw Howard Zhang and Susan Li come out, flirting and teasing each other. I hid to the side and checked again—it really was Susan Li.
I quietly followed behind Howard Zhang. After a while, I saw him escort Susan Li home. Humming to himself, he walked with his arms crossed through the neighborhood. I hurried over to him.
"Howard."
Howard Zhang jumped in fright and landed on the ground with a thud.
"Ah, it's you, Qingyuan. Don't scare me like that."
"Pay me back."
Without another word, I reached out my hand assertively. Howard Zhang chuckled and immediately came over, putting his arm around my neck.
"Let's talk, Ethan. Let's find somewhere warm, grab a bite, and discuss things."
I just grunted in response.
That warm place turned out to be my barbecue restaurant. I was grilling skewers while Howard sat nearby, drinking and watching hungrily.
"Did some exercise, I'm starving. Good timing, Ethan, you showed up. Why are you up so early?"
I really didn't want to deal with Howard right now. His personality hadn't changed—still the same as before. The only difference was, he used to be a rich kid, but now he's broke. His smart mouth hasn't changed, though.
"So, Howard, who's that woman?"
"Her name's Susan Li. Not bad, right? My new girlfriend."
"You really don't remember anything?"
I asked again. Howard shook his head, looking at me in confusion.
"Ethan, lately you seem pretty close with the teachers at school. And I heard Redmond came by yesterday. Are you talking about buying land or something?"