After Yixue Han left, I said goodbye to Mr. Brown with Rachel Lan. Night had already fallen, and Mr. Brown didn't ask us to stay. I drove toward the city, with Rachel Lan lying in the passenger seat, fast asleep.
I drove absentmindedly, my eyes occasionally drifting to the side for a few glances.
Rachel Lan lay with her eyes closed, looking serene and gentle. Her chest rose and fell, exposing pale skin, as if she was a bit hot. She shifted slightly, and I quickly turned my head away.
“Ethan, what are you looking at?” Rachel Lan asked softly.
“N-nothing.”
Ever since returning from the ghost realm, whenever I was alone with Rachel Lan, I found myself looking at her differently—and often struggling to control myself.
“Let’s just go back… go back, Ethan…”
I responded with an 'oh.' Suddenly, I noticed Rachel Lan’s cheeks were flushed. I seemed to understand, and gave an awkward smile.
Beep beep beep—just then, the phone rang.
Rachel Lan hurriedly answered the call while I kept driving. After a while, she hung up.
The call was from Hugh Thompson. The man named Martin Chou, who wrote to my father, was already dead—over sixty, cause of death: myocardial infarction. Members of the local Ghost Burial Squad had already investigated.
But what caught everyone’s attention was a rumor: there was a book of horror stories circulating in N City that absolutely must not be read. Anyone who did would disappear.
For a moment, hope flared in my heart.
“Let’s go straight to the airport, Ethan,” Rachel Lan said immediately.
I nodded.
“Ethan, when we get back, let’s have a real talk.”
I smiled with delight.
Rachel Lan quickly asked Hugh Thompson to arrange tickets for me. We rushed to the airport; luckily, there was still a seat in first class. My anxious heart finally settled. All I could do was wait at the airport for the 7 a.m. flight.
It was already nine o’clock. By the time we reached the airport, it would be past midnight.
Although John Chou still hadn’t told me how to release Deathbane Aura, and I didn’t know what to do, this was just an investigation in N City—there shouldn’t be much danger.
I slammed on the gas and sped forward.
We arrived at the airport—it was already past midnight. Rachel Lan and I ate something nearby, then reclined our seats in the parking lot and went to sleep. We were both exhausted.
Suddenly, Rachel Lan reached out and gently placed her hand on my stomach.
“It’s okay, Ethan. We’ll definitely find your parents.”
I held Rachel Lan’s hand and nodded.
“When this is all over, we still need to figure out how to wake Old Moe.”
“Don’t worry. That troublesome old man is pretty tough.”
At six the next morning, we got up. Miles Mao delivered the plane tickets directly.
“Ethan, be careful this time. We’ve got a lot going on—sigh, it’s all the fault of that Midnight Paranormal Show production team. They’ve made us so busy.”
“What happened?”
“Ethan, you really don’t know? That Midnight Paranormal Show is a nationwide sensation now. All kinds of celebrities are taking part.”
I gave a noncommittal response.
After we boarded, we sat down on the left side of the middle row. First class was pricey, but comfortable.
Just then, a strong smell of smoke drifted over. Rachel Lan shot up. I looked over and saw it was coming from in front of us—a woman in a white hat and thick glasses was smoking.
“Miss, smoking is forbidden on the plane. Please be mindful.”
Rachel Lan said bluntly.
But the woman in front acted as if she didn’t care at all.
Suddenly, Rachel Lan snatched her cigarette and tossed it into the woman’s water cup.
The woman stood up abruptly—about one seventy tall, arrogant, and after removing her glasses, revealed herself to be a stunning beauty. I felt like I’d seen her somewhere before.
“What? You two think you can afford first class?”
She looked down on us. I felt my anger rising—even though I didn’t have much money and my clothes were plain, her contemptuous gaze made my blood boil.
“Hey, Lele, what are you doing?” A man in a suit, with neatly parted hair and thick glasses, looking scholarly, rushed over and grabbed the woman’s arm.
A flight attendant came in and quickly tried to intervene.
I saw Rachel Lan getting heated, her eyes fixed on the woman.
“You two are really first-class passengers? Did you sneak in? What’s the big deal? I smoke a little and you glare at me? Who do you think you are…”
I saw Rachel Lan’s anger was about to burst. Suddenly, a man with a baseball cap, long hair, sunglasses, and a flashy hip-hop outfit grabbed Rachel Lan’s hand.
“Let go!” Rachel Lan shouted angrily.
He chuckled. “What’s wrong? Ethan, Rachel, you don’t recognize me?”
The man took off his sunglasses. Rachel Lan and I cried out in surprise at the same time.
“Bo Ziran…”
After some persuasion, the woman finally sat down quietly. Bo Ziran took out an autograph board and walked over to her.
“Miss Jing Le, I’m your fan. Could you sign this for me?” Bo Ziran asked respectfully, holding out a pen. I remembered—this woman, petite and cute, with an innocent face, was the lead actress from ‘Little Demon at Your House,’ now a triple-threat idol: Jing Le.
“Go away, I’m not in the mood.” Jing Le shoved the autograph board aside. Bo Ziran gave an awkward laugh and stepped away.
“Lele, watch your image, okay? Those things last time—I worked hard to fix them for you…”
Jing Le’s manager quickly ran up to Bo Ziran, apologizing and explaining Jing Le was in a bad mood lately. Bo Ziran just smiled.
Before boarding, Rachel Lan and I went over to Bo Ziran’s seat. The ghostly woman with glasses who always followed him was there too, dressed in a white work suit, looking serious.
“Why are you taking a plane?”
“Well, I’m Jing Le’s fan! She’s going to N City for an event, so I have to go cheer her on in person.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Rachel Lan blurted out.
“Watch your mouth! You’re the crazy one!” snapped the woman with glasses. Instantly, the two women locked eyes, glaring at each other.
“Enough, quit it,” said Bo Ziran, his eyes never leaving Jing Le.
“Yeah, Bo Ziran, she’s got such a bad attitude. You still like her?”
“Ethan, you don’t get it, do you? Being a fan is all about passion. I’m a diehard fan, it’s fine.”
I gave him a resentful look.
Back at our seats, Rachel Lan was still fuming, glaring at the front.
“Enough glaring. Someone like her won’t stay popular for long.”
I muttered, maybe a bit too loudly. Suddenly, Jing Le stood up and glared at me.
“Kid, do you believe my fans could drown you in spit?”
“I believe it, of course I do.” I didn’t want to argue with Jing Le, so I replied lightly.
“You’ll be lucky to live to thirty-six. You’re twenty-five now, so you’ve got eleven years left. I suggest you pick out your cemetery and coffin early.”
I blinked at Rachel Lan, who was laughing. Suddenly, Jing Le, furious, grabbed her coffee cup and hurled it at Rachel Lan. I jumped up to block it.
A hand caught the coffee cup—Bo Ziran.
Rachel Lan shot up from her seat.
“Bo Ziran, move aside. I’m going to teach her a lesson.”
The plane was about to take off, and two flight attendants hurried over to intervene.
But I noticed Jing Le’s manager staring at Bo Ziran in shock, removing his glasses and wiping them.
“How did you get here so fast?”
Bo Ziran just chuckled.
“I’ve been here the whole time—you just didn’t notice. Alright, Ethan, talk some sense into your wife. Let’s not make a scene. Miss Jing Le, please calm down, for the sake of your diehard fan here.”
Jing Le looked ready to explode, then shouted.
“Old woman, who the hell are you? Just wait!”
Rachel Lan laughed and pushed me aside.
“I’m Rachel Lan. If you want trouble, bring it on.”
Bo Ziran tried to mediate again. I could only smile helplessly as the plane finally took off.
Rachel Lan rested her head on my shoulder. I slipped my hand to her stomach, gently stroking it.
“Alright, don’t be angry. She’s not worth it.”
Suddenly, smoke drifted over from the front again, swirling up. A flight attendant went to intervene, but Jing Le stood up and flicked her cigarette butt carelessly toward the back.
With a bang, Rachel Lan’s anger finally exploded. She kicked the seat cushion, sending it flying into Jing Le’s waist. Jing Le screamed, crashed into the table, and Rachel Lan shot to her feet.
I was startled—a chorus of sobbing erupted. Soon, several air marshals came in.
Jing Le was still crying, sprawled on the table. A doctor came over, lifted her shirt, and revealed a large red mark on her waist.
Rachel Lan pulled out her police badge. The air marshals hesitated for a long moment, then finally let it go.
“Just you wait, wait…” Jing Le shouted and cried, while Rachel Lan crossed her arms and laughed.
“Rachel, do you really need to go this far with a kid?”
Bo Ziran stood beside Rachel Lan, sighing helplessly.
“She started it.”