Chapter 10: Matchmakers Have No Future

To put it simply, it was the story of a man who, after taking money to break up with his girlfriend, suddenly regretted it upon seeing her become famous and increasingly adorable.

The manager was well-prepared; she even brought along the payment agreement from several years ago, nipping the ex-boyfriend’s sophistry in the bud.

Back when the ex-boyfriend had initiated the breakup, Yoko Kinoshita had begged him in every way possible. Recently, the ex-boyfriend had been dwelling on that scene, convinced that Yoko must still be deeply in love with him, so he wanted to bypass her agency and reconcile with her in private.

Who would have thought that after waiting so long for this "private meeting," he wouldn't even get a single word out before being knocked senseless by the man in Yoko’s home.

Immediately after, the manager arrived as well...

...

Although the ghost infant was still just a baby, it understood the cause and effect.

Suddenly struck by the harsh reality, the entire ghost became wilted.

Although it was a bit pathetic, Jiang Xia felt a sense of relief as he watched it.

A ghost infant with shattered dreams was much easier to trick than before.

It didn't matter that it was wilted; once he brought it home, signed the contract, and fed it some ghost catnip, it would perk right back up.

...

With the most pressing matter resolved, Jiang Xia relaxed.

He leaned back against the sofa and stretched, only then realizing he was a bit hungry.

The three people nearby were still caught up in their melodrama, so it wouldn't be appropriate to interrupt.

Jiang Xia glanced at the coffee table, reached out toward a plate of oranges, and decided to have a little something to tide himself over.

To his surprise, Yoko Kinoshita noticed his movement and walked over to stop him.

With eyes red and swollen from crying, Yoko Kinoshita took a pre-made bento box from the fridge, popped it into the microwave for a quick heat, and brought it to Jiang Xia. "Eat this instead. Eating oranges on an empty stomach isn't good for your digestion."

She also handed him a pair of chopsticks.

Then, looking at the table and feeling like something was missing, she wiped away her tears and asked in a muffled voice, "Would you like a drink?"

Jiang Xia felt a bit embarrassed to eat it. "No, thank you."

Yoko Kinoshita thought for a moment, then grabbed a teacup and poured him a cup of oolong tea.

Only then did she hang her head and return to her manager's side to continue dealing with her own affairs.

Looking at the steaming bento and the tea beside it, Jiang Xia sincerely issued Yoko Kinoshita a "good person" card.

...

As for Stalker No. 1 and No. 2, Jiang Xia didn't need to worry; the manager was experienced and could handle it cleanly.

In the end, the ex-boyfriend was dragged away by the bodyguards, his mouth muffled.

While the bodyguards were suppressing the ex-boyfriend, Jiang Xia took advantage of the chaos to pass by Yoko Kinoshita, plucked the ghost infant off her wrist, and rolled it around in his hand.

It still felt a bit prickly to the touch.

But it no longer had that stinging sensation from last time, like "rolling around inside a syringe."

Perhaps the big scene just now had made the ghost infant confused about its goal, and its obsession had faded significantly.

After securing the ghost, Jiang Xia took his toolkit and the ghost infant and quietly slipped away while the manager was still busy.

If he stayed, he might be held responsible for the aftermath, which was too much trouble.

Under normal circumstances, Jiang Xia wouldn't mind staying longer.

But not today.

Today, he had to go back and play with his ghost.

Jiang Xia felt like someone who had waited days for an online order and finally had the package arrive at his door.

Right now, he just wanted to unbox it—he wanted to very badly, and he didn't want to wait even a second longer.

...

On the way home, the ghost infant struggled the whole time, but was ruthlessly suppressed.

Although its obsession had begun to waver, it seemed it still hadn't given up on playing matchmaker for its parents.

Jiang Xia wasn't in a hurry.

Over the past few days, while waiting for the stalkers to appear, he had prepared Plans A, B, C, and D for tricking the ghost.

...

Jiang Xia returned home, carried the ghost infant into the basement, and secured it in front of the television.

The ghost infant kicked its legs, looking at the pitch-black screen, and gradually developed a bad premonition.

It scrambled up vigilantly, only to see the human in front of the TV slowly turn his head and offer it a kind smile.

Then, Jiang Xia clicked the TV switch.

The TV began playing a recording.

It was a collection of news clips, all specifically curated by Jiang Xia: murder cases related to the entertainment industry.

—Some were about celebrities being assassinated by obsessive fans after announcing their relationships.

Others were about ordinary geeks who managed to hold a goddess's hand at a fan meeting, only to be murdered out of jealousy by other fans...

...

In this world, there were plenty of cases, and similar examples were easy to find.

Jiang Xia pressed play, left the ghost infant behind, and walked away with his hands in his pockets.

The next day, Jiang Xia peeled an orange and strolled leisurely to the basement door.

He saw the ghost infant slumped in front of the TV, looking as if its entire worldview had been shattered.

Hmm, Plan A seemed to be working.

Jiang Xia approached and gloomily stoked the fire: "Do you want them both to die?"

The ghost infant shook its head vigorously, eyes brimming with tears.

Jiang Xia was satisfied.

However, he still didn't let it go, instead swapping in a new videotape.

This time, it was a pile of pure romance dramas.

The two protagonists were sweet from beginning to end, and since they were female-oriented films, the male leads were all omnipotent and devoted to the female lead.

For the ghost infant, between its father and mother, it clearly had a better impression of Yoko Kinoshita.

Therefore, when thinking about problems, it was more inclined to stand from Yoko Kinoshita's perspective.

The ghost infant was thus held captive and forced to watch dramas for several days.

Having grown accustomed to the god-like male leads in the shows, it then thought about its dad...

...

A few days later.

The ghost infant was watching the finale with great interest. When the protagonists embraced and kissed, it clapped its little hands excitedly, having completely abandoned the idea of playing matchmaker for its biological parents.

Jiang Xia turned off the TV, picked it up, placed it on the table, and issued an invitation at the perfect moment: "Young ghost, will you sign a contract with me?"

Of course, this question was just a polite formality.

At this point, it had to sign whether it wanted to or not.

...

The little ghost infant woke up from the sweet dramas and shivered sensitively, sensing a threat.

But when it looked up and saw the sincere-looking Jiang Xia in front of it, it felt that the problem probably wasn't Jiang Xia.

The ghost infant peered around vigilantly for a while, but found nothing.

It began to feel that the environment was increasingly dangerous and that it needed to find a protective umbrella to rely on.

Moreover, its instincts told it that without someone to provide sustenance, it wouldn't be able to roam free for long.

The little ghost infant finally nodded in agreement.

...

Jiang Xia patted its head with a benevolent expression.

Many of a medium's skills could only be fully unlocked with a ghost infant.

Jiang Xia thought about his bright future, and suddenly his back didn't ache and his hands didn't hurt anymore.

Additionally, besides strengthening the medium themselves, a ghost infant had a chance to awaken unique skills when the contract was signed.

For example, teleportation, hardening, mental control...

Of course, there was no shortage of bizarre abilities among them.

And according to the research of medium scientists from his past life, these awakened abilities were often related to the ghost's own experiences and thoughts.

Jiang Xia looked down at the ghost infant before him and recalled its obsession...

He had a feeling it wouldn't awaken any "proper" skills.

However, now wasn't the time to be picky.

Having something was better than nothing.

...

Jiang Xia locked the basement door, returned to the ghost infant, and unbuttoned his shirt.

A black pattern appeared on his chest—a complex, flowery "Z" with many hollow decorative patterns. It looked eerie and mysterious, appearing out of thin air.

When every medium awakened, they could choose their own unique mark; once determined, it could never be changed.

When he was a child, Jiang Xia had been influenced by a movie when choosing his mark and had scribbled three dashing knife slashes—two horizontal and one diagonal.

He hadn't expected that when it manifested, the pattern wouldn't be the silver, shiny scars he had imagined, but a gaudy, flowery letter.

Fortunately, this thing was usually hidden and invisible; it only appeared on his skin like a tattoo when he was using a ghost.

...

Jiang Xia thought of his dark history, sighed, found a needle, and pricked his mark.

A bead of blood slowly seeped out.

It didn't slide down his skin but eerily hovered at the tip of the needle.

Jiang Xia reached out and let the blood drop onto the ghost infant.

When the two touched, there was a "sizzle" sound, like sweet, roasting meat. The blood drop moved as if it were alive.

...

Ten seconds later, it gradually stopped at the side of the ghost infant's neck and settled into its body. It became a Z-shaped mark, exactly the same as Jiang Xia's, but several sizes smaller.

After everything was finished, the ghost infant lifted its little short hand in a daze and touched its own neck.

It didn't feel any discomfort; instead, it instinctively realized that it seemed to have a long-term meal ticket.

Jiang Xia tossed the needle aside, buttoned his shirt, and watched it with eyes full of anticipation for a miracle.

A moment later, a bit of information appeared in his mind regarding the ghost infant's skill.

Jiang Xia read it carefully, his mood complex.

...The good news was that the ghost infant had successfully unlocked a skill.

The other news, which he didn't know was good or bad, was that this skill...

It was, as expected, absolutely ridiculous.

—The ghost infant could force a person to confess their feelings to someone else nearby.

(End of chapter)