Chapter 14:
A dreamless night!
The next morning, the two searched online for storefront rental listings. After picking a few addresses, they set out to view them.
Following the online directions, Tang Yu and Hu Tao arrived at a small street on the outskirts of Shanghai.
Wangsheng Street (往生街道 – literally "Rebirth/Afterlife Street").
Compared to the bustling downtown, this place felt eerily quiet. The whole street had only a few scattered breakfast stalls open.
Tang Yu led Hu Tao to one of them and said to the owner: "Four big meat buns, please."
The owner was a middle-aged woman. When she saw Hu Tao's funeral attire, she couldn't help staring a little longer.
"Young man, what are you two doing around here?" she asked after handing over the buns.
Tang Yu passed one to Hu Tao and replied: "We're here to look at a storefront. By the way, boss, do you know where Wangsheng Alley is exactly?"
"Ah!" The woman's face instantly paled at the mention of "Wangsheng Alley." She lowered her voice and said urgently: "You two should leave—right now!"
Tang Yu frowned. He sensed something was very wrong.
Hu Tao finished her bun in a few bites. Hearing the woman, she asked curiously: "Boss, why are you telling us to leave?"
Seeing no one else around, the woman didn't hide it. She spoke as if recalling a nightmare: "A year ago, several migrant workers died one after another in Wangsheng Alley."
"If it was just normal deaths, that wouldn't be strange."
"Oh? What happened?" Tang Yu's interest was piqued.
"Their deaths were horrific—I actually went to see," the woman said, rubbing her arms as goosebumps rose. "They looked like they'd been sucked dry by a zombie—nothing but skin and bones left."
"The police investigated for a long time but found nothing." "After that, no one dared go near that alley."
Tang Yu and Hu Tao exchanged glances. They never expected their first storefront choice to be this cursed.
Tang Yu first thanked the woman, then took Hu Tao's hand and said: "Let's look for the next one!"
"No—I think this place is perfect," Hu Tao said, eyes sparkling. She grinned: "Everywhere else is too expensive. This one's cheap."
Tang Yu froze!
The woman hurried out from behind the counter and earnestly advised Hu Tao: "Little girl, this isn't a joke. You really shouldn't go." "You're still young—I get that you like thrills, but some things… it's better to believe they exist than pretend they don't."
She lowered her voice even more: "Rumor has it there's a ghost in that alley—a female ghost. Those male workers… they were all sucked dry by her."
Tang Yu felt chills run down his spine. The woman's expression didn't look like she was lying.
He pulled Hu Tao aside and said to the boss: "Thank you for the warning, boss. We understand."
With that, he led Hu Tao around the corner to another street.
Hu Tao shook off his hand and pouted, refusing to speak.
Tang Yu sighed helplessly and coaxed her: "The boss made sense. Yeah, it's cheap, but it's not worth risking our safety." "Other places may be expensive, but they're safe!"
Right after he finished speaking, his phone dinged.
He pulled it out— a notification from the Girlfriend Nurturing APP.
He opened it and his mouth immediately twitched.
The affection bar with Hu Tao now showed: 80%. It had actually dropped!
At that moment, Hu Tao spoke up, her tone carrying a hint of anger: "I want to go see Wangsheng Alley. I want that storefront."
Tang Yu looked up at the sky helplessly. "Why though?"
Hu Tao huffed. "Because I think there are clients there."
Tang Yu: "..."
He stared at Hu Tao, studying her carefully. His mind raced.
Clients? Could it be that this Hu Tao had some special ability? Like performing exorcisms?
Yes! If she could cross over from Teyvat, it was perfectly normal for her to know how to exorcise ghosts.
Tang Yu grabbed her shoulders, lowered his head to meet her eyes, and asked seriously: "Do you know how to perform exorcisms?"
Hu Tao looked up, meeting his gaze without flinching. "Mhm."
She nodded.
"Alright then—let's go take a look. If the storefront is suitable, we'll rent it."
Hu Tao's face immediately bloomed into a bright smile.
At that exact moment, his phone dinged again.
Affection notification: 90%.
With that, the two turned on navigation and headed toward Wangsheng Alley.
Meanwhile.
In a certain apartment, Zhao Xiaozhen and Lu Yan sat facing each other.
Beside them sat a young man covered in tattoos, a scar across his face.
"Brother Junjun, you have to help me get revenge," Lu Yan said in a coquettish, high-pitched voice, leaning against the tattooed man and acting spoiled.
Brother Junjun had already heard about what happened last night. He lifted Lu Yan's chin with a grin: "That Tang Yu guy—what do you want done to him?"
Zhao Xiaozhen said coldly: "I want him ruined—completely disgraced."
Brother Junjun's lips curled. He withdrew his hand. "That's easy. Isn't this your specialty, Sister Zhen?"
Zhao Xiaozhen frowned and stared at him. "Are you praising me or insulting me?"
Brother Junjun quickly laughed awkwardly. "Praise, of course! No poison, no husband, right?"
Zhao Xiaozhen finally relaxed her brows.
She said gravely: "Tang Yu and Hu Tao didn't stream today. Finding a mistake to exploit will be hard."
Brother Junjun asked: "Then what do we do?"
Zhao Xiaozhen gave a sinister smile: "If they won't make a mistake… we'll create one for them!"
Lu Yan nodded, but still had questions. She asked quickly: "How?"
Zhao Xiaozhen leaned close to Lu Yan's ear and whispered her plan.
After listening, Lu Yan's eyes lit up with understanding. She immediately gave Zhao Xiaozhen a thumbs-up: "Sister Zhen, you're the best!"
Brother Junjun shivered. "Damn… that's ruthless. If that happened to me, I'd be defenseless."
Facing their praise, Zhao Xiaozhen looked very smug. She waved her hand: "Go carry it out. I want them trending tonight."
"Yes!" Lu Yan and Brother Junjun nodded, stood up, and left together.
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