Chapter 13: Sleep, My Darling

Gou Liang was utterly bewildered, at a complete loss as to what to do next. A prompt flashed through his mind, urging him to hurry and exit—if he delayed any longer, it would be too late!

He spun around and raced toward the Obsession Hotel. The east was already tinged with a pale light, as though the sun were about to rise. But that couldn’t be right; how could the sun rise in the Netherworld?

With his mind full of questions, Gou Liang dashed down street after unfamiliar street. Suddenly, a police auxiliary officer with an unusually large head stepped out from a narrow alley. Seeing Gou Liang running like a frightened rabbit, the officer immediately shouted, “Why are you running? Stop right there!”

Glancing back, Gou Liang saw clearly that it was the big-headed auxiliary officer. He thought, Even if your father showed up right now, I wouldn’t stop. Seeing that Gou Liang wasn’t stopping, the officer sprinted after him at top speed, leaping forward like a starving tiger pouncing on its prey in an attempt to tackle him.

Gou Liang dodged aside and, in a split second, swung a fist backward.

Thud!

A cry of pain.

The big-headed officer was instantly struck in the eye, tumbling to the ground with a crash, clutching his face, unable to give chase.

Without missing a beat, Gou Liang hurried back to the Obsession Hotel, entered the restroom, and stood in front of the mirror. He opened his phone’s camera, pointed it at his reflection, and tapped the return button.

With a flash, everything went black, and he felt himself sucked into the mirror. The next instant, it was as if he’d collided with some strange, skin-like vessel—all at once, there was a buzzing in his ears, like a man’s agonized scream.

The ringing faded, and all was silent. Yet his whole body felt unspeakably uncomfortable, as though he were enveloped in a layer of silk stockings.

He opened his eyes and found himself back in the Wang family’s bathroom. A glance in the mirror shattered his composure—he now wore Hao Dagen’s face.

A message appeared in his mind: At the moment you returned to the world of the living, Hao Dagen happened to be standing in front of a mirror. The phone’s yin-yang camera captured him, and you crashed into his body.

Frantic, Gou Liang tried to tear off this layer of skin, only to discover it wasn’t a physical substance but some material foreign to the world of the living, condensed into tangible form.

He could sense its presence, but not touch it—what his hands found was only his own skin.

In other words, this “skin” was a kind of illusion, solidified from the obsessions of a soul. This explained why ghosts could sometimes be invisible and sometimes take form, giving Gou Liang a fresh understanding of their nature.

Another prompt flickered in his mind: As a Red Talisman Healer, you cannot remove this skin. Only by advancing to a Second-Tier Orange Talisman Healer can you shed it. Furthermore, you must nourish this skin with yin energy to prevent it from rotting. If it does, you will die of corpse poison.

Thank goodness he didn’t need to reach the Seventh-Tier Purple Talisman Healer—otherwise, who knew how long he’d have to bear this face?

Dazed and questioning his life choices, Gou Liang stood in a daze for a long while before finally stepping out of the bathroom. Lacking Hao Dagen’s memories, he felt completely at a loss, unsure how to fit into this family.

Just then, Wang Xiaomeng got up to use the restroom. Her long, black hair cascaded down to her shapely hips like Wang Xinyao’s, and she wore a set of gossamer-thin pajamas, making her skin appear even fairer and radiating a youthful charm that made one’s heart race.

Catching sight of Gou Liang in Hao Dagen’s skin, her dark, luminous eyes filled with delight, her rosebud lips parting into a smile as she rushed forward, flinging herself into his arms and snuggling up like a kitten, her voice soft and playful.

“Daddy, where have you been? You’ve been gone so long—I missed you so much.”

Excitement painted a rosy blush on Wang Xiaomeng’s cheeks, her lips parting with soft breaths, and a gentle fragrance wafted around them.

Gou Liang felt a rush of warmth; being called “Daddy” wasn’t so bad after all. He was moved, but as a healer, he reminded himself to treat her with the compassion of a doctor for his patient. After all, Wang Xiaomeng had suffered greatly—he would comfort her as he would a patient, and that made it easier to accept this new paternal role.

Gently patting her fragrant shoulder, he comforted her, “Ah, Daddy’s been busy lately. I missed you too.”

Though Wang Xinyao treated Hao Dagen with icy disdain, Wang Xiaomeng was truly his precious little daughter.

“Alright, but you have to come home every night from now on. I keep having nightmares, and I want to sleep with you.”

Gou Liang felt a surge of heat—this was a bit much. Seeing his hesitation, she twisted in his arms, pouting and wheedling, “Please? If you don’t agree, I’ll go on a hunger strike.”

That wouldn’t do—if she lost her figure, it would be such a waste, and Wang Xiaomeng was the beauty of her class. Gou Liang didn’t want that responsibility.

Reluctantly, he nodded. “Alright, Daddy will come home every night and sleep with you.”

“You’re the best, Daddy. I love you.” With that, she planted a noisy kiss on his cheek.

Gou Liang felt dizzy, almost as if he were floating. While wearing this skin was awkward and uncomfortable, it wasn’t without its perks—he could investigate the feud between Hao Dagen and Zhang Zhihan, and he got to hear the class beauty call him “Daddy.” It was, in its own way, delightful.

But after taking on this form, Hao Dagen’s thoughts and memories were gone, leaving only the muscle memory accumulated over the years—like an athlete’s muscle memory, or perhaps just his personality traits.

Complacent, content to go with the flow, never striving, enjoying whatever fate brought him—perhaps that too was a way to live. Unlike the healer’s nature, bursting with vitality and fierce possessiveness, aggressive and brimming with positive energy. Blending these two traits was the very essence of his youthful quirkiness.

Right now, what Gou Liang most wanted to know was: as Hao Dagen, where did he sleep? Though dawn was breaking, there was still over an hour before it was time to get up, and after a sleepless night, he longed for a nap.

After Wang Xiaomeng finished in the bathroom, she saw Gou Liang lingering by the bedroom door and affectionately slipped her arm around his. “Daddy, let’s go back and sleep a bit more.”

Gou Liang knew that Wang Xiaomeng was currently sharing a bed with Wang Xinyao. If he went into the room, where was he supposed to sleep? Surely not all three of them in one bed?

Entering the bedroom, he was greeted by a captivating fragrance. The first thing he saw was Wang Xinyao’s curvaceous figure, a sight to make anyone’s heart race. The room was large and luxurious, with a big bed and a wide sofa.

Expertly, Wang Xiaomeng unfolded the sofa into a bed and swiftly made it up with bedding.

Gou Liang let out a sigh of relief—he had finally found Hao Dagen’s place in this household. For twenty-odd years, Hao Dagen and Wang Xinyao had lived like this—what a pitiful man.

After making up the sofa bed for him, Wang Xiaomeng returned to share the big bed with Wang Xinyao. “Good night, Daddy. Now that you’re sleeping with us, I can finally have sweet dreams.”

Gou Liang nodded, giving Wang Xiaomeng a deep, gentle smile. “Sleep well, sweetheart. Daddy’s here—there’s nothing to be afraid of.”