Angel grunted.
Mei Jiu tensed at the sound. “Are you human or a ghost?”
“You guess,” Angel replied. She wouldn’t have bothered answering such a foolish question if not to confirm her existence.
Recalling the loss of control over her body earlier, Mei Jiu hazarded a guess, her face paling. “What are your intentions, hiding in my body?”
“I’m surprised you can say something so sensible. I thought you lacked a brain,” Angel said coolly.
She despised how this girl hadn’t asked a single relevant question since waking up, living so carefree.
Mei Jiu pondered, her grip on the bed’s edge slowly relaxing as color returned to her face. “Whether you’re human or ghost, I sense you mean me no harm.”
“Your feeling is correct,” Angel didn’t lie. In her mind, having no ill intentions towards someone wasn’t necessarily related to whether she would kill them or not.
Hearing this, Mei Jiu relaxed slightly, but her voice remained tense due to the divide between the living and the dead. “What’s your name? Why are you with me?”
Now it was Angel’s turn to be puzzled. This girl, whose heart had been racing with fear moments ago, had let her guard down based on a mere feeling! How absurd.
After a long silence, Mei Jiu asked, “Are you still there?”
“Name…” Angel felt dazed. Her memory held only code names, with no recollection of her actual name. “Angel.”
“An Jiu?” Mei Jiu’s tone grew more familiar. She whispered, “I’m Mei Jiu. An Jiu as in ‘long-lasting peace.’ Is yours the same character?”
An Jiu was fine, Angel thought, not bothering to explain. She merely said, “Your parents’ wish is nice, but with your intellect, I doubt you’ll last long.”
Mei Jiu didn’t fully understand but could tell it wasn’t a compliment. Her face flushed red.
“Hey, don’t get excited!” Angel snapped.
She could feel Mei Jiu’s emotions, and the unfamiliar sensations made her uncomfortable. It was like insulting herself while trying to insult someone else—a bizarre feeling!
Angel felt the need to take control of the body was urgent.
“You’re going too far!” Mei Jiu said angrily.
Wen Cui, waiting outside, heard the raised voice and immediately responded, “Fourteenth Miss, do you need my assistance?”
“No, no need,” Mei Jiu replied hurriedly.
Angel sighed in the void. She must have committed many sins in her past life to deserve such punishment in this one.
“Sister,” a familiar voice called softly from outside.
Mei Jiu perked up, jumping off the bed and rushing to open the door. “Ah Shun!”
Wen Cui smiled, “Fifteenth Miss came as soon as she woke up. You two truly share a deep sisterly bond.”
Mei Jiu pulled Ah Shun into the room. Seeing their excited state, Wen Cui tactfully closed the door without entering.
“An Jiu, you must save me,” Ah Shun said, tears suddenly falling. The panic in her phoenix eyes seemed genuine.
Mei Jiu paused, then smiled. “Don’t be afraid. Mother said this is our home. No one will harm you here.”
Angel couldn’t help but snicker. Mei Jiu heard the sound and tensed briefly.
Ah Shun, too distraught to notice the subtle change, continued, “Last night, those men in black wanted to kill me. I saw they didn’t mean to harm you and wanted to take you away, so I… said I was your sister.”
Ah Shun had thought Mei Jiu had no close relatives and planned to explain the lie to her later. Who knew Mei Jiu’s mother was still alive! If the lie was exposed, would she survive?
“After I was separated from my mother, you cared for me and kept me alive. I’ve long thought of you as my sister,” Mei Jiu said, sitting with her on the bed. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell Mother soon.”
Angel had no interest in this tedious display of sisterly affection. She had initially thought the Mei family had rescued them from the men in black, but now it seemed those men belonged to the Mei family! Recalling the situation, Angel had no doubt about her keen sense of danger—those men definitely weren’t there to rescue anyone.
Considering Mei Yanran’s reaction, Angel speculated that the Mei family might have originally intended to silence them but kept them alive for some reason.
“I can’t express my gratitude enough!” Ah Shun knelt before Mei Jiu.
“What are you doing? Please, stand up,” Mei Jiu hurriedly bent to help her up.
As the two held hands and talked, the warm, soft sensation transmitted through their palms made Angel extremely uncomfortable. Apart from close combat, she had barely touched anyone’s body in her entire life. She resented being unable to let go of Ah Shun’s hand! Moreover, being forced to listen to their dull conversation nearly drove Angel to mental exhaustion!
So, after Ah Shun left, she immediately said, “Can you avoid physical contact with others in the future?!”
“What’s… physical contact?” Mei Jiu asked, confused.
“It means don’t casually shake hands, hug, kiss, or sleep with others!” Angel explained.
Mei Jiu’s face turned red. “You, you…” She was too embarrassed to discuss such topics. “Ah Shun is a girl.”
“Girls are off-limits too!” Angel, having no leverage over her, resorted to threats. “You know I’m a ghost. If you don’t obey, I’ll kill your mother!”
“I’ll obey, I’ll obey. Please don’t harm my mother,” Mei Jiu hurriedly replied.
Angel felt she had overestimated the girl. Intimidating her so easily left Angel feeling slightly disappointed.
“Think carefully about your current situation! I bet that Wen Cui outside heard everything you whispered to that girl just now,” Angel warned. After all, they shared one body, and until she understood the relationship between soul and body, she didn’t want this body damaged.
“But she didn’t ask anything?” Mei Jiu said, skeptical.
Angel grew agitated. “No reaction doesn’t mean she didn’t hear! Is your head filled with intestines? People like you contribute nothing but waste to the world!”
Angel never thought being unintelligent was a fault—it didn’t affect her personally! But now, sharing a body with Mei Jiu, she couldn’t ignore it and had to communicate deeply! At this moment, rather than hating Mei Jiu’s naivety, she felt powerless in her current situation.
She didn’t even have the option to end her own life now!
“You’re impossible to deal with!” Mei Jiu, though usually passive, showed a hint of defiance.
She angrily stood to leave, forgetting that Angel would follow her like a shadow.
“Fourteenth Miss, you haven’t fully recovered. Please don’t go out yet,” Wen Cui said with a gentle smile, blocking her way.
Mei Jiu paused. “Why can Ah Shun leave the room?”
“Fifteenth Miss is in good health,” Wen Cui replied.
Mei Jiu didn’t insist on leaving. She lowered her head and said, “I want to see Mother.”
“Coward,” Angel’s cold voice somehow sounded resentful.