Chapter 88: Complex Relationships (Part Two)
When it came to digging a wall's corner, Wu Junior was indeed very experienced and capable. He could discern what his target desired from subtle details, then prescribe the right remedy.
As for Yang Lu, she was never one to settle down. Her relationship with Ning Longyang had a strong ulterior motive from the start. A wall's corner with no foundation like that didn't need digging at all; a gentle push would bring it down. What's more, Wu Junior was a master; what he held in his hand wasn't a hoe—he was driving a bulldozer.
A wall that even the wind could topple, encountering a fierce bulldozer—the outcome was self-evident.
Wu Junior successfully obtained Yang Lu. Not only did he get Yang Lu, but he also became good friends with Ning Longyang. Meanwhile, Ning Longyang seemed entirely oblivious to the altered relationship between his girlfriend and Wu Junior.
No secret can be kept forever, and paper can never contain fire. As the three spent more time together, Ning Longyang gradually began to sense that something was amiss.
Until one day, when Ning Longyang witnessed his best friend and his girlfriend in bed together with his own eyes, he completely broke down.
The primary reason for his collapse wasn't simply the betrayal of his girlfriend.
He loved Yang Lu deeply, that much was certain, but he also harbored profound feelings for Wu Junior. These feelings weren't merely friendship; there were also inexplicable emotions entangled within.
Unbeknownst to him, Wu Junior had gradually entered his heart. He discovered that he didn't just like Yang Lu; he liked Wu Junior, this big man, just as much. In fact, he faintly felt that his fondness for Wu Junior had, without him realizing it, surpassed his fondness for Yang Lu.
He was in agony, his heart constantly writhing in pain, as if someone were repeatedly stabbing a knife into his chest.
Slowly, the inner torment transformed into resentment. Unable to adjust his mindset, unwilling to endure such psychological torture any longer, he carried a heart full of fury and intense resentment, ending his own life in an extreme manner.
He put on a woman's wig and donned a woman's red dress. Though born a man, he always felt as if a woman resided within his heart, so he chose to hang himself while dressed as a woman.
Due to the overwhelming resentment he carried before his death, he stepped half a foot into the realm of an Evil Spirit after he died. When he discovered he had survived in another form, his monstrous resentment boiling over, he first thought of Yang Lu and Wu Junior. He needed to vent.
His death went unnoticed and unmourned by anyone except his parents, including Yang Lu and Wu Junior.
The reason Yang Lu showed him affection and became his girlfriend was originally for an illicit purpose. To speak of true feelings, Yang Lu actually had none for him.
As for Wu Junior, he had even less affection for Ning Longyang. The only reason Wu Junior treated him decently was entirely because he had his eyes on Yang Lu. He wanted a legitimate way to approach Yang Lu, and how else could he do that without getting on good terms with her boyfriend?
Therefore, neither Yang Lu nor Wu Junior harbored any genuine feelings for him. Although his death startled them and even evoked a fleeting moment of guilt, within a few days, both had completely forgotten him and had, moreover, legitimately become a couple.
When he sought them out, the two of them were living quite luxuriously. With him, their stumbling block, gone, they could finally be together openly and honestly. What reason did they have not to be happy?
He was furious. At that moment, he only wanted to kill the despicable pair, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
He couldn't bear to harm Yang Lu, and he even less so to harm Wu Junior. So he just continued to follow the two of them, until Wu Xiaoxiao returned to the villa.
At this point in the story, Yang Haoran paused, took a sip of water. Having spoken so much in one breath, his throat felt like it was smoking.
The reason he knew so much detail was partly because his Ghost Eye could perceive the past of the deceased. However, the Ghost Eye's perception was limited to the individual deceased, so out of curiosity, he questioned Ning Longyang's soul further.
Yang Haoran was the one who had collected Ning Longyang into the Soul-Gathering Bead, and Ning Longyang harbored a deep-seated hatred for him. Normally, he wouldn't have revealed these things to Yang Haoran, but under Yang Haoran's empty promises, he chose to compromise and told Yang Haoran many details.
With Ning Longyang's narration, combined with what his Ghost Eye had revealed, Yang Haoran was able to know everything in such detail.
Of course, after learning the full story, Yang Haoran did not fulfill his promises to Ning Longyang, which greatly angered Ning Longyang. This was why Ning Longyang's reaction was so intense when Yang Haoran took out the Soul-Gathering Bead earlier.
Guan Hai listened intently, many of his inner doubts resolving, but some still remained.
"Listening to you, it sounds like Ning Longyang was behind all the hauntings at the Wu family, and Wu Xiaoxiao playing the Pen Spirit had nothing to do with it, right? " Guan Hai asked.
Yang Haoran shook his head and said, "It has a connection, of course it has a connection. If Wu Xiaoxiao hadn't played the Pen Spirit, things might not have become so complicated."
"How so? " Guan Hai didn't quite understand Yang Haoran's words.
"When Wu Xiaoxiao was playing that spirit-summoning game, the Pen Spirit, Ning Longyang happened to be in the villa that very night. He was summoned and appeared in Wu Xiaoxiao's room. At that moment, an idea sparked in his mind: since he couldn't bear to harm Yang Lu and Wu Junior, he would take out his anger on the other members of the Wu family. That's why Wu Xiaoxiao was so terrified back then," Yang Haoran explained.
"What about the other two ghosts then? " Guan Hai asked.
"They were also summoned by Wu Xiaoxiao's spirit-summoning game. They were Wánglíng from near the villa who came to the Wu family after being summoned. Ning Longyang originally had the power to devour these two ghosts, but he didn't do so. Instead, he brought them under his command."
"The Wu family villa was haunted, and everyone else was thoroughly scared, but only Wu Junior and Yang Lu were largely unaffected. In those few days, strange things certainly happened to them, but neither of them actually saw a ghost. It was the other members of the Wu family who were scared out of their wits by Ning Longyang and the two other ghosts."
With Yang Haoran's explanation, Guan Hai finally understood the full story.
"So that's what happened. Still, this Ning Longyang is rather pitiful," Guan Hai sighed.
"Pitiful? " Yang Haoran's face showed surprise.
"What do you mean? Don't you think he's pitiful? " Guan Hai retorted.
"Heh heh, I don't think he's pitiful," Yang Haoran said with certainty.
"From what you just said, Ning Longyang was likely bisexual, but that's not his fault," Guan Hai said.
"Whether bisexual or homosexual, I treat everyone equally and don't view them with different eyes. The reason I don't find Ning Longyang pitiful is because everything was his own doing," Yang Haoran stated.
"Why? " Guan Hai asked, puzzled.
Yang Haoran chuckled, took a sip of water, then asked Guan Hai, "Tell me, if he hadn't been so audacious and hadn't actively pursued Yang Lu, would any of these subsequent events have happened? Yang Lu was already pregnant, yet he still wouldn't give up. To achieve his sordid aims, he actively curried favor with her. Who do you think is to blame for that?"
"Perhaps Ning Longyang genuinely liked Yang Lu. The reason he chose to look after her wasn't to get her body, but to win her heart. It was all for love," Guan Hai responded with a smile.
Yang Haoran rolled his eyes at him and asked, "Do you believe that?"
Guan Hai chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Of course not. How many purely platonic friendships exist between opposite sexes in this world? When one sex actively approaches the other, there's always a bit of an ulterior motive. After hearing Ning Longyang's story, I barely even believe in same-sex friendships anymore."
"Don't worry, I'm not interested in you. " Yang Haoran detected the hidden meaning in Guan Hai's words and wore a look of disgust. Then, he paused and continued, "Not only do I not feel pity for Ning Longyang, I even think he deserved to die."
"Holy crap, when did you get so vicious? ! Even if he was sexually audacious, he didn't deserve death!"
Guan Hai's face was filled with surprise. The reason he said this was because he thought of himself. If 'sexual audacity' was the measure, he far surpassed Ning Longyang. If Ning Longyang deserved death for that, then he himself wouldn't be out of place being cut into a thousand pieces.
Yang Haoran seemed to infer something from Guan Hai's reaction. He began, "It's not what you're thinking. The reason I said he deserved to die is because of something else. Yang Lu's baby had been developing very well. Do you know why she had a miscarriage?"
These words made Guan Hai's expression stiffen. He seemed to have thought of something and tentatively asked, "Are you implying. . ."
"Precisely. The reason Yang Lu's baby miscarried was entirely Ning Longyang's doing."
"No way!"
Yang Haoran's words caused a significant shift in Guan Hai's expression. Although he didn't believe Yang Haoran would deceive him, he still couldn't help but blurt that out.
"Ning Longyang was not an easy character. From the very beginning of his interactions with Yang Lu, he had meticulously schemed to get rid of the baby in her womb, because he knew perfectly well that if that child wasn't removed, Yang Lu's connection with that other man would never be severed. He was responsible for Yang Lu's daily life and diet. Do you think it would have been difficult for him to get rid of the baby in her womb?"
Guan Hai nodded. Indeed, there was no difficulty. If he simply put some medicine in her food, it would have been truly strange if Yang Lu had managed to keep the child.
"Wu Junior and Yang Lu are both bad eggs, but Ning Longyang isn't exactly a good person either. No matter what, the child was innocent, yet he could mercilessly stifle an unborn life to achieve his own goals, without an ounce of guilt. Do you think there's any need to pity such a person?"
Faced with Yang Haoran's question, Guan Hai fell silent.
"Want to hear even more explosive news? " Yang Haoran asked Guan Hai with a mysterious smile.
"What? " A curious expression appeared on Guan Hai's face.
"I learned from Ning Longyang that Wu Junior was merely a stepping stone for Yang Lu. Her true target now is Old Master Wu."
These words made Guan Hai's expression instantly become a sight to behold. After a long moment, he finally managed to blurt out a sentence.
"Holy hell, this is too insane! I never realized Yang Lu was so ruthless. She really doesn't discriminate!"
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