575 I'm Too Scared to Sleep Alone
The father in the suit held his briefcase, the son in school uniform held his bag, the shy daughter-in-law held her broken arm. The three looked at each other.
“Why did she hang up again?” Han Fei’s phone had switched on earlier on its own. There were 99 unanswered calls from Octopus. The rain fell on the phone. Fu Sheng saw the 99 unanswered calls. He frowned and finally asked, “Did you owe him money?”
“He is my nemesis at the company, why would he lend me money?” Han Fei took the phone and planned to call back.
“Then, why would he call you 99 times? He looks desperate and angry.” Fu Sheng was reminded of a possibility. He looked at Han Fei with disappointment, “Did you and his wife…”
“Am I that kind of person?” Han Fei argued and frightened the pedestrians. “I’ll call back and you’ll understand.” Octopus refused to answer and Han Fei gave up. “Never mind. I won’t lie to you. Your biological mother will find us soon.”
“But mom is dead for many years already.”
“Your mom is now a Pure Hatred.” Han Fei looked at Fu Sheng seriously, but Fu Sheng looked at him in confusion. The girl looked at Han Fei with curiosity. “Why are you here anyway?” Han Fei’s eyes were wet like he was tearing up. In the blur, he could see the girl clearly. This should be Fu Sheng’s ghost eye talent.
“What is a Pure Hatred?” Fu Sheng and the girl turned to Han Fei.
“ A normal ghost won’t hurt others and they’re weak, like this girl.” Han Fei pointed at the girl. The girl puffed up her cheeks unhappily. “Some ghosts are very crazy. They have lost their rationality and cannot be communicated with. They are dominated by hatred and obsession. They only know how to kill, I call them Pure Hatred.” Han Fei didn’t expect that one day, he would need to categorize different ghosts.
“Impossible.” Fu Sheng shook his head. “Mom was so gentle, she couldn’t become a Pure Hatred.”
“Never mind. Feel free not to believe me but you have to promise me one thing.” Han Fei sighed.
“What is it?”
“When you sleep tonight, keep your bedroom door open, I’ll be afraid sleeping in the living room alone.” Han Fei didn’t think that was wrong. Who wouldn’t be afraid of a Pure Hatred?
“Erm…” Fu Sheng really thought his father had changed.
“Plus, you’re in high school now. I’ll buy you a phone, so that we can communicate easily.” Han Fei looked for the nearest phone store online. He planned to go there now.
“The school doesn’t allow us to bring phones, the teachers are afraid that we would be distracted.” Fu Sheng waved his hands. He really thought this was unnecessary. A phone wasted money when their family didn’t have much.
“Then make sure your teachers don’t discover it. Bring it with you even during exams. If you’re discovered during exam, at most you’ll fail. If you don’t answer the calls at critical moment, I might die.” Han Fei found the store. He prepared to bring Fu Sheng there. However, the girl stopped at the gate, she couldn’t leave the school.
“You can’t come with us? That’s such a shame.” Han Fei walked to the girl and used Soul Depth’s Touch to reattach the girl’s broken arm. “I’m an open-minded father. I’m not against an early relationship as long as the relationship is positive. A good relationship will improve both parties.” The girl was flustered. She stood before Han Fei dumbly.
“Fu Sheng is a good kid and you’re a good kid. He’ll be your support and you’ll be his salvation.” Han Fei wanted to say something more but Fu Sheng dragged him away. The crowd was already watching.
The girl looked at Han Fei’s face, and she was reminded of the warm touch on her wrist. She was envious of Fu Sheng. She wanted to follow them home.
“How can you say that in public? People will think you’re weird,” Fu Sheng whispered.
“Why would we pretend to be common?” Han Fei and Fu Sheng walked on the sidewalk. Cars drove past them. “One needs to learn to be on the low profile at the right time. However, one can’t hide one’s talents. It’ll dull your talents.”
Han Fei had Fu Sheng pick his favorite model and apply a sim card for him. “Now, I can contact you anytime.” Han Fei entered Fu Sheng’s new number in his phone.
Fu Sheng held his phone, and he entered his first contact. Fu Sheng wrote down Fu Yi as the name, but after some hesitation, he changed it to father.
“You done? Great. Let’s go home.” Han Fei put away the phone. He was thrilled. When his ex-wife called next, he would call Fu Sheng so they could talk. Fu Sheng was very sensitive to emotions. He could tell his father was really happy.
Fu Sheng was also feeling quite joyful. He walked beside Han Fei, and they went home.
When they reached home, the wife was ready with dinner. Han Fei smelled the fragrance as he walked in. “You’ve made such a big meal. Did you know something good will happen today?”
“What good thing?” His wife walked out of the kitchen holding the soup ladle.
“I found a new job, and Fu Sheng returned to school.”
“Really? Wait for me. I’ll add two dishes!” His wife ran into the kitchen. After Han Fei changed, he helped his wife.
Fu Sheng returned to his room. Out of habit, he wanted to close the door, but he was reminded of what Han Fei told him. His hands halted. He seemed to understand Han Fei’s purpose. “Why would an adult be afraid of sleeping alone? He probably didn’t want me to close the door.” Fu Sheng glanced into the kitchen. He saw his stepmother and Fu Sheng, who were busy in there. He felt this tiny house felt more like a home than before.
The dinner was soon served. The family sat around the table. The wife opened a can of beer for Han Fei, “Today is worth celebrating.”
“Dad and big brother are impressive!” Fu Tian was the best cheerleader. He was too young to understand many things, but he knew his dad and brother had done something amazing so he could have delicious food.
“I’m very happy to be your family.” Han Fei drank the beer and ate the food. His wife was gentle and kind. His eldest son walked out of the trauma, and his youngest son was growing fast, everything was turning out well. “The feeling of home is amazing.” An emotion grew within him. Han Fei tried to smile, but he still couldn’t. As he made a second attempt, pain shot through his brain. Fu Yi’s ghastly face expanded. He wanted to destroy Han Fei due to hatred and envy.
Han Fei’s grip on his legs tightened. Han Fei turned on the masterful acting switch. He set down the bent beer can calmly. “This beer is so cold.”
“I just took it out of the fridge. Next time, I’ll leave it to warm first.” His wife placed a piece of meat in Han Fei’s bowl. “You need to eat more. Your new job must be tough.”
“It’s not so bad. You should eat more too.”
After dinner, his wife cleaned the table, and Fu Sheng went to study. Fu Tian leaned on Han Fei and begged to play hide-and-seek. “This place is so small, I will find you!”
“I will not go easy on you!” Even at the new place, the result was the same. Even a strong child as Fu Tian felt like crying.
Seeing the father and son, even though the wife thought they were being silly, she couldn’t help but smile. The night darkened. The wife coaxed Fu Tian to bed and then she returned to her room.
Han Fei placed the mattress in the living room and the phone on the table. Before he slept, he glanced at Fu Sheng’s room. He only lay down after making sure Fu Sheng didn’t close the door.
‘The living room is 3 meters away from the front door, and it is 1.5 meters from Fu Sheng’s bedroom. The math is on my side. Time to sleep!’
