"Actually, that mother and daughter lost the pillar of their family and fell into financial difficulty. They had no choice but to sell the house. But even so, because of the rumors about it being a 'murder house,' no one would take it off their hands."
Youye licked the popsicle in her hand, seeming to be telling a story that had nothing to do with herself.
"What happened next?"
Geno asked curiously about the continuation of the story, while Youye gave an eerie smile.
"Later on, a man came here and bought the house from the mother and daughter... But when the mother saw the buyer's face, she was scared into collapsing on the ground, absolutely terrified. Guess what happened?"
Geno shook his head, but Youye's story had indeed piqued his curiosity.
"The man bent down slightly, helped the woman up, and looked at her very intimately, saying: 'Honey, I've come back to see you all.' That face was exactly that of her dead husband, and that day happened to be the anniversary of his death."
"Speaking of which, it happens to be today too~ Right? Dad?"
Youye's smile became increasingly eerie, giving Geno the creeps. Suddenly, a hand rested on Geno's shoulder—it was a man's hand!
"Yes, I've come back to see you all again."
"Waaaaah!!!! Ghost!!!!"
A scream suddenly rang out in the room, but it wasn't Geno's voice. A slender figure popped out from behind the sofa and whoosh—hid in Geno's arms, seemingly finding the only sense of safety there.
"Lucia?! Didn't you go to sleep?"
Feeling the soft body squirming in his arms, Geno immediately saw the aqua-blue hair and small horns. Who else could it be but Lucia?
At this moment, Lucia buried her face in Geno's chest, her hands gripping his clothes tightly. Her small tail was trembling incessantly; clearly, she was terrified.
"Hahaha!"
Youye, the instigator, was clutching her stomach and laughing non-stop, while the owner of the hand also revealed his true face.
"Still laughing! You brat, don't you know to comfort the little girl?"
Seeing that Lucia was scared, the person stopped playing the ghost, hurriedly showed himself, and started lecturing Youye.
"Uncle Baorong, it's you?"
The newcomer was precisely the person they had met before, Youye's adoptive father Li Baorong, who was also Youye's accomplice and the main culprit behind scaring Lucia.
"Sorry for scaring the little girl. I just came back from outside and happened to run into you guys telling ghost stories, so..."
Geno looked at Uncle Baorong's embarrassed expression, the corner of his mouth twitching. He could only say that as expected of Youye's father, they were truly cut from the same cloth.
"Fake? Phew, as long as there's no ghost."
Hearing Uncle Baorong's explanation, Lucia was no longer afraid. She let out a long breath and began to calm down.
But this breath made Geno's neck tickle a bit, causing him to move subconsciously.
"Ah! So-sorry!"
Lucia only then noticed she was still pressed against Geno. She hurriedly pulled away, her flushed little face terribly hot, and her tail, which had stopped moving, started wagging again.
"It's okay... Wait? Didn't you go to sleep?"
Suddenly realizing—shouldn't Lucia be sleeping in Youye's room right now? Why would she appear here and listen to ghost stories?
Geno's gaze became sharp.
"Uh, well, oh my! Right? Why am I here? Did I sleepwalk again?"
Watching Lucia play dumb, Geno didn't expose her, just crossed his arms and looked at her.
"Is that so? Then, shouldn't you sleepwalk back?"
"Zzz~~"
Saying that, Lucia actually closed her eyes, then emitted fake snoring sounds as she walked towards the room.
Thud!
That was the sound of a sheep head hitting the doorframe. Nothing serious.
After Lucia left, Geno looked at the father and daughter, who wore faces—no, two faces—of mischievous grins. As the old cock crows, the young one learns; Uncle Baorong had set a bad example.
"Ahem, well, Little Geno, Uncle apologizes to you again. I really didn't mean to scare your little girlfriend. However, didn't Uncle also create an opportunity for you?"
"Uncle Baorong, Lucia and I aren't in that kind of relationship..."
Geno wanted to explain, but seeing the disbelief written all over Uncle Baorong and Youye's faces, he couldn't be bothered to argue.
"Forget it, think whatever you want."
Geno shrugged. Actions speak louder than words. He had a clear conscience, and time would prove everything.
"By the way, what's the truth of that story? It should be similar to the ones we encountered before, right?"
Geno recalled Youye's story again. Except for the second half where Youye and Uncle Baorong—that old prankster—were clowning around, Geno felt the first half of the story should be true.
"The truth of the story is that Youye and I bought this house, and then the two of us settled down here."
Uncle Baorong's eyes held a trace of nostalgia. At that time, he had taken young Youye and encountered the widowed mother and orphan. In a moment of soft-heartedness, he gave them a sum of money to buy this house, and then opened this 'Studio of the Bizarre'. The name was even chosen by Youye.
"In a flash, so many years have passed. Youye has grown up so much..."
"Old Dad."
Youye gripped her left arm with her right hand, seemingly recalling that difficult period as well. But Uncle Baorong's very next sentence made Youye toss that nostalgia into the trash can.
"You've grown so big... When are you going to bring back a rich son-in-law for me?"
"...Hmph, if you want a rich son-in-law, go fish for one yourself!"
Youye's little face darkened. She turned her head and walked towards her room without the slightest hesitation.
"Look at this child. I was just joking, and she took it seriously."
Uncle Baorong touched his slightly balding head, then looked at Geno again.
"Young man, what do you think of my Youye?"
"...Uncle Baorong, Youye is still in school, right..."
"Hey, you gotta start grabbing them while they're young~"
You'd better be talking about claw machines.
"Uncle Baorong, I'm a bit tired too, so I'll go rest first."
Facing the disrespectful-for-his-age Li Baorong, Geno copied Youye and walked into the guest room prepared for him.
"Sigh, one and two, treating an old man like this..."
Uncle Baorong shook his head, took a bottle of beer from the fridge, and walked back to his own room. He looked at the old photo on the table; it showed a younger version of himself and a young, red-haired Youye.
"Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, that tiny little tyke has already become so graceful and ladylike."
Uncle Baorong caressed the photo, then took a sip of beer. Feeling the bitter liquid flow from his throat into his stomach, a chill permeating from head to toe, he let out a comfortable sigh.
"Girl... how much longer can I accompany you..."
____
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