A Secret (GL) - Chapter 19

The taste of the talisman water was bizarre. Although it was just plain water mixed with paper ash, it carried a searing, burning pain as it slid down her throat.

Shen Juan swallowed it all. She felt the change in her body immediately—as if an unseen force had drained every ounce of strength from her. Her limbs felt as soft and weak as someone recovering from a major illness. Sitting on the sofa, her only desire was to lie down and fall into a deep sleep.

This must be the “weakened vital energy” described in the book.

But why hasn’t Xiaoge come yet?

Shen Juan waited. The house was empty and silent, with only her inside. She waited a long time, until the effects of the talisman water were almost fading, yet Gu Shuge still had not possessed her.

Perhaps Xiaoge isn’t here, Shen Juan thought.

She was always calm. After failing again, she immediately began thinking of other ways. She would wait until midnight when she could sense Xiaoge’s presence, set a time with her, and try again tomorrow. Having finally found a way to communicate, she was determined to speak with Xiaoge no matter what.

As Shen Juan was thinking this, she suddenly looked toward the door.

Gu Shuge didn’t feel better until she had retreated all the way to the door. Perhaps because it was the second cup, Shen Juan’s body felt even weaker. To Gu Shuge, it was like a person who had starved for three days and nights seeing a feast; she felt an instinctive urge to gorge herself.

Only by standing far away could she barely restrain herself. Then, a deep wave of worry took over. Shen Juan looked terrible; her lips were completely colorless.

She felt she had failed Shen Juan, letting her drink two cups of talisman water and making all her painstaking efforts go to waste. In the middle of her guilt, she sensed Shen Juan looking over at her.

The older woman’s gaze landed precisely on her.

Gu Shuge froze for a second before realizing it was midnight. She suddenly became flustered—like many years ago when she skipped class and bumped into Shen Juan at the school gate; in that moment, she just wanted to find a place to hide.

The effect of the talisman water faded. Gu Shuge didn’t dare run away and walked back to Shen Juan’s side. She assumed Shen Juan must be angry. That water was so taxing on the body, yet she had drunk two cups for her sake. Shen Juan was desperate to talk to her for the sake of her own case; she had put in all the effort, only for Shuge to mess it up.

“Sister, I’m sorry,” Gu Shuge stood before Shen Juan and admitted her fault. However, she truly couldn’t bring herself to occupy Shen Juan’s body. She had thought of so many problems: what if she performed it poorly and hurt Shen Juan’s soul? What if something went wrong halfway through and she couldn’t get out?

She didn’t dare take the risk.

“Was I too impatient?” Gu Shuge heard Shen Juan’s voice.

Shen Juan’s expression was earnest as she looked at the space where Shuge stood. She asked again, “Did I give you too much pressure?”

Gu Shuge crouched down in front of her, looking up at her. She couldn’t tell if she felt more heartache or more guilt; she only felt that what she owed Shen Juan could probably never be repaid.

“You didn’t give me pressure; it’s just that we haven’t reached that point yet. It’s only the eighth day; we can still find other ways. Maybe that high monk will appear in a few days? Or maybe we’ll find another way to communicate. I can’t hurt you for my own sake, Sister. You didn’t pressure me; don’t take all the responsibility upon yourself. It really breaks my heart.”

Shen Juan couldn’t hear a single word Gu Shuge said. However, she could feel her crouching down—a gesture of comfort. For some reason, Shen Juan could not only sense her presence but also vaguely sense the person’s emotions.

Somber, dejected, yet somewhat soft, obedient, and sensible.

Shen Juan instinctively raised her hand, wanting to stroke the girl’s hair, but as her hand reached out, she realized she couldn’t touch her.

Gu Shuge saw the movement and understood what she wanted to do. She proactively moved her head closer, controlling her own form to press against Shen Juan’s palm and nuzzle it. From the outside, it looked exactly as if Shen Juan were stroking her.

“Sister, go to sleep and get some rest. We’ll keep thinking of ways tomorrow.” Shuge looked up, even adjusting her height so that Shen Juan’s gaze fell exactly on her face.

This way, it looked as though they were meeting eyes.

However, Shen Juan didn’t go to sleep immediately. She began clearing away the ritual items. Gu Shuge followed closely behind her. The used incense and candles were thrown into a trash bag; the glass was taken to the kitchen to be washed; the ash on the coffee table was wiped away; the book was returned to the drawer; and finally, Shen Juan washed her hands.

During all this, Gu Shuge followed her every step of the way. Wherever she went, Shuge followed.

Shen Juan finally couldn’t help but smile. “I can feel you following me the whole time.”

Seeing her smile, Gu Shuge crinkled her eyes and laughed too.

“Be careful, don’t let me bump into you,” Shen Juan cautioned. She was worried that with Xiaoge following her so closely, if she turned around and Shuge didn’t move in time, she might “break” her.

Gu Shuge said, “I’m very powerful now; it doesn’t matter if we bump.” She paused, imagined how Shen Juan would react if she actually heard that, and quickly added, “I’ll be careful. I won’t let you bump into me.”

After tidying up, Shen Juan still didn’t go to sleep. She sat on the sofa and browsed the news on her phone until she could no longer feel Gu Shuge’s presence. Only after recording tonight’s duration did she go to rest.

As she recorded it, Gu Shuge saw it too. Tonight was two hours. Except for the first night’s anomaly, the duration she could be sensed had increased every single night. Though the amount of time added each time varied, there seemed to be no clear pattern.

Gu Shuge thought that if this upward trend continued, eventually Shen Juan would be able to sense her twenty-four hours a day.

The next day, Shen Juan came downstairs quite late; she didn’t appear until after 9:00 AM.

Her complexion was slightly better, but still pale. Seeing her still at home, the servant hurried to prepare breakfast. Shen Juan ate a little before heading out.

She drove herself again today. Gu Shuge noticed that when she got into the car, she specifically placed her handbag on the back seat, leaving the passenger seat empty. This was definitely for her. Gu Shuge happily sat beside Shen Juan.

Once the car started, Shen Juan turned toward the passenger seat and said, “We’ll go to the office first, then in the afternoon we’ll check on the investigation progress.”

Gu Shuge said, “Okay.” Shen Juan hadn’t been to the office for many days; having newly inherited so many shares, she had to show her face.

Shen Juan drove the car out of the garage, then looked ahead and said, “From now on, I’ll try to drive myself as much as possible.”

Gu Shuge answered, “Okay.” This was so they could talk in the car. If a third person were present, Shen Juan wouldn’t be able to speak to her freely.

The Gu Group headquarters wasn’t far; it was about a fifteen-minute drive.

Walking into the lobby, they were met by many Gu Group employees. Gu Shuge had been here many times two years ago; some employees looked familiar, but most were strangers.

Shen Juan took the elevator to the top floor.

Lin Mo had already received word of her arrival. He led several board secretaries into her office with all the documents requiring her immediate signature.

As soon as Shen Juan arrived, he began reporting on the events of the past few days.

Gu Shuge felt a bit bored listening, so she wandered off. She circled Shen Juan’s office, looking at the various decorations; every corner seemed interesting.

“Some shareholders believe the group should be renamed. The Gu family is no longer the largest shareholder or the decision-maker; continuing to call it ‘Gu Group’ is no longer appropriate.”

“Renaming involves too much; we won’t consider it for now,” Shen Juan replied.

Lin Mo nodded and made a few notes. It wasn’t so much that the shareholders wanted a name change as it was a way to test the Chairman’s next move—to see if she planned a major internal restructuring. After all, she now truly owned the enterprise, unlike before when she held the position largely through Miss Gu’s support.

Gu Shuge heard all this but didn’t take it to heart. The trust between her and Shen Juan wasn’t something a few words or a distribution of interests could shake.

Someone brought in coffee. Shen Juan drank half a cup and continued listening to Lin Mo’s report.

Gu Shuge stood by the window and peered out. She had been afraid of heights when she was alive; she hadn’t expected the phobia to persist as a ghost. The number of people entering and leaving the office gradually increased. Gu Shuge recognized them as senior executives and heads of subsidiaries.

They moved in and out, each bringing their own affairs.

“Chairman, this is our subsidiary’s most important plan for next year. Headquarters hasn’t approved it yet, but we…”

Gu Shuge felt it was a bit noisy. When she was at the police station, there were many people too, but she hadn’t felt this way. Not only was it noisy, but it made her feel restless—the kind of agitation she felt right before the “wicked thoughts” emerged.

Gu Shuge could tell this irritability wasn’t caused by her own emotions, but by some force tugging at her soul. She looked at the person who was currently speaking.

It was a middle-aged man, dressed like most of the executives: suit, trousers, leather shoes, a tie, and styled hair. He looked cultured, yet possessed the dignity of a leader.

Gu Shuge searched her memory for him but found nothing, yet he felt very familiar.

As she was lost in thought—CRACK! The sharp sound of a cup shattering on the floor rang out.

Gu Shuge snapped out of it. She looked toward the source of the sound; Shen Juan was standing by a pile of shards while a young woman apologized profusely. She had accidentally broken the cup.

Shen Juan waved it off, indicating it was fine. The girl left, looking relieved.

The middle-aged man finished his report, left a thick folder, and also exited the room.

The feeling of unrest vanished instantly. Gu Shuge walked back to Shen Juan’s side, the agitation in her heart completely dissipated. She checked the time; it was almost noon.

It was lunchtime. But Shen Juan’s morning tasks didn’t seem finished. Gu Shuge wondered if they would have to stay here all afternoon.

Shen Juan spoke.

“Xiaoge, we’re leaving a bit later. Lin Mo found your classmate Muzi; she’ll be here this afternoon. I plan to meet her at a nearby hotel.”

So fast? Gu Shuge was surprised, but she soon remembered it was currently the Christmas holidays; Muzi had likely returned to the country.

“Okay,” she answered.

Shen Juan looked down at the shards on the floor. She didn’t call anyone in; she simply leaned over to pick them up herself. It was a white ceramic coffee cup, and there was a pool of coffee on the floor; cleaning it up was a messy task. Shen Juan didn’t seem to mind. She picked up the large shards and placed them on a few sheets of scrap paper, intending to wrap them up and throw them in the trash.

As she reached for a small shard, Shen Juan recoiled. Her fingertip had been sliced, and blood began to flow.

“It’s cut! Stop the bleeding, quickly!” Gu Shuge cried out in panic.

There was no first-aid kit in the office. Shen Juan stood up and pressed a buzzer to call someone in. Gu Shuge circled around her frantically. The cut looked quite deep; more and more blood flowed out, dripping onto the floor. In her extreme anxiety, she temporarily forgot she was a ghost and reached out to touch the wound.

Then, Gu Shuge froze, and Shen Juan froze as well.

She had touched Shen Juan’s finger.