Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?
Chapter 88: Lust Overrides Loyalty

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Lust Overrides Loyalty

"Wait a minute, I need to reply to a message."

"Who is it? What a mood killer."

Ruan Hongzhuang came back, seemingly saying casually.

"A friend, I had arranged to meet him today, but I’ve ditched him for our date," said Shen Siyuan.

Ruan Hongzhuang didn’t ask further upon hearing this and walked to a shady spot. The two had just met and weren’t at a stage where they could casually ask each other anything.

"I’m at the Blue Sea Internet Cafe waiting for you, the computer is all set up, hurry over."

The message from Hong Wenqing carried a hint of urgency.

So early in the morning, he had gone to the internet cafe; after all these years, he really hasn’t changed.

"Not coming, I’m on a date."

Shen Siyuan didn’t beat around the bush with Hong Wenqing and spoke frankly.

"Haha.gif." Hong Wenqing sent a laughing emoticon.

"Just you, on a date? Don’t make me die laughing."

"Looking down on people?"

"Yeah, I am looking down on you. Hurry up, don’t waste time. I’m setting up a sixteen-player game today, and you’re coming too. Don’t you have a lot of achievements to complete? Let’s do them together, and maybe even get some divine equipment..."

"I really am on a date, don’t believe me? I’ll take a photo for you."

Shen Siyuan turned to look at Ruan Hongzhuang.

"I said I’m on a date and my friend doesn’t believe me, can I take a photo to send? Don’t worry, I won’t include your face."

"Why not include the face? Is it because I’m not presentable?" Ruan Hongzhuang laughed.

Then, she took the initiative to come closer and linked her arm through Shen Siyuan’s.

"That’s not what I meant."

"Go ahead and take it."

Ruan Hongzhuang leaned her head towards Shen Siyuan, showing a radiant smile.

She naturally understood what Shen Siyuan meant, but her straightforward personality disliked those girlish shenanigans.

Since they were dating, there was no need to hide and be secretive; might as well be open about it.

She also took quite a few photos today and was planning to post them on social media; she had no intention to hide her feelings at all.

Since Ruan Hongzhuang didn’t mind, Shen Siyuan took a couple of photos with their faces visible and sent them over.

And then—

Then Hong Wenqing went silent.

"What did he say?"

Ruan Hongzhuang was curious about Shen Siyuan’s friend’s reaction.

She was quite confident in her appearance, which should make Shen Siyuan proud in front of his friends.

Seeing no response for a long time, Shen Siyuan said, "Forget about him, let’s continue taking photos."

But just as he finished speaking, a message finally came from Hong Wenqing on WeChat.

"You really are dead meat."

Ruan Hongzhuang also curiously leaned in, then burst out laughing, revealing her white teeth. Feeling that it might be rude, she covered her mouth with her hand, but couldn’t stop laughing.

"Do you and your friends always talk like this?"

"We were college classmates and shared a dorm; we’ve kept in touch after graduation, so naturally, our relationship is a bit better than with others."

As Shen Siyuan spoke, he sent another message to Hong Wenqing.

"Little Hong, back off, don’t disturb my peace. (kicking away.gif)"

After sending the message, he immediately muted Hong Wenqing’s message notifications on WeChat, pretending nothing happened, and continued his date with Ruan Hongzhuang.

"Is this okay? Not only can it capture the sea behind, the trees below the mountain, but also include them in the frame..."

Ruan Hongzhuang had a good sense for the camera, seemingly a born protagonist.

Sixty percent of Shen Siyuan’s phone battery was spent taking photos of her.

However, this time, Shen Siyuan shifted the camera to the right, as a mother and child stepped into the frame.

Ruan Hongzhuang seemed to feel Shen Siyuan’s gaze and shifted her focus to the side, spotting a young boy leaning on the railing, staring blankly towards the sea.

To be precise, it would be more appropriate to call him a teenager, around fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a black sports jersey, with black sun sleeves on his arms, carrying a large backpack, a water bottle slung across, and his skin was dark, seemingly coming from afar.

"Do you know him?"

Ruan Hongzhuang came back and whispered in Shen Siyuan’s ear.

Shen Siyuan shook his head and said, "I don’t know him."

His gaze, however, shifted to the woman next to the boy.

The woman seemed young, probably in her thirties.

Perhaps it was Ruan Hongzhuang’s movement that made her aware, or maybe Ruan Hongzhuang herself was eye-catching enough that one couldn’t help but want to look at her.

So the woman turned her head and glanced at them.

But with that glance, she noticed the young man seemed to smile at her, which made her think she saw wrong.

If it were an ordinary person, maybe they would just let it go and move on.

But she wasn’t human after all, invisible to others, so she acted with much less restraint.

So she walked right up to see what the young man had captured on his phone, having noticed earlier that he seemed to be taking photos in their direction, perhaps her son might be in them.

On her journey here, what she regretted was that her son hadn’t left behind many photos.

Indeed, Shen Siyuan had taken a photo of the young boy, who was gazing at the sea, his expression melancholic, his brows furrowed as if harboring unresolved troubles, yet a ray of sunlight falling on his face seemed to symbolize a bright future ahead, that all hardships would become the past.

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at it, then walked forward, attracted by a mountain kopi tree outside the railing, the branches stretching inside the railing, filled with beige flowers.

So when the woman peeked over, Shen Siyuan directly asked, "How did the shot turn out?"

"Very nice, my son is handsome," the woman replied casually.

Then realizing what had just happened, she widened her eyes, surprised, and asked Shen Siyuan, "Are you talking to me?"

"Who else?"

"Can you see me?"

The woman was both shocked and delighted.

Shen Siyuan lightly nodded, and then turned to Ruan Hongzhuang, who was crouching by the fence examining the mountain kopi flowers, and said, "Slightly tilt your head to the right."

Then he whispered, "Of course I can see you, just speak to me, so others don’t think I’m crazy."

"Okay... okay..."

Clearly, it was the first time the woman had encountered someone who could see and communicate with her, and she was very excited.

So while Shen Siyuan was taking photos of Ruan Hongzhuang, he listened to the woman’s story.

The woman was named Chen Haiyan, and the young boy was her son, Zhou Jinbei, a junior high school graduate, who would be a high school student next year, currently on a cycling journey around the island.

However, due to family reasons, he wasn’t planning to continue to high school, which worried Chen Haiyan.

Chen Haiyan didn’t know Shen Siyuan’s background, so she spoke briefly and didn’t delve too deeply into her own matters.

"At such a young age, not going to school is not okay."

"Exactly, but I died early, and his dad doesn’t really care for him, although he’s actually quite good at studying," Chen Haiyan said with regret, but not too much sadness.

"Is there anything you want to say to him?"

Shen Siyuan stared at his phone, murmuring.

"Can you pass some messages to my son for me?" Chen Haiyan asked, somewhat surprised.

"The words I convey, will he be able to hear them? He might even think I’m a liar or crazy."

Chen Haiyan looked disheartened upon hearing this.

"These things, it’s best if you talk to him yourself," Shen Siyuan said.

"Me... myself?"

Chen Haiyan was initially puzzled, then gradually her eyes widened.

"You mean, let me talk to him myself, he can’t see or hear me..."

Chen Haiyan wasn’t foolish, she said this but was full of hope looking at Shen Siyuan.

Shen Siyuan not only could see her but also communicate with her, he seemed like someone capable, perhaps he could also let her son see her.

However, Shen Siyuan did not respond to her because Ruan Hongzhuang had come over.