The invisible door in front of the ghost opened. He seemed to be knocked down by someone rushing in. He stumbled backward two steps, then said in shock, “Who are you people...”

Before he could finish, he had already been thrown onto the floor. Initially he shouted out loud and tried to retaliate, but he seemed to be facing a crowd of people and could not fight back. His tall, skinny body curled up like a shrimp, trying to protect his stomach. His clothes, which had been carefully washed and pressed, were now dusty, and as he took the beating he even wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, as if he did not want to seem too pathetic.

After taking this terrible beating, the ghost began to violently cough blood. As he coughed, he was violently flipped by his attackers, as if forced to kneel on the ground. Someone scratched out his fingers and he froze for a moment. His dark eyes were suddenly filled with fear.

“I’m begging you!” the ghost yelled as he struggled. “Don’t touch my hands... Ah!”

Before he finished his words had turned into a terrible scream. The fingers of his left hand seemed to be shattered by something, but his cry of pain only lasted a second before he bit it back. He frantically begged for something impossible. “Please leave my other hand...”

The people opposite him seemed to say something. The ghost begged, blood and tears mixing on his face. “I didn’t seduce the young master Ji! Please!”

“......” Lin Feiran’s lips trembled slightly. He lowered his eyes, unable to bring himself to watch any more. As he averted his gaze, another scream rang out by his ear, and he did not need to think to realize what had happened.

“It’s all in the past. This is just a replay,” Gu Kaifeng consoled him in a whisper. He reached out to encircle Lin Feiran with his arms, and scooped him into a tight hug.

After the ghost’s hands had been destroyed by his attackers, the reenactment ended.

Several days seemed to pass. The ghost had changed clothes and the wounds on his hands had been superficially treated. He sat in front of the piano in a daze. His face, slightly swollen from the beating, was like an uneven face mask. He sat frozen in front of the piano a moment longer, then pulled out a slim object from his front pocket with his injured hand and opened it. He glanced at it, then froze, opened his mouth and started silently sobbing. With his trembling and injured hands, he played several disconnected notes on the piano with effort. These discordant notes seemed to be the last straw that broke the camel’s back. The ghost was provoked by them and momentarily lost his mind. His gaze was crazed and he shouted as he pummelled the keyboard with his fists. His hands, which had never healed, now split open, and blood flew in all directions...

After the replays of both these scenes ended, the ghost reverted to his original form, half his body submersed in the piano and his bloodied hands fruitlessly positioned upon the black and white keys he had loved so much before his death. He moved no longer.

By the end, Lin Feiran had not been able to bring himself to look. His face was pale and he tried to steady himself. “You saw it all?”

“Mm.” Gu Kaifeng nodded and pulled Lin Feiran aside so the ghost wouldn’t hear them. “Looks like he and that young master were together. The young master’s family sent someone to break his hands, and then he opened something in front of the piano...”

A cliched soap opera plotline flashed through Lin Feiran’s mind. He softly said into Gu Kaifeng’s ear, “It wouldn’t be... a wedding invitation, would it?”

The pianist’s lover had a family who opposed their relationship, and had married a suitable wife. Then the pianist had had his hands destroyed and, at his wits’ end with despair, ended his own life... this guess definitely fit.

Gu Kaifeng: “Looks like one to me.”

Lin Feiran’s hands tightened into fists and he started arguing on the ghost’s behalf. “How can that man be like that!”

Gu Kaifeng glanced at the ghost. “If that’s true, then this young master is quite the bastard. I should have broken more of his windows.”

Lin Feiran: “......”

After a brief silence Lin Feiran said, “You still can. I think we should go to the Ji Mansion this weekend. We might find a way to dispel his regrets.”

Going by what they knew, this ghost’s greatest regret was probably the piano, because his spirit stuck to the piano even in death. The second greatest was probably his gay lover who had betrayed him, that young master Ji. Lin Feiran really couldn’t think of any way to let the ghost regain his piano-playing abilities under these circumstances, so he had to start from Ji Xuan. The ghost’s predicament was far too tragic. Lin Feiran had gained some immunity to scenes like this, or he might have been crying like a dog by now. So, Lin Feiran wanted to help the ghost. Even if he could not help him go on to reincarnate, he at least wanted to help him lay down some of his regrets, so he wouldn’t have to reenact such a scene of despair every day.

“All right. Let’s go this Sunday.” Gu Kaifeng agreed, then lifted a hand to ruffle Lin Feiran’s hair. “It’s almost nine. Let’s go back to the dorm.”

The two of them walked side by side on the forested path back to the dorm. In the summer, the trees were growing well and every breath was full of the fresh scent of grass and leaves. Lin Feiran inhaled deeply, then exhaled deeply, listless.

“What’s the matter, baby?” Seeing that there was no one around them, Gu Kaifeng took hold of Lin Feiran’s hand and laced their fingers together. His voice was gentle. “What you saw just now all happened in the past. Besides, we decided to help him, didn’t we? Don’t let it get you down.”

Lin Feiran nodded and obediently made a noise of assent.

Gu Kaifeng said with a smile, “Good.”

The two walked quietly for a little while. Seeing Lin Feiran was still down in spirits, Gu Kaifeng suddenly complained, “RanRan.”

Lin Feiran blinked. “Mm?”

Gu Kaifeng pretended to be aggrieved. “Recently, you don’t stick to me at all.”

Lin Feiran’s attention was drawn away by this line. He retorted, “Now I’m with you 24/7. I stick to you all the time!”

Gu Kaifeng tsked and said, “Before, when you saw a ghost you’d pounce on your husband. Even when you went to the toilet you had to have your husband with you. Every little while you’d come over and touch me or nudge me, like you wanted to grow on my body. Every day, you would chase after me and be cute. Now, your wings have grown, all right...”

You don’t pounce into my arms of your own accord any more!

“My wings haven’t grown! I’ll stick to you like before, then...” Lin Feiran softly whined and hugged one of Gu Kaifeng’s arms, giving a little nudge. Seeing Gu Kaifeng still pretending to be upset, he circled around to Gu Kaifeng’s back and jumped onto him like a koala, saying, “Husband, carry me.”

Gu Kaifeng let out a snort of laughter. He carried Lin Feiran on his back and walked in the direction of the dorm.

“Kiss your husband.”

“......”

“After the left ear, kiss the right too.”

“......”

“Face, too.”

“......”

“Neck.”

“......”