Afterlife Department

Chapter 123 – Yao

It isn't exactly a kiss, but his intention is to ask for air from the man. However, who would think the man doesn't have an ounce of air inside his body?! Thus, he died.

He raised his head and looked at his transparent arms. "… who are you?" he asked before he raised his gaze and looked at the man who was wringing his wet coat.

Because of his bloodless face, his vivid red lips are very eye-catching. There is a cut on those lips. "I didn't expect for you to be so fierce." The man's deep voice woke him from his thoughts. "It's entirely far from your usual attitude, Huo Ling." He added.

Huo Ling's pupils shrank and he glared at the man. "How do you know my real name?" he asked..

"Right. You're currently 'Howee Jackson'." The man muttered to himself as if he didn't hear his question.

"Hey!" Huo Ling called as he rose from the ground… ah, no. He's already floating above the ground since he is a ghost. "Shouldn't I have…" disappeared? "I didn't die?" he asked.

The man turned to him after hearing his question. "You're already dead. Or else, you wouldn't see me." he told him.

Huo Ling's brows wrinkled. "What do you mean?" he asked. However, the man didn't answer. He pursed his lips in irritation. "Where are we?" he asked as he looked around. They are in a small island.

"Not far from the shipwreck." The man answered.

"We didn't see any land near the ship!" Huo Ling said.

"Because something is playing with your sight." The man said.

"What? What do you mean?" Huo Ling asked. However, before the man could answer, Huo Ling saw something in the clear azure water. "What… the… hell…" he muttered under his breath when he saw a woman whose upper body is naked and her long, curly hair is covering her chest.

She was wearing a crown adorned with flowers. Beautiful is an understatement to describe her. Her head plunged on the water and she disappeared, but then replaced by a tail. A big, fish tail with beautiful large fins at the end.

It's a mermaid! A mermaid! Are his eyes really playing with him?! Huo Ling gaped at the mermaid that swam away.

"She's the one who pointed this island to me." the man told him and hang his coat on his shoulder, leaving only his white shirt with unbuttoned cuffs his upper body wearing. Since his shirt his wet, the white fabric stuck on his skin, making it look like the man's second skin. His black pants hugging his long legs exposed the man's perfect shape from his waist down to his calves.

Huo Ling looked away. He has a good built, too, but this man makes the models and actors become ashamed. "I saw you back on the ship. You're not on the guest list." He said. As a highly qualified waiter, they were made to memorize each guest boarding the ship for them to not offend them or make any other mistake. Thus, he was surprised to see this handsome man appeared. Was he hiding in the ship? Or else, how can he suddenly appear while the ship is in the middle of the sea?

The man didn't answer, making Huo Ling's teeth ache. "Before I… died, there was a rescue team that appeared. Why didn't you go with them?" he asked him before he paused. "Were you stowed away…?" he asked.

"No." the man answered.

"Then…" why is he here? Huo Ling stared at the man whose gaze is on the sea. Surely, it's not to accompany him – now a ghost, here? He thought. Since the man wouldn't answer, he just kept his mouth shut.

"It's here." The man suddenly spoke.

"Huh?" what is? Huo Ling turned to the direction where the man is looking and was stunned when he saw a ship appeared! He stared at the ship with widened eyes. He swears he didn't see any ship in sight before. How come a ship suddenly appeared?! It appeared as if out of… thin… air… It finally dawned on him, and his conjecture was confirmed when he finished scrutinizing the ship's appearance.

This is the cruise ship he was on before! The ship that was shipwrecked! He stared at it in horror before he slowly turned to the man who was calmly looking at the ship as the gangway ladder was placed before them.

"Two people aboard! Aboard!" a voice yelled.

Huo Ling turned to the direction of the voice and saw a man slowly appeared above the ship, yelling and waving his hand behind him. Huo Ling looked at behind the ghost and his jaw dropped when he saw more ghosts appeared behind him! They are the crew!

"Let's go." the man told him and stepped into the ladder.

"W-wait… this… this is – " Huo Ling stammered as he stared at the ladder like it was a snake.

The man slowly turned to him. "You are right." He said. "All the passengers of the ship died. The rescue team arrived too late." He told him and looked at him in the eye. "Thus, this ghost ship appeared in the sea." He resumed climbing the ladder.

Huo Ling gaped at the man's back before he gritted his teeth and followed him. Where can he go now, except on this ship? He has become a ghost now. He has no other choice but to board the ghost ship and follow this man.

This man… he acts like he is familiar to him.

China, S City.

"Aia! The ship has sunk, huh?" Hao Baiyun muttered as he sipped his coffee while he read the news on his tablet.

"Mr. Renata's company has fallen." Fei Xuli said as he placed a plate of cake in front of Hao Baiyun. "It is a pity. Mr. Renata is a good man, yet he didn't only die together with the ship and its passengers, but his family, too…" he shook his head in sympathy as he looked at the news where Mr. Renata's family owed a huge sum of debt.

"Not only did they lose the head of their family, but their wealth, too…" Hao Baiyun clicked his tongue.

"What does young master think of this incident?" Fei Xuli asked.

Hao Baiyun placed the tablet on the table before he adjusted his necktie and eyeglasses. "Mr. Renata is the best engineer. How can the ship suddenly sink? This isn't Titanic." He said before his lips curled up when he saw a car stopped outside the coffee shop where he's in. "This incident… is very beneficial with our line of work." He said when he saw a tall man dressed in a police's uniform got out of the car. "A pity he didn't become a model, but a policeman instead…" he muttered as his eyes followed Gu Xingfeng who entered the coffee shop.

"Young master…" Fei Xuli helplessly called before he cleared his throat. "So, there's really something in that sea?" he asked.

"Whether there's something or not, our line of work should make something out of nothing, and nothing out of something." Hao Baiyun smiled when Gu Xingfeng stopped in front of their table.

In contrast of his bright smile, Gu Xingfeng's face is stern. "You know something?" he asked Hao Baiyun.

"Is this how Officer Gu should act when asking a person?" Hao Baiyun innocently blinked as he pouted his lips. His expression looked aggrieved.

Gu Xingfeng's brows knitted in anger. "This is how I should act, since you're not a person." He said, not caring whether Hao Baiyun will be offended or not.

Fei Xuli's eyes narrowed as he glared at Gu Xingfeng, but still maintained a polite smile on his lips. "Officer Gu. I advise you to act properly." He said. "If not for our young master's kindness, Officer Gu wouldn't have the honor to be graced under our younger master's presence." He told him.

Gu Xingfeng looked unfazed as he stared at Hao Baiyun's face in disgust. "Tell me – " he said. " – is a yao 1involved in the shipwreck?" he asked him.

Hao Baiyun's smile faded as he dropped the act. "What if I answer 'yes'?" he asked back. "What will you do? Arrest me?" he said. "Again?" he added.

Gu Xingfeng's body froze before he calmed himself. "I wouldn't arrest anyone without evidence at hand – " he said.

"Yeah. You wouldn't." Hao Baiyun cut him off. "Just that, this 'anyone' you are referring to doesn't include us yao." He said and looked at Gu Xingfeng's eyes before he smiled. "With your attitude today, I advise you to not appear before me for the following days." He told him. He ignored the shocked look on Gu Xingfeng's face as he turned to Fei Xuli. "Xuli. See him out." he said before he rose from his seat and left.

"Wait – !" Gu Xingfeng called and was about to follow Hao Baiyun when he was blocked by a shadow that fell before him.

"Officer Gu. My young master's patience towards you is out of the 'friendship' between you two." Fei Xuli said. "However, even if we are yao, our patience also runs out. In fact, us yao are short-tempered." He said and looked at Jing Yu who appeared before Gu Xingfeng and has his claw on Gu Xingfeng's chest, ready to claw Gu Xingfeng's heart. "Among the yao, our young master has the best patience. I hope Officer Gu wouldn't test it again." He said before he called Jing Yu and they left.