MS Chapter 19

Lu Qingjia was about to leave with the gambler’s wife and child when the gambler hurriedly pleaded, “One more round, one more round! I still have things to bet with you. I can definitely turn things around!”

This scene seemed like a reenactment of the last moments of his life, a fixation that could not be awakened even after losing everything. The more he lost, the more he believed he could make a comeback.

Seeing this, the gambler’s wife and child were filled with resentment and rushed to tear the gambler apart, but fortunately, Xiaoyu and the others stopped them.

Lu Qingjia turned back and said, “You have no stakes left. What do you have to bet with me?”

The gambler’s eyes darted around, and finally, he gritted his teeth and said, “I still have myself.”

Lu Qingjia laughed, “But I’m not interested in you as a person.”

“You, a gambler, who doesn’t work and spends all day fantasizing about getting rich at the card table, have lost the ability to focus on work. Now that you’ve become a ghost, even if you were to sell your organs, it would be useless. What do I want with such a worthless bet?”

As he spoke, he pulled the gambler’s wife and child closer, “To be honest, I only wanted your wife and child from the beginning.”

“Yes, your wife is a good woman, and your son is smart and handsome. I’m very satisfied.”

The sight of his wife and child being taken away deeply pierced the gambler’s heart.

Especially with that pretty boy exuding the aura of a winner, relying on his looks, his wife and child didn’t appear desolate or desperate; instead, their faces were flushed, seemingly filled with anticipation.

The gambler was so furious he felt like he might vomit blood.

He quickly said, “Aren’t you afraid? That’s right, you rely on cheating, so naturally, you wouldn’t dare to bet more. You’re afraid that if you play a few more rounds, I’ll expose you. If you’re really that confident, then let’s have one more bet.”

Lu Qingjia shook his head helplessly, “The provocation tactic doesn’t work on me. After all, I have no obsession with the card table. Why should I use your logic to gauge my actions?”

“However—” he slightly leaned down, speaking to the gambler as if bestowing a gift, “you do have something on you that can be used as a bet.”

The gambler quickly replied, “Just tell me what you want to bet on, and I’m in.”

Lu Qingjia smirked, “How’s your ability to see through things?”

The color drained from the gambler’s face in an instant. Although he was a ghost and had little color to begin with, he now looked as pale as a paper figure.

“You, you—” he stammered in extreme panic, glancing at the five female ghosts, but immediately realized they couldn’t have leaked anything.

After all, he hadn’t even told his wife and child about his ability, fearing it would upset them.

This ability was born from his obsession as a gambler after his death. Even after becoming a ghost, he had never truly reflected on the wrongness of gambling; his greatest regret was simply not winning.

Thus, his strong obsession granted him an ability that was advantageous for a gambler.

If he had had this ability while alive, he would have probably won a fortune and lived a lavish life with his wife and child.

“If I had this ability while alive, I would have won a fortune long ago—right?”

The gambler heard this phrase in his ear. At first, he thought it was his own inner voice, but the next second he realized it was the voice of the pretty boy in front of him.

The expression on the gambler’s face could only be described as horrified, as if he were once again facing the fear of losing everything in his last game while alive.

His once-confident ability, even his thoughts, were all seen through by this person? Could this person read minds?

“Not exactly mind reading,” Lu Qingjia spoke again, leisurely addressing the gambler, who looked as if he had seen a ghost. “It’s just that what you’re thinking is all written on your face. I’m not blind, am I?”

Lu Qingjia sat down again, crossing his long legs and looking down at the gambler—

“Remembering cards? Did you really think that fabricating a clumsy lie would make you invincible at the card table?”

“During the first round, you were exposed the moment you cheated. Why did I clearly draw the heart 4, but when it was time to reveal the cards, it turned into the club 6?”

“Why were you so unsettled when the cards you had were all much smaller than mine? Since you say you can remember cards, then the moment you saw the cards didn’t match your expectations, you should have first doubted your memory or considered that the order was disrupted for some reason.”

“But you didn’t even glance at the card pile for a second, fixating your gaze on my cards the entire time, and you didn’t ask for a reshuffle. This shows that your method of identifying the bottom cards isn’t based on memory at all.”

“Sure enough, in the second round, you still effortlessly found the big card you wanted, but the moment the cards were revealed, the cards you held switched places. The bottom card you had in your hand ended up in mine, while the small card I drew went to you.”

“Haha, just now, to prevent cheating, Xiaoyu and the others recorded the footage with cameras. If you’re interested, you can replay it and see your expression at that moment, as if it was written all over your face: ‘Why did my card end up in your hand?'”

The female ghosts were also mischievous and immediately opened the previous video, rewinding to the moment after the second round of card revealing.

They giggled, “Hey! No kidding, it really is that expression on his face.”

“Yeah, I just said his expression looked so foolish; now it all makes sense.”

“Once Jia Jia explained, it was clear.”

Ignoring the gambler’s increasingly lowered head, Lu Qingjia finally said, “After two rounds of unexpected outcomes, your response in the last round was just to clutch your cards tightly.”

“This is enough to show how confident you are in the cards you drew. If you were only relying on memory, after making so many mistakes and facing numerous setbacks, no one would dare to be so certain, right? But you dared.”

“It’s as if those cards in your hand had no secrets, so your so-called confidence isn’t from remembering cards, but from seeing through them, right?”

The gambler felt completely exposed, now doubting his ghostly existence.

But the blow wasn’t over yet. Lu Qingjia stepped on his fingers, and the gambler let out a painful scream.

Logically, this gambler should have been able to bend down, as a human should pass through and not be directly harmed, but at this moment, his fingers felt a burning pain.

Lu Qingjia, like a casino boss, said, “If this were a real card table, and you were caught cheating, then regardless of winning or losing, I could chop off your fingers.”

After grinding for a while, Lu Qingjia finally lifted his foot, leaning forward to look at the gambler like a maggot—

“Back to that question, do you really think that if you had this ability while alive, you would have already made a fortune from gambling?”

“Then I can assure you, you will still lose everything.”

“You are too foolish and greedy, with a ton of flaws that even a blind person can see. The casino is never short of smart people and those who think they are smart. Even if you haven’t figured out your methods in the short term and tasted a bit of sweetness, with your foolishness, giving you a little benefit and flattery will make you float up to the sky. A slight trap can expose your bottom line.”

“Moreover—the tricks behind the casino, even using less than one-tenth of them can make you spin in circles. A mere ability to see through? Even if you see the cards, you will still lose.”

Lu Qingjia scoffed, standing up, “A turtle in a jar still thinks it can win against the dealer. This kind of foolish joke is something I can never get enough of.”

As he finished speaking, he swept his hand across the deck of cards on the table, and the previous card faces suddenly changed, making everyone realize he had used sleight of hand.

The gambler understood; when he returned, he had given the cards to Lu Qingjia, who had placed an illusion charm on them, a charm specifically for ghosts. The effect of a mere deck of cards would surely be stable and long-lasting.

Seeing everything was under Lu Qingjia’s control, naturally, the opponent’s ability to see through was rendered useless.

Only then did everyone realize this was a crushing defeat without any suspense from the very beginning, no matter the angle.

The gambler had lost everything while alive, and after dying, he had finally gained a new ability, thinking he had regained some confidence, but now that little bit of luck was completely uprooted.

He fell back to the very bottom of the building, and the way others looked at him was not just the previous disgust; now there was more sympathy for his intelligence.

Even his young son looked at him with the same expression.

The curly-haired female ghost suddenly realized, “Hey, wait a minute, this guy’s ability is to see through, is it just for cards or for all objects?”

As she spoke, the others tightly covered their chests, glaring fiercely at the gambler.

The gambler knew the power of the female ghosts, and even in despair, he quickly waved his hands, “No, no, I wasn’t looking around. This isn’t a passive skill; I’m not lecherous.”

But the female ghosts still surrounded him and beat him up before reluctantly saying, “If we see your gaze land on us, we’ll gouge out your eyes.”

The gambler cried out, pointing at Lu Qingjia, “Why? He wants this ability too!”

The five female ghosts looked at Lu Qingjia, their faces turning red, “Pah! Jia Jia wouldn’t be as lewd as you.”

“And the same thing, what Jia Jia does is different from what a pig like you does.”

Sisters, the implication in your words is quite dangerous, huh?

But Lu Qingjia shook his head, “It’s fine, I’m not in a hurry for this ability; you can keep it for now.”

As he glanced at his watch, he said, “It’s getting late; let’s all go back and rest. We have other things to do tomorrow.”

Once everyone left the room, the gambler’s expression was still dazed.

Not only because of Lu Qingjia’s actions throughout, but also because of his last words.

That was a ghost skill, a skill that could only be obtained with an A-level or higher clearance rating. How could he say it so casually?

It was as if he was waiting for him to claim a dragon-slaying sword, and it was just being stored for him, as if it had been waiting for him all along?

The gambler suddenly felt a deep respect, realizing that the world of the big shots was beyond their understanding.

But when he turned around, he saw the gambler, who had been beaten into a pulp, with his wife and child taken away, lying on the ground as if he had lost his father.

Although this guy had startled himself when he first appeared, after all the commotion, he saw that this guy had no fear left, only sympathy and disdain. What should he do?

Who could tell him not to be so inflated and at least take the ghostly threats in the instance seriously?

After Lu Qingjia settled the gambler’s wife and child, he prepared to return to his room. However, the little ghost grabbed his clothes and asked expectantly, “Do I have to call you Dad from now on?”

His mother quickly pulled his hand down, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

She then hurriedly apologized to Lu Qingjia, “I’m sorry, the child doesn’t understand. Xiaoyu and the others told me you’re a good person. Thank you!”

The child felt a bit wronged. In his simple worldview, his father’s gambling had left the whole family in poverty, and no matter how much his mother advised, it was useless. In the end, they were bullied by a group of terrifying people.

This uncle looked kind and gentle, and he had dealt with his father. Xiaoyu and the others also said he was a good person.

Since he had won against them, could it mean he could be his son?

Lu Qingjia raised an eyebrow, patted the child’s head, and smiled, “It’s not impossible. I like it when others call me Dad.”

Hearing this, the child beamed and called out sweetly, “Dad!”

The gambler, who was hiding in the wall trying to sneak a peek at his wife and child, was so stimulated that he shrank back and began to wail.

After a night of sweet dreams, the next morning, the things Lu Qingjia ordered arrived.

Director An woke up to see people continuously bringing in household items, living supplies, and food, so shocked that he stopped brushing his teeth.

“What is going on?”

Lu Qingjia smiled, “Eating boxed meals every day isn’t pleasant. The apartment has gas and electricity; it’s not a problem to manage it ourselves.”

“Well, I can understand the kitchenware, appliances, and ingredients,” Director An pointed to the bedding and pillows among the living supplies, “but what are these for?”

“To improve the living environment,” Lu Qingjia smiled.

Director An was about to get angry again, “You better not change the structure of the room even a little bit.”

Lu Qingjia waved his hand, “How could that be? There are still many empty rooms, right? The place we live in is also a filming location; I understand this logic.”

Only then did Director An suppress his anger, but he still felt something was off.

Suddenly realizing, “Hey, everyone is so busy; who has time to cook? I’m telling you, don’t even think about hiring someone.”

Lu Qingjia nonchalantly replied, “It’s just preparation. Whoever has time can cook a little when they feel like it. There’s no hard rule; it’s just to consider that when everyone is hungry, they can easily help themselves.”

Director An really couldn’t find a reason to refute this. After all, it concerned everyone’s welfare, and he couldn’t push too hard on non-principled matters.

So he waved his hand in annoyance. After the things were moved in and breakfast was finished, he pulled over the lecherous player—

“Weren’t you mentally prepared yesterday? I took a look at the photos you took under the skirts, yes, that’s right.”

“Since you were ready, let’s shoot your behind-the-scenes today.”

The lecherous player nearly spilled the porridge in his bowl on Director An’s face. He had already endured the humiliation of shaving his leg hair and wearing a skirt; why did he have to endure so much more?

Why couldn’t he just go out and play mahjong for a day or chat with old folks for a light-hearted scene?

The lecherous player looked to Lu Qingjia for help.

Yesterday, the female ghosts had said that if he really did something lewd to women, whether voluntary or not, it could provoke the female ghosts’ murderous intent, which was like being roasted over a fire.

Lu Qingjia smiled at Director An, “Let me talk to him.”

Then he pulled the lecherous player aside and whispered something.

The lecherous player returned with a face full of existential doubt, his expression shifting between wanting to live and wanting to keep his dignity, ultimately making a decision.

With a face full of bravado, he said to Director An, “Let’s go.”

After Director An and the lecherous players left for the outdoor shoot, the five female ghosts and the gambler’s wife and child all popped their heads out.

Lu Qingjia pointed to the things he had bought, “Feel free to use them; they are all for you.”

He then turned to the gambler’s wife, “We want to eat something more sumptuous for lunch. Can you help us prepare a feast?”

The gambler’s wife nodded and took her son into the kitchen.

Seeing that there were many organic foods specifically for children among the ingredients, as well as the fried chicken that the child loved the most, the gambler’s wife wiped her eyes and handed the clearly labeled breakfast meant for the child to him, letting him eat aside while rolling up her sleeves to start cooking.

The gambler wanted to shamelessly come in to help, but when he heard his son say, “The fried chicken Dad bought is really delicious,” he immediately fell silent.

Today, the director arranged a new task for the junkie thief player to try and steal some small items.

Whether it was gum from the store’s cash register or dried meat sausages hanging on nearby residents’ balconies, he had to bring something back.

The thief player didn’t question much; after all, although this was also illegal, it was easy to fool around. He could just buy something and say it was stolen to appease the director, and before it was his turn to shoot, he didn’t have to take it seriously.

As for Lu Qingjia, since he had performed well yesterday, the director didn’t impose many requirements.

The player playing the sexual deviant was required to create a false persona, pretending to be a complete pervert who couldn’t control his desire to inflict pain and needed to find an unnoticed prostitute to vent.

He had to plan how to do it, what kind of target to look for, what preparations to make beforehand, and how to wrap things up afterward.

These plans had to be written in a notebook and pondered repeatedly in his room, and it would be even better if they could align with the imagination of a curiosity film.

The player portraying the sexual deviant was genuinely scared and found Lu Qingjia, saying, “That guy is probably worried about the progress of the arrangement, right?”

“If I really get to that point, I’ll definitely anger the female ghosts and get killed before the shoot.”

He added, “No way, I’m scared. Can you accompany me later?”

Lu Qingjia readily agreed, “In the evening, I have something to do this afternoon.”

Those who stayed in the apartment for lunch had a feast. At first, everyone was a bit resistant to the food made by ghosts, as this was something they had never seen since their clearance records began.

However, Lu Qingjia ate with ease, and the gambler’s wife’s cooking was genuinely good, so everyone couldn’t help but—

With such a large table of food, the few players who had left the menu definitely couldn’t finish it, and it was clear that portions were also prepared for the female ghosts and the gambler’s wife and child.

The female ghosts enjoyed the essence of the food, exclaiming in satisfaction, “I haven’t eaten this well since I died.”

The little ghost was also happily eating. In his memory, there were very few scenes of having a hearty meal, and he called Lu Qingjia “Dad” sincerely, one bite at a time.

Meanwhile, his biological father was treated like a dog, given two bones, squatting in the corner, slowly gnawing, with no qualification to sit at the table.

The people and ghosts in the apartment were getting along harmoniously, while those who went out were not having it so easy.

In the afternoon, Director An and the lecherous players returned, pulling and shoving each other, hurling accusations and insults. If it weren’t for the assistant holding them back, they would have almost come to blows.

When everyone came out to see, well, Director An’s face was swollen like a pig’s, his glasses askew, one lens shattered, and the camera looked like it had been smashed too, a complete mess.

The lecherous player looked a bit better, arguing back at Director An with confidence.

Several people quickly pulled them apart, “What happened?”

One player, not waiting for an answer, speculated, “Hey, it must have been during the stealth shooting that a girl caught them. Some girls don’t buy the excuse of social research, so they probably called someone to beat them up, right?”

Another player advised, “Director An, I told you long ago, let’s just shoot the movie. Don’t keep testing the edges of the law. You say you’re sacrificing for art, but that also depends on whether the police agree, right?”

“Now look, you got beaten up? You should be grateful they only beat you and didn’t send you to the police station. Otherwise, who would go bail you out now?”

Hearing this, Director An felt like someone had poured gasoline on a fire: “Pah! If it were really like that, getting beaten would be worth it. What did you say this pervert did?”

The lecherous player, hearing this, was unrepentant, arguing back, “What the hell did I do? Didn’t I follow your orders?”

“I was playing a lecher, a completely lewd lecher. What step did I take without your instructions? You told me to steal women’s underwear, so I stole it. You told me to stalk, so I stalked. When we were in the elevator, I even took the chance to touch the hand of the person going down, leering and teasing, making them feel disgusted.”

“Which part did I not do? In the end, you told me to take a picture under the skirt, and I even exceeded the task by sneaking into the bathroom to take a picture while they were using it. Where did I go wrong? Why are you blaming me?”

“You said that for art, one must take risks. Now that the risk has fallen on you, you want to blame me for getting beaten?”

Others listened and said, “Then isn’t that fine? Since everything that needed to be done was done, it can only be said that the last part was an accident.”

“Yeah, you see, the person ran away. You guys coming back is already good enough.”

Even the actress with the snake-like waist said, “Director An, just let it go. Don’t be angry. Take some medicine tonight and rest well. No one wanted this to happen.”

Director An, trembling with anger, pointed at the lecherous player, swallowing a heart-saving pill.

He then continued to curse, “Bullshit! Do you dare to tell everyone that all the harassment was done by men?”