To tell the truth, no one ever believes me.

Three days later.

“So, Old Chen, you’ve been running yourself ragged these past few days like that big yellow dog in front of the mutton restaurant across the street—all because you’re helping the police solve a case?”

“Yeah. But there’s one thing I need to clarify—the dog isn’t nearly as tired as I am.” Chen Sheng nodded toward the window, from which they could see straight down to the mutton restaurant. At this moment, a yellow mutt was lazily sprawled out in the sun at the restaurant’s entrance. Its fur gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting as it moved.

“With that lazy thing whose only ambitions are eating and sleeping, you dare compare yourself to it?” Chen Sheng couldn’t help but complain.

Yu Youxin glanced over, then curled her lips. “That pig’s rather skinny, at least.”

“That dog’s going to eat itself to death sooner or later,” Chen Sheng said mildly. It wasn’t a curse; obesity is no good for any creature, after all. It harms your health, and too much of it can be fatal—especially for cats and dogs. Excessive weight compresses their organs, and they rarely live more than a few years like that.

Yu Youxin didn’t respond to Chen Sheng, but after glancing around the room, she suddenly said, “Old Chen, let’s get a rabbit.”

“They look cute, but they stink to high heaven. Are you sure?” Chen Sheng made a face of disdain.

“We could keep it for a few months, then skin it and braise it. It’s delicious!” At the last part, the girl’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Chen Sheng was speechless.

Most girls keep rabbits because they’re cute, but you just want to braise and eat it?

Although…braised rabbit is pretty tasty.

After a moment’s silence, Chen Sheng decided to fight fire with fire. He pressed his hands to his chin and, in a falsetto, intoned, “Rabbits are so adorable. How could you bear to eat one?”

“Ugh—” The girl obligingly mimed gagging.

“Forget it, Old Chen, you win! I don’t want one if you’re going to do that every day.” She was genuinely afraid he would.

Chen Sheng cupped his hands in a mock salute, signaling a truce. He had no desire for his place to be overrun by a stinky rabbit.

Then Chen Sheng went back to ironing his clothes.

“What are you doing, Old Chen?”

“The case is solved. The police found evidence that Dai Shujie committed murder. Besides a reward, Miss Xu is treating me to dinner. It’ll double as the first team-building event for the association,” Chen Sheng explained.

“Association?” Yu Youxin looked at him in confusion. She had no idea Old Chen was part of any association.

“It’s called the Wilderness Association, but it has nothing to do with adventure. It’s just a few people who’ve experienced supernatural events coming together. Honestly, I’m not too keen on joining,” Chen Sheng said. Although the incident he’d encountered before was indeed bizarre and unsettling, well…that was all in the past.

And what’s past, most people instinctively choose to forget.

Chen Sheng intended to do the same. After all, that incident hadn’t harmed him. His days were still the same endless cycle: work, home, repeat. No chance encounters with starlets, no damsels in distress, no mysterious mentors imparting secret skills, no expert appraising rare treasures, and certainly no CEOs falling for him.

All he had was a girl who liked to act silly every day.

And who absolutely refused to sleep on the floor.

Now that was just unreasonable. Why not give him the bed? Or at least take the sofa? Chen Sheng honestly didn’t mind.

“Can I tag along for the meal?”

“Have you ever experienced anything supernatural? If not…think up a good story,” Chen Sheng said. Since he wasn’t hosting, he couldn’t just bring someone uninvited. Still, Xu Rongrong had mentioned that if he knew anyone else with supernatural experiences, they could be invited to join the Wilderness Association.

“I have!” Yu Youxin nodded emphatically. Just three nights ago, she’d had an encounter! And that ghost had even tried to get in and “eat” someone.

“Really?” Chen Sheng considered, then asked her to elaborate.

Yu Youxin immediately recounted the events of that night. When she got to the part where she vanquished the ghost with the “Four Poems of the Stranger,” Chen Sheng rolled his eyes and interrupted.

“Where did you see that? What a hackneyed plot! And you even defeated a ghost? Why not say you’re a more powerful ghost yourself? Like those ghostly immortals in old tales.”

That would at least be a fresher twist than the usual “descendant of exorcist masters.”

Yu Youxin rolled her eyes in return.

She was telling the truth!

“Then you make something up for me…” she pouted, cheeks puffed out in protest.

“No problem!” Chen Sheng agreed instantly. That was right up his alley—and he could always borrow from elsewhere.

“Here’s the story: One night, you were at the police station and a man, disheveled and desperate, came in to report a murder. He claimed someone had killed him—but when you asked his name or where he’d died, he fell silent. Then, just as mysteriously, he left.” Chen Sheng basically adapted his own experience from that healing game, with a few tweaks.

Yu Youxin listened, her expression growing more peculiar. She pointed at herself. “Old Chen, look at me, look at me…”

Chen Sheng glanced at her and immediately understood.

“You’re the wrong age for this, aren’t you…”

But even this was no problem for Chen Sheng. He continued, “Just say it happened when you were a child.”

“That’s possible, but, Old Chen, why would I have been at the police station at night when I was a child? That doesn’t make sense.” Yu Youxin started poking holes in the story.

“Got lost? Did something silly? Got water on the brain?” Chen Sheng offered three options without missing a beat.

“Are you calling me stupid?” She eyed him suspiciously, head cocked.

Chen Sheng said nothing. Busted so quickly.

“Okay, I got lost, and a kind stranger brought me to the police station,” he patched up.

“So many kind strangers around?”

“Doesn’t matter if there are or not, just say it anyway,” Chen Sheng replied. “A little poetic license goes a long way.”

“All right then!” Yu Youxin nodded. She was satisfied.

So the two of them set out together.

Since it wasn’t far, Chen Sheng didn’t bother driving. They walked and met up in a café with recreational facilities.

Xu Rongrong was already there, along with Lin Wu and a couple Chen Sheng didn’t know—a young man and woman. Through introductions, Chen Sheng learned they were university students who’d gotten lost during an outdoor activity and encountered a ghost. On the bright side, the experience had brought them together as a couple.

Chen Sheng introduced Yu Youxin as well.

They didn’t talk much about supernatural matters, just ate and drank together. When it was time, everyone went their separate ways.

“That’s it?” Under the streetlights, Yu Youxin kicked a pebble, her delicate face puzzled. For such a mysterious-sounding association, the team-building was rather underwhelming.

“What else did you expect?” Chen Sheng countered. Xu Rongrong only cared about the supernatural because she’d been hurt by it; Lin Wu joined mostly out of pride. As for the couple, especially the girl, Lin Xue’er, she seemed interested, but her boyfriend looked like he’d been dragged along against his will.

From the moment this Wilderness Association was founded around supernatural experiences, it was already more or less defunct.

“Old Chen, I haven’t seen you play games in ages!” Yu Youxin suddenly said.

At her words, Chen Sheng felt a twinge of longing. The healing game really had been a fantastic experience. So he declared, “I’m pulling an all-nighter tonight!”

And as luck would have it, he had the weekend off.