UD | Chapter 7 – She’s Been Riding on Your Back All Along

After causing a scene, Rong Leying didn’t give them any time to react. She hurried back to her room, packed up her few belongings, her books, and her laptop, and prepared to leave.

When she came to the Rong family home, she had only brought three or four sets of clothes. The rest were still at school.

If it weren’t for her laptop and books, she wouldn’t have wanted to come back at all.

By the time she came downstairs with her backpack, the servants were still cleaning up the mess from the overturned dining table. Zhang Yan sat on the sofa, crying and gasping for breath while Rong Mingda stood beside her, trying to comfort her.

“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. I’ll make that unfilial girl apologize to you later. She’ll kneel and apologize!”

That child had gone too far. No matter what, they were still her elders. Yet she had pointed at them and cursed them.

If he weren’t such a well-mannered person, he would’ve scolded her back long ago.

Rong Mingda completely ignored the fact that he had actually been too intimidated by her earlier outburst to say anything.

Rong Sinan sat nearby with a worried expression.

“Mom, are you okay?”

Zhang Yan shook her head sadly.

“I’m fine. I just don’t understand why your sister suddenly got so angry. Maybe she was bullied outside these past few days.”

Hearing that, Rong Mingda felt even worse.

His wife was such a good person. How dare Rong Leying treat her like that?

Rong Siyuan stood quietly to the side, his eyes lowered as he contemplated something.

The moment Zhang Yan saw Rong Leying come downstairs, she started crying even harder.

“Xiaoying, I don’t know what I did to make you dislike me so much. I’ve always genuinely cared about you…”

So annoying.

Rong Leying didn’t even glance at her. She simply slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked toward the door.

Zhang Yan: “…”

Wait, what was going on?

If the little green tea girl didn’t respond, how was she supposed to keep acting?

“Rong Leying!”

Rong Mingda strode over and grabbed her arm.

“What kind of nonsense are you making? Your Aunt Zhang has treated you so well. How can you be so ill-mannered? Come apologize to her right now!”

Then he noticed the backpack she was carrying.

Lowering his voice, he reminded her:

“Don’t forget the agreement between us.”

Rong Leying looked straight at him.

“Rong Mingda.”

“I’m your father!”

“Rong Mingda… have you been feeling like your shoulders are unusually heavy lately?”

“What?”

The unexpected question caught him off guard.

As soon as she mentioned it, he instinctively thought about his shoulders.

They really had been bothering him.

He couldn’t even remember when it started, but he’d often felt soreness and heaviness there.

Sometimes it became so bad that he could barely lift his arms.

At first, he’d assumed it was a medical problem and had gone to the hospital.

The doctors had said there was nothing seriously wrong—just fatigue from overworking.

Zhang Yan had often massaged his shoulders afterward.

She was surprisingly skilled.

Every time she massaged him for a few minutes, the discomfort would ease considerably.

Though she always complained that her head felt strangely cold during those massages.

If Rong Leying could hear his thoughts, she’d immediately tell him why.

Whenever Zhang Yan massaged him, the female ghost simply moved from Rong Mingda onto Zhang Yan.

“…That’s not the point right now. Stop changing the subject and apologize to your Aunt Zhang.”

Rong Leying ignored him.

“Do you know why your shoulders feel heavy?”

“Why are you still talking about—”

“Because of my mom.”

She looked him dead in the eye.

“Your dead ex-wife has been riding on your back this whole time.”

“…”

Silence.

Everyone in the room stared at Rong Mingda.

Even the servants stopped working.

Zhang Yan: What kind of tactic is this little green tea girl using now?

Rong Siyuan: Pretending ghosts exist? Interesting. I’ll remember this one.

Rong Sinan: Did Sister hit her head or something?

The female ghost wrapped around Rong Mingda suddenly became excited.

“Xiaoying! You really can see me!”

Rong Leying nodded.

“I really can.”

The ghost became even more emotional and instinctively tightened her grip around Rong Mingda’s neck.

Suddenly, he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

It was as though something was strangling him.

His first thought was that his tie was too tight.

Looking down, he realized he was wearing casual clothes.

There wasn’t even a tie.

His mind blanked for a second.

Then every horror movie scene he’d ever watched flooded into his head.

Cold sweat instantly broke out across his back.

There’s no way ghosts actually exist.

She must be making things up to avoid taking responsibility.

He desperately tried to reassure himself.

“Rong Leying, what kind of nonsense are you spewing? At your age—”

“She’s still wearing the floral dress she died in.”

Rong Leying cut him off.

“There’s a huge hole in her chest.”

Boom.

Rong Mingda froze as though struck by lightning.

His throat tightened.

Not a single word came out.

An icy chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to his scalp.

Even his already aching shoulders suddenly felt heavier.

How did she know what Qingqing had been wearing when she died?

Could it really be true?

Had she really been attached to him all these years?

For a brief moment, he felt something behind him.

Something cold brushing past his ears.

Zhang Yan and the others couldn’t see his expression since they were facing him from the front.

But listening to Rong Leying’s detailed description, they all felt increasingly uneasy.

Especially Rong Sinan.

She had always been afraid of supernatural stories.

Terrified, she moved closer to her mother.

Zhang Yan also felt a chill run down her spine.

This new trick was far more unsettling than anything before.

Even the servants looked visibly uncomfortable.

Rong Siyuan observed everyone’s reactions and found the entire situation strangely entertaining.

Feigning concern, he said:

“Big Sister, did something happen to you? There are no ghosts in this world.”

The moment he spoke, Zhang Yan’s fear faded and was replaced by calculation.

“Xiaoying, are you missing your mother too much?”

She forced a gentle smile.

“It’s okay. One day, Auntie can take you to visit her grave.”

Rong Leying turned toward her and smiled brightly.

“No need, Auntie.”

“My mom is with all of you every single day.”

“She especially likes sitting on my dad’s shoulders.”

“And she really enjoys chewing on your head.”

After saying that, she ignored everyone’s reactions.

She shook off Rong Mingda’s hand and walked away.

Zhang Yan’s smile froze.

Subconsciously, she reached up and touched her head.

She often felt random cold sensations there.

Even when the room temperature was perfectly comfortable.

Come to think of it…

The problem had started after she got together with Rong Mingda.

Could it be…

Could that woman’s ghost really have been following him all these years?

Looking at the motionless Rong Mingda, Zhang Yan suddenly felt cold all over.

The pure-hearted Rong Sinan looked at her father, then at her mother, and finally at her younger brother, whose smile seemed a little strange.

She couldn’t understand it.

Just moments ago, they had looked like a warm and happy family.

How had everything suddenly become like this?