The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

Fan Hai collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Then he laughed, a laugh that shook his entire body. "Song Xinxue, you can't escape now."

Song Xinxue walked out of the Baotian City gate and hailed a taxi on the roadside. She didn't go straight home today, but went to the express delivery station first to pick up a package sent from her hometown.

The package wasn't big; it was packed in a styrofoam box and wrapped with several layers of tape. She opened it and took a look. Inside were vacuum-packed fish balls, plump and white, neatly arranged.

On top of the box was a note, with Grandma's handwriting crooked and messy: "Xuexue, these are the new fish balls I made this year, your favorite. Don't skimp on them while we're away, eat them whenever you want. Grandma."

Song Xinxue's eyes welled up with tears. She resealed the styrofoam box and carried it towards Baotian City.

She hadn't walked more than a few steps when she suddenly shivered. It wasn't cold, but an indescribable feeling, as if someone was watching her from behind.

She glanced back, but there was nothing behind her; the streetlights cast long shadows of hers.

She pulled her coat tighter and continued walking. After a few more steps, the feeling intensified. It wasn't that someone was watching her; something was following her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but a chill ran down her spine, and the hairs on her back stood on end.

She turned around abruptly, but there was nothing behind her. Under the streetlight, her shadow lay alone on the ground, the shadows of the trees beside her swaying in the wind.

"What's going on?" Song Xinxue's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively turned around abruptly.

There was no one behind me; the corridor was only lit by the lights, and there wasn't a soul in sight.

"Is anyone there?" she asked softly. No one answered. Only the rustling of the wind through the leaves.

She took a deep breath and quickened her pace toward Building B. She tried to reassure herself: Am I being too sensitive? Maybe I'm just too tired from working overtime and my nerves are on edge.

She rubbed her arm, feeling uneasy.

Recently, because of Fan Hai's harassment, she has been restless and has a feeling that something bad is going to happen.

Just as she was about to enter the lobby, two invisible vengeful ghosts floated half a meter behind her, their ferocious claws reaching towards her back, trying to possess her and control her consciousness.

Just as the claws of the two vengeful spirits were about to touch her body—

"ah--!!"

Two extremely mournful howls suddenly rang out, sharp and piercing, but only the ghosts themselves could hear them.

The two vengeful ghosts seemed to have collided with a blazing sun, or been scorched by flames. Black smoke billowed from their bodies as they twisted and vanished in an instant, their souls scattered and not a trace remained.

Startled by the invisible commotion, Song Xinxue trembled, clutching her chest, her face turning pale. "Who?!"

She looked around frantically, but there was still no one there.

Inside the penthouse mansion, Chen Hao was sitting on the sofa, watching a popular time-travel fantasy drama.

Moonhen curled up at his feet, her little head buried in her paws, fast asleep.

Yang Wanqing squatted to the side, teasing the wolf cub with snacks, occasionally letting out a clear laugh.

Chen Siyao was lying on the coffee table scrolling through her phone, occasionally looking up to say a few words to Chen Hao.

Just as those two vengeful ghosts were annihilated, Chen Hao frowned slightly, and a barely perceptible cold glint flashed in his eyes.

With a slight movement of his divine sense, he instantly covered the entire Baotian City.

A moment later, the whole story unfolded before my eyes.

He learned that two vengeful ghosts, who had been brought here by someone, were following Song Xinxue and wanted to possess her and control her.

The reason why the two vengeful ghosts were instantly annihilated was simply because they ran into the talisman he had placed throughout the building to ward off evil spirits.

When he bought this top-floor apartment, he noticed that the land had been a mass grave in the past, with extremely heavy yin energy. So he casually drew several talismans to protect the house and set up a magic array to guard the entire building.

Let alone two small, fierce ghosts, even a hundred-year-old evil spirit would be instantly refined if it got close to this place.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Chen Siyao looked up, puzzled, at Chen Hao's furrowed brows.

Chen Hao withdrew his divine sense, his expression as calm as ever, as if nothing had happened: "It's nothing."

In his eyes, this petty trick was like an ant trying to shake a tree, not worth mentioning.

However... it's interesting that someone dares to make a move on the people around him.

The doorbell rang.

Yang Wanqing immediately jumped up and excitedly ran to open the door: "I'll go open the door!"

As soon as the door opened, Yang Wanqing's eyes lit up when she saw Song Xinxue standing there: "Sister Xue! What brings you here! Come in, come in!"

Song Xinxue walked into the living room, her heart still pounding. Chen Siyao jumped up from the sofa: "Sister Xue! You're here!"

"My grandma sent some fish balls from our hometown." Song Xinxue placed the styrofoam box on the coffee table and opened it. "Liyang fish balls, you guys haven't had them in a long time, have you? My grandma raised grass carp herself and made them herself. They taste much better than what you buy outside."

Chen Siyao leaned closer to look, her eyes shining like stars: "Wow! It really is Liyang fish balls! I haven't had them in ages! Sister Xue, you're so kind!" She picked up the styrofoam box and ran to the kitchen, "I'll cook them right now! Brother! Sister Xue brought fish balls!"

Chen Hao came out of the study, saw Song Xinxue, and smiled slightly: "Thank you for your thoughtfulness."

Song Xinxue shook her head: "You're welcome, it's just some local specialties."

Chen Hao glanced at her, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment. Song Xinxue's complexion wasn't good; she was paler than usual, and her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she had something on her mind. He didn't say anything and turned to go back to his study.

Song Xinxue sat on the sofa, and Yang Wanqing poured her a glass of water. Yuehen jumped down from Yang Wanqing's arms, ran to Song Xinxue's feet, and looked up at her.

"It seems to really like you," Yang Wanqing said with a smile.

Song Xinxue bent down and picked up Yuehen, gently rubbing its head. Yuehen comfortably squinted its eyes and snuggled closer to her. Holding this fluffy little thing, Song Xinxue's heartbeat slowly calmed down.

She probably misheard that scream. Working overtime is exhausting, and the stress could easily lead to auditory hallucinations.

Chen Hao came out of the study, holding a small brocade pouch in his hand. He walked up to Song Xinxue and handed her the pouch.

"What's this?" Song Xinxue took it, opened it, and saw a jade pendant inside. It was a deep emerald green, with excellent translucency, and was engraved with intricate patterns, gleaming softly under the light. She recognized it at a glance—Imperial Green.

"This..." She looked up at Chen Hao, "Isn't this made of the imperial green jade that the winner gave us last time? This is too precious, I can't accept it." She handed the brocade pouch back, "I only gave you some fish balls, it's not worth something so valuable."

Chen Hao didn't take it, but simply said, "To me, this is just an ordinary thing. Take it."

Chen Siyao peeked out from the kitchen and, seeing this scene, smiled so much that her eyes curved into crescent moons: "Sister Xue, just take it! This is a token of my brother's affection!" She even emphasized the word "gift" and winked at Song Xinxue.

Song Xinxue's face flushed instantly. She looked down at the jade pendant in her hand, her heart racing again. Not the kind of racing out of fear, but a different kind.

"Well... thank you, Chen Hao," she said softly.

Chen Hao nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips. He glanced at Chen Siyao, who was winking at him with a "Look how sensible I am, brother" expression. He shook his head helplessly, not exposing her.