Chapter 3: The Best Man

The instant the silhouette on the red silk flickered across the glass, a chill like an ice pick pierced the back of Le Dong’s neck. Instinctively, he clutched Cai Kun’s arm beside him, his fingernails almost digging into the man’s thick flesh.

“H-hey, Dongzi…”

“Outside the window…” Cai Kun’s grumble was cut short by Le Dong’s trembling voice.

Following his gaze, Cai Kun looked out into the storm. The red silk outside was stretched taut by the wind—there was no trace of any figure.

“Dongzi, what’s with you today?” Le Dong blinked hard. When he opened his eyes again, the space beyond the window was empty—no figure to be seen.

“No, I wasn’t seeing things just now.” Ignoring Cai Kun’s question, Le Dong muttered under his breath, the shadow outside the window still vivid in his mind. That suffocating fear was far too real to be a mere hallucination.

“Dongzi, keep your voice down!”

Le Dong’s behavior had drawn the attention of everyone in the villa. Cai Kun hissed, shaking off Le Dong’s grip, and forced a sycophantic smile at Boss Hu, “Boss Hu, my friend here didn’t sleep well last night, sorry about that…”

Seeing Boss Hu showed no sign of anger, Cai Kun relaxed his strained smile. But Le Dong leaned in again, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Old Cai, I can’t do this job,” Le Dong tugged at Cai Kun’s sleeve. “There’s something wrong with this place—it gives me the creeps!”

Cai Kun’s expression changed, but he squeezed out a forced grin on his plump face. “Dongzi, stop talking nonsense! What could be wrong?” Yet his eyes darted repeatedly to the photos on the altar, clearly struggling to hold his composure.

“Is there a problem, young brother Le?” Their conversation did not escape Boss Hu, who slowly turned his head, his gloomy gaze settling on Le Dong.

Le Dong swallowed, about to speak, when his phone rang suddenly. The shrill ringtone shattered the silence of the villa.

“Hello?” Le Dong flinched, answering the call. It was his wife’s voice.

“Le Dong, where did you go this morning? Little Bao… Little Bao woke up today with a high fever that won’t go down. The doctor said… said the lung infection might have gotten worse…”

Her voice was choked with tears. “The hospital wants another thirty thousand deposit, and they need to put him on a ventilator… We really… we just don’t have that kind of money…”

A pain clenched Le Dong’s heart, a buzzing filled his ears. In the corner of his eye, the flickering candlelight on the altar illuminated the memorial photos on the wall. The mouths of the three people in the pictures seemed to curl up into sly smiles.

“Le Dong? Say something!” His wife urged him on the line. “The doctor said… if it’s really impossible… we can consider… stopping treatment…” By the end, she could barely speak for sobbing.

Le Dong’s fists tightened, his nails digging into his palms. He looked around the uncanny villa.

Boss Hu, Butler Ma, Master Zhao—all their eyes were fixed on him, waiting silently for his decision, like vultures circling for their prey.

“I… I’ll find the money right away.” Le Dong choked out the words. “Tell the doctor—no matter what, keep treating him!”

He hung up, took a deep breath, and turned to Boss Hu. “Boss Hu, sorry, I’ve been sleeping late these days, my head’s a bit muddled. I’m willing to take this job, but could you advance part of my pay first…”

Boss Hu’s face was expressionless, his eyes shifting to Master Zhao. When the latter nodded, the hoarse voice rasped out, “Old Ma, give it to him.”

Butler Ma nodded, disappeared into the inner room, and returned with a bulging envelope, pressing it into Le Dong’s trembling hands. The envelope felt heavy, as if it held his son’s very life.

“Dongzi, don’t worry, everything will be fine. After this job, if you’re still short, I’ll lend you what you need!” Cai Kun patted Le Dong’s back, uncharacteristically sincere.

As Butler Ma passed by, he bent down and whispered something in Boss Hu’s ear, his narrow eyes flicking between Le Dong, Cai Kun, and Master Zhao.

Butler Ma fell silent, leaving Boss Hu deep in thought. After a while, Boss Hu looked up at Le Dong and Cai Kun.

“There are still more than ten days before my father’s funeral. In the meantime, there’s a job that pays well…” He fiddled with the strap on his watch, a strange glint in his eyes. “My son died just before his wedding. As his father, I want to arrange a ghost marriage for him. I’ve discussed it with Master Zhao, but we’re short two living groomsmen.”

“A ghost marriage?” Le Dong’s heart skipped a beat.

“That’s right. The pay is separate—” Boss Hu drew out his words, watching their faces, “One hundred thousand each!”

When he finally finished, he spoke quickly, “A hundred thousand is lifesaving money for you, enough to pay off debts. And it’s easy—you just need to follow Master Zhao’s instructions. It won’t even take a day!”

His words circled Le Dong’s mind like a spell, fueling his hesitation.

He’d only ever heard rumors about ghost