Chapter 25: A Smile Worse Than Tears

Even if they are phantoms, they cannot violate the rules of the Ghost Forest. She was going to report them!

April jumped off the sofa and ran to the door. She was taller than Duoduo, so by standing on her tiptoes, she could reach the doorknob. However, no matter how hard she twisted it, the doorknob wouldn't budge. She tried several times, but the result was the same, and eventually, she had to give up.

[General Ling and his wife are actually ignoring the rules of the Ghost Forest just to see Duoduo. Wow, what kind of god-tier parents are they? I’m almost in tears!]

[April is trying to leave right after General Ling and his wife left. Do you think she’s trying to chase after them to Room 16 because she wants to get some fatherly love from the General?]

[I don't think April is that simple. If she really wanted to go to Room 16, she would have asked earlier. She waited until the General and his wife left to try and leave; she might be up to something malicious!]

[Whatever she wants to do doesn't matter! I'm heading to the Room 16 livestream right now to watch their reunion of the century!]

Netizens from the Room 1 livestream flooded into the Room 16 channel. The viewers who were already there were stunned by the sudden influx.

[What’s going on? Why did so many people show up all of a sudden?]

[They must be here to see my baby girl! She’s so well-behaved and adorable!]

[Hey, be careful what you say! General Ling is already on his way to Room 16. If he finds out you're trying to steal his daughter, he might ignore the rules of the Ghost Forest and drag you in to eat you!]

[What? General Ling is coming? Where? I don't see him.]

Just as the netizens were flooding the chat, Xie Fangyun and Xu Hetang suddenly felt the room temperature drop by over ten degrees. Xu Hetang, having experienced this before, felt his hair stand on end. He turned his head slowly, scanning the room, and asked cautiously, "Is... is that you, General Ling? Duoduo misses you very much. If you are here, could you please reveal yourself and... and meet with her?"

General Ling Yun’s reputation for cruelty was well-known; every phantom in the Ghost Forest knew of him. Xu Hetang was terrified, but at the sight of Duoduo’s listless expression, he steeled himself to ask.

Hearing this, Duoduo, who was sitting at the dining table, suddenly lifted her little head. She looked around, then curiously at Xu Hetang. "Grandpa, is Daddy here? Where is he? Why can’t I see him?"

Her soft, milky voice reached Zhang Yangfan’s ears. He couldn't help it and let out a loud sob.

"Little sister, I’ve finally found you!" In his excitement, Zhang Yangfan manifested in front of Duoduo.

Startled by his sudden appearance, Duoduo jumped. Zhang Yangfan, his face a tear-streaked mess, was hurt by her instinctive reaction. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "Duoduo is scared of me, Duoduo doesn't want me. Waaah, I’m going to cry!"

Realizing who had appeared, Duoduo turned, gripped the back of her chair, and clumsily stood up. Standing on the chair, she was taller than Zhang Yangfan. She reached out her small hand, patted his head, and comforted him like a little adult. "Duoduo misses Big Brother, don't cry."

Zhang Yangfan nodded, feeling happy. Duoduo didn't like seeing him cry; she still loved him. He grinned widely. But the next second, Duoduo’s soft voice reached his ears again: "Big Brother, you look even uglier when you smile than when you cry. Maybe you should just keep crying instead!"

Zhang Yangfan: "..." He must have been adopted; why else would his little sister always dislike him so much?

"Big Brother, didn't Daddy and Mommy come? I miss them so much!" Duoduo craned her neck, looking behind Zhang Yangfan. She didn't know how her brother had suddenly appeared, but she wished her parents could appear in front of her just like he did!

"He’s been here twice already, and this is my first time, yet you don't miss me like that?" Zhang Yangfan pouted, feeling a bit sullen.

Duoduo blinked in confusion. "Big Brother, when has Daddy been here?"

"Just last night... mmph..." Before Zhang Yangfan could finish, Ling Yun suddenly covered his mouth. Seeing that he had revealed himself, Lin Jieyue felt a surge of joy and immediately appeared before Duoduo.

"Daddy! Mommy!" Seeing them both, Duoduo jumped off the chair in excitement. She opened her arms to hug Ling Yun, but just as she was about to reach him, she remembered something. She bypassed him and hugged Lin Jieyue’s legs instead.

"Mommy, I missed you so much!"

"Mommy missed you too, Duoduo!" Lin Jieyue crouched down and pulled both Duoduo and Chouchou into her arms. Caught between the human and the phantom, Chouchou rolled his eyes, feeling like he was about to be squashed.

Ling Yun, who had been ready to catch Duoduo, saw her veer away from him and his mood plummeted. In her dream last night, she had been much more clingy toward him!

"Ge... General Ling, Duoduo misses you all very much. It’s truly wonderful that you could come. I’ll prepare a few extra dishes for lunch; please stay and eat with us!" Xu Hetang looked at Ling Yun nervously, his speech stumbling. Phantoms didn't need to eat, but Duoduo was human and needed three meals a day. If the General and his wife were staying, he naturally had to prepare food for them. Guests were guests; he couldn't very well let them sit there watching Duoduo eat.

"No need to tro..." Just as Ling Yun began to refuse, Zhang Yangfan pulled his hand away from his mouth. "That’s a great idea! Since little sister left, Mommy hasn't been in the mood to cook. I haven't eaten all day yesterday!" Zhang Yangfan looked at Xu Hetang, his eyes sparkling. Even though he was a phantom and didn't feel hunger, he was a glutton!

Called out on the spot, Lin Jieyue felt a bit embarrassed. Duoduo let go of her and turned to brag to Zhang Yangfan, "Big Brother, Grandpa’s cooking is delicious, just as good as Mommy’s!"

"Then I’ll go to the kitchen and help later!" Lin Jieyue offered. Since she hadn't cooked all day yesterday, her hands were itching to get back to work.

At noon, Xu Hetang and Lin Jieyue each prepared two of their signature dishes. The phantoms and Duoduo sat around the dining table, looking exactly like a happy, harmonious family.

Duoduo, as was her custom, served food to each of them. Ling Yun hesitated for a moment, then picked up her small bowl and ladled two spoonfuls of soup into it. "Drink some soup before you eat."

"Huh?" Duoduo tilted her little head and looked at Ling Yun, her large eyes filled with wonder.