"Are you close with him?"
"We're good friends," Gu Xichen replied, noting how her gaze lingered on Ye Yan. A faint chuckle escaped him. "Find him handsome?"
"He is, undeniably," she said, turning to meet his eyes. "But I wasn't admiring his face—I was watching the woman in red beside him."
Gu Xichen opened his mouth to respond, but then his brow furrowed. He looked toward Ye Yan and the women nearby—one dressed in blue, another in beige. No red in sight.
"Which one?" he asked uncertainly.
Gu Lili smiled. "That one."
"What does she look like...?"
"Fetch me some paper and a pen—I'll draw her for you."
Without hesitation, Gu Xichen complied and returned with what she needed.
As she lowered her head and sketched swiftly, he glanced at her hand. "My mother really did teach you everything—your drawing skills are just as impressive."
"You never had the time or inclination to understand the breadth of my knowledge," she said lightly. "You were too quick to judge, too sure I lacked the education to match yours. But have you ever thought—my master, who raised me as her own daughter, was a graduate of a prestigious university. Would she have let me grow up illiterate and ignorant? I may not have a diploma, but what I've learned is etched into my memory. Painting was her hobby, something she indulged in now and then—and she taught me as well."
As she spoke, she completed a simple line drawing of a woman's face. Though the likeness was accurate, she'd rendered the features with restraint, avoiding the more disturbing traits of the deceased.
Gu Xichen stared at the sketch, a chill crawling up his spine. His heart began to race.
"This… this looks just like his mother… She died by hanging herself…"
"Call him over," Gu Lili said calmly.
"What if she comes with him?" he asked nervously.
"She probably will." She smiled with ease. "What's there to fear? I'm here, aren't I?"
Though visibly unsettled by the thought of spirits, Gu Xichen still summoned Ye Yan.
As Ye Yan approached, Gu Lili stood with the drawing in hand.
"Good evening, Mr. Ye."
"Mrs. Long."
"I'd like to ask if you recognize this person." She handed him the sketch.
He took it, lowered his eyes—and instantly, his expression changed. "Where did you see her?"
"Right beside you." Her gaze shifted to Ye Yan's right, where a pale-faced woman in red stood. Her long hair flowed like ink, eyes rolled back, tongue extended grotesquely from her mouth—an eerie, chilling presence.
Ye Yan froze, horror overtaking his features. "You're saying… my mother is standing next to me?"
"Yes." Gu Lili offered a slight nod in the woman's direction. "Good evening, Madam."
The spirit drifted forward until her face hovered mere inches from Gu Lili's own. But she showed no fear.
"You don't frighten me," she said softly. "I've seen far too many ghosts in my life to be shaken. But would you mind stepping at least one meter back?"
The woman beckoned to her, as though asking for a private word elsewhere.
Gu Lili nodded. "Of course. I'll come with you in a moment."
She turned back to the men. "She wishes to speak with me alone. You two wait here—I'll return shortly."
Ye Yan watched her go, dread tightening around him like a vice. He sank into the seat beside Gu Xichen, hands trembling, utterly disinterested in billiards now.
"Ye Yan, are you still playing?" asked the woman in blue, approaching.
"No. I'm done."
And so, the room fell quiet—just the two of them remaining, waiting for Gu Lili's return.