Underworld App (2): Forced loading of the Underworld APP

Si Qi pondered a solution as he slowly drifted along, finally arriving at Chu Feng’s doorstep just as dawn was breaking.

At this time, the ghosts wandering nearby began to disappear one after another.

It wasn’t that they were afraid of the sun—rather, during the day there were too many humans around. If ghosts walked through the bustling streets, they might accidentally pass through a human body and infuse it with yin energy, causing illness.

So, ghosts usually moved at night. Even though they didn’t particularly like the nighttime—most shops were closed, they couldn’t sneak into theaters to watch movies, couldn’t flip through books, and could only read by following others in the daylight. Entertainment was scarce.

Si Qi stood in front of Chu Feng’s door, thinking about how to make himself visible to Chu Feng. He rummaged through the various items stored in his consciousness space and found a magical tool once used by a ghost cultivator. Using this tool, he drew a revealing talisman. The special symbols on the talisman would automatically activate upon contact with the yin energy in the air, producing a visibility effect within a certain range. Si Qi casually stuck the talisman onto himself.

From his own perspective, nothing changed. But from the surveillance camera controlled by Xiu Xiu at the door, he appeared suddenly in a black robe, looking no different from a living person—just a bit more gloomy.

Si Qi adjusted his appearance, trying to make his overly pale face seem less jarring. He tried to lift his hand to press the doorbell—only for it to pass straight through.

Si Qi: “Xiu Xiu.”

Xiu Xiu muttered: “Master, why don’t you just go in? The Lord God definitely won’t mind you.”

Despite saying this, Xiu Xiu operated the electronic system to ring the doorbell.

Ding-dong—

A crisp chime sounded, and a few seconds later, a low, hoarse voice—just awakened from sleep—came through the screen.

“…Who is it?”

Looking at his disheveled-haired lover, Si Qi couldn’t help the smile that rose to his face. “Hello.”

His voice sounded ethereal and clear, as pleasant as wind chimes. Chu Feng’s drowsy expression cleared up. He instinctively looked up, wanting to see clearly the face of the person with such a beautiful voice.

And then, without warning, his eyes met the young man standing at the door—long black hair, dressed in a mysterious and elegant traditional outfit.

Thump thump—that was the sound of blood rushing and a heart beating wildly.

Chu Feng stared straight at the smiling man across from him. It felt like just an instant had passed, yet also like a long, long time.

He suddenly remembered the phrase “a glance that lasts a thousand years.”

Instinctively tidying his hair, Chu Feng asked, his tone a bit rushed, “Hello, may I ask who you are…?”

Si Qi blinked. His long, thick eyelashes were like raven feathers, gently fluttering into Chu Feng’s heart. Bathed in the hazy morning light, he seemed to glow, making Chu Feng instinctively turn his head, afraid to show an embarrassed expression.

Si Qi realized he had been preoccupied with other thoughts on the way here and had forgotten how to introduce himself to Chu Feng.

He looked up again and saw his lover turning his head awkwardly. After knowing each other for so many years, Si Qi could easily tell what the other was thinking. Curling his lips into a smile, he said directly, “I came to see you…”

Chu Feng nodded seriously. “Mm-hmm.”

Si Qi’s tone was slow and leisurely, as if joking, but also as if sincere.

“In our past life, you were my lover. I came here… to rekindle our bond.”

Chu Feng’s expression froze. He looked at Si Qi in shock, his lips opening and closing, unsure of how to respond.

“I…”

He stood there, dazed for a moment, then smiled awkwardly and said, “Don’t joke like that.”

If not for the favorable impression caused by love at first sight, anyone else standing at the door saying such absurd things would’ve already been driven away by Chu Feng. But now, he was speaking gently and was afraid Si Qi would get upset and leave.

Si Qi smiled. “I’m not joking. I’m serious—you’re Chu Feng, right?”

Chu Feng answered firmly, “A lot of people know my name.”

Si Qi thought for a moment and nodded. “True. After all, I came to find you—not your name or identity. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your situation is. Talking about all these external things is pointless.”

He smiled. In his crimson ghost eyes, there was not a hint of menace—just a soft, gem-like glow, like the gentlest red agate. He said to Chu Feng:

“Let’s talk about something only the heart can understand. When you saw me for the first time, didn’t you feel a strong affection for me—an overwhelming desire to protect me at all costs? That’s the proof we loved each other in our past life.”

“………”

Si Qi’s words were too powerful. Chu Feng took a step back, trying to hide his rapidly flushing face and ears. His voice came hastily through the small intercom speaker at the door:

“You… You look so good, I think anyone who sees you for the first time would like you. That doesn’t prove anything.”

“…You’re really stubborn.” Si Qi looked at his lover helplessly. “So, do you want me to leave?”

“………”

“………”

A long, silent pause followed. Then, Si Qi suddenly took a step back.

Chu Feng instantly lunged forward, speaking into the intercom speaker: “No! Don’t go!”

Si Qi looked at Chu Feng with a smile. Chu Feng’s expression was complicated—like frustration and relief intertwined. He stared at Si Qi’s face for a moment. In the end, emotion won over reason.

He unlocked the password lock and said in a muffled voice, “Come in.”

Si Qi slipped sideways through the gap that opened when the door automatically swung open. Xiu Xiu cleverly controlled the electronic door to shut by itself, making it look like Si Qi had closed it himself.

Chu Feng walked out from the living room, watching the young man from the screen approach him step by step from the entryway.

Seeing this person stand right in front of him for real, Chu Feng felt that the man was a thousand times more attractive than he had imagined. Whether it was his aura, physique, facial features—even down to his hair—everything about him stirred a deep, indescribable fondness!

How could someone look so perfectly suited to his taste? He had never realized he liked this type of person—or that he even liked men at all!

But because of how outrageous Si Qi’s earlier words had been, Chu Feng didn’t know how to greet him without feeling awkward. So, he turned and went into the kitchen to pour Si Qi a drink. For some reason, he also brought out a pudding a coworker had given him recently and placed it in front of Si Qi.

Si Qi sat—or rather floated—on the couch, looking at the pudding with a tinge of regret in his eyes. He couldn’t very well ask Chu Feng to burn it for him as an offering.

Chu Feng sat at a distance from Si Qi on the long sofa, turning his body slightly to face him. After mentally organizing his words, he asked gently, “So… why exactly did you come to find me?”

Seeing that Chu Feng didn’t buy into the “reunited lovers from a past life” superstitious talk, Si Qi had no choice but to say, “Alright, the truth is, I fell for you at first sight. I wanted to get closer to you, so I came to find you.”

“…” That explanation, Chu Feng actually wanted to believe. Or rather, he desperately hoped it was the truth. Hiding his emotions, he took a sip from his canned coffee, covering half his face so Si Qi wouldn’t notice the delight he was trying to suppress. After a long pause, he cleared his throat and said, “Alright then, let’s start over. My name is Chu Feng, I’m twenty-seven, I co-founded a company with a friend, and I’m also working as a software engineer… May I ask your name?”

“Si Qi,” he said, his eyes curving as he smiled.

“Si Qi…” Chu Feng couldn’t help but repeat the name over and over in his head. The more he said it, the better it sounded. Even the syllables felt adorable. It was like this person had to be called that—it just felt right. He liked it more than he could explain.

When Si Qi heard the word “software,” something clicked in his mind. He sneaked a glance at Chu Feng’s hair and breathed a sigh of relief. “You said you’re a programmer—I was a little worried, but thank goodness your hair is still thick. You’d better eat more black sesame from now on and take care of it, okay? I don’t like my partner being bald… Of course, even if you do go bald, I’ll still love you—just maybe a tiny bit less.” He held up two fingers, showing a space the size of a sesame seed.

Chu Feng: “…”

Chu Feng was both amused and exasperated.

Noticing the dark circles under Chu Feng’s eyes, Si Qi said with concern, “You must stay up late a lot in your line of work, right? Getting up this early—are you really not tired?”

Chu Feng rubbed the tip of his nose.

Before he met Si Qi, he had indeed been extremely tired. But the moment he saw Si Qi, all his sleepiness vanished. In fact, he felt more energized than he had ever been.

Si Qi said, “You can go back to sleep for a while. I’ll wait here for you.”

Chu Feng shook his head. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust this stranger in his home. It was just… he genuinely couldn’t fall asleep now.

Just thinking about someone who checked all his boxes sitting in his living room, saying they liked him and wanted to get closer to him… If he could still fall asleep like nothing happened, he’d have to admire his own self-control.

Unable to resist, he took another sip of the cold coffee from the fridge. The chilled temperature helped calm him down a bit.

Seeing the untouched drink in front of Si Qi, Chu Feng asked, “You don’t like it?”

Si Qi shook his head. “I like it very much—I just can’t eat it right now.”

Was it because of tooth pain? Or dieting? Chu Feng wondered.

“But I do really want to drink your coffee,” Si Qi said.

His words pulled Chu Feng out of his thoughts. Instinctively, he stood up. “I’ll get you one.”

“No,” Si Qi stopped him, smiling casually, as if what he said was the most natural thing in the world. “I want to drink the one you’ve already had.”

Chu Feng’s grip on the bottle suddenly tightened. His heart, which had just calmed down, started pounding wildly again.

“May I?” Si Qi asked, sitting there looking obedient, blinking at Chu Feng.

Chu Feng felt the pace was way too fast, but he couldn’t resist that hopeful look in Si Qi’s eyes—or his own inner desire.

Step by step, he walked over to Si Qi and handed him the bottle.

Si Qi didn’t take it. Smiling brightly, he said, “Feed me.”

He really was pushing his luck.

But Chu Feng realized—he absolutely loved how Si Qi kept pushing his luck!

Forcing himself to act calm, he held the canned coffee to Si Qi’s lips. The brown liquid, infused with fruity and milky aromas, slowly flowed into those soft, pink lips, which the young man obediently drank from, sip by sip.

Chu Feng couldn’t help but fixate on those perfectly shaped lips—plump, supple, like jelly.

He felt as though a fire was burning inside him, hot enough to blur his reason.

And just when he set the bottle down, the young man looked unsatisfied again, instinctively leaning forward, gently licking the spot Chu Feng’s mouth had touched, then lightly pressing his lips against the metal rim.

Chu Feng’s fingers trembled. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing involuntarily.

Then, he met Si Qi’s unmistakable gaze—one full of open, unmistakable desire. The kind of gaze that clearly said he wanted to kiss him.

Chu Feng’s mind buzzed. Without thinking, he blurted out, “This is too fast!”

They had only just met. It hadn’t even been five minutes!!!

Si Qi lowered his eyes regretfully, and with a soft pink tongue, licked his lips as if savoring the lingering taste.

He mumbled under his breath, “We’re practically an old married couple already…”

Chu Feng: “…” You’re still going with that past-life nonsense?!

If he didn’t actually like this person in front of him, Chu Feng would’ve thought he was a full-blown maniac by now!

Xiu Xiu, who was long used to seeing his master and the Lord God kiss in front of him, didn’t think much of Si Qi being reluctant to part with a kiss. But seeing him so entranced by just a taste of it, Xiu Xiu was a little curious: [Master, is that coffee really that good?]

Si Qi was well-traveled and knowledgeable—so if he found something irresistible, it must be truly extraordinary.

But then Xiu Xiu remembered that Si Qi was currently in a spirit form, unable to touch physical objects. He probably hadn’t tasted mortal food in ages, so everything must seem delicious…

Wait, something was off. If his master was in a ghost state, then where did the coffee Chu Feng poured go? Shouldn’t it have just spilled onto the couch?

Si Qi: [I didn’t taste the coffee… it was just that the bottle still carried a trace of Chu Feng’s aura.]

Xiu Xiu paused in surprise.

He was just about to tease him—“Master, since when did you become so desperate, not even letting go of a bottle someone else drank from?”—when he remembered the Lord God’s unique constitution in this world and how irresistibly attractive he was to fierce ghosts.

In Xiu Xiu’s mind, the image of a cat sniffing catnip popped up automatically, and he let out a “yoho~” sound.

This was… quite something.

As for the coffee—

Si Qi: [I stored it inside the leaves.]

Xiu Xiu: [Ahh, I see! Master, you’re so clever!!]

Si Qi: [Clever? Not really… this doesn’t feel good at all.]

He wanted to snuggle into Chu Feng’s warm arms when he was tired, wanted to run into his arms and hug him tight when they met, wanted to act spoiled and ask for soft caresses, wanted to hold hands and share sweet kisses.

But now he could do none of it.

Si Qi’s regret showed so plainly on his face that Chu Feng found himself once again relaxing his boundaries and asking, “Do you… want more?”

Si Qi looked up at his lover, smiling sweetly. “Yes.”

Just as Chu Feng was about to hand the coffee over again, Si Qi shook his head. “You drink a sip first.”

Chu Feng’s face turned visibly red in an instant.

But this bottle—Si Qi had just drunk from it mouth to mouth! If he drank now, wouldn’t that be…

Seeing Si Qi’s hopeful gaze fixed intently on him, Chu Feng shyly took a sip. He couldn’t even tell what it tasted like—he just felt like his whole body was on fire, his mind spinning. He didn’t dare look at Si Qi, avoiding eye contact as he passed the bottle over.

Sure enough, Si Qi happily leaned forward and kissed the bottle’s rim. It was definitely a kiss—he didn’t drink at all, just gently touched it with his lips, then straightened up and looked at Chu Feng with a longing, expectant gaze, as if saying, “More?”

Chu Feng…

Chu Feng really couldn’t take it anymore.

Flustered, he put the coffee down and changed the subject. “It’s already this late—we should have breakfast. What do you want to eat? I’ll cook for you.”

Si Qi replied, “No need. I’m already full.”

Chu Feng really lived up to being someone of great virtue—just a small transfer of lingering aura was enough for the ghost king to feel satisfied as if he had actually eaten.

“That’s not enough,” Chu Feng shook his head and turned to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Si Qi followed him and said, “I don’t eat unless you feed me personally.”

Chu Feng’s hand froze as he opened the fridge. He couldn’t help but look back at Si Qi—but he didn’t say anything, just stared.

When he turned back, Si Qi noticed both of his ears had turned red.

He couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

In the end, Chu Feng did end up feeding him breakfast, bite by bite.

What surprised Chu Feng most was that he didn’t find it troublesome at all. In fact, every time he fed Si Qi, watching him open his mouth and wait obediently made his heart race. There was a deep, indescribable sense of satisfaction in it.

Si Qi kept pestering him to eat only the food he had already tasted, which made Chu Feng quite embarrassed.

But deep down, it only made him more certain—this person really, really liked him…

He spent the entire morning with Si Qi and finally began to understand him a little. Even though Si Qi was mysterious—never saying what he did for a living, why he kept his hair long and wore traditional clothing, or when exactly he supposedly fell in love with Chu Feng—Chu Feng still enjoyed their interactions. It all felt so dreamy, like something out of a fantasy from the moment he woke up.

At 1 p.m., Chu Feng drove to work. Si Qi stood at the door smiling as he waved him off, then removed the manifestation talisman from his body and followed along invisibly by Chu Feng’s side.

Just as Chu Feng had said, he worked as a software engineer in this world. But today, he was a little distracted. Si Qi watched as Chu Feng sat at his desk for a long time, spacing out—smiling one moment, sighing the next. Then he opened his browser and spent a long time searching terms like “love,” “gifts,” and “how to express your feelings.” Si Qi hovered beside him laughing so hard he nearly doubled over and told Xiu Xiu to be sure to record the whole thing.

After more than two hours of daydreaming, Chu Feng finally remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He opened the software project he had been working on and began typing rapidly on the keyboard. Si Qi leaned over and took a few glances. He found that the programming technology in this world was quite similar to the modern worlds he had visited before, so it wasn’t hard for him to understand.

Hmm… software? That might actually be a good medium.

Si Qi sat beside Chu Feng, whispering something to Xiu Xiu in the conscious-space.

Xiu Xiu immediately understood and wagged his tail excitedly, mumbling non-stop as he worked: [Ahhhh! Master, you’re amazing!! You even came up with this idea?! Xiu Xiu is in awe!!!]

Chu Feng’s work hours were rather late—he usually went to the office in the afternoon and got home around midnight.

Before leaving, he regretted not asking Si Qi for his contact information. Even though Si Qi had promised to stay at his home and not leave, Chu Feng still worried that if Si Qi changed his mind, he’d have no way of finding him again—he still knew far too little about him.

So, he left work early and sped all the way home, nearly running a red light because he was so distracted.

That made Si Qi, who had been by his side the entire time, quite worried.

When the car stopped in the garage, Chu Feng looked up at the house but didn’t see any lights on. That added a hint of anxiety to his expression as he quickly entered the passcode and pushed the door open.

Si Qi had already phased through the wall into the living room and was lying on the couch, pretending to have fallen asleep by accident.

When Chu Feng turned on the lights, this was the scene he saw:

The pale-skinned young man lay quietly on the sofa, long black hair falling across his face, partially obscuring his features. There was an inexplicable air of mystery and vulnerability about him.

His rare, dark red eyes were closed. The cool, aloof aura he carried always reminded Chu Feng of the moon hiding behind clouds at night. But the moment that gaze turned toward him, the lonely moonlight seemed to transform into radiant starlight, illuminating his entire world.

Chu Feng instinctively lightened his footsteps, picked up the thin blanket on the couch, and wanted to cover Si Qi with it.

Although Si Qi couldn’t see Chu Feng with his eyes closed, Xiu Xiu saw clearly and panicked [Master! Wake up, quick!]

If Chu Feng put the blanket on him and it passed right through his body—that would not be funny!

Si Qi stirred as if awakened by the sound, slowly opening his eyes. Seeing Chu Feng in front of him, he smiled and said softly, “You’re back.”

That gentle, affectionate tone completely softened Chu Feng’s heart.

“Yeah.”

Si Qi was still here—he hadn’t vanished like some dream. That was a relief.

Si Qi scooted over a bit, naturally taking away Chu Feng’s reason to drape the blanket. So Chu Feng sat down next to him and asked, “Why did you fall asleep here?”

He was a little annoyed with himself for not mentioning before that the guest room was available for Si Qi to use. But then again, offering for someone to stay over like that might sound like he was intentionally suggesting cohabitation… and now he didn’t quite know how to bring it up.

He also realized that since Si Qi was still here at this hour, he must have intended to spend the night. So tonight…

Chu Feng’s thoughts were in disarray. He was just about to ask, in a roundabout way, what Si Qi planned to do next, when Si Qi spoke up on his own:

“I should get going.”

Chu Feng was stunned and couldn’t help saying, “You’re leaving already? I just got back…”

But considering how late it was, asking him to stay would be difficult to say outright. He suddenly felt a pang of regret.

Should’ve just taken the day off.

Si Qi smiled and said, “I’ll come by again tomorrow morning. Why don’t you give me your door code? That way, I won’t have to wake you.”

It was a bit of a bold request—after all, they had only just met less than a day ago. But Chu Feng nodded eagerly and said directly, “I’ll tell you the code, and you can even register your fingerprint. That way, even if you forget the code, you can still get in.”

Si Qi smiled. “The code will be enough.”

Chu Feng didn’t insist. After giving him the code, he walked Si Qi to the door. Watching the young man’s figure fade into the distance under the streetlight, eventually disappearing, Chu Feng felt a bit of disappointment as he closed the door.

Xiu Xiu was full of envy: [The Lord God really loves you to death.]

Even if it was just a fragment of consciousness scattered through small worlds, the emotion was as intense as lovers in the throes of passion.

Si Qi curled his lips proudly. [Of course.]

He flew straight to the neighborhood plaza where he had stayed the previous night, and sure enough, ghosts were again trickling out from every corner of the residential area, quickly filling the open space.

Si Qi’s appearance was striking. Many of the ghosts remembered him from the night before. Seeing him again, they assumed he planned to stay, and many greeted him warmly: “Hey, are you also one of the ghosts who lives around here?”

Si Qi smiled. “My beloved lives here. I’m settling down here from now on.”

“No wonder we hadn’t seen you before,” the others nodded.

“When we were alive, we kept running around trying to make money—starting businesses, working jobs. But after death, we realized money and houses are all meaningless. What we really want is to stay close to our families.”

“That’s so true,” some ghosts said with a chuckle. But others shook their heads.

“Well, not all ghosts are like that. Some have strong attachments and stay in the places they loved the most—or at police stations.”

Seeing that Si Qi was a newcomer and curious, they eagerly explained without waiting for questions: “Ghosts who loved to travel keep roaming all over the country. The ones who were obsessed with celebrities linger around their idols. Music lovers hang around concert halls all day!”

“And the ones at police stations? They’re trying to seek justice!”

“Oh, a lot of ghosts died horribly. It’s heartbreaking.”

“There was a girl once—went out for work and was murdered. Her family thought she was missing and searched for her day and night. They cried until their hair turned white, refusing to give up. Their lives were ruined. The girl now haunts the police station, trying to tell them where she is, but she can’t do a thing.”

“Yeah, it’s really painful to see.”

“That’s nothing,” one ghost said in a hushed voice, clearly afraid. Si Qi, knowing who they were, found this amusing.

“There are some ghosts with unresolved obsessions who eventually turn into fierce ghosts and start killing!”

All the ghosts went pale (so to speak), clutching their chests: “Ugh, that’s so scary it could frighten a ghost to death!”

“I heard they even kill other ghosts when they go berserk!!”

“Those kinds of ghosts are terrifying. You never know when you might run into one and get wiped out!”

“Tsk tsk tsk… There are no laws to protect us after death. Ghosts don’t have peace either.”

“Yeah, life was so much better before. In the afterlife, there’s no security at all.”

Si Qi laughed, “Sounds like you’d actually prefer to still be under the government’s control?”

“Of course! It gives us a sense of safety!” the ghosts all chimed in, nodding in agreement. 

Someone even joked “We were citizens of Huaguo when we lived, and Huaguo souls after we died. We’ll keep our roots in this land even in the afterlife.”

Seeing their genuine reactions, Si Qi felt completely reassured. He chatted with them a little longer, then—guided by the other ghosts—made his way to the police station. Sure enough, even though it should be a place brimming with yang energy that repelled evil, it was surrounded by ghosts.

It was… oddly fascinating.

Si Qi’s arrival drew attention. But the ghosts that haunted this place all carried deep grievances from their lives and had remained here for decades, their sorrow beginning to twist into the signs of fierce ghosts. The atmosphere was incredibly heavy.

A middle-aged police officer ghost walked over, still in uniform, his chest stained with blood and covered in stab wounds. He took out a notepad and pen like it was second nature and asked, “You here to report a case? What happened?”

Si Qi found it funny. “Still working the same job even after death?”

He had died because of this very job…

The ghost nodded casually. “Gotta stay useful. Not like I’m dying again anytime soon.”

“Not dying anytime soon”—a phrase that would sound comforting to the living, but for a ghost, it just meant they hadn’t been able to let go of their obsession. It wasn’t as cheerful as it sounded.

Si Qi looked at the notebook in his hands and asked, “Is that where you record all your cases?”

“Yeah,” the ghost officer said and handed it over.

After all, they were all ghosts now—there was no need for secrecy.

Si Qi flipped through it and saw detailed reports of the ghosts’ causes of death, as well as investigations the officer had conducted over the years. Many of them had even identified their killers.

The officer spoke candidly: “Honestly, it’s easier solving cases after death. Those criminals don’t bother hiding when they’re alone. I can even go straight into their homes or crime scenes.”

Si Qi nodded. “That does make things a lot easier.”

The officer sighed. “Yeah, but what good is it if I can’t pass the information on? I’ve tried everything—none of it’s worked.”

Watching his colleagues miss clues and let murderers slip away—it made him furious, anxious, and helpless.

Si Qi thought for a moment, then smiled. “Well, maybe not.”

The ghost officer, catching his calm confidence, couldn’t help but feel a bit hopeful. “What do you mean?”

Si Qi smiled. “You’ll know soon.”

The ghost didn’t understand. But three days later, when he saw what Si Qi brought back—and the storm it stirred in the world of the living—he suddenly realized what he meant. His eyes were full of disbelief.

Chu Feng was just as surprised.

When he woke up and checked his phone, he found a new app had appeared on his screen: a black-and-red icon labeled “Underworld App.”

He raised an eyebrow, didn’t even open it, and long-pressed to uninstall.