After Transmigrating, I Was Forced to be Doted on by a Family of Eldritch Horrors chapter 10

Chapter 10: Even If You Scare Me to Death, I Won’t Go Back

Lan Yu worked both the morning and evening shifts, so by the time the restaurant closed and he could leave, it was already late at night.

The weather had warmed up considerably, so wearing just a slightly thicker layer at night was enough to keep warm. Leaning on his wooden stick as he walked toward the dormitory, the silence around him made it impossible to stop his mind from replaying the ghostly encounter from the night before.

Counting it up, this seemed to be his third or fourth time running into a ghost. Did the original host have some kind of “yin-yang eyes” or the ability to see spirits?

So many ghosts wanted him to go home.

Just thinking about it made Lan Yu start to tremble, his face turning pale.

Should he quit? Should he go home? Should he go back to meet those parents he had never even seen?

He had just managed to catch a break. He had rented a place, bought quite a few household items, and was just starting to make it look like a home. He hadn’t even had the chance to cook a meal in his small apartment yet. He had planned to live here for the long term and put a lot of effort into buying daily necessities. Being so far from home, there was no need—and no way—to carry all these cheap items back with him.

If he went back, he would 100% come into contact with Yi Lingxi, right? And then be forced back into being a cannon fodder?

In order to understand the concept of “transmigration into a book,” he had read quite a few novels. Some novels mentioned things like “World Will.” Could it be that the World Will was saying he couldn’t leave the plot, and was using this method to force him back to continue being a cannon fodder?

Lan Yu had been in low spirits all day, but he hadn’t slacked off in his work. Although he was indeed unfamiliar with operating a computer, fortunately, the work required at the restaurant was far less complex than what he had been trying to learn. The procedural tasks were easy to pick up.

Being able to handle things on his own at the front desk in just two or three days made him even more reluctant to leave this first job, which gave him a great sense of accomplishment.

Lan Yu didn’t return to the dormitory immediately. instead, supporting his cast-bound leg, he sat down on a bench by the roadside.

Should he call home to test the waters?

Say that his family was worried about him…

Maybe the original host’s parents really missed the original host?

Perhaps what he knew from the original text wasn’t the whole truth, and in reality, the original host’s parents were very worried about him? Then, having taken over the original host’s identity, shouldn’t he fulfill the responsibilities that came with it?

Sighing heavily, Lan Yu found the number saved in the phone.

If… his family really missed him, why hadn’t there been a single call until now?

It had been so long.

Making a phone call would be much more ethical than sending ghosts to catch him, right?

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Lan Yu’s fingers gently rubbed the scratches on the old phone. After mentally preparing himself for a good while, he finally dialed the number.

The time waiting for the call to connect was incredibly nerve-wracking for Lan Yu. What should his first word be? Should he call him “Dad” directly? Or wait for the other person to speak first?

It rang several times without an answer. Lan Yu moved the phone away from his ear and looked down at the word “Dad” displayed on the old screen. How could there be no answer for so long?

No response.

Lan Yu: “…”

No way.

Are they busy?

Lan Yu dialed a second time.

Again, no response.

Although Lan Yu didn’t want to contact his parents, the fact that no one answered stirred up a rebellious streak in him, and he dialed again.

This time, there was a response.

The person on the other end hung up.

Lan Yu held the phone in silence for a long time.

They hung up, right? After ringing twice, it suddenly clicked into a busy signal—that means the call was rejected, right?

Expressionless, Lan Yu called the contact labeled “Mom.”

Still no response.

Lan Yu watched the phone screen turn off.

Something’s not right…

Didn’t they say they were clamoring for him to go home? Didn’t they say they were worried about him? Didn’t they say he was suffering injustices and used ghostly hauntings to scare him back, yet now they’re completely ignoring him? What does this mean?

Did they want him to go home specifically to watch his parents ignore him?!

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Lan Yu decided to make one last attempt and dialed “Mom” again. This time, after ringing twice, it was suddenly picked up. Unprepared, Lan Yu choked on all his words, holding the phone for a long time without uttering a single syllable.

“What is it?” A middle-aged woman’s voice, very unfamiliar.

“Nothing.” Lan Yu was very nervous, unsure how to react to this mother he didn’t know at all. “Just… asking.”

“Where are you right now?”

Lan Yu looked down, picking at the seam of his trousers. He didn’t want to tell anyone where he was.

The other party didn’t seem attached to getting an answer to that question. After Lan Yu’s silence, she asked instead, “Need money?”

Lan Yu choked. Although he didn’t quite understand the intent behind the question, carrying a little pride in his own achievements, he shared the good news with her: “No need. I’m working now and saving money myself.”

“You’re working?” Clearly, “Mom” was somewhat surprised, then said, “Keep some for your living expenses yourself, and send the rest of the money to my card.”

Lan Yu’s brain froze for three seconds. “What?”

“You can’t spend that much money alone. I raised you for so many years. Since you can make money now, you should give something back to the family. Your younger brother and sister are still in school, and the burden on the two of us is heavy. You should share some of the pressure for the family.”

Lan Yu held the phone, his gaze seemingly looking forward but seeing nothing.

“You used to just fool around, but now you know how to work. After working, you must realize how hard it is for us to earn money to raise you. You should learn to be considerate of your parents.”

Is this kind of content normal for the first call with a child who ran away from home after so long?

“You realize the difficulties only after living alone, right? Now you miss the times when your parents were around, right? You could only fool around because you had us…”

Lan Yu suddenly hung up the phone.

Lan Yu held the phone, silence returning to his ears, save for the occasional sound of vehicles passing in the distance.

Should he not have hung up so rashly?

If she calls back, I’ll answer. I’ll talk it over calmly and properly.

Ten minutes.

Twenty minutes.

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Thirty minutes.

Lan Yu waited for a long time, but no call came through. When Lan Yu picked up his phone again, he only saw a new message in his chat app.

It was a bank card number.

Lan Yu fell silent.

He looked up abruptly, grabbed his wooden stick, and walked away.

Truly terrifying. This world is too terrifying. Are even ghosts this short of money?

Did those ghosts come all the way from afar to harass him just to make him go back and earn some pocket change?!

Although Lan Yu didn’t consider his family environment in his past life to be normal either, he wasn’t stupid. He knew this kind of conversation between a mother and son wasn’t normal.

“The original Lan Yu is dead. The current Lan Yu must stand up.” Lan Yu walked forward angrily, puffing up his cheeks as he leaned on his stick. “The scariest thing in this world isn’t ghosts, it’s the human heart!!!”

What the hell? Why should I give the money I worked so hard to save to someone I’ve never even met?!

Since getting his first paycheck, his biggest joy was checking his savings every day, okay?!

This is depriving him of the joy of life! Bad people! They are all bad people!!!

“Transmigrators never yield!!”

Lan Yu muttered to himself to build up his courage.

“I wasn’t raised by the original Lan Yu’s parents anyway. I have a clear conscience. A straight body doesn’t fear a crooked shadow. I haven’t done anything wrong, so I don’t fear a knock on the door at night. I’m not afraid of ghosts. Not a bit. I am super not afraid!”

“I won’t go back, absolutely won’t go back!!!”

“Even if you scare me to death, I won’t go back!”

He absolutely could not sit still and wait for death.

First, Lan Yu blocked all contact information for “Dad” and “Mom.” Out of sight, out of mind.

“Where did Brother Duan go?” When Lan Yu returned to the dormitory, he saw that Duan Gaozhi was missing.

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“Brother Duan went to handle that matter from yesterday during the day. He probably went home afterward.” Lin Zixi’s nose was stuffed, and he sounded like he couldn’t catch his breath when he spoke. He seemed used to it, though, pulling out a tissue to blow his nose hard.

Secretly apologizing to his roommate in his heart for the undeserved disaster, Lan Yu dragged his cast-bound leg over, wiped it clean, put it on the bed, and asked, “Um, that is, do you feel like the yin energy in the dorm is a bit heavy?”

“Heavy, yeah, I think it’s pretty heavy. Hasn’t it been haunted? I feel like this cold Brother Duan and I caught is weird too. You didn’t catch a cold probably because you have a wound on your body, so the yin energy escaped.” Lin Zixi pulled out another tissue.

Lan Yu blinked. If we go by that logic, would Lin Zixi’s cold be cured if he poked a hole in his body right now? But Lan Yu didn’t have a hole in his body either; it was a minor fracture. What did that have to do with whether his skin was broken or not?

Although Lan Yu really wanted to retort, for the sake of Lin Zixi catching a cold because of him, he decided to respect the other’s opinion.

“So, should we make some things to ward off ghosts?”

“What kind of stuff wards off ghosts?” Lin Zixi asked.

“Um, garlic? A cross? Wooden stakes?” Lan Yu scratched his cheek and asked.

“Those are for foreign ghosts, right? They probably won’t work in China.” Lin Zixi sat cross-legged and shook his head.

Lan Yu thought carefully again. “Black donkey hooves?”

Lin Zixi searched it up seriously and said, “The internet says those are for warding off zombies. You have to use them in a tomb, right?”

“Then, a butcher’s knife?” Lan Yu suggested again.

“Knives are controlled items, aren’t they? And where would we find a butcher’s knife?”

Lan Yu and Lin Zixi looked at each other.

They fell into a long silence.

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