My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Jiang Jinyan's jaws almost dropped to the floor.

He looked at Jia Ming'en's empty eye socket and the eyeballs that he rotated between his fingers casually, too flabbergasted to form any words.

"Surprised?" the man asked.

He wasn't only surprised, he almost got a heart attack, okay?!

Jiang Jinyan let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. His entire back was drenched in cold sweat. The adrenaline receded from his system, causing his entire body to feel weak as he leaned against the headboard, too tired to even show any expression. "…Artificial eye?"

"Right." Nodding, he popped his eye in like one wore contact lenses, blinking a few times to adjust himself to the sensation. "How is it?" he asked, widening his eyes for Jiang Jinyan to see.

Usually, the aura Jia Ming'en exuded was so sharp and intimidating that people didn't dare to look directly into his eyes. Coupled with his glasses, his artificial eye didn't look as conspicuous. But now that he had taken it off and leveled his eyes with Jiang Jinyan, he could see the slight difference between two eyes; one was natural while the other looked glossier when light reflected on it, just like a doll's eye.

Jiang Jinyan nodded numbly. "…Looks good."

He didn't know what was funny about his words, but Jia Ming'en let out a suppressed chortle before his face rapidly cooled down to his usual nonchalant expression. "See? I told you. No need to take it to heart. Everyone has skeletons in their closets while ours are…a little bit more visible to naked eyes."

The corner of Jiang Jinyan's lips twitched and in the end, he let out a helpless chuckle. "Thank you and…I'm sorry for attacking you before."

"Nah." Jia Ming'en waved his hand. "You can't beat me even if there's ten of you anyway."

Jiang Jinyan: "…" This man was too honest and straightforward for his own good.

***

Shi Nian grabbed the strap of her backpack, her steps light and brisk as she walked into the apartment building. She nodded in greeting to the receptionist lady and lowered her head to glance at her phone. Still no reply from Jiang Jinyan.

Could he possibly be occupied with something else? But usually, when Shi Nian messaged him, he would reply a few minutes later and the longest time he had taken was two hours. But now, it had been half a day and she still hadn't gotten a reply.

Sometimes, Shi Nian was shocked by how greedy a human could be. Just a month ago, she could clearly remember how happy she was when she got his contact information, which she couldn't even imagine happening a few months ago. Yet right now, she was already fretting when he didn't reply to her messages for less than 24 hours.

Shi Nian ah, Shi Nian. How much greedier do you want to be before you're satisfied?

She sighed dejectedly, slipping the phone back into her pocket.

The elevator was slowly descending from the 17th floor…16…15…

Shi Nian let her mind wander as she stared blankly at the elevator door.

Ding!

The door slid open and her eyes met directly with a man's eyes. Her pupils dilated in shock and her whole body was nailed to the ground, astonished. 

Jia…Noble Scholar Jia?! It was him, wasn't it? Well, he looked much younger than Shi Nian remembered him to be, youthful albeit sharper with a much darker and nonchalant aura as if he couldn't see anyone in front of him right now...

But that face—Shi Nian couldn't have mistaken him! He's truly Noble Scholar Jia!

What was he doing here? General Jiang and Noble Scholar Jia…did they meet already? What was up in this lifetime? Why did she keep on meeting people from her past life? General Jiang, her mother, sister Meiqi, and now Noble Scholar Jia…

She had read an ancient text which stated that once a soul had drank the soup of oblivion, all of their fates would have already been severed; husband and wife, siblings, mother and child, they would no longer have any relations with each other. Shi Nian couldn't comprehend why she could still recall her past life, but she attributed it to how strongly she had prayed before she hung herself to let her meet with Jiang Jinyan again in another lifetime.

The modern, stylish and bespectacled Jia Ming'en lifted his eyes and saw a girl looking at him with a silly, dumbfounded face. 

He raised his brow slightly. "Miss, I don't think I am handsome enough to bewitch anyone."

Shi Nian's eyes widened further. Except for the same appearance, Noble Scholar Jia was nothing like his past life! In Shi Nian's far, far recollection, Noble Scholar Jia was gentle, upright and righteous. He liked to recite poems and admired flowers. It was no wonder that he and Jiang Jinyan were good brothers.

But…But this Jia Ming'en was so boorish and frank!

Shi Nian gulped, unable to contain her curiosity. "Mister, may I ask if your name is Jia Ming'en?"

Jia Ming'en was startled and finally gave Shi Nian a second glance, his eyes turning wary. "How do you know?"

So she was right…Shi Nian heaved a sigh of relief. If Jia Ming'en was here, did it have something to do with Jiang Jinyan? "Um…" Shi Nian racked her brain to answer. "I—I might have seen you before..."

Jia Ming'en eyed the uniform of Sangzhe High on Shi Nian's body and the tension on his body relaxed somehow. He nodded in understanding. "I didn't expect that the student council's publication staff would be this effective."

Actually Shi Nian had no idea what he was talking about but it looked like Jia Ming'en had filled the holes himself and for Shi Nian too. She scratched her nose awkwardly. "En, you're right…may I ask if you're a new tenant here?"

"No." Jia Ming'en raised a forefinger to the ceiling. "Just bringing a sick person home."

In Shi Nian's mind, she had already put Jia Ming'en and Jiang Jinyan in one frame. So, when Jia Ming'en said 'a sick person', Shi Nian automatically translated it to Jiang Jinyan whom he was talking about. In a way, she was spot on though.

Shi Nian panicked in an instant. "Is he okay?! How is he now?" What to do? Jiang Jinyan must be sick because of the rain yesterday!

Jia Ming'en frowned, baffled. His gaze toward Shi Nian was perplexed and complicated. "You know whom I was talking about?"

This time, Shi Nian had really let it slip. "Eh? Um…I might know about that too?" Even she herself couldn't believe what a sorry excuse she gave. Nevertheless, her mind was already preoccupied with the sick and fragile Jiang Jinyan. How could she think of making excuses anymore?!

"You know that doesn't sound convincing at all, right?" Jia Ming'en narrowed his eyes.

Shi Nian anxiously asked. "The person you're talking about…is it Jiang Jinyan?"

Jia Ming'en stared at her deeply without saying anything and Shi Nian stood her ground. Anyway, she had already known him quite well in their past life enough to know that he had a severe fear toward supernatural stuff. That's why General Jiang especially liked to complain to Noble Scholar Jia about the mournful wails and cries he had heard in the middle of the night in his residence, rendering Jia Ming'en so afraid that he didn't dare to stay a night again after that. Of course, General Jiang was just lying.

It was those tidbits that made Shi Nian unable to muster any fear no matter how intense Jia Ming'en's stare was.

In her mind, Jia Ming'en only had a tough exterior but secretly a scaredy cat inside.

Well, if Jia Ming'en knew what the girl in front of him was thinking about, he would surely be so angry to the point of coughing out blood. 

He, Jia Ming'en, afraid of ghosts?! He wasn't even afraid when he was held at gunpoint or when his father's enemy gouged his eye out with a burning spoon when he was still a chubby little ten years old brat. Why would he be fucking scared of ghosts?!

Fortunately, both didn't have a mind reader ability, saving them from the trouble.

Jia Ming'en rubbed his chin in contemplation, his eyes amused. "Little miss, tell me. Are you those so-called people with sixth sense that can hear ghost talking?"

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A/N: 

I, Jia Ming'en, fucking afraid of ghosts?!

Also Jia Ming'en: Can you hear ghost talking? (・о・)