original novel: 在都市怪谈里谈恋爱[快穿]
author: 小生不知
mtl’d and edited by dogpotato. please leave a comment if there are any questions or errors!
Chapter 6.1, Arc 1: Strange Sounds in the Morgue
Seeing An Ling’s calm expression, Yao Ye felt inexplicably safe and dared to look back. He turned around and incoherently tried to explain, “Mister An, b-behind me! There’s something chasing me, it doesn’t seem… human…”
There was nothing behind him. Even the lights in the dark corridor were no longer flickering. It looked completely normal.
Yao Ye: “…”
Damn, this ghost was really the type that bullied the weak and feared the strong! When it came to escaping from tough guys, it could run faster than a rabbit!
Red-faced, An Ling stared at Doctor Yao, who looked especially small and loveable in his arms, and for a moment wondered if he was dreaming.
He must be dreaming, because it was only in a dream that he could be so close to Doctor Yao…
Yao Ye looked at the empty corridor behind him and felt embarrassed. This incident made it seem like he had deliberately thrown himself into someone else’s arms. Even if he told the truth, would the security guard believe it?
This was a person he was not familiar with and yet ran into him twice by accident, even colliding directly with his chest. It was too embarrassing.
Yao Ye turned his head back and smiled awkwardly at An Ling, then realized that he was still in the other’s arms. He quickly apologized and wanted to step back, but he didn’t expect to be stopped by a pair of large hands around his waist.
Feeling the warmth from another person’s body at his waist, Yao Ye was baffled and looked at An Ling in confusion.
An Ling was sure that he was dreaming and couldn’t help wrapping his arms around Dr. Yao in his embrace.
If it was a dream, can it go on forever?
Yao Ye’s waist was very slender. Because of regular exercise, although he didn’t have many muscles, his body was still flexible and felt very good in his hands. To say the least, it made An Ling feel brave enough to admit he was not willing to let go.
But out of love and respect for his beloved, even though he believed it was a dream, An Ling did not even consider the possibility of groping any further—it would be an insult to Dr. Yao.
In fact, holding Dr. Yao’s waist in the palms of his hands was the most offensive thing he had never thought of doing, so after placing his hands there, An Ling’s mind went blank. His gaze focused on Yao Ye was suffused with undisguised love.
Yao Ye only saw An Ling staring at him. Feeling that the atmosphere in the elevator became ambiguous all of sudden, he couldn’t help an odd look flashing across his face.
What was going on here?
The sweat-soaked bangs sticking to Yao Ye’s forehead and his movements when he lifted his gaze and looked up at An Ling held a trace of innocence.
“Mister An? What’s the matter? Can you let me go?”
An Ling was stunned for half a day before he snapped back to his senses and withdrew his grip. Taking two steps back, he pressed himself tightly against the wall of the elevator as if Yao Ye was some kind of wild beast. His face was blazing red, the kind of red that even the birthmark could not hide.
Seeing An Ling bow his head like a little daughter-in-law in front of him, not even daring to look up, Yao Ye was speechless.
For some reason, he also remained silent at this time—mostly because he had the feeling that something strange would happen if he spoke up in this atmosphere.
So, Yao Ye, with his very keen sixth sense, pressed the button for the first floor. He waited until the elevator reached the first floor to invite An Ling to talk.
“Mister An, are you busy right now? Um, can I buy you a cup of coffee?” Walking out of the elevator, Yao Ye asked with a smile to An Ling following behind him.
In any case, this time’s run-in with the ghost made Yao Ye fully realize how powerful An Ling’s Ping An talisman was. Even the fierce ghosts that dared to come out in the daytime were afraid, so it should be able to save his life.
After hearing Yao Ye’s invitation, An Ling froze for a moment and then nodded hastily in response.
“Yes, okay! I’m not busy!”
Looking at Doctor Yao smiling gently in front of him, countless tiny flowers seemed to blossom inside An Ling’s chest. They filled his entire heart to the brim with an extremely satisfying sense of happiness.
Doctor Yao… Doctor Yao, who had never noticed him, invited himself!
An Ling, as excited as a young girl who had just begun to love, took small steps behind Yao Ye as he followed him to a coffee shop near the hospital.
Yao Ye asked for a small private room, ordered two cups of coffee and some light snacks, and then looked at An Ling sitting opposite from him.
An Ling was sitting stiffly upright and peeking at Yao Ye from across the table with deep, hopeless infatuation in his eyes.
“Ahem! So, Mister An, do you like coffee?” Yao Ye was a little embarrassed. Although he had asked the person out for a reason, he didn’t know how to put it in words.
How could he say it?
Just directly ask someone for the talisman given to them by their dead mother?
Or perhaps take the moral high ground and say something like ‘saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-floor pagoda’[1]?
In contrast, it would seem more appropriate to pay for it, but that might not necessarily be the case; after all, it was a relic left by a mother to her son. Offering money to buy it could be taken as humiliation.
Yao Ye’s thoughts fell into entanglement. On the table, his fingers were almost tied up in a knot.
An Ling had never drank coffee before. He had only heard that coffee tasted bitter, but he had eaten all kinds of unpalatable food, so he was naturally not afraid of bitterness.
Faced with Dr. Yao’s expectant (spaced-out) gaze, An Ling nodded, revealing a sincere and naïve smile.
Upon seeing this, Yao Ye smiled politely and said, “It’s great that you like it, the coffee here is delicious.”
The private room fell into silence again. After the waiter arranged the coffee and refreshments and left, Yao Ye finally managed to speak up under fear of death.
“Mister An, I… oh, I really don’t know how to say this to you.”
An Ling looked at Yao Ye in confusion. His fingers moved unconsciously on the table, wanting to smooth the wrinkles on Yao Ye’s brow.
Seeing Dr. Yao in distress made his heart feel extremely uncomfortable. He would give anything to let Dr. Yao be happy and carefree forever, instead of looking as troubled as he did now.
Yao Ye lowered his gaze and stared at the smooth table surface. He bit his lower lip, hesitating for a while, before taking another sip of coffee to bolster his courage. He continued, “Mister An, do you believe there are ghosts in this world?”
No, wait, why did that sound like the opening statement of a scam?
Annoyed, Yao Ye ruffled his hand through his hair, turning it into a mess.
“I know you probably think I’m crazy, but I still hope you can believe me, I’m really not lying—”
“I believe you!”
An Ling interrupted him, looking at the tooth marks on Yao Ye’s lower lip anxiously. His gaze firm, he said, “Does Dr. Yao need my help? I’ll do anything to help Dr. Yao!”
Yao Ye Ling stared at An Ling and haltingly asked, “Anything?”
“As long as it can help Dr. Yao, I will do it!”
An Ling did not make any grand promises; instead, he spoke only in the most uncomplicated language with the simplest of words and a sincere heart.
Yao Ye finally noticed An Ling’s almost obsessively infatuated gaze while looking at him. Recalling the actions of the security guard while in the elevator, he suddenly realized something. A flicker of light flashed in his eyes but he continued to keep quiet.
In his heart, he cursed himself for being a despicable human being, while on the surface, he made his voice a little softer and more pathetic as he told An Ling about the ghostly encounters from yesterday and today.
“…I’m really scared, I don’t want to die, An Ling…”
Yao Ye’s eyes shone with tears as he looked up into An Ling’s eyes. His hand hesitated, then slowly took hold of An Ling’s fingers on the other side of the table.
An Ling was struck dumb by such ambiguous behavior. He turned red up to his ears, and the fascination in his eyes grew even deeper. Yao Ye, upon seeing this, stated his purpose.
“…Can you help me? I heard that you might know something about this? I mean, you have a Ping An talisman, right?”
An Ling understood what Yao Ye meant. Although he did not want to part with the only relic left by his mother, he was even more reluctant to watch his beloved Dr. Yao die.
Despite the fact that An Ling did not believe in ghosts and spirits like Yao Ye in the past, if there was even the slightest possibility that anything could happen, he did not want Dr. Yao to be harmed.
Without the slightest hesitation, An Ling took off the Ping An talisman that had been hanging around his neck for twenty five years and handed it to Yao Ye.
“I- I can help you, I’m not afraid of ghosts. I’ll stay with you!” He gazed at his beloved Doctor Yao, his eyes so full of love it was almost overflowing. Even if he had to die for Dr. Yao, he would be willing to do so.
Yao Ye didn’t notice the love in An Ling’s eyes. All his attention was on the Ping An talisman he passed over.
As soon as he received the Ping An talisman, the persistent chill in his body immediately faded away. It was a feeling so comfortable he couldn’t believe it.
The talisman was a very ordinary wooden pendant a little less than the size of a palm. The front and back were carved with strange ancient script, strung with a strong red thread[2]. It was extremely simple yet emanated an aura of untold mystery.
“Thank you! Thank you so much, Mister An! You’ve saved my life! Can I return it to you in a few days? I’ll make sure to take good care of it!”
Yao Ye was wearing the Ping An talisman around his neck. The tear-stained face finally bloomed with a smile, and for a while, it was too blinding to look directly at.
[1] in Buddhism, building a pagoda is a good deed of immense merit, so this idiom means that doing what is right when someone else’s life is in danger nets you more merit than building a seven-level pagoda by yourself
[2] An Ling’s Ping An talisman probably looks like this:
whereas the script most likely is something a little like this:
thoughts of dogpotato: sorry this got posted later today than usual! there’s a snowstorm lol ( ･ᴗ･̥̥̥ )
so this is the point where all of the comments on NU and jinjiang calling the MC selfish and unlikeable come from. was yao ye selfish in asking for the talisman even after he knew an ling liked him and that there are evil spirits in the morgue? undoubtedly, yes. i, as the translator, and even the author themself agree.
but is he unlikeable because of this? well, i personally don’t think so. in my eyes, yao ye’s just a kid who has really been going through it. now that he’s being haunted by a ghost that can and will kill him, it makes sense (at least to me) that he’d resort to certain measures since his life is actively being threatened. is it right? no. but is it understandable? i think yes. it would be unrealistic for him not to be selfish in this scenario, plus it’s not absolute that anything bad will happen to an ling without the talisman. an ling’s an adult too, and he made his choice after he heard what yao ye said, so… make his pockets hurt ٩( ᐛ )و
i guess what yao ye consistently underestimates even after this is how much he means to an ling. maybe it’s because he’s been lonely all his life and no one’s ever loved him like an ling does, but there are a few misunderstandings that arise from this that are resolved in the end. anyways, i’d urge y’all to consider reading a little further into this arc before you make a judgement on our MC. also keep in mind that my opinion is just one out of the many valid opinions out there, so please decide for yourself!
okie that’s it for me. stay safe and take care of yourselves! ❀.(´◡`)❀.
dogpotato translations 
Me knowing what is to come- no…
Me reading it going in the direction I thought it would go in- Noo..
Me reading it all unfolding:NOOOooooooOOOO
(Just stick to him like glueeeeee!! ahaha- happy ending, yayaya! wwuuuuuu noooo…he’s gonna dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee they are both going to dieeeeeeeeeeee)
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I don’t dislike the MC for doing this, in fact this is more humane than any other Saint like MC troupes act. In the MC s eyes, he s not promising anything nor bribing Ml with love; the Ml offered it at point blank. Honestly I like him even more after this, Makes mistakes and has gray morals. I can relate to him very much cuz
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I agree, plus when ur panicking and ur life is at stake, it’s a really natural human response to put urself before others and not consider consequences since ur in that panicked state of mind that u can’t even think straight. This kind of mcs are really enjoyable to read
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+1
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Does being afraid justify you knowing that you have the possibility of pushing someone else into the abyss in your place? Even though the chance is small, I would never do it. Facing your problems head on doesn’t make you a good guy and hero. it’s normal. I read about how that makes him human and how he’s not kind, and come on, would he be “good” because he’s not an opportunistic jerk? It seems that we are always forgetting that it is not the one who is deceived that is wrong, but the one who deceives. And no, don’t blame ML with the “he’s an adult” story, ML’s story would never allow him to act rationally in this situation.
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Just wanted to say, the setting of this story is really…. The peoples are bad and have a twisted personality. Unlike the stereotypes where MC is the opposite or very optimistic about everything, the MC also has the character of other people in this setting. MC may not be as twisted or cruel as them, living in that kind of environment, you’re worldviews would surely change.
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Plus, what if that’s the only one-of-a-kind talisman that MC could get his hands on? Even the Mr. Security guard SAYS he’ll do anything to help, would you really 100% believe it in real life? What if you asked for the talisman and he said no? I wonder how many people would take that chance.
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I actually really like main characters that aren’t the good, self righteous type. I feel like it gives them a realistic character because if you’re stressed and you’re life was in danger, pfft I feel like a huge majority of people wouldn’t even blink at using someone’s affections to save their own life. Does he know the security guard that well? No, and that’s exactly why he could do something like this so easily; it makes the MC’s actions so realistic to me.
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But there could be other solutions! Why doesn’t he ask about the talisman first, try to understand its uses and where it comes from and ask if he could get one or how. His actions are understandable and human, but still selfish and wrong. Plus, that talisman is something the ML’s mother gave him, so not only is MC asking for a precious talisman that keeps ML’s life save, it’s also an important gift. That’s quite shameless, especially considering that they are barely acquaintances and MC has basically ignored the ML and his suffering so far. And MC knows perfectly well that ML works in the morgue and there have been previous issues there. It’s also particularly heart breaking because of everything ML is going through already, and now the only person he cares about is taking advantage of him.
The ML probably doesn’t mind and is completely willing, even if it costs his life. And that’s sad. And concerning. Especially because the MC hasn’t done anything worthy of such devoted love so far.
And also, the ML had stated that he was willing to do anything to help before MC even finished explaining, so the weak facade and ambiguous actions he made after realizing ML’s feelings are unnecessary and feel wrong. He could have tried to get help from the ML by more honest means. With ML’s attitude anything would have worked, so why does he take advantage of his feelings on purpose?
Then again, the ML doesn’t actually believe in ghosts, so he doesn’t understand this could cost his life and MC did say he would give it back after a couple of days and probably assumes that ML knows the importance of the talisman and the risks of giving it away. MC doesn’t realize he’s pushing an ignorant lamb inside a pit.
I do hope MC realizes the severity of his actions and tries to make up for it or at least properly regrets them.
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I just felt so bad for ML cause he got almost no sleep esteem nobody likes him and the one person that showed some decency is using him.
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It doesn’t make mc unlikable for me. Tbh I’d probably do the same at that moment since a ghost is literally specifically targeting him. It’s not like he tried to stick the ghost to ml
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Same, for me it makes the mc seems more relatable and alive in a way idk if it makes sense
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sigh… one. i know he was scared for his life. and i know he wasn’t portrayed as a mary sue white character but come on.
he has seen the guy being bullied, scorned and hurt. and he knows about the guys background, that the talisman was given by his mother, and lastly he has seen the goodness in the guy. so why would you do that. if it were me. dven if i was very afraid i’d rather tell everything happening to me and ask if he could help me find a solution. not blatantly taking advantage and taking someone’s momento. and knowing that something will happen to the guard it saddens me.
if it were me. how would i feel that all my life i’ve suffered and the only one that really cared about me was my mother until the end. fuck it imma cry now.
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There’s a reason for his selfishness you’ll eventually understand it in the later chapters. And a little bit of spoiler………
He’s original character setting is not evil so he is basically like this because of circumstances(I will not reveal too much).
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I agrer there were better options like asking if he knew where his mother got it, but also i think he wanted a qucik way to get rid of them fast and ig that was the fastest way despite how selfish it was. But in the end it was still wrong even tho in my opinion it doesnt make him a bad person.
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I get all the many viewpoints, but bruh, YY got actively smol, after noticing AL affection for him, bc of the talisman. Instead of asking “hey, I could really, really use one like that, where do I get one fast?” first.
Thankfully, I’m not in a position like that, but knowing that someones actual workplace is in the morgue (where YY has nothing to do inside), I don’t think I’d see it as appropriate to take away their possibly only protection.
Just my two cents.
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I don’t really mind what YY did, it makes sense and he probably doesn’t really understand the consequences. Personally I find YY much much more unlivable in a later arc(s) but it’s not a bad thing to not like the protagonist sometimes. It’s kind of refreshing in this type of story and it feels like he never goes too far. Plus the ML doesn’t care lol. YY didn’t even trick him, he just told him what was going on while appealing to ML’s infatuation, but like ML probably would’ve given him the necklace even if YY just wanted to wear it just cause. Basically the ML is crazy and doesn’t care lol so as long as they’re happy it’s all good to me.
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My only requirement to keep reading is if the MC properly understands what he did when things go to hell later on. Not any brush over with obliviousness, but fully understands that his actions led to a death (assuming An Ling’s going to die).
A character intentionally brainwashing themselves to not look at the facts is one of my biggest peeves. Right now he’s just too panicked, with some selfishness mixed in, to reflect an what he’s asking.
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Hmm, I don’t think he did something particularly unlikable. Yao Ye didn’t lie about his situation, and he didn’t take the talisman by force. I also initially thought, oh just get An Ling to live with you! But since he only felt better wearing the talisman, that probably wouldn’t have kept him safe forever too.
Yao Ye did take advantage of being liked, but he only just found out about supernatural stuff recently so who can predict what will happen to An Ling without it. I’m also wondering… the translator note said the lone evil star isn’t necessarily bad for the person themselves, so maybe it isn’t even ghosts that will kill An Ling but the bad people in the hospital? That would be even more sad!
I think they’re in a very unwinnable situation, so there was no good choice for either of them. The true unlikable person is the one who burned the paper!!
Thank you again for the chapters!
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Knowing that there’s vicious ghosts around, I’d probably stick to An Ling like glue (shamelessly) rather than borrow the talisman since there’s a big chance that An Ling might be harmed and even killed. I don’t want this poor dude’s blood on my hands but I can understand MC’s fear and desperation. Too bad he didn’t consider what would happen to An Ling which was kinda selfish but MC isn’t really that unlikable so far. He didn’t do it out of malice, just a bit of a scared brain fart.
Also, it doesn’t seem that he’ll get visited by ghosts unless he heads home, is at home, or goes to the morgue. Maybe he could have begged to stay with An Ling for a while or brought him home? even though it would’ve felt tremendously awkward for himself. An Ling could be his walking talisman lol
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This is sad… Hopefully mc will redeem himself, i can adapt and except this
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