Chapter 252 | My Class Is Ghost Bride, But This Isn’t Romance

There were no pleasantries, no inquiries, no unnecessary back-and-forth, and he didn't seem to care at all what the woman wanted to ask.

Bai Ci paid close attention to the team leader's expression and tone.

His attitude was by no means cold or disgusted; it was more like sympathy and helplessness.

Therefore, it wasn't that he didn't care what she wanted to ask, but rather that he already knew what she was going to ask before she even opened her mouth.

That was why the team leader hadn't waited and had answered her question directly.

The woman stood frozen in place. One, two, three, four... She counted everyone one by one, and finally, she quietly lowered her gaze and spoke no more.

“Go back,” the team leader said again.

The woman turned and left, her footsteps heavy.

“Have some water, Ci-mei'er. What are you staring at so intently?” An opened bottle of mineral water was handed to Bai Ci.

Bai Ci took the water and casually made up an excuse. “Nothing, just watching the team leader and that woman. It's a bit strange. Could she be some past flame of his?”

This was just a random excuse she threw out. She had clearly seen that the sympathy in the team leader's eyes was genuine, having nothing to do with romance or past grudges.

Sang Lan thought about it for a moment, then answered with certainty, “It's not the team leader's.”

He paused, looking at the woman's retreating back as she walked away like a living corpse, and lowered his voice slightly. “She's probably Shen Jiayi.”

“It has to do with Wang Huizong from the neighboring team. The team leader used to be in that team.”

Bai Ci immediately played along, intentionally drawing out her words, “Oh... that guy. I sort of remember him. He, well...”

She put on an attitude of being hesitant to speak, as if the man was too difficult to even describe.

Bai Ci's reaction piqued Sang Lan's desire to gossip, and he continued in greater detail, “Do you remember the example the team leader gave yesterday when he emphasized the fourth rule?”

“I heard some stories from old colleagues at the company before. That was actually about Wang Huizong.”

Judging by Sang Lan's expression and tone, this Wang Huizong was not a positive character.

Bai Ci thus went along with Sang Lan's attitude, her tone carrying a hint of emotion. “Then the team leader was being too polite to him. If it was him, it doesn't sound like a misunderstanding at all.”

“It was never a misunderstanding,” Sang Lan sneered. “That Wang Huizong had terrible character. Whenever he saw a pretty woman, he'd go up to strike up a conversation and flirt, completely lacking any boundaries or morals.”

“The team leader probably knew exactly what happened. Wang Huizong must have made a move, and when he realized he was in deep trouble and couldn't bear the consequences, he refused to take responsibility and turned around to blame her instead.”

“Speaking of which, do you still remember when I first joined the company, Ci-mei'er?” At this point, Sang Lan turned to look at Bai Ci, his eyes showing a bit of emotion.

“The guy who harassed the new female colleague back then was him. You were the one who scolded him and drove him away, Ci-mei'er.”

“Ah, back then, I thought my Ci-mei'er was so beautiful and cool. That was the start of me wanting to dedicate my life to you.”

As he spoke, Sang Lan's head began to lean toward Bai Ci's shoulder.

Unfortunately, before he could start acting all lovey-dovey, Wang Dong's shout came from inside the Red Church.

“Brother Sang, come lend a hand! This box is a bit big.”

“Coming!” Sang Lan answered loudly.

He stood up straight in disappointment, took a couple of steps, and then turned back. “Ci-mei'er, I'm off to work then.”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Bai Ci nodded, not understanding why he felt the need to say goodbye for such a short task.

Was it because she was single that she couldn't understand?

Sang Lan looked at her, then suddenly leaned down and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. The gentle touch was gone in an instant, leaving only a faint lipstick mark.

Seeing Bai Ci dazed, he tapped his own cheek and smiled slyly. “Remember to wipe your face, Ci-mei'er.”

“This lipstick color is nice, but it smudges way too easily.”

With that, he turned and strode back into the Red Church.

Left standing there, Bai Ci snapped out of her daze. She calmly pulled a tissue from her canvas bag, poured a little mineral water on it, and wiped the lipstick mark off her cheek.

A dusty rose stain bloomed on the tissue.

This lipstick really did smudge easily.

Lunch was delivered by the village chief's wife. Everyone spread out a picnic mat under a large tree outside the Red Church, sitting in a circle to eat together.

The food boxes were packed full of home-cooked farm dishes, a good balance of meat and vegetables, and in generous portions.

Bai Ci instinctively turned her head to look at Sang Lan beside her.

After a busy morning, Sang Lan's complexion still hadn't recovered. Before eating, he had wiped off the lipstick with a tissue, and the lips underneath were still pale, completely devoid of color.

The lipstick's tendency to smudge easily and not stick to the lips was fully on display now.

The afternoon's tasks were relatively light, consisting only of organizing materials and checking the venue layout. It wasn't as physically demanding as hauling heavy objects in the morning, and the overall progress went very smoothly.

“Let's call it a day. Everyone, stop what you're doing and pack up.”

The afternoon work ended quite early. The sun had only just begun its descent when the team leader called for a halt.

“The village paths don't have streetlights, and walking in the dark makes it easy to trip and hurt yourself. Let's head back early to rest. We still have plenty of preparation time left, so we can finish up tomorrow morning.”

Naturally, no one objected to resting early. They all stopped what they were doing, packed up their personal belongings in unison, and put the scattered small items back into the utility room.

After carefully checking and confirming that no clutter was left on the grounds outside the church, the team leader took out his keys and locked the church doors.

The group made their way back together along the same path, slowly walking down the long slope that served as the only path to the Red Church.

Just as they reached the bottom of the slope, Sang Lan suddenly paused and slapped his forehead, a look of annoyance on his face. “Shoot, I forgot.”

Everyone stopped in their tracks and turned to look at him.

Sang Lan explained rapidly, “We need to test run the camera and lighting equipment tomorrow. I packed the matching batteries and chargers separately because they must be brought back to be fully charged tonight.”

“But I was in such a rush packing up just now that I forgot to bring them out. They're still in the church.”

“Team leader, could you lend me the church keys? I'll run back and grab them. I'll be quick.”

The team leader looked up at the sky, pulled the church door keys from his pocket, and handed them to Sang Lan. He warned, “Go and come back quickly. Don't dawdle inside.”

Bai Ci also looked up at the sky following the team leader's gaze. It was still broad daylight outside.

Still, letting Sang Lan go alone felt too much like a classic horror movie trope where the one who gets separated is bound to die.

She had to go with him. Today was only the second day. With Gluttony with her, she should be able to handle any issues.

Someone else had the same thought as Bai Ci, and they spoke up even faster.

It was Wang Dong.

He stepped forward proactively, his tone enthusiastic. “Brother Sang, I'll go back with you.”

“That whole set of batteries and chargers isn't light. It'll be a hassle for you to carry it all by yourself. We can split the load and get back much faster.”

Sang Lan agreed. “Sure, thanks for the help.”

Having been beaten to the punch, Bai Ci had no choice but to wait at the bottom of the slope with the others. She watched Sang Lan and Wang Dong quickly walk back up the slope and enter the Red Church.

Three or four minutes passed before the two finally came out of the Red Church.

After another minute, when they reached the bottom of the slope, the team leader immediately asked, “What took you so long?”

Wang Dong stepped forward, handed the keys back to the team leader, and explained.

“Team leader, here's what happened. Brother Sang remembered leaving the bag by the door, but it wasn't there, so we split up to look for it.”

“Fortunately, the utility room door wasn't shut tight. Someone must have casually put the equipment bag in there while packing up materials this afternoon. We eventually found it there, which is why we were delayed by a few minutes.”

The team leader took the keys and pocketed them. He wasn't suspicious, merely telling them to be more careful next time, and dropped the matter.

Sang Lan walked up to Bai Ci with light steps, carrying the heavy equipment bag in one hand, his eyes curving into crescents. “Ci-mei'er.”

“What is it?” Bai Ci asked, puzzled.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Everyone was waiting, and it wasn't even that long.” Bai Ci didn't quite understand why Sang Lan suddenly said that, so her response was a bit dry.

Sang Lan chuckled softly at her response and didn't explain. He simply reached out to link arms with Bai Ci, walking back to the village chief's house with the rest of the group.

When they arrived at the village chief's house, dinner was already prepared, but Sang Lan and Wang Dong had to go upstairs first to plug in the equipment batteries.

Just as he was about to head up the stairs, Sang Lan stopped, turned his head slightly, and called out, “Ci-mei'er.”

Hearing him, Bai Ci turned to look at him. “What's wrong?”

Sang Lan leaned in close. With a gentle and swift movement, his lips brushed against Bai Ci's cheek once more in a brief touch.

Having done this, Sang Lan straightened up with satisfaction and turned to go upstairs.

Bai Ci stood frozen, feeling a bit baffled.

She pulled a tissue from her canvas bag, unscrewed her half-empty mineral water bottle, wet the tissue, and wiped the cheek that had just been touched.