Demons Beside You

“Chen, you’re finally back. Was that client so difficult to handle?”

“It’s a mean old man, but he’s very scared of death.”

“So you’ve received the hundred thousand dollars?”

“Not yet. Do you expect me to carry a hundred thousand dollars back here?”

“Are you sure he will not go back on his word? That’s not a small amount.”

“He still has subsequent treatment, but you’re not going to get anything from those.”

“Of course. I have ethics.”

“Okay. Six sessions, a hundred thousand dollars each.”

“I take back my words. Damn it, why didn’t you say that earlier? I introduced this client to you. I must get my share.”

“I managed to get it myself. If you want a commission, introduce more rich people like this to me next time.”

“Chen, let’s negotiate. I’ll only take a hundred thousand cut, no, eighty thousand…”

“I’m going to sleep. When the money is here, remember to wake me up. I want to count it myself.” Chen Zhao took out a bottle of milk from the fridge, after which he went to the counter and took an egg roll himself.

…

In the afternoon, Chen Zhao’s room door was kicked open by Ethan.

“Chen, someone came here with a box and said that it’s your pay, but he wouldn’t give the money unless he sees you. Bastard. I told him that I’m the intermediary, your business partner. And he still doesn’t believe me.”

“Get the hell out of my room! I want to sleep.”

Drowsiness was sometimes really irresistible.

“You asked me to wake you up.”

“That doesn’t mean you can kick my door open.”

“It’s my door! Do I need your permission to kick the door in my own house?” Ethan replied in an even more domineering tone.

In the end, Ethan still managed to drag Chen Zhao out of the bed.

“Hi, Paul.”

“Hello, Mr. Chen, Mr. Rasfa asked me to deliver your payment here and also apologize on his behalf. He hopes that you can accept his apology.”

“Paul, I’m curious. How are you able to tolerate that old man and work for him?” Chen Zhao took over the box and did not forget to insult Rasfa.

“Mr. Rasfa has been very nice to me.”

“Alright. I wish he can be nice to everyone, but I think that might be too difficult for him.”

Paul left. Ethan could no longer wait to receive his share.

“Ethan, are there any cheap houses nearby?”

“Are you moving out? Are you not happy here? I thought you’re already in love with my motel.”

“I need to make sure that nobody will ever kick my door open again.”

“Fine. It’s my fault.”

“If you can help me to find a cheap place in a good neighborhood, I’ll accept your apology.”

In fact, Chen Zhao had been planning to move out long ago. However, his income was not too stable before this. Although he had some cash, he did not dare to spend it on rent.

Even the houses in this periphery region would cost at least five hundred dollars per month, not to mention the urban areas of Los Angeles.

Of course, money-wise, Ethan’s motel was still the most suitable place for Chen Zhao.

However, there were all kinds of people staying in the motel. It was really not a good place to settle down.

“I’ll show you around. I’m familiar with this place.” Ethan did not mind Chen Zhao moving out.

In fact, he had expected this day long ago. It was just that he did not think Chen Zhao would be able to engage in work and earn so much money so quickly. Even he received a decent amount of money in the meantime.

Ethan’s motel was located right next to Mountain Town. It was not a large town, with only over four hundred houses. The town was about half an hour away from the urban regions of Los Angeles. Despite its size, the town had many facilities, including a park and a supermarket.

Ethan was also a resident of Mountain Town. When he was young, he had been fooling around, gaining him a bad reputation. However, later he joined the military which changed him completely.

Despite the ambiguity in the legality of Ethan’s business – even Chen Zhao was not certain, he boasted a quite good reputation in Mountain Town.

Therefore, when Ethan showed Chen Zhao around, the residents who were planning to rent their houses out all seemed very enthusiastic, especially when they learned that Chen Zhao was a doctor.

Of the first few houses, Ethan alone managed to pick out many flaws for Chen Zhao.

However, more often than not, Chen Zhao was unwilling to accept the place even though Ethan thought that it was fine. Some were just too expensive – an ordinary two-floored three-bedroom house should cost three thousand dollars.

Other were either too old, too new, or unsafe. In summary, Chen Zhao had a million reasons to reject them.

There was even a house whose backyard was planted with marijuana. Ethan strongly recommended it, but Chen Zhao walked away directly.

At the moment, they had not found a place which both of them were satisfied with.

“Chen Zhao, what’s the range of prices you can accept?”

“It’s best if it doesn’t exceed fifteen hundred dollars. Anything more, I might as well buy one myself and pay the mortgage.”

“Fifteen hundred”? Do you mind sharing?”

“If it’s a lady, I don’t mind,” Chen Zhao answered frankly.

“Even I would love to share a house with a lady.”

It was not easy to find a housemate, at least not anytime soon.

Chen Zhao was not willing to accept a small nest, and also not willing to pay high rent for a bigger one.

“F**k. If you keep being so picky, I’ll leave you to find a place yourself.”

“Help me find a place to live and I’ll treat you to a seafood feast.”

“Let’s go. There are still many houses waiting.”

One hour later, Chen Zhao and Ethan arrived at the last house in their list.

Chen Zhao noticed that the apartment was built on an elevated slope and was already somewhat old. It was surrounded by a row of fence and had a few trees planted on the property. Perhaps due to the lack of cleaning, the ground was piled with dead leaves.

“A good place this is.” Blackie suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“What? Why are you here all of a sudden? Why didn’t I see you earlier?”

“I went to the motel you were staying at and discovered that you were not there. So I followed the scent of your soul to this place.”

Chen Zhao subconsciously decided that since Blackie had said the place was good, it must be bad.

“This house belonged to an old couple. However, from thirty years ago, their children died one after another – six children in total – as if they had been cursed. After the couple passed away, the house was inherited by their nephew. The nephew also did not want to stay here, so he entrusted it to an agency.”

When Chen Zhao was listening to the story, he planned to turn around and leave immediately. However, when he heard that it only cost eight hundred dollars, he stopped.

“I want this one. How do I proceed?”

“I’ll ask the agency to send someone to reach out. Are you not planning to go in and take a look? To be honest, I would rather you stay in any other places than this one. It looks really ghastly.”

After thinking, Chen Zhao nodded, “Call the agency. I think this is a good deal.”

Even if the house had a thousand flaws, it was still cheap enough.

Why would Chen Zhao be scared of an evil-looking house when he had two demons with him and also a Grim Reaper who would drop in every now and then?