Naturally, it was impossible for He Chuzhou to go out without clothing in such a shameless manner. 

But from the moment he went out, a resentful gaze never left his body.

Pei Xi sat on the edge of the bed and stared at him when he came out to get the hair dryer, stared at him as he walked over to get his phone, and stared at him when he walked over to find the charger.

The corners of his mouth were flat, his eyes dull and unhappy.

He Chuzhou: “……”

He Chuzhou: “Be good. Stop making trouble and go take a shower, then go to bed early.”

Pei Xi: “Why won’t you let me touch them?”

He Chuzhou: “……….”

The confused Pei-calico’s bluntness was truly overwhelming in some aspects.

He Chuzhou spoke nonsense: “Not today.”

Pei Xi didn’t understand: “Do you want to choose an auspicious day?”

He Chuzhou was stifled for a moment: “That’s not necessary, but today…..I’m not in very good physical condition, and there are some signs that I’m catching a cold. I need to keep warm.”

Pei Xi: “We can lay under the sheets while I touch them, so you won’t catch a cold.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

He Chuzhou: “That won’t work either.”

Pei Xi: “Why not?”

He Chuzhou: “The feng shui is no good.”

Pei Xi: “ ? ”

Looking at He Chuzhou, he realized something and gradually frowned: “Chuzhou, you’re just making excuses because you don’t want me to touch you, aren’t you?”

He Chuzhou ground his back molars with a headache, and wanted to quibble.

But Pei Xi didn’t give him the chance: “We’re married. As a husband, you have the obligation to satisfy your partner.”

“If you don’t let me touch, I can apply to the court to compel you to perform your obligations.”

He Chuzhou: “……?”

Court?

Apply?

Compel?

Was it that serious?

Was the next step transferring it to the United Nations for arbitration? ? ?

Fortunately, his “other half” wasn’t so cruel, and the so-called applying to the court was just a way to vent his frustrations. After saying that, he ignored him and got up to get his pajamas with an expressionless face.

He Chuzhou breathed a sigh of relief. Then he turned around and began to think of how to coax this person now.

It wasn’t realistic to make a late-night snack right after dinner, and too late to buy another watch, not to mention that Pei Xi already had one and might not want another.

Or he could simply give him…..

Tsk, no, that was too much.

How about letting him touch his biceps instead? He sat down where Pei Xi was just sitting and plugged in his phone charger.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the screen turned on, he was caught off guard as the person on the screen saver sat on his lap.

Pei Xi had initially planned to go to the bathroom, but he suddenly thought of something midway. His steps paused, and his expression became solemn.

This was a serious problem and could not be solved immediately.

Thus, he immediately changed his plans, turned around, and straddled He Chuzhou. Face to face, he directly met his surprised gaze: “Chuzhou, have you cheated?”

In this tournament battle, another precise flash of lightning struck the head of the person who was unable to escape from the previous question.

He Chuzhou was struck so hard that he was charred on the outside but tender on the inside. He stared with wide, round eyes: “How did you come to that conclusion?”

Pei Xi said on solid grounds: “You refuse to bathe with me, and you refuse to let me touch you.”

He Chuzhou: “? ? ?”

Pei Xi: “I’ve seen it before. There are two reasons why men insist on not being close to their wives. One is cheating, and the other is trying to hide the traces of the affair.”

His eyes reddened, and Hu Chuzhou’s went dull due to information indigestion. “Did I guess right? Did you really cheat?”

“You have someone else. You have someone else outside, and there are traces on your body that you don’t want me to see…..”

He Chuzhou took a deep breath, then lifted up the hem of his shirt and removed it.

“Come and see if there are any marks.”

With that said, he took Pei Xi’s hand and pressed it all over his abs: “Touch, touch as much as you want!”

When the palm of his hand pressed down, the encroaching tears in Pei Xi’s eyes suddenly vanished.

His eyes were very red, but his expression was focused.

He Chuzhou: “……”

Why did he feel like he’d been scammed?

Pei Xi looked very seriously, and there seemed to be a scale in his eyes, starting at He Chuzhou’s trim waist and measuring upward inch by inch.

Meanwhile, his hands were not idle. He stuck his whole hand to it, fingers to palm, and stroked slowly over the ups and downs to inspect how it felt.

His strokes were very light and gentle, and he occasionally lingered to caress a spot. There was no desire, just pure appreciation.

But to He Chuzhou, it was more like wide-spreading ripples caused by a goose feather falling on the surface of a lake, or like a mosquito bite he couldn’t scratch.

Gritting his teeth, he did his utmost to ignore the feeling of being touched and control the direction his blood was flowing.

But Pei Xi’s touch was too intense. The temperature of his palm was obviously not high, but they were piping hot wherever they touched, stirring up boiling, raging flames wherever they passed.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down uncontrollably, and his throat was so dry that it was practically smoking. But Pei Xi only cared about himself, and didn’t spare a thought for his life or death.

From one spot to another, and then to another.

They were just abdominal muscles, but Pei Xi looked as if he was studying something interesting, profound and addictive.

“So pretty.”

“So warm.”

“It turns out that after training, they’re still obvious but soft.”

He gently pinched the most attractive part of the curves, seemingly unaware of the other person’s subtle stiffness and occasional sensitivity.

Then he slowly moved up his side, his eyes trailing close behind.

“It’s so good-looking here.”

“The same here. Supple.”

“Why does it seem to be turning red?”

“Chuzhou, you’re pink….”

His bright eyes reflected the beautiful scenery he was unable to rip his gaze away from before gradually settling on the place that attracted him the most. His fingers were eager to explore.

When he was less than two inches away from it, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist with force.

There was a whirlwind immediately afterward, and the positions of the two were changed.

His back fell on the bed, and the person he was sitting on rolled over and pressed him down. That person’s body was a size bigger than his, and restrained him to the point that he couldn’t move.

Pei Xi: “ ? ”

Pei Xi frowned: “I’m not done touching yet. Are you backing out?”

“Not done touching yet?”

He Chuzhou’s eyes were dark. His heavy breathing was unsteady, and his voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: “If you touch me again, you’ll toy with me to death.”

“Toy with you?”

Pei Xi couldn’t comprehend this: “Chuzhou, I’m not toying with you. I’m just exercising my normal marital rights. Why do you think I’m toying with you?”

He Chuzhou: “…..”

He thought: How can I explain this clearly to Pei-calico?

Nothing could be explained clearly.

If he couldn’t explain, what else could he say? 

No more talking!

His gritted his teeth and held the other person tightly, like he was collecting a debt: “You’ve really taken every advantage. You just do whatever you want because you don’t have to take responsibility, right?”

Because he didn’t have to take responsibility?

Pei Xi hugged the person buried in his shoulder and thought carefully about the meaning of this sentence.

He didn’t have to take responsibility. Did this mean that because he couldn’t overwork himself due to being sick, he could only light fires without putting them out? 

If that was the case, he denied it.

So he dug He Chuzhou’s head out and, face to face, said with an earnest gaze: “I can be responsible for whatever I want to be responsible for.”

“As I said last time, if you’re truly uncomfortable, I can help you with my hands. It’s easy, not difficult.”

When the other person tried to dodge his gaze again, he simply held his face to prevent him from turning away: “Chuzhou, there are still a lot of things the two of us can do. Don’t feel embarrassed.”

“I’m the only person in the world who’s qualified to do every intimate thing with you. You don’t have to be shy in front of me.”

“Also, since you said I should take responsibility, can you let me take advantage of you a little more?”

As his words fell, He Chuzhou suddenly asked a question with no forethought.

“Would you be responsible for just anyone?”

“No matter who it is you’re responsible for, you would want to take advantage of him?”

Could it be that no matter who the amnesiac mistook for his husband, he would still say and do the same things as today?

“What do you mean?”

Pei Xi frowned. He didn’t understand why he would ask such a stupid question: “Of course it’s only you.”

“And why would I take responsibility for someone who doesn’t matter when I have you?”

“Chuzhou, I only like you, I only want to take advantage of you, and I only want to be responsible for you.”

He Chuzhou could hear his own heartbeat.

Very fast. Very loud.

Knowing that Pei Xi wasn’t in his right mind at the moment, he couldn’t take anything he said seriously.

Each heartbeat was louder than the previous one.

Seeing as he hadn’t answered for a long time, Pei Xi thought for a moment and asked again: “Did I make you feel insecure?”

After speaking, he thought he had guessed correctly, so he moved closer and kissed his chin reassuringly.

In the next second, his arms were empty.

The person who he’d defined as insecure catapulted away from him with lightning speed.

Stunned, Pei Xi slowly turned his head, but all he could see was the other party’s back as he walked hastily toward the living room. The back of his neck seemed to be red.

In the living room, He Xingxing was gazing in contemplation at the nighttime scenery. When he heard a sound, he raised his head 180 degrees to see his father come into the room and head directly toward the kitchen.

He drank a glass of cold water, half of which flowed down his chin and onto his clothes.

Something’s wrong. Something’s wrong.

Breathing unsteadily, He Chuzhou set down the empty cup and rested for a couple of seconds, then poured another.

Why was it so easy for things to go to his head lately?

What a mess.

Wasn’t his blood pressure a little high? ? ?

*

*

Once again, He Chuzhou couldn’t sleep well.

That night, he dreamed that Pei-calico put his hands inside his clothes and touched him here and there, saying continuously that he wanted to take advantage of him.

He couldn’t bear the harassment, but also took a bit of indescribable joy in it, wanting to welcome him but only able to refuse. Exhausted and dizzy, he woke up very early for the first time.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he met a calm, sober gaze.

…..Pei-calico’s mouth was indeed full of nonsense.

He said he couldn’t wake up early in the morning, but actually woke up so early every day.

For a long while, he didn’t move.

Nor did Pei Xi.

The two of them woke up in the same bed for the first time since they’d reached a consensus. As they looked at each other, the atmosphere seemed awkward and embarrassing.

Of course, it was possible that he was the only one feeling embarrassed.

After all, two minutes ago, he was still being touched by the man in front of him in his dreams.

The sound of scratching came from the door. He Xingxing was hungry, and began to think of ways to get He Chuzhou to open the door and feed him.

This perfectly solved the current dilemma neither of them had a solution for.

Scratching his head, He Chuzhou sat up first. He lifted the quilt and got out of bed: “I’ll go feed He Xingxing first. If you’re tired, you can go back to sleep.”

He randomly picked a formal suit from the closet. When he thought of something, he turned around and was about to speak when he realized that Pei Xi had grabbed the quilt and covered his head. Only the very tip of his head was still outside.

“ ? ”

A question mark slowly appeared above his head.

Before he could think too much, hands quickly pulled down that quilt to reveal a cold, tranquil face.

“……”

Crazy.

He had actually thought Pei Xi was shy just now.

“I brought some clothes from your house last time.” He spoke what he had intended to say just now. The formal clothes are all hung up in here. You can wear them directly to the company if you need to.”

Pei Xi raised his eyelids to look at him, and gave a faint hum.

He Chuzhou nodded and turned back to continue changing his clothes. He habitually lifted his clothes from the bottom, and had just taken them off halfway when his entire body stiffened.

He’d forgotten. Pei-calico was still watching.

But there was nothing to be done. He’d already taken them off halfway, and it would be too stupid to put them back on. He could only bite the bullet and continue to remove his clothes, comforting himself that the normal Pei-calico couldn’t remember anything, so he wouldn’t still be interested in his body.

……He still felt uneasy.

Then he heard footsteps behind him, and the bathroom door opened and shut. His shoulders slumped and he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

While buttoning his shirt, he glanced at the messy bed and suddenly couldn’t keep his lips from rising.

Tsk, he was truly filled with admiration.

How was this person so cute even when pulling the quilt up?

*

The temperature in the bathroom was slightly lower than outside, and the clean mirror clearly reflected Pei Xi’s lowered, trembling eyelashes and the red tips of his ears.

Very slowly, his face also turned red.

Before it could spread out of control, he crumbled and closed his eyes, moving to cover it with one of his hands.

But halfway through the movement, he remembered what this hand had done the night before and his palm suddenly shook. 

The hand covering his face switched from his right to his left. His right hand, which had become hot for no apparent reason, stretched out beneath the faucet.

The sensor light came on and cold water rushed down, helping him to cool off in a sensible way.

---

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Chapter 27 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 29

“F-Fang-ge? What’s the matter? You’re suddenly looking for me…..Lao Wang? What’s wrong with Wang Rongfa? Fang-ge, why do you suddenly care about him…..”

Inside the lounge, a boy’s slightly nervous voice sounded from Fang Qian’an’s cell phone.

The boy’s name was Jiang Jun, and he was one of the very few younger brothers who could directly call Fang Qian’an by name.

The assets of Jiang Jun’s family could only be considered moderate, but he himself was an out-and-out social butterfly and could greet every brother with a smile. Strictly speaking, he had basically organized the small circle around Fang Qian’an, and even Wang Rongfa was brought into the fold by him.

“Hey, that guy Lao Wang is thin-skinned. He must not be able to keep his face after you taught him a lesson yesterday. His cell phone has been turned off since then, and nobody can contact him. I heard he didn’t go home last night, so there’s no telling where he went to clear his head…..but don’t worry, Fang-ge, that guy is just like this and bows his head when he gets sulky. He definitely doesn’t dare to confront you, haha. I’m not trying to blame you. Fang-ge, I actually think that guy is a little annoying. With the little money his family has, it’s only because of Fang-ge’s good temperament that you let him follow you so shamelessly. Fortunately for him, he was pulled a step up. He actually thought he was someone. Fang-ge, your lesson yesterday actually made him calm down a bit…..”

When he heard that Fang Qian’an was just asking about Wang Rongfa’s whereabouts and had no intention of mustering troops to investigate, Jiang Jun’s tone instantly became lighter. He diligently flattered the other party on the phone, unaware that Fang Qian’an’s face on the other side was getting worse and worse.

The Wang family were truly nouveau riche. Their only method of raising children was to give them money, so Wang Rongfa had the overbearing character of a bully. It was not uncommon for him to spend the night out.

If things were normal, Fang Qian’an wouldn’t care about the fate of such a person at all, but after these two days of bizarre encounters, he had a very bad premonition as soon as he heard that Wang Rongfa had disappeared.

Fang Qian’an firmly interrupted Jiang Jun’s chatter to ask: “…..And you?”

“Has anything happened to you in the past two days?”

“Ah? Fang-ge, what are you referring to?”

Jiang Jun’s tone was terribly confused.

Fang Qian’an’s brow knitted together. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva as he thought about what he had experienced, and began to break out in a cold sweat again. 

The question “have you ever encountered a ghost” stuck in his throat and couldn’t be squeezed out for a long while.

Li Xiu noticed that something was wrong and looked up at Fang Qian’an’s expression. His forehead twitched slightly.

Waving a hand in front of Fang Qian’an’s eyes, he mouthed a sentence silently—

“H-have you encountered anything weird or frightening?”

When Jiang Jun heard this question on the phone, his expression became increasingly confused.

“No, nothing, ah. Fang-ge, why are you asking this out of nowhere?”

Jiang Jun secretly considered his bad luck. He had finally received an unsolicited call from Fang-ge, but his phone had little power and kept buzzing as if it was malfunctioning. Fang Qian’an’s voice sounded very faint, and odd accentuations could be heard.

After hearing that nothing had happened to Jiang Jun, Fang Qian’an narrowed his eyes in great displeasure and asked about the situation of the others. “What about the others? Has anyone who was there that day encountered anything?”

As a result, Jiang Jun was even more bewildered.

“That, ah? Fang-ge, what…..are you talking about?”

Fang Qian’an was momentarily speechless.

“The haunted house.” He gave Li Xiu an unnatural look and lowered his voice subconsciously. “We were in the haunted house the other day…..and found Li Xiu…..to cause trouble…..what happened to the people who were there?”

“Fang-ge, cough, are you thinking of the wrong person?” Jiang Jun stuttered a bit when he spoke. “It was my grandma’s birthday the day before yesterday. I went home really early and didn’t go to the haunted house.”

He did know that Wang Rongfa was going to cause trouble for Li Xiu that day, but he had never liked that sort of thing, so he avoided it intentionally or otherwise.

In fact, he was a little surprised. He had thought Fang Qian’an wouldn’t go with them, because he could vaguely feel that he actually didn’t like Wang Rongfa’s little group very much.

Fang Qian’an was silent for a moment.

“Heh,” he scoffed with an angry laugh. “You’re saying you weren’t there? You obviously—”

Halfway through his words, Fang Qian’an’s voice suddenly cut off.

Because he found that he actually…..actually didn’t remember Jiang Jun being among that group of people.

In his memory, the faces of the boys around him were very blurry. That attentive, flattering tone made him think Jiang Jun was with those other losers.

But, if he thought about it carefully…..did he really know those people?

“Fang-ge? Fang-ge, what’s wrong? Are you okay—”

Fang Qian’an abruptly hung up the phone.

His breathing grew uncontrollably fast, and goosebumps appeared on his arms.

“Fang Qian’an, what’s wrong?”

Li Xiu seemed to be calling out to him, and with this, Fang Qian’an recovered with a gasp from his terrible panic.

“A-A-Xiu.”

Before Li Xiu could react, Fang Qian’an grabbed his wrist.

The shirtless boy was like a frightened cat, and couldn’t wait to stick his entire body to him. The scent of body wash mixed with his high body temperature and spread over the youth. Li Xiu shivered all over, automatically trying to push the other away. But in the next second, he found that Fang Qian’an was shaking slightly.

Inexplicably, Li Xiu didn’t remove his hand where it was pressed to Fang Qian’an’s chest.

Then, he heard the slight sobbing tone in Fang Qian’an’s voice.

“A-Xiu…..they weren’t right…..the people in the haunted house that day…..really weren’t right…..”

Because of what happened to him as a child, even though Fang Qian’an didn’t really like those hypocritical doglegs around him, he wouldn’t actually drive them away. Of course, he also wouldn’t throw his arms around their shoulders and be affectionate with the group.

He just needed the presence of someone next to him.

But in Fang Qian’an’s memory, the abandoned room of that haunted house had been very crowded that day.

“That’s why I hid on the windowsill and played with my phone.”

After a long while, Fang Qian’an finally calmed down in Li Xiu’s stiff embrace. Only then was he able to muster his energy and analyze the situation.

“But there were so many people in the room…..when I left, there were literally only five people around me.”

Fang Qian’an’s face turned a bit gray as he spoke of this.

“Until just now, I didn’t think there was anything wrong.”

When did the “crowd” in the villa disperse? Fang Qian’an found that he had no impression of it at all. He hadn’t even thought it was strange.

This was simply not a thing humans could do.

When he thought of the fact that he had been in the same room with countless ghosts unknowingly, not even realizing it, Fang Qian’an felt like he was about to pass out. He reflexively looked toward Li Xiu to try to draw some courage from the calm and indifferent young man next to him, only to find that Li Xiu’s face was extremely pale at the moment.

“……I…..don’t remember either.”

Li Xiu’s lips quivered slightly, his voice urgent and fast.

Yes, he just now recalled that he didn’t seem to have seen the faces of those “people” closely at all.

The room was full of a stale, dusty scent, and the light was unusually dim at dusk. In his panic, he only felt that those people were frightening and strange.

Fang Qian’an wrote down the few people he could confirm were present on a notepad.

At that time, Song Cheng was the one taking pictures with the cell phone.

Wang Rongfa and Amazi were leaning down next to Song Cheng, grinning widely and constantly uttering all kinds of obscene and insulting words.

Fang Qian’an had initially just watched the farce before his eyes, half annoyed and half amused, but then he unknowingly joined in. With others firmly trapping Li Xiu’s hands and feet, he came forward and moved his hand.

Then who was beside Li Xiu, using cold and twisted limbs like pale vines to bind him?

Who was behind the young man, laughing wildly and taking him into his arms?

Fang Qian’an. Li Xiu.

Song Cheng and Amazi.

Because his hands were shaking, the names were jotted down crookedly. It looked extremely comical, but neither of the two people sitting on the sofa cared. 

Fang Qian’an stared at the names he had listed, breathing very rapidly: “We left you in the room and went out…..so it was me, Wang Rongfa, Song Cheng, and Amazi. That’s four. But I remember clearly that there was another person when we left…..”

When they left, the sunset fell upon that group of people.

Five shadows were cast on the ground.

That person…..who could it be?

In the temperature-controlled lounge that was as pleasant and warm as spring all year long, Li Xiu’s body began to feel cold. 

He and Fang Qian’an stared at each other for a good while.

As they were wondering what to do next, there was suddenly a noise at the door.

Fang Qian’an and Li Xiu were startled, and huddled together unconsciously.

“Hey, isn’t that strange? The door’s locked.”

The two heard someone talking to themself in puzzlement outside the door.

“Is there a mistake? So early in the morning…..”

The combination lock beeped, but because the door was locked from the inside, the visitor failed to open it after several tries.

“Scram.”

When he returned to his senses, Fang Qian’an was agitated by the commotion and couldn’t help but direct a curse toward the door.

“Fang-ge?”

When the other party heard his voice, he was not angry, but happy.

“I was just looking for you, Fang-ge. I’m Xu Luren. There’s going to be a small charity dinner at my house in a week, which is pretty much my personal social event. Fang-ge, do you have time to make an appearance…..”

With a click, the door suddenly opened a crack.

Xu Luren, who was leaning against the door as he tried to shout through it, nearly fell to the floor when his center of gravity changed. When he at last managed to stabilize his body and raised his head again, he saw Fang Qian’an with a pale face and a bare upper body, holding the door handle and looking at him with an icy gaze like he was about to eat him.

“Shut up. Get out of here.”

Fang Qian’an’s voice was cold and gloomy, and every word seemed to be covered in chips of ice.

Xu Luren shuddered in fear, but his eyes paused for the moment on the bruises on Fang Qian’an’s body.

His gaze drifted.

“S-sorry, Fang-ge, did I disturb your rest? I can stuff the invitation under the door for you and wait for you to rest, then you can take a look at it—”

Slam—

The door brushed the tip of his nose as it closed again.

“It’s just an obnoxious guy—”

After sending Xu Luren away, Fang Qian’an was just turning around to explain when a piece of clothing was tossed at his head.

“Get dressed, I’m leaving,” Li Xiu said expressionlessly, his head lowered.

After the small episode just now, the young man seemed calmer than before.

Fang Qian’an’s eyes opened wide in surprise: “What, but…..”

Li Xiu: “It’s pretty much certain now that the problem lies with the Xiao Family Haunted House, but there are still some things I need to think over again.”

Fang Qian’an said in a flustered tone: “Then why do you have to leave so suddenly?”

Li Xiu took a deep breath: “Because morning self-study is about to end, and the first class is about to start.”

The youth’s face was full of restlessness as he scratched his hair vigorously: “There’s no way I can miss class because of the ghost incident.”

Seeing that Fang Qian’an still wanted to speak, Li Xiu raised a hand and blocked his words aggressively. “In any case, come back at lunch break if you have anything else.”

His soft palm was pressed against Fang Qian’an’s lips. The boy’s body temperature was obviously low, but Fang Qian’an felt the place where Li Xiu touched suddenly start to burn.

*

The lounge door opened again. 

“…..You said before that as long as someone memorizes the core values of socialism and mathematical theorems, they can defeat all strange forces. It turns out to be useless.”

“Then don’t you think it’s possible that you haven’t memorized them at all? Hydrogen, helium, lithium and beryllium. You only have these four? Do you think that’s eloquent?”

“Wait, it’s come to this point and you still remember that?”

Xu Luren crouched at the door of the lounge, holding the invitation his mother had told him to deliver no matter what. He raised his head very stiffly to watch the two people walking out of the lounge. 

The flirting between the teenagers abruptly cut off. The moment they saw Xu Luren, the entrance to the lounge fell deathly silent.

“Uh…..”

Xu Luren blinked, staring at the school bully who had finally put on his clothes, and at Li Xiu who was following him. His blank brain idled a couple of times in vain before squeezing out a dry sentence: 

“Fang-ge, I-I was wrong.”

“No wonder you were so angry just now, ah?”

---

The Author Has Something to Say:

A-Xiu: I’m not! I don’t! Fang Qian’an, explain quickly! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Dog Qian’an: Well…..that…..it’s just…..not what you think…..（///▽///）

A-Xiu: Why are you blushing! ! ! ! !

---

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Chapter 22 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 24

It was a pity that Pei Xi had no interest in watching movies.

At least, he wasn’t interested right now. But in the blink of an eye, his attention was drawn to the claw machines to the side.

There was a row of new machines, and the stuffed animals inside seemed to have been replaced, full and neat.

It wasn’t time for people to get off work or for school to end, so there weren’t many people around, just a few adults catching stuffed animals with their kindergarten-age children who couldn’t even walk steadily.

He Chuzhou followed Pei Xi over, watching as he stopped in front of one of the machines and carefully observed a pink piglet inside.

It was very pink and tender, with short limbs, round eyes, and an innocent appearance that was very similar to the pink pig he had lost somewhere.

So he raised his hand and poked the glass with the tip of his index finger, pointing at the pig inside with his gaze on He Chuzhou: “Chuzhou, I want this one.”

He Chuzhou spread out his hand. There was already a considerable amount of game coins lying in it. “Want to catch it yourself? Or do you want my help?”

Pei Xi was stunned: “When did you get those?”

“Just now, ah.”

He Chuzhou’s eyebrows rose slightly: “How come I don’t even have this bit of insight into your mind?”

Pei Xi pursed his lips in a smile and grabbed a few from his hand: “I’ll give it a try.”

He had never played this before, and his technique wasn’t good. Either he couldn’t grip it, or the stuffed animal fell as soon as the claw lifted up.

Every time he put in a game coin, the result was negative.

He curled his fingers and silently retracted his hand to his side. He didn’t say anything, but his expectant eyes said it all.

He Chuzhou weighed the game coins and happily took his place: “Wait, I’ll catch it for you.”

He Chuzhou was obviously very familiar with the technique, and also had a strategy for the loose clamps.

After picking one, he began to shake the claw the first two times he grabbed it, making it fall near the exit. Then he let it be naturally shaken off the third time, and the target was successfully shipped out of the warehouse.

The piggy’s eyes were black oval glass balls, sparkling as the light shone on them.

But when Pei Xi took that piggy, his eyes were even brighter.

“Chuzhou, you’re so amazing,” he praised sincerely. “That was a brilliant catch.”

He Chuzhou never thought in his life that catching a stuffed animal would be considered “brilliant,” and was a bit dumbfounded: “You praise me too much, Classmate Xiao Pei. It wasn’t anything impressive.”

“Aiyue loved playing this when she was little, and she would roll around on the ground and refuse to leave until one was caught. If I caught a lot of them for her to coax her, she would naturally come along.”

With that said, he gave his hand over to Pei Xi: “Are you interested in learning? I’ll teach you.”

“No.” Pei Xi shook his head without hesitation. “It’s too troublesome. I have you.”

Seeing that He Chuzhou seemed stunned, he was puzzled: “I only wanted the stuffed animal, not to catch it. No matter what I want in the future, I can just ask you to help me catch it. Why should I learn it myself?”

As his words fell, the corners of He Chuzhou’s eyes moved slightly, and the unreasonable joy in his eyes practically overflowed.

“En, that’s right.”

He plucked the ear of the piglet in Pei Xi’s arms and smiled in agreement: “I’ll help you with whatever you want from now on. You can keep them wherever you want. It’s no problem if they fill an entire room.”

Pei Xi didn’t have such great ambition. He only wanted two for now. One was already in his arms, and as for the second one, he pointed to a large pink pig wearing a peaked cap next door: “I also want this.”

That one was several times bigger than the one in his hands where it hung in the window. The gameplay was to cut the string above it with scissors, and it cost ten coins per try.

He Chuzhou peered through his left eye and then his right to find a good angle, then spent twenty coins to determine the rhythm of the scissors as they stopped and moved. The third time, he made a swift move and successfully harvested the second pig of the day.

When he pulled the pig out of the slot at the bottom, he realized that it was much bigger than it had looked through the window. It was also soft and felt better than the piglet. The hat could be taken off, and the curly tail bounced.

He childishly played with it a couple of times, and just as he was about to speak, a female voice came from the side and asked him politely: “Excuse me, can you sell this one to me?”

He Chuzhou turned his head to see a young mother holding a two or three-year-old girl in her arms.

She had come earlier than them, but gained very little and couldn’t catch what she wanted.

He Chuzhou’s ease of action had drawn her attention, and seeing that he had easily caught the large pig, she couldn’t help but walk up and talk to him.

“My child likes this little pig very much.”

She gestured to the little girl in her arms and said helplessly: “But I tried several times unsuccessfully. I realize this is very presumptuous, but you can name the price. It’s fine if it’s a little more expensive.”

As she spoke, Pei Xi stood beside He Chuzhou and looked at the little girl in her arms.

Her eyes were very big and very pretty. Even though he didn’t like children, he had to admit that she was really cute.

A soft and childish piglet goes well with such a soft and childish girl, he thought.

It would be no good if He Chuzhou refused, and in any case, he still had the small one, and he might be lucky enough to get one next time…..

“Apologies, that won’t work.”

He Chuzhou’s gentle but straightforward refusal killed his thoughts in the cradle: “My family’s child also likes this pig very much.”

Although the fruits of his labor could not be handed over, his labor force could be shared.

Even though the pig was out, He Chuzhou helped her catch a small green dinosaur. Fortunately, the little girl was not too picky and liked whatever was put into her hands.

They gave a simple farewell and departed from the shopping mall to the underground garage. He Chuzhou held the large piglet in one hand and gained a lot of attention along the way.

After locating the car, he opened the backseat door and was about to stuff the piglet in, when there was a tug on his cuff. 

Turning around, he saw Pei Xi, who had been silent the whole way, standing behind him. His eyes were bright, and he looked very happy.

It seemed he was in a better mood.

He leaned against the door and asked with a smile: “What is it?”

Pei Xi didn’t relinquish his grip: “The ‘child’ you mentioned, did you mean me?”

“Is there another child who told me he likes this pig?”

He Chuzhou hissed, feigning confusion: “Why didn’t I know?”

Pei Xi knew he was being teased, and the corners of his pursed lips still curved in a particularly beautiful way: “He Chuzhou, you know I don’t like children.”

He said he didn’t like them, but his expression said the opposite. He Chuzhou didn’t get what he was saying: “So?”

“But with all my heart, I really like this feeling of your favoritism for me.”

Pei Xi whispered word by word in his unique cool voice: “So this is an exception. You can always treat me as a child.”

He Chuzhou lowered his eyes to look at him. His fingertips holding the stuffed animal curled unknowingly as something unfamiliar soared through his heart.

He suddenly felt that the Pei Xi before him looked like a child who had never eaten candy before, and of course, children never found sweets unpleasant to eat.

He happened to give him a piece and Pei Xi ate it, but instead of thinking candy was delicious, he concluded that only the candy he gave was sweet. 

Was this a good thing?

He didn’t know, and only felt a soft current running from the tip of his heart.

He wanted to correct him that in fact, all sugar was sweet, and it was unlikely that everyone would be willing to give him candy unconditionally.

…..Forget it. Exceptions were exceptions.

He couldn’t be certain of others, but he could be certain of himself. He would always give Pei Xi candy, as much as he wanted.

Besides, he quite liked this exception.

“Okay, ah.”

He smiled and pulled off the piglet’s hat, placing it on Pei Xi’s head: “I don’t really like children either, but my family’s is an exception.”

The circumference of the pig’s head was bigger than Pei Xi’s, and the brim of the hat pretty much covered his eyes.

But He Chuzhou thought he looked even cuter: “Sure enough, it looks better on you.”

Pei Xi was quiet for a second or two. He moved the hat back but didn’t take it off, silently condoning He Chuzhou’s childish behavior.

He Chuzhou smiled so hard that his eyes could hardly be seen. He helped him lift the brim of his hat, and was about to say something when there was a faint cry of a child behind them.

It was the mother and daughter from the mall just now. The little girl in her mother’s arms held the little green dinosaur and addressed him as “Gege” in a lispy voice.

Gege?

“I couldn’t.” He turned with a smile and said: “Just call me uncle.”

The little girl changed her words from “gege” to “uncle,” but her voice was still a little hard to understand.

He Chuzhou shook the piglet’s big hooves at her in response. When the child turned around and hid in her mother’s arms, he looked at the mother, only to find that the other’s eyes were currently a bit subtle.

“Your family’s little friend is so lovely.”

The other party turned her head to look at Pei Xi, then at him. As if finally understanding the implications of what he’d said in the mall, she smiled and joked: “Unlike my family’s child, who’s insensible and naughty.”

Her meaning was obvious. He Chuzhou’s eyes couldn’t help but drift to the “little friend” beside him. He immediately coughed as the corners of his mouth lowered, and he didn’t deny it like last time: “Yeah. Your family’s is also cute.”

“No, he and I are just friends.”

Two sentences left two people’s mouths, nearly overlapping.

The little girl’s mother was stupefied.

But He Chuzhou was even more stupefied than her. With a bit of disbelief in his eyes, he asked: “Xinxin?”

“We don’t have the relationship you think we do,” Pei Xi explained again. He turned to He Chuzhou for confirmation: “We’re just ordinary good friends who take care of each other, right?”

He Chuzhou: “……”

He was so stumped that he couldn’t laugh.

He gave a dry nod and continued to push the piglet into the back car seat under the woman’s complicated gaze.

Strange.

He had clearly spoken these words himself in the beginning, so why did they sound so harsh now?

*

*

He Chuzhou received a message from Ms. Chu on the way back, saying that the watch she bought him on her last trip abroad had arrived, and asked him to pick it up himself.

After parking the car at home, He Chuzhou first went to pick up the express delivery package from the mailbox outside. When he turned his head, Pei Xi had followed him at some point in time, holding the big piglet.

“Why aren’t you waiting for me inside?”

He took the stuffed animal from Pei Xi’s hands and saw that there was only one, so he said: “Don’t you want to take the smaller one back?”

Pei Xi: “I forgot. I’ll get it next time.”

That was fine. Anyway, it wouldn’t get lost in the car.

He Chuzhou took Pei Xi inside and tossed the pig on the sofa, then casually took a utility knife from the shelf to open his express delivery.

The packaging was very exquisite, but a bit complicated, not to his taste as someone who found even separately packaged cookies troublesome.

But the watch was still pretty good.

Hand-made by a world-famous master, the dial size was just right. It was low-key and elegant, let luxurious, and the details were exquisite.

He took it out and looked around. Seeing that Pei Xi was watching him with interest, he held the watch out and shook it: “Does it look good?”

Pei Xi nodded: “Looks good.”

He Chuzhou set down the box: “Hold out your hand.”

Pei Xi stretched out his left hand and felt a cold sensation on his wrist. With a click, the watch was put on his hand.

Pei Xi raised his hand to look at it, asking him: “Is this for me?”

His wrist was slim and white, with beautiful bone structure. When paired with the expensive watch, it looked even better. 

He Chuzhou was extremely satisfied: “Yes, I’m giving it to you. Wear it and play with it.”

Putting the utility knife back in place, he went to the balcony to return Ms. Chu’s call. When he returned, the TV was already on.

Pei Xi was reclined with his pig on the left side of the sofa, while He Xinxing took up the right. While watching TV, Pei Xi would raise his wrist to look at it from time to time in a movement that was somewhat childish. It seemed he really liked it.

His lips curved, and once again sent Ms Chu the feedback that “The gift is really good.” As he did so, he processed a few simple emails on his phone. When he saw that it was almost time, he put his phone down and went to the kitchen to make dinner.

He didn’t really like having other people in his home, so he never hired a live-in housekeeper.

Someone had come to clean various areas during the day, and all kinds of supplies and ingredients in the refrigerator had been replenished. There was no need to prepare anything, and he could get started right away.

Pei Xi was in a good mood today, both because of the gift and because of the piglets.

He Chuzhou made the food and put it on the table. Pei Xi was no longer looking at his watch frequently. Instead, he held the piglet head and dedicated himself to figuring out how to put the hat on it again.

A pink rubber pig, a small pig plushie, and a large pig plushie.

He wanted to ask Pei Xi why he liked pigs so much, but when the words came to his lips, he remembered the answer he received when he asked this question one day in the past and immediately swallowed them back. 

Forget it, he didn’t really want to know the answer.

After dinner, Pei Xi volunteered to walk the dog. He Chuzhou was very comfortable with the security in the community, so he put a leash on He Xingxing and handed it to him, then went to take a bath.

After spending so many days together, the relationship between Pei Xi and He Xingxing had become very harmonious. Even aside from having to get up early, he found the dog  quite interesting. 

He Xinxing liked the stray little cow-spotted cat in the neighborhood. Every time, he had to crouch by the flower bed and wait for the little cow cat to come out and play, and today was no exception.

Pei Xi waited patiently with him, checking the time every minute.

Not for the sake of looking at the time, but for the sake of looking at the watch.

Watching the time pass by on the gift He Chuzhou had given him made him incredibly pleased.

When they returned home, he removed the leash from He Xingxing’s neck. As soon as he opened the bedroom door, he heard the sound of the bathroom door closing.

He raised his head and saw that the light in the bathroom was still on, with steam filling the air. “Chuzhou?”

There was a faint response from inside.

Pei Xi asked: “Did you forget something?”

It immediately went quiet inside.

He Chuzhou looked at the soaked underwear he had accidentally dropped on the floor and felt an oncoming headache.

He had intended to go out and get another pair, but who would have thought that by some coincidence, Pei-calico would come back just then.

There was no other way: “Xinxin, help me grab a pair of, cough…..underwear from the bottom left drawer of the wardrobe.”

The sound of footsteps went from near to far outside, then from far to near. There was a knock on the door: “Chuzhou, open the door.”

He Chuzhou opened the door and stretched out a hand.

He got the underwear, but the problem was that the other party didn’t let go.

He Chuzhou: “ ? ”

He stuck out half of his head awkwardly: “What’s wrong?”

Standing at the door, Pei Xi’s gaze fell on his face first, then his neck, his distinct shoulders, and side muscles. Any further down…..was blocked by the door.

With a little disappointment in his eyes, he asked: “We really can’t bathe together?”

He Chuzhou felt ill-at-ease under his gaze. Before neatly closing the door, he didn’t forget to grab the underwear and push the other’s hand out safely. “Be good. We can do that next time.”

He thought this would make him give up, but in the next second, there was another knock on the bathroom door.

He Chuzhou took the pajamas hanging to the side and asked helplessly: “What’s wrong now?”

Pei Xi’s calm voice sounded through the door: “Can you stop putting on your clothes when you come out?”

He Chuzhou paused as he was putting on his clothes: “…..What?”

“We haven’t done it in so long that I’ve forgotten what your abs look like.”

Pei Xi frowned, saying seriously: “I want to touch them, okay?”

---

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Chapter 26 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 28

Today happened to be Nanfeng City’s Flower Festival. As soon as they went to the streets, they could see colorful flowers hanging beneath the eaves, floating in the river, and placed on stalls. It was as if they had entered a world where flowers were in full bloom, and even the wind blowing in their faces was mixed with the fragrance of various flowers.

“Not only do they use flowers to brew wine, but if you look at cakes at the stalls around us, many of them are also made from flowers,” Tang Mu presented with a smile.

Liu Zhenqing asked curiously: “Do you have any tasty recommendations?”

Tang Mu said: “It depends on personal taste.”

Liu Zhenqing glanced at Huo Fenglie.

Huo Fenglie immediately stepped forward to buy some food of each type and carried them in his arms.

Liu Zhenqing walked around with a smile, eating all the way.

Dai Tingyu watched this, dumbfounded. The dignified general was working as a servant? He couldn’t help but continuously shoot Tang Mu meaningful looks.

Tang Mu smiled and said nothing. He had seen much more electrifying scenes.

A young girl suddenly came forward and shyly stuffed a bouquet of flowers into Tang Mu’s arms: “I’m Wan-er, from Dongdao Street.” When she finished speaking, she ran away with a smile.

When Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie looked back, Tang Mu’s expression was somewhat unnatural.

Holding his forehead, Dai Tingyu said: “It’s starting again.”

“What’s the situation?” Liu Zhenqing asked curiously.

“This is a custom. If a woman likes a certain man, she can send flowers to show her affection, in hopes that the other party will send people to her home to discuss marriage.” Dai Tingyu said: “Every year at this time, as long as Tang-chengzhu goes to the streets, he’ll inevitably encounter…..”

Before he finished speaking, girls could be seen coming forward to give flowers one after another. Since it would be rude to reject such things, he could only accept them.

After some time, Tang Mu couldn’t hold any more.

And Dai Tingyu actually received a few flowers.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Dai Tingyu in disbelief. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in Dai Tingyu’s charms, but there was still himself and Huo Fenglie standing in front of him. Why hadn’t they received any?

Likely noticing Liu Zhenqing’s confusion, Tang Mu explained awkwardly: “You’re outsiders and they aren’t familiar with you, so naturally they won’t…..”

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Zhenqing heard from the side: “Young Master…..this daughter…..requests…..”

Liu Zhenqing thought she was addressing him, and when he turned around with a joyful heart, he saw the visitor stuffing flowers into Huo Fenglie’s snack-filled arms.

Liu Zhenqing’s face wrinkled up. He looked at Tang Mu and said: “Didn’t you say…..”

Tang Mu smiled helplessly and said: “Perhaps General Huo is so charming that people can fall in love with him at first sight.”

Liu Zhenqing looked with dissatisfaction at Huo Fenglie, who didn’t seem to think it was a big deal.

But after a while, several more courageous women came forward to give Huo Fenglie flowers.

Liu Zhenqing narrowed his eyes for a moment, then said abruptly: “Is it okay to give them away to strangers like this? What if they actually have to get married?”

He wasn’t jealous that others had given Huo Fenglie flowers, nor angry that he himself hadn’t received any. He was just questioning the rationality of this.

Tang Mu laughed at the sourness in his voice and pointed to a young man setting up a stall nearby.

When Liu Zhenqing looked, he suddenly found that the man had some conspicuous red silk tied around his waist. At a glance, there were indeed many men wearing eye-catching red silk ribbons on the street.

“That…..”

“Red silk tied around the waist shows that they have a wife or are engaged, and that they won’t accept flowers,” Tang Mu explained with a smile.

Liu Zhenqing listened to this with interest and turned to look at Huo Fenglie with a half-smile.

Huo Fenglie instinctively felt that there was a target on his back. As expected, it wasn’t long before they happened upon a vendor specializing in red silk, and Liu Zhenqing directly went to it.

Tang Mu and Dai Tingyu both looked at Huo Fenglie.

Dai Tingyu said: “Is Young Master Liu going to give one to Brother Huo? Is it possible that Brother Huo is already engaged?”

Huo Fenglie shook his head.

“Then…..”

“He just thinks it’s fun,” Huo Fenglie said lightly.

Not long after, Liu Zhenqing bought a piece of red silk and said to Huo Fenglie: “Save yourself some trouble and don’t waste those girls’ flowers. Come on, raise your arms.”

Huo Fenglie was holding things, and could only raise his arms obediently. Liu Zhenqing stood directly in front of him and tied the red silk on him.

Dai Tingyu to the side whispered to Tang-chengzhu: “Should Young Master Liu be told that if you take the initiative to tie someone’s silk today, it means you’re proposing marriage to your lover?”

Tang Mu held back his laughter with a cough, saying: “He’s so clever, but he might not have considered what type of person is qualified to tie the red silk for another.”

These words naturally didn’t fall into Liu Zhenqing’s ears, but with Huo Fenglie’s great internal strength, he heard them clearly.

Looking down at Liu Zhenqing as the other tied the red silk for him, Huo Fenglie cheeks reddened uncontrollably. Although he knew that Qing-ge was just playing around, he still couldn’t help but feel a little happy and complicated inside.

Seeing that it was fastened well, Dai Tingyu joked: “You’re just tying one on Brother Huo? What about you?”

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing raised an eyebrow and said: “No one has given anything to me.”

Huo Fenglie looked away with his lips slightly pursed.

Liu Zhenqing said: “Brother Tang and Brother Dai don’t need one to avoid them?”

“We’re locals, so we don’t dare tell such a lie,” Dai Tingyu said.

The consequences of not daring to lie came back to bite them on the next two streets. Tang Mu was practically buried in flowers. Looking at Tang Mu, who was tiredly huffing and puffing, his face seemed to be dyed red by the flowers, and petals landed in his hair from time to time. With that handsome face hidden among the petals, he really did look more beautiful than a flower. They could only be taken away by servants and delivered to the City Lords manor.

“Brother Tang is so popular, ah. If you don’t marry, you will probably receive them for many years,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

Tang Mu shook his head helplessly and said: “A few years ago, I announced that I will never marry.”

“Chengzhou doesn’t have to make this sacrifice to defend the city. Don’t you still have me?” Dai Tingyu said with a chuckle.

“I don’t think marriage is necessary. Being able to defend the city is enough for me in this life.” After speaking, Tang Mu couldn’t help but touch his jade pendant. This movement alerted Liu Zhenqing, and he suddenly felt that starting this topic was a bad idea.

Huo Fenglie also looked at Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing coughed awkwardly and changed the subject: “By the way, where are Brother Tang’s other siblings? Have they all married or started businesses?”

“My younger brother is studying literature and is already married, but they live elsewhere. My younger sister also got married and lives in the city.”

Liu Zhenqing was slightly surprised to hear this: “And the other?” Didn’t he recall that Tang Mu had two younger sisters?”

Tang Mu paused and looked at Liu Zhenqing in some puzzlement, thinking that perhaps he’d happened to hear something elsewhere. He said: “I am one of four siblings. The other one…..my twin sister Tang Rou passed away from illness several years ago.”

Liu Zhenqing was immediately embarrassed: “I’m so sorry.”

He vaguely recalled that there was a girl who looked identical to Tang Mu. 

Because Tang Mu and Tang Rou were twins, they were both elegant and heroic in spirit, both of them very good-looking. In his impression, they practically behaved the same. But Tang Mu was natural and poised when they were together, while Tang Rou had the appearance of a young girl, and would hide shyly whenever she saw him. He didn’t recall spending much time together, but unexpectedly, the beauty had a harsh life. If she were still here, she would already be a great beauty who could conquer the entire country.

“It’s okay.” Tang Mu smiled casually.

After a while, the group sat down in a tavern. More people came forward to give flowers to Tang Mu, even men.

Astonished, Liu Zhenqing asked Huo Fenglie in a whisper: “Do you think that if Song Xingmu was here, he would be as popular as Tang Mu?”

Huo Fenglie glanced at Liu Zhenqing and said: “I couldn’t say.”

But Liu Zhenqing forced a smile and said: “Yes, ah, Liu Zhenqing must have been the most attractive in the past, right?”

Huo Fenglie didn’t see the trap at all, and instinctively nodded.

Liu Zhenqing’s smile faded at once, and his tone suddenly became enigmatic, “Yes, ah, I would have received many flowers if I came here before, unlike the current me, who hasn’t received any.”

Huo Fenglie was at a loss: “Qing-ge…..”

Liu Zhenqing gave Huo Fenglie a look of condemnation, as if he had been wronged. “You also don’t want to give any to me now.”

Huo Fenglie’s heart was instantly yanked up and down, and he instinctively wanted to coax him. Regardless of what he had just heard about what giving flowers meant, he promptly went to a stall outside to buy some.

Liu Zhenqing held his chin with a smile as he looked at Er-gou, whom he was teasing.

“What is Brother Huo doing?” Dai Tingyu asked doubtfully.

“Didn’t you say that giving flowers means you want the other party to propose marriage?” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “He went to buy flowers for me. Later, I will think about how to propose marriage.”

Dai Tingyu and Tang Mu were astonished when he said this.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t stop laughing when he saw their facial expressions. Then a big red flower branch suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback by the sudden development, and Dai Tingyu and Tang Mu also looked the flower branch over.

They saw a very young man in black standing in front of Liu Zhenqing.

Although the man’s facial features had not fully matured, he was already at the point of becoming fierce and handsome, with a tall, straight posture. He really had the bearing of an attractive young man. However, the look on his face was full of domineering arrogance, and it could be seen at a glance that he was no ordinary person.

In particular, it was the way he looked at people, his cold eyes looking downward with natural contempt and amusement. The corners of his thin lips were raised, and he had an obstinate and unyielding attitude.

“A gift for the young master. Please.”

According to the rules, Liu Zhenqing had to accept it. Even though he should be happy to be given flowers, Liu Zhenqing was scrutinizing the visitor’s face, because this man looked…..somewhat familiar.

“Why are you giving me flowers?” Liu Zhenqing asked with a smile on his lips.

“I feel that the young master and I are like old friends at our first meeting. What should I call you?”

Liu Zhenqing said bluntly: “Shouldn’t you introduce yourself before asking for someone else’s name?”

There was a bit of impatience in the man’s eyes, but he still said in a good tone: “This one is Qiao Jin. My caravan is passing through Nanfeng City.”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes flashed faintly. He wasn’t sure which characters were used in that name, but he didn’t recognize the pronunciation. “This one is Liu Xiaozhu.”

Qiao Jin stared in obvious surprise for a moment, then said: “A good name.”

Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “Since you’ve given me flowers, I’ll treat you to a drink. Please have a seat.”

Qiao Jin sat down in a relaxed manner: “Where has Young Master Liu come from?”

“The north.” Liu Zhenqing ignored the other two people, by all appearances chatting happily with Qiao Jin.

“Is it difficult to do business right now?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“It is. We’re near to being locked up in the city and unable to leave. With orders from above, food rations may be cut off at the bottom,” Qiao Jin said.

Liu Zhenqing’s smile became even brighter. At this moment, a figure appeared outside the door, and it seemed as if half the outside light was blocked at once.

Liu Zhenqing looked over and saw Huo Fenglie standing at the door, holding a flower with an expressionless face. His emotions were difficult to parse. He just solemnly looked at them, eyeing the flowers in Liu Zhenqing’s hands.

The atmosphere sank all around, as if Huo Fenglie was holding not a flower, but a sword.

Qiao Jin also turned to observe the person who had come, and raised his eyebrows in a very provocative gesture.

Noticing Qiao Jin’s gaze, Huo Fenglie frowned slightly and walked up.

“You’ve been gone a long time, ah,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

Huo Fenglie’s lips pressed down as if he was in a huff, but he still handed over the flower in a well-behaved manner. With a smile, Liu Zhenqing placed the flowers Qiao Jin had just given him on the table and inserted the pink flower branch from Huo Fenglie into the lapel of his clothes. Just by lowering his head, he could get close to the flower branch and smell its fragrance.

This action indeed improved Huo Fenglie’s mood a lot.

Qiao Jin to the side said abruptly: “Brother, isn’t it bad to do this? You’re wearing red silk around your waist.”

These mocking words immediately caused a lot of discussion around them. This was indeed a situation that made people misunderstand.

But Liu Zhenqing reached out and hooked the red silk around Huo Fenglie’s waist, pulling him forward.

“I tied it just now. Isn’t that fine?”

What this meant was that this young master had just proposed to that brother, and the brother sent him flowers again, ah. Naturally, everyone’s disdain turned into congratulations.

Qiao Jin smiled and said: “Does Young Master Liu understand what this means?”

“Of course I do,” Liu Zhenqing said, smiling.

“In that case, it was unnecessary for me to give you flowers. It turns out that you two have this kind of relationship,” Qiao Jin said with raised eyebrows.

Liu Zhenqing donned an expression of surprise and said: “I thought you had investigated thoroughly before appearing in front of us. Aren’t you just here for him?”

Qiao Jin’s expression shifted at once: “What are you saying…..”

Before Qiao Jin could finish speaking, Liu Zhenqing stepped back and said in a cold tone: “Fenglie!”

They cooperated tacitly, and almost at the same time Liu Zhenqing called out, Huo Fenglie moved swiftly toward Qiao Jin.

At such a close distance, it was impossible for Qiao Jin to avoid the attack of a master like Huo Fenglie. Even though it could be seen that Qiao Jin knew some martial arts, he was still grabbed at the neck by Huo Fenglie and captured alive.

Such an incident naturally frightened the people around them.

Tang Mu and Dai Tingyu also stood up at once.

Tang Mu immediately shouted for the sake of the peoples’ safety: “Clear the place!”

The subordinates following him immediately began protecting the common people as they left.

“What…..what’s going on?!” Dai Tingyu automatically guarded Tang Mu, thinking there was some kind of danger. 

“Who is he…..” Tang Mu asked Liu Zhenqing with a frown.

Standing behind Huo Fenglie, Liu Zhenqing looked at Qiao Jin and said: “Little friend, would you like to introduce yourself again?”

Qiao Jin’s expression had become fierce at this time. He stared at Liu Zhenqing and then at Huo Fenglie, his eyes full of disbelief.

“It turns out he’s not a male pet,” Qiao Jin mocked.

Before Liu Zhenqing could react, the force of Huo Fenglie’s grip immediately made breathing difficult for Qiao Jin.

Qiao Jin roared fiercely like an angry tiger: “You…..I’ll remember you!”

But Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “Remember him? It’s still uncertain if you’ll get out alive!”

“Do you know who I am?”

“Do you think I know who you are?” Liu Zhenqing said mockingly. “Whoever you are, he didn’t arrest you based on your identity, did he?”

Qiao Jin’s expression changed several times.

“What on earth is going on?” asked the confused Dai Tingyu.

Tang Mu said seriously: “Most people in this city know me, and a person from a caravan should know me even better. But when he came over, all of his attention was focused on Brother Liu while he turned a blind eye to the two of us, which proves he’s here for Brother Liu. It’s extremely odd.”

Qiao Jin wore a bad expression.

“Firstly, I don’t have the looks of Tang-chengzhou, and secondly, I don’t have the status of Commander Dai. Why would he come to me, ah?” Liu Zhenqing wrinkled his nose in dissatisfaction as he spoke, touching the flower arrangement in his lapel: “Is the only thing worthy of his attention that I’m…..a male pet?”

Huo Fenglie turned to give Liu Zhenqing a displeased glance. He didn’t like such an insulting term being used on Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t care, and seemed to be amused. He raised a teasing eyebrow at Huo Fenglie and said: “Thus, it’s only possible that he came here for General Huo.”

“What kind of person would deliberately come here for General Huo?”

Dai Tingyu said at once: “A foreigner! Foreigners like to get their eyes on Brother Huo.”

He said this as if they all admired Huo Fenglie. The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s lips twitched.

“What’s more, he just mentioned that the caravan almost couldn’t leave. The proposal we discussed about the Western Shu Kingdom hasn’t been announced to the public.”

As soon as Liu Zhenqing spoke those words, the expressions of Tang Mu and Qiao Jin abruptly changed.

Tang Mu took another look at Qiao Jin’s age and said in astonishment: “How is this possible? Could this be Western Shu’s…..”

Before he could finish speaking, there was a sudden commotion on the roof of the tavern. In an instant, countless roof tiles tumbled down.

---

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Chapter One Hundred Five << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Seven

Li Xiu stared at the scratches on Fang Qian’an’s body. His face paled.

His lips moved, but no sound came out.

In fact, when Li Xiu woke up in his hard bed this morning, he still held the illusion that “it was all just a nightmare.”

However, when he turned over and sat up in a cold sweat, the stinging pain when he raised his hand popped this fantasy like a bubble.

He stared at the fresh teeth marks on the edge of his palm for a long time.

When changing clothes, Li Xiu was unsurprised to see bruises under his ribs that were close to turning blue.

As they fell from a high altitude, the tall boy kept hugging him tightly as if he wanted to squeeze Li Xiu into his body. Because of these marks, even now, Li Xiu could feel the dull pain coming from his ribs when he breathed a little harder.

No matter what, Li Xiu didn’t want to admit that he’d had an encounter with ghosts.

But there was no way he could continue to escape from everything that had happened in the past two days.

“I don’t understand…..what’s going on…..” After an unknown amount of time, the pale and shaky boy held his head and huddled on the sofa, whispering in fear. “This kind of thing is not scientific at all!”

“But we just experienced it.”

Fang Qian’an also sat next to Li Xiu unconsciously.

Stealthily absorbing Li Xiu’s body temperature that was slightly lower than that of ordinary people, Fang Qian’an felt his heart, which had been in turmoil since last night, finally calm down somewhat.

“There are ghosts in this world,” he murmured.

“I already knew that.”

*

Fang Qian’an’s mother was a lunatic. 

The woman was obviously still a sweet and gentle lady when Fang Qian’an was young, but at some point she started to become abnormal.

At first, she would just talk to herself inexplicably. Later, perhaps she saw some things that didn’t exist, which developed into violent and hurtful behavior. And this brand of violence would be especially grave when she saw Fang Qian’an. Every time he saw his mother, all Fang Qian’an received from the woman were screams and curses, as well as extreme fear.

Because of this, Fang Qian’an had barely seen his mother ever since he could remember.

“…..Children that age usually clamor for their mother, but I never did.” Fang Qian’an lowered his head to look at his toes as he spoke in a low voice.

After a long pause, he glanced at Li Xiu beside him.

“Aren’t you going to ask why?”

Li Xiu stared blankly for a second, and said calmly after a moment’s delay: “Oh. Why?”

The corners of Fang Qian’an’s mouth twitched when he heard the other’s incurious tone.

He took a deep breath.

“Because back then, I felt my mother actually run to my room to see me every night…..I just lay in bed with my eyes closed and felt her arrival while half asleep. Her hair would hang onto my face…..”

The young child closed his eyes tightly and lay motionless in bed.

He could feel his mother’s breath and her soft fingertips constantly tracing his cheeks. It was a very tender, very gentle touch.

Countless times, Fang Qian’an wanted to open his eyes and throw himself into his mother’s arms. But in the end, he held back.

Because of the few times he met his mother in the daytime, he came to the deep realization that his mother didn’t like him with his eyes open.

[“Eyes…..there is something in his eyes, don’t you see? There’s something behind his eyes!”]

[“No, I have to dig it out, or else it’ll escape…..Qian’an, don’t be afraid. It will only hurt a little bit. Mom will make it quick.”]

[“Don’t call me crazy! You just don’t understand! That thing is right there! It’s looking at me, it’s smiling at me! I saw—”]

One time, if Aunt Su hadn’t arrived in time and stopped the woman, the innocent and unknowing Fang Qian’an would have had his eyes gouged out with a spoon by his mother. Thus, even though his mother was by his side for countless nights, he didn’t dare open his eyes, fearing that the woman’s tenderness would leave him as it did during the daytime.

However, he knew that his mother was still fond of him.

“I’ve always thought this.”

In the lounge, Fang Qian’an’s face gradually lost all expression.

The boy narrated in a strangely calm tone: “Until one day, I couldn’t pretend to sleep anymore. Because that day, the woman tried to strangle me to death. Due to this, the old man couldn’t tolerate such a lunatic in his family anymore, so he called people from the mental institute over, tied her up, and directly sent her away.”

“I was really scared. I thought I’d never see her again, but she came back that night.”

“So that day, I opened my eyes and…..”

Then, Fang Qian’an discovered that the person sitting at his bedside every night was not his mother at all.

That “thing” had a hunched body, weak-necked with its back arched high, its head hanging down.

A mess of hair dangled, covering her entire face.

That face was bloody, blurred, and fragmented.

Its cheeks had fallen away, and a rotten tongue fell right between its white teeth, rancid blood falling from the tip. And every day, it used such a tongue to meticulously lick the child’s face.

“It had no muscles in its face and couldn’t move its teeth to chew or gnaw, so it could only lick.”

As he recalled the past, Fang Qian’an’s face grew increasingly pale.

Li Xiu: “…..It seems like you were under a lot of stress due to your mother’s attack during the day, and your brain finally converted your anxiety and fear into nightmares or hallucinations when you were asleep.”

The young man said dryly: “That’s what the psychiatrist said.”

Everyone told Fang Qian’an that it was a hallucination or a nightmare.

But Fang Qian’an knew that was not the case, because long after that incident happened, he would still sense something peering at him from the shadows of the room when he closed his eyes at night.

“Uh, then, if that’s the case, haven’t you gone to see some kind of great master?”

“I have,” Fang Qian’an responded crisply. “I was defrauded of a lot of money later.”

The lounge fell into dead silence once more.

Li Xiu was silent for a long while, and finally, after a long sigh, he faced reality with a bleak expression.

“Given that there are a lot of theories linking ghosts to quantum entanglement, then, suppose there really are ghosts in this world and we’re really so unlucky as to be haunted.”

Once he started to think about ghosts in terms of quantum energy, the remaining shakiness in Li Xiu’s tone gradually dissipated. The youth’s expression was still very bad, but his whole person seemed much calmer.

“What we need to know now is, what on earth are this ghost’s intentions?”

Li Xiu touched his lips slightly with his fingers, unknowingly entering his usual thinking mode when he would mull over test questions and papers in advance.

“Let’s list the known conditions first…..the two of us fell into a nightmare together. And the first event that we experienced was encountering a ghost on the negative third floor…..no, that’s not it, the first abnormality was…..”

Fang Qian’an and Li Xiu blurted out in unison:

“It was the Xiao Family Haunted House!”

“That wall in the Xiao Family Haunted House!”

The two subconsciously raised their heads and looked at each other, both of them seeing their anxious faces in the other’s eyes.

In last night’s nightmare, they had both seen the wall covered in talisman papers, and of course, the little red door.

“…..Lao Wang’s friends accidentally discovered the door in the haunted house, so they planned to take you there, lock you up, and mock you.”

But when that group of people took Li Xiu there by force, they didn’t find the door in that room.

Then came the bullying, and the wallpaper fell off to reveal a wall full of strange talismans.

It was from that day on that everything went wrong.

“That incident, I…..I did something wrong. I-I’m really sorry.”

“Oh.”

When the topic of the bullying was brought up, the atmosphere in the lounge suddenly became stagnant.

The two parties sat upright on the sofa. As the victim, Li Xiu’s expression didn’t change at all, with his lips only slightly pursed. Fang Qian’an, however, looked extremely uncomfortable.

The tall boy scratched his hair hard and muttered for a long time. Only then did he look at Li Xiu with awkward expectation, his tone extremely weak: “I know there’s no use apologizing, but back then I really seemed to be possessed.”

“……”

“Yeah, I really didn’t like you much at that time, but what happened next, I-I never would have done that before.”

He didn’t realize that something was wrong previously, but now that Fang Qian’an recalled it carefully, he realized that his behavior at that time was truly bizarre.

He was not the kind of person who was sensitive to violence. After all, he had grown up around it.

However, he had ordered someone to hold down the thin young man, took pictures, and took the initiative to reach out and touch him. Watching the other party struggling to resist had endlessly excited him…..

It was all too complicated, too troublesome, and not a thing Fang Qian’an would enjoy.

But it was undeniable that back then, that kind of thing indeed triggered a dark and burning heat within him.

What on earth…..was wrong with him?

Fang Qian’an suddenly grasped his head in a moment of self-loathing, his heartbeat thumping loudly.

Right, back at that time…..

Who was it who first suggested taking Li Xiu to the haunted house?

Those two friends of Wang Rongfa’s? Wait, who were those people?

In the midst of this turmoil, Fang Qian’an heard Li Xiu next to him speak almost indifferently.

“Song Chen and Amazi.”

“What?”

“Those two were also at the haunted house. And they ended up in the hospital the next day.” Li Xiu glanced at Fang Qian’an with a frown. “Have you forgotten? Later, the dean of students came to see me about the matter. Considering what happened to both of us, I now have a reasonable suspicion that the reason those two scumbags were taken away by ambulance has something to do with the haunted house.”

In fact, Li Xiu didn’t feel happy at all after Fang Qian’an apologized, but now was not the time to dwell on the harm caused by school bullying.

Li Xiu asked word by word: “Fang Qian’an, the others who went to the haunted house at that time…..how are they?”

*

At the same moment—

Qiming Secondary School.

At the building complex.

Floor: B3.

“This damn place, fuck, the power’s out again…..”

“Ai, it can’t be helped. I heard that the foundation wasn’t laid well back in the day, and there’s water seepage all the time. Trouble only happens when there is a problem with the circuits.”

As the two flashlight beams swayed, the school janitors chatted all the way as they patrolled the negative 3rd floor of the complex.

“It’s so dark, I can’t see clearly. There’s only garbage here, I don’t know what we need to inspect.”

One of the janitors complained repeatedly as he looked at the tight office doors and the messy piles of cardboard boxes in the corridor.

The other janitor responded: “We still need to inspect it. After all, it’ll be locked up until next year. I heard that the elevator was out of order yesterday and two students got in. What if someone were to be locked inside?”

Because there really was a problem with the circuits on this floor and a lot of things had happened in the past two days, the school leaders had no other choice. After receiving a request to strengthen the elimination of hidden dangers on campus, the logistics department simply sealed off all the unused areas in the school. 

It was the same here.

If nothing else happened, this place would likely not be reopened until the next year when the teaching materials were replaced.

The school janitors walked back and forth down the corridor twice. Seeing that the elevator had been blocked by an iron gate, and that there were no abnormalities elsewhere, the second janitor rubbed his neck and patted his partner on the shoulder.

“It’s done. Let’s go, let’s go, my whole body feels uncomfortable here.”

His partner didn’t want to bother in the first place. Seeing that his responsible and honest partner was saying the same thing, he quickly dragged this person without delay toward the only exit on the negative 3rd floor.

……

They were gone.

Great, they left. He won again this time. Hahaha, he wasn’t fooled.

The school janitors would never know that after they left, in the dark and silent negative 3rd floor corridor, a boy was curled up in a ball and shivering in a seemingly normal cardboard box.

He listened with contentment to the conversation and footsteps as they left, and a twisted smile appeared on his face.

I knew it.

Wang Rongfa continued to pump himself up.

As long as he hid here, those things wouldn’t be able to find him.

Thus, they could only use this method to try to lure him out of his hiding place.

What a joke.

Only in this way could he fool them.

He would hide well.

Yes, yes.

Never, never would he let himself be discovered.

Just hide well.

Just hide.

He was safe.

Just…..hide…..

Hide……

*

There was a click.

The door was locked.

---

The Author Has Something to Say:

Li Xiu: How can ghosts exist in this world! (Afraid, trembling, terrified)

Li Xiu: Oh, so ghosts are actually the quantum state form of the human spiritual body? That’s fine. (Calm)

---

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Chapter 21 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 23

“Qian’an, ah, are you sick?”

Looking at the tall young man who claimed he’d just had a nightmare, Aunt Su frowned, unable to hide the worry in her eyes. 

Aunt Su had been at the Fang residence for a great many years, and it could be said that she watched Fang Qian’an grow up. In her memory, even when he was beaten by Fang Chengke and couldn’t get out of bed, he had never looked as close to death as he did now.

This person, who was usually the most domineering and arrogant, now seemed to have lost his soul.

His face was incredibly pale, his eye sockets black and blue.

Fang Qian’an’s unusual haggardness made her very anxious.

“…..Or should I say, where does it hurt? Qian’an, ah, you’re already this old. You should know how important it is to take care of your body.” Aunt Su looked at Fang Qian’an doubtfully, suspecting that it could be something from Fang Chengke’s beating the day before. “How about I call Lao Chen and ask him to take you to the hospital? Ai, Lao Fang is so cruel to just send you back like this. How can something like this still happen in Beijing? I’ll just make the call and ask Dr. Xu to come and take a look.”

Aunt Su talked and talked, babbling inadvertently.

After Fang Qian’an returned with Fang Chengke, many of the benefits he enjoyed from the old man naturally came to nothing. If a certain person had a headache or fever, he could only go to the hospital. It was impossible to call the family doctor like before.

Fang Qian’an rubbed his head, feeling a headache as he looked at the older woman who was starting to look aggrieved on his behalf. He said perfunctorily: “I really am fine. The old man didn’t do anything to me yesterday. Don’t overthink it, I just really didn’t sleep well…..”

When Fang Qian’an spoke like this, Aunt Su could ultimately only give a sigh: “Then how about you come down and have some soup? Can you eat something? I saw that you didn’t eat much yesterday, aren’t you hungry?”

“No, I have no appetite,” Fang Qian’an said without thinking. After a brief pause, he added: “I have to go to school right away.”

“School?”

Aunt Su was stunned for a moment, almost unable to respond.

Fang Qian’an was so anxious to go to school that he couldn’t even eat? If she hadn’t been the one to bring up the boy in front of her, Aunt Su would have thought that the person who’d appeared in this bedroom was Fang Qian’an’s substitute.

Not to mention a remote place like City A, even while enjoying truly top-notch educational resources in the capital city, Fang Qian’an never went to school seriously.

But today, Fang Qian’an, the renowned underachiever, king of laziness, and teacher longevity reduction machine, was actually rushing to school.

In such a hurry that he didn’t even have time to eat breakfast.

Aunt Su watched, dumbfounded as Fang Qian’an rushed back into the room, threw something on randomly, and rushed out the door. She was unable to recover for a long time.

“This kid…..is finished. Did he fall on his head yesterday?”

The older woman watched Fang Qian’an’s back as she murmured, the worry on her face only increasing.

*

Fang Qian’an naturally had no idea that his bizarre behavior had caused great worry for Aunt Su.

All he could think about was yesterday’s dream within a dream within a dream within a dream…..and the frail young man who had appeared there. 

“A-Xiu.”

Sitting in the car on the way to school, Fang Qian’an raised his hand and looked at his arm with an unconscious murmur.

When he first woke up that morning, Fang Qian’an had wondered several times if he could still be trapped in a dream.

The feeling of weightlessness and wind passing when he jumped from the 7th floor railing, hugging the other boy, was still vivid in his memory, but what was even more vivid was…..the other party’s wild heartbeat as he clung to his chest when they jumped.

Because of the force used, the boy’s body seemed as if it was embedded in his arms.

Inexplicably, Fang Qian’an had a strange intuition — if he hadn’t woken from the nightmare at that time, he would have most likely dreamt about the final outcome.

He and Li Xiu would have fallen to the ground under the influence of gravity and become a big mass of bloody flesh. At that point, it would be impossible to completely distinguish which parts belonged to whom among the fused remains.

“Heh—”

A strange chuckle full of greed and satisfaction suddenly came from the back seat.

The driver, Lao Chen, immediately tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

The sound was odd, and didn’t sound entirely like Fang Qian’an.

But wasn’t there only Lao Chen and Fang Qian’an in the car right now, ah? As Lao Chen thought, he subconsciously glanced at Fang Qian’an in the rearview mirror.

The latter was not smiling at this time, and his pale-as-paper face was in a trance.

Lao Chen stared blankly for a second.

Maybe he had pressed something just now and actually heard something from outside the car.

At that moment, Lao Chen didn’t overthink it.

Just as Lao Chen was about to withdraw his gaze, he suddenly met Fang Qian’an’s eyes in the mirror.

“Wu?!”

One of the boy’s extremely light-colored eyes quivered strangely, and with an abrupt vibration, it was pushed aside by a different blood-colored pupil.

In one eye were a pair of bizarre double pupils.

Time seemed to stretch very long.

For a brief moment, Fang Qian’an stared unblinkingly at Lao Chen. He suddenly grinned.

Lao Chen suddenly heard a sound that was like tinnitus. His head spun, and the man immediately stepped on the brakes in a panic, stopping the car dangerously at a red light.

“Hey, who’s that, ah? He’s driving like crazy—”

He had almost run into a pedestrian on the crosswalk, who cursed angrily at Lao Chen.

Although there hadn’t been an accident, no matter what, Lao Chen would normally have gotten out of the car to deal with the situation. Presently, he held the steering wheel tightly with both hands and remained in his seat for several seconds.

“Fuck, Uncle Chen? What are you doing?!”

Fang Qian’an wasn’t wearing a seatbelt in the back, and the sudden stop caused him to hit his head. At this time, he was looking at Lao Chen with an irritable expression, and his tone was just on this side of cursing him.

Lao Chen slowly turned his head to look at Fang Qian’an. The latter’s eyes were not strange at all.

It was as if everything just now was an illusion.

Fang Qian’an glared at Uncle Chen and raised his voice again: “Uncle Chen! Green light!”

At the same time, a car behind theirs honked continuously. Lao Chen quickly sat upright as if waking from a dream, and continued to drive forward under the guidance of the traffic lights.

The man licked his lips as he drove, trying to calm down.

“Apologies, Young Master Fang. I was a little distracted just now.”

“Tsk.” Fang Qian’an was upset today, and his mood became even worse after being tossed around by Uncle Chen like this. “You have to watch the road carefully even if you’re distracted, right? You almost hit someone just now! Ah, seriously, I should have driven the car myself…..”

Seeing that Fang Qian’an was as bad-tempered as always, Lao Chen’s heart relaxed somewhat.

Fortunately, Qiming’s magnificent school gates soon appeared in Uncle Chen’s field of vision.

When the car drove up to the school, Fang Qian’an got out at once without saying a word and rushed toward the teaching building with great strides.

And Lao Chen in the driver’s seat looked in the direction he had gone for a long time, a strange expression on his face. Then he let loose a long sigh.

Lao Chen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and muttered with a wry smile: “What the hell…..is wrong with me?”

It must have been some kind of hallucination just now, right?

Fang Qian’an was more or less the child he had watched grow up. No matter how he thought about it, it was impossible for him to have two pupils in one eye.

But even as he thought this, Lao Chen was still tense as he drove.

He couldn’t explain why, but he felt that the Fang Qian’an sitting behind him was a bit creepy.

It was a very strange feeling.

Just like when you stare at a word for a long time and it starts to seem a little abnormal.

Looking at Fang Qian’an now, he unexpectedly felt that the more he looked, the stranger that person became.

*

Due to the incident on the way to school, when Fang Qian’an arrived, Class 1A’s morning self-study class had already begun.

When his eyes landed on the class full of students, the corners of Fang Qian’an’s mouth twitched and his footsteps instinctively slowed. Fortunately, he quickly saw Li Xiu sitting in the last row.

The boy who almost always immersed himself in homework looked a little off today. He clearly had a pen in his hand and papers spread out on the table, but the eyes looking down at those papers were empty. His fingers didn’t move for a long time, and the paper was blank. He was obviously distracted.

The early morning sunlight shone on the slender boy through the window glass, making his pale cheeks look like they were about to become translucent. 

Th-thump—

Fang Qian’an distinctly felt something in his chest start to pound wildly.

Even the trauma from the classroom dream last night faded away at once.

“A-Xiu—”

Walking fast, Fang Qian’an took a deep breath, rushed into the classroom, and grabbed Li Xiu, dragging him out.

“Fang Qian’an! What are you doing?!”

Li Xiu struggled for a moment, but the strength of his struggling in Fang Qian’an’s grip was no different from the scratching of a kitten, with no effect at all.

Staggering along the way, Fang Qian’an dragged Li Xiu right to the class lounge.

There was nobody else there early in the morning.

As soon as Li Xiu entered, Fang Qian’an pushed him directly onto the sofa, which was as big as a bed. Then came the click of the door being locked.

“Fang Qian’an, what’s wrong with you?!”

Li Xiu struggled to hold himself up, cursing at the tall boy who was slowly turning around at the door.

Just like Fang Qian’an, Li Xiu also had thick dark circles under his eyes. The frail youth’s cursing had no energy at all, and there was a slight hoarseness to his voice, like he had been crying.

Fang Qian’an took a deep breath and licked his lips, staring at Li Xiu with bright eyes.

“I had a dream last night. A nightmare.” One step. Two steps. Fang Qian’an suddenly came to Li Xiu, standing in front of him like a mountain. “I thought I was definitely going to die in it, but fortunately I had you there.”

Li Xiu shivered violently upon hearing these words, and after half a beat, his stiff voice sounded in the lounge.

“……Psycho. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Fang Xian’an blinked.

Holding the edge of the sofa with one hand, he suddenly leaned down and drew close to Li Xiu.

He said: “You dreamed about me too, right?”

This position brought the two of them very close together. Fang Qian’an’s golden eyes seemed more and more like those of some big cat. And when Li Xiu saw himself reflected in those eyes, he inexplicably felt like the pitiful prey being targeted.

His heart palpitated, and Li Xiu lowered his head to avoid Fang Qian’an’s focused gaze.

“A dream. You had a dream, you idiot. Fang Qian’an, I still have morning self-study to do, what do you want…..”

Before he could finish speaking, Fang Qian’an directly grabbed his wrist.

“Look, here’s proof,” he said.

Li Xiu followed his gaze to look at his palm — there were teeth marks on the edge of it, along with blood stains.

Those were left behind when he was trying not to scream in the nightmare.

Li Xiu: “…..I can’t bite something when I’m sleeping?” 

Who couldn’t see Li Xiu’s extreme evasion? But Fang Qian’an didn’t let him go.

“Okay, what about this?” As he spoke, Fang Qian’an stood up, took a few steps back, and took his shirt off in front of Li Xiu.

“Cough…..what are you doing?!”

Li Xiu was caught off guard when he saw Fang Qian’an taking off his clothes, and nearly choked on his own saliva.

“I’m showing you my evidence.”

Fang Qian’an didn’t hear Li Xiu’s panic. The boy spoke easily as he showed his back to Li Xiu.

On both sides of the boy’s muscular back were several clearly visible scratches.

It was impossible not to be scared when jumping off the railing. Even the most courageous person, when hugging someone as they jumped, couldn’t help but use force to dig his nails deeply into the other’s flesh.

There were many bruises on Fang Qian’an’s back, but the slightly red and swollen scratches were still very conspicuous.

The boy turned his head and stared at Li Xiu, speaking every word with the utmost seriousness: “When I woke up this morning, I kept trying to convince myself that it was only a dream.”

“But when I was getting dressed, I found these…..there’s no way I could have scratched myself in these positions, right?”

---

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Chapter 20 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 22

The sentence “general who guards the country” had already stunned these people, and the subsequent words instantly caused Tang-furen and Uncle Tang to tremble.

“Are…..are you joking?” Uncle Tang said harshly, with a tug at the corners of his mouth.

Dai Tingyu knelt down directly and saluted Huo Fenglie: “General, this humble one is at fault for not handling the situation strictly in accordance with military discipline. This humble one is willing to be punished, and will handle the punishments of the violators afterward.”

Uncle Tang’s face paled. Looking at Huo Fenglie again, Uncle Tang’s expression was indeed full of self-pity and anger, but the second their eyes met, he was so frightened that his legs went weak and he knelt down.

“I…..I have been punished. I left office. This one…..this one asks to be excused, excused…..”

Seeing that Uncle Tang was about to flee, Liu Zhenqing called from behind: “Don’t run away, ah, you’ll be spared for the sake of the city lord’s face.”

Uncle Tang’s steps slowed.

“For example, fifty blows from a rod would easily kill you, so it’s better to let Commander die to one blow at a time, separately. This way, it is certain that nothing will go wrong. It’s called paying in installments.”

Dai Tingyu immediately shouted: “This is a good idea!”

There was wind under Uncle Tang’s feet, and he wished he could disappear into the city lord’s manor at once. He ran away in a flash, and likely wouldn’t dare show up again in the future.

Tang-furen regarded everyone with an awkward expression. Tang Mu stepped forward and said: “Mother is probably tired and muddle-headed from the journey. Please go back and rest right away.”

Tang-furen calmed down, thinking that they wouldn’t embarrass her for Tang Mu’s sake. She coughed to cover up her embarrassment and stepped forward to salute Huo Fenglie.

Huo Fenglie said directly: “Tang-furen, get up. It is better for you to be cautious in your words and deeds in the future. The emperor has the final say in this world.”

Tang-furen’s face became somewhat distorted. Liu Zhenqing held back a smile, feeling that Tang-furen would definitely not be able to stay any longer or dare to interfere in Tang Mu’s business in the future.

Unexpectedly, Tang-furen turned out to be rather fierce. She smiled obsequiously and spoke a few words: “The general doesn’t know, but I am doing this for the sake of my own family. The painstaking efforts of a parent are always misunderstood.”

Having said this, she actually began to look Huo Fenglie up and down. Although it wasn’t obvious, Liu Zhenqing could see the scrutiny in her expression at a glance.

Just as Liu Zhenqing was feeling somewhat confused, the older lady suddenly said: “The general is truly mighty and remarkable. How old is he?”

Everyone was taken aback by the sudden change of topic. Huo Fenglie didn’t overthink it: “Twenty-seven.”

“Twenty-seven, ah. You are the same age as my son. Fate brings people together, ah.” Tang-furen instantly beamed. “I hear that the general is not yet engaged…..”

“Mother, it’s time to go back.”

Without waiting for anyone’s reaction, Tang Mu immediately stepped forward and held Tang-furen, practically dragging her out.

Tang-furen made a fuss and tried to address Huo Fenglie, but was pulled away by Tang Mu.

Dai Tingyu and Huo Fenglie didn’t know the reason for this.

Dai Tingyu sneered: “Does she think that General Huo, because he is the same age as her son, shouldn’t be respected as much as Tang-chengzhu? How ridiculous, using the position of an elder to get close to him.”

Huo Fenglie wasn’t interested. He said to Liu Zhenqing: “Let’s go.”

Liu Zhenqing stroked his chin and watched the mother and son depart. When he heard Huo Fenglie’s voice, he looked over with some dissatisfaction.

Right, ah, he wasn’t engaged yet. He was a rich, single man.

He remembered that back in the capital, in order to avoid trouble, he had also taken advantage of Huo Fenglie’s lack of engagement and made up some nonsense.

Now that he thought about it, this was normal. Er-gou was so good. Of course many people would have their eyes on him.

If one married, it should be to General Huo.

“If you want to marry, isn’t the best candidate in front of you? Since the emperor told him to come here, it’s an opportunity from the heavens!” 

“Mother!” Tang Mu was truly angry. “Do you understand what you’re saying!”

“If you keep wasting time like this, when will you be able to marry, ah? This mother is worried about you.”

“Are you worried about me, or do you want me to step aside for my uncle? Mother, have you forgotten what the people from the Office of Government Affairs just said? Can you stop dreaming?” Tang Mu turned around and left.

But he was angrily scolded by Tang-furen for outgrowing obedience to his parents and not listening.

Tang Mu turned around and looked at his mother with disappointment. Seeing that she was still using the honor of the Tang family as her trump card and looking so arrogant, he felt extremely broken, and very…..sorry for that person.

Tang-furen continued: “Do you want to remain unmarried for the rest of your life? Don’t you know that your secret will be discovered sooner or later? What will you do then? What if…..what if someone sues us, what will our Tang family do? You were born with a good appearance, and what isn’t good about your temperament or talent that you can’t take on the identity of a general’s wife? With the great general who protects the country, we’ll have nothing to fear.”

Tang Mu closed his eyes in the end, unable to stop them from stinging. He took a deep breath and said very weakly: “I don’t fear anything. As long as you and Uncle don’t cause trouble for me, our family can live in peace and stability for the rest of our lives. In the end, you actually look down on me and think I’m not worthy of sitting in the position of City Lord, right?”

“You!” Tang-furen said angrily: “I want you to get married as soon as possible because I love you. What’s wrong with that!”

Tang Mu scoffed coldly, and the moisture in his eyes quickly vanished. “Don’t worry, Mother. I made up my mind a long time ago. I won’t marry anyone in this life, Mother, so don’t waste your time. If you’re bored at home, go and worship Buddha.”

When Tang Mu was done speaking, he turned to leave. But thinking of his mother’s character, he couldn’t help but turn back and remind her: “And as you heard just now, Huo Fenglie has a close friend next to him. It’s not like he doesn’t have anyone.”

As expected, Tang-furen wasn’t easily deterred and spoke again: “That man is not as good-looking as you. Besides, you have an advantage over him, don’t you?”

Tang Mu’s expression turned ugly again. He held onto the willow leaf jade piece and calmed himself for a moment before turning around and leaving.

Early the next morning, Tang-furen unexpectedly came to their courtyard. For the purpose of getting close to Huo Fenglie, she invited him to have breakfast with them.

Huo Fenglie refused with a frown. Tang-furen wanted to say more, but then saw Liu Zhenqing come out, letting out a sigh as he leaned against Huo Fenglie. And Huo Fenglie went along with him and held on, which caused Tang-furen’s expression to become ugly.

“Let’s go eat,” Liu Zhenqing said as if there was no one else around.

Huo Fenglie nodded.

Tang-furen put up with it again and again before inviting Liu Zhenqing to go with them. Huo Fenglie was about to refuse again when Liu Zhenqing accepted.

Thus, the two of them appeared in front of Tang Mu with Tang-furen.

Liu Zhenqing saw Tang Mu’s change of expression and smiled at him indifferently.

And at this time, Tang-furen warmly welcomed Huo Fenglie and sat between him and Tang Mu. Before Huo Fenglie could refuse, Liu Zhenqing pushed him down and sat.

When Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing in confusion, Liu Zhenqing pulled Huo Fenglie’s arm away and sat in his lap. He burrowed into his arms and adjusted his posture comfortably, completely ignoring the people around them. He said: “I’m so sleepy, ah. I can’t sit up anymore, you hold me while I eat.”

Everyone around was dumbfounded. Both the host and the attendants watched this overly intimate and unruly behavior in astonishment. What’s more, the star of the show was the general who guards the country, whose status was below only one person and above all others. How could such a person do such a thing! !

Even Huo Fenglie froze. It seemed to him that this was not Qing-ge acting coquettishly toward him, but simply teasing him. Qing-ge was very playful to begin with, but according to the current situation, he was probably putting on an act purely for others to see.

Guessing the likely intention behind it, Huo Fenglie could only cooperate. Because for something Qing-ge wanted to do, the consequences of not going along with it would be even more serious.

Thus, Huo Fenglie adjusted his posture without a change of expression, making the other more comfortable in his arms.

The eyes of the people around widened in unison. Now they wished they were blind, as if they were viewing a debauched monarch and a demon concubine.

Tang Mu withdrew his expression of surprise, and there was eventually a smile on his lips.

But Tang-furen had been overturned by Liu Zhenqing over and over again, and was so angry that she nearly vomited blood.

What was this shameless appearance? If he got married in the future, all the servants here had witnessed the scene and rumors would fly. Could this be allowed?

Just as Tang-furen was about to speak, she heard Liu Zhenqing say: “I am so sorry, I’ve been discourteous. Aren’t the two of you startled? In fact, Fenglie and I usually do this. I like to sleep in, and he gets up early. I have to do this in order to have breakfast with him, otherwise I’d be so sleepy that I’d fall down sitting on the stool. Hahaha. Tang-chenzhu said before that this can be treated as our home. I saw that the Old Madam is also amiable, and didn’t think I would commit a gaffe.”

Tang-furen’s breathing was stifled.

Tang Mu said with a smile: “Don’t be polite, this is like your own home. You can do whatever you usually do. Come, let’s all have a meal.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled at Tang Mu, then hooked Huo Fenglie’s neck and said coquettishly: “I have a light appetite today. You pick something lighter for me.”

Huo Fenglie said directly: “Okay.” With this answer, he actually embraced Liu Zhenqing and carefully selected food for him.

Tang-furen was simply flabbergasted.

Tang Mu had to hold back his laughter, because they looked very much like a debauched monarch and a demon concubine. The demon concubine was rather on point, but the debauched monarch had a serious appearance and lacked acting skills. But this was to show off to his mother and make things clear to her.

Subsequently, Liu Zhenqing not only told Huo Fenglie to pick his food, but also acted spoiled and had Huo Fenglie feed it to his mouth. It wasn’t tasty when it was fed to him, so Liu Zhenqing ate half of it and fed the rest to Huo Fenglie’s mouth. The intimacy between the two was even closer than that of a newlywed couple.

Tang-furen’s heartbeat was disordered, and she gasped for breath several times.

Tang Mu couldn’t help but sigh. Although he had always thought that Young Master Liu might be a substitute and sympathized with him, he saw Huo Fenglie dote on him to the point that he was deeply accustomed to Liu Zhenqing’s willful demands. And the dignified general was willing to cooperate with even the most outrageous things. Tang Mu felt that it was very obvious that they loved each other. 

Tang-furen started to speak several times afterward, but Liu Zhenqing’s show of affection burnt her face and she couldn’t say anything at all. 

In the end, she couldn’t bear it anymore. “This is too toilsome for General Huo. Why not add a stool?” She was willing to step back and let the two of them sit next to each other instead of one sitting on the other.

Seeing that Tang-furen was still unwilling to give up, Liu Zhenqing disregarded the remaining face she had left and said: “Thanking the Madam for thinking about my family’s general, but I really can’t sit down.”

Tang-furen was faintly stunned.

With a shy look on his face, Liu Zhenqing gave Huo Fenglie a slight jab and said: “It’s all your fault! People are laughing at me.”

Huo Fenglie could no longer make any expression, and when everyone else reacted, their faces turned red.

Tang Mu coughed and accidentally knocked over his tea cup. He apologized and immediately left to change his clothes. 

And Tang-furen was already in despair. Trembling, she said that she was full. But in fact, she could no longer bear the stimulation and could only give in temporarily and retreat.

When everyone around was gone and the other servants were also far away, only then did Liu Zhenqing laugh in Huo Fenglie’s arms. He directly smacked his hand onto Huo Fenglie as tears came out. 

Looking up at Huo Fenglie’s stiff face, Liu Zhenqing said: “It’s ruined. Er-gou’s reputation has been completely ruined by me.”

Huo Fenglie looked embarrassed. Liu Zhenqing’s implication just now had greatly stimulated him. Even as he held him in his arms, he felt hot in his nether regions.

Huo Fenglie’s mind was a mess. This dazed look fell into Liu Zhenqing’s eyes, and when he reacted, he raised his eyebrows and hooked Huo Fenglie’s neck with a chuckle: “Actually, I just made that up.”

Huo Fenglie stared for a moment and nodded. Of course he knew Liu Zhenqing was acting.

Liu Zhenqing said: “If this was really the case, I think that not only could I not sit down, but I also couldn’t get up.”

Huo Fenglie’s pupils shrank and his breathing stagnated.

“By then, I wouldn’t even have the energy to hit and curse a certain someone.”

Huo Fenglie’s chaotic mind seemed to be clearing up.

“Perhaps I would even fall into a coma. Even if I woke up in a daze, I could only be held and fed because I didn’t have any strength in my hands and feet.”

The jut of Huo Fenglie’s throat rolled. His pupils quivered, and the veins in his neck began to bulge as if he was trying his utmost to endure something.

The bad intentions in Liu Zhenqing’s eyes became even more obvious. He leaned right toward Huo Fenglie’s ear and sighed softly. “Er-gou, remember to be gentle and moderate.”

Huo Fenglie immediately looked at Liu Zhenqing as if he had been struck by lightning. He saw this person suddenly draw near, and the corner of his lips grew hot as it was licked.

When his eyes refocused, Liu Zhenqing had already pulled away and was moving his mouth as if tasting something. “There was a splash of soup.”

Huo Fenglie’s pupils shrank. In a flash, there was a look in his eyes as if he had lost his mind, and the arms around him suddenly tightened.

But at this moment, Dai Tingyu’s carefree voice sounded from outside. 

“Did I hear that my brother is here?!”

Huo Fenglie froze. Liu Zhenqing blinked. The look in Huo Fenglie’s eyes just now was…..very intriguing.

Liu Zhenqing said with a chuckle: “Hurry and calm down so you don’t get laughed at.” As he said this, he deliberately moved his sitting position. When Huo Fenglie didn’t respond, he quickly jumped away to sit on a stool. When Dai Tingyu came in, he was already sitting in a well-behaved manner and eating breakfast. 

And the ashen-faced Huo Fenglie sat stiffly, his breathing as heavy as if he had just experienced an internal strength competition.

Dai Tingyu was confused at this sight.

“You really are, ah. Didn’t you promise yesterday to go shopping? Let’s go out after you eat. There’s a festival today, so the city is really lively.”

. . . . . . . .

“Won’t you go shopping with me? It’s a rare holiday,” a black-clothed man asked another, who was about to disappear.

“No, we may encounter Huo Fenglie in the city.”

“Then you can’t leave my side.”

“I will protect you in secret.”

“What if I have a conflict with Huo Fenglie?”

“I won’t hurt him, and I’ll protect you.”

---

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Chapter One Hundred Four << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Six

“Just hang on until the end of class. In a nightmare…..class will still end, won’t it?”

Li Xiu murmured softly as if talking to himself, his voice shaking so much that it was almost discordant.

Fang Qian’an didn’t say anything, but Li Xiu could see the muscles on the tall boy’s back spasm due to how tense they were.

Now, Li Xiu was even more certain that the rebellious, arrogant prince of the Fang family was actually afraid of ghosts.

But Li Xiu currently had no time to mock the other party. Everything in front of him was beyond comprehension. Too terrifying. Too strange. Not to mention Fang Qian’an, who was frightened to the point of madness, even Li Xiu himself, who thought he was indifferent to the supernatural, felt that his spirit was about to collapse.

Was everything in this classroom really a nightmare?

If this was actually a dream, why did it feel so real? So real that Li Xiu couldn’t ignore the rancid stench that gradually became richer in the air, as well as the creepy creaking sound.

It was the sound a wire made when it tightened slightly.

Creak—

The sound rang out again.

No matter how much he didn’t want to look, Li Xiu still caught a glimpse of renewed movement on Ouyang’s side from the corner of his eye.

In the windless classroom, the body spun around in a circle. Now, Ouyang’s toes slowly pointed in Li Xiu’s direction.

[“Wuwu…..I…..can’t breathe…..hurts so much…..”]

The corpse let out wheezes of pain like the buzz of a mosquito.

[“I know I was wrong, I won’t dare do it again…..forgive me…..it hurts…..I can’t breathe…..wuwuwu…..my neck hurts…..”]

The voice seemed to have substance, countless threads wrapping around the thin youth with a bloodless face.

The sound was getting closer and closer.

At last, a swollen head slowly hung upside down in front of Li Xiu’s desk.

No wonder “Ouyang” kept crying about his neck hurting.

Li Xiu had never seen a body transformed like this. Ouyang had been stretched until he was almost transparent at this time, his head hanging like an empty fire hose.

The dead man’s feet could even hit the back of his head.

And Ouyang’s gray, lifeless eyes remained motionless, gazing right into Li Xiu’s eyes.

He repeated: [“I’m sorry, please forgive me”] 

The moment Li Xiu met the eyes of Ouyang’s corpse, he let out a muffled sound.

He raised his hand at once to forcefully cover his mouth.

The youth bit the palm of his hand hard. Because only in this way could he block his terrified screams. In the midst of his excessive mental turmoil, Li Xiu left deep tooth marks on his hand. His mouth filled with the taste of blood, but he couldn’t feel his palm at all.

Perhaps he didn’t feel pain because this was a dream. Of course, it might also be because his brain was now in a state of complete shutdown.

He couldn’t let these things discover…..that he had noticed something abnormal.

Absolutely not.

This was the only thought left in his mind.

“A-Xiu, are you okay? What happened? Your expression is so ugly.”

As Li Xiu shivered in the cold, the worried voice of a classmate came from behind him.

Li Xiu held back the tears of fear in his eyes.

Not looking back, he feigned calmness and said perfunctorily: “I’m fine, I—”

Li Xiu’s voice halted abruptly.

He came to a swift realization.

No way.

Li Xiu’s desk was clearly on the last row of the classroom.

So where had the “classmate” behind him come from?

“But you’re sweating a lot.”

A pair of hands, dry, pale, and with dried blood where the fingernails should be, rested on Li Xiu’s shoulders.

A suffocating chill spread down Li Xiu’s back.

He lowered his head to look at the desk.

Under the fluorescent lights of the classroom, a large shadow fell across Li Xiu’s desk.

Whatever was standing behind Li Xiu right now must be very tall.

Perhaps tall enough to carry the body of a human male and dangle it mid-air.

[“Don’t you like it?”] it asked. 

The pair of hands that definitely didn’t belong to a living person moved up little by little along the sides of Li Xiu’s neck, almost gently stroking away the cold sweat dripping down Li Xiu’s face.

Everywhere they touched, his skin seemed to freeze, cold to the bone.

A smell of earth, dust, and carrion seeped through.

[“Why don’t you like it?”] the thing went on to ask in a quizzical tone.

Li Xiu’s lips quivered. There was no need to cover his mouth with his palm now. He could no longer make a sound.

Such was his fear that even the muscles of his vocal cords had automatically locked up.

What’s more, he didn’t understand what it was talking about at all.

When it didn’t get a response, “it” said without any fluctuation: [“…..Ah. A-Xiu really doesn’t like it.”]

[“Then next time, next time I will prepare something better for you—”]

Before it finished speaking, a certain school bully next to Li Xiu finally lost his nerve and fell into madness.

“Ahhhhh prosperity, democracy, civilization—”

There was a loud noise mixed with Fang Qian’an’s shrill scream. Immediately after, Li Xiu was shocked to see Fang Qian’an directly pick up the desk and launch it heavily into the deformed body of the hanging male teacher. Ouyang flew away, and the rotting corpse exploded like rancid orange under the impact of the table, turning into a black, red, gray, and yellow slurry of internal organs all over the floor.

The great commotion caused all the “people” in class to turn their heads.

Their blank, pupil-less white eyes all stared at Fang Qian’an.

Crack.

Bones wrapped in soft meat made a dull grinding sound at the joints.

The things that weren’t human, but which resembled humans, wobbled as they stood up from their seats. They staggered in Fang Qian’an’s direction.

“Huhu…..hu…..”

“Urgh.”

The “classmates’” mouths were slightly open, but what came out of them were the sharp breaths of a dying person deprived of oxygen.

And behind them was Ouyang, knocked to the floor by the desk. His head was obviously glued to the floor, but his thin, deformed body was still squirming like a snake.

The school bully, panting heavily and pale with fright, just stood there, looking at the “things” gradually approaching him with slightly unfocused eyes.

“Huff…..huff…..huff…..A-Xiu.”

Fang Qian’an turned to look at Li Xiu with a sobbing tone in his voice.

Li Xiu had never known that when a person was exceedingly frightened, their face would turn gray.

“…..Didn’t, didn’t you say that the core values of socialism and scientific laws were useful for this kind of thing?” Fang Qian’an muttered to Li Xiu.

Li Xiu could only give Fang Qian’an a blank look, and after half a beat, he said without rhyme or reason: “M-maybe math is more useful?”

“Heh.”

Someone seemed to laugh in his ear in a low tone.

Before Li Xiu could react, he sensed a strong force coming. He almost flew out of his seat as he was dragged, and realized that he was being held tightly by Fang Qian’an as he ran toward the door of the classroom.

“Justice, rule of law, patriotism, commitment, integrity, the degree of disparity between two arithmetic sequences is N, and hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium—”

As Fang Qian’an ran, he continued to shout until his voice nearly broke.

And what came at the same time was a long, continuous ringing sound.

Dingding…..dingding…..dingding…..

It seemed at first to be the end of class bell, but the real school bell was definitely not as harsh as the sound lingering in their ears at this moment. 

The ringing was simply deafening, and it never stopped. It continued to ring as if it would never end.

Li Xiu was initially worried that the things in the classroom would chase after them. After all, that was what happened in horror movies.

However, after running staggeringly for a short while, they both realized that the hallway was still empty.

The “classmates” hadn’t chased them out.

In one identical classroom after another, the “classmates” just stood upright in front of the class windows side by side, watching the two people fleeing desperately down the hallway.

Staggering as he ran, Li Xiu inadvertently glanced in their direction. Then he gave a violent shudder and forcefully swallowed his sobs, shifting his gaze to the front.

Wrong…..

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

Those “classmates” were just wrong.

He bit his lip to remain silent, but the screaming in his head never stopped.

Even if there were ghosts, they shouldn’t be like this.

Although they looked similar to humans, the eyes on their faces were all on the right or on the left. 

There were also “people” whose facial features were particularly messed up and random.

What…..

What in the world were they?!

“Fuck—”

Just then, Li Xiu heard a fearful, panicked curse from Fang Qian’an in front of him.

The boy braked suddenly, and Li Xiu was caught off guard and ran into his back.

Cupping his nose, Li Xiu poked his head out from behind Fang Qian’an to see what had caused him to stop so urgently.

Just in front of them where the elevators should have been in the real school, now stood a thick brick wall.

That wall was covered in spots of black mold due to moisture and layers of faded talisman papers.

The talisman papers densely covered the entire wall. And the moisture wetted the red cinnabar on papers, turning it into countless bright red streaks that slowly flowed down the wall.

In the center was a small red-painted door.

It looked like a door for pets, only half the size of a normal door. The paint on it was pitted and peeling in many places.

“Isn’t this the fucking wall in the haunted house? You’ve got to be kidding…..”

Fang Qian’an continued to babble as his entire frame trembled with fear in front of Li Xiu. He seemed brave, but from Li Xiu’s perspective, he could clearly see the tears shimmering in the corners of the boy’s eyes.

They had, in fact, seen this door in reality. To be honest, the dead Ouyang in the classroom and the unknown “classmate” things sitting around them were horrifying.

However, standing in front of that wall now, Li Xiu felt a kind of fear that was even colder than the classroom had been.

There was something behind the door.

With no justification at all, Li Xiu could sense this.

And he knew that “it” behind the door was eager to come out.

He heard that sound.

Creak—

The ringing in his ears was still so harsh and loud, but the fine scratching sound coming from the other side of the door, made by fingernails rubbing against metal, directly overshadowed the ringing and penetrated deeply into Li Xiu’s ears.

Somehow, the ringing in the teaching building became increasingly urgent and harsh.

Like it was urging them.

Or perhaps warning them.

At the same time, Li Xiu’s body became heavier and heavier, as well as increasingly cold. Mustering all of his strength, he grabbed Fang Qian’an’s wrist.

The boy’s body was now like that of a zombie, stiff and ice-cold from the fear.

“Fang Qian’an…..”

Li Xiu’s lips pressed together, and the sound was unexpectedly thin and weak.

“We have to escape,” the youth murmured almost absent-mindedly.

Fang Qian’an stared at the wall as if in a daze as Li Xiu led him little by little to the hallway railing.

Screech— 

The scratching sounds became more shrill.

The ringing and scratching sounds overlapped. Li Xiu’s body was so stiff from the extreme cold that he could barely lift his arms.

But still, he gritted his teeth and hugged the fear-stunned Fang Qian’an and pushed him toward the railing.

And just at this moment, Fang Qian’an returned to his senses. 

He instinctively clenched Li Xiu’s hand.

“A-Xiu?”

“Like you said, we’re just having a nightmare,” Li Xiu murmured to Fang Qian’an.

“I’ve heard of a method. If you want to wake up from a dream, you just need to jump off a high place.”

Fang Qian’an’s pupils constricted slightly.

He held onto Li Xiu in a much more relaxed way than before, and jumped onto the railing.

“You said it yourself.” While speaking, Fang Qian’an glanced downstairs. His voice suddenly stopped.

Li Xiu immediately felt Fang Qian’an’s muscles tense.

“If, and I’m saying if we’re not dreaming, our deaths will be a bit ugly if we jump from such a height.”

Fang Qian’an smiled bravely at Li Xiu, but his smile was uglier than if he was crying.

Li Xiu took a deep breath, and was about to respond when the constant ringing in his ears suddenly cut off.

Creak—

In the suddenly quiet school, the sharp creaking sound of an old door opening was particularly clear.

In abject terror, he could only hug Fang Qian’an tightly.

Fang Qian’an also hugged Li Xiu.

The two looked at each other and then, with a hint of despair, they fell toward the railing.

And jumped from the building.

At the last moment before they leaped, Li Xiu looked at the door that had been pushed open.

Perhaps it was a trick of the light.

It could also be an illusion created by the nightmare itself.

Li Xiu saw a dry, nailless hand stretch out from the darkness behind the red door, then wave in his direction.

Like it was saying— 

[See you later.]

*

Boom—

The Fang residence, first floor.

As Aunt Su was making breakfast, she heard her young master’s shrill scream and a loud bang from upstairs.

The vibration was so great that it almost made her think Fang Qian’an had demolished his room.

Startled, Aunt Su quickly turned off the flames and rushed toward Fang Qian’an’s room on the second floor.

“Qian’an? What’s wrong? What happened?” Aunt Su asked in a panic while knocking on the door.

After a long time, so long that she was already considering whether to call the police, Fang Qian’an’s door opened from the inside.

“…..I’m fine.”

Fang Qian’an held onto the doorknob and looked at Aunt Su with a strange expression for a moment, then said slowly word by word: “I just. Had a nightmare.”

Since he’d woken up from the nightmare, everything should be fine…..right?

---

The Author Has Something to Say:

Proud ghost brother: A-Xiu, ah, do you like this hanging Ouyang-laoshi or those maggot-spitting minions?

Huh? You don’t like any of them, ah.

It’s okay, Gege will find new bad guys to kill for you.

Truly, our family’s A-Xiu is so good. He just likes to act coquettishly.

This is what a gege should do, but look at you, why are you crying from joy?

---

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Chapter 19 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 21

After leaving the coffee shop, Pei Xi didn’t go to the company, but went directly home.

The door lock needed to be replaced.

He contacted professionals to come over and took advantage of the time to casually settle down for dinner. When the lock changer left, Pei Xi sent the password to He Chuzhou via text message.

Of course, in order to prevent “Pei-calico” from causing trouble due to suspicion and curiosity, he deleted the record after the password was successfully sent.

The next step was to consider the allocation of waking time and subsequent work arrangements.

He struggled to balance his work and physical condition, but fortune suddenly smiled upon him and he thought of a possibility.

If every time he fell asleep and woke up was like flipping a switch in his brain, was it possible to control his confused state reliably?

For example, after falling asleep in his right mind, waking up early in the morning and falling asleep again during a confused state, he could still be in his right mind when he woke up in the morning.

In this case, it was entirely possible to compress his confused time to the the midnight hours where it wouldn’t affect his work or cause He Chuzhou too much trouble.

At most, he only needed to hug someone in the middle of the night to comfort himself and not run around, and all of his problems would be solved.

Why hadn’t he thought of such a simple method before?

Plans needed to be put into practice to produce results.

It was now 9 o’clock in the evening. With great expectations, he set an alarm for himself for 12 o’clock, then showered as quickly as possible, drank a glass of milk, and went to bed.

The overload of work during the day caused him to quickly fall into a deep sleep as his mind and body simultaneously relaxed.

Time passed silently while he was in a state of deep sleep.

Three hours passed by in a flash. The cell phone placed next to his pillow vibrated in a timely manner, and the screen lit up at twelve.

Pei Xi reached for his phone and turned off the alarm. He opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling.

In the next second, it was like he was waking up from a dream.

He sat up and calmed himself down for a moment, then checked the time again. Finally, he realized there was a discrepancy between reality and what he had imagined, and he was not confused at all.

Why was this?

Had he not slept enough?

No, that couldn’t be it.

The time he got drunk with Xie Ling at the party and became brain-addled, he had obviously slept for a shorter time.

It wasn’t a matter of time or personal reasons, but external factors.

Could it be…..

He remembered.

It was the same last time.

That time in He Chuzhou’s office, when he woke up in the lounge, he hadn’t recovered from his brain-addled state.

He woke up that time because of He Chuzhou knocking down his cell phone. This time, it was because of the alarm clock.

The only two times he awakened sober were because of external influences.

So was the answer that he must fall asleep naturally and wake up naturally?

Did this mean that from now on, as long as he prevented himself from waking up naturally, he wouldn’t enter a brain-addled state again?

But if this was true, did this mean it had been disrupting his brain’s natural repair process and would result in more serious consequences than now?

What’s more, there were too many uncontrolled factors such as hypoglycemia and fainting that last time, and the doctor had told him to get enough rest during his recovery period……

The clues he thought of became complicated and unsolvable again after some thought.

Forget it.

He closed his eyes in exhaustion and lowered his head, pressing the heel of his palm between his eyebrows as he finally gave up the struggle.

So be it. Let nature take its course.

In any case, hadn’t He Chuzhou agreed to help him?

As for the work, it was only two days of work packed into one day.

The last day off could be considered a holiday for himself.

His interrupted sleepiness didn’t return for a while.

He opened his phone and was just clicking around on WeChat aimlessly, but found an additional friend request.

The name was a string of star symbols, and the avatar was a photo of He Xingxing leaning close to the camera. He could tell who it was without looking at the message.

He moved his finger and clicked through.

Then he returned to the list and clicked on the chat box. The system reminded him that he had added a friend and encouraged him to start chatting.

He subconsciously stared at the large blank space and waited solemnly for a while.

He couldn’t wait for the other party’s avatar to appear. It took him a moment to realize that he hadn’t seen the message, because the other party would definitely send a reply at once.

There was no time displayed on the friend request. Perhaps it had already been sent a long time ago and the other party had gone to bed.

He completely ignored the feeling of disappointed expectations and logged out of WeChat, opening his mailbox. There were several insignificant work documents inside.

However, his fingertips paused midair.

After a moment’s hesitation, he swiped right and returned to WeChat, clicked on He Chuzhou’s avatar, and entered his friend circle.

The first thing he saw was He Xingxing.

There were three, five, and nine-square grids, interspersed with live videos of the playful puppy. 

Some were at home, some were in the community garden, and some were in the car or a pet clinic.

Eating, sleeping, bathing, holding a frisbee in his mouth, being made to stand still……

He scrolled down slowly, clicking on pictures from time to time to examine them closely.

There was no time limit for viewing He Chuzhou’s moments. If he wanted, he could browse everything up until the day the account was created.

Not only was there the puppy, but also stray cats he met by chance and sumptuous dinners when he returned to his parents’ house on weekends or holidays. There were shots of unfamiliar plants growing in his father’s garden, as well as a young girl rolling her book into a tube and beating him. 

The writing was very concise, and when read together with the photos, it appeared particularly relaxed and amusing.

However, there was one outlier. The description was extremely long, with an entire six lines criticizing “Pei Xi” for being crafty, stingy, and loving to complain. 

The accompanying photo was also the only one in which he appeared.

The location in the photo didn’t look like the villa he lived in now. It was decorated entirely in a Chinese style, with a circle of green plants on the balcony.

He was crouching there in a white sleeveless shirt and shorts, holding a giant pair of scissors in his hand. It appeared that he was seriously considering which branch of the potted tree to prune.

Instead of looking like an uncle, he wore it with the laid-back vigor of a university student. Sunlight seemed to leap across every leaf around him, jostling together but too shy to get close.

Pei Xi stared at the photo for a long time before clicking to exit. 

This post was obviously written by He Aiyue, but He Chuzhou actually kept it without deleting it.

In the stillness of the night, it was easy for a person to become absorbed. Unknowingly, he turned back the timeline to the beginning of last year, not even noticing when the corners of his mouth curled up a bit.

But when he looked up from the coziness of the screen, he saw the dark, empty room, and the cold lights outside the window, that small arc vanished.

As the light of the cell phone dimmed, his mind gradually went blank. 

So what should he do tomorrow?

He thought, if Pei-calico woke up alone tomorrow, what kind of story would he make up to trouble He Chuzhou?

Was there anything he could do to prevent this trouble?

After all of this pondering, he still didn’t come to a conclusion. When drowsiness closed in, he pulled up the quilt and once again wrapped himself in that soft, thin shell.

He couldn’t, wouldn’t think about it. 

That person would find a way.

In any case, he was the best at coaxing him.

*

*

Because the curtains weren’t closed, the first ray of morning sunlight spread boldly from the window to the foot of the bed.

The person on the bed couldn’t sleep peacefully in the bright environment. He rolled over in the quilt, then opened his eyes hazily and sat up in bed.

He looked at the empty space next to him, then sized up the empty room. Before he had time to think, he heard the sound of the door opening in the living room.

He got out of bed and opened the door to see a neatly-dressed He Chuzhou leisurely placing food in packaging bags on the table.

Pei Xi: “……?”

Pei Xi was uncertain: “Chuzhou, you went out to buy breakfast so early?”

“Yes, ah.” He Chuzhou said with a smile, “Go wash your face and change clothes, then come and eat.”

Pei Xi felt like something was wrong, but couldn’t think of what it could be. He drowsily went back to the bedroom, brushed his teeth, and changed his clothes. When he came out, he saw a table full of food.

He was once again dumbfounded.

“Why…..did you buy so much?”

Standing at the dining table in astonishment, he subconsciously opened his mouth when He Chuzhou fed a bite of fragrant shrimp to him: “Can we finish eating it?”

His confused expression made He Chuzhou’s hands itch, and he couldn’t help but pinch his face: “Not entirely, it’s just a sense of ritual that is finally justified. We’ll eat as much as we can. If we can’t finish it, I’ll bring it to the company and my assistant will take care of it.”

Pei Xi sat on the stool he pulled out, at a loss: “Justified? What do you mean?”

“You’ll understand later.”

He Chuzhou smiled and didn’t say much. After having breakfast together, he took him directly to the company. Pei Xi didn’t expect this, and was anxious: “I’m always going to your company. Will it affect your work?”

“You haven’t recovered yet. Leaving you alone would affect my work.”

He Chuzhou drove the car into the underground parking deck. He turned off the engine and got out, then walked around to the passenger seat and opened the door: “Or do you mean that you don’t want to come and would rather stay home and rest?”

He didn’t have a problem with this, but he would have to install surveillance cameras at home or find a nanny to help care for him.

However, Pei-calico was unable to separate from him. Instead of having others take care of him, it was better to take him along for peace of mind.

Pei Xi immediately shook his head upon hearing this, and when he got out of the car, he hugged him quickly before letting go. He said honestly: “I want to be with you.”

The warmth that had rushed into his arms vanished in an instant, but the sensation was still there.

It felt like a pampered little animal had pounced on his heart with no claws outstretched, only touching it with soft pads.

He Chuzhou’s lips unconsciously curled up. He rubbed Pei Xi and held his hand naturally, turning toward the elevator: “Okay, President He will take you wherever he goes.”

First time new, second time skilled. The route up here away from the public eye was already well-trodden.

But it was difficult to avoid the masses, and some people were still hard to guard against.

When Yun Ji entered the office with files in his arms, the sight of his cousin working like a spinning top behind the computer while his nemesis reclined on the sofa with a blanket across his knees, leisurely fishing for electronic sharks. His entire being went numb.

After reporting on his work in a daze, he immediately rushed forward when Pei Xi returned to the lounge: “What in the world is going on? Did you actually reel him in?”

He Chuzhou: “ ? ”

He Chuzhou stopped typing: “Reel who in? What are you making up in your head?”

Yun Ji pointed at the lounge. Afraid of being overheard, he lowered his voice: “How else can this be explained?”

He Chuzhou said casually: “The weather is nice, can’t he come over for a visit?”

Yun Ji’s mouth twitched: “You’ve been poisoned. Do you two have such a relationship where you can visit each other?”

He Chuzhou continued to type on the keyboard: “Why not? Doesn’t this work well?

Yun Ji took in his expression suspiciously, squinting his eyes in thought: “Sure enough, there is no such thing as groundless rumors.”

He Chuzhou: “What rumors?”

“Of course it’s about you and…..”

Yun Ji pointed to the lounge: “Rumors have already spread a lot about that guy in there.”

When he heard this, He Chuzhou finally reacted. He raised his head with a frown: “Tell me more.”

Yun Ji: “Didn’t you buy a bracelet at a sky-high price and give it to Pei Xi? It seems that everyone has been spreading the word since then, saying you’re pursuing Pei Xi in an ostentatious manner. And you have shit luck pursuing him, so you can’t wait to snatch him up…..”

Yun Ji: “No, what’s with your expression of enjoyment? Brother, I’m not narrating a story for you!”

He Chuzhou: “It’s more interesting than a story.”

Yun Ji: “You’re still happy? I can’t think of what kind of storyline to lay out for you.”

Lay out a storyline……

That was fine.

As long as he didn’t lay one out for Pei Xi.

“Do whatever, just don’t make too much trouble.”

He didn’t take to heart. But out of the blue, he thought of something and specifically told Yun Ji: “Just take it as a joke. Don’t talk nonsense in front of your parents and aunt.”

“Why, are you afraid Auntie will rejoice too soon?”

Yun Ji grinned: “If you can really do it, my auntie will die of joy when her son is finally successful. Not only does he know how to abduct a cabbage, he also abducted such a good one…..”

He Chuzhou: “I’ll increase your salary.”

Yun Ji: “Okay! This didi will keep his mouth shut!”

He Chuzhou finished the day’s work in the morning. After a meeting at noon to divide up tasks, he openly skipped work with Pei Xi in tow.

It could make up for the big meal that didn’t happen last time.

It was still early when they left the restaurant. He Chuzhou asked Pei Xi if he wanted to watch a movie, but Pei Xi shook his head without hesitation: “There are too many people at a movie theater.”

He Chuzhou: “Are you afraid of the noise?”

“No.” Pei Xi looked at him: “I don’t want to watch one with so many people, just you.”

“…..”

He Chuzhou sucked in a breath and silently covered his heart at the door of the restaurant.

Then he began to consider if it was too late to go to the rooftop cinema and tell the staff to book the entire venue.

---

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Chapter 25 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 27

As soon as he arrived at school, Li Xiu realized that there was something wrong with the entire class’s atmosphere today.

It was too quiet.

It was as if a mute button had been pressed, even for the whispering and flipping of pages that should be occurring during morning self-study.

His brow furrowed, and as soon as he entered the classroom, he saw someone lying on the table next to his seat.

Fang Qian’an’s figure was so recognizable that even though the boy currently had his face buried in his arms, Liu Xiu recognized him at a glance.

Very good. This prince was able to catch up on sleep during morning self-study without any scruples or psychological pressure.

It should be for this reason that the others in class were worried about disturbing Fang Qian’an and were utterly quiet, right?

Li Xiu looked over the classroom casually and found that everyone’s expressions were a bit odd, all of them staring blankly at their textbooks without saying a word.

“……”

He looked away, pursing his lips as he looked at the back of Fang Qian’an’s head.

Why was this guy still here? 

Li Xiu complained unwillingly in his heart.

When he thought of how Fang Qian’an had disturbed his class the day before, the youth fell into a gloomy mood.

Thanks to the special phone call Fang Qian’an made to him last night, Li Xiu hadn’t slept very well. His head was as heavy as lead at this time, and he couldn’t squeeze out any extra energy. Thus, no matter how much displeasure he aimed at Fang Qian’an, Li Xiu could only lower his eyes and pretend not to care. Crossing the narrow space between Fang Qian’an and his seat, he reached his spot.

There was no movement from Fang Qian’an. He seemed to be sleeping deeply.

Li Xiu glanced in his direction and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he wasn’t awake.

Good, at least he didn’t have to deal with this young master right then.

Li Xiu took yesterday’s unfinished paper from his school bag to write a couple of pages, but as he did so, he found that he couldn’t concentrate.

The students in Class 1A…..seemed to be a little too quiet today. This thought was like dark clouds in the sky, passing gloomily through his mind.

Was Fang Qian’an really that scary? Scary to such a degree that they weren’t even discussing the breaking news from last night? As Li Xiu thought, he habitually glanced at the class schedule in the corner of the blackboard.

It read: 

First period: English

Second period: English

Third period: English

Fourth period: English

Li Xiu’s pupils shrank, and he sat woodenly in his seat.

He recalled very clearly that today’s lessons were never supposed to be a full day of English. And hadn’t it been said yesterday that Ouyang, who was in charge of English, had disappeared and might even have hanged himself?

Had the school already found a substitute teacher?

But even if there was a substitute, why would there be a full day of English?

Just as Li Xiu was thinking wildly, the class bell suddenly rang.

In the silence of the classroom, the bell sounded particularly harsh. Immediately after, a slender figure stepped inside right on time.

It was Ouyang.

Ouyang, who had confessed the night before to molesting minors and committed suicide out of fear and guilt.

The man still looked the same as he did before, with a good-looking face and humorous and witty speech.

Other than his face being a little pale today, Ouyang looked no different than usual.

Ouyang said with a smile: “Aiya, it’s English all day today. It looks like the students have a heavy-learning task today…..”

He had a slight slur as he spoke.

His lips were slightly purple. Li Xiu didn’t know if he was seeing it wrong, but at a quick glance, he seemed to see red and black blood all over Ouyang’s teeth.

Li Xiu gulped.

He couldn’t help but look around again, finding that all of his classmates appeared calm.

They just looked at the handsome, witty, humorous internet celebrity male teacher at the podium as if there was nothing unusual. 

If there really was something off, it was that they seemed to be much more serious about class today than usual.

What exactly was going on…..

Li Xiu felt dizzy.

He hesitated for a while before realizing that Fang Qian’an might have tricked him.

That vague phone call yesterday was actually fake news, wasn’t it?

What kind of stupid, boring joke was this?

No, no way. Only a fool like him would believe anything that came out of a bully’s mouth, right?

Li Xiu sent a sharp look toward Fang Qian’an beside him. The latter was still lying on the table motionlessly, never making any movement.

He was deeply asleep.

Just as Li Xiu was distracted by Fang Qian’an, at the podium, the pale-faced English teacher had already opened his mouth to start teaching as usual.

“…..Alright, let’s talk about the third reading question on yesterday’s paper.”

Li Xiu stared blankly when he heard this.

Generally speaking, lecture topics began with basic questions, so why did Ouyang start out with the reading questions today? Following the teacher’s command, Li Xiu looked at the paper at hand.

The title of the English material used in the question was: <<The Death Car>>.

The reading material was not very difficult. The plot with a bit of pop-horror style could even be considered rather interesting. This story told the tale of a couple who were driving at night, but the car broke down halfway. The husband left the car to find some help, and the reason the wife waited there was not for her husband to return. She waited because of the constant knocking sound coming from the roof.

The trembling wife hid in the car until the police arrived, and finally learned what was going on with the banging sound lingering above the car all night.

The murderer had hung her husband directly from a tree branch above the car.

The toes of the deceased were constantly hitting the roof…..

…..

Although he felt that the order of Ouyang’s lecture was wrong, Li Xiu still instinctively picked up a pen to take notes due to years of habit.

“…..Hanging is very painful.”

However, what the male voice in his ears spoke of was not the English question.

“It really, really hurts. The wire is so thin that it sticks in the throat. It hurts more than a stab from a knife…..no matter how hard you try to dig with your hands, you can’t use any strength at all…..”

The pen in Li Xiu’s hand came to a stop.

He continued to maintain a posture as if listening intently to the lecture, but his fingers began to slightly shake against his will.

Ouyang’s voice in the classroom became increasingly unclear. It seemed as if his vocal cords had been damaged, or something was stuck in his mouth.

“Hu…..hu…..”

Ouyang’s breathing also became abnormally labored.

“The body also becomes very heavy. It keeps pulling down, down, pulling on the neck…..when you hear a strange clicking sound, you will know, ah, it turns out the cervical vertebra has broken…..”

Along with the increasingly strange narration, Li Xiu’s fingers coated in cold sweat became extremely smooth and slippery, and he accidentally dropped the pen on the floor.

Ouyang’s muttering stopped abruptly.

The sound of the gel pen falling to the floor was incredibly clear.

Li Xiu’s mouth felt dry for a spell.

“Li Xiu, you dropped your pen.”

A nearby classmate alerted him.

“Oh.”

Li Xiu lowered his head, not daring to look up at Ouyang. He gingerly bent down and prepared to pick up the pen on the floor.

The moment he grabbed it and was about to sit up, Li Xiu glanced around.

And this glance instantly caused Li Xiu’s back to break out in a cold sweat.

He saw the feet of his “classmates.”

They were all backwards.

Obviously, everyone was sitting upright in their seats, facing the blackboard.

However, under their seats, Li Xiu could see clearly that their toes were all pointing toward the back of the classroom.

[A-Xiu, ah…..what are you watching that troubles you so?]

[Grandmother, wuwuwu…..I’m so afraid…..the g-ghost’s heels are raised….wuwu…..that auntie has been tiptoeing too…..]

[Silly boy, that stuff on TV is all nonsense. Grandma will tell you, real ghosts…..]

[Their feet grow backwards.]

Inexplicably, a vague conversation suddenly leaped out of his chaotic and distant sea of memories.

Bang—

Li Xiu sat up abruptly and his body hit the table hard, creating a loud noise.

He gritted his teeth as panic caused his heart to beat wildly. 

His mind went blank.

But just at this moment, he heard a thin, trembling voice come from his side.

“Don’t scream.”

“Don’t let them find out…..”

Li Xiu turned his eyes with difficulty to meet the gaze of the boy beside him, peeking through the gap in his arms.

“Oh…..my neck hurts…..oooh, it hurts, ah…..”

Ouyang’s teaching voice turned completely into gasps and wails of extreme pain.

In the bone-chilling cold air, Li Xiu tensely exchanged looks with the pale-faced former school bully.

“Find out what?” Li Xiu asked almost at the volume of a breath, trembling.

“That you’ve discovered them.”

“What exactly is going on?”

Fang Qian’an didn’t answer Li Xiu this time, and just continued to bury his face in his arms.

A hand suddenly grabbed Li Xiu.

It was Fang Qian’an’s.

His hand was just like Li Xiu’s, cold as ice.

It’s a dream, he wrote carefully on Li Xiu’s palm.

Yes, ah.

Everything he was experiencing must be a nightmare.

Fang Qian’an told this to himself desperately, because only in this way would he not be scared completely insane.

He no longer remembered how many dreams within dreams he had gone through.

This time, he even thought he was truly awake. After all, he had experienced getting up in the morning and Aunt Su making breakfast for him. But when he sat down in the classroom, he suddenly realized that something wasn’t right. Completely the opposite of Li Xiu, who studied hard and had no distractions, the carefree school bully soon saw the situation under the seats.

Everyone in the classroom had similar faces.

They……

They weren’t human at all.

Yes, this is just a dream, this is just a dream, this is just a dream— —

Just wait until the dream is over.

As long as I’m not discovered.

In the shadow of his arms, Fang Qian’an continued to mumble silently to himself.

And beside this young master who was about to have a mental breakdown, Li Xiu was also shaking uncontrollably.

He had just glanced toward the podium from the corner of his eye, and Ouyang’s figure had vanished at some point.

Only the “students” with dull and lifeless faces were in the classroom, sitting there motionless.

Very good, at least…..

At least Ouyang was gone.

If this was a nightmare, the worst part was over.

Li Xiu strived to stay calm, but at this moment, a shadow flashed in the corner of his eye.

The youth’s movements suddenly stiffened.

After a good while, Li Xiu rapidly gasped for breath as he looked to the side.

He saw a pair of feet.

It was a long-dead corpse, its toes already the rotting red color of decay. Some long-dried excrement caked the insides of its calves and ankles in black.

The nails on its toes had fallen off due to a violent struggle, and presently, those feet were hanging in front of Fang Qian’an’s desk.

Swaying.

And swaying.

Tears oozed from Li Xiu’s eyes.

He stared unseeingly at the papers on his desk, his eyes focused on the last sentence of the reading material.

[…..his feet were bumping gently on the roof of the car — bump, bump, bump, bump.]

Fang Qian’an obviously sensed the presence of those feet.

His shoulders shook violently.

Li Xiu’s lips trembled and he made a whimpering sound.

He said, “Fang Qian’an, don’t raise your head.”

---

The Author Has Something to Say:

En, the English reading material actually exists. It’s called “The Death Car,” and the English excerpts in the story also come from it.

---

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Chapter 18 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 20