Translated by Eve
Edited by Wuxian
While Sui Yuan was longing for the psychic bead he so wanted but could not get, Yang Yue in a room not far away was deeply worried and could not rest easy.
Xiao Xiao’s pale, feeble but stubbornly feigned calmness at the end kept flashing past his mind. In the end, Yang Yue still sat up and pulled at his hair in vexation.
Ming Hai："......？"
Meeting his family’s childhood friend’s questioning gaze, Yang Yue sighed, "I’m worried about letting Xiao Xiao stay on his own. Last time, he was scared to tears despite the haunted house being so obviously fake and despite there being people all around him, accompanying him. I can’t even imagine how scared he’ll be if he has to spend the night all on his own."
Ming Hai, remembering the circumstances of the haunted house last time: "........................"
Although he felt that it was very bothersome at the time, when he thought about it now, it indeed seemed a bit pitiful. Although Ming Hai is indifferent, he is not cold-hearted. When he realized that Yang Yue would not sleep well before ascertaining Xiao Xiao’s condition, he immediately hopped out of bed on his own accord, "Let’s go."
Yang Yue’s eyes sparkled. He was happy about his childhood friend’s considerate heart but declined his offer, "No need to trouble you. I can go on my own." After hesitating for a moment, he added a line, "If Xiao Xiao is too afraid, I’ll stay with him and won’t come back."
"I’m coming with you," Ming Hai did not say anything more and directly pulled open the room door.
Yang Yue was helpless and could only follow after him. He spoke, explaining why he seemed to be making a fuss over a trivial matter, "My heart is feeling quite uneasy. This mansion...is really odd...perhaps it’s just a figment of my imagination?"
Ming Hai did not respond. He also felt rather uneasy, but he did not want to say that out loud, least he added onto Yang Yue’s worries.
The two people very quickly arrived at Xiao Xiao’s room and knocked against his door.
From within came a loud crash. Yang Yue could imagine the sorry appearance of Xiao Xiao jumping up upon being frightened and knocking over furniture, and could not help but feel both amused and sympathetic.
A series of rustling noises sounded and a tiny, nervous voice asked, "...Who is it?"
"It’s us, Yang Yue and Ming Hai," Yang Yue smiled as he spoke, "We were a bit worried so we came to see you."
Very soon, the sounds of footsteps gradually approaching could be heard and the door to the room was pulled open in haste. Xiao Xiao’s hair stood up at a mess. It was evidently quite sloppy-looking, but it made others think him cute. Yang Yue subconsciously reached out and tidied up his hair for him. Only a long time later did he realize how intimate his action just now was and he took his hand back, embarrassed, "How is it? Are you still OK...on your own?"
Xiao Xiao was obviously struck dumb by his actions. Only when the other had rescinded his hand, did he react. He took a step back and sucked in a small breath of cold air, his action revealing that he seemed to have been wounded: "Eh...en...I’m s-still OK...."
Although they would always hug when they were young, however, as they got older, Xiao Xiao and Yang Yue drifted apart. Of course, this was a unilateral action on Xiao Xiao’s part, because of his jealousy. Right now, to suddenly touch like this, made both parties feel awkward.
Seeing such a frigid scene between Xiao Xiao and Yang Yue, Ming Hai directly pushed Yang Yue, who was in front of him, to the side and then grasped hold of Xiao Xiao’s shoulder, pushing him back into the room.
Sui Yuan was baffled by the protagonist gong’s forceful moves but still lowered his head immediately, staying dedicated to his work. His body stiffened and he flushed to his ears. Only when the protagonist gong forcibly pushed him to sit down on the bed, grabbed his ankles and rolled up his trousers, did he react. He felt unwell all over!
—–To have the person you secretly like take the initiative to treat you—it couldn’t be any more of a blessing! It made one completely unable to control themselves, ah! However, how should he react?!
Sui Yuan painstakingly stiffened his body, both hands gripping onto the bed sheet. His head was lowered so far, his chin nearly touching his chest. He only revealed a pair of bright red ears. Furthermore, his calf that Ming Hai was holding was even more stretched taut, slightly trembling. It looked white as jade beneath the flashlight’s rays, contours elegant.
——En, of course this was the result of the halo’s beautification. In reality, it was an ordinary leg....
Yang Yue subconsciously averted his gaze. He didn’t know why but his heart beat was racing out of control and his face felt hot. It was evidently a very normal inspection of an injury, but for some reason, he felt inexplicably embarrassed, as if he watched the private affairs of two people—this was not a conservative era where one could not show their arms or legs! Moreover...Xiao Xiao was a man, ah! In this day and age, what did it matter to show a little something, ba? What the heck was he conflicted for!
——It must be because of Xiao Xiao’s excessively bashful expression that made him feel strange like this...what was there to be shy about ah, dammit! If you’re this shy, then laozi will also feel abnormal, ah! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Compared to Yang Yue, the always cool-headed protagonist gong was much more calm. He knelt on one knee and examined the injury methodologically and thoroughly, aside from the fact that the palm holding onto Xiao Xiao’s leg was feeling a little hot and his gaze on the purple bruise was a little excessively focused.
For a period of time, the atmosphere between the three people was extraordinarily odd. However, very quickly, this indescribable mood was shattered by a loud crash.
The three people were frightened. All at once, they cast their gazes to the bedside cabinet. On the ground was the remains of a smashed, ceramic ornament. Just before, this ceramic ornament had been situated on top of the bedside cabinet.
"...How come it suddenly fell down? No one touched it, right?" The hair on Yang Yue’s body stood up.
"...Perhaps I had bumped into the bedside cabinet just now?" Sui Yuan said, hesitant. Inwardly, he became more and more certain that there was another ’person’ in this room.
Because he had made such a reaction upon being held at the ankle by another, this fellow was very likely Zhao Xihe, ba...? When he thought about this, Sui Yuan reflexively withdrew his leg.
Sui Yuan’s action brought Ming Hai’s attention back and he very quickly and naturally let go, standing up, "You’ve got a big bruise but it’s not serious. It will just hurt a bit. Tomorrow, pay attention to it."
"Ah...thank you..."Sui Yuan replied rather absentmindedly. His eyes flickered around the room, incessantly sweeping around, hoping to find even the slightest sign that could confirm Zhao Xihe’s existence.
Fortunately, he was not the only person that acted this way. Yang Yue also examined the room, heart increasingly apprehensive and ill-at-ease.
Yang Yue was always attentive—his power of observation was good. To put it frankly, he had a bit of an OCD tendency and would not be able to ignore a tottering ornament on the bedside cabinet. He would have reached out to steady it and it would definitely not have fallen. Before, that ceramic ornament had not attracted his attention at all. This meant that it had not fallen naturally.
——However, if it hadn’t fallen naturally, why did it fall, ne? Yang Yue’s heart froze over and he swallowed, burying his conjecture at the back of his mind. This was because he dared not believe in this possibility and could only hope that he was wrong about it.
But, no matter what, Yang Yue at this moment could not let Xiao Xiao stay here on his own.
"It’s not good for you to stay on your own. Come back to our room with us. Let’s cram into one bed together, ba," Yang Yue made a prompt decision, not allowing Sui Yuan to refuse as he pulled him up. Although he was always gentle-natured, he was not at all careless at crucial times.
Sui Yuan actually did not want to go with the protagonist gong and shou. He wanted to stay here on his own and try to see if he could communicate with ’Zhao Xihe’. However, Xiao Xiao’s character settings made it so he could not refuse, so he could only stand up, unresigned, and try to struggle, "...Actually, I’m fine on my own...."
"Yes, yes, yes. You’re naturally fine on your own. It’s just that I’m worried. Let’s consider it like that, OK?" Yang Yue placated half-heartedly. Even he did not notice that his previous polite attitude towards Xiao Xiao had already changed at some unknown point in time.
Ultimately, Sui Yuan was half-forced into coming with them to Yang Yue and Ming Hai’s room. He was then squished between the two people in bed, "Shut your eyes and quickly go to sleep. We’re heading out bright and early tomorrow, ne!"
Sui Yuan："........................"
——Although the protagonist shou indeed had a wifely personality, this didn’t mean that he had to be a meddlesome mom, ah!
Probably because the plot had been trying to promote the feelings between the protagonist couple, but their room only had one double-sized bed. There was enough room to spare with two people, but with three, it was somewhat crowded.
Sui Yuan shrunk into the middle, feeling wronged. On either side of him was the protagonist gong and shou. Once again, he felt a dense, depressing feeling of having been ’forced’ into becoming the mistress that came between a couple.
Although he still had Zhao Xihe constantly on his mind, since there was nothing he could do, the simple-minded Sui Yuan decisively threw him to the side and quickly fell asleep. Meanwhile, Yang Yue was still worrying about the matter of the ceramic ornament that fell to the ground and wordlessly exchanged glances with the protagonist gong.
Ming Hai, who had always shared a tacit understanding with Yang Yue, understood in an instant. This manor was indeed quite abnormal. They could not completely let down their guard. They only felt at ease by splitting up guard duty during the night.
Sui Yuan, who thought he didn’t have any cheats, was completely unaware that at this moment, his cheat was already resolutely coming into effect. He was clearly not doing anything, but still made the two protagonists of this world protect him out of their own initiative.
——It had to be said, his Creator’s evaluation that he ’could easily obtain the help of the worlds’ characters’ was extremely accurate.
As an Actor, Sui Yuan had long since perfected the skill of being able to sleep well no matter where he was. After waking up, he was in glowing spirits. In contrast, the protagonist gong and shou seemed rather dispirited.
"Did you guys...not sleep well?" Since he had obtained their help, he naturally had to express some concern. Sui Yuan gazed at Yang Yue, and occasionally snuck a peek at Ming Hai. For once he was speaking out of his own accord.
Evidently, Yang Yue felt relieved to hear this. He raised his head to stroke Sui Yuan’s head, "I just have a bit of difficulty sleeping on a bed that is not my own. It’s nothing," Soon after, he teased, "Meanwhile, you slept like a little pig. Very soundly, ne! It really makes others envious."
——While it was his turn to be on guard duty, aside from vigilantly watching his surroundings, Yang Yue spent the majority of the time watching Xiao Xiao. Clearly, his sleeping appearance was very normal but for some reason, as long as he looked at Xiao Xiao’s sleeping face, he would feel a sense of serenity and solace despite being in this hair-raising manor in the middle of the night.
Sui Yuan lowered his head once again because of what Yang Yue said, not making a sound. It was a bit of a thorny problem, having Xiao Xiao act like this towards him, but Yang Yue still couldn’t help but always want to tease him. He could only look towards his childhood friend, pleading for help with a helpless expression.
Ming Hai watched on the sidelines. He did not pay any attention to Yang Yue’s call for help. Although his expression was still grave and stern, there was a slight smile in his eyes as he gazed at the two people, feeling at peace for a moment.
Unfortunately, this warmth did not last long. The three people got out of bed and made their preparations. When they pushed the door open and came out, the other four people were already waiting for them in the corridor.
Seeing Yang Yue and the other two come out together, the four people successively expressed their shock. The bad boy raised an eyebrow and reached out to wrap an arm around Sui Yuan’s neck, mocking him with a vile attitude, "Oh? Could it be that you were so scared you couldn’t bear it anymore and cried, hugging your pillow as you ran towards Ming Hai Ge’s room, begging for help?"
"N-no..." Sui Yuan flushed in embarrassment, trying to pull off the bad boy’s arm. However, he was completely unable to fight against the other’s strength. Fortunately, Ming Hai couldn’t bear to watch this and stretched out a hand to grab hold of the bad boy’s wrist.
The bad boy shrunk back, sending an unresigned glare towards Sui Yuan. He took back his hand. After Sui Yuan took the chance to hide behind Ming Hai’s back, indignation and joy flashed past his black eyes, as if they held a more profound emotion. When Yang Yue, who was watching on the side saw this, he became absent-minded for a moment. He felt like he had caught something, but couldn’t make any sense of it.
Although Sui Yuan was busy acting, he did not forget to calmly observe other people’s reactions. In the plot, from beginning to end, Xiao Xiao slept on his own. However, he had changed this. On one side, this change was dangerous. On the other, it gave him an opportunity.
If the Destroyer perceived this change in plot, perhaps he/she would expose an irregularity. What Sui Yuan wanted to do was seize this momentary weakness.
The bad boy was angry and discontent with Ming Hai’s protective actions towards Xiao Xiao; the bespectacled youth slightly raised his brow, rather surprised; the robust girl had her arms folded at her chest, head tilted in a thoughtful smile; and the quiet and gentle girl sightly knitted her brows, a look of impatience flashing through her eyes.
Sui Yuan lowered his head and tightly grabbed onto the tail of Ming Hai’s shirt. He quickly examined, analyzed, and summarized the character settings in his hands, calculating how suspicious each person was.
Probably because he felt that the mood was a bit odd, Yang Yue quickly told the others what had happened last night, putting emphasis on that odd ceramic ornament. He expressed that this manor did not seem normal, that they had to leave as soon as possible.
Sui Yuan sighed in slight relief. He had originally been planning on encouraging the protagonist shou to say this, but he never expected that Yang Yue would get to it himself, saving him the trouble. In the plot, Yang Yue and Ming Hai did not take the initiative to go looking for Xiao Xiao. Naturally, there hadn’t been any ceramic ornaments falling, attracting Yang Yue’s vigilance. Fortunately, during this change, Sui Yuan had not taken the initiative to do anything from beginning to end. Even if the Destroyer suspected that there was an Actor, he/she would first suspect Yang Yue and Ming Hai, and the ’thing’ that had caused the ceramic to fall.
"Hiss, OK, la. Stop talking, Yang Yue! You’re making my hair stand on end!" The robust girl’s shoulders shrunk in as she complained, "This manor, seriously! It’s already clear outside, so why is it still so eerie inside? It’s definitely because the lighting of this manor sucks that it was abandoned, ba!"
The quiet and gentle girl revealed an uneasy expression. There was a hint of criticism in her gaze as she looked at Yang Yue.
"The ceramic ornament was probably unsteady in the first place, la! Yang Yue, don’t scare yourself, ah!" The bad boy choked out, "We all slept here last night, but nothing happened, right?"
"Alright. In short, we must leave here immediately. Whether or not this place is abnormal or not, that has nothing to do with us," The bespectacled youth calmly interrupted, taking a step towards the staircase.
Everyone followed after. Their footsteps sounded a little less steady and a lot more hurried. It was just a pity that right now, although they were itching to leave, they were foreordained not to see the light of day without mishaps.
Once they reached the ground floor, the bespectacled youth who was at the very front suddenly halted his steps.
"What’s wrong, four-eyes?" The bad boy asked with discontent after being blocked.
"...Something’s wrong," The bespectacled youth’s eyes widened. He lowered his head to look at the floor, "This place...was it this clean yesterday?"
Hearing his question, everyone simultaneously lowered their heads and looked at the squeaky clean floor that was completely free of dust："........................"
"...There is indeed something fishy about this place. We must quickly leave!" In the next instant, the bad boy who didn’t believe in ghosts also panicked. He pushed away the bespectacled youth at the very front and quickly ran towards the entrance. However, shortly after passing through the lounge and the dining hall, he abruptly stopped.
The sweet, captivating smell of food unscrupulously attracted their famished stomachs that had not eaten properly since yesterday. Spread onto the dining hall’s long table was a pure white, gorgeous lace tablecloth. In the centre was a vase full of gorgeous, multi-coloured flowers. All around was a spread of piping hot breakfasts made for seven people.
Meanwhile, amongst this beautifully laden feast, was an incongruous sight: on the white table cloth were the words ’welcome’, written in blood that had yet to completely dry.
Although their stomachs had been incessantly growling and their mouths were dripping with saliva, no one had an appetite. They only stood there in place rigidly.
The first to move was Ming Hai. He cautiously walked over and wiped the blood with his singer and sniffed it, "Seems to be...blood?"
The bad boy could no longer bear it. He shouted loudly and turned around to flee to the main entrance, using all his strength to pull at the door.
Only, no matter how hard he tried, the entrance to the manor would not easily open for them like it did last night....
The author has something to say:
Some ladies have been saying that the style of this text suddenly changed? Cough, supernatural stories naturally cannot be too joyous! This silly author is trying her best to create a scary atmosphere, you know? As for the ladies who are a bit scared, don’t worry, la! How could this silly author write something that is too scary, ne! She basically has no mind or ability to, ah. ╮(╯▽╰)╭ Everyone can casually guess the identities of the Destroyer and Zhao Xihe, oh? Of course...even if you guess right, there’s no prize....
Eve: I looooooove horror that’s also fluffy. <3 Also, I have guesses but I always suck at guessing, tbh. What are your guesses on the destroyer and ZXH’s identities, beloved readers? <3
Wuxian: I don’t like horror but here we are.
New novel 𝓬hapters are published on fre ew𝒆bnovel.com