Chapter 6
Xia Leyang was not very familiar with Rui City, and after leaving the Gu family mansion, he didn’t go far. He casually found a nearby budget hotel to stay in.
The rooms in such hotels were generally small, even the double rooms with balconies felt cramped.
When Xia Leyang was alone here, it was still quite comfortable, but after Shang Tingzhi came over, it became somewhat crowded.
“Do you snore when you sleep?” Xia Leyang sat at the bedside, arranging the pillows while asking.
“I don’t think so,” Shang Tingzhi lay beside Xia Leyang and replied.
“What do you mean by ‘don’t think so’?” Xia Leyang stopped his movements and asked.
“I haven’t slept with anyone else, so I don’t know,” Shang Tingzhi replied without much thought.
However, after he said this, the room suddenly fell into a strange silence. Xia Leyang, with a curious expression, looked at Shang Tingzhi and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Are you a virgin?” Xia Leyang’s tone was mocking, completely forgetting that he himself was also a virgin.
Shang Tingzhi: “…”
“How did you figure that out?” Shang Tingzhi asked.
“You said it yourself, you haven’t slept with anyone else,” Xia Leyang started to tease again, “You’re almost thirty, right? That’s pretty pathetic.”
Shang Tingzhi: “…”
“And you say I have no luck with women, turns out you’re the same,” Xia Leyang shook his head with a look of pity and then couldn’t resist poking Shang Tingzhi’s chest muscles, “Who are you building these muscles for?”
Veins popped up on Shang Tingzhi’s forehead, he resisted the urge to bite his molars and slapped away Xia Leyang’s wandering hand, “My situation is different.”
Xia Leyang asked, “How is it different?”
Shang Tingzhi pursed his lips, unwilling to explain further. He turned off the bedside lamp, frowned, and said, “Sleep.”
The small room was immediately enveloped in darkness. Xia Leyang lay on the pillow, and in the darkness, he poked Shang Tingzhi with his elbow, “Don’t, let’s chat.”
Shang Tingzhi didn’t respond, and Xia Leyang turned to face him, asking, “Are you shy?”
Unable to see Shang Tingzhi’s expression, Xia Leyang, feeling ignored, pushed his shoulder, “Are you already asleep?”
Shang Tingzhi preferred quietness and disliked people chattering around him. During the Chinese New Year, he never attended family gatherings because his relatives had many troublesome children, causing him headaches.
Now he felt like there was a troublesome child beside him, making his already dizzy head even more buzzing.
“I told you, go to sleep,” Shang Tingzhi said in a deep voice. Feeling unwell, he almost instinctively turned around and pressed Xia Leyang into his arms. In no time, his headache eased a lot.
“Sleep if you want, why are you hugging me?” Xia Leyang, with his furry head, poked out of Shang Tingzhi’s embrace, and his hair tickled Shang Tingzhi’s chin.
Shang Tingzhi didn’t move. He felt like he was holding a soft and cool pillow, and all the discomfort of the day seemed to disappear at this moment. He relaxed all over, and the originally hard mattress seemed to turn into a soft and comfortable cotton cloud, making him want to sink in and never get up again.
“Hey, Shang Tingzhi?” Xia Leyang wriggled around in Shang Tingzhi’s arms. The more he struggled, the tighter Shang Tingzhi held him.
Suddenly, he felt like a struggling salted fish, unable to shake off the big hand holding him down.
“What’s wrong with you?” Xia Leyang, with his upper body constantly arching backward, used his hands to support Shang Tingzhi’s chest.
However, Shang Tingzhi seemed to feel that his claws were in the way. He held Xia Leyang’s wrist and pulled it behind him. Then, he flipped him over with the other hand, and Xia Leyang ended up in a position with his back to Shang Tingzhi.
Without Xia Leyang’s constantly scratching claws, it felt much more comfortable to hold. Shang Tingzhi pressed his hot forehead against the back of Xia Leyang’s neck. Gradually, he fell asleep like this.
With warm breath spraying on his back, Xia Leyang felt awkward but also inexplicably strange. But this position was much better than the face-to-face one just now, and he really couldn’t pry Shang Tingzhi’s hand away. So, he closed his eyes in a daze.
As long as everything was fine until the next morning, he could prove that Shang Tingzhi didn’t need to stay in that ominous mansion.
Xia Leyang occasionally traveled to neighboring countries with friends. The worst thing that could happen in a hotel was no hot water. He didn’t believe that anything would happen in this budget hotel for just one night. Now, all he needed to do was fall asleep, and tomorrow, when he opened his eyes…
Xia Leyang’s thoughts gradually blurred. He dreamed that he was solemnly proving to his parents that feudal superstitions were not credible. All that talk about ominous mansions and lonely sun curses was all nonsense.
Ding—
The alarm bell, more piercing than an alarm clock, suddenly rang. Xia Leyang opened his eyes in a daze, subconsciously thinking that it was already the next morning. However, through the gap in the curtains, it was easy to see that it was still deep into the night.
“What’s going on?” Xia Leyang sat up, rubbed his eyes, and thought he must still be dreaming.
“Why are you still sitting there?” Shang Tingzhi frowned.
The alarm bell continued to stimulate Xia Leyang’s nerves, reminding him that this was reality. He hastily put on his shoes, packed his bag, and Shang Tingzhi, seeing him dawdling, grabbed his wrist and walked out of the room.
There were already many guests evacuating along the emergency exit in the hallway. Shang Tingzhi’s legs were not convenient, so Xia Leyang automatically acted as a crutch. Watching the chaotic scene in front of him, a sudden thought popped into Xia Leyang’s mind, and he asked Shang Tingzhi, “Did you set the fire?”
Shang Tingzhi: “…”
How else could the hotel catch fire so coincidentally?
“I’ve been holding you, where would I find the time to set a fire?” Shang Tingzhi replied.
As they moved along with the crowd to the hotel’s exterior, there were already quite a few people gathered on the street.
From outside the hotel, it wasn’t clear which room was on fire. According to the people around, someone was smoking and playing cards, accidentally igniting the sheets and triggering the fire alarm.
The fire wasn’t big, and the card players had already extinguished the fire themselves.
After understanding the cause and effect, the hotel guests returned to their rooms guided by the staff.
Shang Tingzhi didn’t move, looking at Xia Leyang. Meanwhile, Xia Leyang stood on the roadside with a complicated expression, torn about whether to go back.
“Is this just a coincidence?” Xia Leyang asked with a complex expression.
He still didn’t believe that this fire alarm had anything to do with some ominous curse.
“Well, think whatever you want,” Shang Tingzhi said indifferently.
Xia Leyang fell into silence, feeling that there was something eerie about this incident. Suppose, just suppose, Shang Tingzhi really was an unlucky star, bringing misfortune to anyone he was with. If he forcefully kept him in the hotel, wouldn’t it harm everyone in the hotel?
Feng shui, the older generation always said it was better to believe it existed than not. Xia Leyang used to firmly disbelieve, but after experiencing a fire alarm in a hotel, an event with such a low probability, he couldn’t help but feel conflicted.
The night breeze carried a refreshing chill, making the skin feel exceptionally comfortable. Shang Tingzhi had already noticed before going downstairs that the low fever he had been enduring all day seemed to have subsided at some point.
Sleeping with Xia Leyang for a while seemed more effective than staying in that ominous mansion.
It seemed his parents were right; Xia Leyang was not only a talisman but also a lucky star. Anyone who stayed with him prospered.
Shang Tingzhi calmly observed Xia Leyang, who was scratching his head on the side of the road, thinking that it would be great if this person were a girl. Although his personality was a bit annoying, his appearance was acceptable.
“Let’s go back,” Xia Leyang finally said after hesitating for a long time. He felt that he couldn’t harm others.
“Back to the hotel?” Shang Tingzhi refocused his thoughts and asked.
“No,” Xia Leyang said, “I mean back to the Gu family mansion.”
Shang Tingzhi raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. “Aren’t you afraid of ghosts now?”
“What kind of talk is that?” Xia Leyang straightened his chest, “I wasn’t afraid from the beginning.”
Shang Tingzhi pursed his lips, hesitating whether to tell Xia Leyang that there were really ghosts in the ominous mansion. However, he quickly realized that even if he said it, Xia Leyang wouldn’t believe it. Moreover, this young master had a strong life force, and even if he did encounter ghosts, it wouldn’t affect him much. In the end, Shang Tingzhi chose to remain silent.
Xia Leyang went to check out, and the two of them took a taxi back to the Gu family mansion. On the way, the driver continuously glanced at them through the rearview mirror, probably curious about who would go to the famous ominous mansion in the middle of the night.
The Gu family mansion at night was shrouded in a mysterious atmosphere. Although the decorative wall lights in the small courtyard were on, emitting warm light, Xia Leyang still felt as if there was a barrier here, incompatible with the peaceful residential buildings around.
“I’m a bit curious,” Xia Leyang supported Shang Tingzhi, opened the iron gate, and said, “Isn’t your life clash and the Year Tai Sui essentially the same?”
“Well, what about it?” Shang Tingzhi, leaning comfortably against Xia Leyang, casually replied.
“According to your saying, when it’s the Year Tai Sui, there’s no good without misfortune. Looking at it the other way around, some people have good fortune in their Year Tai Sui, and disasters are not guaranteed,” Xia Leyang said and then added, “Don’t try to fool me with the limited scope of Year Tai Sui.”
Shang Tingzhi was actually too lazy to explain feng shui issues to Muggles because those who didn’t believe wouldn’t believe no matter how much he explained. However, considering that Xia Leyang was so comfortable to hold, he patiently said, “When Tai Sui sits directly ahead, there is no joy without disaster. Conversely, looking at it the other way around, some people may have joy during their Year Tai Sui, and it doesn’t necessarily bring disaster.”
At first, Xia Leyang thought this statement made sense, but he quickly realized something was off. Standing still, he thought for a moment and said, “You’re talking nonsense. Some people have joy, some people have disaster. What does this have to do with their Year Tai Sui?”
Shang Tingzhi, very displeased with the words “nonsense,” frowned. He thought it was indeed a waste of breath.
However, the person in his arms was soft and cool, making him comfortable. So, for the first time ever, he patiently explained, “In the end, it’s a probability issue. Some factors will likely lead to unfavorable events.”
Xia Leyang thought for a moment, understanding that it meant staying in the hotel didn’t necessarily lead to trouble; it just had a higher probability.
He tried to explain it from a scientific perspective but found it absurd after thinking for a while.
Seeing Xia Leyang’s face clearly expressing confusion, Shang Tingzhi added, “Tomorrow night is the night of the full moon, and the Earth’s magnetic field will become stronger, increasing the probability of incidents.”
Silently guiding Shang Tingzhi into the living room adjacent to the elevator, Xia Leyang pressed the “2” button. He then looked at Shang Tingzhi with a complicated expression and said bluntly, “Do you take me for a three-year-old?”
A twitch appeared at the corner of Shang Tingzhi’s mouth, and he couldn’t be bothered to say more.
Xia Leyang helped Shang Tingzhi into the bedroom, and as he left, Shang Tingzhi, unusually kind, said, “If you’re afraid, you can come and sleep with me.”
Shang Tingzhi admitted that he said this with a bit of selfishness—he wanted to hold Xia Leyang while sleeping, purely because it was comfortable.
However, Xia Leyang didn’t take Shang Tingzhi’s suggestion seriously at all. How could he admit to being afraid? He arrogantly raised his chin and said, “Are you the one who’s afraid? If you are, just say it; I won’t laugh at you.” His disdainful look almost had hands on hips.
It was the first time experiencing such a situation where one had to face embarrassment.
Shang Tingzhi took a deep breath, suppressing the rising fire in his heart, and expressionlessly said, “If you’re afraid and can’t sleep, don’t come to me.”
Xia Leyang was already extremely tired and, for him at this moment, sleeping was more important than any big event. So, he wasn’t particularly worried about the problem of not being able to sleep.
He confidently said, “Here are four words for you: ‘Ingvarsborg.'”
After Xia Leyang left, Shang Tingzhi turned off the light and closed his eyes to prepare for sleep. However, not long after, there were ding-ding-dong-dong sounds coming from the next room, indicating that Xia Leyang was rearranging the furniture.
About ten minutes later, the sound of moving furniture stopped. However, another ten minutes later, there was a sudden knock on Shang Tingzhi’s bedroom door.
Twisting the doorknob, Xia Leyang poked his head in, slightly embarrassed, and asked, “Master, can we sleep together?”
Shang Tingzhi chuckled, “Are you thinking about peaches?”
