When Xia Leyang made the decision to return to the Gu family mansion, he had mentally prepared himself while still on the hotel’s roadside.
Firstly, he was very tired, and nothing was more important than sleep. He simulated in his mind the scene of encountering ghosts in the middle of the night, and the conclusion was clear: unless it was something like an earthquake, he absolutely wouldn’t get out of bed.
Secondly, this hotel incident was a bit strange. If there was even a one in a million chance that it was related to Shang Tingzhi, who, in the end, brought him here, and if they continued to stay, something big might happen, it would be difficult to explain.
So, after careful consideration, Xia Leyang ultimately decided to return to the Gu family mansion.
As a well-educated modern young man, he couldn’t say he wasn’t afraid of ghosts while feeling uneasy inside. This was a chance to boost his courage.
When he came out of Shang Tingzhi’s room, Xia Leyang temporarily felt good about himself.
The old mansion’s courtyard had a ten-meter-long chandelier hanging, casting warm light in every corner of the courtyard. As long as he didn’t think about what had happened here before, it was quite a cozy atmosphere.
Yes, that’s right, just don’t think about it.
Xia Leyang kept reassuring himself not to think about it.
However, when he returned to his room and saw the large bed against the wall, the image of blood-splattered on the bedhead inevitably appeared in his mind.
The scene in the photo and the present scene inexplicably overlapped, even though the room was brightly lit, Xia Leyang still felt a creepy chill surrounding him.
At this point, he wasn’t sleepy at all; even his nerves were tense.
Some people were like this. They tried hard to prove something, thinking that by doing so, they could prove themselves, only to find out in the end that they had indeed proven something—
Proven that they couldn’t handle it.
Xia Leyang’s mind split into two figures. One told him to be strong, to defeat all kinds of demons and ghosts, while the other cowered behind, crying and saying it was scared.
In the end, the crying figure gained the upper hand because the strong figure went to comfort him, no longer cheering Xia Leyang on.
Although Xia Leyang resisted in his heart, he still folded his hands and bowed to the air twice, saying, “Injustice has a head, and the debtor is known. Younger brother is just temporarily staying here, please don’t find the wrong debtor.”
As soon as Xia Leyang finished speaking, the overhead light flickered.
In that fleeting moment, the room plunged into darkness, and the furniture around suddenly reverted to its appearance from over forty years ago. The vivid image of blood on the bedhead and floor was still there.
Even though it was only a moment, it felt surprisingly long. Long enough for Xia Leyang to have time to recall that he was standing right in front of the corpse from forty years ago.
The tense nerves in his mind suddenly snapped. Xia Leyang turned around to look at where the dead body was, but just as he turned, the light above his head came back on.
This was definitely not normal.
Although Xia Leyang had not personally participated in house renovations, considering their family’s real estate development background, he knew a little bit. The old mansion had been renovated and even had an elevator installed, and the first step must have been to renovate the water and electricity.
How could there be a problem with the electrical circuit in a newly renovated house?
Xia Leyang stood in the corner, pondering for a long time, and the conclusion he reached was… illusion.
Yes, that’s right, it must be because he thought too much. Since the place looked exactly the same as before, he saw the scene from over forty years ago in a trance.
Thinking of this, Xia Leyang put down his bag and decided to change the layout of the room.
He moved the desk by the window, pushed the bed over, and then rearranged the position of the wardrobe, shelves, and other furniture.
Now, the large bed was in the corner near the window, with the foot of the bed facing inwards and the head facing outwards. The desk blocked one side of the bed, making it look like a fortress.
With these changes, the eerie feeling associated with the murder scene completely disappeared.
Xia Leyang was quite satisfied with himself for cleverly avoiding that feeling.
After this commotion, Xia Leyang felt sleepy again. He moved the pillow from the bedhead to the foot of the bed and curled up in the corner to sleep. However, just as he was about to doze off, intermittent and faint sounds reached his ears.
“Lei… Hou…”
Xia Leyang turned over, covering his ears with the blanket, but the sound persisted, like a mosquito buzzing around his ears.
“Hou… gou… hing… gin… dou… lei…”
Frowning, Xia Leyang unconsciously pieced together these intermittent sounds into a sentence.
“Hello, nice to meet you.”
This phrase sounded familiar, exactly like the lines he heard when he met a Hong Kong classmate abroad.
Wait a minute.
Xia Leyang suddenly crawled out of bed, looking at the empty room. Who in the world knew him and was happy to meet him?
Could it be that the person who died in the Gu family mansion was from Hong Kong?
Thinking of this, Xia Leyang’s scalp tingled, and a chilly sensation ran down his spine.
No, it really wouldn’t work.
He had tried, but the deep-rooted traditional beliefs instilled in him during childhood made it impossible for him to confront a haunted house. He had no choice but to surrender.
Although he had just bravely declared in front of Shang Tingzhi that he couldn’t be afraid, he believed that a real man could bend and stretch. He didn’t think it was embarrassing.
Back to the present.
When Xia Leyang opened Shang Tingzhi’s door, he received a cold reception. Shang Tingzhi didn’t want to deal with him at all, but Xia Leyang couldn’t give up so easily because, at the moment, only Shang Tingzhi could accompany him.
“Don’t you need me to help you to the bathroom in the middle of the night?” Xia Leyang shamelessly approached Shang Tingzhi’s bedside, his eyes filled with concern.
“My kidneys are fine, I don’t get up at night,” Shang Tingzhi said expressionlessly.
Xia Leyang scratched his cheek with his index finger, feeling a bit awkward, and asked, “Are you thirsty? I can pour you some water.”
“Not thirsty,” Shang Tingzhi replied.
Frowning, Xia Leyang desperately searched for reasons, but Shang Tingzhi had already given the eviction order: “You’re disturbing my sleep.”
“Um, Master Shang,” Xia Leyang showed a dry smile, “having a fever must be uncomfortable. I’ll stay here with you. Just call me when you need me.”
Shang Tingzhi didn’t respond; how could he not see that Xia Leyang was scared?
He closed his eyes, preparing to sleep, “I’m not feverish anymore. You don’t need to bother staying here.”
Xia Leyang was slightly surprised, “The fever is gone so quickly?”
He didn’t quite believe it. Kneeling on the bed, he lightly touched Shang Tingzhi’s forehead with the back of his hand. Indeed, no fever.
Now that there was no reason left, Xia Leyang asked softly, “Why are you still standing here?” Shang Tingzhi inquired.
With his head hanging down, Xia Leyang calculated which was more unacceptable—fear or embarrassment. In the end, fear won.
He whispered to Shang Tingzhi, “Can I sleep with you?”
Shang Tingzhi raised an imperceptible eyebrow, intentionally saying, “What are you talking about? I didn’t hear anything.”
“I mean, Master Shang,” Xia Leyang showed a wry smile, “it must be uncomfortable with a fever. I’ll stay here with you. Call me anytime you need.”
Shang Tingzhi didn’t respond. He found it amusing inside but maintained a poker face.
“I’ve already recovered, no need for you to stay,” Shang Tingzhi said.
“So quickly recovered?” Xia Leyang questioned.
Shang Tingzhi found it funny but maintained a stoic expression. “I only use half of the bed when I sleep. Is that enough for you?”
Xia Leyang made a pitiful gesture with his index finger and thumb, saying, “Just a tiny bit? I won’t disturb you, I promise.”
“Sure,” Shang Tingzhi calmly stated, “give me a reason.”
Indeed, a reason was necessary.
In any case, the first step was to secure the territory.
Kicking off his slippers, Xia Leyang crawled into Shang Tingzhi’s bed, huddling in the corner. “I can’t sleep over there.”
Leisurely placing his hands behind his neck, Shang Tingzhi asked, “Can you sleep here with me?”
“Um,” Xia Leyang mumbled, exhausted from the events of the night. The fatigue hit him all at once, and he had no intention of moving from the bed.
“Come here,” Shang Tingzhi glanced at the little mound on the other side of the bed. His anger had dissipated; since the cool pillow had been delivered to him, there was no need to refuse.
“Why?” Xia Leyang asked.
“If you want to sleep, then come over,” Shang Tingzhi turned over, reaching out with one arm, pulling the little mound into his embrace.
Although Shang Tingzhi’s fever had subsided long ago, it was still comfortable to hold him.
Shang Tingzhi’s hand rested on Xia Leyang’s waist, his nose against his forehead. Xia Leyang, on the edge of falling asleep, felt no discomfort in this position and drifted off in Shang Tingzhi’s arms.
Shang Tingzhi’s embrace was warm, much more comfortable than holding the blanket alone as he had done in the neighboring room.
Xia Leyang wasn’t very well-behaved when sleeping, tossing and turning, occasionally murmuring in his dreams.
He crawled into Shang Tingzhi’s embrace and felt a sense of security. Shang Tingzhi slept lightly, and when Xia Leyang woke him up, he released the hand on Xia Leyang’s waist. After Xia Leyang adjusted to a comfortable position on his own, Shang Tingzhi embraced him again.
At this moment, Xia Leyang smacked his lips and muttered something.
Shang Tingzhi slightly opened his eyes, looking at the sleeping face so close. He found it quite cute. Lazily burying his head, he approached Xia Leyang and asked, “What did you say?”
“Smacking lips,” Xia Leyang’s lips moved, “Grandma, I want to eat sticky rice cake.”
Shang Tingzhi: …
Xia Leyang simulated the action of eating, chewing a few times. His lips remained half-open.
The rosy lips shimmered with a crystal-like luster. Shang Tingzhi was momentarily stunned but quickly realized what that supposed luster actually was.
“Xia Leyang.” Shang Tingzhi furrowed his eyebrows, pushed Xia Leyang’s shoulder, and decisively grabbed a tissue from the bedside, pressing it against Xia Leyang’s lips. “Don’t drool on my bed!”
“Huh?” Xia Leyang opened his eyes in a daze, looking at Shang Tingzhi before muttering, “Grandma?”
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