Sister Wang touched her nose. “Well, I do know that.”
“Four years ago, Master Fei’s fortune suddenly turned, and he met a big shot.”
“That person highly appreciated Master Fei, and with his support, Master Fei’s career skyrocketed.”
The fifth person in this story appeared.
Bai Lixin: “Who is this big shot specifically?”
“Oh dear, Young Master, you’ve got me there. I’m just a cleaning lady, and I really don’t know who this big shot is. I’ve only occasionally heard Master Fei talking on the phone with that person while cleaning. Master Fei respects him a lot, and addresses him as ‘President.’ Although I don’t know who he is, I’m sure he’s a powerful and influential figure.”
President?
S419M: [In the background of this city, a president is almost equivalent to what we commonly understand as the chairman, likely the leader of some financial conglomerate.]
Bai Lixin: [In the sleepwalking scene we saw last night, do you think Father Fei opened the door for this big shot?]
S419M: [And this big shot is having an affair with Li Manyu? Did Father Fei prepare roses in advance and then sacrifice his wife like a brothel proprietress sending out her girls?]
[Father Fei dismissed all the servants, leaving only the most trusted Aunt Zhang.]
[Aunt Zhang must be a special character, otherwise, she wouldn’t be the one taking you for a medical examination.]
[Father Fei waited late at night for the big shot to arrive. Once the big shot entered the house, Father Fei took the roses he had prepared in advance to please Li Manyu. Li Manyu became a prop for Father Fei’s climb up, and Father Fei acted like he loved Li Manyu, but his actions were extremely despicable. This is what you speculated about before, “Father Fei may have done something to wrong Li Manyu.”]
[The vast family fortune was obtained through the sacrifice and offering of a woman. This led to Li Manyu’s blackening, and she began to deliberately flirt with others, such as Big Zhuang, in front of Father Fei.]
Bai Lixin: [Perhaps the one sacrificed wasn’t Li Manyu but the original owner.]
S419M: [Huh? Why do you say that?]
Bai Lixin’s deep gaze fell on the rose garden outside: [There are many contradictions.]
[Father Fei and Li Manyu were very fond of the original owner, and the servants knew it very well.]
[The original owner’s dislike for roses is something known to all the servants, wouldn’t Father Fei and Li Manyu know?]
[The backyard is so large, yet Father Fei chose to plant this rose garden right outside the original owner’s window. As long as the curtain is pulled open, the original owner will constantly see the roses he despises the most.]
[If he truly cared for the original owner, Father Fei wouldn’t do this.]
S419M: [Then why did Father Fei do this?]
Bai Lixin said in a deep voice: [To tame.]
[To tell the original owner, I know what you hate, and I know what disgusts you, but in this house, I have the final say. I can easily control your likes and dislikes.]
[By intentionally planting roses outside the original owner’s window, it’s just to remind the original owner of his identity and status at all times.]
Bai Lixin: [One more thing, why does the original owner hate roses so much?]
[People instinctively dislike bugs because these insects cause them trouble.]
[But seemingly harmless stationary flowers and plants evoke strong disgust in people. In most cases, it’s not the objects themselves that people dislike but the associations they bring.]
[Roses brought very negative associations to the original owner, so he strongly disliked them.]
S419M: [The negative association is the big shot who comes in the middle of the night. That’s why this room has so many hidden cameras and the two-way mirror.]
[They spy on him, observe him where the original owner can’t see, treating him like an animal in a cage, taming him.]
Bai Lixin: [The smartest lie in the world is not telling a lie but using the montage technique to piece together fragmented information.]
[Fei Yino’s anger will attract our attention first. At this moment, he holds a high position in this family, even holding the key to the next room, and even hates the original owner.]
[But we forget a crucial point, which is the time difference.]
[Fei Yino only started rising six months ago, but his family status in this house shouldn’t have been too high six months ago.]
[Six months ago, control of this house was still in Father Fei’s hands.] Bai Lixin lifted his gaze, and the corner of his eye casually swept over those hidden cameras. [The decoration of this room has been here for a long time, and the cameras weren’t installed recently.]
[The bathroom is the same; you can see the traces of time on the mirror.]
[These are all products of several years or more. At that time, Fei Yino didn’t have such great power to do these things.]
S419M: [What about the key to the room…]
Bai Lixin: [Aunt Zhang only mentioned that the key to the next room is in Fei Yino’s hands, but she didn’t specify when it came into Fei Yino’s possession. Perhaps the original owner had already left when Fei Yino took charge.]
S419M: [But both Li Manyu and Aunt Zhang said you left home only a few days ago.]
Bai Lixin directed his gaze at Sister Wang, who had resumed cleaning. “Sister Wang, when did I leave home?”
Sister Wang: “It’s been a while, nearly half a year. After Master Fei fell seriously ill, the eldest young master took over the household and it didn’t take long for you to leave.”
Bai Lixin: “Wasn’t there a police report?”
Sister Wang felt awkward, “Young Master, you can’t blame Master Fei and Madam for this. After all, they were in a difficult situation at that time. The Eldest Young Master took over with a blaze, and everyone knew about you being driven out by him. Master Fei was seriously ill and couldn’t speak, and Madam was in a precarious position. Naturally, they didn’t dare to provoke the Eldest Young Master, so they didn’t report it to the police.”
Bai Lixin’s expression remained calm. He simply uttered, “Oh, I see.”
S419M: [Damn it, it’s just as you guessed, there really is a time discrepancy.]
Bai Lixin: [Do you remember where we met Father Fei last night?]
S419M recalled for a moment, [At the door of the next room!]
Bai Lixin: [Don’t you find it strange? If the next room was really under Fei Yino’s control, why would Father Fei go there while sleepwalking?]
S419M suddenly realized: [Wow, turns out Father Fei is the one hiding the deepest, a hypocrite with a human face and a beastly heart.]
[Lord Host, what about that black shadow? Do you have any clues?]
Bai Lixin: [There’s still over a day left, no rush. Right now, I’m more concerned about what happened six months ago.]
Four years ago, the original owner, Father Fei, Li Manyu, Fei Yino, and that mysterious big shot.
Many pieces of information were gradually coming to light.
“Oh right, Sister Wang.” Bai Lixin saw the disappeared Fei Yino entering the field of view through the window, “You just mentioned that I used to like following Fei Yino? Did we have always have a bad relationship?”
“In matters of the master’s family, it’s not for us to casually talk about.” Sister Wang smiled awkwardly, “Anyway, it seemed a little more harmonious than now. At that time, the Eldest Young Master didn’t openly dislike you as he does now.”
“Ah, Young Master, I suddenly remembered I forgot to bring something. I’ll come back to tidy up this room later.” The questions were getting more lethal one after another, and Sister Wang felt that if she continued, she might lose her job. She quickly gathered her cleaning tools, grabbed a bucket and vacuum cleaner, and hurriedly left the room.
Bai Lixin walked to the door, following her hurried footsteps. The other party’s steps could be described as “fleeing in a hurry”.
S419M: [Lord Host, you scared her.]
Bai Lixin withdrew his gaze, closed the door, and entered the bathroom.
The young man’s beautiful and cold face was reflected in the huge bright floor-to-ceiling mirror.
He couldn’t see what was on the other side of the mirror, but he knew there was a long sofa behind the mirror. A motionless skeleton was sitting on the sofa, its empty eye sockets facing this way…
———————————-
When Bai Lixin went downstairs, he bumped into Fei Yino.
Perhaps it was a coincidence, or Fei Yino deliberately waited for him, every time he reached the second floor, he would see Fei Yino leaning against the wall with arms crossed, wearing a cold expression.
Fei Yino showed no intention to leave and it was unknown as to how long he had been standing there.
Bai Lixin glanced at Fei Yino and was about to continue walking down when Fei Yino suddenly lifted his foot and charged towards Bai Lixin.
Bai Lixin instinctively evaded, easily avoiding Fei Yino’s reaching hand.
However, Fei Yino seemed to have practiced grappling. Instead of giving up after Bai Lixin dodged the first time, he swiftly retracted his arm in mid-air and reached for Bai Lixin again.
Bai Lixin stepped back repeatedly, only holding onto Fei Yino’s arm when pushed to the stairs. He frowned and asked coldly, “Fei Yino, what are you doing?”
Fei Yino emitted a cold chuckle, “My foolish little brother has never practiced any martial arts.”
Bai Lixin was momentarily stunned. The next second, Fei Yino flipped both hands, reversed his grip on Bai Lixin’s wrist, and, like a ghost, reached toward Bai Lixin’s face.
By the time Bai Lixin reacted, a pair of cold hands were already pressed against his face.
Those hands moved back and forth on his face, seemingly searching for something.
From his forehead to his jaw, the hands rubbed, and after a few seconds, they quickly withdrew.
Fei Yino’s brow furrowed in a “川” shape. He looked at Bai Lixin with disgust, and strode forward without looking back.
—————————
At the dining table, the awkward and peculiar atmosphere was becoming increasingly difficult to conceal.
Father Fei sat beside Li Manyu, but she shamelessly exchanged glances with Big Zhuang.
Red Hair and Mr. Mouse keenly sensed the unusual ambiguity between the two, and both looked a little unhappy.
For reasons unknown, Fei Yino touched Bai Lixin’s face in the early morning and returned to his room. Before long, he hurriedly came downstairs and went to the company without appearing at the dining table.
While Father Fei turned a blind eye to the ambiguous interactions between Li Manyu and Big Zhuang, Red Hair and Mr. Mouse couldn’t contain their discomfort.
After Big Zhuang and Li Manyu discreetly held hands under the tablecloth for the nth time, Red Hair finally couldn’t take it anymore. She stood up with her hands on the table, “Big Zhuang, we’ve been bothering Uncle and Auntie for several days. How about we leave today!”
As she spoke, she emphasized the words “Uncle and Auntie” and glared at Big Zhuang with threatening eyes.
However, Big Zhuang ignored her, “I want to stay a few more days.”
He seemed to be answering Red Hair’s question, but his eyes were fixed on Li Manyu.
The gazes of the two intertwined in the air, nearly becoming drawn-out strands of sugar.
Li Manyu smiled gently at Big Zhuang and, facing Red Hair’s angry gaze, elegantly raised her head, “Could it be that we’ve been inhospitable? You’ve only stayed in our home for two days. Xiao Xin is usually shy, it’s rare for him to make friends, why don’t you stay a bit longer?”
“No!” Red Hair’s eyes widened, her cute face filled with anger. “Your hospitality is indeed lacking. There’s a strong smell of vixen in the room, it’s very unpleasant!”
“Red!” Big Zhuang warned sternly, giving Red Hair a cold, threatening look, “Enough, you’re too impolite. Uncle and Auntie have entertained us so warmly, but you actually said that their house smells like a vixen, Apologize to Aunt Manyu quickly!”
Red Hair blushed, looking aggrieved but she didn’t leave in a huff. She pulled Big Zhuang, “Brother Zhuang, I’m telling you to leave for your own good. Your live broadcast room hasn’t been live for two days, and there are no new video edits. If this continues, your live broadcast room will gradually lose its popularity. Let’s go back, I’ll edit the exploration video we shot last time.”
Big Zhuang hesitated.
“The live broadcast room, is it the supernatural live broadcast room you mentioned last time?” Li Manyu’s soft voice interrupted Red Hair’s pleading. She looked at Big Zhuang with an ambiguous expression, “I remember you said you wanted us to invest and become shareholders. Is it about this live broadcast room?”
Big Zhuang’s eyes went wide the moment he heard the words “invest and become shareholders,” he turned his head eagerly towards Li Manyu. “Yes, it’s this live broadcast room.”
Li Manyu chuckled, “Big Zhuang, how much money do you lack? Is five million enough?”
Big Zhuang’s eyes widened even more, and so did Red Hair’s and Mr. Mouse’s.
Seeing that Big Zhuang was silent, Li Manyu continued to talk to herself: “What? Five million is not enough? What about ten million?”
Big Zhuang finally reacted and nodded repeatedly, “Enough, enough! Ten million is enough!”
Li Manyu snorted softly, a triumphant smile playing on her lips as she glanced at Red Hair. “So, let’s return to the previous question. Do you want to stay a few more days in our home?”
Big Zhuang immediately agreed without hesitation, “Of course, we’ll stay!”
As he spoke, he forcibly pulled Red Hair back to her seat.
Seeing this, Mr. Mouse sat quietly without saying much.
After the meal, Bai Lixin heard a low argument as he passed by the garden. The main characters in the dispute weren’t strangers to him; it was Red Hair and Big Zhuang.
Unable to clearly hear the conversation, Bai Lixin activated his invisibility card and approached them.
Behind the concealed wall in the garden, a man and a woman were hiding in a corner obscured by trees. The man had trapped the woman, creating a somewhat oppressive and tense atmosphere.
Big Zhuang: “Red, are you crazy? Do you know that your reckless actions almost made me lose a major shareholder worth ten million! Why did you suddenly suggest leaving? Didn’t we agree to stay until we secure sponsorship?”
Red Hair’s voice carried a hint of a sob, “Have you forgotten that you’re my boyfriend? I promised to stay until sponsorship, but I didn’t know you’d use such methods to get sponsorship. Big Zhuang, I look down on you.”
Big Zhuang suddenly hugged the distressed Red Hair, “Alright, be good. Isn’t this all for our future? Li Manyu and I are just having fun. She has a husband, and I have you. Do you think anything real would happen between her and me? Silly girl, you should know that in my heart, there’s only you. My future plans also revolve around you.”
Red Hair: “But you’re unclean.”
Big Zhuang sighed, “All this is for us. Isn’t it for our future?”
“I don’t want to either, but you know the situation in my live broadcast room the best. It’s just a false prosperity, and the results are getting worse.”
“Give me a few more days, okay? Once I secure the ten million sponsorship, we’ll leave immediately. I’ll cut ties with Li Manyu once I get the money.”
Just when Bai Lixin thought Red Hair was about to slap Big Zhuang, she suddenly threw herself into Big Zhuang’s arms, “Are you telling the truth? You only love me, and you’ve planned our future? After getting the money, will you really sever all ties with that vixen Li Manyu?”
Big Zhuang: “Of course, I only love Li Manyu’s money.”
Red Hair: “Wuuuu, then I’ll believe you.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘This is truly the ultimate love brain, it can no longer be described as an ordinary love brain.
I suggest that she go forage for eighteen year old wild vegetables to clear her mind before speaking.’
Big Zhuang’s kiss pursued Red Hair’s lips, and as the two were about to ignite, Bai Lixin silently retreated from the corner.
S419M: [Li Manyu is really amazing. Let’s be honest, is she addicted to snatching other people’s husbands and boyfriends?]
Bai Lixin: [Big Zhuang’s wishful thinking will fail, Li Manyu won’t invest in Big Zhuang.]
S419M: [Both are thousand year old foxes, fond of telling strange tales. Where are you going now, Lord Host?]
Bai Lixin: [I’m going to a place where there might be clues.]
He followed the route that Fei Yino had just taken and walked through the garden. After turning the corner, he found a narrow passage.
This passage was a gap between the house and the wall. It was very narrow, just enough for one person to pass through.
The ground was covered in fine sand, and due to the shade, two damp green mosses had grown in the wall corner.
If it weren’t for seeing Fee Yino walk out from this spot, Bai Lixin might have thought it was just a crevice.
It gradually turned dark at the end of this small crevice, exuding a mysterious and taboo feeling.
Bai Lixin glanced inside and quietly entered the narrow gap.
At the end were two walls forming a right angle, and after turning the angle, it was still a gap formed by a wall and the exterior wall of the house.
Lush tree branches loomed above, making this crevice darker and more pitch-black than the previous one.
Bai Lixin didn’t reduce his speed and continued walking forward.
Finally, he reached the end of the gap, where he saw a small iron door tucked in the corner of the house’s exterior wall.
The color of the iron door was almost identical to the exterior wall; no one would know there was a hidden passage here unless they deliberately looked.
The handle outside the iron door was entwined with a thumb-thick chain and secured with a large brass lock.
Bai Lixin took out a steel wire from his backpack and skillfully manipulated it against the brass lock. In a few seconds, the brass lock opened.
He then stuffed the chain, brass lock, and steel wire back into his backpack and opened the iron door.
The door creaked, revealing a narrow gap.
Bai Lixin peeked inside through the gap; it was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.
He took out a flashlight from his backpack, fully pushed the iron door open, and walked inside.
There was a button similar to a light switch near the entrance. Bai Lixin pressed it, instantly illuminating the previously dark room and every corner was revealed to Bai Lixin’s eyes.
It looked like a workshop, with a distinctive scent of polypropylene mixed with the smell of plaster in the air.
There was a long corridor at the entrance, with a shoe cabinet and coat rack near the doorway.
Ink-stained shoes and coats lay quietly or hung on the coat rack, tainted with ink and plaster.
Bai Lixin walked inside along the long corridor and when he reached the end, a white statue came into his sight without warning.
It was a human model placed in the corner, precisely in the blind spot of the corridor. Facing the corridor, one could say it was full of “surprises.”
Bai Lixin stared at this statue: the monochrome made the face somewhat distorted, but Bai Lixin could vaguely make out the facial features.
It was a face unfamiliar to Bai Lixin, and the model seemed young, slender, and with delicate features.
The layout of this room resembled an excavator; the corridor seemed long, but when turning at the end of the corridor, it led to a spacious room. The white statue was placed in the middle, right in between the long corridor and the room.
Bai Lixin stared at the plaster face for a while, then turned and walked into the room.
The room that seemed a bit crude just now, suddenly became different when he reached the true center of the place.
Sister Wang touched her nose. “Well, I do know that.”
“Four years ago, Master Fei’s fortune suddenly turned, and he met a big shot.”
“That person highly appreciated Master Fei, and with his support, Master Fei’s career skyrocketed.”
The fifth person in this story appeared.
Bai Lixin: “Who is this big shot specifically?”
“Oh dear, Young Master, you’ve got me there. I’m just a cleaning lady, and I really don’t know who this big shot is. I’ve only occasionally heard Master Fei talking on the phone with that person while cleaning. Master Fei respects him a lot, and addresses him as ‘President.’ Although I don’t know who he is, I’m sure he’s a powerful and influential figure.”
President?
S419M: [In the background of this city, a president is almost equivalent to what we commonly understand as the chairman, likely the leader of some financial conglomerate.]
Bai Lixin: [In the sleepwalking scene we saw last night, do you think Father Fei opened the door for this big shot?]
S419M: [And this big shot is having an affair with Li Manyu? Did Father Fei prepare roses in advance and then sacrifice his wife like a brothel proprietress sending out her girls?]
[Father Fei dismissed all the servants, leaving only the most trusted Aunt Zhang.]
[Aunt Zhang must be a special character, otherwise, she wouldn’t be the one taking you for a medical examination.]
[Father Fei waited late at night for the big shot to arrive. Once the big shot entered the house, Father Fei took the roses he had prepared in advance to please Li Manyu. Li Manyu became a prop for Father Fei’s climb up, and Father Fei acted like he loved Li Manyu, but his actions were extremely despicable. This is what you speculated about before, “Father Fei may have done something to wrong Li Manyu.”]
[The vast family fortune was obtained through the sacrifice and offering of a woman. This led to Li Manyu’s blackening, and she began to deliberately flirt with others, such as Big Zhuang, in front of Father Fei.]
Bai Lixin: [Perhaps the one sacrificed wasn’t Li Manyu but the original owner.]
S419M: [Huh? Why do you say that?]
Bai Lixin’s deep gaze fell on the rose garden outside: [There are many contradictions.]
[Father Fei and Li Manyu were very fond of the original owner, and the servants knew it very well.]
[The original owner’s dislike for roses is something known to all the servants, wouldn’t Father Fei and Li Manyu know?]
[The backyard is so large, yet Father Fei chose to plant this rose garden right outside the original owner’s window. As long as the curtain is pulled open, the original owner will constantly see the roses he despises the most.]
[If he truly cared for the original owner, Father Fei wouldn’t do this.]
S419M: [Then why did Father Fei do this?]
Bai Lixin said in a deep voice: [To tame.]
[To tell the original owner, I know what you hate, and I know what disgusts you, but in this house, I have the final say. I can easily control your likes and dislikes.]
[By intentionally planting roses outside the original owner’s window, it’s just to remind the original owner of his identity and status at all times.]
Bai Lixin: [One more thing, why does the original owner hate roses so much?]
[People instinctively dislike bugs because these insects cause them trouble.]
[But seemingly harmless stationary flowers and plants evoke strong disgust in people. In most cases, it’s not the objects themselves that people dislike but the associations they bring.]
[Roses brought very negative associations to the original owner, so he strongly disliked them.]
S419M: [The negative association is the big shot who comes in the middle of the night. That’s why this room has so many hidden cameras and the two-way mirror.]
[They spy on him, observe him where the original owner can’t see, treating him like an animal in a cage, taming him.]
Bai Lixin: [The smartest lie in the world is not telling a lie but using the montage technique to piece together fragmented information.]
[Fei Yino’s anger will attract our attention first. At this moment, he holds a high position in this family, even holding the key to the next room, and even hates the original owner.]
[But we forget a crucial point, which is the time difference.]
[Fei Yino only started rising six months ago, but his family status in this house shouldn’t have been too high six months ago.]
[Six months ago, control of this house was still in Father Fei’s hands.] Bai Lixin lifted his gaze, and the corner of his eye casually swept over those hidden cameras. [The decoration of this room has been here for a long time, and the cameras weren’t installed recently.]
[The bathroom is the same; you can see the traces of time on the mirror.]
[These are all products of several years or more. At that time, Fei Yino didn’t have such great power to do these things.]
S419M: [What about the key to the room…]
Bai Lixin: [Aunt Zhang only mentioned that the key to the next room is in Fei Yino’s hands, but she didn’t specify when it came into Fei Yino’s possession. Perhaps the original owner had already left when Fei Yino took charge.]
S419M: [But both Li Manyu and Aunt Zhang said you left home only a few days ago.]
Bai Lixin directed his gaze at Sister Wang, who had resumed cleaning. “Sister Wang, when did I leave home?”
Sister Wang: “It’s been a while, nearly half a year. After Master Fei fell seriously ill, the eldest young master took over the household and it didn’t take long for you to leave.”
Bai Lixin: “Wasn’t there a police report?”
Sister Wang felt awkward, “Young Master, you can’t blame Master Fei and Madam for this. After all, they were in a difficult situation at that time. The Eldest Young Master took over with a blaze, and everyone knew about you being driven out by him. Master Fei was seriously ill and couldn’t speak, and Madam was in a precarious position. Naturally, they didn’t dare to provoke the Eldest Young Master, so they didn’t report it to the police.”
Bai Lixin’s expression remained calm. He simply uttered, “Oh, I see.”
S419M: [Damn it, it’s just as you guessed, there really is a time discrepancy.]
Bai Lixin: [Do you remember where we met Father Fei last night?]
S419M recalled for a moment, [At the door of the next room!]
Bai Lixin: [Don’t you find it strange? If the next room was really under Fei Yino’s control, why would Father Fei go there while sleepwalking?]
S419M suddenly realized: [Wow, turns out Father Fei is the one hiding the deepest, a hypocrite with a human face and a beastly heart.]
[Lord Host, what about that black shadow? Do you have any clues?]
Bai Lixin: [There’s still over a day left, no rush. Right now, I’m more concerned about what happened six months ago.]
Four years ago, the original owner, Father Fei, Li Manyu, Fei Yino, and that mysterious big shot.
Many pieces of information were gradually coming to light.
“Oh right, Sister Wang.” Bai Lixin saw the disappeared Fei Yino entering the field of view through the window, “You just mentioned that I used to like following Fei Yino? Did we have always have a bad relationship?”
“In matters of the master’s family, it’s not for us to casually talk about.” Sister Wang smiled awkwardly, “Anyway, it seemed a little more harmonious than now. At that time, the Eldest Young Master didn’t openly dislike you as he does now.”
“Ah, Young Master, I suddenly remembered I forgot to bring something. I’ll come back to tidy up this room later.” The questions were getting more lethal one after another, and Sister Wang felt that if she continued, she might lose her job. She quickly gathered her cleaning tools, grabbed a bucket and vacuum cleaner, and hurriedly left the room.
Bai Lixin walked to the door, following her hurried footsteps. The other party’s steps could be described as “fleeing in a hurry”.
S419M: [Lord Host, you scared her.]
Bai Lixin withdrew his gaze, closed the door, and entered the bathroom.
The young man’s beautiful and cold face was reflected in the huge bright floor-to-ceiling mirror.
He couldn’t see what was on the other side of the mirror, but he knew there was a long sofa behind the mirror. A motionless skeleton was sitting on the sofa, its empty eye sockets facing this way…
———————————-
When Bai Lixin went downstairs, he bumped into Fei Yino.
Perhaps it was a coincidence, or Fei Yino deliberately waited for him, every time he reached the second floor, he would see Fei Yino leaning against the wall with arms crossed, wearing a cold expression.
Fei Yino showed no intention to leave and it was unknown as to how long he had been standing there.
Bai Lixin glanced at Fei Yino and was about to continue walking down when Fei Yino suddenly lifted his foot and charged towards Bai Lixin.
Bai Lixin instinctively evaded, easily avoiding Fei Yino’s reaching hand.
However, Fei Yino seemed to have practiced grappling. Instead of giving up after Bai Lixin dodged the first time, he swiftly retracted his arm in mid-air and reached for Bai Lixin again.
Bai Lixin stepped back repeatedly, only holding onto Fei Yino’s arm when pushed to the stairs. He frowned and asked coldly, “Fei Yino, what are you doing?”
Fei Yino emitted a cold chuckle, “My foolish little brother has never practiced any martial arts.”
Bai Lixin was momentarily stunned. The next second, Fei Yino flipped both hands, reversed his grip on Bai Lixin’s wrist, and, like a ghost, reached toward Bai Lixin’s face.
By the time Bai Lixin reacted, a pair of cold hands were already pressed against his face.
Those hands moved back and forth on his face, seemingly searching for something.
From his forehead to his jaw, the hands rubbed, and after a few seconds, they quickly withdrew.
Fei Yino’s brow furrowed in a “川” shape. He looked at Bai Lixin with disgust, and strode forward without looking back.
—————————
At the dining table, the awkward and peculiar atmosphere was becoming increasingly difficult to conceal.
Father Fei sat beside Li Manyu, but she shamelessly exchanged glances with Big Zhuang.
Red Hair and Mr. Mouse keenly sensed the unusual ambiguity between the two, and both looked a little unhappy.
For reasons unknown, Fei Yino touched Bai Lixin’s face in the early morning and returned to his room. Before long, he hurriedly came downstairs and went to the company without appearing at the dining table.
While Father Fei turned a blind eye to the ambiguous interactions between Li Manyu and Big Zhuang, Red Hair and Mr. Mouse couldn’t contain their discomfort.
After Big Zhuang and Li Manyu discreetly held hands under the tablecloth for the nth time, Red Hair finally couldn’t take it anymore. She stood up with her hands on the table, “Big Zhuang, we’ve been bothering Uncle and Auntie for several days. How about we leave today!”
As she spoke, she emphasized the words “Uncle and Auntie” and glared at Big Zhuang with threatening eyes.
However, Big Zhuang ignored her, “I want to stay a few more days.”
He seemed to be answering Red Hair’s question, but his eyes were fixed on Li Manyu.
The gazes of the two intertwined in the air, nearly becoming drawn-out strands of sugar.
Li Manyu smiled gently at Big Zhuang and, facing Red Hair’s angry gaze, elegantly raised her head, “Could it be that we’ve been inhospitable? You’ve only stayed in our home for two days. Xiao Xin is usually shy, it’s rare for him to make friends, why don’t you stay a bit longer?”
“No!” Red Hair’s eyes widened, her cute face filled with anger. “Your hospitality is indeed lacking. There’s a strong smell of vixen in the room, it’s very unpleasant!”
“Red!” Big Zhuang warned sternly, giving Red Hair a cold, threatening look, “Enough, you’re too impolite. Uncle and Auntie have entertained us so warmly, but you actually said that their house smells like a vixen, Apologize to Aunt Manyu quickly!”
Red Hair blushed, looking aggrieved but she didn’t leave in a huff. She pulled Big Zhuang, “Brother Zhuang, I’m telling you to leave for your own good. Your live broadcast room hasn’t been live for two days, and there are no new video edits. If this continues, your live broadcast room will gradually lose its popularity. Let’s go back, I’ll edit the exploration video we shot last time.”
Big Zhuang hesitated.
“The live broadcast room, is it the supernatural live broadcast room you mentioned last time?” Li Manyu’s soft voice interrupted Red Hair’s pleading. She looked at Big Zhuang with an ambiguous expression, “I remember you said you wanted us to invest and become shareholders. Is it about this live broadcast room?”
Big Zhuang’s eyes went wide the moment he heard the words “invest and become shareholders,” he turned his head eagerly towards Li Manyu. “Yes, it’s this live broadcast room.”
Li Manyu chuckled, “Big Zhuang, how much money do you lack? Is five million enough?”
Big Zhuang’s eyes widened even more, and so did Red Hair’s and Mr. Mouse’s.
Seeing that Big Zhuang was silent, Li Manyu continued to talk to herself: “What? Five million is not enough? What about ten million?”
Big Zhuang finally reacted and nodded repeatedly, “Enough, enough! Ten million is enough!”
Li Manyu snorted softly, a triumphant smile playing on her lips as she glanced at Red Hair. “So, let’s return to the previous question. Do you want to stay a few more days in our home?”
Big Zhuang immediately agreed without hesitation, “Of course, we’ll stay!”
As he spoke, he forcibly pulled Red Hair back to her seat.
Seeing this, Mr. Mouse sat quietly without saying much.
After the meal, Bai Lixin heard a low argument as he passed by the garden. The main characters in the dispute weren’t strangers to him; it was Red Hair and Big Zhuang.
Unable to clearly hear the conversation, Bai Lixin activated his invisibility card and approached them.
Behind the concealed wall in the garden, a man and a woman were hiding in a corner obscured by trees. The man had trapped the woman, creating a somewhat oppressive and tense atmosphere.
Big Zhuang: “Red, are you crazy? Do you know that your reckless actions almost made me lose a major shareholder worth ten million! Why did you suddenly suggest leaving? Didn’t we agree to stay until we secure sponsorship?”
Red Hair’s voice carried a hint of a sob, “Have you forgotten that you’re my boyfriend? I promised to stay until sponsorship, but I didn’t know you’d use such methods to get sponsorship. Big Zhuang, I look down on you.”
Big Zhuang suddenly hugged the distressed Red Hair, “Alright, be good. Isn’t this all for our future? Li Manyu and I are just having fun. She has a husband, and I have you. Do you think anything real would happen between her and me? Silly girl, you should know that in my heart, there’s only you. My future plans also revolve around you.”
Red Hair: “But you’re unclean.”
Big Zhuang sighed, “All this is for us. Isn’t it for our future?”
“I don’t want to either, but you know the situation in my live broadcast room the best. It’s just a false prosperity, and the results are getting worse.”
“Give me a few more days, okay? Once I secure the ten million sponsorship, we’ll leave immediately. I’ll cut ties with Li Manyu once I get the money.”
Just when Bai Lixin thought Red Hair was about to slap Big Zhuang, she suddenly threw herself into Big Zhuang’s arms, “Are you telling the truth? You only love me, and you’ve planned our future? After getting the money, will you really sever all ties with that vixen Li Manyu?”
Big Zhuang: “Of course, I only love Li Manyu’s money.”
Red Hair: “Wuuuu, then I’ll believe you.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘This is truly the ultimate love brain, it can no longer be described as an ordinary love brain.
I suggest that she go forage for eighteen year old wild vegetables to clear her mind before speaking.’
Big Zhuang’s kiss pursued Red Hair’s lips, and as the two were about to ignite, Bai Lixin silently retreated from the corner.
S419M: [Li Manyu is really amazing. Let’s be honest, is she addicted to snatching other people’s husbands and boyfriends?]
Bai Lixin: [Big Zhuang’s wishful thinking will fail, Li Manyu won’t invest in Big Zhuang.]
S419M: [Both are thousand year old foxes, fond of telling strange tales. Where are you going now, Lord Host?]
Bai Lixin: [I’m going to a place where there might be clues.]
He followed the route that Fei Yino had just taken and walked through the garden. After turning the corner, he found a narrow passage.
This passage was a gap between the house and the wall. It was very narrow, just enough for one person to pass through.
The ground was covered in fine sand, and due to the shade, two damp green mosses had grown in the wall corner.
If it weren’t for seeing Fee Yino walk out from this spot, Bai Lixin might have thought it was just a crevice.
It gradually turned dark at the end of this small crevice, exuding a mysterious and taboo feeling.
Bai Lixin glanced inside and quietly entered the narrow gap.
At the end were two walls forming a right angle, and after turning the angle, it was still a gap formed by a wall and the exterior wall of the house.
Lush tree branches loomed above, making this crevice darker and more pitch-black than the previous one.
Bai Lixin didn’t reduce his speed and continued walking forward.
Finally, he reached the end of the gap, where he saw a small iron door tucked in the corner of the house’s exterior wall.
The color of the iron door was almost identical to the exterior wall; no one would know there was a hidden passage here unless they deliberately looked.
The handle outside the iron door was entwined with a thumb-thick chain and secured with a large brass lock.
Bai Lixin took out a steel wire from his backpack and skillfully manipulated it against the brass lock. In a few seconds, the brass lock opened.
He then stuffed the chain, brass lock, and steel wire back into his backpack and opened the iron door.
The door creaked, revealing a narrow gap.
Bai Lixin peeked inside through the gap; it was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.
He took out a flashlight from his backpack, fully pushed the iron door open, and walked inside.
There was a button similar to a light switch near the entrance. Bai Lixin pressed it, instantly illuminating the previously dark room and every corner was revealed to Bai Lixin’s eyes.
It looked like a workshop, with a distinctive scent of polypropylene mixed with the smell of plaster in the air.
There was a long corridor at the entrance, with a shoe cabinet and coat rack near the doorway.
Ink-stained shoes and coats lay quietly or hung on the coat rack, tainted with ink and plaster.
Bai Lixin walked inside along the long corridor and when he reached the end, a white statue came into his sight without warning.
It was a human model placed in the corner, precisely in the blind spot of the corridor. Facing the corridor, one could say it was full of “surprises.”
Bai Lixin stared at this statue: the monochrome made the face somewhat distorted, but Bai Lixin could vaguely make out the facial features.
It was a face unfamiliar to Bai Lixin, and the model seemed young, slender, and with delicate features.
The layout of this room resembled an excavator; the corridor seemed long, but when turning at the end of the corridor, it led to a spacious room. The white statue was placed in the middle, right in between the long corridor and the room.
Bai Lixin stared at the plaster face for a while, then turned and walked into the room.
The room that seemed a bit crude just now, suddenly became different when he reached the true center of the place.
