“Bang, bang, bang!”
Urgent knocking echoed through the night like a death knell. Ni Manxin glanced at Tang Yubo sitting beside her, hesitated for a moment, then stood up and opened the door.
Ni Manxin stood frozen at the doorway, dumbfounded. Why would Dong Yue come here so late? She wanted to ask, but his hawk-like gaze left her flustered and terrified. Like a child caught misbehaving, she lowered her head and stood rooted to the spot.
“Manxin, who is it?” Tang Yubo called out from behind her.
“Aren’t you going to let me in?”
Dong Yue watched Ni Manxin standing motionless at the door, a flicker of anger rising within him.
“It’s so late… why are you…?”
Ni Manxin noticed Dong Yue’s gaze growing even colder and couldn’t help but swallow her words, the rest of her sentence dying in her throat.
It was the first time she had felt Dong Yue’s overwhelming presence, so intimidating that she dared not utter another word.
“You know it’s late? And who is he?”
Ni Manxin followed his gaze and realized Dong Yue was referring to Tang Yubo.
“My friend?” Ni Manxin replied.
Dong Yue glared at Tang Yubo, gritting his teeth. “Friend? What kind of friend stays in your room so late? What kind of friend lets you dress so indecently? A man and a woman alone in a room—do you even know what shame means?”
Ni Manxin grew furious at his words, her tone laced with sarcasm. “A man and a woman alone? You’re right. Please leave quickly. A man like you standing here at this hour is indeed inappropriate.”
Dong Yue’s expression darkened. He pointed at Tang Yubo, who was sitting nearby. “A man? Is he some pet you adopted?”
Tang Yubo, insulted at being called a pet to his face for the first time, rushed up to Dong Yue and roared, “What the hell? Who are you talking about?”
Dong Yue smirked, testing Ni Manxin. “Could it be your man?”
Ni Manxin shook her head vigorously, like a rattle drum, hastily denying it, not wanting Dong Yue to misunderstand.
Fang Yi, hearing Dong Yue’s voice downstairs, immediately poked her head out from the staircase.
Feigning ignorance, she asked, “Dong Yue? What brings you here? Is something wrong so late?”
Ni Manxin glanced at Dong Yue, then at Fang Yi, and finally understood—Dong Yue had come for her.
Seeing Tang Yubo here, Dong Yue must have assumed there was something between Yubo and Fang Yi. After all this circling, it turned out Dong Yue had come specifically to keep an eye on Fang Yi.
Dong Yue looked at Ni Manxin but answered Fang Yi’s question. “I’m staying here tonight. I’ve brought my things with me.”
What? What did Dong Yue just say? Was she hearing things? Had she experienced a Hallucination?
Ni Manxin immediately stretched out both hands and pushed him forcefully toward the door. “How can that be?”
Dong Yue grabbed the delicate hands shoving against his chest. “Why can’t I? And why can he?”
Ni Manxin suddenly felt a chill sweep over her, and her body trembled involuntarily.
“Tell me, why can he?”
Dong Yue suppressed his displeasure, pursed his lips, and stared at Ni Manxin with icy eyes.
Ni Manxin replied softly, “He’s my childhood friend, my confidant. It’s different. Besides, he has nowhere else to go.”
Dong Yue was about to nod in satisfaction when her last words left him baffled. “We won’t disturb you. How about letting her stay with you? That way, you two can get closer?”Dong Yue was confused by the “you” and “them” in Ni Manxin’s words, but Fang Yi understood her meaning and covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
Fang Yi, rarely playing the peacemaker, chimed in, “Ni Manxin, your place is so big. Why not let Dong Yue stay? At most, he can stay next to my room. How does that sound?”
Ni Manxin immediately shook her head. “Fang Yi, it’s not that I don’t want him to stay. You know he lives right next door. His place is much bigger than mine—why does he need to crowd in here? You’ve been to his house before. Just his bathroom alone is twice the size of my entire home.”
Having lived for hundreds of thousands of years, Dong Yue had never been openly refused by anyone. Yet this young woman had rejected him multiple times today, and he was gradually losing patience.
Was this man named Yubo really worth her protecting so fiercely? A man and a woman alone in sleepwear—utterly improper.
Dong Yue said calmly, “No water at home for a shower?”
Ni Manxin laughed. “No water? We live so close—how come I have water but you don’t?”
Dong Yue: “Forgot to pay the water bill.”
Ni Manxin waved a hand dismissively. “Forgot to pay? Fine, I’ll let you shower here. But once you’re done, get out!”
Dong Yue: “It’s too dark to see the way back.”
Ni Manxin: “Turn on the lights, then!”
Dong Yue: “The power’s out.”
Ni Manxin: “Don’t tell me you forgot to pay the electricity bill too?”
Dong Yue smiled and nodded.
Ni Manxin: “…”
Tang Yubo, watching the scene, immediately sounded an alarm in his mind. He stepped forward and deliberately draped an arm around Ni Manxin’s waist, cutting in, “So, to put it plainly, you just want to stay at Ni Manxin’s place.”
Dong Yue walked past Ni Manxin. “No.”
He reached the sofa and slammed the item in his hand onto the coffee table with a thud. “You could stay at my place instead.”
Fang Yi quickly and gently sat beside him on the sofa. Dong Yue frowned slightly but didn’t utter a word.
Tang Yubo laughed. “Staying at your place—wouldn’t that be the same outcome? Still a man and a woman alone.”
Dong Yue: “I meant you. You stay at my place.”
Tang Yubo pointed at his own face in surprise. “Who, me? Tang Yubo? Stay at your house?”
Dong Yue: “What? Unwilling? Aren’t you homeless? Staying with me solves everything.”
Ni Manxin hadn’t expected Dong Yue to offer Yubo a place to stay. This was perfect—she had wanted to ask Dong Yue earlier but feared he would refuse or that it would interrupt his dates with Fang Yi.
His claims today about no water or electricity were likely because he worried Fang Yi might develop feelings for Yubo. No wonder he was acting so strangely, unlike his usual self. It showed how deeply devoted he was to Fang Yi!
Ni Manxin picked up the package from the coffee table, shoved it into Dong Yue’s arms, and pushed both him and Tang Yubo toward the door. She glared coldly at the two. “You can both leave my house right now.” With a bang, the door slammed shut in their faces.
Tang Yubo roared, “What’s your problem? I was staying just fine—why drag me out?”
Dong Yue sneered, “You look angry, but deep down, you must be grateful to me.”
Tang Yubo froze instinctively. “Grateful for what? You’ve left me with nowhere to stay! You’re not seriously expecting me to live with you, are you?”
Dong Yue walked to his front door and switched on the light: “Don’t all captive animals yearn for freedom? Don’t be sad, you’ll find a more suitable owner.”
Tang Yubo furiously jabbed at his own eyes—was this even human speech? His mouth was truly vicious.
Tang Yubo screamed hysterically: “I can tell you have feelings for her! Don’t worry, as long as I’m around, you’ll never succeed.”
Dong Yue couldn’t be bothered to engage, replying indifferently: “Noted. Thank you.”
Tang Yubo was momentarily rendered speechless by rage.
Dong Yue walked to the sofa and sat down, declaring arrogantly: “Thank you for making my mundane days slightly less boring. Love me, love my dog—considering your childhood friendship with her, I swear I’ll never let you suffer the slightest harm. Pfft, accidents don’t count though.”
Tang Yubo broke out in a cold sweat, muttering inwardly: “Just you wait, you brat. I’ll make you pay—butterfly stroke in a cesspool.”
Dong Yue ignored him completely and went straight upstairs to sleep.