Lu Jieyang ran to Wen Di’s door, resisting the urge to barge right in, and knocked. “Wen Wen, don’t be angry. That guy has something wrong with his head—don’t listen to his nonsense… I know we’ve only known each other for two days, strictly speaking less than two days, so I… I don’t mean it like that. I just want to be friends with you first. I… I really like you—I mean as a friend. You’re so cute, who wouldn’t like you?”
“…I really don’t mean it that way, so don’t overthink it. I just like being good to you. I’m like this with all my friends, so don’t feel burdened.”
Lu Jieyang had never said such things before, and after speaking, his face burned hot. Hearing no response from inside, he knocked again. “Wen Wen, did you hear me?”
Wen Di sat on the bed, staring at the gloves on the floor, fists clenched tightly, cheeks flushed.
Of course he heard. This person was so shameless. He had run away, which clearly meant he didn’t want to be friends, yet Lu Jieyang had chased him all the way to his room door to say these things.
But he didn’t understand most of what was said. “That guy”? Did he mean Fu Zhen? Did Fu Zhen say something? He hadn’t heard anything.
He wasn’t angry because of Fu Zhen, but because of Lu Jieyang, that big liar.
He must lie often, Wen Di thought, to be able to act so convincingly.
Wen Di asked 193 in his mind: 【What did Lu Jieyang and Fu Zhen say just now?】
193 replied coldly: 【That you use the living to relive the thrill of being in love.】
Wen Di was stunned, then stunned again, his mouth hanging open. His expression shifted through a range of emotions, as if he was about to get angry, but in the end, he just deflated. “What does that mean? I don’t understand.”
193: 【If you don’t understand, forget it. No need to understand.】
Wen Di pouted and asked again, “Did they say anything else?”
193: 【Not important.】
Wen Di asked, puzzled, “But he kept talking about ‘that meaning.’ What exactly does he mean?”
193 seemed unwilling to engage, pausing before replying: 【Figure it out yourself.】
The person outside kept talking, and Wen Di couldn’t calm down enough to think. Frustrated, he picked up the gloves from the floor, rushed to the door, flung it open, and threw them back at Lu Jieyang.
His brows were furrowed, his expression annoyed. “I don’t want your gloves! You…”
Before he could finish, the person outside suddenly rushed forward and hugged him—just a brief embrace before letting go. Then, cupping Wen Di’s face, his handsome features filled with concern, his tone soft:
“You finally opened the door. Are you feeling better now? Seeing you cry earlier broke my heart. If you’re still upset, I’ll go beat up Fu Zhen to avenge you, okay?”
Wen Di froze, his face flushing red again at the words. “I wasn’t crying! That wasn’t crying—I was just angry!”
Wen Di, soothed by this, almost forgot what he was about to say. It took a moment for his thoughts to circle back on track. He immediately said, “Didn’t you want to be friends? I’ve thought about it, and I don’t…”
Before he could finish, Lu Jieyang suddenly spoke up: “You haven’t had breakfast yet, right? I’ll go make you something delicious.”
With that, he ran off.
He ran so fast that he vanished down the hallway in an instant.
Wen Di stood in the doorway, bewildered, only managing to stretch out a hand in a futile gesture toward his retreating back.
In the end, he could only dejectedly lower his hand.
Lu Jieyang rummaged around in the kitchen but couldn’t make anything decent, so he had to grab a pile of snacks from his bag and bring them to Wen Di’s room.
When he returned and knocked, no one inside opened the door, so Lu Jieyang found a way to open it himself.
Entering the inner room, he saw the little ghost curled up under the blankets, sleeping soundly. His cheeks and lips were rosy and tender, utterly adorable.
Wen Di didn’t wake up until noon. When he opened his eyes, he saw a bag of snacks placed by the bedside and immediately guessed that Lu Jieyang had brought them over.
But… when he gave him the strawberry bear, didn’t he say that was his only snack? How did he manage to bring over so many more snacks!
As expected, Players’ words couldn’t be trusted!
Wen Di stuffed the food under the bed. He wouldn’t eat it—after all, Players and BOSSes were sworn enemies! He would never trust Lu Jieyang.
…
The sound of a bell ringing in the moonlit night suddenly echoed throughout the entire inn, startling the crows on the eaves into flight.
The tolling, like a chant, seeped into people’s minds, making it unbearable.
“Where is this bell sound coming from? There’s clearly no bell in this inn,” Yao Nana complained, unable to bear the disturbance, and came out to the courtyard with Liu Yajun.
This wasn’t the sound of a modern round clock with hands but an ancient bell that required someone to strike it with effort.
Wen Di wiped the sweat from his forehead, released the wooden stake he had been pushing, and leaned down to look through the high window into the courtyard below. He saw that everyone had come out of their rooms and was standing in the courtyard, looking around as if searching for the source of the bell sound.
Catching his breath for a moment, Wen Di ran from the fourth floor down to the first.
Hearing footsteps, everyone turned to see a figure in a black cloak emerging from the darkness.
“Who are you?” Liu Yajun was startled.
Wen Di raised his head, revealing his pale little face beneath the brim of the hood.
Only then did everyone recognize him.
“Why are you dressed like that?” Liu Yajun asked, puzzled and suspicious. “Did you have something to do with this bell sound?”
Wen Di wore a gloomy expression and didn’t answer his question. Instead, he deliberately lowered his voice and spoke in a sinister tone, “This is the rule of our inn. On the fifth day of every month, the inn holds a nighttime team-building activity that all guests must attend. The bell sound is to gather you all here.”
“Team-building activity?” Liu Yajun had a bad feeling. “What kind of activity?”
“You’ll find out soon,” Wen Di said, turning and walking toward the side hall. “Follow me.”
He walked slowly, like an old man. It had to be said, wrapped in the black cloak, he did look eerily like a wandering ghost!
Yao Nana was too scared to follow. “I’m not participating! Who has the mood for this?”
Liu Yajun wasn’t keen on going either and asked, “What happens if we don’t participate?”
He noticed that the little ghost had just said—everyone must attend.
Wen Di turned his head and gave him a sinister, terrifying smile. “Guess?”
Liu Yajun’s heart immediately sank with fear.
Seeing Fu Zhen and the other two follow Wen Di, he hurriedly followed as well. Based on his experience surviving so many Instances—sometimes obedience could save your life.
Besides, following the experts was never wrong.
Seeing them all go, Yao Nana, too afraid to be left behind, quickly followed.
The side hall was a short distance from the front courtyard. Just as they stepped onto the corridor’s stairs, someone suddenly leaned close to Wen Di’s ear and whispered, “You look so cute in this cloak.”
Wen Di’s pupils trembled, and his entire body jolted as if struck by lightning! He could hardly believe his ears!
He fiercely turned his head to glare at the person—he didn’t even need to look to know it was Lu Jieyang!
Lu Jieyang’s gaze was gentle, looking down at him as if he were a treasure: “Of course, I’m not saying you’re not usually adorable. You’re always adorable.”
As he spoke, his face even flushed slightly.
Is… is this guy crazy?!