Perhaps it was because it was during the day, or perhaps it was because Shen Yifeng was right beside him, but Jiang Wu did not feel very scared while watching the movie. Of course, it was also possible that the movie itself simply was not frightening.
“Actually, it was not that scary,” Jiang Wu remarked, watching the white credits roll down the screen. “I thought it would be much worse.”
Hearing this, Shen Yifeng glanced at him sideways. He remembered how the young man had been inching closer to him throughout the movie, but he decided not to call him out. Instead, he agreed, “Hmm, not scary.”
Jiang Wu tossed the pillow he had been hugging aside and stood up to put on his shoes. “What time is it?”
“It is 5:30,” Shen Yifeng replied, checking his watch.
“Oh, it is time for dinner. I wonder what we are having tonight,” Jiang Wu muttered softly.
Shen Yifeng said nothing. He stood up, turned off the TV, and picked up the plates from the coffee table. The two headed downstairs to the dining room together, with Jiang Wu excitedly discussing the movie.
“I feel like that female ghost was so pitiful. Those people truly deserved to die!”
“Hmm.”
“The female lead’s father was disgusting!”
“Hmm.”
“And that medium! She was so pitiful; I feel like she was the most innocent person in the entire film.”
“Hmm.”
“I get so angry just thinking about what happened to the female ghost!”
“Hmm.”
“Men are all trash!”
“…”
Sensing Shen Yifeng’s gaze, Jiang Wu finally processed what he had just said. He hurriedly clarified, “I did not mean you.”
If you did not mean me, does that mean I am not a man? Realizing the implication, three large black lines appeared on Shen Yifeng’s forehead.
Jiang Wu looked at Shen Yifeng’s darkening face and realized he had made another mistake. “That is not what I meant! I meant that the men in that movie were all trash.”
After explaining, he tugged at the corner of Shen Yifeng’s shirt, softening his voice. “I am sorry. Please do not be angry.”
Looking at the boy, who resembled a cat that had made a mistake, Shen Yifeng could not stay angry. Besides, he had not really been angry to begin with, just speechless. “I am not angry.”
Hearing this, Jiang Wu immediately lit up with a smile. “You are such a good person!”
Does not being angry make me a good person? Shen Yifeng was puzzled by Jiang Wu’s judgment criteria. However, looking at the boy, he understood a bit more: this was a little prince living in a castle, innocent, naive, and worldly unaware.
When they reached the dining room, Jiang Wu greeted Uncle Liu warmly. Seeing that the table was empty, he asked, “Is Xiner not coming back tonight?”
“That is right. The girl has plans for a cruise party with her friends,” Uncle Liu replied with a chuckle.
A cruise party? Jiang Wu had never been to one. He was curious; in both his past and present lives, he had heard of many people going on cruises, but he never had. He quite wanted to see one.
“Shen Yifeng, are cruise parties fun?” Jiang Wu tilted his head to look at Shen Yifeng, assuming he must have been to one.
His assumption was correct, but while Shen Yifeng had been to them, they were always for business. He spent the entire time negotiating rather than having fun. He was not sure if they were fun, but seeing the curiosity and anticipation in Jiang Wu’s moist eyes, he thought for a moment and said:
“Next time, I will take you.”
Jiang Wu’s eyes lit up, but he hesitated. “Would that be appropriate?”
“It would be appropriate.” Regardless of bringing Jiang Wu, with Shen Yifeng’s status, no one would dare say a word even if he brought a pig along.
Having received Shen Yifeng’s confirmation, Jiang Wu felt wonderful. “Shen Yifeng, you are so good to me,” he exclaimed. “You are truly a very, very good person.”
Being handed another Good Person Card, Shen Yifeng remained indifferent. He had already figured out Jiang Wu’s theory: whoever is nice to him is a good person.
After dinner, Shen Yifeng headed upstairs. Jiang Wu did not know what he was doing, so he returned to his room at a leisurely pace. Feeling bored, he pulled out his tablet; he had recently signed up for an online drawing class.
The sun set, and the beauty of the dusk faded into darkness. When Jiang Wu was focused on something, he tended to lose track of time. By the time he finished his painting and looked up, the room was pitch black. Using the light from his tablet, he found the remote and turned on the lights.
He checked the time; it was past 9:00 PM, nearly 10:00 PM. It was time to bathe. He tidied his desk and went to the bathroom. After his shower, he watched some anime until 11:00 PM. It was time to sleep. He lay down, pulled up the quilt, and turned off the light in one fluid motion.
But not two seconds after closing his eyes, Jiang Wu snapped them open and grabbed the remote to turn the light back on.
It is over. Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night. Jiang Wu wept internally. If he had known, he would not have watched that horror movie at noon. Now, every time he closed his eyes, his brain automatically played the scary scenes.
Jiang Wu tried his best to push the images out, but the more he tried, the more they appeared. He curled up into a ball, feeling convinced that something was under his bed. He could not go the whole night like this. Thinking of Shen Yifeng next door, he decided to find him.
He acted immediately. Clasping a pillow to his chest for courage, he prepared to seek Shen Yifeng out. When he climbed out of bed, he took large, hurried strides out of fear. He did not even put on his slippers, running barefoot without daring to look back.
When he opened the door, the hallway was pitch black, which made him even more terrified. Fortunately, Shen Yifeng’s room was not far. Suppressing his fear, he knocked trembling on Shen Yifeng’s door, whispering his name in case Shen Yifeng was already asleep.
“Shen Yifeng.”
Soon, there was movement inside. The door opened.
“What is wrong?” Shen Yifeng was not asleep yet; he had a habit of reading news before bed and had just turned off the TV when he heard the knock.
The moment Jiang Wu saw Shen Yifeng, his fear vanished instantly. Remembering what he had said that morning, he blushed and found it difficult to state his request. Finally, he asked euphemistically: “Shen Yifeng, are you afraid to sleep alone?”
As soon as Jiang Wu finished speaking, Shen Yifeng understood why the boy was knocking at this hour. He could not help but chuckle. The boy was clutching a pillow, his black hair messy and drooping like a dejected, lop-eared rabbit, pitiful and cute.
Jiang Wu lowered his head. Hearing the laughter, the blush on his face deepened, and even his ears turned red. Seeing him so shy, Shen Yifeng felt a rare urge to tease him. “Did you not say she was pitiful?”
Jiang Wu felt embarrassed. His fingers tightened around the pillow, and he stammered:
“She may be pitiful, but she is still scary.”
That was surprisingly smooth, Shen Yifeng thought. Seeing the boy standing there barefoot in thin pajamas and remembering his Princess and the Pea constitution, he frowned and stepped aside to let him in. “Go to the bathroom and wash your feet.”