"....Dongfang Xiao!!" Zhong Shengwan gritted his teeth, wishing he could hurl two powerful talismans to send this rascal flying right away!
"I'm... I'm here." Dongfang Xiao stopped howling and sat up straight obediently. He stole a couple of glances at Zhong Shengwan's expression and cried out nervously in a louder voice, "I'll wash it for you. Is that okay?"
"No need," Zhong Shengwan said in a cold and stiff voice. He quickly took off his outer robe with a look of disgust on his face. "I'll just throw it away."
Dongfang Xiao pouted. He wanted to say that the disciple robes of the Myriad Phenomena Academy were not exactly cheap. But then he thought that for a young master like Zhong Shengwan, a single robe really didn't matter much.
So he awkwardly scratched the tip of his nose and changed the subject. "We have a five - day break. What do you plan to do? How about... we go out and have some fun together?"
"Go home." Zhong Shengwan lowered his eyes. His voice was flat, showing no sign of joy at the thought of going home.
Only then did Shen Cuiyu and Dongfang Xiao remember that the Zhong family in Xunyang wasn't far from Chaoyao Mountain. One could get there by carriage in a single day.
Dongfang Xiao's eyes lit up, and he suddenly got very excited. "That's perfect! Why don't we go to Xunyang? I've been here for so long, but I haven't had a chance to go out and play yet. I'll prepare some gifts tomorrow and pay a visit to Uncle and Aunt Zhong..."
Zhong Shengwan's hand, which was tidying his sleeves, paused ever so slightly. He refused, "No."
"Hey," Dongfang Xiao leaned closer. His tone was straightforward and confused, as if influenced by the alcohol. "We've been through so much together. We're friends, aren't we? Why are you still so cold?"
As he spoke, he began to blink his big, bright eyes and looked at Zhong Shengwan innocently.
Zhong Shengwan:.......
He was about to sneer as he usually did, but he found that Dongfang Xiao's look was extremely serious. When he turned his head, he saw Shen Cuiyu looking at him too, as if waiting for his answer.
"Friends?" Zhong Shengwan suddenly fell silent. This word was like a stone thrown into a deep pool. It only caused a barely noticeable ripple before sinking into the endless darkness.
After a long while, he finally spoke stiffly. His tone was almost cold. "I don't have friends."
After saying that, Zhong Shengwan got up, turned around expressionlessly, and left. He completely left behind the noisy room and the two stunned looks.
In another corner of the private room, people were still drinking and chatting merrily. Only this corner had instantly fallen into a cold silence, with only the faint light of the swaying wine and a faint sense of awkwardness.
This time, Dongfang Xiao was really sober. He stared blankly at the door where Zhong Shengwan had disappeared, then turned to look at Shen Cuiyu. His face was full of confusion.
"What... happened to him? Did I say something wrong again and upset him?"
Shen Cuiyu was also a bit surprised. Although the four of them had had some frictions when they first got together and their relationship wasn't very harmonious at first, over this period of time, they had gone in and out of the academy together, studied by lamplight, and even cracked jokes... She found that these teammates were actually quite nice.
Pei Yu was very experienced in solving cases and was very reliable in critical moments.
Dongfang Xiao was warm - hearted and kind. He would always rush to the front when in danger.
Although Zhong Shengwan seemed cold and aloof on the surface, he was actually very considerate. The care he occasionally showed was even quite comforting.
This was especially true during the mission at the mourning hall not long ago. Zhong Shengwan was clearly afraid of ghosts, but when facing Ji San, he still chose to fight side by side with them.
Such a friendship forged through hardships surely counted as friendship, didn't it?
Shen Cuiyu rubbed her forehead. She felt that Zhong Shengwan's reaction just now was oddly abrupt and decisive, which was very strange.
"Forget it," Dongfang Xiao hugged the wine jar and took another big gulp. His tone was a bit magnanimous but also helpless. "When he comes back, I'll apologize to him properly and try to cheer him up. Really... such a delicate and fussy guy... burp..."
They chatted for a few more minutes. Then Shen Cuiyu said goodbye to Cui Rui and Dongfang Xiao and walked towards her residence.
The bright moon hung high in the sky. It was almost October, and the night wind carried a bit of chill.
At first, Shen Cuiyu just felt a bit stuffy in her chest, but her mind was still clear. Now, after being blown by the cold wind, a faint, tipsy heat rose in her body, and the scenery in front of her gradually became blurred and swaying.
She didn't want to be impolite, so she quickened her pace slightly and stepped into the Bamboo Rhythm Courtyard in the dormitory area.
When she caught sight of her pitch - black room, her steps suddenly stopped.
Strange. She clearly remembered leaving a long - burning candle in the room before going out in the evening. Why was it out now?
The Myriad Phenomena Academy was surrounded by strict prohibitions, and no evil spirits could get in. Maybe she had forgotten to close the window, and the wind had blown out the candle?
Shen Cuiyu gently pushed open the door and stepped into the room.
She fumbled in the dark to find a fire starter and bent her head, concentrating on trying to light it.
If she were sober on a normal day, with her sharp senses, Shen Cuiyu would surely have noticed the faint, steady breathing in the room right away.
However, now she was struggling with the fire starter. Maybe it had gotten damp, because she just couldn't light it for a long time...
After trying to blow it for two or three times, a very soft sneer suddenly came from beside the window, very clear in the silence.
Shen Cuiyu was startled.
In the darkness, a pair of familiar eyes were looking at her. Before she could react, the person had naturally taken the fire starter from her hand. With a soft "snap", the warm, yellow light dispelled the darkness and illuminated the sharp - featured side face of the person.
He casually placed the oil lamp on the table and then turned around to look at her leisurely.
".....Pei Yu?" Shen Cuiyu squinted her eyes. Her voice was slurred with tiredness. "It's so late. Why aren't you resting? Do you need something from me?"
"I was going to sleep originally." Pei Yu's voice was flat, showing no emotion, but his eyes stayed on Shen Cuiyu's blushing cheeks for a moment.
Shen Cuiyu frowned, even more confused.
"It's too noisy. I can't sleep." Pei Yu gave her a casual glance.
It took Shen Cuiyu a while to react. Then she remembered that the Lianfang Courtyard where he lived was right next to the Kuailü Pavilion. The noise of those people singing and howling just now must have clearly reached his place.
With his quiet - loving nature, he naturally couldn't stay there.
Shen Cuiyu was sleepy - eyed and asked again, "Why didn't you come today?"
"....There were still some cases in the Supreme Court that I hadn't dealt with." Pei Yu lowered his eyes and said concisely.
But that wasn't the truth. This evening, when he was handling official business, he had fallen asleep at his desk and was haunted again by the familiar nightmare...
In the dream, there was an empty and dead - silent palace. A woman in white was sitting on the couch. Her face was blurred, and she was as thin as a skeleton. She was tightly holding a baby in her arms and crying hoarsely!
"....You've deceived me so badly!"
"You've harmed me, and now you want to harm my child!"
"I won't let you go even if I become a ghost!"
Her voice was shrill and terrifying, echoing endlessly in the dim bedroom, like the soul - binding wail of a vengeful ghost.