The Mad Scientist’s Domesticated Little Zombie 17

Chapter 17: Squeeze In, Let’s Sleep Together.

Looking at the word “Horror” above the genre category, Shi Changyuan was at a loss for words.

After all, Lin Ling’s question was quite fitting for the word.

“…I didn’t know Lingling had a talent for telling dark jokes.”

Shi Changyuan’s tone was a bit helpless, yet it carried a distinct amusement.

“But you can’t say that in front of others.”

“Of course I know that!”

The little zombie grumbled, seemingly dissatisfied with Shi Changyuan’s instruction. “I’m not an idiot who likes to say strange things and expose my identity.”

“I managed to disguise myself for many years without ever being found out.”

Every time he brought this up, the great Zombie Emperor would look very proud, but the amusement in Shi Changyuan’s eyes faded.

The last time he had heard the little zombie talk about his disguise, he didn’t know much, so it didn’t mean much to either the speaker or the listener.

But after spending some time with the little zombie and knowing what a lively and chatty person he was, looking back at the words “introverted” and “shy” from the investigation file, he now understood what was behind them.

Shi Changyuan ruffled the little zombie’s head again. “You’ve worked hard.”

The little zombie felt the human’s warmth patting his head. He was used to it now and just tilted his head without dodging.

“You should praise me for being amazing.”

“Alright, amazing Lingling.”

The little zombie got the answer he wanted and magnanimously stopped grumbling.

Using the random method of “eeny, meeny, miny, moe,” Lin Ling finally landed on a suspense film. It didn’t look like a “foodie movie,” nor was it a hardcore, brain-burning plot that was completely incomprehensible.

As the movie began, the surrounding curtains and lights all shut off. Only a faint glimmer of light reflected from the screen allowed Lin Ling to see the silhouette of Shi Changyuan beside him.

The pace of this movie was a bit slow, so slow that the little zombie could understand the plot while still having time to think about other things.

He turned his head and glanced at Shi Changyuan’s position out of the corner of his eye.

In the very middle of the sofa.

And he himself was on the far right of the sofa, pressed against the armrest.

There was almost a person’s width of space between them, with two recently purchased throw pillows placed in the gap.

The little zombie thought again of Shi Changyuan’s… “clingy.”

He probably couldn’t be clingy, but a little closer…

Lin Ling thought for a long time, then secretly, quietly, shifted himself a little closer, gently tossed the pillow aside, and moved a little closer again, until he could faintly feel the human’s body heat coming from the side.

Seeing that Shi Changyuan, who was engrossed in the plot, seemed completely unaware, the little zombie let out a sigh of relief, then leaned against him and continued watching the movie.

This should be close enough, right?

The little zombie, who thought he hadn’t made much of a commotion, seemed completely unaware that he had blocked the light when passing in front of the projector, and his sneaky shadow was cast all over the screen.

An unconcealable amusement appeared in Shi Changyuan’s eyes. He watched the shadow without even needing to turn his head.

The movie’s pace gradually quickened, entering its climax, and instantly pulled the distracted little zombie’s attention back.

“Hiss.”

Lin Ling was startled by the sudden cut and sound effect. He instinctively wanted to cover his eyes and ears, but he only had one pair of hands.

“I feel like the main character is about to get caught again. I don’t dare to look.”

The little zombie, anticipating another scary scene and sound effect, covered his ears early. He huddled next to Shi Changyuan and instructed, “I’ll close my eyes in a bit. You have to watch carefully.”

“Why do I have to watch carefully when you close your eyes?”

Shi Changyuan seemed to let out a laugh, his chest vibrating. He reached out and helped cover Lin Ling’s eyes. “Do you want me to get scared that badly?”

“Of course not. I was just afraid of missing some plot points and wanted you to help me watch.”

The little zombie, with his eyes covered, blinked and tried to peek through the gaps between his fingers, as if watching this way wouldn’t be scary.

His long eyelashes brushed against his palm, creating a ticklish sensation that made Shi Changyuan unconsciously press a little closer.

Only at times like this did the rebellious great Zombie Emperor look exceptionally obedient.

“And I’ve noticed something.”

“This movie is only interesting during these scary parts, so there are a lot of horror flashbacks.”

“Is this what you humans call a bad movie?”

Once the short, intense segment was over, the little zombie’s courage returned. He could even spare some attention to complain to Shi Changyuan. But as soon as the eerie music started, Lin Ling began to cover his ears again.

Every time there was a “jump scare,” before the little zombie could close his eyes, Shi Changyuan would help him first. In this “auto-block all intense moments” viewing mode, Lin Ling actually found it quite interesting.

By the end of the movie, the little zombie had protected his little heart well and was never scared again.

Jump scares, look-back scares, memory flashbacks, sudden close-ups during chase scenes—Shi Changyuan predicted them all like the director, without a single error. A second too early, and Lin Ling would have felt it was unnecessary; a second too late, and the scare would have already happened.

“The prediction is more exciting than the movie.”

With that, the little zombie nodded as if in self-affirmation.

“I want to watch another one!”

Shi Changyuan hadn’t expected a zombie to get addicted to watching movies. He checked the time and kindly reminded him, “It’s dinner time now, and it’s already dark. Is Lingling sure you still want to watch this kind of movie?”

But unfortunately, the little zombie didn’t understand this reminder. He quickly finished his dinner and started picking a movie on Shi Changyuan’s tablet.

For the second movie, Lin Ling had experience in choosing and immediately aimed for a highly-rated classic.

This movie was different from the previous one. The scary parts didn’t rely on various sudden sound effects and camera cuts, which meant Lin Ling had no way to avoid the intense segments. And the exciting plot left the little zombie with no time to chat.

Throughout the entire movie, Lin Ling was practically hanging off Shi Changyuan, being a bit overly “clingy.”

The moment the lights came on, the eerie atmosphere and images were dispelled. The little zombie looked at his position, and his brain went into overdrive, trying to decide whether to preserve the dignity of his Zombie Emperor self or something else.

“I-I’m not scared, you know.”

Almost without hesitation, before Lin Ling could even figure out what this “something else” was, he had already made an instinctive choice.

“I’m expressing affection!”

The little zombie said it righteously, his face full of pride. “This was your own request. I’m graciously satisfying you.”

The corners of Shi Changyuan’s lips slowly curved up.

“Mm, of course.”

Seeking protection subconsciously when scared—how could that not be a form of affection?

Having saved his Zombie Emperor face, Lin Ling heard this answer, his eyes curved, and he hummed contentedly, then shook his head and went back to his room to wash up and rest.

But when he walked into his room and was about to get his pajamas, his gaze unconsciously drifted towards the wardrobe.

He first opened the wardrobe, took out his pajamas, slowly closed it, and then suddenly, rapidly, opened all the wardrobe doors.

Then his gaze drifted to behind the curtains…

After pulling the curtains back and forth, pretending to check if the curtain rail was working properly, the little zombie finally felt at ease and walked into the bathroom with his pajamas. In less than half his usual time, he quickly completed his washing-up routine.

When he lay down on the bed, for the first time, the little zombie was glad that his bed had no space underneath.

At this thought, Lin Ling snuggled deeper into his quilt, preparing to sleep.

**

“Knock, knock.”

In the middle of the night, in complete darkness, there was a knock on the bedroom door.

The moment the door opened, a slender figure squeezed through the crack. In the faint light, it accurately tossed a floral pillow and a quilt onto a gray-toned bed.

Before the figure could “slip” under the covers, Shi Changyuan grabbed the messy-haired, long-haired chestnut-colored kitten.

“I’m here to squeeze in with you.”

Before the owner of the room could speak, the long-haired chestnut-colored kitten struck first, promising solemnly, “Don’t worry, I won’t bite you.”

Shi Changyuan: “…”

“What is Lingling doing?”

After a moment of reaction, Shi Changyuan asked with a smile.

The great Zombie Emperor blinked, giving the other no chance to laugh at him. He once again chose that “timeless” reason and even turned the tables.

“What’s wrong? Is this not clingy enough?”

“Human, don’t be ungrateful!”