Chapter 12: What Are You Taking Off? Part 1

Concerning his life and safety, how could Bai Chen Zhu feel at ease going back to sleep? Besides, Jiang Ye looked awfully cocky.

He went downstairs and stood in the spot where Jiang Ye had just been. He casually wiped away the cigarette ash on the balcony railing.

A chill ran through his body, with signs of a fever returning. Bai Chen Zhu wrapped his jacket tighter around himself and stared at Jiang Ye’s figure, planning to see if he needed any help. If necessary, he would have to call Zhou Zhuo Hua.

Jiang Ye picked up the umbrella and went downstairs, heading toward the center of the courtyard.

He poked at the bulging package that had been tossed in with the tip of the umbrella. The surface of the package rose and fell; clearly, there was something alive inside. Jiang Ye pondered for a few seconds, then used the umbrella tip to pry open the cloth wrapping. A creature burst out rapidly from inside—visible only as a blur in the air to the naked eye.

Because he couldn’t see it clearly and was watching from afar, Bai Chen Zhu couldn’t help but suck in a breath. His heart raced, and his body leaned forward involuntarily as he peered down from the balcony.

It was probably some mutated thing. If it bit down, the ‘savior’ might turn into a ‘zombie king’ in an instant.

His mouth opened slightly. Just as he was about to warn Jiang Ye to be careful of the creature, he saw Jiang Ye raise the umbrella. With quick reflexes, like swinging a baseball bat, he struck the black shadow with a bang, sending it flying right to a spot not far from the balcony.

That was close! Bai Chen Zhu let out a breath of relief and examined the thing.

It was a red-eyed parrot with sharp claws. After being knocked flying into the ground, its claws sank into the soil. Black blood flowed from its beak, and the scattered feathers trembled, revealing blackened, swollen flesh beneath. It struggled hard to flip over and get up.

It was clear how great Jiang Ye’s strength was; he truly didn’t need Bai Chen Zhu’s worry.

Jiang Ye sauntered over and observed the mutated parrot for a moment.

Seeing the pitiful mutated bird suffering, he felt a twinge of mercy. So, with one swift, ruthless kick, he sent it on its way—as casually as if he had stepped on an ant.

From a floor away, Jiang Ye looked up at Bai Chen Zhu on the balcony. His impatient expression seemed to ask why Bai Chen Zhu hadn’t left yet.

Bai Chen Zhu withdrew the shock and uncertainty from his eyes. He pointed at the sky, pretending he had stayed out of kindness to remind him. “It’s about to rain.”

But Jiang Ye said, “Go look in a mirror.”

Bai Chen Zhu: ?

Jiang Ye gripped the umbrella handle and twirled the umbrella playfully. He went out the door. Beyond the Villa District was a small grove, and his figure vanished into it.

A downpour was imminent, and it was the middle of the night. Where was this guy going? Bai Chen Zhu waited on the balcony for five minutes but didn’t see Jiang Ye return, so he gave up waiting.

Because of that remark from Jiang Ye, after returning to his room, he went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. His face in the mirror was flushed, his eyes watery, looking on the verge of tears—all due to the rising fever.

No wonder his eyes had felt hot and wet. Bai Chen Zhu touched his scorching forehead, then his neck, and helplessly exhaled a hot breath.

The fever was back.

His thoughts grew muddled. He wrapped himself up like a caterpillar. In his half-dreaming, half-awake state, he couldn’t help but wonder: Where exactly was Jiang Ye going?

Just as he sighed and gave up the probing, preparing to rest, that eerie sensation from the day his soul had left his body returned.

That day, he had been delirious with fever. Freshly recovered from a serious illness, he had passed through the ceiling and ‘seen’ the mutated plants upstairs devouring people.

Today, he was feverish too, his body heavy as he huddled in the warm covers. Yet his mind was unexpectedly alert. Even without opening his eyes, he could ‘see’ the things in the room and his own sleeping body.

Too strange. Bai Chen Zhu frowned in his sleep.

It felt like sleep paralysis.

After successive claps of thunder, the rain poured down in torrents.

His thoughts drifted aimlessly, slipping out of control from the bay window. He saw the mutated bird that had met its tragic end not long ago.

I’m dreaming. At that moment, Bai Chen Zhu’s body was asleep, but his consciousness was perfectly clear.

Next door, someone dragged something along, footsteps heavy and muffled.

Thus, ‘Bai Chen Zhu’ was drawn over. He flew past the electrified fence, past the high wall, and landed in the courtyard of the neighboring villa.

Jiang Ye held an umbrella in his left hand and dragged a zombie trussed up like a hog with his right, strolling back from the grove as if taking a leisurely walk in the rain.

I’m definitely dreaming. Bai Chen Zhu marveled at how absurd the dream was.

He ‘saw’ Jiang Ye stand at the smart lock by the neighboring villa’s door for a moment with the umbrella. The door opened on its own. Jiang Ye dragged the zombie inside familiarly, leaving a long trail all the way to the front of the house.

Jiang Ye released his grip on the zombie and knocked on the door. In a lazy drawl, he said, “Open up.”

No one inside paid him any mind. Wang Xin Xin and the Black-Clothed Man both pretended to be dead, as if Jiang Ye would leave on his own.

Jiang Ye’s politeness ended there.

In the quiet, he kicked the villa door open with a single foot and neatly tossed the zombie inside.

“Jiang Ye, what are you doing! This is a crime! You can’t do this to me!”

“I was wrong, I was wrong, Brother Jiang. It was all Wang Xin Xin’s fault.”

…

Jiang Ye said nothing. He pulled out a small knife and slashed at the roaring zombie, severing the ropes cleanly.

Male and female screams rose one after another, competing to see who could wail more miserably. As the zombie lunged, Jiang Ye gracefully kicked it into the villa with one foot, picked up the rope, shut the door, and looped the rope around the door handle from outside, locking the villa door.

The farce came to an abrupt end.

Suddenly, his movements paused. Sensing something, he looked toward ‘Bai Chen Zhu’.

The floating Bai Chen Zhu wanted very much to speak to the Jiang Ye in his dream, but unfortunately, ‘he’ seemed to have no mouth and couldn’t make a sound.

Jiang Ye wiped the rainwater from his face and waved at ‘him’—a shooing gesture. “Go back,” he said.

It felt as if his soul had been seen through at a glance. Bai Chen Zhu suddenly felt a chill down his spine, his head splitting with pain. That ‘he’ was swiftly dragged back into his body, falling into a chaotic blur of black and white before sinking into deep sleep.

When he woke again, dawn had not yet broken. The rain had stopped, the ground was sodden, and his body temperature had returned to normal.

Thinking of last night’s dream, Bai Chen Zhu quickly got out of bed. He looked out from the bay window. The neighboring villa was quiet. The long-neglected courtyard was full of mud, revealing nothing.

Wait, that rope on the door… Bai Chen Zhu’s pupils contracted sharply as he stared fixedly at the rope that ‘dream-Jiang Ye’ had tied there last night.

It wasn’t a dream.

Just like last time, it was real.

Once could be called a supernatural event. Twice? Had he mutated to be able to astral project?

Recalling Jiang Ye’s words last night, ‘Go back,’ Bai Chen Zhu felt the doubts in his heart growing larger.

There had clearly been no one around Jiang Ye at the time. Who was he talking to?

If he was talking to me, how could he see me?

Out of resentment toward the book’s author, knowing the ending in the book, he had viewed Jiang Ye—with an arrogance and prejudice he himself wasn’t aware of—from a god’s-eye perspective on this world.

But now, thinking carefully, he had been too influenced by that book. In truth, he knew nothing about what kind of person Jiang Ye really was.

He must be hiding something. Bai Chen Zhu was certain of it and suddenly decided to probe a bit.

It was still dark. Bai Chen Zhu knocked on Jiang Ye’s door.

Jiang Ye opened the door, full of morning grumpiness. Before he could speak, a pot of piping hot congee was thrust right in his face—so close that Jiang Ye almost thought Bai Chen Zhu was going to splash it on him.

Bai Chen Zhu reminded him, “Young Master, seven o’clock, congee.”

“Oh?” Jiang Ye glanced at the time. It really was exactly seven. He eyed Bai Chen Zhu suspiciously at this sudden change in attitude overnight.

“Poison in the congee?” Jiang Ye leaned against the doorframe with schadenfreude. “Or did your brain finally fry from the fever?”

“Not that bad. Just paying rent, that’s all.” Bai Chen Zhu held the pot steady, emphasizing a certain word. “‘You’—want to eat outside or come in?”

Jiang Ye stepped forward and casually shut the door behind him. He skirted around Bai Chen Zhu and went to the small dining area in the kitchen, propping his legs up like a lord awaiting service.

Bai Chen Zhu followed, set the congee before him, and handed over a clean spoon.

Jiang Ye stared at him, twirled the spoon, and took a taste. It slid smoothly into his mouth.

He glanced at Bai Chen Zhu, who sat quietly with fingers steepled on the rosewood table. His fair skin stood out strikingly against the dark wood, posture prim and proper—rather obedient-looking.

Because of this absurd thought, Jiang Ye shivered. “No courtesy without a reason; it’s either seduction or theft.”

Bai Chen Zhu propped his chin on one hand and tilted his head at him. “Is that the image I have in your mind?”

Jiang Ye didn’t answer. He smacked his lips, scooped up a lump of dark yellow mush from the bottom of the bowl. “Burnt,” he said, then nodded as if that was Bai Chen Zhu’s ‘normal level.’

This routine flowed so smoothly. Silently passive-aggressively roasted, Bai Chen Zhu let out a laughing huff. The ‘gentle smile’ he had feigned on his face nearly cracked.

He pulled his chair closer to Jiang Ye. Jiang Ye looked at him bafflingly and warily scooted his own chair back a step.

Bai Chen Zhu raised a brow. “What, am I that scary?”

“You seem to have a deep misunderstanding of yourself.” Jiang Ye replied.

Bai Chen Zhu said, “Then why are you sitting so far away?”

Jiang Ye admitted frankly, “That’s what people with a guilty conscience do.”

Bai Chen Zhu, who was often picked on for no reason, was stunned. Then he sneered coldly, “You do have some self-awareness.”

Jiang Ye didn’t eat slowly at all. He only used the spoon pretentiously for the first few bites; afterward, he picked up the small pot and gulped down the congee. Some burnt bits stuck to the bottom, but he ignored them. Full, he moved to stand.

“Don’t go. I have something serious to talk about.” Bai Chen Zhu had to grab his wrist.

Jiang Ye was intrigued. He sat back, leaned into the chair, and drawled, “Do we have anything serious to discuss?”

“Where did you go last night?” Bai Chen Zhu cut straight to it.