Chapter 8
Soon it was time to sleep. As usual, they slept in separate beds, although the bedrooms were connected. He didn’t know if it was the housekeeper’s deliberate arrangement, trying to bring them together.
But it clearly didn’t have the intended effect.
In fact, aside from mealtimes, Xia Wansheng didn’t see Yu Congyan very often.
Yu Congyan, the CEO, loved his work. Even with his immense wealth, he still went to the company every day, punching in on time without fail.
He would probably stand by the huge floor-to-ceiling window in his office, overlooking the bustling metropolis, muttering cool phrases like “A king’s downfall comes with the changing seasons.”
As for Xia Wansheng, his current status was that of a washed-up, C-list singer.
He hadn’t produced a new song in over six months. The outside world thought he had been shelved by investors, who would have guessed the original owner had ruined his own career with his arrogance?
They didn’t spend much time together under the same roof every day. In Xia Wansheng’s view, it was like having a nicely decorated bedroom in a virtual reality game, with a roommate included as a bonus.
Midnight, the time when appetite is most easily aroused.
Xia Wansheng didn’t want to bother Aunt Liu for a late-night snack, and the original owner, to maintain his dedicated persona, didn’t keep a snack cabinet in his bedroom.
He could only go to the refrigerator in the corner of the living room to forage.
Xia Wansheng pushed open his bedroom door a crack, trying to be as quiet as possible. Fortunately, all was silent; it seemed his midnight snack run hadn’t disturbed anyone.
The refrigerator in the corner of the living room didn’t disappoint. It was fully stocked with all kinds of snacks, like a miniature convenience store.
Xia Wansheng, satisfied, hugged a pile of snacks and prepared to return to his bedroom.
Suddenly, the brightly lit villa lost power without warning.
Xia Wansheng stood frozen in the darkness of the living room for a few seconds, arms full of snacks.
In a flash, he remembered the housekeeper mentioning a problem with the greenhouse thermostat a few days ago, saying there might be maintenance tonight.
He hadn’t brought his phone when he left the bedroom.
Xia Wansheng wasn’t too worried at first, he could just wait for his eyes to adjust to the darkness and walk back to his bedroom.
But no matter how long he waited, his vision didn’t adjust.
He was still surrounded by pitch black, unable to see the outline or position of any furniture.
Xia Wansheng thought of an unpleasant possibility.
Leaning against the refrigerator, he tried to ask the system, which knew the settings better: “Does the book mention the original owner having night blindness?”
Xia Wansheng stood there for several minutes before the system’s calm electronic voice slowly replied: [Full text search complete, there is no mention of the original owner having night blindness. It is speculated that this is your own condition. This system recommends eating fish oil and other foods rich in vitamin A to alleviate some symptoms.]
But he was allergic to seafood.
Xia Wansheng thought about his past experiences in the dark. Most of the time, his vision did become blurry, but it was something a light or flashlight could solve, so he hadn’t paid much attention to it.
He couldn’t blame the original owner for this now. Xia Wansheng decided to wait in the living room and eat the snacks by the faint light from the refrigerator.
He fumbled his way towards the sofa. Fortunately, after living here for a few days, he had some understanding of the layout and could reach it with trembling hands.
Of course, he was still quite nervous along the way, but after circling around a few times, his fingers finally touched the familiar soft texture.
He finally found the sofa.
He remembered it being diagonally across from his bedroom, it seemed his judgment of distance wasn’t wrong.
Xia Wansheng breathed a sigh of relief.
Hopefully, the lights would come back on soon.
Yu Congyan had already taken a shower and was lying on the spacious, soft bed, eyes closed, reviewing the day’s business plans.
Suddenly, he heard a continuous rustling sound outside, mixed with the crinkling of plastic packaging.
Was Aunt Liu giving the refrigerator a thorough cleaning again?
Hadn’t he told her not to clean the room in the middle of the night when she couldn’t sleep?
Yu Congyan closed his eyes again, trying to recall the grand plans that had been interrupted.
The financial report for the last quarter had just been released, and the feedback from various departments was quite good…
The rustling sound continued, not constant, but enough to disrupt his thoughts.
Yu Congyan took a deep breath and decided to go out and have another talk with Aunt Liu.
At least during rest time, she shouldn’t disturb others’ sleep.
He switched on the emergency light beside him. The warm white light quickly illuminated the entire room.
The emergency light usually sat in the corner as a delicate lantern ornament, one of the many gifts his mother had given him on his coming-of-age day.
Even after unwrapping everything, Yu Congyan couldn’t convince himself that his mother truly cared about him. After all, those trinkets were just for show during press interviews.
Xia Wansheng was munching on yam crisps on the sofa in the dark when he suddenly noticed a faint light, allowing him to see the outlines of objects.
Had he miraculously recovered?!
Xia Wansheng turned his head in surprise, trying to find the source of the light.
He saw Yu Congyan walking towards him, carrying a lantern with a complicated expression.
Yu Congyan looked like he had just been woken up. His usually meticulously styled hair was a bit messy, adding a touch of unexpected approachability to his usual coldness.
“Why is it you?” Yu Congyan took a step closer, seeing the familiar figure on the sofa.
What was he doing in the living room so late at night, not sleeping? Could he be interested in some documents again, wanting to try his luck in the study while the power was out?
Xia Wansheng looked like a hamster caught stealing food in the middle of the night, staring nervously, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the sudden light.
“I just came to get some snacks.” Seeing he couldn’t hide it, Xia Wansheng could only shake the snack bag in his hand as proof of his innocence, “I was suddenly hungry.”
The plastic bag made a familiar rustling sound, the same sound Yu Congyan had heard earlier.
So, it was this person who had interrupted his grand plans.
Seeing him remain silent, Xia Wansheng’s mind raced, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong.
Was it the wrong type of snack?
Or had the original owner never eaten snacks? Was he that professional as an artist?
Yu Congyan still didn’t speak, simply carrying the light source around the sofa and sitting down opposite Xia Wansheng.
He placed the emergency lantern on the coffee table between them, like a clear dividing line between light and darkness.
But it was also Xia Wansheng’s only source of light at the moment.
The light was a bit harsh, Xia Wansheng lowered his eyelashes, his voice also lowering, “Sorry, I was just a bit hungry, it won’t happen again next time.”
Xia Wansheng thought, next time he would make sure not to get caught.
If it weren’t for the power outage and this sudden night blindness, he would have returned to his bedroom long ago.
“I don’t recall you having night blindness before.” Yu Congyan’s tone was steady.
He had seen Xia Wansheng’s medical report before, and it didn’t mention this condition.
“I’ve been staying up late a lot recently, it might be a complication.” Xia Wansheng said, looking down.
Yu Congyan clicked his tongue, “I don’t want my house turning into a haunted mansion.”
He stood up, picked up the lantern, and said, “Follow me.”
Xia Wansheng didn’t understand, but he instinctively got up from the sofa, clutching the bag of snacks.
After all, the lantern in Yu Congyan’s hand was his only light source at the moment.
When they reached their bedrooms, Xia Wansheng thanked him and was about to turn and enter his dark bedroom.
He reached out to feel for the doorframe, but his wrist was firmly grasped by Yu Congyan.
“Come here, sleep here tonight. I don’t want to end up in the newspaper headlines tomorrow morning.” Yu Congyan deliberately softened his grip this time, much gentler than at dinner.
“There’s no need, the power should be back on soon. Or you could just give me this lantern?” Xia Wansheng suggested.
The last time he slept in the CEO’s bedroom, he felt like he had nightmares all night. He even dreamt of his unreasonable boss calling him to work overtime, and when he ignored it, he felt a very realistic shaking.
It was truly terrifying.
Yu Congyan didn’t give him a chance to refuse, his reasoning sound: “If you hit your head and don’t receive timely treatment, I’ll also be partly responsible.”
Xia Wansheng was at a loss for words.
He had already lost half the battle in terms of momentum, and before he knew it, he had passively entered Yu Congyan’s bedroom.
In just a few days since transmigrating, Xia Wansheng had become quite familiar with this bedroom.
Last time, Yu Congyan was worried about his unstable mental state and potential suicide attempt; this time, it was his night blindness and potential accidents.
The CEO seemed to have a strong sense of safety, fully embodying the spirit of “You can die anywhere, but not in my house.”
Yu Congyan glanced at Xia Wansheng beside him, who looked normal, and thought it was a rare sight.
It seemed the current Xia Wansheng really wasn’t planning to play the green tea and approach him anymore.
In the past, he would have seized this opportunity to cling to him all day, but this time he seemed reluctant.
A person wouldn’t change drastically in a short period unless they experienced a major blow or change.
Yu Congyan had witnessed sudden changes in personality.
His parents were the best examples.
They fell from grace overnight, and what followed wasn’t the blissful life depicted in novels, but endless arguments and negotiations.
Not because of disagreements caused by personality clashes, but because they hadn’t gained enough benefits from their marriage of convenience.
Yu Congyan’s parents both came from business backgrounds, adept at separating interests and affection, and proud of it.
As a result, as soon as Yu Congyan came of age, he was brought to various banquets to show his face. His parents wanted to showcase their son to the elite early on, hoping to make connections for the future.
Unexpectedly, Yu Congyan himself didn’t care, but his elder brother, born out of wedlock, became anxious.
If Yu Congyan made a powerful alliance through marriage, his chances of taking over the family business as an illegitimate son would be even slimmer.
That was when Xia Wansheng was planted beside him by his elder brother.
Yu Congyan was a step too slow, his life and fortune quickly calculated against him, before he even had a chance to offer his sincere affections.
“Um, how do you turn off this light?” Xia Wansheng fiddled with the lantern for a while, still unable to find the switch.
Yu Congyan’s thoughts were interrupted. He reached out and tugged at the tassel at the bottom of the lantern.
The bedroom plunged into darkness.
But Yu Congyan’s mind was filled with the look Xia Wansheng had just given him, devoid of any flattery, very different from the previous eager-to-please feeling.
If he had to say, Yu Congyan really liked the persona Xia Wansheng was currently playing.
Yu Congyan fell into deep thought in the darkness.
He had once mocked his friend, CEO Fu, for being deceived body and soul by a resilient little white flower, and yet remaining devoted. Now, he found himself falling for the same type.
He mustn’t be swayed by beauty.
Xia Wansheng beside him suddenly turned over, his delicate features drawing closer, magnified in the darkness. Yu Congyan’s breath hitched.
This person’s appearance hadn’t changed much, but why did he feel so different now?
Yu Congyan pulled the blanket over Xia Wansheng, closed his eyes, and tried to continue pondering his grand plans.
But Xia Wansheng’s image kept appearing in his mind, the last scene of his past life alternating with his current sleeping face.
Yu Congyan thought of a very plausible possibility.
Could it really be as Xia Wansheng had hinted before, that because of his negligence, he was framed and became disheartened?
That would explain Xia Wansheng’s eventual betrayal. Having been heartbroken, any action wouldn’t be surprising.
The housekeeper seemed to have mentioned a visitor coming tomorrow, Xia Wansheng’s agent. So, Xia Wansheng was planning to return to the entertainment industry.
He would try to subtly inquire about it then; perhaps the agent knew something.
