Chapter 23: After the Lights Go Out
Xi Leng chatted a bit more to get the old man’s attention, then signaled to Min Zhi with his eyes.
“…I can’t do all the talking, can I?”
Brought back down to earth from his slightly smug state, Min Zhi thought that perhaps Xi Leng was concerned about screen time.
“I don’t need that.” Min Zhi said generously. “Just do what you think is best.”
Xi Leng had already spoken more today than he usually did in a month, his social energy depleted.
So he made an excuse: “I don’t know what else to ask… what if I ask the wrong question and he starts going crazy again?”
Zhu Minglang had also told him to ask Min Zhi for help more often. This was a perfect opportunity to start his second job, giving his mouth a break while helping his idol establish a fan-loving image.
These simple words unexpectedly put Min Zhi in a great mood. Almost no man disliked the feeling of being needed and relied upon.
Min Zhi took Xi Leng’s place, showing off his charm in front of the old man, asking politely: “How long have you been staying here?”
The old man scratched his head, frowning in confusion: “…Three years? Four years? Or five?”
Whether it was three, four, or five years, it was long enough. He might even have witnessed the Feifei and Xiaoya incident.
Regardless, these NPCs had to give them information. Min Zhi asked directly: “Do you know Feifei and Xiaoya?”
The previously relaxed and composed old man’s expression suddenly changed, his eyes darting around fearfully. It took him a while to regain his composure: “H-how did you know? Those two children… no, not children, they’re demons!”
“Why do you say that? Because they killed people?”
“Such young children, so terrifying.” The old man shook his head repeatedly. “Can you imagine? One killed her father, the other killed her boyfriend!”
Xi Leng, standing beside them, frowned slightly, sensing something was off.
Min Zhi asked: “Xiaoya killed her father?”
The old man shook his head: “The other one…”
“Feifei? But her father is still alive, he’s still looking for her.” Min Zhi asked unhurriedly, “Who did she kill?”
The old man shrugged indifferently: “I don’t know, everyone says it was her father, such a young girl…”
This old man clearly only had a vague understanding of the truth and wasn’t certain. He also didn’t know that his casual words were fueling the rumors.
“Xiaoya killed her boyfriend…” Min Zhi continued, “she was a high school student, was the boy her classmate?”
“Yes.” The old man said. “I heard it was a prestigious school, very impressive. That Xiaoya girl was a good student, she got in with a full scholarship and financial aid. That boy, his family seemed very wealthy. You say, this girl could have studied hard and earned her own money, why did she choose to take shortcuts? Having a boyfriend in high school is one thing, but to actually… Sigh. Impulse is the devil!”
After speaking, the old man, like the middle-aged woman, started shooing them away: “Hey, I say, what are you young people wandering around here for? Disturbing me, go on, shoo.”
Xi Leng finally spoke: “It seems there’s nothing else here.”
Qiaoqiao and Luo Jiayan had also obtained some information. The five of them met up and combined their clues.
Qiaoqiao summarized: “They said Xiaoya was pushed off the roof and fell to her death. Only Feifei was with her at the time, so everyone says Feifei did it. Xiaoya also had many injuries, old and new. They said her relationship with Feifei was always bad, those wounds might be related to Feifei.”
Luo Jiayan added: “And also, because Feifei is mentally ill, she can’t be legally punished, so Xiaoya’s family didn’t agree to an autopsy, they cremated her directly. Although they couldn’t punish the murderer, at least their daughter could…”
There were too many suspicious points.
Until now, Jiang Songnan hadn’t been of any use.
Xi Leng couldn’t help but glance at him and, coincidentally, their eyes met again.
At this moment, Luo Jiayan seemed to think of something and suddenly asked: “There are only five of us… there shouldn’t be a mole, right?”
He didn’t explicitly name anyone, but everyone’s first thought was naturally Jiang Songnan.
In the novel, his dynamic with Jiang Songnan was this kind of “you’ve caught my attention,” the overbearing and arrogant style of older romance novels.
Jiang Songnan scoffed, still looking at Xi Leng, saying provocatively: “Then vote me out.”
“Hey, hey.” Qiaoqiao hurriedly intervened. “Jiang-ge, what did you find? Tell us. It’s okay if you didn’t find anything, more people, more power, let’s work together…”
Qiaoqiao’s words were drowned out by a commotion.
A group of tall and burly male nurses strode over, their imposing manner shaking the wooden floor like a small earthquake.
“Number 889 and Number 890, to the special treatment room for special treatment.”
With this order, the six male nurses locked onto their targets and swarmed them.
Jiang Songnan and Luo Jiayan, caught off guard, were forcibly separated from their companions, their limbs restrained by strong arms like clamps, and dragged away without a word.
The remaining three were stunned, watching as the group marched halfway down the corridor and entered the elevator.
Luo Jiayan, as if being pushed forward by a wave, looked back in panic: “W-what’s going on? Where are you taking me?”
“It’s the ward round! They decided you need special treatment!” Qiaoqiao shouted to her roommates.
Unfortunately, before she could say more, the elevator doors closed.
The three quickly noted the direction of the elevator. Down from the second floor where they were, bypassing the first floor, going directly to the basement level.
…What kind of treatment room could be in the basement?
“During the ward round, if you act too normal, it seems like you’ll be marked for special treatment.” Qiaoqiao said with lingering fear, asking the other two, “Hey, how did you two manage to avoid it?”
Xi Leng didn’t mention his act of playing dumb. He didn’t care much about face, but he still cared a little. He silently took out a mint candy from his pocket, unwrapped it casually, and popped it into his mouth.
Min Zhi, like a greedy child, leaned closer: “Do you have more candy?”
Belatedly, the licked palm started to heat up again. Xi Leng froze slightly, blinking uncomfortably: “…Yes.”
He took out a mint candy from his pocket and gave it to Min Zhi.
“Eh?” Qiaoqiao said, puzzled, then laughed in realization. “Aren’t these the candies from the dish during the examination on the bus? You’re really not wasting anything, haha.”
Xi Leng smiled, taking out another one: “Try it, I have plenty more.”
The three of them shared the mint candies harmoniously.
Xi Leng, a cool mint in his mouth, looked at the elevator thoughtfully.
If he hadn’t intervened, Min Zhi would most likely have been dragged away too, staying with Luo Jiayan, which would fit the novel’s plot.
He just didn’t know if the nurses would unlock their shackles before taking Min Zhi away.
Min Zhi, noticing his distraction, asked keenly: “What are you thinking about?”
“…Nothing.”
With a crunch, Xi Leng crushed the candy in his mouth.
“Should we go rescue them or go upstairs?” Qiaoqiao was a little conflicted. “We need to go to the special ward upstairs to find out what’s going on.”
She stroked her chin, thinking carefully: “…Did we miss any clues? If we go upstairs directly, will the nurses guarding the area stop us? And then drag us away for special treatment too?”
Click!
The power went out without warning, plunging the bright and spacious activity room into darkness.
“Ah!” Qiaoqiao screamed.
In the pitch-black darkness, Xi Leng heard the clinking of the chain again, very softly. Min Zhi followed the chain, fumbling his way over, the short one-meter distance instantly disappearing, their fingers accidentally brushing against each other.
Xi Leng’s breath hitched.
Qiaoqiao, standing a bit further away, her voice trembling as if she was about to cry: “Xi Leng, Min-ge, are you still there?”
“Yes.” Xi Leng recovered.
“Sigh, another power outage! Annoying!”
The middle-aged woman’s complaint came from the darkness, it seemed power outages were a common occurrence.
No wonder so many people in the activity room were eerily quiet, no one reacting to the sudden darkness, scaring the young girl.
But Qiaoqiao quickly calmed down. Xi Leng’s voice came from the darkness, shaking the chain loudly: “Qiaoqiao, here, hold this.”
“Th-this…” Qiaoqiao, although having located the chain, still hesitated. “This feels strange.”
Was this really okay?
“Special circumstances.” Min Zhi’s voice.
Qiaoqiao could only hold onto the chain connecting the two men.
The two-person chain gang became a three-person chain gang. As the saying went, a triangle was the most stable shape, like a family of three.
The three carefully fumbled their way forward in the darkness, their movements restricted, yet surprisingly well-coordinated.
“Careful, there’s a bookshelf ahead!” Qiaoqiao’s outstretched hand touched a hard corner, warning the two behind her.
Xi Leng’s eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. He looked up slightly and could see clearly.
Qiaoqiao squinted, then said excitedly: “On the spine… some words are painted in fluorescent ink!”
The three of them silently searched for the faint glow in the darkness.
There were three books on this bookshelf with fluorescent words on their spines: Black, Night, Always.
“Black, night, always… always what? There are words missing.” Xi Leng said. “Qiaoqiao, lead the way, let’s go around to the other side and check.”
Qiaoqiao felt incredibly strange, strange as it was, the two tall men behind her gave her a strong sense of security. She didn’t hesitate and agreed.
The chain between Xi Leng and Min Zhi wasn’t long to begin with, and with Qiaoqiao pulling on it, Xi Leng would inevitably bump into Min Zhi as they walked.
The three finally reached the other side of the bookshelf, but there were no fluorescent words.
“I remember there’s another bookshelf over there.” Xi Leng spoke up just in time. “On the other side of the room, Qiaoqiao, walk forward until you hit the wall, then follow the wall to the left.”
“Okay.” Qiaoqiao bravely followed the instructions in the darkness.
This section of the path was long, and the two behind her weren’t having a good time.
“…Sorry.”
Bumping into Min Zhi’s shoulder again, Xi Leng muttered an apology.
As they walked, Min Zhi could smell the faint scent of mint on him, becoming stronger when he spoke.
Min Zhi turned his head towards the direction of the mint scent, a soft, curly strand of hair brushing against his cheek, a fleeting touch.
To make it easier for Qiaoqiao to lead them, each of them held one end of the chain, with Qiaoqiao holding the middle section.
Min Zhi thought for a moment, then suddenly let go, accurately finding Xi Leng’s wrist.
His wrist was smooth, his bones distinct, his temperature lower than his palm. Min Zhi’s fingers wrapped around his wrist, resting on his lightly throbbing pulse.
“Let’s do it this way.”
Xi Leng stiffened slightly. Thinking that this was also a necessary measure to prevent further collisions, he didn’t refuse and let Min Zhi hold his wrist.
Qiaoqiao, in front, was oblivious, only feeling the chain suddenly become twice as heavy, weighing down her hand. She pulled on the chain a bit more, encountering no resistance.
The footsteps of the two behind her were still following at a steady pace, they hadn’t disappeared.
Qiaoqiao breathed a sigh of relief and continued leading the way.
Her steps made her arms sway slightly. Min Zhi’s grip on Xi Leng’s wrist wasn’t tight to begin with, and with each step, his hand slid down inch by inch, warm and dry, until it covered the back of Xi Leng’s hand.
Perhaps finding it troublesome to hold his wrist, as if dragging him along, Min Zhi’s hand gradually lost patience. His four fingers slid between Xi Leng’s thumb and index finger, only his thumb remaining on the back of his hand.
In the unchanging darkness, their hands slowly intertwined.
…Thankfully the lights were out.
Although Xi Leng still wasn’t used to physical contact, at least there was one thing to be grateful for.
Thinking this, Xi Leng gradually relaxed.
However, the combined warmth in his palm became even more noticeable.
Like a crackling bonfire in the night, the orange-red flames flickering and rising, the heat scorching.
Qiaoqiao, slightly afraid of the dark, and unsure of her footing while holding the chain, would call out every now and then: “Are you still there?”
Xi Leng simply replied with a “yes.”
But for some reason, hearing the nearby yet oblivious female voice made his heart pound, a guilty feeling like he was doing something wrong.
Fortunately, Qiaoqiao couldn’t see, and neither could the cameraman.
What the variety show newbie Xi Leng didn’t know was that a camera in the corner, its red light blinking, had already switched to night vision mode the moment darkness fell.
The figures on the monitor turned black and white, their every move and trajectory clearly visible.
Sheng Jiao first heard several young screenwriters screaming.
“Holy shit! This is amazing, amazing, amazing… aaaaaah!”
“Is Min-shen still the powder keg I know? He made the first move, right??”
“OMG, do they think we can’t see them? What a perfect stealth romance…”
“Hey, right, I heard Xi Leng is Min-shen’s fan? His hidden mission last night was to ask Min-shen for a photo, he’s a total winner at chasing stars!”
“Aaaaaah, if I were him, I would probably faint from happiness…”
“Seriously, isn’t Min-shen being quite fan-serving? He should have joined a reality show sooner, there’s so much material for this episode, I don’t even know how to edit the preview. Sheng-dao, look, thirty seconds definitely isn’t enough for the preview!”
Sheng Jiao curiously leaned closer, then wrinkled his nose and his eyes.
Wait, how did they end up holding hands? And they even let the poor girl carry the chain and lead the way without a word… a perfect stealth romance indeed.
Qiaoqiao would look back occasionally, making even him, watching from behind the screen, break out in a nervous sweat.
