Xie Ningwan finished his shower that day but did not handle work. Instead, he sat on the single sofa by the study window and read a book.
“What are you reading?”
Song Yaoyao had just gone to the walk-in closet to steal the tie Xie Ningwan had worn that day and hidden it in his own room. He sauntered into the study and curiously drew close from behind.
Once he noticed that the book in Xie Ningwan’s hand was the very storybook he had sneaked a peek at a few days earlier, Song Yaoyao immediately shut his mouth and grew tense.
He wondered if it was because he had been too brazen, alerting Xie Ningwan to something unusual.
Song Yaoyao’s gaze turned vigilant as he drifted bit by bit to hover right in front of Xie Ningwan, scrutinizing him closely.
Xie Ningwan’s eyes were a deep color, his gaze focused intently on the book before him, his slender fingers occasionally turning the pages.
—Nothing seemed amiss.
It was probably just that he had seen the book “fall” earlier and suddenly felt like rereading it.
Song Yaoyao relaxed.
He drifted back behind Xie Ningwan again, draped himself over the back of the sofa, and poked his head over Xie Ningwan’s shoulder to read the book with him.
Xie Ningwan had just showered, so the ends of his hair were still slightly damp, and he carried a faint scent of body wash that smelled nice.
This was great. Being so close to Xie Ningwan allowed him to rub against his fortune while reading.
Song Yaoyao felt delighted.
He had actually only read the first ten or so pages of this book, just reaching the entry point of the main storyline. Though the setup was a bit complex, it was interesting, and he quickly became engrossed.
The only downside was that Xie Ningwan read fast, flipping the page in no time, almost like he was doing it on purpose.
Song Yaoyao had only gotten halfway through the previous page when it was turned to the next one.
He grew a little unhappy.
“I haven’t finished reading it yet.” He leaned forward a bit more, resting on Xie Ningwan’s shoulder, and muttered softly into his ear.
Xie Ningwan turned a deaf ear to his words. Song Yaoyao stayed draped over his shoulder, sulking in secret.
A moment later, Xie Ningwan’s page-turning paused briefly. He frowned, rubbed his shoulder, and oddly turned his head to glance at it.
Song Yaoyao was completely oblivious and continued hanging on his shoulder.
Xie Ningwan pinched the bridge of his nose, set the book on the nearby coffee table, and stood up to brew a cup of coffee.
Thus, when Xie Ningwan rose and left the study, Song Yaoyao hurriedly slid off him, knelt by the coffee table, flipped open the book, and reread the parts from the previous pages that he hadn’t finished.
The study window was open, and the evening breeze carried the scent of magnolia flowers through the gauzy curtains into the room. The pages on the coffee table flipped on their own.
No!
As he read, Song Yaoyao sensed something and suddenly whipped his head toward the study door with a whoosh.
He saw nothing suspicious. Xie Ningwan would probably need a while to make the coffee, so it was safe. Song Yaoyao continued to the next page.
…
Xie Ningwan stood in the shadows by the door, holding his coffee, watching the pages of his book flip in midair. He wondered if it was the wind—or something else.
When he heard Xie Ningwan’s footsteps, Song Yaoyao quickly flipped the book back to where it had been, restoring it to its original state.
After that, he kept draping himself over Xie Ningwan’s back, sneakily reading along. When Xie Ningwan finally went to bed, Song Yaoyao obediently returned to his room to sleep.
Lying on the large bed in his room, his head on the soft pillow, Song Yaoyao fell into a deep sleep.
Under his pillow, there was now one more tie, carrying a faint cedar scent.
The next day was Saturday, but Xie Ningwan still needed to go to the company to handle matters.
A vendor they had been cooperating with smoothly had suddenly proposed terminating the contract. His subordinates couldn’t resolve it, so Xie Ningwan had to step in and decide.
Xie Ningwan showered in the morning and stood in the walk-in closet selecting his outfit for the day. His gaze swept over the wardrobe and accessory cabinets before him, and he frowned slightly, feeling like something was off but unable to pinpoint it.
However, after putting on his shirt and suit and preparing to pick a tie, he discovered that the one he had worn the day before had vanished again.
Xie Ningwan’s gaze fell on the rack where the ties had been placed the night before, his eyes inscrutable.
His assistant messaged that the vendor’s representative had arrived at Xie Corporation. Xie Ningwan temporarily set aside his thoughts, selected a new tie, and headed out.
Halfway to the company, he realized he had forgotten a document. Xie Ningwan instructed the driver to turn back home to retrieve it.
Song Yaoyao’s schedule now perfectly matched Xie Ningwan’s. When Xie Ningwan got up to go to work, Song Yaoyao got up to watch TV.
The opening theme of the cartoon blared lively and upbeat. Song Yaoyao stood on the sofa, bouncing and singing along.
What Xie Ningwan saw upon returning midway for the document was this scene: the TV on, playing SpongeBob SquarePants.
Xie Ningwan: “…”
SpongeBob SquarePants was working at the Krusty Krab, using his little spatula to make Krabby Patties for customers, earning unanimous praise and being named employee of the day.
Song Yaoyao grew hungry watching it. He hadn’t eaten in a long time. Every time he accompanied Xie Ningwan and watched him cook and eat, he trailed behind, drooling, but he only rarely got chances to sneak a bite when Xie Ningwan wasn’t paying attention.
Xie Ningwan had never turned back after leaving before, so Song Yaoyao had let his guard down. He hadn’t expected Xie Ningwan to suddenly return, and with the cartoon captivating him and his stomach rumbling, he failed to notice the sound of the car pulling into the yard.
“!”
When the door opened, Song Yaoyao jumped in fright. Forgetting that he was a ghost and invisible to others, he instinctively darted behind the sofa, too late to turn off the TV.
Song Yaoyao huddled behind the sofa back, nerves taut, not daring to breathe.
Unexpectedly, Xie Ningwan paused noticeably, glanced over the sofa and living room without a word, then calmly turned off the TV, grabbed the forgotten document, and left.
Song Yaoyao watched Xie Ningwan carefully and saw no sign of suspicion on his face.
Once the door closed again and the car drove away, Song Yaoyao poked out from behind the sofa, confirmed it was safe, and happily did a somersault in midair.
“Yay, I didn’t get caught!”
But it was strange. Peering out the window at Xie Ningwan’s departing direction, he wondered if Xie Ningwan was just not very perceptive.
“Well, yeah…” In the original plot provided by the System, Xie Ningwan was the protagonist but often got schemed against.
If he weren’t so trusting, how could he be framed time and again by those ravenous and scheming uncles of his?
Song Yaoyao convinced himself with this reasoning, settled his nerves a bit, and slipped over to turn the TV back on.
…
In the low-key luxury sedan, Xie Ningwan placed the folder on his lap and lightly tapped the document twice with his fingers, lost in thought.
At the company, after resolving the issue with the partner, Xie Ningwan’s face showed slight fatigue. He leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed to rest.
The assistant pushed open the office door and brought in coffee. Seeing his expression, he asked with concern, “President Xie, didn’t you sleep well last night?”
“I’m fine.” Xie Ningwan opened his eyes, suspicion brewing in them. He took the coffee from the assistant, took a light sip, and let his gaze fall on the empty space ahead in the office, deep in thought.
As expected, these odd occurrences like visual glitches and missing items only happened at home, not at the company.
Or was it that he was just too exhausted after returning home from work?
No.
Xie Ningwan’s expression sharpened. He looked up at the assistant and said, “Arrange for me to have several surveillance cameras installed in the villa.”
“Understood, President Xie.” The assistant responded efficiently without further questions. “Where specifically?”
Xie Ningwan slowly named a few places: “The study, living room, bedroom.”
“The bedroom too?” The assistant was a bit surprised.
“Yes,” Xie Ningwan said. “Make them well-hidden.”
“Got it. I’ll arrange it right away.”
The assistant worked swiftly, arriving at the villa that very afternoon with the team.
When the installers arrived, Song Yaoyao had just finished watching TV and was drowsily hugging a pillow, rolling back and forth on the sofa.
Hearing the noise outside, he sat up and glanced over.
Song Yaoyao recognized the man as Xie Ningwan’s assistant, who had picked him up with the driver before.
Seeing the assistant lead people toward the study, Song Yaoyao assumed he was there to fetch work files for Xie Ningwan and paid no mind, sprawling on the sofa and falling asleep.
