chapter 4

That night, I was still bent over my desk, studying.

Thinking about what was about to happen made me even more restless.

A little after eleven, Li Wenzhou came in, gently patted my head, and said, “Yiyi, take a break, okay?”

I looked up at him, my eyes shining with excitement. “Teacher, I suddenly have so much inspiration tonight. I want to stay up late and write more…”

“How can that be? It’s bad for your health.”

“If I go to sleep now, all my inspiration will disappear, and I’ll be so upset tomorrow!” I hugged his waist, acting spoiled, and tugged his hand, swaying it back and forth. “Dear Teacher Li, Great Writer Li, please, please!”

He couldn’t resist my pestering and sighed, “You remind me of myself when I was young-when inspiration struck, I wouldn’t eat, drink, or sleep. Fine, just this once.”

“Okay!”

Li Wenzhou left and closed the door behind him. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief, but soon I grew even more nervous.

Both studies were on the first floor, while the Bedroom was upstairs. Now he had gone up to sleep.

I just needed to wait about another hour, until he was asleep, and then I could go investigate his Study.

Time ticked by, and I waited anxiously and uneasily for the deep night to arrive.

At half past midnight, I took off my shoes and put on a pair of thick coral fleece socks. My footsteps were silent.

I left my Study, moving quietly and slowly toward the other side.

Inside and outside the house, everything was silent. The pale moonlight streamed in, so the Living Room wasn’t completely dark.

Passing by the stairs, I looked up at the second floor. The Bedroom door was hidden in the darkness. I hesitated, wondering if I should go upstairs and listen to Li Wenzhou’s breathing to see if it was steady.

In the end, I gave up. Better to act quickly. If I made any noise on the stairs and woke him up, tonight would be ruined. I couldn’t always have the excuse to stay up late.

I arrived at the door of Li Wenzhou’s Study, took a deep breath, and turned the doorknob to go in.

It was a large room. I had been here a few times before, but never with the intention of investigating anything.

The Study was even darker, but I didn’t dare turn on the light. I knew the layout, so I felt my way along the walls, using the faint light from the streetlamps outside.

After searching for a while, it was just too dark.

I rubbed my eyes and took out my phone.

The flashlight was too bright and covered too much area, so I didn’t dare use it. I just lit up the phone screen and used that bit of light.

I continued searching, carefully checking every inch-first the walls, then the bookshelves, then the paintings.

In TV dramas, the mechanism for a Secret Room is usually hidden behind a painting.

With my phone screen lighting the way, I leaned in close to examine the edges and corners of the painting.

Then I bit my phone between my teeth, carefully lifted the painting with one hand, and reached behind it with the other.

Behind it was just a smooth wall.

Unwilling to give up, I kept feeling around.

My jaw was getting sore from biting the phone, and as it slipped, the light suddenly shone on the upper part.

A woman was right in front of me, her eyes staring straight at me, her dark pupils reflecting the light.

“Ah!”

I cried out in shock, my mouth opened, and the phone dropped.

I froze in place, trembling all over.

Luckily, the phone fell right between my feet. I was wearing fleece socks, so I caught it without making any noise.

Fortunately, since I had the phone in my mouth, my scream wasn’t very loud.

The woman in the painting was dressed in theatrical costume, standing on a stage, calmly looking beyond the frame.

I had seen this painting before, but in the pitch-black night, it suddenly became terrifying.

Leaning against the wall, I caught my breath for a long time before finally calming down.

The kind of mechanism or secret compartment you see in TV dramas must be very complicated to install in real life.

Maybe things weren’t as complicated as I thought.

My gaze shifted to another door in the Study-the Bathroom.

This room was originally meant to be the master Bedroom, complete with a Bathroom. After Li Wenzhou turned it into his Study, it was convenient for him to use the toilet or take a shower while working-he could do everything right here.

I had been in his Study, but never in his Bathroom.

Thinking about it, there were only two places in this villa I hadn’t been-the Study Bathroom and the Secret Room.

Or perhaps, these two places were actually connected?