Chapter 44

Chapter 44

The other studios were already bustling with design work. The rustle of turning pages, the murmur of discussion, and the hurried gulps of water taken in moments of anxiety blended into a ceaseless din.

Only Xiao Huai and Lu Yuanshi’s studio remained quiet.

Lu Yuanshi had not made a sound since entering. He lounged in his chair, hands loosely folded across his lap, watching Xiao Huai in tranquil silence as though admiring a work of art.

No matter how noisy it was outside, all was still in here. Time itself seemed to have stopped, leaving only the sound of their breathing in a world that belonged to the two of them alone.

A long while passed before Xiao Huai slowly opened his eyes. The dazzling warmth of the sun made him turn his head to the right, his fringe falling across those far too captivating eyes.

He knew he had fallen asleep. It had not exactly been accidental; he had closed his eyes intending to rest.

He had assumed Lu Yuanshi would wake him when it was time to work on the design, but the man had never disturbed him.

Lu Yuanshi’s subtle, distinctive fragrance lingered in the air. It seemed to have a calming effect, and before Xiao Huai knew it, he had slept until noon.

The moment he opened his eyes again, he sensed Lu Yuanshi’s gaze.

Those beautiful eyes appeared to be smiling. A small mole on the bridge of Lu Yuanshi’s nose stood out against his jade-pale skin, while his thin red lips held an almost seductive allure.

And yet a sharp, bone-deep danger lurked within his gaze.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Xiao Huai lay languidly across the sofa, his head drooping over the armrest as he looked away toward the floor.

Lu Yuanshi’s voice reached him. “How could I disturb my roommate while he was sleeping? Besides…”

He paused. “It’s not often I get to admire a sleeping beauty at noon. I would hardly call that a loss.”

At those words, Xiao Huai’s head sprang up, and he glared at him.

He had grown immune to compliments from girls. No matter how people commented on his looks inside an instance, he never cared. The attention did not feel unpleasant, anyway.

But being called a beauty by another man made his skin crawl. Earlier, Lu Yuanshi had even jokingly called him *cutie*.

Forget it. All kinds of people existed in this world.

Pretending not to have heard, Xiao Huai rose from the sofa and walked over to Lu Yuanshi, lowering his eyes to look at him.

“I’ve been thinking about something. Want to guess what?” Xiao Huai asked.

“How to help the monster see daylight again?”

That was indeed Xiao Huai’s most urgent concern, even more pressing than designing a diamond.

Helping Joseph might be more feasible than completing the diamond design.

“More or less.” Xiao Huai nodded. “It reminded me of a rule Victoria gave us.”

Lu Yuanshi watched him calmly, as if trying to see straight through him.

Both men spoke at once. “Don’t go into town alone.”

Xiao Huai’s brow shifted slightly as he regarded Lu Yuanshi with the ghost of a smile.

Lu Yuanshi had reached the same conclusion after all.

Xiao Huai continued, “Her exact rule was that we must never go into town alone. The key may be the word *alone*, not entering the town itself. Too many mysteries remain there. I need to make a trip.”

“I’ll go with you,” Lu Yuanshi said softly.

Xiao Huai looked at him in silence. After a moment, he asked, “Aren’t you worried your life might be in danger there?”
Lu Yuanshi gave a quiet laugh. “More than worrying about my own life, I’d like to see you in danger. You might look even better if you were dying.”

Xiao Huai was speechless. Fine. He took back every positive thought he had entertained about Lu Yuanshi.

As expected, anyone who entered the gods’ horror game was either deranged or insane. Whichever way you looked at it, they were all lunatics.

“The people in black come once a day. I expect them this afternoon. Before then, we need to find transportation somewhere on the estate. We can’t exactly follow them on foot.”

It had taken them a long time to reach the manor by car. The people in black must have some means of transportation, whether a car or a bus.

* * *

The manor contained many empty rooms. Its storerooms, meanwhile, were packed with things that had nearly grown mold. One glance was enough to tell that no one had entered them for more than a decade.

Several storerooms occupied small sheds outside the manor. Xiao Huai and Lu Yuanshi split up to search them faster.

Xiao Huai pushed open a dilapidated door. Dust billowed into his face, and he waved a hand, stirring up an even thicker cloud.

Particles swept into his nose and lungs, and he sneezed twice in quick succession.

“Achoo!” Xiao Huai covered the tip of his nose in exasperation and made a muffled sound.

The sneeze brought involuntary tears to his eyes, tinting their corners a delicate pink.

Unaware of it, Xiao Huai pinched his nose and casually surveyed the room.

It held nothing but battered antiques. There was little chance of finding transportation here.

Then Lu Yuanshi’s voice came from outside. “Xiao Huai, I found something.”

At once, Xiao Huai turned and hurried out, straight into someone. He lifted his eyes and found Lu Yuanshi looking down at him.

Xiao Huai had pinched the tip of his nose red, like a rose beaded with dew. Moisture from the sneeze still clung to his lashes. With his eyes hazy and damp, he resembled a fox spirit capable of toppling kingdoms and bewitching hearts.

“Why are you staring at me…? What’s wrong?” Xiao Huai looked away. When Lu Yuanshi raised a hand, he instinctively stepped back. Lu Yuanshi caught his wrist and tugged him closer against his chest.

Xiao Huai closed his eyes without meaning to, then felt a gentle touch at the corner of one eye.

After a moment, Lu Yuanshi released his wrist. When Xiao Huai opened his eyes, Lu Yuanshi was studying him with teasing amusement.

“Oh, it was only dust. I thought you’d been crying.”

Xiao Huai rolled his eyes. “Right. If I ever cried, the whole earth would quake.”

Lu Yuanshi raised an eyebrow and smiled without comment.

“Where’s the transportation?”

Xiao Huai walked outside. His eyes immediately widened and lit up with an excitement he had not felt in a long time.

Lu Yuanshi had actually found a black motorcycle in this decrepit manor.

It was like traveling back to ancient times and discovering a shop that sold Coca-Cola.

Whatever the absurdity, Xiao Huai was delighted with the discovery. He walked over to the motorcycle.

It seemed he had known how to ride motorcycles before, and had once been quite fond of them.

The sight of the bike sent his pulse racing with excitement.

Xiao Huai turned to Lu Yuanshi. “Is your injury any better?”

An injured man had no business driving. He was much better suited to riding pillion.