“Chapter 106: Love Game (7)”

"Chapter 106: Love Game (7)"

"◎ The Photograph ◎"

"The journey back took less time than it did to get there, as they no longer needed to worry about being discovered."

"Shi Youqing was carried part of the way; when they reached the temporarily parked bicycle, Bo Huai then rode them all the way home, sparing Shi Youqing almost any walking."

"Hao Tianshuo, anxiously waiting in the security room, waved his arms frantically when he saw them return: 'Qingqing bro!'"

Shi Youqing approached, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

"'Sleep? Hmph, I’m not that relaxed!' Hao Tianshuo hurriedly opened the window, poking his head out closer, 'What did Lu Yuze go out for? It wasn’t to hide a body, was it?'"

"Shi Youqing pursed his lips and replied, '...Night swimming.'"

"'...Ah?' Hao Tianshuo looked stunned and somewhat disappointed. Just as he was about to speak again, his head was pushed back, and the window slammed shut by a large hand."

"Bo Huai gave him a sidelong glance, holding Shi Youqing's hand, 'We see the security every day. Let’s go back and sleep.'"

“……”

Hao Tianshuo, almost steaming with rage, began to speak sarcastically, “Showing off for just a mount, spouting ridiculous claims, it’s laughable!”

Sure enough, Bo Lan’s expression changed.

Not understanding why they always quarreled upon meeting, Shi Youqing was about to intervene when he heard Bo Lan scoff, “Better not to harbor any futile hopes!” He then glanced at the security room, “Focus on the task at hand.”

“You…”

In just a few words, Bo Lan had highlighted the tragic and challenging path of Hao Tianshuo's love life and mocked his inability to leave this place, driving Hao Tianshuo to an expression of twisted grief, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“Enough… Why start infighting now? This isn’t good,” Shi Youqing shook his head, advised them to stay safe, yawned, and headed home.

After all the running around, both of them were sweaty and took separate showers.

Shi Youqing, utterly exhausted, fell into a deep sleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

After exiting the bathroom, Bo Lan gazed at the sleeping figure on the bed for a long while, surveying the room with a slightly furrowed brow before turning to skim through a book of ghost stories. After finishing, he joined Shi Youqing in bed, pulling the young man fully into his embrace.

He held him exceptionally tightly.

Shi Youqing slept soundly through the night without a single dream.

The next morning, he awoke to find Bo Lan already up, having prepared breakfast. After they ate together, Bo Lan left to carry out a solo mission—accompanying the workers to fix the pipes upstairs.

It was Monday, and with no job to attend to, Shi Youqing didn't want to waste the day lounging at home. So, he aimlessly wandered around the apartment complex, pretending to casually observe the comings and goings of the residents.

Lu Yuzhe, a university professor, had left early in the morning, nodding politely to Shi Youqing in passing.

As for Yan Chuan, likely due to work-related tasks, he was also not home early in the morning.

Among the characters of interest, only Bai Mingliang, who had no classes that morning, and Huo Xu, who worked from home, were present, conveniently coinciding with the plumbing repairs.

During this time, Shi Youqing encountered Feng Bin, who had come to deliver a parcel. Seizing the moment of privacy in the hallway, they chatted briefly.

Feng Bin spoke with a hint of mystery, "Guess what Lu Yuzhe ordered in his parcel yesterday?"

Shi Youqing shook his head, "Since when did you start teasing with cliffhangers?"

Feng Bin replied with a smile, “He ordered a lot of kitchen knives.”

Shi Youqing blinked in surprise.

Feng Bin continued, “The parcel was originally handled by my colleague. It was returned due to severe damage to the packaging. When it was first sent back, the damaged box revealed several sets of kitchen knives.”

“That’s odd. He’s not a chef, and living alone, why would he need so many kitchen knives?”

Feng Bin nodded, “Exactly, so be cautious around him.”

"Shi Youqing cracked a wry smile: 'I can't afford to be careless with him. He's the one whose favorability is the hardest and slowest to increase.' He spread his hands as he spoke."

"Feng Bin looked at him with a complex expression, murmuring, 'After getting through this level, I bet someone's going to develop incredible willpower.'"

"Shi Youqing agreed: 'Right. Hao Tianshuo used to be really scared of ghosts, but now he's pretty steady, even alone in the security room.'"

"Feng Bin: '...'"

"Shi Youqing shifted his position against the wall, unscrewing his thermos to take a drink."

"Feng Bin: 'Do you mean...'"

"Shi Youqing: 'I know.'"

"Feng Bin paused, at a loss for words."

"Shi Youqing said, 'The relationship between Bo Huai and Hao Tianshuo is really bad.'"

"Feng Bin broke into a sweat: 'That's not what I meant... never mind...' He knew their animosity wasn't just bad – it was heading towards a life-or-death situation."

"'After getting out, I plan to have a serious talk with them...' As Shi Youqing changed his position again, Feng Bin suddenly noticed he was tired from standing and quickly pushed a delivery box over, laying out a piece of paper for him to sit, 'Better sit down.'"

"Shi Youqing sat down, not liking to cross his legs. With the box not wide enough to spread his legs, he sat with them together, appearing obedient."

"Feng Bin watched him quietly, then couldn’t help but laugh: 'You... no wonder you always attract certain types...' He suddenly stopped speaking."

"Shi Youqing was just that kind of person, accustomed to being liked and watched as if it were natural. He wasn’t concerned with these matters, nor did he feel the need to know or respond to others' feelings towards him."

"At the moment, Shi Youqing was pondering over the kitchen knives and Lu Yuze. Seeing Feng Bin's silence, he assumed the man had nothing more to say and was about to discuss Lu Yuze's behavior from the previous night when suddenly, a noisy commotion arose downstairs."

"Feng Bin stepped forward to look down, his face puzzled: 'A group of people just arrived.'"

"Moments later, the group ascended the stairs."

"Feng Bin, with a parcel in hand, went to a family on the third floor for a signature, his gaze frequently drifting towards Shi Youqing."

"Shi Youqing stood at his apartment door, pretending to air out his place."

"The group, consisting of older men and women all dressed neatly, was led by a bespectacled man in a suit, around his forties or fifties, bearing a slight resemblance to Lu Yuze."

"'He lives here?' The man inquired to someone beside him."

"'Yes, I’ve been here before; it's this place,' a spirited old lady spoke, 'Wang Fan lived next door... Yes, this one!' Turning, she bumped into Shi Youqing and hurriedly added, 'But he moved out, and someone else lives there now...'"

"The middle-aged man looked displeased: 'Are you sure he's gone?'"

"'Not sure,' the old lady said guiltily, glancing at the inquisitive young man with long hair, unable to chase him away. She continued in a low voice, 'Ah, my nephew is too fixated on that man. You know, I personally approached Wang Fan at your request to persuade him to leave and not disrupt things. I thought he'd sensibly disappeared, but now Yuze is openly rebelling, refusing to go through with the arranged marriage. It must be Wang Fan manipulating him from behind, turning him against his family... What a male seducer!'"

"'...' Right, the bad deeds are always done by others."

"The amount of information was indeed substantial."

"Shi Youqing squinted his eyes, listening intently."

"As they murmured among themselves, Shi Youqing gradually pieced together their identities."

"The middle-aged man with glasses was Lu Yuze's father, and the old lady appeared to be a distant relative who had arranged Lu Yuze's marriage with a girl from a family of equal social standing."

"Knowing full well that Lu Yuze was interested in men... such a mess."

"Shi Youqing pursed his lips."

"Currently, Lu Yuze was unwilling to marry, pressured by his family."

"'Whether the person is hidden inside or not, a look will reveal it. If he's not there, there will surely be some traces!' the man declared, 'How do we get in?'"

"The old lady immediately produced a key: 'During that gathering, I had someone secretly copy his key. Now it's going to come in handy!'"

"'...' Glancing around, Shi Youqing realized he wasn't invisible and spoke up, 'You know, this isn’t quite right...'"

"But they are the antagonists, so go ahead and open it, stop the chatter," he thought, eager to see for himself."

"The man glanced at him disdainfully: 'Mind your own business!'"

"The door was already open, and the man, seemingly venting his frustration, kicked it open with gusto and strode in."

"Shi Youqing could only see part of the living room from the doorway. As the group headed for the bedroom, unable to see and growing anxious, he took out his phone to record a video, muttering, 'If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police... I need to keep evidence...'"

"Moving softly, he entered the house, eyes darting around."

"Approaching the bedroom, a shrill scream suddenly erupted."

"'Oh my goodness! What is this...?' It was the old lady’s voice."

"'What are you doing?' Shi Youqing slipped in under the guise of righteousness, but upon seeing the old lady drop numerous photographs in haste, he fell silent."

"The photographs were scattered on the floor, a few particularly clear—"

"They were close-up shots of one corpse after another."

……

"Bo Huai was at Huo Xu's house, ostensibly helping the workers, but he frequently checked the bathroom and other nooks for any signs of another person living there."

"There were no traces of anyone else."

"The workers were busy fixing the pipes, while Huo Xu sat in front of the living room's floor-to-ceiling window, reading."

"Ever since Bo Huai arrived yesterday, Huo Xu had been aware of him—the man who had chased after Shi Youqing behind his car."

"He had inquired specifically about this man from the property management – a new employee since yesterday."

"It wasn't hard to guess what was going on."

"All this effort to win back an ex-boyfriend... quite a bold move."

"Huo Xu chuckled internally, but recalling the young man's appearance, it seemed to make sense."

"An idea suddenly struck him."

"After the workers left, Bo Huai too prepared to depart."

"However, Huo Xu stood up and called after him, speaking calmly, 'I see you're quite adept at handling things... I happen to need someone to represent me in a matter. I assure you, you won’t be shortchanged upon its successful completion.'"

"Bo Huai turned back to listen, waiting for him to continue."

"'There's someone I've recently taken an interest in... Conveniently, you have access to this person. Be my mediator.'"

"The air seemed to freeze for a moment."

"'Who is this person?'"

"Three words, cold as ice."

"At this moment, Huo Xu genuinely felt something special for Shi Youqing: 'The one living in 304, quite charming and pleasing to the eye, his name is Shi...'"

"Before he could finish, he was suddenly struck by a punch, powerful as a thousand-pound hammer, sending him reeling backward..."

"At the same time, Shi Youqing, lost in thought, noticed a change in his floating interface and was astounded to see."

"Huo Xu's favorability towards him had soared from twenty... to fifty!"

？

"[?Author's Note]"

"Special thanks to the little angel who threw a mine: Sunset Escape 1;"

"Thanks to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solutions: ... 10 bottles; Olive Kernel 5 bottles;"

“Thank you for your support, I’ll continue to do my best!”