Chapter 14: Teasing

Chapter 14: Pranking

The second dinner at the Song family home.

The atmosphere was a bit better than the night before.

Li Su was highly adaptable and had already become comfortable at the table.

Ji Baimei was so gentle, always piling food onto Li Su's plate, that Li Su couldn't bring himself to see her as a wicked stepmother; instead, he was starting to like her.

"Aunt Ji still looks like she's in her twenties."

Li Su's voice was hoarse, yet he sounded sincere.

Ji Baimei was momentarily taken aback, then covered her mouth with a shy giggle.

Song Xianting barely opened his lips and whispered, "Brownnoser."

No one heard Song Xianting's voice, but Li Su could sense Song Xianting's subtle glance.

He frequently looked over at Song Xianting, but never once met his eyes.

Li Su started to think he was imagining things.

Song Wuyi only ate the dishes in front of him. Li Su thought the scallion-stir-fried scallops in front of Song Xianting looked delicious, so he stood up and stretched his chopsticks toward the dish.

But his arms were too short; even on tiptoe, he couldn't reach them.

Song Xianting frowned slightly, looked up at Li Su, and as if possessed, picked up the plate and offered it under Li Su's chopsticks.

Li Su was surprised at first, but the next moment a smile lit up his eyes.

He picked up a scallop and sat back down.

Li Su pried open the scallop's shell, pulled out the meat, blew on it, and placed it into Song Wuyi's bowl.

Ji Baimei just watched Li Su, saying nothing.

Song Shuzheng also remained silent.

Song Xianting had originally planned to slide the plate directly in front of Li Su, but seeing that Li Su wasn't taking it for himself, he withdrew his hand.

Song Wuyi, however, reacted calmly, revealing a faint smile and eating the scallop meat in two bites.

Li Su used to do the same at home, putting good food into Li Shuo's bowl.

Li Su was used to sharing delicious things, even if his idea of a treat was ordinary here.

Ji Baimei smiled. "Xiao Su and Wuyi really do look like brothers."

.

The Song family’s main house was built in a hollow square layout. Only one side had decorative glass windows, and at night, the whole corridor went dark.

The night before, Li Su and Song Wuyi had stayed in the room the whole time, so Li Su hadn't experienced the Song residence at night.

Song Wuyi had gone to Song Shuzheng's study. Li Su, feeling bored alone in the room, left.

The corridor was lit only by evenly spaced wall sconces, barely enough to see by.

Servants and maids walked through the corridor carrying candles.

The Song residence was not small; the square-shaped corridor alone took a long time to walk.

Li Su didn't know where he was going; he was just wandering aimlessly.

He passed a room that wasn't locked. The door was ajar, and a sliver of cold moonlight spilled out.

Out of curiosity, Li Su squeezed in through the gap.

When he saw what was densely packed inside, he was too scared to speak.

All dolls.

Mannequins with blank faces.

They stood there like wooden posts, seeming alive in the moonlight.

Li Su's first instinct was to flee. He reached behind him to pull the door open, only to find it had silently closed.

It wouldn't open!

A chill ran down his spine.

"Help! Help!"

Li Su slid down against the door, squatting, his eyes staring at the mannequins in front of him.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps—one heavy, one light—as if coming from above, or maybe from the right.

Li Su didn't dare look around; he only silently called for Wu Yi in his mind.

The footsteps faded away. Li Su, though unsure if it was an illusion, let out a relieved breath.

But before he could let his guard down, the footsteps returned!

This time they were urgent and heavy, as if they were charging toward him.

Li Su couldn't tell where the footsteps were coming from. He was pressed against the door, trapped.

"Don't... don't scare me. I'm sorry. I won't run off. Please let me go."

After experiencing a brutal and bloody kidnapping, Li Su's courage had greatly diminished. He didn't need a real threat; the terrifying memories in his mind were enough to terrify him.

He didn't even dare call out loudly.

Because his voice was too rough; if he yelled, his voice would turn hoarse and shrill, making him even more afraid.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over Li Su.

Then, something cold pressed against his cheek.

Like a knife, but not as sharp.

Li Su's eyes widened. The face suddenly before him was none other than Song Xianting!

Song Xianting seemed quite pleased with Li Su’s terrified look.

His youthful face was pale with fright, his two round black eyes glistening with tears, his damp lashes trembling.

What a strikingly handsome face.

Song Xianting held a palette knife, gliding the flat side across Li Su's cheek.

Li Su froze for a moment before suddenly slapping Song Xianting's hand away.

He glared at Song Xianting.

Song Xianting reached past Li Su's ear and pressed the light switch with a click.

The room lit up instantly.

Li Su could now see the room's layout and clearly see the puppets.

The ceiling of the room was open to the floor above, leaving only half a platform, connected by a narrow spiral staircase.

No wonder the footsteps sounded far one moment and near the next.

But what about that uneven step—heavy then light?

Li Su remembered an old uncle who lived upstairs. He had injured his leg at a construction site when he was young, leaving him with a limp. When he walked, his weight was uneven, often making irregular heavy-light pacing sounds from the ceiling.

Li Su couldn't help but look down at Song Xianting's leg.

Though no one would know what Li Su was thinking at that moment, Song Xianting seemed determined to prove something. He turned and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window.

His steps were steady and light.

Li Su only watched for a couple of seconds before pushing the thought aside.

His attention shifted back to the wooden figures.

The wooden figures were all very tall; Li Su could only look up at them.

But Song Xianting fit right in among them. When Li Su walked up to him, he still had to look up to see his face.

Li Su felt a little annoyed.

Song Xianting's scary behavior was just like a prank.

"That's so mean!"

Li Su wasn't good at scolding. He thought hard but could only come up with that one reproach.

Song Xianting adjusted his glasses and drawled, "Your voice doesn't match your appearance."

Li Su felt like he'd been struck by lightning, frozen on the spot.

It wasn't that no one had ever told him his voice was unpleasant, but no one had ever linked his voice to his looks.

Li Su couldn't help thinking of his former perfect self, and he felt a little sad.

Song Xianting paid no attention to the other's mood swings. He casually pulled a wooden figure over, dabbed the palette knife on its forehead, and a trace of red appeared.

Li Su stared blankly for a while, looking at that bright spot of red.

Song Xianting said, "A wooden puppet won't hear, see, or speak, but it can be stared at."

Li Su was confused by this remark. "Who would just keep staring at a wooden puppet?"

Song Xianting curled his lips, speaking meaningfully: "That depends on what kind of face it has."

Li Su looked confused.

Song Xianting, who considered himself clever and was used to being cryptic after dealing with Song Wuyi, encountered Li Su's simple mind for the first time.

He placed a hand on Li Su's head and turned the wooden figure slightly, making Li Su face it directly.

"If it had a face like yours, who do you think would keep staring at it?"

Li Su thought for a moment and gave an answer.

"Me."

"..."

Song Xianting was a bit surprised, but looking at Li Su's clear eyes, he wasn't completely surprised.

Song Xianting took a paint box from a cabinet against the wall.

"Can you paint?"

Li Su shook his head. Anything related to culture or the arts, he knew nothing about.

Song Xianting handed the palette knife to Li Su.

Li Su took it in his hand. It was so light, nothing like a real knife.

He must have looked pretty pathetic begging for mercy earlier.

Li Su secretly shot him a glare.

Song Xianting seemed to notice but didn't care.

"Come here."

Song Xianting called Li Su over and took his hand.

Li Su flinched at first, but when he realized Song Xianting was just holding his hand to guide his hand to scoop up paint with the palette knife, he relaxed and let himself be controlled.

Li Su felt like he had become a carver. Although he wasn't actually cutting with the knife, as Song Xianting moved his hand, the wooden figure's face gradually got eyes, nose, and mouth, it felt like he'd actually carved a person.

"Who does it look like?" Song Xianting asked.

Li Su tilted his head to look at the wooden figure, then tilted it back again to look at Song Xianting.

A little like you.

But even more like—Song Wuyi.

However, when Li Su tried to find a specific similarity, he couldn't find any trace of Song Wuyi.

So Li Su just said, "Like you."

Song Xianting tapped Li Su on the head, somewhat annoyed. "You have no eye for detail."

Li Su's temper flared quickly. He felt he had lost face in front of Song Xianting. He shouted at him, "You're a jerk!"

He shoved the palette knife back into Song Xianting's hand, and afraid of being retaliated against, he ducked and scurried out from among the wooden figures.