Tang Ning looked at Mo Yunchu, feeling a bit bewildered. The long lashes failed to conceal the deep implication in Mo Yunchu's gaze. While he stared at Tang Ning, his hand played with Tang Ning's delicate fingers, teasing through the gaps, slipping down from the palm, and reaching into the sleeve. Clearly, what could satisfy him wasn't just any cake.
Just a touch of his fingers and Tang Ning's entire arm felt numb.
"Not today, I'm tired," Tang Ning's voice carried confusion and a hint of pleading.
However, this time, Mo Yunchu wasn't as accommodating.
"It's currently 4:23 in the afternoon," Mo Yunchu glanced at his watch, "even if you sleep for eight hours, we can start at 12:30. We have plenty of time."
Tang Ning looked utterly lost, as if he didn't understand why the previously foolproof excuse suddenly failed. His eyes appeared pitiful, inviting mischief.
"Does little Ning want to go to bed now?" Mo Yunchu gently inquired, "But you seem so energetic."
Mo Yunchu dipped his fingers into some cream on the side of the cake. The smooth and sweet cream was applied to Tang Ning's nose, lips, and collarbone, making him look like a little cat accidentally smeared with cream.
Mo Yunchu pinched Tang Ning's delicate chin, and a gentle kiss followed.
Tang Ning, flustered, tried to turn his head away, attempting to evade Mo Yunchu's kiss. However, Mo Yunchu held his face, gradually licking off the cream. His actions were earnest, as if savoring a delicacy.
The last bit was on Tang Ning's neck, an overly sensitive area. Tang Ning covered his neck, shaking his head tearfully.
"What's wrong? Why are you avoiding? Does little Ning not want me to be satisfied?" Mo Yunchu's hands, strong and firm, supported Tang Ning's head on both sides. He looked down at Tang Ning, trapping him in a deliberately created confined space, an aggressively possessive aura unsettling every cell on Tang Ning's body.
Tang Ning was panicking, and his translucent eyes resembled a startled deer. The pupils reflected Mo Yunchu's imposing face.
"In that case, little Ning is too naughty."
"Bad children need to be punished." The handsome face concealed the previously exposed emotions, but the emotion in the dark phoenix eyes became even stronger.
For a moment, an indescribable desire appeared in Mo Yunchu's distant and cold expression. It was as if the predator, playing with its prey, had torn off the disguise, revealing a crimson tongue eager to taste the feast.
The next moment, the dense lashes softened the blatant gaze, and the expression became deceitful. "Is little Ning a good child or a bad child?"
"I... I..." Tang Ning didn't know how to answer. Saying he's a good child might lead to being devoured, while admitting he's a bad child could result in punishment.
Driven by the instinct to avoid harm, Tang Ning, without any guidance, came up with a clever response, "I love you."
Looking at the handsome face so close, he added in a shy tone, "Husband."
This embarrassing term had significant power, at least at this moment, calming down most of Mo Yunchu's displeasure. Yes, Tang Ning could sense the dissatisfaction lurking beneath Mo Yunchu's calm exterior.
He had never seen Mo Yunchu angry.
He didn't want to witness that scene either.
Mo Yunchu's profound eyes gazed at Tang Ning, and he raised the corners of his lips. "Little Ning is so good."
After hesitating for a moment, Tang Ning reached out and hugged Mo Yunchu's neck. He pressed his face against Mo Yunchu's chest like a spoiled child, softly saying, "I've been like this recently for a reason."
"Two nights ago, didn't we take the bus home?" Tang Ning remembered the system warning not to reveal the existence of ghosts to Mo Yunchu, as it would disrupt game balance. However, under the guise of dreaming, he should be able to share something, right?
"As a result, I found out that the only vehicle passing by here that day was a hearse." Tang Ning whispered, "I kept dreaming. Dreamt that night, we were on that hearse, and I might die."
"I'm so scared, so I'm not in the mood for such things right now." Tang Ning was genuinely afraid and genuinely didn't want to engage in such activities. His words were sincere.
"Dreams and reality are opposites," Mo Yunchu hugged Tang Ning to comfort him. "It's okay. I know we took the bus. Our location when we got off isn't captured by the surveillance, so it didn't record the bus."
"Why did you want to take that bus back then?" Tang Ning asked in a hushed voice, nestled in Mo Yunchu's embrace.
"Did little Ning forget? You said you wanted to take the last bus at night, so we got on that bus." Mo Yunchu reminded him gently.
Tang Ning fell into silence.
He felt that his death-seeking character was reasonably haunted by vengeful ghosts.
"As long as I find evidence that we took the bus the night before, will little Ning no longer be afraid?" Mo Yunchu asked.
Tang Ning hesitated for a moment and nodded slightly.
"Okay, I'll investigate now," Mo Yunchu said, releasing Tang Ning and initiating the inquiry. Initially, he checked the surveillance, and indeed, there was no sign of a bus.
Later, Mo Yunchu provided the bus's license plate number.
Tang Ning's eyes widened a bit. "How do you know the license plate number?"
"I glanced at it when we got on," Mo Yunchu replied.
Tang Ning felt the disparity between people. He couldn't remember it even if he looked at something for a whole night, and yet, Mo Yunchu could recall the license plate after just a glance.
Finding the specific whereabouts of the bus took some time. During the wait, Mo Yunchu didn't force Tang Ning; instead, he chose to accompany him in watching a touching and healing movie.
The movie starred Mo Yunchu as the lead, portraying a gentle, considerate, kind, and reliable character.
In the film, Mo Yunchu, wearing a white coat, played a doctor with cleanliness habits. When the screen showed Mo Yunchu meticulously washing his hands, Tang Ning's toes couldn't help curling – his body automatically recalling that night's cleansing in the bathroom.
Tang Ning couldn't help but glance at Mo Yunchu. Mo Yunchu was engrossed in watching himself in the movie. Unlike the military officer role in the previous film, the doctor in this movie more closely resembled Mo Yunchu's real personality. To the point that Tang Ning couldn't distinguish between the Mo Yunchu on screen and the one in reality.
Although the movie portrayed Mo Yunchu in a white coat, the two emanated the same temperament – calm, gentle, reliable. It seemed as if they used the same technique to portray both characters.
Thinking about this, Tang Ning paused for a moment, realizing that his wording was a bit strange. He should say that the doctor in the movie was played naturally by Mo Yunchu.
"What are you thinking?" Mo Yunchu, without deliberately altering his voice like the military officer role, spoke in the same calm tone as in the movie. Each word, spoken with a melodious standard pronunciation, carried a gentle and firm charm. To the extent that Tang Ning couldn't distinguish whether it was the character in the movie speaking or the real Mo Yunchu.
"Nothing."
The next morning, Tang Ning was awakened by the phone ringing. Mo Yunchu answered the call, spoke in a lowered voice for a few moments, and then hung up.
"Sorry, did I wake you up?" Mo Yunchu kissed Tang Ning, who was still half-asleep, and softly said, "Do you want to sleep a little longer?"
Tang Ning shook his head. "I heard you talking about the bus just now."
"Yeah, my friend just found out the whereabouts of that bus." Mo Yunchu calmly said, "The bus fell into a lake near a messy burial ground. The driver died, and the onboard recorder disappeared. Currently, no one knows why the driver drove the bus there."
Tang Ning felt this story was oddly familiar. With his groggy morning brain, he thought for a moment and realized it sounded a lot like an urban legend recorded on the task list given by the program team.
"But it's certain that we took that bus back that night."
Tang Ning was still a bit confused.
When Landlord Xin checked the surveillance, he found that the hearse passed by the road near the villa area. Still, the surveillance did not clearly capture the segment where they got on and off the hearse.
If Mo Yunchu didn't remember the license plate incorrectly, did they really not get off the hearse at that time?
Then why did Old Liu react so strongly when asked if they had passengers that night?
And why didn't the surveillance capture the route of the bus?
Mo Yunchu's fingers slid into Tang Ning's hair, helping to smooth down a few unruly strands. He gently said, "Some hearses, although resembling buses on the outside, have refrigerators inside. These vehicles are not suitable for carrying passengers. So, little Ning, your dream is not scientifically accurate. We must believe in materialism."
Tang Ning: 🤔
Entering this instance is already the most unscientific thing.
Mo Yunchu pushed aside a few strands of hair on Tang Ning's forehead and planted a kiss. After these days of contact, Tang Ning had become accustomed to Mo Yunchu's kisses. He closed his eyes, smelling the warm woody fragrance emanating from Mo Yunchu.
This faint wood fragrance seemed familiar, as if Tang Ning had smelled it somewhere before. However, in an instant, Tang Ning couldn't recall where.
In the morning, after Mo Yunchu left for work, Tang Ning received a message from Landlord Brother. Today, at noon, Landlord Yingxing would be laid to rest.
Tang Ning got up and went to the wardrobe to find suitable clothing. He chose a black suit, and even though he now wore a mature black suit, he still exuded a clean and pure aura, like a rose nurtured in a flower bed, like a bird caged in gold. The oppressive black only highlighted his skin, snow-like in purity.
Worried about encountering ghost infants, Tang Ning filled his suit pocket with candy.
When Tang Ning arrived at the Landlord's house, it was just the moment for the coffin to be lifted. Landlord Yingxing was unmarried, so eight people were needed to lift the coffin. These eight were specifically hired by the landlord, all strong and sturdy.
The eight of them lifted the coffin together, leading the funeral procession. Tang Ning walked in the middle of the procession, keeping in mind Boss Hao's instructions. After every seven steps, he would turn around. They had walked for a while when the pace of the coffin lifters suddenly slowed down.
The person leading the group slowed down, affecting the entire procession. Although Landlord Ying gave each coffin bearer a red envelope, the speed not only did not increase but actually slowed down even more.
This slowdown wasn't intentional dawdling.
The morning wind was cold, the weather cool, yet these eight coffin bearers seemed to be walking under scorching sun. Tang Ning saw beads of sweat on the dark napes of their necks. Strong arms bulged with veins.
It seemed like the coffin they were carrying was exceptionally heavy.
Once the coffin lifting began, they were not allowed to put it down until reaching the designated location. If a coffin bearer felt fatigued, they could temporarily place the coffin on a bench.
The person carrying the bench hurriedly approached, but before the bench was set down, a thick rope snapped, and the coffin made a loud crash as it fell to the ground.
Broken rope, fallen coffin – the deceased harbored resentment and was unwilling to move on.