Tang Ning stared blankly at the man who suddenly appeared before him, truly a peculiar individual. Despite his disheveled appearance and not even bothering to dry off, he exuded a calmness, as if he owned the streets, treating them like his own social bathhouse.
Tang Ning turned back to see the elderly woman lowering her head, moving towards the chopping board with a knife in hand. A drop of blood fell from the tip of the knife as she meticulously prepared something, then slowly walked back into the house.
Holding a bowl, the old boatman greeted Shao Mingyong, "Young Shao, what brings you to my place? Not getting used to living next door?"
Shao Mingyong politely replied, "Just out to make some new friends."
"Care for some porridge?" the boatman offered. "We've got plenty in the house."
"No," Shao Mingyong declined succinctly, after which the boatman didn't press further and walked back into the house with the elderly woman.
The scene before them was harmonious, as if the previous horrifying moments were just a product of Tang Ning's excessive nervousness. The elderly woman busily prepared fish while the old boatman warmly entertained guests, inviting them to enjoy porridge. Wasn't it all fitting?
Tang Ning took a deep breath and looked towards Lin Yun's house. There were no ghostly child figures; only Lin Yun lay straight on the bed, a long talisman pasted on his forehead.
The crises that almost overwhelmed Tang Ning vanished in an instant, clearly altered by this unfamiliar NPC.
Tang Ning looked back at Shao Mingyong. His deep eye sockets and the glasses seemed to grant his gaze an additional layer of strange, cold focus. This person, Tang Ning found intriguing.
[System, may I speak now?]
Tang Ning remembered the card game's rule: remain silent for a whole day to earn a chance to sing, but it didn't specify whether one could speak after singing for the day.
[You may,] the system paused. [But haven't you heard the saying, 'Don't talk to strangers'?]
Tang Ning: "?"
[This NPC doesn't seem like good news,] the system earnestly said.
Initially, Tang Ning was somewhat resistant towards Shao Mingyong. However, upon hearing the system's words, his rebellious spirit surged. After all, neither seemed particularly virtuous, and this Shao Mingyong had even saved him.
"Hello—" Tang Ning began, only to stun himself.
Because his voice sounded so pleasing that it felt alien to him.
Although he had been complimented on his voice before, Tang Ning considered it to be merely pleasant. But now, his tone was beyond what even the most skilled sound engineer could produce, a voice so captivating that it could ensnare someone in a second.
"My name is Tang Ning."
Behind his glasses, Shao Mingyong's dark pupils widened slightly, betraying the turmoil within. Pushing up his glasses, he covered much of his emotion, his usually calm and deep voice sounding somewhat jumbled: "Wonderful, your voice, just like you, is truly marvelous."
A faint blush colored his pale ears as water droplets fell from his hair, trickling down his face, which he struggled to keep composed.
Tang Ning's expression turned awkward.
"Sorry about that." Shao Mingyong, noticing the change in Tang Ning's eyes, took a deep breath and composed himself, shifting back to a refined demeanor as if he'd just thought of something deeply personal. "Hearing your voice just now, I suddenly thought of my cat."
A cat?
Tang Ning's attention was immediately diverted to the topic of cats.
"I have a very pampered Ragdoll cat," Shao Mingyong said with a smile.
A Ragdoll! That genuinely excited Tang Ning. Although he loved all kinds of cats, he found Ragdolls particularly enchanting. He had once researched about them and thought they might not suit someone with his busy lifestyle, unable to spend much time with pets.
"It might be presumptuous to say, but your voice indeed reminded me of my cat, so I couldn't help but laugh," Shao Mingyong explained sincerely.
Tang Ning instantly understood Shao Mingyong's previously awkward expression. Thinking about it, wasn't it quite normal for his own cat to exhibit such expressions? Sometimes, when hearing overly sweet noises, Tang Ning himself couldn't help but smile in a way that might seem odd. And he had to admit, his voice at the moment was indescribably enchanting.
[Such high standards.] The system commented coldly.
Tang Ning found the system's random comment odd, but now was not the time to ponder these details. He asked the NPC, "Shao Mingyong, would you accompany me to that house over there?" pointing towards Lin Yun's house.
"Of course," Shao Mingyong replied, approaching with a strong scent of shower gel emanating from him. Tang Ning wondered if it was his imagination, but he thought he detected a hint of a moist, exotic fragrance among it.
As Shao Mingyong and Tang Ning walked side by side, Tang Ning could see the exaggerated bridge of Shao Mingyong's nose from this angle. The man seemed large in every aspect, probably standing at about 1.9 meters tall, but his proportions were well balanced, not appearing cumbersome. As Tang Ning looked at the man next to him, his gaze inadvertently dropped, and he couldn't help but be taken aback.
After redirecting his gaze, Tang Ning couldn't resist whispering a reminder, "You might want to tie your bathrobe tighter."
When Tang Ning spoke in a breathy tone, his voice, already unfairly captivating, became even more irresistibly alluring. Shao Mingyong swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and responded in a low, husky voice, "Alright."
They reached the door of Lin Yun's room, where the talisman was still attached to his forehead, seemingly indicating that there was no significant issue. Tang Ning knocked on the window, but Lin Yun remained motionless.
With Shao Mingyong's company, Tang Ning pushed open the door and walked over to the bed, noticing a wet footprint on it. It seemed that the ghostly entity had been squatting there for quite some time, leaving Lin Yun's face covered in water droplets and his eyes bloodshot.
As Tang Ning's gaze met Lin Yun's, the latter probably mistook him for a ghost, remaining as still as a statue.
"It's me," Tang Ning said, and at the sound of his voice, Lin Yun's eyes widened as if struck to the soul by the tone. He shivered, then suddenly sprang up and dashed outside with agility.
Tang Ning was left puzzled.
In a blink, Lin Yun collided with Jiang Mianmian coming towards him. Swiftly dodging, they faced each other, "What are you doing here?"
Jiang Mianmian, with drooping eyelids, glanced at him, "Tang Ning mentioned there was a problem here, and called for help in the group chat."
Lin Yun quickly looked back at Tang Ning, who was staring blankly at him. Despite not wanting to admit it, Lin Yun felt that no ghost could mimic Tang Ning's genuinely innocent and undarkened, bewildered eyes.
"However, it looks like you two are doing quite well," Jiang Mianmian said indifferently.
Tang Ning approached the two who were chatting. He gave Lin Yun a reproachful look and asked, "Why did you run off so fast?"
Tang Ning and Lin Yun were already acquainted. When Tang Ning spoke to Lin Yun, his voice would unconsciously carry a tone of intimacy, and coupled with his complaint, it sounded almost like coquetry. This incredibly charming vocal tone magnified his precious little mood to the extreme, causing Lin Yun to feel as if he had been electrified, his heart pounding fiercely.
Jiang Mianmian, who had always been half-squinting, seemed to open her eyes for the first time, seriously looking at Tang Ning.
"Your voice," Lin Yun's ears were already melting. He could guess that Tang Ning's voice must have undergone a transformation due to some card effect. How could someone have such a pleasant voice, making one wish the other would talk for twenty hours straight, no, even wanting to hear other kinds of sounds.
Lin Yun said with difficulty, "Maybe you should just continue typing on a device."
This voice, paired with Tang Ning's face, was really hard for him to resist.
"Why use a device to type?" A slightly displeased male voice forcefully rang out. Shao Mingyin stood next to Tang Ning, gazing at him intently, his eyes full of compassion, "Being unable to speak freely is a kind of shackles."
After saying that, he coldly glanced at Lin Yun. Due to his taller stature, he seemed to look down on Lin Yun.
"Who is this?" Lin Yun frowned.
"He's a new visitor, staying next door," Tang Ning introduced.
The atmosphere, which had been somewhat tense, was suddenly alleviated by Tang Ning's voice, causing a wonderful shiver to spread from the ears to the rest of the body, filled with boundless charm and enticing thoughts. Lin Yun clenched his fists, while Shao Mingyin seemed calmer, showing no particular change. Jiang Mianmian, on the other hand, rubbed her ears.
Tang Ning, realizing something was amiss, obediently shut his mouth and typed on a device, "He came over just now. He has to accompany me before I can go to your room."
Due to Shao Mingyin's presence, Tang Ning's message was rather cryptic, but it was clear to the two gamers that this NPC was probably a big shot.
But even if he was a big shot,
"Maybe you should change your clothes?" Lin Yun frowned.
Shao Mingyin nodded, "Sorry, I came out in a hurry. I'll step out for a moment." This last sentence was directed at Tang Ning, "Can I see you again later?"
Tang Ning nodded quickly.
Everyone loves to cling to powerful figures, but it's unclear whether Shao Mingyin is a prince or a witch in this game.
Since the evaluation of the last game was B-grade, and Tang Ning, the long-haired princess card, only had one use, he didn't save it for later use. If he were to die in this game, keeping the long-haired princess card would be a waste.
Upon receiving Tang Ning's assurance, Shao Mingyin gestured and walked away with an easy stride, wearing slippers that left a trail of damp footprints on the ground.
Lin Yun suddenly frowned. After Shao Mingyin had completely left, he walked over to one of the footprints and whispered, "The shoe size matches."
Tang Ning paused for a moment, then leaned in closer, realizing that Shao Mingyin's foot size indeed seemed very similar to that of the monster in the bathroom last night.
Lin Yun lowered his head and sniffed a few times, his brow furrowing deeper, "Did that NPC run out in the middle of a bath?"
Tang Ning nodded. He asked in a low voice, "Is it the monster from yesterday?"
This voice, coming from such a close distance, made Lin Yun take a sharp breath. Lin Yun pressed his forehead, enduring the sensation, "The scent doesn't match. I can only smell the fragrance of shower gel."
Tang Ning quickly shut his mouth. He sniffed, indeed detecting the scent of shower gel, but why
He also faintly detected another peculiar fragrance.