[KD] Chapter 28: Just the Beginning

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Ruan Nanzhu genuinely enjoyed the noodles Lin Qiushi cooked. He thoroughly ate the entire bowl clean, not even a drop of the broth was left.

Lin Qiushi asked, “Was it good?”

“It was better than whatever you made in the door world.” Ruan Nanzhu gracefully wiped his mouth then glanced at the time on his watch. “Get everything ready as soon as possible. I will come pick you up in the afternoon.”

“Okay.” Lin Qiushi nodded in understanding.

After Ruan Nanzhu finished speaking, he got up from his seat to leave. Lin Qiushi’s dear Chestnut came over and started to whine pitifully, gently wrapping its tail around Ruan Nanzhu’s leg. With large eyes revealing its reluctance to part with Ruan Nanzhu, Chestnut gazed up at the other and mewled softly, as if begging for him to stay. The fire in Lin Qiushi’s eyes roared with resentment as he enviously watched this scene. However, even though he knew that his burning with jealousy was rather unsightly, there was nothing he could do about it; after all, who told Chestnut to be such a loveable cat?

The place was rented out by Lin Qiushi. He still had half a year left on his rental lease, and he never intended to leave his residence anytime soon, but, unfortunately, plans changed. Although he actually wasn’t much of a city person, because he attended college in the city, he had to stay here. It wasn’t long before he became accustomed to this weather and lifestyle; and once he graduated, he didn’t bother moving out and simply remained here.

Lin Qiushi began to organize all of his belongings. He didn’t have that many clothes, so he was easily able to pack them up within moments. The most troublesome things to pack, however, were the countless work books that were too heavy and burdensome to take with him. He stared the books for a good while. After a moment’s hesitation, he went downstairs to call the cleaning lady and eventually had all of his books sent away.

Life was simply too short to last long. At the end of the day, one should always act in a way that would make them feel wholly content and unregretful with the way they lived. And if that meant throwing away some work books, so be it.

After sorting out his luggage, Lin Qiushi contacted his friend, Wu Qi, and briefly told him he was moving.

Upon hearing that Lin Qiushi was relocating, Wu Qi blurted that he’d lend a hand, but Lin Qiushi immediately refused his help, saying that the moving company had already been called and that he did not need to rush over for any specific reasons.

“So, where are you moving to?” Wu Qi wondered.

“The suburbs. Once I get settled and everything, I’ll call you over sometime so we can hang out.” Lin Qiushi said. “Now, obediently go back to doing whatever it was you were doing. Work hard, and don’t fool around too much.”

“You better not forget to send me the address later!” Wu Qi reminded him. “That aside, it’s good that you’ve resigned and decided to enjoy life a bit. Just who in their right minds could put up with working overtime every single day like you did! Even though you’re young, you still have to consider your own health and well-being, okay?”

“Mhm.” Lin Qiushi hummed in response.

At around three o’clock in the afternoon, Ruan Nanzhu and Cheng Qianli arrived at his house to help him carry his luggage to the car. The meowing Chestnut was also put inside a pet carrier, and then placed in the backseat of the car.

Lin Qiushi: “When we arrive at the villa, will Chestnut really let me hold it?”

Ruan Nanzhu: “En.”

Cheng Qianli: “Lin Qiushi, do you know that, right now, you kind of look like a wife who has been abandoned by her husband?”

Lin Qiushi: “…” No, I don’t know. I didn’t have a single clue. And I give you my wholehearted gratitude for letting me know.

As they drove along the path, the scenery around them gradually grew quieter and more desolate. At long last, they took the highway exit, veering off the busy road, and finally reached an isolated villa hidden deep within the distant suburbs.

This was Lin Qiushi’s second time visiting this place. When he dragged the hefty lugged inside the villa him, he spotted Cheng Yixie in the living room.

Cheng Yixie was currently eating something. He didn’t even bat an eyelid at their arrival. With his face void of all emotion, he greeted them coldly, “Brother Ruan.”

Lin Qiushi reflexively glanced at Cheng Qianli, who was standing beside him.

He had to admit, although the two were twins, the boys’ temperaments and styles were so different. Cheng Qianli was annoyingly lively and extroverted, and his facial expressions and gestures were so animated and uninhibited. On the other hand, Cheng Yixie was quite aloof and introverted; at first glance, he looked like someone who would be awfully difficult to get along with.

Ruan Nanzhu asked, “How are the preparations coming along?”

“Fine.” Cheng Yixie replied. “You still have to go in and check the details for yourself. When will you be leaving?”

Ruan Nanzhu responded, “In a few days.”

Cheng Yixie gave a curt nod then turned on his heels and walked away.

Upon hearing their conversation, Lin Qiushi whispered to Ruan Nanzhu, “Are you going to enter the door in a few days?”

“Yes,” answered Ruan Nanzhu.

“Isn’t it going to be extremely dangerous?” Lin Qiushi’s second door was monstrously terrifying and macabre, so wouldn’t that mean Ruan Nanzhu’s next door would be even more dreadful?

“It’ll be fine.” Ruan Nanzhu reassured. “Don’t worry too much.” He was so nonchalant about all of this. If was as if he wasn’t entering the morbid world of the door, but instead taking a relaxing vacation. His body wasn’t tense in the slightest, and he showed absolutely no signs of anxiety.

Seeing Ruan Nanzhu’s composed appearance calmed Lin Qiushi down, as well.

Soon after, Ruan Nanzhu properly arranged a room for Lin Qiushi to stay in; it was on the third floor, at the very end of the corridor, and directly across from Ruan Nanzhu’s own room.

Lin Qiushi immediately brought all of his bags inside his new room. He couldn’t wait to release Chestnut from the pet carrier.

Despite being taken to a strange, new environment, Chestnut was not all feeling adverse or uncomfortable. It happily twisted its fluffy bottom and swiftly leaped over to Ruan Nanzhu’s side. When Chestnut reached Ruan Nanzhu, it began to endearingly rub against his leg and cutely paw at his pants, as if begging to be cuddled.

Ruan Nanzhu bent down at his waist and picked the purring Chestnut up. He then sat on the sofa, gently laying Chesnut across his lap, and beckoned Lin Qiushi towards him, “Come here.”

With bloodshot eyes brimming with envy, Lin Qiushi restively dashed over to Ruan Nanzhu and manically pleaded, “Nanzhu… Nanzhu! Let me kiss¹ it!”

Cheng Qianli, who was standing at the side watching this scene unfold, was at a loss: “…” Lin Qiushi, are you seriously that addicted to cats???

Ruan Nanzhu looked down at Chestnut, then looked back up at Lin Qiushi and said, “Kiss it.”

Lin Qiushi: “Hell yeah!” He pumped his fist victoriously in his mind. He then cautiously reached out with his hand and lightly touched Chestnut with the tip of his finger. To his pleasant surprise, Chestnut did not protest or attack him with its claws, and to Lin Qiushi, who hadn’t come across such an approachable Chestnut in ages, seeing this was already immense progress.

There was no time to lose! Such an opportunity could not be ignored, for who knew when this chance would ever arise again! Lin Qiushi immediately seized this moment and pounced on his cat, plunging his face straight into Chestnut’s soft fur and inhaling deeply.

Chestnut meowed and repeatedly slapped the top of Lin Qiushi’s head with its squishy, pink paws.

Ah, cats are truly the greatest happiness in life! Everyone becomes happy when they nuzzle cats. Hating cats is simply impossible! It’s impossible to never hug a cat; it’s impossible to never kiss a cat in one’s lifetime. You’re better off dead in that case! Cuddling cats is the only way to stay healthy and alive! They’re the only reason for one’s will to live! Cats give life! Cats are life!

After several months of suffering, trying to pet his precious Chestnut, only to be constantly disappointed, Lin Qiushi finally got what he’d wished for, and to say that he was moved to tears by this would be a complete understatement.

“Holy shit! What the hell is going on? Seems like things got more than just a little bit exciting in here.” All of a sudden, someone’s voice echoed from the doorway, shattering Lin Qiushi’s moment of bliss. While Lin Qiushi was still trying to figure out what the other was suggesting, he felt Ruan Nanzhu reach out, softly grab a fistful of his hair and tug gently, “Lin Qiushi, don’t stop. Stay on your knees. Kiss it some more and go deeper.”

“Oh fuck! Stay kneeling?! Keep kissing and go deeper?!²” The man whistled in admiration and hooted. “Getting a little hot and steamy, eh? Damn, brother Ruan, never knew you were this fucking wild!”

Lin Qiushi: “…” He was silent for about three seconds, before he finally realized what was going on. At the time, he was strictly focused on Chestnut who was on Ruan Nanzhu’s lap, so he didn’t notice how promiscuous their position looked to others. He was kneeling before Ruan Nanzhu, the top half of his body hanging off of Ruan Nanzhu’s legs and his face was buried deep into the other’s lap, infatuatedly kissing and nuzzling Chestnut who simply laying there. No matter how one looked at it, this situation was incredibly…wrong in every way!

Lin Qiushi wordlessly heaved himself up off the ground and turned to look at the person behind him.

He had seen this person when he had visited the villa previously. If he recalled correctly, the man’s name was Yi Manman. Perhaps it was because of the heavy resentment and bitterness glinting sharply within the depths of Lin Qiushi’s eyes, but the instant his line of sight collided with the other’s, Yi Manman was slightly daunted. He gave a low cough and said, “Ahem, don’t mind me. Continue on with your business. I was simply passing through, nothing more.”

Ruan Nanzhu chuckled under his breath.

Chestnut, who was laying in the other’s arms, looked utterly stunned and bewildered, as if it couldn’t fathom what had just happened. The fur on its body was chaotically sticking up as a result of Lin Qiushi’s frenzied actions. But, even so, this adorable little traitor was as cute as ever.

Now standing up, Lin Qiushi shifted a bit to the side, changing his position, and exposed the cat that was hidden by his body. He raised his arm and pointed at the cat, silently indicating that he wasn’t engaging in any R-18 activities.

“Oh, you were just playing with the cat?” Yi Manman let out an awkward smile. “Sorry about that, seems as though I misunderstood.”

“It’s fine.” Lin Qiushi replied. “I probably shouldn’t have gotten so worked up and excited in the first place…”

Having witnessed this entire scene from start to finish, Cheng Qianli finally couldn’t hold back any longer, and he burst into a fit of rowdy laughter. Riotously slamming his palm down on the table, the boy hysterically laughed and laughed, until tears streamed uncontrollably down his cheeks. As he was clutching at his stomach, wheezing for air, he shakily fished out his cellphone and waved at Lin Qiushi to come over and see the photos he took.

Lin Qiushi leaned over to have a look, only to see a picture of himself kneeling between Ruan Nanzhu’s legs. Ruan Nanzhu was looking particularly gentle as he affectionately gazed down at Lin Qiushi; his hand was even placed on Lin Qiushi’s head, tenderly combing through his hair, softly capturing some strands in his palm…

Lin Qiushi: “What the… When did you even take this picture?! Delete it immediately—”

Cheng Qianli: “Alright, alright, don’t get your panties in a bunch. I’ll delete it right away.” He promptly deleted the picture in front of Lin Qiushi, and like that, the matter was done and over with.

Not that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, Lin Qiushi collapsed on the sofa behind him, beaten and worn out. He sighed deeply, expressing how difficult life was for him nowadays because he wasn’t able to hug or kiss his cat.

After he finished voicing his thoughts, he looked back up, only to catch sight of Chestnut cheerfully rubbing its head against Ruan Nanzhu abdomen, with a loveable look on its face that screamed, “I’m waiting, why haven’t you cuddled me already?”

Lin Qiushi: “…” Chestnut, you big traitor!!!

That night, in order to celebrate Lin Qiushi’s arrival, everyone gathered around and ate at the dining table together. And once again, Lin Qiushi shook hands with the other members staying in the villa and was reacquainted with them.

Lin Qiushi had already seen Yi Manman, Chen Fei, and Lu Yanxue the last time he came over. Apparently, there were still a few other members to be introduced; however, they were currently attending to some matters elsewhere and would return sometime later. There was also a corgi named Toast who lived with them in the villa, but it had gotten sick in the past few days, so they had to take it to the veterinarian and leave it there for it to recover fast. Cheng Qianli said that he was going to pick Toast up and bring it back with him to the villa tomorrow.

“Will they fight?” Lin Qiushi looked over at Chestnut, rather concerned.

“Nah, probably not. Your family’s Chestnut behaves very well.” Cheng Qianli’s statement quelled his worries. “And my family’s Toast behaves pretty well, too. But it does have one shortcoming. It likes to sniff cats’ butts for some reason.”

“Is it male or female?” asked Lin Qiushi.

“Male.” Cheng Qianli replied. “If you just take it out for a walk, and it runs into a stray cat, it would suddenly act crazy, as if it’s going into heat. And then it’d get beat up. Aiya…” He shook his head in pity, then glanced at Chestnut in question.

Lin Qiushi nodded, “My Chestnut is also male.”

Since this was the case, at least they didn’t have to worry about any accidental hybridization…

Chen Fei and Yi Manman both raised a glass of wine in Lin Qiushi’s name and announced that everyone would mutually take care of each other like family. Lu Yanxue took a seat beside Lin Qiushi and beamed brightly, expressing her sheer delight at him officially joining them as a member.

Lin Qiushi also drank a few cups of wine, but he didn’t dare drink more than that because of his current health condition.

Once dinner was over, Lin Qiushi returned to his room to get some shut eye. He endlessly tossed and turned in his bed, unable to fall asleep. His mind was in turmoil and his heart was feeling unusually restless; countless bizarre thoughts ran through his mind, haunting his very soul and leaving him in an odd state of disorientation.

He simply could not fall asleep. And so, Lin Qiushi climbed out of bed and went to the corridor to catch some fresh air.

He strolled down the corridor and eventually opened up one of the windows. Through the open window, he spotted Ruan Nanzhu and Chen Fei standing in the garden, seemingly discussing something.

The two wore grave expressions on their faces. There was a black notebook in front of them, and from time to time, they would write and draw in it.

Chen Fei had an air of wisdom and modesty to him. Those pair of black-rimmed glasses emphasized his intelligence, and the kind smiles he always gave off would further highlight his benignity. Lin Qiushi remembered hearing Cheng Qianli mention that Chen Fei used to be a professor. However, Cheng Qianli didn’t exactly know how or why the other ended joining the group; after all, Cheng Qianli was, in fact, the most recent member, apart from Lin Qiushi, to enter the villa, so it was rather understandable that he didn’t know every little detail about the members either.

It was reasonable to say that with such a large distance between Lin Qiushi and the garden, Lin Qiushi shouldn’t have been able to hear the two’s conversation. But, miraculously, he could vaguely make out what they were discussing. Although their voices were practically inaudible, he was still able to pick out snippets of their conversation and infer the rest.

They seemed to have been discussing Ruan Nanzhu’s next door, in regards to the theme, the background of the story, apparent clues, as well as any other hidden hints they may have overlooked…

Lin Qiushi planned to continue listening in on their conversation, but Ruan Nanzhu, who was located downstairs, suddenly broke off in the middle of his sentence. It was as if Ruan Nanzhu had eyes growing on the back of his head, for he turned his head around and looked up, staring directly at Lin Qiushi.

The two’s eyes met and locked. Feeling rather self-conscious under the other’s scrutiny, Lin Qiushi greeted him with an awkward wave of his hand.

Ruan Nanzhu then turned back around to say something to Chen Fei, then walked towards the villa. Lin Qiushi felt that it was a bit weird pacing around the corridor or even just standing in one spot like a mannequin, so without any better options in mind, he simply opened the door to his room and sat at the entrance, waiting patiently.

It wasn’t long before Ruan Nanzhu arrived at his doorway.

“Can’t sleep?” Ruan Nanzhu inquired.

“Yeah.” Lin Qiushi mumbled. “My mind’s a mess right now.”

Ruan Nanzhu said, “Well, since you cannot fall asleep at the moment, let me show you something.” He took a seat in front of the computer in the room and pressed the power button.

Once the chime indicating that the system has been booted up resonated within the room, the computer screen lit up. Ruan Nanzhu moved the mouse and clicked on the very first webpage located in the bookmarks bar.

The icon for the site was a single black door that looked identical to those black doors, beyond which lay a nightmarish world, that Lin Qiushi had to enter.

Ruan Nanzhu brought up the website and entered in his account details. A few seconds later, a blood-red forum appeared on the screen before Lin Qiushi’s eyes.

“This is a forum created by those who have entered the doors. There is quite a lot of detailed content as well as additional information to go through. If you have some time on your hands, you’re free to browse the site whenever.” Ruan Nanzhu added, “However, you should only use this computer whenever you wish to check the site out; you must never use other electronics to log into the forum.”

“Can it be tracked if I log in from other places?” Lin Qiushi asked.

Ruan Nanzhu nodded grimly.

Lin Qiushi was feeling rather skeptical. “What would happen if others traced me and managed to find me?”

Ruan Nanzhu said, “Something terrible would happen to you. Nothing good comes out of being traced.” He fell silent for only a moment, before calmly revealing, “The doors can be taken from you.”

“What?!” Lin Qiushi eyes grew wide with shock.

“I’ve told you before, these doors are not here to punish you or to torment you; they’re here as a reward, a gift.” Ruan Nanzhu continued, “If a person doomed to die enters these doors and passes through all twelve doors, this individual can live a new life, practically be reborn.”

“But how exactly can the doors be snatched away?” Lin Qiushi still could not wrap his mind around such a disconcerting statement.

Ruan Nanzhu clarified, “Let’s say an individual without doors happens to enter the door world along with the person who possesses the door to that world. If the individual without doors kills the owner of the doors inside that world, then the doors will automatically change ownership. Of course, such a process is far more complex and difficult than it seems, but if there’s a will, there’s a way; so long as the individual holds the intention and desire, he will eventually find a way to pull it off.”

Lin Qiushi was rendered utterly speechless at his words. His hands grew cold and clammy, and his heart pounded rapidly in his chest. He certainly did not expect that he was up against more than just those hellish, insufferable door worlds; to think he had to beware of people coveting his doors in real life, as well. This harrowing nightmare, coupled with the vices of the real world, was simply inconceivable, but, unfortunately, such was the harsh reality. If he hadn’t encountered Ruan Nanzhu at the time, even if he managed to safely escape from that first world, Lin Qiushi surely would’ve been left muddled-headed and in complete denial.

Once again, he thought back on Zhang Zishuang who had died in his first world. Apparently, that wasn’t Zhang Zishuang’s first time entering the doors; yet, even so, he hadn’t at all disguised himself after entering. As a result, the moment the other got into a car accident, Lin Qiushi was immediately able to recognize the other’s identity based on the familiar clothes he wore.

Lin Qiushi scrolled through the forum and discovered that the forum was not only rather large, but incredibly active. Although it was only two o’clock in the morning, there were more than six thousand users currently online.

“We also operate online; to be more precise, we tend to receive our work through online.” Ruan Nanzhu said. “But not through this website. You have only recently joined us, so you don’t need to know too much. For now, just take a look at this forum, and you should be fine.”

“Oh.” Lin Qiushi expressed his gratitude to Ruan Nanzhu. “Thank you.”

Ruan Nanzhu: “Instead of thanking me with words, how about you thank me with your actions.”

Lin Qiushi: “Umm, okay… How would you like for me to thank you? Would you like—” Just when Lin Qiushi was about to tell Ruan Nanzhu that he’d treat him to a meal tomorrow, Ruan Nanzhu cut him off and said, “How about you kiss your cat on my lap again sometime?”

Lin Qiushi: “…” Is this man really behaving like a rogue right now? This man seriously is acting like a rogue!

Ruan Nanzhu: “Well, I’m just joking with you.” He stood up and walked towards the door. “You can browse through that yourself. I have a matter to attend to.” With every step, he gradually neared the doorway, but before he took a step out of the room, he abruptly halted in his tracks. He swiveled back around, directly facing Lin Qiushi, and looked him dead in the eye. “Oh, that’s right. Don’t eavesdrop anymore.”

Taken aback, Lin Qiushi faltered, “O-okay?”

The corners of Ruan Nanzhu’s lips raised into a faint grin. “That’s my boy.” He then chuckled lowly, turned on his heels, and strode out of the place.

Lin Qiushi stared at his retreating back and kept getting a ticklish feeling that something was amiss. As he dwelled on it for a while, he was suddenly struck with a burst of realization. Ruan Nanzhu had long known that Lin Qiushi was eavesdropping on them! Normally, people wouldn’t even consider the idea that Lin Qiushi was able to hear their conversation, simply because they were too far away from each other, but Ruan Nanzhu just dropped the bomb by throwing such a direct statement at Lin Qiushi, who wasn’t able to react at the time, clearly suggesting that he was already aware of the other’s actions.

But, speaking of which, what was up with his own acute hearing abilities…

Harboring such doubts and skepticism, Lin Qiushi sat in the chair and began browsing through the forum.

Countless miscellaneous posts riddled this forum, with every content being different from the next; there were even some posts on how to date and socialize mixed in with all this information. Of course, after Ruan Nanzhu’s reminder and advice, he was not in the least interested in such things anymore; rather, he was more interested in the speculative posts concerning the doors itself.

The forum had existed for six long years, and users were still discussing what the doors were, trying to find any explanation to this anomalous phenomenon.

Was it a future technology? A gift from God? Perhaps an extraterrestrial experiment? Seemingly, not a single person had a definitive, logical answer to these innumerable speculations and questions.

As he dug deeper into the forum, Lin Qiushi noticed that there was even some discussion regarding the terrifying worlds inside the doors. He skimmed the posts, only to discover that the messages did not contain any particular information; practically everything was useless.

He aimlessly scrolled through the site for hours, until drowsiness gradually descended on him, forcing his eyes closed. At long last, he shut off his computer and went back to his bed.

This time, Lin Qiushi wasn’t plagued by restlessness. The last bit of energy keeping him conscious finally slipped away, and he fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

The next day, a fine morning. The rising sun and clear skies signaled the start of a beautiful daylight.

The first thing in the morning that Lin Qiushi saw after waking up and going downstairs was an indignant Cheng Qianli quarrelling with his older twin brother—well, to be exact, rather than quarrelling, it was more like one-sided nagging.

“I said I don’t want to eat any spicy foods! Why did you give me something spicy to eat? You don’t care about me at all, you don’t give two craps about what I like. The only thing you care about is yourself…” Cheng Qianli grumbled to himself, glaring at the oil-tea³ in front of him.

Cheng Yixie sat across from him, his face as expressionless as ever. “If you do not want to eat, then get lost.”

Cheng Qianli immediately began to throw a tantrum, pretending to wail loudly as if he’d been wronged. But he still reached out and ate the oil-tea. Lin Qiushi had originally thought Cheng Qianli simply could not tolerate spicy foods in the morning, but he found that this brat pretty much loved to complain just for the sake of complaining. Although his mouth cried that he didn’t want to eat, his body was extremely honest. Lin Qiushi only blinked once, before he saw that the entire bowl of oil-tea had been scraped immaculately clean.

“I want another bowl. Give me another!” Having wolfed down the whole dish, Cheng Qianli puffed out his cheeks. “Oi…and add extra spiciness to it.”

The ever-amused Lin Qiushi: “…” You really are something, you know that?

After everyone gathered together and finished their breakfast, they dispersed, leaving to do their own things. Lin Qiushi thought the mood in the villa would be rather strained, but after observing for a while, he came to find that the atmosphere was actually quite easy-going and laid-back. On the second floor of the villa was a gym and an arcade room; the fourth floor of the villa held several study rooms. Everything one could ever ask could be found here; one could simply never be bored because there was always something to do in this villa.

Cheng Qianli asked Lin Qiushi if he would be willing to go with him to bring Toast back home, and Lin Qiushi readily agreed.

As they drove onwards, Lin Qiushi discreetly inquired as to what Ruan Nanzhu was so busy with, tactfully asking whether he was about enter the door very soon.

“Yeah.” Cheng Qianli was sitting in the passenger’s seat, obnoxiously chewing on his bubble gum. “Well, it also might be in a few more days, who knows. You’ll start getting the hang of it over time. The more doors you pass, the more accurate your premonition will be. You will pretty much know exactly when you’ll be entering a door… Hmmm… Oh, of course, it’s best not to tell anyone the exact time, unless they will be entering the door with you.”

“So, he’s going in by himself this time? Isn’t it too dangerous?” This was precisely what Lin Qiushi was worried about.

“I won’t say that it isn’t dangerous, because it definitely is dangerous.” Cheng Qianli acknowledged. “But it seems that someone will be accompanying big brother Ruan inside. I just don’t know who it is…”

“I see.” Lin Qiushi sighed. “I hope I can be of more help in the future…”

Hearing this, Cheng Qianli shot him a side-glance. He smiled broadly and laughed, but said nothing else after that.

The next few days, Lin Qiushi barely saw a shadow of Ruan Nanzhu’s figure. The other appeared to be awfully busy, and he rarely stepped foot into the villa.

In any case, Lin Qiushi familiarized himself with the other members in the villa.

Yi Manman was a twenty-three year old man who was just as talkative and outgoing as Cheng Qianli. As long as the two were put together in one room, they were sure to never be bored with their endless chattering that went on for days. However, unlike Cheng Qianli, Yi Manman was a bit more mature, and he rarely lost his temper. Lu Yanxue was slightly older that Yi Manman, and she was the only girl in the villa. Her appearance was quite ordinary, and she usually had no presence; frankly speaking, she didn’t look particularly courageous or anything of the sort. However, according to Cheng Qianli, Lu Yanxue’s performance inside the door world was beyond remarkable.

As for Cheng Qianli’s older brother, Cheng Yixie… As Cheng Qianli put it, “You had better stay far, far away from him. It’s for your own good. There’s just something wrong with his brain. The guy’s a total nutjob…”

Given the relationship between the two and having witnessed the younger brother’s antics countless times, it was reasonable to say that Lin Qiushi held quite a bit of reservations on the other’s view.

On the fifth day after he’d settled in the villa, Ruan Nanzhu, who had mysteriously vanished sometime during the week, suddenly reappeared. At the time, Lin Qiushi was getting ready to go upstairs and sleep, but the result was that he hadn’t even walked down the corridor, before a figure materialized directly in front of him. Lin Qiushi staggered back in fright at this sudden appearance, but upon fixing his eyes on the figure, he discovered that the one before him was actually Ruan Nanzhu!

Ruan Nanzhu’s complexion was looking far from good. It was as if all of his strength had been drained out of his body. His hand was weakly pressed against the wall in an attempt to hold himself up, and he looked as though he would collapse at any given second.

Without any delay, Lin Qiushi quickly dashed forward and held him steady, “Ruan Nanzhu, are you alright?”

Ruan Nanzhu shook his head, “Help me into my room.”

Lin Qiushi grunted and didn’t hesitate to help. He pulled Ruan Nanzhu’s arm around his own shoulder, supporting the other’s weight, and held him until he reached his bedroom.

The very instant Ruan Nanzhu touched the bed, he closed his eyes and fell unconscious. Alarmed, Lin Qiushi rushed downstairs to call for help.

The was the first time he encountered such a nerve-wracking situation. He didn’t know if he should immediately send the other to the hospital or just wait it out.

Chen Fei swiftly came upstairs and quickly checked up on Ruan Nanzhu’s condition. After examining the other, he declared that it didn’t seem to be anything too severe and that Ruan Nanzhu was simply exhausted. But just to be on the safe side, he suggested that they should take him to the hospital.

Lin Qiushi breathed a sigh of relief at his words.

For the first time ever, he saw such a frail Ruan Nanzhu. The other’s face was as white as a sheet and his body was extremely weak, almost fragile. Normally, Ruan Nanzhu made people feel as though he was someone they could forever depend on; he just gave of this powerful aura of reliability, of invincibility. It seemed that as long as he was right there by their sides, there would be naught to worry about. But seeing him like this, Lin Qiushi’s heart inevitably felt like it was being squeezed to death; an inexplicable feeling of sorrow and heartache washed over him.

Chen Fei drove Ruan Nanzhu to the hospital, and Lin Qiushi accompanied him the entire time.

After hanging up with the emergency room, the doctor performed a preliminary diagnosis. Thereafter, he announced the results of the check-up and confirmed that Ruan Nanzhu had not suffered from any trauma. His physical condition seemed to be stable and, overall, he seemed to be healthy and well; he just fell asleep due to overtiredness.

“Thank goodness.” Chen Fei heaved a sigh. “Luckily, it wasn’t life-threatening. Anyways, look after him for a while. I will be heading out to make a call.”

Lin Qiushi nodded at him.

Chen Fei went out for a while, only to return seconds later with a dour expression on his face. Lin Qiushi asked him what was wrong. He was silent for a moment, before darkly whispering, “The person who entered with brother Ruan is no more.”

Dumbstruck, Lin Qiushi stared at him with wide eyes.

“He just died.” Chen Fei grimly continued, “From upstairs…he jumped down to his death…”

Lin Qiushi slowly moved his gaze to Ruan Nanzhu’s sleeping face, and suddenly exhaled the breath he had been holding.

Fortunately… Fortunately, he was still alive…

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Author’s Comment:

Lin Qiushi: I just love kissing cats.

Ruan Nanzhu: I just love whenever Lin Qiushi kisses cats.

Chestnut: Meow meow meow?

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¹吸 (Xī)—Depending on the context, this word could mean: sucking, snorting, inhaling, absorbing, taking in, indulging, etc. I used ‘kiss’ because it sounds less awkward, and I figured this word fit better with the rest of the dialogue. In this situation, though, the word LQS uses is more like putting your face on a cat and nuzzling it, like how one might plop face-down on a pillow then dig their face deeper into the pillow.

² The same word mentioned in the first footnote was used. RNZ tells LQS to keep nuzzling/rubbing his face all over the cat’s fur. However, from YMM’s perspective, RNZ just sounds like he’s telling the other to keep sucking. Ngl, this entire section was unnecessarily difficult to translate because I kept on having to change up the words/dialogue from the very beginning, until the entire part actually made some sense in English…

³ Here’s a LINK explaining what Guilin Oil-Tea is. Here’s another LINK explaining what Dong Oil-Tea is. (Both are similar dishes, just different regions/traditions). And here’s an image of [Guilin] oil-tea:

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