Kaleidoscope of Death

After sleeping a whole day and night away, Lin Qiushi finally woke up. His fever had long subsided, and although his body was still lacking strength, he was now able to walk on his own. The doctor examined him one last time and stated that Lin Qiushi needed to stay for another day to replenish the lost electrolytes and fluids in his body, and that he would be discharged from the hospital the day after.

Cheng Qianli had been accompanying him this entire time. Upon hearing the doctor’s words, Cheng Qianli reassured the other, saying that his precious cat was being fed well and that he shouldn’t to rush back home but, instead, focus on recuperating.

Lin Qiushi thanked him.

Now at ease, he rested in the hospital bed, and for the first time in his life, he felt that a hospital could be so pleasant and cordial. After suffering several days in the door world, he had finally returned to the real world. While he was trapped within the world of the door, he felt as though he had been separated from reality for a long time, as if reality was merely a distant, intangible dream that he would never be able to reach. But, in actuality, not even ten minutes had passed in the real world.

On the third day, Cheng Qianli handled all of the hospital discharge procedures for Lin Qiushi, then drove Lin Qiushi back to his place.

Once he and Cheng Qianli arrived at his residence, Lin Qiushi fished out his keys and opened the door. He hadn’t even stepped through the doorway yet, when he heard his dearest Chestnut mewling cutely, as if it wanted to be spoiled. He raised his head in eagerness, only to spot Ruan Nanzhu nonchalantly sitting on his sofa, reading a book. And as of this moment, Chestnut, who was always so cold and unfriendly to him, ignoring him at times and attacking him at other times, was meowing oh-so-sweetly and rubbing her head against Ruan Nanzhu’s ankle. If not all, Chestnut even rolled on its back, revealing its soft, fluffy belly, and gazed up at Ruan Nanzhu with shining eyes, begging to be cuddled.

Lin Qiushi used to experience his endearing cat’s adorable treatment. Back then, his cat would always try to seek his affection like that. But Chestnut began to avoid him recently; it was as if Chestnut hated him to the core. It wouldn’t let Lin Qiushi get close to it, and it wouldn’t let him pet it or even snuggle it; even kissing it was impossible!

With eyes filled with envy, Lin Qiushi stared fervently at this scene, burning this image into his mind. Perhaps it was because he clearly felt the other’s piecing glare of jealousy directed at him, but Ruan Nanzhu, who had been reading the book the entire time, finally raised his head and glanced at the other, “Is everything fine?”

“En.” Lin Qiushi meekly made his way over to Ruan Nanzhu, reservedly taking a seat beside him, and pretended to just casually pick up the cat, as if this wasn’t his true intention in the first place. But who could’ve imagined that Chestnut would twist its fluffy bottom in annoyance and escape from his grasp.

Lin Qiushi shed tears of sorrow: “…Chestnut, don’t you love Dad?”

Ruan Nanzhu had no words to say. He simply bent over at his waist and easily lifted Chestnut, holding the cat in his arms. Chestnut purred happily and began nuzzling its head against Ruan Nanzhu’s chest.

“Touch it.” Ruan Nanzhu adjusted Chestnut and exposed its fur to Lin Qiushi.

Overcome with emotions, Lin Qiushi cautiously reached out and touched his cat. “My Chestnut, whatever happened to you? Don’t you recognize Dad?”

Like a pitiful father who had just lost his daughter, Lin Qiushi’s heart was deeply grieved. Utterly heartbroken, he watched as the cat he painstakingly raised, cared for and treasured all his life stuck to another man. It was only natural he felt a twinge of bitter envy.

“Cats are quite sensitive to these things.” Ruan Nanzhu explained. “It should get better after a few more doors.”

At the mention of the doors, Lin Qiushi grew somber. He leaned his back against the sofa then asked, “If you don’t mind my asking, why exactly did you kill the hostess in the end? Didn’t you say that we should not come into contact with any blood?”

“I had originally believed the key was hidden inside the cake.” Ruan Nanzhu said, “But it wasn’t, meaning it was definitely hidden someplace else. Do you still remember how the children’s fairy tale ended?”

Lin Qiushi frowned as he recollected the ending of the tale. Upon realizing what Ruan Nanzhu was getting at, he immediately sat up, “In the end, the three sisters were resurrected, and the sorcerer was killed. That was it, wasn’t it?”

“Correct.” Ruan Nanzhu nodded. “So, I suspected that…”

“And if that wasn’t the case? If you had actually made a mistake? What then?” Lin Qiushi certainly didn’t expect that Ruan Nanzhu simply decided to act on some mere suspicions; he just couldn’t believe that someone who could murder another with such resolution, only did so because of some speculations.

“If it wasn’t…” Unperturbed, Ruan Nanzhu lightly touched his chin. “Well, we would eventually find it regardless. There were still many places we could search through, and the key was bound to be located in one of those areas.”

Lin Qiushi revealed an expression of sheer admiration. Where in the world would anybody dare to take up a knife and decide to cut someone up? As a matter of fact, any ordinary person caught in such a situation wouldn’t even want to get close to any blood, for fear of being stained. Then again, Ruan Nanzhu wasn’t an ordinary person. Only someone on his wavelength would be able to come up with such brazen theories like this on the spot. But coming up with the idea that the key was located inside the sorcerer’s body was one thing, and immediately acting on it was another. But that was exactly what he did; without an ounce of hesitation, he dismembered the witch the very instant this thought crossed his mind.

“Did you manage to obtain any hints for the next door?” Just then, Lin Qiushi recalled something, and he wondered, “And are we required to pass through all twelve doors?”

“En,” grunted Ruan Nanzhu. “Let’s grab something to eat first. We can discuss this slowly at a later time.”

Thereupon, the three individuals left his apartment and went to find something to eat.

Because Lin Qiushi was still recovering from his recent illness, he was only supposed to eat light foods. But having eaten dry, tasteless bread for a whole seven days inside the door world, he was feeling more than just gluttonous; he was starving for real, palatable food so much that he felt like he would die if he didn’t eat right now. And so, he took Ruan Nanzhu and Cheng Qianli downstairs to a small street food restaurant that was well-known for its authentic traditional cuisine, and ordered a few spicy dishes.

While other regions had their own authentic traditional dishes, this particular traditional cuisine was unique to this area. Everything was heavy, flavorful, and extra fiery. The burning spiciness of the dishes, coupled with a cold beer, could only be described a blazing paradise.

Sweat dripped down Lin Qiushi’s entire body as he heartily wolfed down the food before him.

“Your next door should appear in ten days, more or less.” Contrary to expectations, Ruan Nanzhu didn’t hold the same enthusiasm as Lin Qiushi while he ate. It seemed that he could not tolerate spicy foods well. After a few bites, his nose turned bright red and his eyes, which had long lost their normal indifference, glistened with unfallen tears. “You can rest well during these next ten days.”

“What about the hint for the door? What is it?” Lin Qiushi was more concerned about this matter.

But to Lin Qiushi’s surprise, Ruan Nanzhu refused to answer, “I can’t tell you.”

“Why?” Lin Qiushi was rather confounded.

“Because that door may not exactly be your door. It may be someone else’s door, and there is also a possibility you might not enter that door when the time comes.” Ruan Nanzhu continued, “The prompt for another door will only be given to the very first person who opened the previous door. Whoever opens the door the fastest will not only have the hint in their hands but also the initiative. However, that hint may not necessarily be used for their own self.”

Lin Qiushi’s jaws dropped in shock. “Wouldn’t that mean I’ll be entering my next door without any hints?”

Ruan Nanzhu sighed, “The situation’s more complex than that. Allow me to put it this way. You can basically freeload off of Cheng Qianli’s door with your next door.”

Utterly bemused, Lin Qiushi cocked his head to one side and raised his brow.

Frustrated that this conversation wasn’t progressing, Cheng Qianli finally opened his mouth to explain, “A door can only have one theme. However, if both you and I enter the same door, then that door belongs to both you and me, which means that the door’s theme also applies to the both of us. Of course, there are still more rules to these doors to consider. One example would be, imagine that I open my fourth door now, but you’ve only opened your second door. If you follow me into the world of my fourth door and manage to come out safely, then your first three doors will have automatically opened for you even if you haven’t entered them.”

To think there was such a godly cheat. Lin Qiushi’s eyes grew wide. “Doesn’t that mean if we find someone who has opened twelve doors—”

“As if something as good as that could actually happen.” Rolling his eyes, Cheng Qianli took a bite of his food, then vaguely replied, “Let me just tell you, you absolutely shouldn’t try to skip doors like this too often. Otherwise, you’re reap the consequences and die an extremely miserable death. You’re still a rookie right now, and there are still many things you don’t know, but I can’t fully explain everything to you.”

Lin Qiushi: “Why not?”

Cheng Qianli: “Because even if I explained it to you, you’ll only continue to ask why and why not.”

Lin Qiushi: “…”

Judging from the two’s expressions, it was obvious that they abhorred rookies who were more interrogative and questioning than the entire collection of “One Hundred Thousand Whys.” And so, finding no point in giving the two more reasons to look down on him or direct sneers of disgust and condemnation at him, Lin Qiushi decided to shut up and eat the rest of his meal in silence.

Sure enough, Cheng Qianli gave a long sigh and had to admit that his big brother Ruan truly had good eyes for people. Just look at the rookie he brought back with him; he knew how to act, never asked more questions than he should have, and never probed into anything he shouldn’t have. Thinking back on the newcomers the other members brought back with them, the problem wasn’t necessarily that they asked way too many questions. It’s just that their ceaseless demand for answers eventually led them to their disastrous downfall. As soon as they received all of the answers and explanations they asked for, these rookies would enter their next door confidently, only to die tragically. It was as if all of their previous well-intentioned words and advice went through one ear and out the other!

Lin Qiushi: “…Speaking of which, you’re only on your fourth door, but how are you so knowledgeable?”

Cheng Qianli: “Although I’m only on my fourth door, my older brother has already passed his eighth.” He then grumbled something under his breath; it was obvious he was complaining, because it certainly did not sound like any nice compliments.

As Lin Qiushi chewed on his food, he mulled over what the two had told him. After giving it some thought, curiosity won him over in the end, and he couldn’t help but feel the need to ask more questions.

Ruan Nanzhu, who noticed that he was just itching to say something more but was still hesitating, held up a finger. “This is the last one.”

“Why would I meet you in my first door then?” Lin Qiushi wondered. “I thought you didn’t know anyone in the first world?”

“Those were two questions.” Ruan Nanzhu said. “What’s more, who said that I didn’t know anybody in that world?”

Lin Qiushi blinked in disbelief. “…Huh? Who did you know?”

Ruan Nanzhu: “Do you remember the two individuals who died on the first night?”

Lin Qiushi: “…I remember.”

“One of them was my client.” Ruan Nanzhu coughed in embarrassment. “Back then, I made a mistake about who I was supposed to be protecting.”

Dumbstruck, Lin Qiushi fell into silence.

Ruan Nanzhu continued, “I thought you were my client. And I only found out that I had been mistaken the next day, but, by then, my client was already dead.” He gracefully wiped his mouth and revealed an staggering statement to Lin Qiushi in a deadpan voice, “I later discovered you possessed some potentional, so I protected you and brought you back with me.”

Beside him, Cheng Qianli tried stifling his laughter, only to eventually burst into a loud guffaw. In order to minimize Lin Qiushi’s shock, he told him that this actually wasn’t the first time Ruan Nanzhu screwed up and mistook his client for someone else while he was doing his job. It was mainly because Lin Qiushi and his client were wearing clothes of similar colors at the time; not to mention, the two of them even met on the trail from the very beginning…

When Lin Qiushi thought about it carefully, everything began to click; it made more sense that this was the case. He had always wondered why Ruan Nanzhu paid him special attention back then, and the reason turned out to be something like this. “…And here I thought it was because fate coincidentally brought us together because of our shared connection.”

Ruan Nanzhu: “Well, you are free to think of it that way, as well.”

Once the meal was over, Lin Qiushi was ready to return home.

Ruan Nanzhu told him that it was best to move into the villa and live with them as soon as he was able to, so that they could take care of him and so that everyone could work together and help each other out.

“Why, is something going to happen?” Lin Qiushi was slightly puzzled. “Haven’t we already left the door world?”

“There are many people like us in reality.” Cheng Qianli stated. “Sadly, some of us have gone completely insane with the pressure… In any case, if you can move in with us, then you should probably do so as soon as possible. I mean, there’s no harm in doing that, right?”

“I see. Well, I’ll think about it.” Lin Qiushi gratefully nodded, indicating he understood.

Having finished their dinner, the three walked back. As they strolled through the night, they caught sight of a massive billboard erected on the side of the street.

In the passing, Ruan Nanzhu pointed at the billboard and remarked, “Ah, you see her? That is Xu Xiaocheng.”

Lin Qiushi glanced upwards, only to find the image of an extremely popular actress posted on the billboard. This famous celebrity was known for her maturity and queenly grace. Her expression was cold and prideful, as if she looked down upon the world, and her hands were raised up high, emanating an arrogant yet highly seductive aura. To think that this glamorous actress, who had all the men falling at her feet, was that very Xu Xiaocheng, who would bawl and throw up at every little thing. They were simply two different people!

Lin Qiushi was somewhat surprised, but he only had to take a look at the tall, aloof man, who never carried any expressions on his face, to remember that anything was possible. After all, if the indifferent man next to him could be a stunning woman in the door world, then she could be anything, too. At least the cute girl in the door world was still a beautiful lady in the real world, unlike that shameless crossdresser who was, in fact, even manlier than him in real life.

“We will head back now. You should properly take care of yourself when you get back home. And if you need anything, just give us a call.” Cheng Qianli said, before parting ways. “Bye bye!”

“Goodbye.” Lin Qiushi waved at them. Once he saw that they hopped into their car and drove off, he went back inside his apartment.

After returning, he laid his body down on the sofa to rest a bit. Staring warily at him, Chestnut sat far away from him and refused to come over and let him pet it. Even though he was dying to just stuff his face into Chestnut’s fur and cuddle it, squeezing the other tight in his hug as he used to do, he knew it was currently impossible.

Lazily sprawled on the couch, Lin Qiushi watched the television blankly. But just as he was about to close his eyes, a cry for help startled him from his drowsiness. As if a bucket of cold water washed over him, he immediately came to his senses. His first reaction was to wonder whether the cries of terror were real or merely an illusion, but the alarming calls for help grew louder and louder, accompanied by rushed footsteps, noisy bellows and incomprehensible clamor.

Lin Qiushi climbed up from the sofa and walked over to the edge of the window. He unexpectedly spotted someone shrieking at the top of their lungs while desperately running around the neighborhood and another person frenziedly chasing after them with a sharp knife in hand.

The scene before him was too unreal. Lin Qiushi violently rubbed his eyes, and soon ascertained that his eyes were indeed not playing any tricks on him.

The one being chased was a young girl, and he was positive that he had never seen her before in his life, but the clothes she was currently wearing struck him with an odd sense of familiarity. Unfortunately, the night was too dark, so Lin Qiushi could not identify the other clearly.

Because of the screams, other residences eventually woke up and went to their apartment windows to see the source of the loud commotion. The moment Lin Qiushi confirmed that he hadn’t seen wrong and wasn’t jumping to any wrong conclusions, he promptly called the police. After briefing the other side on the situation, he randomly grabbed his clothes hanger and rushed out the door to help. But as soon as he ran into the elevator, he heard an ear-splitting screech of agony, and no sooner that shrill, plaintive shriek came to an abrupt end…

It’s over. I was too late. Lin Qiushi understood what had happened in an instant.

As expected, when he finally came downstairs and arrived at the scene, the girl was lifelessly lying down in a pool of thick blood with a dagger stuck in her chest.

The man who had killed her was sitting beside her corpse, hooting deliriously and yelling, “Serves you right, you slut! Gyahahahaha! That’s what you get! I saw you going out to seduce other men!”

Upon seeing Lin Qiushi cautiously walk over, the man did not react. He simply continued to cackle madly and incoherently mumble to himself like a lunatic.

Lin Qiushi didn’t dare provoke the other. He fished out his mobile phone, dialed 120 to call an ambulance, then waited nearby. Fortunately, it didn’t take too long for the ambulance and the police to arrive at the scene, finally drawing the curtains closed on this unimaginable situation.

As a crucial eyewitness, Lin Qiushi was brought into the police station. He heard from them that the girl had died on the spot and there was no way her life could have been saved.

The next morning, news of this incident spread like a wildfire through the media, capturing everyone’s attention. The final verdict made was that this was not a crime of passion; rather, the murderer was merely a random individual suffering from severe neurological disorders. Family members were not satisfied with the outcome of this case. The deceased young woman was an innocent victim who had suffered such a tragic accident, but the worst part about it, was that the individual was deemed mentally incapacitated and would not be prosecuted further, as it was that the defendant was unable to grasp the moral reason for obeying the law, and thus could not be held liable for his criminal actions…

After reading this news, Lin Qiushi went to the villa to seek Ruan Nanzhu. Upon finding him, he asked him whether he knew the girl.

“She’s most likely Tang Yaoyao.” Ruan Nanzhu concluded after skimming the news article.

“She’s dead?” Lin Qiush simply couldn’t fathom it. “How could she just die in such a strange manner…”

“Those who are able to enter the doors are fated to die.” Ruan Nanzhu indifferently responded. “Car crashes, homicide, illness, other unexpected accidents, you name it. And you, too, will die if you do not pass those doors.”

At Ruan Nanzhu’s words, Lin Qiushi was suddenly reminded of the diagnostic report he had yet to pick up from the hospital.

Seeing that Lin Qiushi’s expression was a bit off, Ruan Nanzhu asked, “What?”

“Nothing.” Lin Qiushi absentmindedly dismissed. “I was just thinking of something. I’ll be off now.”

Despite his lingering suspicions, Ruan Nanzhu simply nodded and didn’t stop the other from leaving.

Lin Qiushi made his way to the hospital and took his medical report. He immediately ripped open the envelope holding his information and thoroughly looked it over, eventually flipping to the page that contained his final diagnosis. And there, he detected a few small, neatly-written words: Early-Stage Liver Cancer

Lin Qiushi: “…” Just how could this be? Lin Qiushi let out a bitter chuckle.

He practically never smoked, he drank very moderately, if not very little, and aside from work, he never participated in other activities or other forms of entertainment. He had lived conscientiously and diligently his entire life, yet this was all that his hard work and effort amounted to—a wretched fate as this.

Tightly gripping the medical report in his hands until his fingers turned white, Lin Qiushi despondently returned home in a daze. Coming home to his precious Chestnut unwilling to comfort him, much less get close to him, his frustration reached its peak.

His cell phone rang, but Lin Qiushi didn’t reach for it. He just stayed in bed, staring vacantly at the ceiling, until the phone stopped ringing. He simply did not want to answer anyone’s calls right now; he only wanted to remain alone for a while.

Not even a second passed before the phone rang again. And again. And again. This shrill ringing lasted for another two to three times before it completely stopped.

Lin Qiushi thought the caller had finally given up, but who could’ve known that half an hour later, there would be hard knocking coming from his door.

Lin Qiushi dragged his feet over to the entrance and peered through the peephole, only to see Ruan Nanzhu standing in front of his doorway. He pulled open the door, but didn’t utter a word. Ruan Nanzhu assertively stepped inside and looked around, “What happened?”

Lin Qiushi jadedly shook his head.

Ruan Nanzhu examined Lin Qiushi from head to toe, then demanded, “Speak.”

Remaining silent, Lin Qiushi paused, then finally turned around to point at the medical report scattered on the table.

Ruan Nanzhu extended his arm and snatched it. After sifting through a couple of pages, he threw it aside and clicked his tongue, “That’s it?”

“That’s all you have to say?!” Lin Qiushi thought the other would at least offer him a few words of comfort, but not only did he not console him in the end, he even gave him an attitude! Lin Qiushi was beyond upset. “Liver cancer! I have liver cancer! A terminal illness!!!”

Ruan Nanzhu: “Have you already forgotten what I’ve told you?”

Lin Qiushi: “What?”

“As mentioned before, any individual who is able to enter the doors is fated to die. And you, who entered the doors as well, are obviously no exception to this.” Ruan Nanzhu emphasized. “You are quite fortunate, because you at least have a buffer period. But did you see what happened to Tang Yaoyao yesterday? She died almost instantly after returning to reality. If she had managed to escape from the door world safe and sound, she could’ve avoided getting murdered by that psychopath. But, unfortunately, she didn’t; and so, fate didn’t give her any time and immediately caught up to her.”

Lin Qiushi: “But I have liver cancer. Can the doors truly cure this disease too?”

“Are you saying that you don’t believe me? Everything will be alright. Just give it some time.” Ruan Nanzhu glanced at the time on his watch. “It’s best that you pack your bags and move into the villa. You didn’t answer your phone at all just now. I thought you had died.”

Lin Qiushi: “…”

Ruan Nanzhu: “I’ll help you move your stuff tomorrow.”

Lin Qiushi wanted to interrupt, but Ruan Nanzhu held up his hand in a stop gesture, then pointed at Chestnut. “Chestnut might just let you pet it in the villa.”

It’s been nearly a whole month since Lin Qiushi’s adorable, precious little baby broke his dad’s heart with its cold attitude. “That… I suppose I’ll try?”

Ruan Nanzhu: “…” He honestly expected Lin Qiushi to continue struggling and resisting.

That night, Ruan Nanzhu did not return to his own residence; he instead spent the night at Lin Qiushi’s place.

Lin Qiushi felt guilty letting Ruan Nanzhu sleep on the couch, so he gave up half of his bed, allowing the other to choose to sleep either on the right side or the left side. Once everything was settled, he covered himself with his blanket and decided to have a chat with him.

Unlike in the world of the door, the Ruan Nanzhu in the real world did not talk very much; one could even say that he was practically a cold, indifferent ice sculpture. But as luck would have it, when facing Lin Qiushi, Ruan Nanzhu’s attitude was rather mild, and he answered any questions the other had.

Lin Qiushi was more than touched by this. But although his heart was moved, his mind was conflicted, experiencing cognitive dissonance. So many emotions whizzed though his head and amongst them was one wishful thought constantly plaguing the back of his mind, telling him that the one in the door world was not the manly Ruan Nanzhu before him, but actually Ruan Nanzhu’s older sister, or perhaps even his younger sister…

Fortunately, he was quite tired today, so he did not dwell on this thought any longer. With his mind and heart no longer feeling conflicted, he just let himself fall unconscious into the land of dreams.

The next morning, Lin Qiushi found himself waking up in Ruan Nanzhu’s embrace.

The two men’s posture could be said to be extremely natural, harmonious, in fact. Snuggled up against Ruan Nanzhu’s chest, Lin Qiushi was sticking tightly to the other’s body like a koala. The situation was rather awkward and embarrassing, but the most embarrassing part about it was that Lin Qiushi’s lower-half had actually reacted!

He just wanted to quietly crawl out of the other’s arms without disturbing the other, but Ruan Nanzhu, who was still sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes and gazed at him silently.

Lin Qiushi let out a nervous chuckle, “G-good morning?”

Ruan Nanzhu: “Yeah.”

Lin Qiushi: “Umm, I-I’ll get up first.” He removed the hand that was wrapped around Ruan Nanzhu’s waist and, with feigned calmness, he casually shifted his body away from Ruan Nanzhu in an attempt to hide his lower half.

Ruan Nanzhu didn’t utter a word, until Lin Qiushi finally sat up. All of a sudden, he remarked, “You’re blushing.”

Lin Qiushi: “…”

Ruan Nanzhu: “It doesn’t matter.”

Lin Qiushi: “…”

Ruan Nanzhu: “We’re both men. I completely understand.”

By now, Lin Qiushi’s ears were hot and he was barely able to hold his composure together. With a pained expression saying that he just wanted to kill himself out of embarrassment, he begged Ruan Nanzhu to just stop talking. However, Ruan Nanzhu mercilessly exposed everything, causing the other person to want to dig a hole for himself. With a deadpan expression, he shamelessly revealed, “I’m hard, too.”

Blushing madly, Lin Qiushi hastily fled to the bathroom in sheer mortification. He discovered that although the personalities and temperaments were quite different, the Ruan Nanzhu outside of the door world was just as difficult and problematic to deal with, albeit a different type of problematic.

Cutting a sorry figure after escaping that humiliating situation, Lin Qiushi planned to head over to the kitchen to fix some breakfast. Ruan Nanzhu, who was lying down on the bed, stopped him and said that he wanted to eat noodles.

“What kind?” Lin Qiushi asked him.

Ruan Nanzhu replied, “Just like the ones you made in the door world.”

“Alright.” Lin Qiushi then put on his apron and headed to the kitchen to cook.

Ruan Nanzhu continued to relax on the bed and busy himself with who-knows-what. Before long, there was a knock at the door.

Ruan Nanzhu shouted at Lin Qiushi, “Someone knocked on the door.”

“You go ahead and open it.” Lin Qiushi yelled back. At the moment, he was frying some eggs, so he couldn’t move from his spot. “It might be a package.”

“En.” Ruan Nanzhu got up from the bed and opened the door, only to see a young woman standing in front of him. The young lady had gone slack-jawed at the sight of him. She then shook herself out of her daze and stuttered, “H-hello, I’m looking for Lin Qiushi.”

Ruan Nanzhu turned around and called out, “Qiushi, it’s for you.”

Because he had stayed overnight yesterday, Ruan Nanzhu was currently wearing Lin Qiushi’s pajamas. Lin Qiushi’s clothes were a bit too small and tight on him, so he couldn’t button up his shirt. With the unbuttoned shirt clinging to his attractive body, his defined six-packs and lean muscles, which were normally hidden underneath his dress suit, were left bare, captivating all souls who laid eyes on such a magnificent sight.

When Lin Qiushi walked over to the entrance, he caught sight of his colleague, Cao Ying, constantly shifting on her feet at the doorway, red-faced and at an utter loss.

“What did you do?” Lin Qiushi suspiciously narrowed his eyes at Ruan Nanzhu.

Perplexed, Ruan Nanzhu raised one eyebrow in question, “What else would I do?” He paused. “Rather than asking me what I did to her, you should worry more about what I’ll do to you.”

Lin Qiushi: “…”

“Cough! Cough! Cough!” At the two’s little conversation, Cao Ying choked on her saliva and began coughing violently.

The tip of Lin Qiushi’s ears instantly turned red, but he still managed to keep his cool. “Is something the matter? Cao Ying?” He had already handed over his resignation letter long ago, and the following procedures were also completed without a hitch.

“You forgot to take something with you.” Cao Ying pulled out a notebook from the purse she was carrying and presented it to him.

“Oh, thank you.” Lin Qiushi took the notebook from her. The notebook was like a detailed record, documenting all aspects of his work. It was somewhat important to him, but he didn’t know how he was supposed to get it back after resigning.

“Also… If I may be so bold to ask, this gentleman beside you is…” Cao Ying’s line of sight eagerly moved towards Ruan Nanzhu.

“My friend.” Lin Qiushi answered.

“Oh.” Peering up at the other, Cao Ying flushed red. “I’ve never seen you before…”

“Would you—” Lin Qiushi was about to invite her to eat breakfast with them, when Ruan Nanzhu interrupted him and impassively announced that he was hungry. He then unconcernedly slammed the door on her face.

Lin Qiushi frowned. He looked up at Ruan Nanzhu to reprimand him for his rude behavior, but upon seeing the frightening expression on Ruan Nanzhu’s face, he was taken aback. Slightly intimidated by the starved look in the other’s eyes, he retreated a step, then tentatively called out, “Ruan Nanzhu?”

Ruan Nanzhu: “What’s the matter?”

Lin Qiushi: “What’s up with that expression?”

The corners of Ruan Nanzhu’s lips curled up as he let out a chuckle. “This expression means that I am hungry, and I want to eat something.” His eyes slowly ate up Lin Qiushi’s figure, blatantly looking him up and down. Lin Qiushi was about to retort, but then he saw the other turn on his heels and head to the kitchen. A while later, the sound of noodles being slurped was heard from inside.

Lin Qiushi: “…” Surely, he must’ve been thinking too much!!!

Author’s Comment:

Ruan Nanzhu: I want to eat noodles. Specifically. Your. Noodle.

Lin Qiushi: ??????

Translator’s Comment:

The rules of the doors may not make a lot of sense right now, but they will make more sense later. Remember, this isn’t even the third door yet—there are still over 10 doors left to go (and many more rules, characters, settings, etc. to introduce). In any case, the rules of the doors will continue to be clarified as the story progresses, and the author will also include a long author’s note in one of the later chapters, fully explaining most of the rules.