Kaleidoscope of Death

According to Ruan Nanzhu, the woman could not attack them directly, even if they had already been drawn into the world of the painting.

Given that the frame had been set up beneath the mirror before their eyes, it was reasonable to assume that everyone who came to the bathroom was framed by the object at some point. But what Lin Qiushi couldn’t understand was why the woman ultimately chose to capture him of all people.

“Look at him.” Ruan Nanzhu offhandedly remarked. “It’s because he’s just too cute.”

Tan Zaozao raised her brows at the other’s statement, “Then why didn’t I get dragged in, too?

Ruan Nanzhu: “You think you’re cute?”

Tan Zaozao: “…” Ruan Nanzhu, I dare you to say something like that in the real world; you’ll get killed before you know it.

In all, there were quite a lot of hidden frames dispersed throughout this old castle. In fact, Ruan Nanzhu even discovered a few more after returning to their bedroom. One was hidden on the right-hand side of the mirror. Another was hidden within the bedstand. Ruan Nanzhu even found a hidden frame buried among the shadows of the ceiling. Seeing this, it wasn’t the least bit surprising that he was also dragged into the painting. All of Yang Meishu’s clever, yet needless stunts were eclipsed by the mistress’ own. It appeared that the creature of this door was incredibly intelligent, her own cunning schemes not inferior to anyone’s in the slightest.

Once all of the frames in the room were retrieved, Ruan Nanzhu brutally smashed them to pieces without hesitation. After destroying the frames, he informed the others on the team of the matter, urging them to search and gather as many frames as they could.

That coming afternoon, Lin Qiushi didn’t know if his eyes were merely playing tricks on him, but it seemed as though mistress was glaring daggers at Ruan Nanzhu when they went to have lunch; the look in her eyes was terribly bitter and resentful, as if she couldn’t just wait to viciously tear his flesh apart and pick at his bones.

On the other hand, Ruan Nanzhu didn’t seem to be aware of her scathing stare; or, perhaps, he simply couldn’t care any less. As usual, he sat at the table, ever so calm and relaxed, and delightedly savoured the fine steak before him without any reservations.

Even if everyone searched for the frames within the castle, they still wouldn’t have been able to find all of them by the time night fell. The next morning, another person was found missing, turned into a gorgeous portrait.

Ruan Nanzhu went over to take a look at the painting, then rummaged through the room a bit, before fishing out a flat picture frame from under the man’s carpet. Lin Qiushi took the frame and heaved a sigh, “Even this?”

Setting the frame aside, he shook his head, “It’s hopeless guarding against something as this.”

“Indeed, it is rather futile. We’d better find the key to leave as soon as possible,” replied Ruan Nanzhu. “I get the feeling she’s becoming more unrestrained by the minute.”

Lin Qiushi nodded in agreement.

As always, Ruan Nanzhu’s intuition was on point. That night, the woman appeared outside of their window again.

In the eerie stillness of the drizzling night, the woman stood amidst of the desolate garden; silver sheets of rain cascaded from the dismal sky, pitilessly crashing down on her figure. She slightly lifted her head and flashed a malicious grin in the direction of the balcony, where Ruan Nanzhu was standing.

Ruan Nanzhu was smoking outside. He didn’t say anything after meeting the woman’s eyes. He just coolly puffed out wisps of smoke, his expression, bored and indifferent. After a long moment of silence, he uttered, “She’s outside.”

Lin Qiushi walked over to his side, and looked at the night scenery.

There were those who cowered in fear upon seeing this woman, and there were others who ran like hell after laying eyes on her. And then, there was Ruan Nanzhu, a man so stubborn and unafraid, who simply challenged the woman’s glare with a bold, unconcerned stare of his own, until the woman finally disappeared.

“Are you not afraid?” Lin Qiushi turned to ask him.

Tendrils of smoke swirled up as Ruan Nanzhu deeply exhaled, “It’s all the same regardless whether one’s afraid or not.” He then offered a cigarette to Lin Qiushi.

It probably wouldn’t hurt if he had one smoke; after all, he was currently inside the door world. With that in mind, Lin Qiushi accepted the cigarette, then turned his gaze to the starless midnight sky, “What do we do next?”

Ruan Nanzhu: “We wait.”

Why should we wait? What should we wait for? Ruan Nanzhu didn’t bother clarifying, and Lin Qiushi didn’t bother asking. After he extinguished the end of his cigarette, he and Ruan Nanzhu turned around and returned to their room.

Tan Zaozao was fast asleep on the floor, and her butt was sticking high up in the air. It was hard to believe that a girl like this inside the door world was, in reality, the cold queen of acting. The person before them could honestly pass off as an unmemorable mob character; there was nothing outstanding about her appearance, and her trade-mark aloof personality wasn’t anywhere to be seen. If anything, the only remarkable thing about her was the fact that she loved to stick her butt up as she slept belly-down. Frankly speaking, her worm-like sleeping posture was unsightly—no, extremely ugly. Who knew how many of her fans would mourn if they saw their goddess like this; no doubt the oh-so-regal image she strove to create for herself for years would shatter in mere seconds.

Lin Qiushi conveniently covered her with a blanket, before climbing into bed and laying his body down beside Ruan Nanzhu.

“You stand on a bridge admiring the sight; you’re beheld by a viewer from a height. The bright moon bedecks your window agleam, as you adorn someone else’s dream.” Ruan Nanzhu asked, “What are your thoughts on this poem?”

Lin Qiushi pondered for a while, “We’re inside the castle, watching the paintings. Another person views both us and the paintings from a different perspective. The picture frames encase our windows. And we adorn another’s dream…” The hint on this piece of paper was easily understandable; they didn’t have to think about it for too long, before coming to a conclusion. Nonetheless, he still wasn’t exactly sure of the meaning behind the last sentence of the poem, the part referring to their adoring another’s dream. He didn’t know whether the “dream” in this line was referring to the painting the woman captured them in, or something else.

“I think the ‘dream’ is referring to the painting upstairs.” Ruan Nanzhu turned to his side and leaned forward, gazing at Lin Qiushi who was also laying on his side.

They were so close that they could distinctly feel the caress of the other’s warm breath.

Had anyone else inched nearer to him, to the point that their noses almost touched like now, Lin Qiushi would’ve felt awfully uncomfortable. But perhaps it was because he had shared the bed with Ruan Nanzhu countless times before, that he didn’t find it the least bit strange or uncomfortable.

“Are you talking about the banquet painting?” wondered Lin Qiushi.

Ruan Nanzhu: “Yeah.”

Lin Qiushi blinked innocently, “Should we go burn that painting then?”

Ruan Nanzhu turned silent for about three seconds. Upon realizing Lin Qiushi was completely serious, he replied, “Are you not afraid?”

Lin Qiushi: “Are you not here with me? Besides, if the mistress’ dream really is the completion of that painting, we shouldn’t just wait around until she finishes it.”

Ruan Nanzhu: “She will never finish that painting.”

Lin Qiushi was initially struck dumb by his statement, but he soon understood what Ruan Nanzhu was suggesting. Indeed, the mistress would never be able to finish that painting. There was a total of ten people in that art piece, which meant that she would have to drag all ten individuals into a frame and turn them into a painting. However, according to the laws of the door worlds, the entire team would not be annihilated, for there would always be one survivor. That being so, the mistress’ painting would also never be completed in the end, because one face will forever remain blank on the canvas.

“We’ll take a look at it tomorrow.” Ruan Nanzhu whispered. “We can’t stay in this world any longer. The situation will only become even more dangerous.”

Lin Qiushi nodded.

Unsurprisingly, it was as Ruan Nanzhu had suspected. Another person from their team went missing the next morning. The others didn’t react as exaggeratedly this time around, for they were long used to the situation by now.

In the end, the portrait of the man was collected by the steward. Lin Qiushi watched on as the steward walked up the stairs of the castle with the painting in hand.

“Where is he taking that painting?” Lin Qiushi was curious.

Ruan Nanzhu replied, “Who knows. Let’s follow him and have a look.”

Thereupon, the two individuals tacitly put their knives and forks down, and left to follow the other. Utterly oblivious to what was going on, Tan Zaozao hurriedly chased after them with a bread roll still hanging from her mouth.

The steward made his way up to the sixth floor, opened the storeroom of unfinished paintings and strolled right inside. A while after, he walked back outside.

Lin Qiushi and the others quietly hid around the corner of the stairs. Once they saw the steward disappear from their line of sight, they made their move.

“Should we go in and take a look?” asked Lin Qiushi.

Ruan Nanzhu gave a brisk nod in return.

Putting his lock picking skills to the test once again, Ruan Nanzhu expertly opened the door to the unfinished exhibition room. Upon walking in for the second time, they made a new discovery.

“…Are these all freshly-painted?” Tan Zaozao stared at the paintings in front of her in horror. As before, this room was arrayed with a myriad of canvases, but now, many of the originally-blank canvases had drawings on them. The framed paintings depicted a sombre woman in black, TheWoman of the Rain. The woman ominously stood by windows, corridors, staircases, and courtyards; her haunting presence dwelled within every part of this castle. Her figure even appeared in Xiao Su’s portrait.

The vile sight of her conjured an ineffable sense of impurity and wickedness; it was as though her very being befouled all the paintings before Lin Qiushi’s eyes.

Ruan Nanzhu scanned the hundreds of paintings in the room, and sank deep into thought. He then gave a slight wave of his hand and prompted, “Let’s look for it.”

Tan Zaozao, who was still dumbly nibbling on the bread roll in her hands, having yet to process the entire situation, bewilderingly blurted, “What are we looking for?”

“The door.” Ruan Nanzhu replied. “The door should be in one of these paintings.”

“Are you serious?” Although Tan Zaozao was a tad skeptical, she still obeyed Ruan Nanzhu and began rifling through the countless paintings.

Nearly half an hour passed, when Lin Qiushi, who was painstakingly digging through piles of scattered paintings, stumbled across what they were searching for and softly announced, “Found it—”

The painting was quite ordinary at first glance, seemingly another image of some location within the castle grounds. But with a closer look, one would spot something very special about this picture—the existence of a black, iron door.

The black iron door blended with a shadowed corner, making it rather easy to overlook if one didn’t pay careful attention.

Ruan Nanzhu took the painting, “This is near the right staircase on the second floor. Let’s go check it out.”

With the painting in their possession, they headed for the second floor and quickly found the depicted area; except the area they had located was quite different from what was drawn on the canvas. In place of the iron door was a spotlessly white wall, on which an ordinary landscape painting hung.

Ruan Nanzhu removed the painting before them, only to discover a switch beneath it. Upon seeing the switch, he slowly reached out and pressed it. With a low rumble, the wall before them cracked open; the narrow fissure before their eyes gradually split into a massive gap, soon revealing a black door.

“We found the door!” Tan Zaozao was ecstatic. “Now, all that’s left is the key…”

Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu shared a look.

Ruan Nanzhu: “Shall we?”

Lin Qiushi: “Let’s go.”

Completely out of the loop, Tan Zaozao perplexedly shifted her gazed between the two, wondering what they were talking about; that was until she saw Ruan Nanzhu fish out a lighter from his pocket. In an instant, her eyes bulged with sheer shock, “You’re joking; don’t tell me you two are seriously going to do this…”

Ruan Nanzhu: “Wait here if you’re afraid.”

Tan Zaozao shook her head with a sigh, “Forget it. I’d rather stick with you guys. At least we’ll have each other’s backs in case anything happens. Who cares what goes as long as we’re together, isn’t that right?¹”

Lin Qiushi: “…” As long as we’re together even in the same grave, huh?

Ruan Nanzhu would never waver once he put his mind to something. And so, the three individuals went to the mistress’ atelier on the seventh floor. Upon arriving to the place, they didn’t forget to knock on the door before entering the studio; after all, they certainly didn’t want to find themselves in a mortifyingly awkward position, where they accidentally intrude on the mistress sitting inside.

But apparently, the mistress didn’t paint during the day; she only did so during the night, which gave Ruan Nanzhu a significant advantage. Seizing this opportunity, Ruan Nanzhu strode over to the nearby canvas, flicked his lighter, and set it ablaze. His movements were so natural, as if he had done this countless times before.

Tan Zaozao nervously witnessed him commit arson from the side. Fearing the impending disaster, she constantly fidgeted on her feet and furiously rubbed the goosebumps on her arms.

The flame gently brushed the corner of canvas, before fiercely engulfing the entire painting. But as the fire began to spread, a faint noise, similarly to the muted shrieks of a human being or the crisps crackles of damp wood set aflame, whistled through the air, clearly detected by Lin Qiushi.

“Did you two hear that?” Lin Qiushi asked, dread slowly oozing from his voice.

Sure enough, Ruan Nanzhu and Tan Zaozao both shook their heads, indicating they hadn’t heard anything.

Within seconds, the painting before their eyes crumbled into dying embers and blackened ash. When the last corner was finally devoured by the wild flames, a light clink rang in the room. Something metallic seemed to have fallen to the ground.

Lin Qiushi lowered his head, only to be greeted by the well-anticipated sight of a bronze key.

“Ahhhhhhhh!!!” Just then, the furious roars of a woman came from downstairs, quaking the castle grounds. The thunderous cries nearly brought Lin Qiushi down to his knees. He didn’t even need to think twice to know this was the mistress’ voice.

“Run!” hollered Ruan Nanzhu, as he snatched up the key and ran.

Lin Qiushi and Tan Zaozao followed closely behind his heels.

They raced all the way down the stairs, but upon reaching the fourth floor they ran into the deranged mistress. As of this very moment, her towering figure was hunched forward at a fearsome angle, her face was split in half, jaws hung unimaginably low, revealing her scarlet, fine-toothed mouth from which wrathful howls ripped, and her pitch-black eyes were raging with vehement wrath and mania. However, the most striking aspect about her was the massive picture frame clutched in her right hand, wielded by her. Naturally, not a single person here wanted to be hit by that deadly object.

“Take the side door by the stairs!” Ruan Nanzhu knew the layout of the castle grounds like the back of his hand, so he instantly changed course when he spotted the woman.

The crazed woman madly charged towards them with contorted limbs erratically swinging about, like a ginormous spider whose legs wouldn’t coordinate with its mind. Even then, her speed was frightening; in an instant, she managed to close the wide gap between herself and them.

Lin Qiushi didn’t dare stop running for his life for even a millisecond, for he knew as soon as he did, the frame would come crashing down on him.

They hurried down the fourth floor, making their way past the third. Ruan Nanzhu didn’t even turn his head when shouting back at the other, “Lin Qiushi, lead her somewhere else for a bit! I just need a little time to open the door—”

Lin Qiushi clenched his teeth, “Got it!” He swirled around and glanced at the monstrous woman behind him. Without skipping a beat, he grabbed a random painting hanging off the wall beside him and hurled it at her with all his might.

Struck by that painting the other flung at her, the woman issued a ferocious screech and angrily lunged at Lin Qiushi.

Lin Qiushi narrowly evaded her attack, swiftly ducking to dodge the frame she violently swung around. He then shot a glance at Ruan Nanzhu from the corner of his eyes, before dashing to the first floor of the castle.

As intended, the woman chased after him down the stairs. Lin Qiushi never felt as calm and clear-headed as he did in this very moment. Now certain the woman would only follow him, he quickly twisted around and darted for the stairs at the other end of the corridor. It was now a race against time. No matter what, he had to give Ruan Nanzhu enough time to open the door!

All went according to plan; when Lin Qiushi returned to the second floor, he saw that the iron door had been opened.

A gentle halo of light radiated from the luminous depths of iron door, inviting others inside and leading them down their bright new path to life. Lin Qiushi panted heavily, raggedly sucking in gasps of air, and desperately sprinted towards the door as if his life depended on it. But just when he entered the door, a large pair of grotesque hands firmly wrapped around his ankles, abruptly dragging him out from it—

The woman loomed over him with a malevolent expression; her demented eyes condescendingly stared down at the other, resentful and merciless. Lin Qiushi’s feet were caught in the woman’s tenacious grip. She slowly raised her right hand, and the frame she was grasping soon fell dramatically.

Lin Qiushi’s breath hitched, and his heart nearly stopped in that instant. It was as though time seemed to cease, as if everything came to an utter standstill. The scene before him began to move in slow motion, just as how people’s lives slowly flashed before their eyes in their very last moments. Absolute clarity and vividness overwhelmed his vision; he could even see the fine strands of the woman’s disheveled hair gracefully dancing in the air…

The frame came crashing down, and Lin Qiushi shut his eyes tight, bracing for the impact.

“Ahhhhhhh!!!” However, the cold darkness that should’ve befell him never came to pass. When he heard the woman’s horrendous scream, Lin Qiushi’s eyes flew wide open. No later, he found his own body soaked in blood. It appeared that the source of this gore was the pocket of his trousers, evinced by the endless streams of blood pouring out from it. Having come to life, the flowing blood was on the offensive, seemingly threatening the woman before him, warning her not to approach any nearer. In response, the woman actually put down her frame in surrender and began to retreat.

Lin Qiushi didn’t dare pause to comprehend the situation. Refusing to waste another minute in this godawful nightmare, he turned back around and threw himself into the door. After passing through the tunnel of white brilliance, he finally returned to the long-awaited world he had disappeared for ages from.

“Huff. Huff. Huff…” Drenched in layers of cold sweat, Lin Qiushi tiredly sat on his bed. He lifted his arm to wipe of the sweat from his forehead, before rising up and leaving to go to Ruan Nanzhu’s room.

The door creaked opened, revealing Ruan Nanzhu standing behind it. His expression slightly relaxed at the sight Lin Qiushi, “You made it.”

Lin Qiushi nodded. What he had just experienced before escaping that world was far too terrifying that it shed several years of his life off him. His strength had long left him, and he was barely able to hold himself up right now, “I was caught by that woman when I was about to leave.”

Ruan Nanzhu frowned, “You are not hurt, are you?”

Lin Qiushi shook his head, “No.” Nonetheless, he still couldn’t seem to make any sense of what happened back there. Puzzled, he continued, “I was definitely caught by her, but it seems that something saved me.” He dug around his pants pocket, but found nothing strange inside. “Blood just kept spilling from my pocket…do you know something?”

Ruan Nanzhu leaned against the doorway and shook his head, indicating he didn’t have a clue, “Try not to concern yourself with such trivial details. All that matters is that you’ve come out safe and sound, and that everything’s well now.”

Lin Qiushi hummed in reply. He had a hunch that Ruan Nanzhu was keeping something from him, but even so, he didn’t voice this to the other. After giving the other a slight nod, he turned around to walk away.

Ruan Nanzhu gazed at his retreating back and informed, “Tan Zaozao invited us out for dinner tonight.”

“Okay,” replied Lin Qiushi, “I’ll take a bath to calm myself down first.”

Dusk soon fell.

Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu arrived at the restaurant Tan Zaozao reserved seats at. Lin Qiushi had originally thought Tan Zaozao would invite them out for some first-class steak or any other luxurious meal of the sort, but he certainly didn’t expect her to treat them to some hot pot.

As soon as Lin Qiushi stepped inside, he saw a casually-dressed Tan Zaozao with rolled-up sleeves, eagerly downing sips of beer and inhaling mouthfuls of hotpot meat. She didn’t even lift her head at their arrival. She excitedly beckoned them over beside her, refusing to break her pace of drinking and binging, “Come quick! Hurry, and sit down! Holy shit, I could fucking die of happiness. I’ve been eating that damned steak for so long, that I’ve been craving this shit like crazy.”

Lin Qiushi: “…” Truly, the difference was too much for him to handle.

Ruan Nanzhu seemed used to the sight of her like this. He casually sat himself down next to Tan Zaozao and said, “Don’t forget to transfer the rest.”

Tan Zaozao exasperatedly snapped, “As if I would forget. Don’t get your panties in a bunch. Seriously, what’s with the hurry? I just came out of there. Cut me some slack, and let me enjoy my life for two days, at least.” She chugged her chilled beer and belched loudly, “Fuck yeah. That hit the spot…”

Lin Qiushi was somewhat absent-minded as he stared at the so-called arrogant queen who had now dropped all pretenses before him. Still dazed, he quietly took a seat beside them, and began to eat.

Tan Zaozao and Ruan Nanzhu began discussing business. Most of their conversation revolved around them bargaining the price of the fourth door. After listening to their talks, Lin Qiushi realized that the price for Ruan Nanzhu’s services in the door worlds wasn’t cheap at all. The first four doors cost no less than a million each, at a set price. And starting from the fifth door, higher prices were charged. As for how much the prices were increased by, it all depended on Ruan Nanzhu’s mood.

“Can’t I just get a tiny discount since we have such a great relationship with each other? We’re practically family, you know?” Tan Zaozao tried to haggle. “Not to mention, I’m also a VIP member?”

Ruan Nanzhu coldly replied, “Well then, dear sister, pay up.”

Tan Zaozao: “You scrooge.” Thanks to this lousy miser always sitting on his high pedestal, placing himself above the common mortals and acting as if he didn’t hold worldly desires, she naively assumed he was an enlightened grand master who was completely disinterested in mundane affairs of the world.

Ruan Nanzhu: “Will you pay or not?”

Miserably pulling out her mobile phone, Tan Zaozao prepared to transfer the money.

Ding. Lin Qiushi phone chimed once she finished transferring the funds. He took out his phone, only to find that an extra two hundred thousand yuan had been transferred into his account. His brows furrowed slightly, revealing his hesitance, “Big brother Ruan…”

Ruan Nanzhu waved his hand dismissively, “She gave it to, so you should take it without question. That’s the price of her life. Turning it down is the same as looking down on her.”

Tan Zaozao: “…” No, please. She would honestly rather be looked down upon…

Every line of business had its own rules and etiquette, which both operators and the clients abided by. As a newcomer, he should not question these dealings, and simply go along with the flow. Thinking that, Lin Qiushi gratefully accepted the money in the end, utterly oblivious to Tan Zaozao silent tears.

Having just left the door world, the three of them were exhausted, especially Lin Qiushi who was caught by the woman before he escaped. Although he hadn’t sustained any injuries, that horrific moment was still enough to leave him drained and traumatized.

The first to eat was also the first to leave. After stuffing her face full, Tan Zaozao bid Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Qiushi goodbye, leaving them behind at the table.

“Tired?” Ruan Nanzhu asked him.

“A bit,” answered Lin Qiushi.

“Let’s go back home then.” Ruan Nanzhu said. “It’s getting late.”

Lin Qiushi nodded.

And so, the two exited the hotpot restaurant. Despite the fact the sun had already set, the weather was still overly hot and humid. The incessant chirping of cicadas, and the blaring honking and whizzing of passing traffic surrounded them. The cacophony of sounds was irritatingly noisy, yet inexplicably reassuring, nonetheless. They didn’t utter a word as they made their way back; from start to finish, the atmosphere between Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu was harmoniously silent. Only after they reached the villa, did Ruan Nanzhu finally open his mouth and say to Lin Qiushi, “Rest well.”

“You, too.” Lin Qiushi smiled.

With that, Ruan Nanzhu went upstairs. Lin Qiushi, on the other hand, sat in the living room for a while.

Upon catching sight of Lin Qiushi, Cheng Qianli, who had just returned home after taking Toast out for a walk, cheerfully greeted, “Oh, welcome back!”

Lin Qiushi: “I’m back.”

“No accidents this time, huh?” wondered Cheng Qianli, as he stroked Toast’s fluffy bottom.

“Nothing big.” Lin Qiushi replied, awfully calm.

Having perceived Lin Qiushi wasn’t in the best of moods, Cheng Qianli tilted his head, “Are you alright?”

“Alright?” Lin Qiushi shook his head, “Not really. It might be that I’m just tired.”

Cheng Qianli let out an, “Oh,” and didn’t dwell on the matter any longer. He just repeatedly told Lin Qiushi to rest well and feel better.

Lin Qiushi asked, “Have you seen Chestnut?”

“Nope, haven’t seen Chestnut. I don’t know where he might’ve gone; maybe Ruan Nanzhu’s room?” Cheng Qianli said. “Are you going to go there and check for yourself?”

Lin Qiushi thought about it for a moment, before deciding to let it be.

After returning to his room and climbing under his covers, Lin Qiushi lay in bed for a long time, unable to fall asleep. Restless and lost in thought, he gazed at the ceiling overhead. In the end, he couldn’t resist sending a message to Ruan Nanzhu: Are you asleep?

A while passed before Ruan Nanzhu returned his message: No, why?

Lin Qiushi: I have a question.

Ruan Nanzhu: What’s the matter?

Lin Qiushi stared at the screen of his phone, then conveyed what he had been wanting to say for a while into words: Did you put something in my pocket?

Ruan Nanzhu didn’t respond.

Lin Qiushi: What is it? Is it something you can’t tell me?

Ruan Nanzhu simply answered him with four words: Come to my room.

Lin Qiushi was quite happy. He tossed his phone aside and ran to Ruan Nanzhu’s room. As soon as he opened the door, he was met with the sight of a freshly-showered Ruan Nanzhu with a bath towel loosely hugging his tight waist. His damp hair clung to the nape of his neck, and shimmering beads of water slowly dripped from the tips of his hair, enticingly trailing down the perfectly-sculpted curves of his torso, from his prominent clavicle, to the strong muscles of his chiseled chest, down to the beautifully-defined v-line of his firm abdomen, before slipping underneath his towel and falling to the floor.

“Sit.” Ruan Nanzhu gestured with his chin.

Lin Qiushi sat on the sofa beside Ruan Nanzhu.

Ruan Nanzhu had originally wanted to light a cigarette, but he eventually put it away after glancing at Lin Qiushi. He then picked up another towel and wiped down his hair, “Yes, I put something in you pocket.”

Lin Qiushi frankly demanded, “Then why did you lie to me?”

Ruan Nanzhu: “You would rather everything be done openly instead?”

Lin Qiushi was baffled to say the least, “Why wouldn’t you do it openly? Was there anything shameful or shady about this, that you had to do secretly?”

Ruan Nanzhu looked down at Lin Qiushi, a strange expression flitting across his face. “Have you truly never thought of the possibility that I would want to harm you?”

Lin Qiushi innocently shook his head, “I’ve never thought of it.”

Ruan Nanzhu: “…” Lin Qiushi, just why are you so cute.

Author’s Comment:

Ruan Nanzhu: I like bullying earnest people. *Rubs hands excitedly*

Lin Qiushi: ?????

Lin Qiushi just entered his fourth door, but he’s still inexperienced. You should not constantly compare him to our skilled boss. You all need to give him some more time.

¹This is a line from a drama. The context: Some dude is getting tortured and he curses the guard for being a traitor, saying his entire family and pet turtle is dead because of the other. The guard then looks at the cremation urns neatly lined up and the bowl of turtle stew positioned right next to the family’s ashes, and replies, “What matters most is that the family sticks together.” Which basically suggests, “[We] live together, and [we] die together” but in a more sarcastic/humourous manner. Tan Zaozao’s pretty much like, “Fuck it. I shouldn’t sweat the details—even if everyone dies, as long as we’re [dead] together, it’s fine,” but more euphemistically.