Just then, Shen Yu turned around, and their eyes met.
Lin Hao blushed for no reason at all, whipping his head away so fast he nearly sprained his neck—only to catch a glimpse of a ghost on the screen peeling off its own face.
He immediately spun back, eyes glued to Shen Yu, face white as a sheet.
That little jolt of panic in Shen Yu’s heart instantly turned into amusement. He pushed away all those wild thoughts and said, “It’s getting late. Time to sleep.”
Lin Hao didn’t dare look at the horror movie, so he kept his eyes locked on Shen Yu. “But... but it’s not over yet...”
Shen Yu replied, “It’s already finished.”
In the dark, his hand found the remote. He hit fast-forward, skipping straight to the end credits.
Not that Lin Hao would notice—he’d barely watched any of it.
Shen Yu’s hand was trembling a little. As the movie ended, so did this brief moment of closeness.
But what did it matter?
Four years had passed, and here he was, asking for trouble all over again.
A wave of indescribable exhaustion washed over him. Shen Yu stood up, saying, “I’ve got work to do. You should get some sleep.”
With that, he turned and headed for the study, closing his eyes and trying to find the peace and loneliness that had been his companions for four years.
Lin Hao sat clutching his fruit bowl in the enormous living room, looking even paler.
Shen Yu was gone!
Now he was all alone in this pitch-black haunted mansion!
Earlier, he’d complained the place was too small and shabby. Now, it just felt way too big—big enough to be packed full of ghosts!
Lin Hao froze for ten seconds, then hurried after Shen Yu. “What kind of work do you have this late? You’re still young, don’t stay up all night or you’ll end up bald like my dad!”
Shen Yu’s heart, which had never really calmed down, started racing again.
Lin Hao kept rambling, clutching his fruit bowl like a lifeline, “Seriously, staying up late will make you go bald...”
Shen Yu stopped, not looking at him. “It’s only ten o’clock.”
Lin Hao: “...” Only ten? Wasn’t the movie two hours long? Shouldn’t it be midnight by now?
Shen Yu didn’t give him time to think. He said crisply, “I’ll be done in an hour. I won’t be up late. Go to bed.”
Lin Hao was out of excuses, but if he was left alone, he’d die of fright!
Regret! Why did he have to watch a horror movie?
But what’s done was done—there was no way to unsee all that!
Lin Hao, always quick on his feet, came up with a new plan: “I’ll stay with you!”
Yes! Perfect excuse!
Shen Yu froze, finally looking at him.
Lin Hao met his gaze without a hint of shame, his bright eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint.
Shen Yu’s heart pounded so hard he could barely hear Lin Hao’s words.
“...Let me watch, okay? My dad said I should learn from you. Isn’t this the perfect chance? Don’t worry, if there’s any top-secret business stuff, just say the word and I’ll close my eyes. I’ll only look at the boring stuff...”
Shen Yu snapped back to reality, his mind buzzing, a tingling current running through his whole body, waking up nerves he thought had long since died.
Logically, he knew he should say no. He absolutely should say no.
This was a bottomless pit—one wrong step and he’d never get out.
But...
His voice came out rough, “...Okay.”
If he could say no to him, he wouldn’t still be suffering now.
Chapter 04
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