Chapter 681 – Remember to Close the Door

Just as Ye Lian and her group reached the doorway, Mu Chen and Xu Shuhan had already come out to greet them, with Mu Chen in the front and Xu Shuhan trailing behind.

After listening to Mu Chen narrate several hours of “Ling Mo’s Observation Diary,” Xu Shuhan’s condition seemed to have stabilized somewhat.

However, as Mu Chen excitedly rushed ahead to open the door, Xu Shuhan, who was following, suddenly wobbled and had to support herself against the wall.

She lowered her head, her vision blurred as she looked ahead, and she shook her head vigorously.

The bloody veil over her eyes grew increasingly dense, impossible to shake off…

She moved her gaze to a broken mirror on the side and froze.

Pale skin, eyes almost completely red, a chilling aura emanating from the depths of her soul…

Xu Shuhan’s breathing became rapid as she couldn’t help but touch her face.

Is this still me?

How did a female host with a professional demeanor become so sinister…

“You guys took way too long,” Mu Chen grumbled absentmindedly as he opened the door.

However, to Xu Shuhan, the voice sounded like a cacophony, causing a painful expression to surface on her face as she covered her ears swiftly.

Is this what the world sounds like to zombies? It’s unbearable… so noisy…

Xu Shuhan leaned against the wall, clutching her head as she listened to Mu Chen’s endless chatter and the scraping sound of the temporarily barricaded sofa being moved away.

The sound of the sofa scraping against the floor was like cannon fire in her ears, almost making her want to scream to vent her frustration.

Her nails dug deeply into her scalp, but it did little to ease her irritation.

Why doesn’t it hurt enough? Why can’t I feel anything real?

Xu Shuhan stared in terror at her reflection in the mirror, feeling utterly unfamiliar.

Despite being scared to death, the eyes of the person in the mirror were still filled with a ravenous desire for blood…

Listening to the stories had only kept Xu Shuhan’s mind temporarily clear, but her body, under the assault of the virus, was responding very honestly.

“But why did it suddenly…”

Creak—

As the door opened, Xu Shuhan’s body suddenly stiffened.

She slowly turned her head, watching as Ye Lian and her group filed in.

“Oh right… it’s because of this…”

Xu Shuhan felt her legs go weak, the blood in her veins seemingly about to boil.

This instinctual shiver made Xu Shuhan feel a sudden sense of relief.

Good thing I didn’t say anything… If I had blurted it out, what would have happened now?

She squeezed her head hard again, reminding herself not to fall into a chaotic state of mind.

“What’s wrong with the captain?” Mu Chen asked in shock as he saw Ling Mo being helped in by Ye Lian. He quickly approached to lend a hand.

Ye Lian shook her head and declined softly, “He… he’s asleep…”

“Asleep?!” Mu Chen looked bewildered. Just what exactly happened while they were out?

“Hey, hey, hey, is something on fire?” Mu Chen stepped aside for Ye Lian and Ling Mo, then reached out to stop Xia Na, asking, “And what the heck happened to you all?!”

Xia Na and Li Yalin both lowered their heads and were supporting each other.

Mu Chen was completely baffled. In his eyes, each one of them was an expert, but how could they look like this after merely clearing a road?

Being blocked by Mu Chen’s arm, Xia Na silently stopped and lifted her head.

As soon as their eyes met, Mu Chen couldn’t help but shudder.

His arm went limp involuntarily, and by the time he regained his senses, Xia Na and the others had already walked past him.

Gulu…

Mu Chen swallowed involuntarily, finally managing to return his heart from his throat back to its proper place.

“So… so terrifying…” Mu Chen stared after Xia Na’s retreating figure with lingering fear. If he hadn’t been accustomed to Ling Mo’s group, he would have found it hard to believe that those piercing eyes belonged to this slender, long-haired high school girl.

Wait, what’s with that ball?

He hadn’t noticed clearly from upstairs, but now Mu Chen saw the large white ball trailing behind Xia Na.

With wide eyes and a questioning expression, Mu Chen couldn’t help but ask, “Hey, what’s that…”

Xia Na raised her hand above her shoulder and gave a slight shake.

The second half of Mu Chen’s sentence was forcibly stuck in his throat, and after he closed his mouth, Xia Na stopped waving and instead gave a thumbs-up.

“Hey, don’t give me a thumbs-up! What did I ask wrong?” Mu Chen muttered in grievance.

Xu Shuhan leaned against the wall, nervously watching Ye Lian pass by her, then turned her gaze to Xia Na and Li Yalin, who were following closely.

As they brushed past, Xia Na, with her head lowered, suddenly paused and raised her hand.

Her target seemed to be Xu Shuhan’s shoulder, but with Xu Shuhan’s body tensed up, Xia Na extended her arm discreetly, even stretching her fingers, yet still ended up weakly patting Xu Shuhan on the chest.

Pat!

Xu Shuhan’s nerves instantly tightened, her red eyes staring in panic at the top of Xia Na’s head.

Pat, pat!

Xia Na sighed softly and gave two more light pats.

“You’ll get used to it gradually,” she said in a low voice, then added after some hesitation as she was about to move on, “I mean those feelings, not just this…”

Xu Shuhan stood there frozen for a moment, then stiffly nodded.

She watched Xia Na and Li Yalin head up the stairs, still feeling her heart pounding uncontrollably from the earlier scare.

“Hey, are you okay?” Mu Chen asked cautiously as he closed the door and walked over.

Facing away from him, Xu Shuhan immediately opened her mouth wide and showed an expression of pain with her eyes closed.

She bit her lip, then suddenly turned around and shouted in a hoarse and violent voice, “Shut up already!”

After yelling, Xu Shuhan ran up the stairs without looking back and quickly disappeared around the corner.

Mu Chen stood there in shock for a while before coming to his senses. He slapped his forehead and squatted down weakly, muttering to himself, “Can’t I catch a break…”

“Come on…”

Ye Lian pushed open the door with one hand while carefully supporting Ling Mo into the room with the other.

Once laid down, Ling Mo moved his lips subconsciously but didn’t make any sound.

Ye Lian remained bent over, reaching out to tuck her long hair behind her ear as she quietly watched the sleeping Ling Mo.

It was already dusk, and the setting sun shone through the window, casting its warm glow over the two of them.

In the golden light, Ling Mo’s mouth was slightly open, his long, even breaths merging with the gentle breeze, clearly audible to Ye Lian’s ears.

She stared at him for a moment, then reached out to touch Ling Mo’s cheek.

The image of Ling Mo clutching her wrist flashed in her mind again. As she looked at Ling Mo’s closed eyes, she recalled his gaze at that moment.

That look was clearer than ever before, as if he was thinking of nothing else, as if everything apart from her had ceased to exist.

Although it was only an instant, Ye Lian remembered that feeling deeply.

“Is this… human… emotion?”

Ye Lian’s hand slowly moved downward, finally stopping at Ling Mo’s heart.

Thump!

The heartbeat’s rhythm, transmitted through his clothes, was palpable in her palm.

Ye Lian’s lips curved into a slight smile. Her gaze shifted to Ling Mo’s lips, and she began to lean down bit by bit…

“What are you doing?”

Xia Na’s voice suddenly came from the doorway. Ye Lian stood up as if she had been shocked, clasping her hands behind her back and staring wide-eyed at Xia Na standing by the doorframe. “I was just…”

“Just sneaking a kiss,” Xia Na smirked mischievously, tugging a somewhat reluctant Li Yalin into the room and casually kicking the door shut. “But Ye Lian, if you’re gonna do something like that… remember to close the door.”

Ye Lian stood there awkwardly. She understood what Xia Na meant, but didn’t know how to respond.

“But I never expected Ye Lian to actually…” Xia Na nudged Li Yalin onto the sofa, then kicked the large white ball she had dragged in towards a corner. Sitting down beside Li Yalin, she grinned at Ye Lian.

“Is… it alright?” Ye Lian’s eyes followed the rolling white ball until it hit the wall, wobbled slightly, and then came to a stop.

“It’s fine, it rolled back the whole way here.”

Xia Na said with a smile.

However, her pale face and rapidly changing eye color indicated clearly that her condition was far from stable.

As she sat down, her hand reflexively grabbed the armrest. Barely a fraction of a second later, a sharp “crack” sounded, and suddenly there was a void beneath Xia Na’s palm.

Wood chips cascaded to the floor, and Xia Na smirked, scoffing, “What kind of quality is this…?”

“It’s… you… strength,” Ye Lian stuttered, quickly bending down to cover Ling Mo’s ears with her hands.

“Alright, I admit I lost control of my strength.” Xia Na raised her hands in front of her and said, “Is this better?”

Just as she finished speaking, Li Yalin made a soft sound and then turned over.

“Ah…” Ye Lian, noticing this immediately, reached out to grab Li Yalin but hesitated, not wanting to let go of Ling Mo.

Xia Na, already somewhat disoriented, reacted a moment too late.

By the time she turned her head, the sofa beneath her had completely fallen apart with a loud “crash.”

Ye Lian quickly covered Ling Mo’s ears again, watching as Xia Na and Li Yalin tumbled into the pile of debris.

“What’s that noise…” a frustrated Mu Chen muttered as he climbed the stairs, suddenly feeling a tremor beneath his feet accompanied by a heavy thud overhead.

And then Xu Shuhan’s shout echoed through the hallway: “Shut up!”

“This time it wasn’t me!” Mu Chen cried out, almost in tears, feeling wrongly accused yet again.

“I’m sorry…” Xia Na frantically scrambled out of the broken sofa and reached over to drag Li Yalin out as well.

Completely oblivious to the chaos she had caused, Senior Sister pounced towards the wall as soon as she was free, but Xia Na managed to catch her just in time, stuffing a cushion in her hands. “Here, take this, take this…”