Chapter 24: A Room Beyond the Rain

The room he shared with Xie Wuyu.

Just as he approached the door and prepared to open it, the person inside opened it first, as if he had been standing behind the door waiting for him.

Upon seeing that flawless, handsome face, Pei Liu’s eyes curved into crescents, brimming with scattered light.

It was obvious happiness.

Xie Wuyu’s expression remained unchanged, though his gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before moving away.

“Have you eaten?”

The two of them walked into the room together. The door slowly closed behind them, isolating everything outside—including the ghosts that had been following Pei Liu.

They couldn’t understand it. That newly arrived man looked like an ordinary human with a very delicious soul, yet they simply couldn’t get close to him.

The ghosts were starving, but even though they couldn’t enter, they were reluctant to leave. They clung to the bedroom door, scratching it with their nails like a pack of foolish dogs unable to get their meat, drool pouring profusely from their mouths.

Xie Wuyu paid them no mind whatsoever, answering Pei Liu’s question calmly: “I ate.”

Pei Liu couldn’t help but say: “Next time, you should eat with us.”

He looked at Xie Wuyu eagerly. His eyes were beautiful to begin with, and when he gazed intently at someone like a dewy-eyed fawn, it was incredibly hard to refuse.

Xie Wuyu met his gaze, his eyes devoid of ripples, reflecting an inorganic coldness as he refused without hesitation: “No.”

He had no need to eat at all, nor could he be bothered to reveal his form in front of others.

Pei Liu was visibly disappointed, though he wouldn’t force the issue. He simply slumped his shoulders, lowered his eyes, and looked somewhat crestfallen.

“…Oh.”

Xie Wuyu seemed unbothered: “Didn’t you come back for a nap?”

“Ah, no.” Pei Liu instinctively retorted. “I came back because of you.”

Xie Wuyu suddenly glanced at him, his gaze somewhat strange. Pei Liu didn’t know how to describe it, but he instinctively felt a bit nervous. Did I say something wrong?

Xie Wuyu didn’t possess the currently popular delicate, fair, gentle, and slender “salt-type” look. On the contrary, he had deep-set eyes, superior bone structure, and his handsome contours exuded sharp aggressiveness. He was also very tall, imposing a sense of pressure. His classical aura carried an emperor’s disposition, giving off a feeling that he wasn’t someone easy to approach or get along with.

When Xie Wuyu pushed him onto the bed to lie down for a nap, Pei Liu was still a bit bewildered.

With someone who gave off such a sense of distance, logically, he should have shown respect, given him space, and wouldn’t have actively sought out his company—let alone become this close after just a few days.

He looked down at the hand resting on his waist, feeling even more perplexed.

Even with his closest college roommates, he would never have slept holding them.

Why was he so close to Xie Wuyu?

His memories of how they met were blurred, as if separated by a thick veil. Xie Wuyu was very mysterious; Pei Liu knew nothing about him, nor could he remember how they became acquainted. Yet, inexplicably, he felt a profound sense of camaraderie, as if they were old friends who regretted not meeting sooner.

Pei Liu was puzzled for a brief moment before tossing the thought to the back of his mind, deciding not to dwell on it.

Outside, it began to rain without warning.

The raindrops pattered against the glass window in fine streams, slowly dripping down like spider webs in an endless flow. Threads of water clung to the window, as if alive, frantically trying to surge into the room.

The wind battered the window, causing tree branches to sway as if someone were standing by the window, quietly watching.

Lost in thought, Pei Liu fell asleep without even realizing it.

His head felt dizzy and muddled, completely devoid of the ability to think. His body felt as if it were stuffed with wet cotton—limp and weak, unable to control his limbs.

Thick, black liquid trailed down the windowpane, wriggling and crawling like insects. It slowly seeped into the room through the cracks, then twisted, expanded, and surged until it slowly formed a pulsating, heaving mass of flesh. It then transformed into an unnatural humanoid shape, like a monster crawling out of a swamp.

In his daze, Pei Liu felt a gaze on him.

It was hair-raising, sticky, and icy cold, roaming over his body as if appraising a meal.

Pei Liu instantly got goosebumps; his heartbeat quickened, and alarm bells blared in his mind.

But he couldn’t open his eyes, only faintly sensing someone standing by the bed.

Worse yet, it wasn’t a person at all…

Pei Liu felt cold all over and stiffened, screaming for help internally, hoping someone would wake him up.

The monster by the bed slowly reached out a hand toward him, letting out a sharp, shrill laugh. Its long nails glinted coldly, looking as if they were about to pierce directly into his eyeballs.

Pei Liu’s heartbeat raced even faster; his eyelashes fluttered violently in fear, and his lips turned pale.

But just millimeters away, the hand suddenly stopped, as if deterred and blocked by an unseen force.

A slight chill pressed against his cheek and gave it a pinch.

Pei Liu abruptly opened his eyes, only to see Xie Wuyu sitting up beside him.

He was stunned; because his cheeks were being pinched, his lips were forced into a goldfish pout. What just happened…

Pei Liu immediately turned to look out the window. It truly was raining, the sky dark and gloomy, but the window was shut tight, the floor perfectly clean, and there was no ghost that had entered or stood by his bed.

He breathed a sigh of relief and said gratefully: “Thank you for waking me up.”

Xie Wuyu said indifferently: “You were too noisy.”

Pei Liu realized what had happened and felt apologetic, explaining: “I just had a nightmare, I dreamt there was a ghost…”

As he spoke, he unconsciously shifted toward the center of the bed, wanting to get away from the edge.

Xie Wuyu placed his hand on his head and patted it casually: “It’s just a dream; there are no ghosts.”

While he was there, no ghost dared approach or touch Pei Liu. He was his possession.

Therefore, it was truly just a dream.

Pei Liu looked up, watching him stroke his head. Even though he wasn’t a child anymore, and the temperature above his head wasn’t warm, he surprisingly felt genuinely comforted and his heart settled significantly.

Seeing that it was about time, he figured he should head downstairs.

He didn’t want to leave at all; he wanted to stay with Xie Wuyu.

Before leaving, he couldn’t help but ask once more: “Are you really not going to eat with us?”

Xie Wuyu sat on the edge of the bed, looking nonchalant, about to refuse again, but when his eyes met Pei Liu’s, he suddenly thought of something and drawled: “It’s not impossible, but you have to promise me one thing.”

Pei Liu was pleasantly surprised, his eyes sparkling, and he nodded without hesitation: “Sure, what is it?”

Xie Wuyu’s gaze slowly shifted downward, seemingly tracing every inch of delicate skin until it settled on his beautiful collarbone.

“I want to paint you.”

Pei Liu was a bit surprised: “You know how to paint? No problem.”

He agreed without almost any hesitation. After all, it was a very small matter. Even if it wasn’t an exchange of conditions, as long as Xie Wuyu asked, he would have agreed.

But he didn’t know that the “painting” he understood was not the same as what the other person meant.

Xie Wuyu was clearly very satisfied with this answer. He rarely curled the corners of his lips, but he smiled.

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