Chapter 21: Reunion

“Wait, who are you? Where are you taking me—” Xia Nuo staggered as he went along with the man, his wrists tightly gripped. He wanted to break free but the man’s grip was so tight. He could only let him pull him to a completely strange place before they stopped.

“You don’t recognize me?” The man’s voice also seemed surprised.

“You’re…” Xia Nuo was stunned when he heard his question. He suddenly made a guess in his heart.

This isn’t a coincidence, right?

“…my boyfriend?” He asked tentatively.

Zhang Man couldn’t help but mock him lightly, “It’s good that you’re not completely stupid.”

If he only knew how Zhang Man’s heart almost jumped out when he saw this fool walking with the little girl into the garden…

“Do you know how dangerous it was then?” Zhang Man thought of that scene earlier and still felt rattled.

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Tkp blyav eked’v lhld clyv vbyv qypv obld bl oyp clkdt nbyple cu xsdpvlap clqsal.

“Eyp kv eydtlaswp fwpv dso?”

Dky Lws oyp pvkzz yv y zspp. Ebu eked’v bl vbkdj ps yv yzz?

“Xb, usw’al dsv vyzjkdt ycswv Lydy, yal usw?” Tl pktble kd bkdepktbv yde osdelale, “Fbl’p fwpv y nbkze, usw jdso.”

“Ju vbl oyu, obyv eke usw fwpv vbaso? Rv osd’v byax bla, aktbv?”

“…” Hbydt xyd oyp prllnbzlpp qsa y xsxldv. “Tso nswze vbyv byax bla? Zsw’al vbl sdl obs oswze cl byaxle. Mbyv zkvvzl tkaz kp yd lhkz prkakv. Rq R byed’v pyhle usw, usw oswze byhl clld vsad vs rklnlp.”

Mbkp assjkl’p y ckv pzso, ykd’v bl? Hbydt Yyd bye clld vbaswtb y zsv sq tyxlp, yde ulv bl bye dlhla xlv ydusdl clqsal obs oswze osaau ycswv y pxyzz cspp clkdt byaxle.

Hbydt Yyd’p vlxrla oyp dlhla tsse. Tl yzps sdnl vlaakczu pnszele y dlockl clqsal. Gp qsa vbspl dlocklp obs oydvle vs iwknjzu fwxr esod vs vblka elyvb, bl oyp dlhla okzzkdt&dcpr; vs prlde vkxl okvb vblx. Tl’e wpwyzzu zlv vbl xsdpvlap vlynb vblx vbl zlppsd vs clbyhl.

If he’d been chased by that little girl just now, he wouldn’t be able to say that.

That was what Zhang Man thought and yet the boy looked up at him looking like a clueless little lamb who was told that his companion was a big bad wolf in sheep’s clothing. He looked so well-behaved and innocent. If people saw him, they wouldn’t even be able to bear to scold him.

He wanted to touch his head and comfort him.

…fine, you’re cute. Whatever you say is right.

“Let’s get out of here.” Zhang Man said. As Xia Nuo was still blind, he added, “Give me your hand. I’ll guide you.”

“Wait—” Instead of holding his hand, Xia Nuo became wary. “How do I know that you’re telling me the truth? Do you have any proof?”

He didn’t want to be tricked again.

A bit of sadness crossed the young man’s face.

Had he become wary of his surroundings now? Unfortunately, to Zhang Man, his vigilance was nothing close to perfect. If he really wanted to trick him, he could find a thousand ways to do so.

But he just thought about it, he really wouldn’t do it.

The reason being… This young man in front of him looked like his brother who died early. His mind was as clear as a lake. One could simply see through it at a glance.

Zhang Man spit out a few words, “Raven Manor House.”

Xia Nuo felt a sense of disappointment in his heart once he heard those words.

Before meeting him, he still had a glimmer of hope. What if everything was just a misunderstanding? If he thought wrong, maybe Kan Chen really was his ‘boyfriend’?

It was a hope so faint, and yet he held on to it, until that faint flame popped, and slowly died.

Zhang Man raised his eyebrow, not understanding why the young man in front of him didn’t look surprised and instead looked frustrated.

“What? Are you complaining because I didn’t look for you? Do you think I don’t seem like a capable senior player?”

“No, I’m not complaining. It’s my fault that we got separated.” Xia Nuo shook his head and honestly put the blame on himself. “I don’t know your skills so I have no way to evaluate you.”

Isn’t it normal to flatter him after retorting? Shouldn’t he have told him he trusts his abilities or something? Zhang Man thought that the young man was too straightforward.

Zhang Man answered, a bit amused. “All right, I’ll show you what I can do later. You can come with me now, right?”

He extended his hand again to Xia Nuo but he still got rejected.

Xia Nuo shook his head, “Thank you for your kindness but I redeemed the dynamic vision. I don’t see much but I can still walk by myself. You don’t need to worry about me too much.”

Xia Nuo knew that the man had good intentions, but he didn’t want to trouble him. He shouldn’t depend too much on others.

And there was also another reason… He didn’t want to hold other people’s hands.

A man’s hand appeared in Xia Nuo’s mind. Broad, powerful, cold, with distinct bones, and held him with just the right strength to make him feel at ease.

He planned to go to him, but without Nana leading the way, he had no idea where to look for Kan Chen now. Looking at his senior’s attitude towards evil spirits, he probably wouldn’t take him to Kan Chen.

But he had to stay here for another six days, surely it wouldn’t be impossible to meet him once, right?

In fact, once he calmed down, he was a bit afraid to see Kan Chen. He was afraid of hearing the cruel truth from his mouth. It was inevitable to feel a bit of evasiveness in his heart.

“Come on.” Zhang Man’s urging brought him back to his senses.

Instead of thinking about what he had and didn’t have, Xia Nuo followed Zhang Man to the horse farm.

Xia Nuo had just stepped foot on a lush meadow when he sensed two unclear figures in his peripheral view. He subconsciously turned his head and ‘saw’ two dark shadows flashing past the edge of the fence.

“What’s that?” Xia Nuo asked.

Zhang Man looked over and saw a black horse tail that instantly disappeared from his sight. “Don’t be afraid. It’s just some horse from the horse farm.”

He didn’t notice anything wrong. To him, it was only an ordinary horse. “Before I came here, I saw two horses, black and white. They must be a couple.”

“Horse?” Xia Nuo immediately remembered the Luo’er family photo. Wasn’t the husband a horsekeeper? There should probably be clues around the horse farm, then? Maybe those two horses are some of the horses he used to raise?

“What’s wrong? Do you know something, too?” Zhang Man raised his eyebrows. He didn’t expect that this newbie had actually found a clue in such a short time. 

It really is impossible to judge a person just by its appearance. The teenager looked fragile and weak, but he had good potential.

“Umm…” Xia Nuo was hesitant to share the clues he found.

Before he could even decide, a sound of footsteps could be heard.

“Let’s talk about it later.” Zhang Man whispered as he saw He Lina and her two assistants walking over. “My name now is Yang Ke, don’t get that wrong. What’s your name in the game?”

Name in the game? He isn’t asking for his real name, right?

Affected by Zhang Man’s actions, Xia Nuo also whispered as he shared the name he told Nana, “Xia Chang An.”

“Who’s this?” He Lina saw the two whispering ‘intimately’ from afar. She walked over and saw a blind young man. Though she had already guessed the identity of the young man, she still asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? My boyfriend, Xia Chang An.” Zhang Man answered.

“Oh? So you’re Chang An.” He Lina raised her eyebrows meaningfully. “Hello, I’m He Lina.”

“Hello.” Xia Nuo nodded gently, looking very polite and well-behaved.

In fairness, the young man in front of her indeed looked very cute. He looked very innocent, and blinked like a little animal. He looked very lovable.

But so what if he looks harmless? He was ruthless on the inside.

He Lina had been in the entertainment industry for years. She had seen so many people who looked delicate and innocent but were actually capable of doing misdeeds.

Even so, she still had no good feelings towards the young man.

In other words, she hated this kind of people who had come from a privileged background, who were pampered and loved and got everything they wanted. He Lina knew since she was a child that she could never be this kind of person. She could only be envious while desperately trying to grab what she wanted.

How could this naked tragic contrast make her feel good about this Xia Chang An?

It’s not that she fancies Yang Ke, but she believed in the relationship between a man and a woman more than interests. Love had always been a useful weapon for her. A man in the heat of the moment is always willing to give everything to the woman he loves.

She wasn’t unaware that Yang Ke was homosexual, but so what? There is nothing in this world that couldn’t be explored. It was still unknown whether Yang Ke was really sincere to Xia Chang An.

She ignored the young man and spoke with a smile, “Have you finished your mission, Mr. Yang?”

“Yep. I’ve thrown the mirage stone into the garden.” Zhang Man smiled. “Thanks to that, I also met Chang An there.”

He showed a grateful expression and acted to Xia Nuo, “You don’t know how worried I was when we got separated in the banquet hall. Chang An, you must stay close to me this time.”

Xia Nuo couldn’t help but shudder. He quietly touched his arms and unexpectedly felt a few goosebumps.

“This is a bit… corny, don’t you think?” He couldn’t help but complain in a whisper.

He was keenly aware that after Zhang Man said those words, He Lina’s gaze on him became unkind.

“Work with me here.” Yang Ke whispered, his face still smiling, a complete 180 from his cold persona. It made him look like he was really glad to have found the lover he lost.

“…”

Xia Nuo had no idea why he needed to act in front of these people. He could only force himself to show an embarrassed smile.

Only, to He Lina’s eyes, this smile looked like he was showing off.

She simply turned away from looking at the two men and said, “Just now, my two assistants have also dropped two mirage stones. The next thing we have to do is to go to the main mansion of the manor and look for something.”

“What?” Zhang Man asked.

He Lina smiled strangely. “Something that could kill evil spirits.”

“Kill evil spirits?” Xia Nuo eyes widened, and felt a lump in his throat that almost left him speechless. “Why kill them?”

He thought of Li Charlie, the puppets, the cat, Nana and… Kan Chen.

They were probably evil spirits in her eyes, right? Why was she trying to kill them?”

“Sweetie, you’re not thinking of this as a playhouse, are you?” He Lina mocked. “We have a life-and-death relationship with them. If we don’t kill them, then they will come to kill us. In that case, we should do it first. If you can’t accept that, then stay at the horse farm. You don’t have to follow us.”

Zhang Man didn’t interrupt. He also wanted to see what choice the young man would make.

“…” Xia Nuo was silent for a moment. “I’ll go to the main mansion with you.”

This way, he may have a chance to find this ‘something’ before they do—and hide it.

He Lina knew a lot about the manor. It didn’t take them long to reach the magnificent main mansion.

Xia Nuo looked at this familiar mansion where he had just come. In just a few hours, everything had changed.

This isn’t the time to be sad! I still have a difficult task to do! Xia Nuo secretly made up his mind.

Several people entered the main hall as He Lina began to give them tasks to do. “There’s five of us…”

Zhang Man said, “I want to be with Chang An. I won’t feel comfortable if he goes with someone else.”

He Lina smiled as he looked at him. “Alright. Then I’ll go with my assistants to the west. Chang An… you go with your boyfriend to the east.”

The door to the main hall suddenly opened with a bang. Flock of ravens flew in, coalescing into a shape of a man, his voice indiscernible whether it was angry or happy, “What boyfriend?”

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[TL: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻]