Chapter 11 What to Take Off

With his life at stake, how could Bai Chenzhu possibly go back to sleep peacefully? Besides, Jiang Ye seemed incredibly arrogant.

He went downstairs and stood where Jiang Ye had stood, casually wiping the cigarette ash off the balcony.

Feeling cold and on the verge of a fever, Bai Chenzhu wrapped his coat tighter around himself, watching Jiang Ye's figure, intending to see if he needed help. If necessary, he would have to call Zhou Zhuohua.

Jiang Ye carried his umbrella downstairs and walked towards the middle of the courtyard.

He poked the bulging package he'd tossed in with the tip of his umbrella. The package's surface rippled, clearly indicating a living creature inside. Jiang Ye pondered for a few seconds, then used the tip of his umbrella to pry open the package. An animal darted out, its afterimage barely visible to the naked eye.

Even though he couldn't see clearly, Bai Chenzhu, who was far away, couldn't help but gasp, his heart leaped, and he leaned forward, pressing against the balcony railing as he looked down.

It might be something mutated; if you take a bite, the 'savior' might turn into a 'zombie king'.

He opened his mouth slightly, just about to warn Jiang Ye to be careful of that thing, when he saw Jiang Ye raise his umbrella and, with lightning speed, just like hitting a baseball, knock the dark figure away with a bang, which landed not far from the balcony.

That was close! Bai Chenzhu breathed a sigh of relief and went to examine the mass.

It was a red-eyed parrot with sharp claws. After being knocked to the ground, it sank into the mud, black blood flowing from its beak. Its feathers were ruffled and trembling, and you could see the swollen, dark red flesh between the feathers. It was struggling to roll over and get up.

It's clear that Jiang Ye's strength is immense, so there's really no need for him to worry.

Jiang Ye slowly walked over and observed the mutated parrot for a while.

He couldn't bear to see the poor mutated bird suffering, so he swiftly and decisively kicked it to its death, as casually as if he had stepped on an ant.

A floor away, Jiang Ye looked up at Bai Chenzhu on the balcony, his impatient expression seeming to ask Bai Chenzhu why he hadn't left yet.

Bai Chenzhu withdrew the surprise and uncertainty from her eyes, pointed to the sky, and pretended that she was there to kindly remind him, "It's going to rain."

Jiang Ye said, "Go back and look in the mirror."

Bai Chenzhu: ?

Jiang Ye gripped the umbrella handle and swung it around playfully. He went out the door, and outside the villa area was a small grove of trees. His figure disappeared into the grove and vanished.

With a downpour imminent, and it being so late at night, where was this person going? Bai Chenzhu waited on the balcony for five minutes, but when Jiang Ye didn't return, she gave up waiting.

Because of Jiang Ye's words, he went back to his room and looked in the mirror in the bathroom. His face was flushed and his eyes were watery, looking like he was about to cry—all because of his elevated body temperature.

No wonder my eyes always feel hot and wet. Bai Chenzhu touched his burning forehead and then his neck, and exhaled a hot breath helplessly.

It's burning again.

His thoughts were hazy, and he wrapped himself up like a caterpillar, half-asleep and half-awake, unable to resist wondering: Where exactly is Jiang Ye going?

Just as he sighed, gave up the search, and prepared to rest, the same eerie feeling as that day when his soul left his body reappeared.

That day, he was delirious with fever. He had just woken up from a serious illness and passed through the ceiling, "seeing" the mutated plants upstairs eating people.

He also had a fever today, felt heavy, and was curled up in a warm blanket. However, he was unexpectedly excited and could even 'see' the things in the room and himself sleeping without opening his eyes.

This is so strange. Bai Chenzhu frowned in his sleep.

Like sleep paralysis.

After a series of thunderclaps, a torrential downpour began.

His thoughts drifted away, beyond his control, flying down from the bay window and seeing the mutated bird that had died tragically not long ago.

I'm dreaming. Bai Chenzhu's body is asleep, but his mind is perfectly clear.

Someone next door was dragging something; the footsteps were heavy.

So 'Bai Chenzhu' was attracted, flew over the electric fence, flew over the high wall, and landed in the yard of the villa next door.

Jiang Ye, holding an umbrella in his left hand and dragging a tightly bound zombie in his right, strolled leisurely through the grove in the rain.

"I really am dreaming." Bai Chenzhu exclaimed, marveling at the absurdity of the dream.

He "saw" Jiang Ye standing for a while at the smart lock in front of the villa next door, holding an umbrella, and then the door opened by itself. Jiang Ye, familiar with the place, dragged the zombie all the way to the front of the house, leaving a long trail in the road.

Jiang Ye released the zombie's hand, knocked on the door, and said casually, "Open the door."

No one in the room paid him any attention. Wang Xinxin and the man in black were both pretending to be dead, as if Jiang Ye would leave on his own.

Jiang Ye's politeness ended there.

In the stillness, he kicked open the villa door and deftly picked up the zombie and threw it inside.

"Jiang Ye, what are you doing! This is a crime! You can't do this to me!"

"I was wrong, I was wrong, Brother Jiang, it was all Wang Xinxin's fault for forcing me to do this."

...

Jiang Ye didn't say a word, took out a small knife, and slashed the roaring zombie, cutting the rope cleanly.

The screams of men and women rose and fell, as if they were competing to see who could scream more miserably. As the zombie pounced, Jiang Ye swiftly kicked it into the villa, picked up a rope, and closed the door.

He tied the rope to the doorknob and locked the villa door from the outside.

The farce came to an abrupt end.

Suddenly, he stopped moving and looked in the direction of 'Bai Chenzhu' as if he had sensed something.

Floating in mid-air, Bai Chenzhu longed to speak to Jiang Ye in her dream, but unfortunately, 'he' seemed to have no mouth and could not speak.

Jiang Ye wiped the rain off his face, waved at 'him' in a gesture of shooing him away, and said, "Go back."

It was as if someone had seen right through his soul. Bai Chenzhu felt a chill run down his spine and his head throbbed with pain. The 'him' was quickly dragged back into his body, falling into a chaotic mix of black and white, and finally fell into a deep sleep.

When I woke up again, it was still dark, the rain had stopped, the ground was wet, and my body temperature had returned to normal.

Thinking of last night's dream, Bai Chenzhu quickly got out of bed and looked out the bay window. The villa next door was quiet and peaceful, and the long-abandoned yard was full of mud, so nothing could be seen.

Wait, what's that rope on the gate...? Bai Chenzhu's pupils constricted as he stared intently at the rope Jiang Ye had tied up in his 'dream' last night.

It's not a dream.

Just like last time, it's a real event.

One time could be considered a paranormal event, but two times? Did he mutate into being able to have his soul leave his body?

Recalling Jiang Ye's words "Let's go back" from last night, Bai Chenzhu felt his doubts growing stronger.

There was clearly no one around Jiang Ye at the time, so who was he talking to?

If he's talking to me, how can he see me?

Because of his anger toward the author of the book, and because he knew the ending of the book, he viewed Jiang Ye from a God's-eye view, with arrogance and prejudice that he himself was unaware of.

However, upon closer reflection, he realized that he was too deeply influenced by that book; in reality, he had no idea what kind of person Jiang Ye truly was.

He's definitely hiding something. Bai Chenzhu was certain of this and decided on a whim to go and find out.

Before dawn, Bai Chenzhu knocked on Jiang Ye's door.

Jiang Ye opened the door, still grumpy from waking up. Before he could even speak, a pot of thick, creamy porridge was shoved right in front of him. It was so close that Jiang Ye almost thought Bai Chenzhu was going to throw the porridge in his face.

Bai Chenzhu reminded him, "Young Master, it's seven o'clock, time for porridge."

"Oh." Jiang Ye glanced at the time; it really was seven o'clock. He looked at Bai Chenzhu suspiciously, puzzled by the man's sudden change in attitude overnight.

"Was the porridge poisoned?" Jiang Ye, leaning against the door, gloated. "Or has your brain finally fried?"

"It's not that bad, it's just paying rent." Bai Chenzhu held the pot steadily, emphasizing a certain word, "'Would you like to eat out or come in?"

Jiang Ye took a step forward and closed the door behind him. He walked around Bai Chenzhu and went to the small living room attached to the kitchen, crossing his legs and looking like a big shot waiting to be served.

Bai Chenzhu followed behind him, placed the porridge in front of him, and handed him a washed spoon.

Jiang Ye stared at him, swirled the spoon around in his hand, took a sip, and found it smooth in his mouth.

He glanced at Bai Chenzhu, who was sitting quietly with his fingers interlocked on a rosewood table. His fair skin stood out against the rosewood background. He was sitting upright and looked quite well-behaved.

Jiang Ye shuddered at this absurd thought, "Unsolicited kindness is either a trick or a theft."

Bai Chenzhu rested her chin on one hand and looked at him sideways. "Is this how you see me?"

Jiang Ye didn't answer, smacked his lips, scooped up a dark yellow lump from the bottom of the bowl with a spoon, and said, "It's burnt." He then nodded, as if this was Bai Chenzhu's 'normal level'.

This whole thing went so smoothly that Bai Chenzhu, who had been silently and sarcastically interrupted, burst into laughter, and his feigned 'gentle smile' was about to crumble.

He pulled his chair closer to Jiang Ye, who looked at him with a puzzled expression and cautiously pulled his chair away a step.

Bai Chenzhu raised an eyebrow. "What, am I that scary?"

“You seem to have a deep misunderstanding of yourself,” Jiang Ye replied.

Bai Chenzhu asked, "Then why are you so far away from me?"

Jiang Ye said frankly, "That's how people who have done something wrong are."

Bai Chenzhu, who was often caught off guard by his tendency to cause trouble, was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "You do have a good sense of self-awareness."

Jiang Ye ate very quickly. He only pretended to use a spoon for the first few bites, but then he picked up the small pot and finished the porridge in no time. He ignored the little bits of porridge stuck to the bottom of the pot and got up as soon as he was full.

"Don't go, I have something serious to tell you." Bai Chenzhu had no choice but to grab his wrist.

Jiang Ye was intrigued. He sat back down in his chair and drew out his words, "Do we still have something serious to talk about?"

"Where did you go last night?" Bai Chenzhu asked bluntly.

Jiang Ye said, "Let's sleep inside."

"Didn't you go next door?"

Jiang Ye instantly understood. He tilted his head, yawned, and said lazily, "Why go next door?"

"I saw you catch a..." Bai Chenzhu had barely finished speaking when Jiang Ye flicked his head unexpectedly.

He gasped, only to see Jiang Ye teasing him: "Oh, presbyopia at such a young age? Your eyes are ruined, you might as well steam them and make soup for me."

Bai Chenzhu slapped his hand away, persisting, "Don't interrupt. I saw you go into the villa next door to find Wang Xinxin and the others, and you even..."

Before he could finish speaking, his calf was kicked under the table. The force was light but enough to make Bai Chenzhu stop talking.

"What are you talking about? Why are you all up so early?" A woman's voice came from the stairs. Zhou Zhuohua came down the stairs. "I smell porridge."

"Haha, you're late. I ate the whole bowl." Jiang Ye said cheekily, arms crossed.

Zhou Zhuohua adjusted her glasses, glanced at the two of them speechlessly, and went to the refrigerator to rummage for food. "I just heard you guys talking about those two people in the next room."

Bai Chenzhu's eyebrows twitched. Did Zhou Zhuohua know about those two? Despite his thoughts, he didn't hold back and retaliated by kicking Jiang Ye in the leg.

Jiang Ye lowered his gaze, while Bai Chenzhu raised his eyebrows and met his eyes. Sparks seemed to fly in the air.

Zhou Zhuohua carried the ingredients into the kitchen, her voice not very clear through half a wall, "Although that villa is abandoned, we can't just let it fall into someone else's hands like this. Jiang Ye, go back and check on the situation."

"Hey—" Jiang Ye responded, stepping on Bai Chenzhu's instep with a cheerful smile. "No need to look. I saw them come down the mountain before it rained last night. They were probably afraid of not having anywhere to shelter from the rain."

Bai Chenzhu's eyelashes trembled slightly. He endured the pain in his instep and tried to glean something from their conversation.

Firstly, Jiang Ye didn't want Zhou Zhuohua to know what happened last night; secondly...

Bai Chenzhu turned to look at Jiang Ye, but asked Zhou Zhuohua, "Does the villa next door also belong to Jiang Ye?"

As he spoke, he launched a sneak attack, striking Jiang Ye hard in the waist with an elbow. The first strike went smoothly, but the second one was blocked by Jiang Ye's palm.

Jiang Ye beckoned to him with his index finger, looking tauntingly arrogant, "What? Is this the first time you've heard that the young master is so rich?"

Bai Chenzhu didn't speak, but his emotions were written all over his face. With his elbow restrained, he punched Jiang Ye in the shoulder with his other hand.

"Hiss!" Jiang Ye felt both pain and itchiness all over his body, and couldn't help but tease the 'little butterfly'. He said meaningfully, "You must have some misunderstanding about my financial resources. I could extend your VIP ward for decades without any problem."

Bai Chenzhu looked at him with a puzzled expression, "Who asked you to continue..."

Before he could finish speaking, he came to his senses.

The original owner of the book was sent to an expensive private hospital after that night. He was kept alive by Jiang Ye, who supported his medical expenses. He was half-dead and no different from a breathing corpse.

Bai Chenzhu's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of his throat. He looked at Jiang Ye, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, "Why should I go to the hospital?"

Having gotten the answer, Jiang Ye released his foot after testing him and, taking advantage of the moment when he wasn't expecting it, punched him back. "You forgot already after just recovering from a fever? Sickly guy, do I need to remind you how weak you are?"

Bai Chenzhu was annoyed that he hadn't gotten any information out of them but had instead been tricked into revealing a little something. He was holding back his anger, and in the blink of an eye, the two of them were supposedly having a secret exchange under the table.

Zhou Zhuohua brought out a bowl of noodles, and the two of them separated their entangled hands and feet.

Bai Chenzhu straightened his disheveled collar, slightly out of breath. Jiang Ye lowered his eyes, dusted off the corner of his clothes, his expression unchanged.

"Don't mind me, you two," Zhou Zhuohua said quietly. "Fight, fight to the death, don't stop. If you kill them, I'll bury them; if you win, I'll applaud."

Jiang Ye knew she was being sarcastic, but he just smiled and said, his eyes, however, were defiant and unruly, hiding his malice and filled with feigned innocence, as he said confidently, "Sister, I'm just having a friendly conversation with him."

Bai Chenzhu nodded without saying a word. He was very polite and gentle, just like a model student. Even if he got into fights, it was because he was influenced by that Jiang guy next door.

"Pretend, all of you, pretend." Zhou Zhuohua curled her lips, too lazy to expose their pretense.

She placed the bowl on the table, sat down on the other side of Jiang Ye, and got down to business, "Jiang Ye, I've packed my things and I'm leaving soon. You and this..."

Her gaze swept between the two of them, and her cold and aloof face suddenly softened with a smile. She used Jiang Ye's words, "Friends," she said, "you should get along well with your friends. You're all adults, don't fight all the time."

The tone was so gentle, like coaxing two preschoolers. If you let them hold hands and make up, it would be even more like that.

Jiang Ye frowned and immediately sat up straight. "Are we leaving later?"

“There will definitely be danger on this trip, so you don’t need to come with me.” Zhou Zhuohua’s mind was made up. “There is food and drink in the villa, so we can at least last for a while.”

“Let’s go together,” Jiang Ye said, leaving no room for argument.

"Us?" Bai Chenzhu had a bad feeling. He turned around and left without a word, but as soon as he got off the chair, Jiang Ye seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and quickly grabbed the back of his clothes.

The force was so great that Bai Chenzhu was pulled backward and fell onto the chair.

Jiang Ye curled his lips into a smile, gripping the back of his shirt tightly. "Look, my friend said he wants to go too, he's so excited he can't sit still."

"I'm not going." Bai Chenzhu turned and pried Jiang Ye's wrist, he didn't even know where they were going.

But Jiang Ye refused to let go, and the two of them were already quite strong. In the struggle, they forcibly tore a small piece of fabric from the back of Bai Chenzhu's shirt.

Zhou Zhuohua silently looked away and took two bites of the bland clear soup noodles.

Bai Chenzhu turned his head to look at his torn clothes, his face clouded with gloom, as if a storm was brewing.

Jiang Ye twirled the tattered cloth between his fingers, casually tossed it aside, curled his lips, and said wickedly, "If you're not going, then you can stay naked. I promise, I won't leave you a pair of underwear in the house."

A vein throbbed on Bai Chenzhu's forehead; he had done something stupid that he would regret countless times.

He walked behind Jiang Ye's chair and said coldly, "Take it off."

As if he were hallucinating, Jiang Ye froze, looking up at the person behind him, "Take off what?"

Seeking revenge, Bai Chenzhu immediately took action, attempting to forcibly rip off Jiang Ye's eye-catching beach-style floral shirt.

But how could Jiang Ye be willing to have his clothes ripped off? —Even if it's just an overcoat —it might not be very harmful, but it's extremely humiliating.

So Bai Chenzhu was stopped halfway through peeling the clothes, and the two inexplicably confronted each other, which then turned into a physical conflict, pulling and tugging at each other, with Bai Chenzhu gripping Jiang Ye's coat like in a tug-of-war.

In the midst of the struggle, the two tumbled to the ground, each suffering heavy losses. The sound of tearing cloth echoed in the small kitchen hall, occasionally punctuated by the dull thud of fists landing on flesh and the accidental kicking of tables and chairs. It was a fight where neither of them could escape unscathed.

Zhou Zhuohua ate her noodles without changing her expression amidst the noise. The two of them were making such a racket that her bowl of noodles shook, the soup sloshed around, and her chair was bumped over from time to time.

Zhou Zhuohua swallowed the last bite of noodles, elegantly picked up a tissue to wipe the corner of her mouth, and said, "Perhaps I need to remind you two that there is a lady here."

The commotion behind him subsided, and Zhou Zhuohua didn't turn around to look. She sighed wearily, "You can go back to your rooms and do it slowly with the doors closed. I promise I won't disturb you. Of course, if you tear all your clothes, I can kindly provide each of you with a floral dress."

She walked away with the empty bowl in her hand, her eyes fixed straight ahead, leaving the two of them, who had just come to their senses, staring at each other in an awkward position.

As Bai Chenzhu was deep in thought, watching Zhou Zhuohua's retreating figure, Jiang Ye, who was pinned beneath him, suddenly retaliated, grabbing his wrist above his head, and the tide of battle turned in an instant.

Jiang Ye looked down at the person beneath him, his handsome face full of aggression. "You really won't come with me?"

Bai Chenzhu glanced at him, then turned her head away in resistance, "I'm not going."

Jiang Ye bent over, his gaze initially fixed on Bai Chenzhu's eyes. However, when Bai Chenzhu looked away, Jiang Ye was caught off guard by a section of fair neck with clearly defined jawline, each line perfectly proportioned, as if naturally formed.

After a while, Jiang Ye slowly withdrew his hand and gently touched Bai Chenzhu's earring. "Last night, you weren't mistaken."

Bai Chenzhu suddenly turned to look at him.

Seeing this reaction, Jiang Ye squinted and chuckled to himself, "Are you curious about what's going on? Are you worried that you've contracted some strange illness?"

Bai Chenzhu looked at him with a sullen face, without saying a word.

"It's not an illness, isn't that incredible? If you want to know anything else, like whether it will get worse in the future, or how to treat and recover... Mr. Bai, you have to be sincere first, otherwise why should I tell you?" Jiang Ye had already stood up, straightened his clothes, and extended his palm towards him, his meaning was very clear.

After much deliberation, Bai Chenzhu reached out and grabbed Jiang Ye's hand. Jiang Ye's body temperature was much higher than his, so hot that Bai Chenzhu reflexively tried to pull away as soon as he touched him, but Jiang Ye grabbed his hand and pulled him up with one hand.

Jiang Ye curled his lips into a smile, looking completely in control. "Let's go, I'll buy you a new outfit."

"I don't want your kind."

Jiang Ye paused, gritted his teeth, and turned back to snarl, "What did you say?"

Bai Chenzhu's eyes gleamed with obvious disdain, yet held an almost imperceptible smile as he repeated without changing his expression, "Don't wear those big, colorful moth costumes."

Colorful fluttering moths? Jiang Ye looked down at his white vest and floral shirt.

"Okay," Jiang Ye said, enunciating each word clearly. "I'll go get you a floral dress."

Bai Chenzhu remained unmoved, even glancing at Jiang Ye with a subtle look in his eyes.

Jiang Ye felt a chill run down his spine. Before he could ask anything, Bai Chenzhu said calmly, "You're a pervert."

Jiang Ye: ...Day!