The mayor's smile froze instantly, and his fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on his cane.
He chuckled dryly, his eyes darting around: "Young man, what are you talking about? Are you hungry? I'll go and have someone prepare breakfast for you."
Li Yuheng reached out to stop the mayor, smiling as he said, "Don't be in such a hurry to leave, mayor. You knew I was a reporter last night, yet you still made sure I stayed in this house. Wasn't that because you wanted to tell me something?"
Playing hard to get is a game that Li Yuheng only wants to play with his wife.
As for the NPCs in this instance...
Tsk, let's save our breath.
He doesn't have the time or inclination to deal with such things.
If I don't tell you?
Sigh, then he'll just have to release some ghosts to keep him company and have a good chat.
The mayor sighed, his eyes becoming complicated: "Young man, some things... are useless to know."
Li Yuheng raised an eyebrow: "Whether it works or not is up to me to decide."
The mayor was silent for a moment before finally speaking slowly: "You're right... those who disappeared all left on their own."
He leaned on his cane and slowly walked to the window, gazing at the church steeple in the distance: "Ten years ago, a plague broke out in the town... It was actually just ordinary bird flu, but we are located on the border between two countries, and the rescue was slow to arrive. The whole country was ravaged by the plague, and no one cared about our little place."
The mayor's voice was low and weary: "Just when everyone was in the most despair, a stranger came who claimed to be a doctor. He brought the will of 'God' and preached about 'bloodletting therapy,' saying that as long as one had a devout faith, one could be saved."
Li Yuheng leaned against the wall, listening quietly.
“At first, I and some clear-headed townspeople strongly opposed it and tried to prevent the doctor from entering the town, but more and more people believed it… They grasped at the last straw and frantically hurt themselves.” The mayor’s voice trembled. “Most of the town… just like that, is gone.”
He turned around, his cloudy eyes glistening with tears: "At the same time, my son... also contracted the plague, and because he was too young, he didn't live to see any rescue... and he passed away."
"Later, the rescue finally arrived, and the plague was brought under control, but people's hearts... could not be restored. People from above were sent to investigate the deaths of most of the town's residents, and I was called in to assist with the work."
The mayor gave a bitter smile. "While I was away, that devil came back! He made the townspeople build a church and hang a picture of 'God' there... By the time I returned, it was too late."
"The higher-ups arrested the doctor and sent a teacher to give lectures, telling everyone it was a cult." The mayor shook his head. "But those who believed were already obsessed, and those who didn't believe had long since seen through it... In the end, the teacher also gave up and left."
He pointed to the church in the distance: "That painting... no one dares to touch it. Some people have touched it, and they claim to have seen extremely horrific scenes, some even committing suicide."
Li Yuheng raised an eyebrow: "So they covered it with a red cloth?"
“Yes.” The mayor nodded. “But even so, its effects persist… Strange things are happening more and more in the town. Some people claim to have seen the ghosts of their deceased relatives, and even that ‘god’.”
“The townspeople who were sober couldn’t stand the atmosphere and came to me one by one to say goodbye… What could I do? I could only agree to let them leave.”
The air suddenly became quiet, with only the faint sound of the wind outside the window.
After a moment, Li Yuheng spoke up: "And what about you? Why didn't you leave?"
The mayor sighed and looked out the window at the dilapidated streets: "I... grew up here. I'm an orphan. Everyone in the town raised me with a meal and a drink of water."
His fingers gently traced the engravings on his cane, marks left by the years. "They have been kind to me, I cannot leave."
Li Yuheng raised an eyebrow: "So you're just guarding this empty town all by yourself?"
“It’s not just one person.” The mayor shook his head, a hint of tenderness flashing in his cloudy eyes. “There are also those elderly people who don’t want to leave… We look after each other.”
He paused, his voice lowering, "And I always feel... that my son is still here."
Li Yuheng's gaze shifted slightly: "You can see him?"
The mayor shook his head with a wry smile: "I can't see it. But sometimes... I can feel it. For example, the books in the study will turn pages by themselves, and the dishes in the kitchen will move inexplicably."
He looked up at Li Yuheng, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "Young man, you're a reporter, you've seen a lot... Tell me, do ghosts really exist in this world?"
Li Yuheng smiled knowingly: "Who knows? Maybe your son just misses you too much and can't bear to leave."
The mayor paused for a moment, then gave a relieved smile: "Yes... I'm reluctant to leave."
Li Yuheng's gaze passed over the town mayor and landed on the small figure at the door of the room.
Shu Bai stood there quietly, staring intently at him, clutching the worn-out puppy doll in her arms.
"Mayor, thank you for telling me all this." Li Yuheng looked away and said with a smile, "I'm a little hungry now, could you please prepare some breakfast?"
The town mayor nodded quickly: "Of course, of course, I'll arrange it right away."
He slowly walked towards the stairs, leaning on his cane, his back hunched and lonely.
Once the footsteps faded into the distance, Li Yuheng strode towards Shu Bai, squatted down to look him in the eye, and asked, "How long have you been eavesdropping?"
Shu Bai pursed her lips, not answering the question, but instead said, "Try to get information out of him."
“This is called legitimate intelligence gathering.” Li Yuheng reached out and ruffled his sparse white hair. “What, feeling sorry for your father?”
"He is not my father."
"Oh?" Li Yuheng raised an eyebrow. "Then who are you?"
"I am Shu Bai."
Li Yuheng wagged his finger dismissively: "Nonono~"
He suddenly picked Shu Bai up and scooped him up in his arms, supporting his legs firmly, and grinned in a roguish way: "You're my wife."
Shu Bai was caught off guard and was suddenly lifted into the air. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, but after realizing what was happening, she immediately struggled and said, "Put me down."
Li Yuheng has started intermittently pretending to be deaf again.
He looked at Shu Bai's bare feet, his lips curving into a wide smile, thinking to himself with delight: "Wow, my wife is really head over heels for me. She didn't even bother to put on her shoes before running out to find me. This damn charm is such a sweet burden!"
He deliberately bounced Shu Bai in his arms, a smug look on his face: "Little Shu Bai, did you miss me so much that you even forgot to put on your shoes?"
"I'm just too lazy to wear it."
"Oh? Is that so?" Li Yuheng raised an eyebrow, his eyes saying, "I know, I know, you're just shy." He added cheekily, "It's okay, I understand. A super handsome guy like me is indeed hard to resist."
Shu Bai: "..."
He took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to strangle Li Yuheng, and said expressionlessly again, "Put me down."
Li Yuheng hugged her even tighter, and deliberately rubbed his chin against the top of her sparse white hair, saying in a doting tone, "No, the ground is cold. How can my wife's feet touch the ground? It would be too degrading!"
A vein throbbed on Shu Bai's forehead: "...Who's your wife?"
Li Yuheng blinked, looking completely innocent: "You, who else could it be?"
Shu Bai sneered: "Dream on."
Li Yuheng wasn't annoyed at all; instead, he smiled and said, "Oh dear, little Shu Bai, who says one thing but means another, is so cute~"
Shu Bai: "..."
He completely gave up on communicating with this lunatic, simply turning his face away to avoid seeing him altogether.
Seeing this, Li Yuheng was even happier. As he carried Shu Bai into the room, he boasted to 0090 in his mind: "Little system, see? My wife is so smitten with me that she doesn't even want to walk anymore and insists that I carry her."
0090: [...]
It silently observed Shu Bai's "I want to kill" expression, unable to bear shattering its host's fantasy, and could only say against its will: 【The Crown Prince's charm is boundless.】
Li Yuheng shook his head smugly: "Of course, don't you know who I am?"
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