When Shu Bai finished washing up and emerged from behind the screen, still damp with sweat, Li Yuheng had already reverted to his semi-transparent ghost form and was slowly drifting in through the window.
"You're back?" Shu Bai asked, drying her hair as she glanced at him.
"Hmm," Li Yuheng floated in front of him, a little heat condensing on his fingertips to dry the moisture in his hair, "I went out for a walk to make sure that those mortals who saw us tonight would only feel like they had a beautiful dream when they woke up tomorrow."
Shu Bai raised an eyebrow: "When did you become so particular?"
"He's always been very particular. The charisma of a leading man isn't something an ordinary person can easily remember."
As he spoke, he reached out and picked up Shu Bai, gently placing him on the bed and covering him with the quilt.
Then, he waved and turned off the light, then lay down beside Shu Bai, behaving himself properly, without even rubbing against the corner of his clothes.
The room fell into darkness and silence.
Only the occasional sound of the night watchman's clapper outside the window and their soft breathing could be heard.
Shu Bai stared into the darkness.
Something's not right.
This is really not right.
Based on Li Yuheng's past behavior, she should have stuck to him like a piece of chewing gum by now, either touching him inappropriately or chattering shamelessly in his ear.
But now, it's unusually quiet around me.
He could even sense the distance that Li Yuheng was deliberately maintaining, and the chill emanating from his ghostly body had subsided considerably.
Shu Bai waited for a while.
…
I waited a while longer.
…
I waited a while longer.
…
I waited a while longer.
…
His breathing was steady and long, as if he had truly fallen asleep.
This unusual quiet made Shu Bai's unease grow stronger and stronger, impossible to ignore.
He finally couldn't hold back any longer, and in the darkness, he turned his head and whispered in Li Yuheng's direction:
“Li Yuheng”.
“…Hmm?” A muffled nasal sound came from the side, heavy with sleepiness, and it didn’t sound fake.
"What happened to you?" Shu Bai's voice was exceptionally clear in the silence. "Why has the world started to smell... nice?"
That extremely faint, cool fragrance, like that of pine and bamboo after a snowfall, seemed magnified in the darkness, lingering faintly around his nose, different from the scent of Li Yuheng in his memory.
Li Yuheng seemed extremely sleepy, mumbling incoherently, "Oh...you mean this...the new...fragrance from the underworld...by the River of Oblivion...a newly opened perfumery...on a promotion...buy three get one free..."
His voice trailed off, until it was almost choked in his throat: "...A whole can, boss...no need to waste it..."
After saying that, she turned over, and her breathing became even and long again, as if she had fallen asleep again in an instant.
Shu Bai: "..."
Buy three get one free?
A perfumery on the banks of the River of Oblivion?
He listened to Li Yuheng's flawed explanation, felt the deliberate distance the person beside him maintained, and smelled that lingering, yet damnably pleasant, cool fragrance...
An indescribable sense of irritation welled up inside me.
You're usually like a teddy bear, full of energy and swagger, but when it really matters, you're playing innocent and pretending to be asleep?
OK.
Li Yuheng, you're good.
Shu Bai narrowed his eyes in the darkness, a dangerous glint flashing in them.
He suddenly threw off the blanket covering him, nimbly flipped over, and straddled Li Yuheng's waist and abdomen.
The movements are fast, accurate, and steady.
Li Yuheng beneath him visibly stiffened, even his even breathing stopped instantly.
In the darkness, Shu Bai could feel the instantaneous tension in the muscles of his subordinate ghost body.
He leaned down, placing his hands on either side of Li Yuheng's head, his dark hair falling down and brushing against Li Yuheng's cheeks.
"Li Yuheng," Shu Bai's voice carried a dangerous undertone, "what did you just say? Buy three, get one free?"
The person beneath him swallowed hard, uttering a muffled syllable: "...Mmm."
"Which store? Name and address. Be specific. I'll go check it out later."
Li Yuheng: "..."
He tried to salvage the situation: "...I forgot."
"Forgot?" Shu Bai raised an eyebrow, gently nudging his side with her knee. "Then think about it carefully. Is it a franchise of Meng Po Manor, or a chain of Naihe Bridge?"
"...trade secrets".
"Okay." Shu Bai nodded, straightened up, crossed his arms, and looked down at the blurry outline in the darkness. "Trade secrets, right?"
He suddenly reached out and precisely pinched Li Yuheng's nose.
"Then you, right now, immediately, put away this 'trade secret' fragrance for me," Shu Bai commanded, his tone icy. "It makes me dizzy."
Li Yuheng was a little confused by his unconventional move and subconsciously retorted, "...The ghostly scent is innate; it can't be concealed..."
"Oh?" Shu Bai's voice rose at the end, carrying undisguised sarcasm. "Didn't you just say buy three get one free? Now it's all natural? Li Yuheng, can't you at least draft a lie before you start making it up?"
Li Yuheng: "..."
Oh no, we've been exposed.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally managed to say, "...Shubai, this is putting me in a difficult position."
He only behaved himself because he saw that Shu Bai was tired from shopping today.
"Difficult to handle? Then don't bother handling it."
"Also, Li Yuheng, you've been so well-behaved tonight..."
"Could it be that he's... not going to make it?"
Li Yuheng: "!???????"
His voice was finally clear, tinged with a hint of gritted teeth: "Shu, Bai, do you know you're playing with fire?"
"Fire? Where's the fire? I just felt like someone was sleeping soundly, and they were talking about buying three and getting one free?"
Li Yuheng suddenly flipped over, and the two of them switched positions instantly.
Shu Bai was firmly trapped beneath him, a heavy shadow looming over her, carrying with it a cool, refreshing fragrance that was full of aggression.
"Buy three get one free, right? Okay, I'll let you check the goods now and see if it's a great deal."
Despite being restrained by Li Yuheng, Shu Bai remained calm and instead raised her arms to wrap around his neck.
“Inspection is fine,” he said, his voice languid with triumph, “but first, you need to explain yourself. What’s the deal with this fragrance? If you can’t explain it, you can sleep on the rooftop with the moon tonight.”
Li Yuheng stiffened, then deflated, burying his head in his sparse white neck, and said in a dignified tone:
“...My mom forced me to use it, and it’s called ‘Cold Moon and Pine Breeze.’ She insisted that I’m too flamboyant and need this to tone it down and make me look more…serious.”
Shu Bai paused for two seconds, then his shoulders began to tremble slightly, and finally he couldn't help but chuckle.
“Li Yuheng,” he laughed, his eyes glistening with tears, “you even used body odor to pretend to be a respectable person?”
"What are you laughing at! I'm just giving her face. And frankly, it's still your fault."
"You're blaming me now?"
"Oh. It's because your charm is slightly inferior to mine that I have to make do with my appearance, lest you catch up to me when I stand next to you."
Seeing him like this, Shu Bai's lingering resentment at being neglected finally vanished.
He raised his hand, ran his fingertips through the strands of hair at the back of Li Yuheng's head, and gently rubbed them.
"Stupid dog."
"Hello!"
"No need to dress up, I'll look at you no matter what..."
"What do I know?" Li Yuheng pressed, his voice filled with anticipation.
Shu Bai turned her face away, her ears slightly burning, but her tone was deliberately fierce: "...You've barely accepted them all! Enough with the nonsense!"
Li Yuheng paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, filled with immense pleasure.
“Shu Bai,” he rubbed against Shu Bai’s nose, his tone both smug and tender, “You’re doomed, you’re doomed. You were definitely trying to say something sweet just now.”
"roll."
"I won't leave." Li Yuheng tightened his arms, locking the person firmly in his embrace. "In this life, the next life, and the life after that, don't even think about making me leave."
He lowered his head and kissed those lips that never yielded again, vaguely declaring amidst the pervasive scent of cold moonlight and pine breeze:
"The fragrance in the 'buy three get one free' offer is fake..."
"But my love for you is certified by the Crown Prince of the Underworld, genuine and never expires."
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