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◎Exchange◎
The intricately carved gate opened and closed, and those who came out were a mix of joy and sorrow.
Mu and Qing silently drank cup after cup of tea. Uncle Gua was a talkative man, and he commented on everyone who came out. He seemed to know the purpose of everyone's visit.
"What are they asking for?" Mu Heqing asked.
Uncle Gua said, "Money, power, fame, what else is there besides these?"
"Love, family, life, appearance—people can ask for many things," Mu Heqing said slowly.
“That makes sense, but those inside generally don’t help people get what you’re talking about.” Uncle Gua picked up a large slice of watermelon and took a bite.
"What's inside?" Mu and Qing wanted to know how Uncle Gua would evaluate Li Shi.
Uncle Gua smiled nonchalantly and said lightly, "God, huh."
"Are there gods in the world?" Mu and Qing asked rhetorically.
"Having abilities that humans cannot understand, and giving humans what they want, isn't that what a god is?"
"But there's a price to pay; it's more like an exchange."
Uncle Gua shrugged and said nonchalantly, "There aren't that many good things in this world. There are too many unlucky things and too many things that can't be done. All we can do is pray to God."
God? No, it's a demon; what you get from him is equivalent to taking away your own future.
Everything I gained was obtained through my own efforts.
Mu Heqing lowered his eyes and said in a voice that was almost audible only to himself, "There are no gods in the world. Everything comes at a price, and everything just makes you sink deeper."
"Number Thirteen!" The carved door opened again, and a servant called out.
Uncle Gua took a tissue to wipe his hands and said to Mu and Qing, "It's our turn."
Mu and Qing followed Uncle Gua through the carved gate, accompanied by a chubby boy with a round face. He looked very nervous, and his forehead was covered in sweat.
Before even entering, the familiar stench of blood assaulted their nostrils. The space behind the door was much darker than the main hall, barely allowing Mu and Qing to see the way.
Upon entering, there was only a raised platform inside the room, and the rest of the floor was covered with large, indistinct black shadows. Mu and Qing guessed that those were dead animals.
The dim blue light flickered, and the rustling sounds of gnawing could be heard continuously.
A man sat alone on a high platform, before whom lay his gluttonous feast.
"What do you want?" One of the people standing below the platform, dressed in the same clothes as the servants outside the door, asked.
The chubby boy was covered in sweat and stammered, "I want my Cool Music fans to reach one million. I sing much better than them, but nobody listens to my songs!"
Mu and Qing wondered if Li Shi even knew that Cool Video was a short video platform. Surely he didn't even know the concept of fans?
"Alright, go out." said the attendant below the platform.
The chubby boy lowered his head in disappointment.
Is that all? Mu and Qing looked at the high platform in confusion, where the person was still engrossed in the gluttonous feast.
Uncle Gua sighed, pulled the chubby boy out, and Mu and Qing followed closely behind. As they went out, the person on the platform suddenly called out, "He Qing!"
Bang--
The gate closed, leaving Mu and Qing alone inside.
“Show me.” Mu Heqing turned around.
Li Shi stepped down from the platform, his face as perfect as ever, but in this environment, it had a more eerie quality.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief and asked, "He Qing, you wanted to see me, so why didn't you say anything and just left?"
"I saw you were busy, so I didn't want to bother you," Mu Heqing said expressionlessly.
Li Shi smiled and said, "I was just bored. Now that you're here, this can end here."
He glanced at the attendant standing beside him.
The servants did not act immediately. One of them said, "Lord Shi, there are still many people waiting for you. It is not appropriate to end this so easily."
Mu and Qing were slightly surprised. These people were not Li Shi's people. They respected Li Shi verbally, but did not listen to Li Shi's words.
"Are they from C3 Club?" Mu Heqing asked.
Li Shi nodded. "I think that's the name."
What is your relationship with them?
"I don't know, it's just a tool to pass the time." Li Shi turned around and walked up to the platform again, looking down at Mu Heqing.
He still prefers white clothes, and doesn't care if they're stained with blood.
The servants, referred to as mere tools, showed no change in expression, as if they were doing so willingly.
Mu Heqing frowned. The atmosphere here made her uncomfortable, and she decided to leave.
"I won't bother you anymore, I'm leaving."
The door was tightly shut. Mu Heqing tugged at the handle, but the door wouldn't open. She turned to look at Li Shi.
"Let me leave here, or will you come with me?"
Li Shi sat on the chair on the high platform, stretched out a hand to Mu Heqing, and said softly, "Don't rush, Heqing, there aren't many people left. Come, stand next to me."
Mu and Qing stood there in silence for a while. In the clash between Li Shi and C3 Club, it was actually Li Shi who compromised?
She's starting to get interested.
"I'll stand here, you can continue." Mu and Qing stood in the corner, keeping to themselves with the large shadow.
Li Shi chuckled: "He Qing, you're still the same as before, preferring to stay in the corner."
The servant called out a name, and another person entered from outside.
The man talked on and on for a long time, but Li Shi didn't even look up, appearing listless.
The servant dismissed the man, indicating that as long as Rish remained silent, it meant he disagreed.
Several people came and went, but Li Shi didn't say a word.
No one dared to question him, and not even one dared to step forward and look at Li Shi.
With so many people coming in, probably none of them have seen Li Shi's true face.
Mu and Qing stood in the corner, starting to feel bored.
"What's the point of this?" Mu Heqing asked. "You won't agree to their request."
Li Shi said, "They're not interesting. None of them are of interest to me."
What kind of person do you want?
Li Shi thought for a moment and replied, "A person who is greedy enough would probably be interesting."
As they were talking, another man entered.
The man kept his eyes down and remained silent for a long time.
The servant shouted, "Speak up, or get out."
The man flinched and asked, "Can any wish be granted here?"
No one answered in the empty room; Mu and Qing had already blended into the shadows.
The man continued, "I have a colleague who likes to show off. At work, the boss always asks him to do everything, even though I can do those things myself. Whether it's colleagues or superiors, they all prefer to ask this colleague. They never include me in their after-get off work dinners. I really hate him."
"Then what do you want?" Li Shi asked.
Hearing Li Shi speak, the man was startled and dared not speak again.
"Get out," several servants said.
"Wait! I want to embarrass him, I want him to be hated by everyone in the company," the man said urgently.
"Okay," Li Shi agreed.
The man exclaimed happily, "You agreed? Then I want his girlfriend too! He actually managed to find such a gentle and beautiful girlfriend, while I've failed at blind dates more than ten times. I want his girlfriend to fawn over me, so he'll feel uncomfortable just seeing her!"
"Okay," Li Shi agreed.
Mu Heqing looked at Li Shi, not understanding his thoughts, and felt vaguely uncomfortable.
"There's another woman in the company who's always looking down on me. I want her to fawn over me, I want her to give me all her money, and then I'll..." The man's mouth was full of vulgarities.
Li Shi agreed.
The man became even more excited. He began to recite the names of all the people he looked down on, and he started to broaden the scope of his fantasies.
What price are you willing to pay?
Li Shi's words were like a pause, stopping the man's incessant chatter.
"Do we have to pay a price?" The man shrank back again, his voice becoming softer.
Li said, "I'll trade the rest of your life for one minute of your experience."
"No, no, I..." the man stammered, and was kicked out.
Li Shi stepped down from the platform and sighed, "I thought he would agree; he seemed so eager."
"Shi, what do you want to do?" Mu Heqing's expression was grim.
That kind of person is truly challenging her moral bottom line. Experiencing it for even a minute? No, he shouldn't even be able to imagine it.
"What's wrong? Feeling disgusted, He Qing?" Li Shi stepped out of the shadows and came to Mu He Qing's side. "You can tell me not to agree to him, and I will definitely listen to you."
"You agreed to him just so I would stop you?" Mu Heqing retorted.
"After all, our relationship is special now, so of course I should pay attention to your thoughts first. But you didn't say a word. Didn't you think that if he agrees, his colleagues and innocent girls would suffer a minute of unnecessary trouble?"
Li Shi seemed to be condemning Mu and Qing, but he was the one who had just agreed to that man's request.
“People like that would be better off dead,” he said.
It seemed as if Li Shi was speaking into Mu and Qing's ears.
“He Qing, do you have that kind of power? Tell me, do you want to kill that man? It hasn’t been three months yet, our connection is still there. You can do anything you want.” Li Shi lowered his eyes, his expression neither sad nor happy, simply stating his opinion in a calm tone.
“He can’t afford the price,” Mu Heqing said.
"Yes, he can't afford the price. What if someone else can afford it next time?"
You can refuse.
"But why should I refuse? You didn't even ask me. Think about our connection; you could make me refuse this kind of person."
Mu Heqing stared at Li Shi and sneered, "You seem to really want me to use your abilities through the link, and so does Si Fei."
“Yes, that’s what makes our relationship different.” Li Shiyang smiled, as if a statue had come to life.
Mu and Qing shook their heads. "Then I don't want to. Why should I be responsible for what you did?"
Li Shi widened his eyes slightly and said, "He Qing, saying this will make your mother sad! Aren't you my good daughter anymore? Oh, I know, people grow up, and you've grown up too, and become bad. You weren't like this at school. No wonder people say that society is a big dye vat, and it has dyed He Qing into other colors."
"Don't mention my mom."
Mentioning Mu's mother to Li Shi made Mu Heqing's expression even more unpleasant.
"Okay, if Mu Heqing doesn't want me to mention it, then I won't." Li Shi was afraid of going too far and provoking Mu Heqing to kick him.
After all, there are so many different kinds of guys out there now that he's almost become a backup option.
After not seeing him for several days, Mu and Qing had both forgotten about him.
However, He Qing also took the initiative to come to him.
Li Shi was secretly pleased.
However, his joy didn't last long.
Mu Heqing asked, "Did you tell the Nightmare where I was?"
"Yes, right?"
Li Shi didn't know why Mu and Qing suddenly asked this question.
Mu and Qing looked up. "He said no. Can't you two coordinate before you speak?"
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