Chapter 36: My Heart Can’t Take It
After Teacher Chen’s “guidance,” Li Nan had come to terms with things. Maybe what he and Zhao Mingyue needed wasn’t a passionate romance but simply a clear outcome.
In other words, it didn’t matter if Zhao Mingyue truly loved him.
As long as he could snag Zhao Mingyue, that was more than enough.
He only liked her body anyway, right?
Rather than toil away fruitlessly, why not be bolder, more straightforward, and just claim her body and soul?
After all, he wasn’t the same person he once was. What money couldn’t achieve, an alternate route could.
Strolling along the sidewalk, Zhao Mingyue and Lu Liangting didn’t notice Li Nan trailing behind. After a moment of silence, Lu Liangting suddenly spoke up, “Mingyue, I know some things aren’t meant to be questioned; everyone has their secrets.”
“You want to ask why I was on the fifth floor that night, don’t you?” Zhao Mingyue replied nonchalantly, brushing a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. “Honestly, if I don’t say it, you already know; it’s exactly what you’re thinking.”
“Is that so…?” Lu Liangting fell quiet, gazing at the passing cars.
The traffic wasn’t heavy, and to their right flowed a clear river, bordered by lush grass and weeping willows. The scenery was quite lovely; under such conditions, the young couple walking together should have been filled with the sweet stench of romance. Unfortunately, they were more than a meter apart, not exactly the picture of intimacy.
Their conversation lacked laughter and gaiety, the atmosphere slightly stilted.
Lu Liangting gazed down, burdened with thoughts.
As Zhao Mingyue said, some questions didn’t need to be asked; it was enough to understand. They were both in the same boat: he had his reasons for being at Sunshine Apartment’s fifth floor, and she had hers.
In fact, their tasks might even be the same—only she actually lived there.
As for the other stuff, like warnings about dangers and those pesky ghosts, that was unnecessary to mention.
Since Zhao Mingyue had voluntarily joined the task, she must have been fully aware.
“These tasks are dangerous, life-threatening,” Lu Liangting murmured. His eyes fell, and he sighed softly. “I didn’t contact you after leaving because of this. I went to Sunshine Apartment with my sister, and you met her while I was working there.”
“Oh, that person? I know her. What about her?”
“She’s dead. Right in that building.”
“She’s dead… I… I’m so sorry.” Zhao Mingyue gasped; she had met Xia Han, a bit of an odd girl.
“It’s okay. Xia Han’s accident was largely my fault; I didn’t look after her well enough. I’m only telling you this because I want you to be careful. This isn’t a game.”
At the intersection, Lu Liangting stopped. “This is where I’ll leave you. Go to the convenience store, and I’ll see you in the afternoon.”
“Okay, take care.”
“Take care.”
Waving goodbye, Zhao Mingyue turned and walked about fifty steps when she glanced back to see Lu Liangting indeed heading toward Sunshine Apartment. He was serious about investigating and finding Bai Yu.
“He really does care about you, Yu sister. This is my first time seeing someone so invested in a ghost,” she mused.
Pulling out her rabbit plush toy, she gently patted its head, filled with a sense of wistfulness.
To say she wasn’t moved would be a lie. After all, anyone alive would usually steer clear of ghosts—except for those who might be a little off.
She had never seen anyone like Lu Liangting, who knowingly approached a haunted building just to find a ghost girl.
If it were a male ghost, maybe that would be understandable, but a beautiful ghost girl? It raised some serious eyebrows regarding his motives.
“Hey, that person kind of looks like Li Nan from the back.”
As Lu Liangting moved further away, Zhao Mingyue thought she spotted Li Nan across the street, but since he was facing away, she couldn’t be sure.
“Forget it, better hurry along.”
She remembered earlier that morning when Li Nan had stared at her for four whole classes. That intense gaze was still fresh in her mind.
Imagine this: you think your deskmate is asleep, glance back, and find him wide awake, bloodshot eyes fixed upon you without a single blink.
And whenever you tried to talk to him, he’d just repeat, “Don’t leave at noon; I have something to tell you.”
Who wouldn’t be freaked out?
Arriving at the convenience store, Zhao Mingyue pushed the glass door open.
The wind chimes hanging inside rattled, jingling five times before finally settling down.
After greeting the store manager, she sat down and opened the bento Lu Liangting had given her; it was quite the feast—foods she’d never dared to dream of.
Just looking at the heart-shaped pieces of ham on top naturally reminded her of the maid sister who delivered the lunch.
“Hmm… I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel a pang of guilt. Lu Liangting and that sister really seem to have something special going on. Here I am, hogging their love-packed lunch every day; is that really okay?”
As she spoke, she placed the rabbit plush toy on the table, adjusting its head so it could see the bento box.
“I had no idea Lu Liangting had such a beautiful maid sister behind him. Sorry for eagerly devouring his lunch for eighteen days! If the maid sister finds out I’ve been eating her love lunch, she’ll definitely be heartbroken.”
Zhao Mingyue muttered softly; if Bai Yu hadn’t munched on half of that heart-shaped ham slice right after she spoke, perhaps she wouldn’t have believed her own shenanigans.
“I swear, this has to be the last meal! No matter how good it is, I’m done!”
“Mmm… what is this? So delicious!”
“Cough, cough. Tomorrow, I’ll tell Lu Liangting. Let’s not be those people, right? I mean, it’s one thing to mooch off someone, but to make them sad? That would just be wrong.”
A moment later, she scraped the last bits from her bento box and placed it aside, rubbing her belly while hugging the rabbit plush toy close.
“Yu sister, can you cook? Even if you can’t, could you at least help me cook some rice and send it over? I can’t face instant noodles anymore.”
With her arms wrapped around Miss Rabbit, Zhao Mingyue lay her head on the table.
“Sure.”
“Huh?” Upon hearing Bai Yu’s reply, Zhao Mingyue sat up straight.
She had only been joking; with Bai Yu’s temper, how could she possibly say yes? If anything, she would have scolded her!
“Really? What’s the catch?”
“The price is, you’ll d*e, just like Lu Liangting later.”
“Uh, never mind, wait… Lu Liangting is going to d*e??”
