Chapter 8: How to Conquer the Male Protagonist?
“Mingyue, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
Lu Liangting, the dashing male lead straight out of a comic, was definitely not lacking in looks. He was the epitome of sunshine and confidence, with sparkling eyes and sharp eyebrows that matched his radiant aura. He carried a perplexing charm, a delightful mix of youthful innocence and an unexpected mature reliability.
His hair was neatly cropped—not too long, not too short—with no tattoos or piercings, dressed in casual attire and white sneakers.
“Hmm? What’s this plush toy…?” Sensing someone scrutinizing him, Lu Liangting looked down to find a rabbit plush toy stained with splotches of what looked like bl**d on the table.
With dark red buttons for eyes shining mischievously, one ear drooped while the other stood straight up.
The toy was cute, but for some inexplicable reason, it gave off an unsettling vibe. Before he could grab it, Zhao Mingyue smartly swooped in, clutching the plushie to her chest.
“This toy was my childhood companion. I just happened to find it and brought it along. Anyway, weren’t you going to ask me something?”
Zhao Mingyue’s smile had a hint of awkwardness; she definitely couldn’t let Lu Liangting touch that toy.
As he raised his gaze, their eyes met, and the slightly embarrassed grin she wore appeared dramatically different through his perspective. Her bright eyes twinkled, the corners of her cherry lips lifted in a gentle curve, with a touch of cheeky cuteness.
“Well, about that… I heard you live in Sunshine Apartment.”
Not lingering on Zhao Mingyue’s gaze, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through the information he had found. He opened a picture of none other than the Sunshine Apartment where she lived.
Holding it out in front of her, Lu Liangting said seriously, “I need to go there tonight to find someone, so I wanted to ask you about this apartment.”
“Uh, yes, I do live there, but I haven’t lived there for very long.”
“That’s fine, but what I’m about to say might be a little scary. If you don’t know about it, then it’s better that you don’t find out.”
He gently swiped his finger across the screen, revealing another photo. It showed the fourth floor of the apartment, and it looked eerily similar to Zhao Mingyue’s home, but unlike her memory, this picture looked like it had just experienced a fire, with the walls burned black.
The next image was similar, showing more charred walls with several areas revealing yellowed, smoke-stained patches; the burnt marks were irregular, but switched from the fourth to the fifth floor.
Since it was a five-story building, the last image was a news photo that vaguely mentioned something about a fire incident.
“Mingyue, do you know about the fire incident in the Sunshine Apartment seven years ago?”
“Fire incident?” Zhao Mingyue frowned and shook her head.
Seeing the confusion on her face, Lu Liangting hesitated. Clearly, she was completely unaware. Telling her now might frighten her since she was living alone in that building.
As he hesitated, Bai Yu interjected in Zhao Mingyue’s mind, “Mingyue, let him continue. It’s important.”
Zhao Mingyue mentally replied, “Okay,” casually stuffing Miss Rabbit into her pocket. “I don’t know; could you tell me about it?”
“If you don’t know, then let’s forget it.” Lu Liangting put away his phone, wearing a serious expression. “If you don’t know about this, trust me, it’s better to stay curious.”
“But I live there and can’t just move out on a whim! The earliest would be next year.” Zhao Mingyue feigned a dramatic sigh. “A fire is serious business! My landlord didn’t tell me anything—maybe he’s hiding it from me! And don’t worry about me being scared. I have a big heart and a healthy curiosity!”
Seeing the eager look in her eyes, Lu Liangting felt helpless. “This really is somewhat frightening. You’ve definitely been kept in the dark about your rental. Here’s the deal: I’ll tell you what happened, but you should consider moving out soon. I can help cover the cost of a new place.”
“No, no, no! That’s not necessary!”
“Yes, it is! Just let me finish, and you’ll understand.” Lu Liangting organized his thoughts in his head—despite his sunny disposition, his brow furrowed now.
“I’ve been researching Sunshine Apartment these past few days, including that huge fire from seven years ago. Here’s what happened: On the fifth floor lived a woman with two children. She had some mental health issues and had just been released from a psychiatric hospital.”
“Her husband was the owner of the apartment building. After he brought her back, he locked her up on the fifth floor and left the children with her.”
“I don’t know exactly what happened, but the fire was started by that woman; she burned herself and the two kids alive on the fifth floor.”
“At the time, the fire wasn’t huge, but it totally engulfed the entire fifth floor and even the fourth. Nobody could figure out why it happened—not even the firefighters.”
“In that inferno, aside from the woman and her two kids, her husband stayed on the fourth floor and so did four other tenants, all of whom perished. From the scene, it was clear they had ample time to escape.”
“It took three years before they repaired the fourth and fifth floors, and since the kids had passed, the new owner was the original owner’s father.”
“Here’s a detail: The apartment wasn’t always called Sunshine. The old man renamed it Sunshine after taking over.”
“In the fifth year of renting it out, two tenants died on the fourth floor, and three on the fifth—all by s*icide.”
“How could five tenants possibly commit s*icide in one year?”
Just then, a hand painted with blue nail polish suddenly landed on Lu Liangting’s shoulder, visibly freezing him in fear.
In the middle of sharing this terrifying story, someone had audaciously placed a hand on him—who wouldn’t be scared?
“I caught you~”
A sugary-sweet voice chimed from behind him, and out bounced a girl wearing a black jacket and a pleated skirt, with a red hairpin adorning her head. Her hair was loosely tied up, and aside from the lipstick that she had clumsily applied, she wore no other makeup.
Despite her odd ensemble, it was clear this girl had a nice look—absolute beauty material.
However, to Zhao Mingyue, her voice sounded so strange—as if she was trying to hold back the pitch of her voice or speaking through clenched teeth.
Standing beside Lu Liangting, the girl squeezed her body against him, glancing at Zhao Mingyue with narrowed phoenix-like eyes as she licked her lips, making her already uneven lipstick all the messier.
“Oho? Who’s this old lady? What are you staring at? Do you think you’re worthy of talking to Liangting?”
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Vote, please! I’m begging you!
On a break
I’m feeling under the weather—just started burning up, and my body is a mess. I might be offline for a day or two until I feel better. Thanks for everyone’s support!
