Chapter 156: Soul-Stirring
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Xi Mo tried to steady her breathing and shifted her body a little to the side so Ruan Yesheng wouldn’t lean close to her ear again to talk.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to the way Ruan Yesheng spoke. She just felt that Ruan Yesheng suddenly leaning close in the dark caught her off guard. Her heartbeat seemed to speed up, and beside her ear there was not only warmth but also a faint tickle.
She felt something wasn’t right with herself.
The door lock clicked open by Xi Mo. Ruan Yesheng went in first, and Xi Mo locked the door behind them and turned on the light switch.
The room at once filled with light.
Ruan Yesheng saw a clean and tidy room before her. Everything needed was there, even the quilt and pillows were Xi Mo’s style. She instantly felt much more at ease. She could guess that all this had been arranged ahead of time by Lu Qingming asking the owner to prepare it. Xi Mo should be satisfied living here. At first she worried Xi Mo wouldn’t get used to staying in a small town, but now it seemed she had worried too much.
"This place is nice." Xi Mo saw through Ruan Yesheng’s thoughts and said, "I like staying here. Uncle A'cuo and Auntie Ranla are nice too. We only met today, but I feel they treat me like family."
"That’s good." Ruan Yesheng smiled and her eyes curved. The room’s light spread soft and warm, flowing in her gaze.
As long as Xi Mo lived comfortably, she was happy.
Sometimes, being satisfied was such a simple thing. A smile, a glance, a word.
"Do you have to eat with the show all day tomorrow?" Xi Mo asked. "Do they also need to film you having meals with the guests?"
She rarely watched variety shows. She had little interest. But because Ruan Yesheng was going to join Zhang Zhiyin’s show, she specially watched the previous season. She found that there were many scenes where the guests ate and chatted at the same time.
She was afraid Ruan Yesheng wouldn’t have time to come to A’cuo Rize’s house to eat.
“Yes.” Ruan Yesheng said, “In Zhiyin’s show, eating is also a pretty important part. Its main point is that natural and real life between friends. Tomorrow, all three of my meals will be in front of the camera.”
Xi Mo fell silent after hearing this.
Ruan Yesheng saw that she wasn’t very happy. She understood, and with a bright smile, asked her, “Do you want to eat with me?”
Xi Mo: “…”
After a while, Xi Mo looked away. “Aunt Ranla said she’ll cook for me. Didn’t you hear Zhang Zhiyin say Auntie Ranla’s food is delicious? I wanted to ask if you’d have time to come and taste it. If you don’t have time, then… forget it.”
“What do you mean forget it?” Now it was Ruan Yesheng’s turn to get a little upset. “You just don’t know how to talk.”
No wonder she’s the universe’s straight girl.
She speaks so straight it could drive someone mad.
Xi Mo: “…”
Ruan Yesheng went straight to the table. She acted like it was her own room. She naturally poured herself a glass of water and drank slowly. “Recording a variety show is fast. Tomorrow I’ll record for a day. The morning after tomorrow, I’ll finish. Then at noon I’ll come over to eat with you all.”
Xi Mo also sat down, her face showing a subtle ease. “Then I’ll talk to Auntie Ranla. Tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll tell Auntie Ranla.”
Ruan Yesheng blinked. “I’ll tell you tomorrow night. I need to think it over. It’s rare for me to come here, I have to eat my favorite. Give me some time to think, I can’t answer now.”
Xi Mo froze. “Tomorrow night you’ll… still come over?”
Ruan Yesheng was sly. “I only said I’ll tell you tomorrow night. I didn’t say whether I’ll come in person or tell you on the phone. You thought I would come tomorrow night, do you hope so much?”
Xi Mo was momentarily speechless by her sophistry.
“Since you hope so much, then I’ll come tomorrow night.” Ruan Yesheng said, “About the same time, is that okay?”
Her watery eyes gazed straight at Xi Mo.
Even a block of wood would be swayed a little.
“…Okay.” Xi Mo nodded. “I’ll still come pick you up at the tree from today.”
“I already know the way to Uncle A’cuo’s house, why would you still come pick me up?” This time Ruan Yesheng was surprised, but in her heart a joy surged endlessly.
“It will be late then. It’s not safe for you to walk alone outside.”
“Weren’t you also alone when you came?” Now Ruan Yesheng was truly worried. Too many things have happened lately. She felt something sinister was hidden in the dark, watching them.
It wasn’t that she was too sensitive. Those nails scattered on the road earlier just felt very wrong.
Xi Mo was cautious. She knew Ruan Yesheng’s concern was right. She couldn’t take risks. But at that time, she also didn’t want Yan Tinghuan to come out with her. With Yan Tinghuan’s temper, if she knew Xi Mo went out in the middle of the night to pick up Ruan Yesheng, who knows what shocking thing she would say.
She thought for a bit, then said, “I’ll bring the dog.”
“The dog in the yard? But it doesn’t bark at people.” When Ruan Yesheng entered the yard, she was already surprised. Clearly there was a dog, but when it saw them come in, it only lifted its head, but didn’t bark.
If it were an ordinary dog, it would think a thief came, bark madly, and alert its owner.
“The dog knows it’s me.” Xi Mo said, “It’s very smart. Uncle A’cuo took me to it on purpose and let me talk to it. It understands I’m Uncle A’cuo’s guest, so it never barks at me. Just now when I came in with you, it recognized me. Since I brought you, it won’t bark. It thinks you’re my friend.”
“That’s really too smart.” Ruan Yesheng was amazed. “I’ve never seen such a smart dog. It’s like it has a spirit. Does it have a name?”
“Uncle A’cuo calls it Baolai.” Xi Mo said, “Uncle A’cuo is an herb gatherer. He often goes deep into Heizhugou to gather herbs. There are many rare herbs there, ones not found outside, that can sell for a very high price. Each time he brings Baolai. Baolai helps him a lot, leads the way, and even saved his life. I heard Uncle A’cuo say Baolai can even bite the big snakes that lurk in the primeval forest to death.”
“Big snakes?” Hearing this, Ruan Yesheng felt a chill. That kind of life seemed too far from hers, hard to imagine. “When Uncle A’cuo says Heizhugou, he doesn’t mean the tourist spot, right? He means that undeveloped area inside?”
“Yes.” Xi Mo said. “That’s the real Heizhugou in the rumors. People who go in can easily get lost and die inside. The tourist spot Heizhugou isn’t the real Heizhugou.”
“Uncle A’cuo is amazing.” Ruan Yesheng sighed. “He can go in and out of such a place safely, and Baolai is amazing too.”
Xi Mo was proud. She rarely admired anyone, but after talking a while with A’cuo Rize, she felt genuine respect for him.
“You met me tonight just to chat like this?” Ruan Yesheng rested her chin on one hand and deliberately asked Xi Mo.
“…No.” Xi Mo denied, looking a little uneasy. “I wanted to talk to you about the nails on the road. It’s strange. It’s better to say it face to face.”
Ruan Yesheng put down her hand, her expression turning serious.
Those nails on the road were like thorns stuck in her heart, impossible to pull out, making her uncomfortable.
Xi Mo tried to analyze the motive. She looked at Ruan Yesheng and said, “The timing of scattering those nails was really odd. Because of the variety show filming, some media also follow along. After all, a few of the guests are big traffic draws. Moreover, this place is a scenic area, so there should be plenty of cars passing through the town lately. But no other cars ahead of us were hit, it was only ours, which means the nails were just scattered not long before.”
Ruan Yesheng had the same thought. “I also think the person who scattered the nails was nearby. I even feel like they were aiming at our car. They must have been watching in secret and only scattered them right before we arrived to make sure we would be the ones to run into it. Otherwise, if there was a car before us, it wouldn’t have worked.”
Xi Mo said seriously, “Scattering nails won’t really harm us. Car tires now are good, and the show’s nanny van is high quality. At most, they will get punctured but won’t burst. And from the road, we were already close to town, not stuck in some deserted area.”
She changed the subject and asked, “Do you remember the dead chicken thrown at the Sui Ting film crew?”
Ruan Yesheng nodded.
Xi Mo said, “I think this and that dead chicken incident have a similar style. Both are just psychological threats and hints, meant to create pressure.”
“A kind of intimidation.” Ruan Yesheng frowned.
Xi Mo asked her, “Both the dead chicken and the scattered nails happened when we were there. Do you think the other side is targeting you, or me?”
“I’m not sure, but it doesn’t make much difference.” Ruan Yesheng said, “The nails were scattered close to town. Maybe the person already entered the town and mixed in with the townspeople. We must be careful. I’ll be fine in the show crew since there are many people around. But if you notice anything wrong, you have to call Tinghuan.”
Xi Mo’s face was heavy as she nodded.
The two of them talked in the room for a while. Time slowly passed. Ruan Yesheng picked up her phone to check and found it was almost one o’clock.
Xi Mo also saw the time. “It’s late. You should rest. You still have filming tomorrow.”
Ruan Yesheng glanced at her, then walked to the window and pulled open the curtain, looking out. “It’s so dark outside. So cold, so cold.”
She said “so cold” twice to show she meant it.
Xi Mo walked over too and looked out.
Ruan Yesheng opened a crack in the window. The cold wind rushed in at once. She quickly closed it again, hugged her arms, and shrank down, pitifully looking at Xi Mo. “It’s too cold. The air conditioner in this room is so warm and comfortable, I don’t even want to go out again.”
Xi Mo: “…”
Ruan Yesheng sat on the edge of the bed. She shifted around to test the softness of the bed. “This hour is the coldest, and the wind is blowing. By morning, maybe it won’t be this cold anymore?”
As she spoke, she kept her eyes fixed on Xi Mo.
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
How could Xi Mo not understand the hidden meaning behind those words?
Ruan Yesheng clearly wanted to stay here for the night.
After a while, Xi Mo walked up to her and said, “Why don’t you sleep here tonight?”
“That’s not good.” Ruan Yesheng still pretended. “I saw a room next door. I can sleep there.”
Xi Mo said, “That room is locked. Don’t you remember Zhang Zhiyin said it? It’s left by Uncle A’cuo for his friend.”
How could Ruan Yesheng not remember, but she deliberately put on a dazed look. “Right, I almost forgot. Then what do I do? I can’t stay in the next room, and it’s so cold outside I don’t want to go out again.”
As she spoke, she started taking off her coat. “So I can only sleep here?”
Xi Mo: “…”
Ruan Yesheng was undressing. Xi Mo felt awkward, so she turned around under the excuse of pouring water.
She held the cup for a long while without drinking. Then she heard Ruan Yesheng’s voice behind her. “Xi Mo.”
Xi Mo turned her head and saw Ruan Yesheng lying under the quilt, wearing only a thin undershirt. She said, “I didn’t bring pajamas. Lend me one?”
Ruan Yesheng’s long hair was slightly curled, falling over her shoulders, carrying endless charm.
Xi Mo quickly averted her eyes, picked out another set of her own pajamas, and handed them over.
Ruan Yesheng took them, stuffed them under the quilt, and changed clothes while hiding inside. As she moved, the quilt lifted a little, revealing part of her long legs. Her skin was smooth and fair like milk.
When she lifted and hooked her leg, what she hooked wasn’t her toes.
It was a soul.
“Why did you lie down without pants just now?” Xi Mo was startled and quickly turned away.
Ruan Yesheng looked innocent. “I’m wearing underwear. Now I’m putting on your pajama pants, what’s the problem? I couldn’t lie down in my outside trousers, right? You have a cleanliness obsession, I was scared you would kill me.”
Xi Mo: “…”
…Underwear. She still had the face to say that.
Xi Mo felt like she was about to go crazy.
Author's Note:
Good job, Ruanruan, you have used all the seductive tricks, as expected of you. [.
Please give more comments, which will help me increase the points of my article. Thank you~
