Chapter 40#
Those Who Listen to Stories (Part 7)#
On a midsummer evening, the setting sun gleamed like molten gold, and the twilight clouds merged like jade discs. When Ning Weichen walked in, he seemed to bring with him the breeze from the streets outside that melted into the evening glow. His apartment was right next to Huai’an University—he hadn’t driven, but his arrival alone was enough to catch everyone’s attention.
Ye Sheng’s appearance was the kind of coldness carved from frost and snow. Every movement and gesture radiated “aloofness” and “impatience,” and when his distinctive almond eyes looked up at people, they gave only the chill of being swept by a blade’s edge. Combined with his impoverished and bleak background, he was easily labeled as “unapproachable,” “taciturn,” and “high IQ but low EQ.”
Ning Weichen was like his polar opposite.
He was born into prominence and was a regular fixture at social gatherings. As the heir to the Ning family, he was the center of attention at every elite banquet—the darling of heaven in the spotlight. Every movement was elegant and casual, radiating brilliance. When he smiled and looked at someone, it was as if he were gazing at the world’s most precious jewel.
When these two stood together, their identities, speech, and temperaments clashed everywhere, yet they strangely complemented each other.
The young man had originally been quite angry, muttering inwardly, “Does this country bumpkin not understand my hints?” and “Has this yokel never hooked up before?” But when he stood up and saw Ning Weichen, he froze completely, his pupils dilating, all words stuck in his throat.
Ning Weichen’s clothes were from niche brands, but the elegant and refined craftsmanship made it clear to anyone that they were expensive.
Ning Weichen proactively took the work badge that Ye Sheng had removed, smiling as he asked, “Were you working overtime? I deliberately left at 4:50, but didn’t expect I’d still have to come in to get you.”
Ye Sheng shook his head. “No. Just got held up by someone pestering me. I’ll go put away my computer—you wait here.”
He carried the computer toward the front desk.
When Ning Weichen heard “pestered by someone,” he slightly raised an eyebrow. His slender, pale fingers played with the blue lanyard on Ye Sheng’s work badge, then his gaze fell thoughtfully on the pale-faced young man ahead.
When the young man met his eyes, his breath caught, and he felt utterly lost, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. The reason he’d felt so confident about Ye Sheng was because Ye Sheng’s temperament was too “clean”—the kind of simple cleanliness that came from never going to bars or having casual sexual encounters.
Players like him most enjoyed finding such clean, honest people.
But he hadn’t expected that Ye Sheng actually had plans today… and the person waiting for him was this man before him.
Ning Weichen’s gaze held a smile and wasn’t particularly aggressive, but just being looked at by those peach-blossom eyes made the young man feel frozen to his core. He was mortified, embarrassed beyond words, and wished he could bolt out the door right now.
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know he was yours…”
He’d been in Huai City’s nightlife circles for a long time and knew that Ning Weichen was absolutely the type of person he couldn’t afford to provoke. Possessing the highest level of status and wealth, attracting countless men and women, having seen every kind of flirtation tactic, and also possessing the greatest talent for playing with ambiguity.
In the clubs, someone like him couldn’t even curry favor with such a person.
And he’d actually thought Ye Sheng didn’t understand his hints??
—Ye Sheng probably hadn’t taken his hints seriously at all.
The young man backed away, nearly knocking over a chair in his panic. He was just a pretty face who mingled in these circles, a “socialite.” If he provoked someone like Ning Weichen, he’d definitely be in deep trouble.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think much of it, I’m sorry, I just wanted to invite him to dinner…”
When Ye Sheng came back from putting away his computer, he found that the young man who had “pestered him” now had red-rimmed eyes, looking like he was about to kneel down and cry at any moment.
Ye Sheng frowned and said quietly, “What did you do?”
Ning Weichen smiled ambiguously, his tone innocent. “I didn’t do anything. I just wanted to see who my dear brother has been attracting again.”
Ye Sheng was stunned. “Attracting?”
Ning Weichen pursed his lips, looking at him with confusion. “Mm, should I say ‘seducing’ instead?”
Ye Sheng said coldly, “Ning Weichen, did you just return from abroad with poor Chinese skills? If you don’t know how to use words properly, shut up.” Not wanting to be watched by a crowd, he turned away indifferently. “Let’s go. Don’t waste time.”
Ning Weichen stopped in his tracks and sighed softly. “Are you so careless even when you’re working?”
Ye Sheng frowned. “What?”
Ning Weichen’s eyelashes lowered, concealing his expression. Suddenly, he bent down and pulled out a card from the jacket Ye Sheng had just put on. Someone had written a series of contact information on it in red pen, followed by four provocative words: “Up for tonight?”
Ning Weichen let out a low laugh, his eyes devoid of any mirth.
Ye Sheng: “…”
Ning Weichen took out the card, then turned and walked over. As he approached, the young man trembled like a sieve.
Ning Weichen held the card between his fingers, his lips curved in a smile as he said, “This gentleman.”
The moment he opened his mouth, tears burst from the young man’s eyes as he stammered incoherently, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
Ning Weichen said in a flat tone, “Your way of flirting will trouble my friend greatly.”
Across from the haunted house was a row of bubble tea shops, cake shops, and hot pot restaurants. A group of people by the windows were secretly watching this scene.
Ning Weichen stood in the backlight of the evening, holding the paper between his fingers. His eyes glanced casually at the group across the way holding up their phones to take photos, then he smiled faintly.
Under everyone’s gaze, he methodically tore the paper into shreds and placed them on the table.
His fingers tapped on the table as he said with a slightly apologetic smile, “He already has plans tonight. And from now on, he’ll have plans every day too.”
“…”
“…”
The audience witnessing everything.
Ye Sheng opened his phone to check the time, then tugged at Ning Weichen’s sleeve expressionlessly. “Let’s go.”
Ning Weichen nodded. “Mm, okay.”
After leaving the haunted house, Ye Sheng walked rapidly along the way, practically taking several steps at once. Only when they were completely away from others’ sight did Ye Sheng speak. “Where’s your apartment?”
Ning Weichen said, “Just walk straight ahead.”
Ye Sheng asked, “You’ve already moved here?”
Ning Weichen smiled. “Mm, staying at the hotel was too far from you. I wasn’t very comfortable with that.”
Ye Sheng said nothing.
Ning Weichen suddenly asked, “Where are you going tonight?”
Ye Sheng didn’t intend to hide it and said directly, “Lovers’ Lake.”
Ning Weichen raised an eyebrow, his smile unchanged. “Lovers’ Lake? Alone?”
Ye Sheng looked at him with clear eyes for a moment, not knowing what Ning Weichen was thinking again, and said expressionlessly, “I’m going to Lovers’ Lake to find an anomaly.”
Ning Weichen nodded with sudden realization. “So the legend of the Truth-Testing Bridge is real.”
Ye Sheng exposed him directly. “What are you pretending for? When you enrolled at Huai’an University, didn’t the Ning family do a thorough investigation first?”
Ning Weichen chuckled lightly. “You overestimate their caution. My family sent me to deal with an A-level anomaly at Yin Mountain as soon as I returned to the country.”
Ye Sheng didn’t continue this topic. “Aren’t you also interested in the forum? Let’s go together tonight. The female ghost at Lovers’ Lake should be the work of the Story King.”
Ning Weichen’s eyes studied him thoughtfully for a moment, then he smiled. “As you command.”
Ye Sheng asked, “Have you investigated the Story King?”
Ning Weichen answered honestly, “The Story King has been active in China for nearly twenty years. I had little contact with it abroad. But I’ve received some information—the Story King should have been born in China.”
Ye Sheng: “…Born? The birth of the Story King?”
Ning Weichen nodded. “Mm, the birth of anomalies is more like a kind of ‘awakening’ of all things. People, ghosts, animals, plants, thoughts, information. The awakening of humans is called ability users. The awakening of all other things is called anomalies. Actually, looking at the Story King’s style, it’s not hard to guess that its ‘connection’ to humans must run deep.”
Ye Sheng pressed his lips together. Indeed, compared to other moderators, the Story King was far too intimate with humans.
Ning Weichen: “Although the Bureau of Unnatural Affairs is on high alert, I think Huai City won’t see high-level anomalies from other sections for quite some time.”
Ye Sheng: “Why?”
Ning Weichen: “Because the Story King is here, and that’s enough.” His eyes darkened as he smiled meaningfully. “No one wants to voluntarily walk into a story.”
Ye Sheng wasn’t surprised by his statement that the Story King was in Huai City. The final destination for transporting the A-level fetal girl on the train was Huai City, and there were too many “grotesqueries” in this city.
Ning Weichen: “What do you want to investigate about Lovers’ Lake?”
Ye Sheng thought for a moment and said, “I want to see the Story King’s abilities.”
Ning Weichen raised an eyebrow and casually told him the answer directly. “His abilities are making grotesqueries real and continuing stories.”
Continuing stories.
Ye Sheng tugged at the corner of his mouth, his eyes sharp as he looked at him. “Ning Weichen, in Car 44, you actually knew why the deformed fetus suddenly cried, didn’t you?”
The deformed fetus cried because of that P.S. about continuing the story.
—Homesickness is a thin layer of belly skin; unable to see her sister, the older sister cried in sorrow.
Ning Weichen was stunned, then couldn’t help but laugh. “Baby, if you want to ask me something now, you don’t need to trick me into revealing it.”
Ye Sheng was too lazy to dredge up old grievances with him and continued with tonight’s topic. “I think ‘making grotesqueries real’ needs verification. The grotesquery of the Truth-Testing Bridge is that the female ghost will kill unfaithful lovers, but after investigating several cases, I think this grotesquery is incomplete. The people she killed include both unfaithful men and innocent people. I want to go see what her killing motive really is.”
Ning Weichen asked with a smile, “So, are you going to confess to me on the Truth-Testing Bridge?”
Ye Sheng: “?”
Ye Sheng: “Are you awake yet?”
Ning Weichen said helplessly, “Fine. I just thought since we’re already going to Lovers’ Lake, it would be a shame not to test our true hearts.”
Ye Sheng: “Not a shame at all.”
Ye Sheng followed Ning Weichen to his apartment near Huai’an University, in a well-known wealthy residential area. Ning Weichen seemed to be in the habit of living on the top floor. The interior decoration of his place was particularly cold, with a color scheme of black, white, and gray. After Ye Sheng sat down, he took his medicine.
Ning Weichen asked, “Want to stay for dinner?”
Ye Sheng: “You’re cooking?”
Ning Weichen said, “I actually can cook.”
Ye Sheng was stunned. He looked at Ning Weichen suspiciously—given all the young master configurations around Ning Weichen, he very much doubted the truth of this statement.
Ning Weichen’s eyes curved. “My skills are pretty good. Want to try?”
Ye Sheng: “No need. I’ll treat you to dinner today.”
Ning Weichen: “Mm?”
Ye Sheng: “Consider it thanks for everything you’ve done for me since we got off the train.”
Ning Weichen smiled genuinely. “Okay.”
Ye Sheng didn’t like owing people favors, but if he had to pay Ning Weichen back materially for everything, he probably couldn’t finish in four years of university. Just the 120,000 yuan from that night at the Yuecheng Hotel would keep him busy, not to mention the clothes he’d ruined whose price he didn’t even know.
Ye Sheng grew up in Yin Mountain and could do everything from lighting fires to cooking. But Ning Weichen obviously had no intention of cooking at home—his refrigerator was completely empty. Ye Sheng didn’t want to go buy groceries either, so he said directly, “Let’s eat at school.”
He took Ning Weichen to Cafeteria No. 3, where he usually ate. During summer vacation, there weren’t many people left at school, and the cafeteria only had a few windows open.
Ye Sheng got a standard meal and walked over. Ning Weichen was sitting obediently in his seat, propping up his chin, staring at him without blinking.
A few scattered students who’d stayed on campus were all sneaking glances their way.
Ye Sheng said, “After eating, we’ll go to Lovers’ Lake.”
Ning Weichen said, “It’s still quite early. Won’t you take me to see your dorm?”
Ye Sheng: “There’s nothing to see.”
Ning Weichen asked with a smile, “Have you met all your roommates?”
Ye Sheng: “…”
He didn’t even know why Ning Weichen was suddenly concerned about his college life.
Ye Sheng: “I’ve met them all.”
Ning Weichen: “How are they?”
Ye Sheng frowned, his tone cold. “Why are you asking about this?”
Ning Weichen curved his lips. The food in front of him remained untouched as he simply propped up his chin, smiling as he watched Ye Sheng eat.
“I’m worried you’ll be bullied. Even more worried that when I’m not around, someone will seduce you like today. Brother, although you’re homophobic, you seem a bit slow about these things.”
Ye Sheng said coldly, “Don’t worry. There aren’t as many abnormal people in this world as you think.”
He’d never attracted any men in Yin Mountain.
Who knew that coming to the big city would really open his eyes.
Ning Weichen’s smile faded slightly, his eyes puzzled. “Why don’t you move out and live with me? I’d definitely be more suitable as your roommate than anyone else.”
Ye Sheng: “There’s no need. The dorm is just a place to sleep. I don’t care what my roommates’ personalities are like.”
Ning Weichen: “Is that so?”
Lovers’ Lake was most crowded around seven or eight in the evening. Elderly people from nearby would bring their grandchildren for walks. Last time Ye Sheng just came to hold up his phone and film—he hadn’t paid much attention. Now he focused on observing the lake. Lovers’ Lake wasn’t deep; it just looked somewhat dark because of the water plants growing thickly at the bottom.
Ning Weichen said, “It’s a C-level anomaly.”
Ye Sheng was stunned. He needed Search to capture the level of the female ghost at Lovers’ Lake—Ning Weichen could tell at a glance?
Ning Weichen crouched down halfway, his pale fingers slightly stirring the water. He seemed to have a natural intimidating effect on the lake. At least the ripples born from his fingertips spread all the way to the center and lingered for a long time. Beneath the water was a death-like silence.
Ye Sheng thought of the A-level anomaly siren that had once been implanted in Ning Weichen’s body. He said seriously, “Don’t go on the bridge tonight. Just stay nearby and watch for me.”
Ning Weichen looked deeply at him and smiled. “Sure, I’d be happy to take photos for you.”
The young man from the haunted house clutched the pile of torn paper, his legs finally giving out. He practically fled.
And the group of men and women who had specifically rushed over for Ye Sheng were all dumbfounded by this scene. Their budding desire to flirt was extinguished by a bucket of bone-chilling cold water.
Xia Wenshi saw off Brother Hu and Qi Lan.
Brother Hu gritted his teeth and finally said cautiously, “Little Stone, I think your employee’s friend… probably isn’t an ordinary rich second generation.”
Xia Wenshi: “What?”
Brother Hu didn’t know how to put it. Finally, after frowning for a long time, he could only manage, “Sigh, forget it. If someone like that has set their sights on him, there’s nothing an ordinary person can do. Don’t forget our agreement—see you at Luohu Mansion.”
Xia Wenshi: “Oh, okay.”
After seeing the two off, Xia Wenshi had no time to think about Ye Sheng’s mysterious friend. Li Guangyun called him repeatedly, asking when they were going to the temple. After Xia Wenshi replied to him, remembering that the ghost bride scenario needed NPCs, he casually posted a message on the recruitment app.