Luo Jingshu knelt by Xiao Cheng’s leg the entire ride. Since Xiao Cheng didn’t tell him to get up, he dared not move, merely staring at him with pitiful eyes.
Most of the time, Xiao Cheng didn’t want to acknowledge him. Occasionally, when their gazes met, Xiao Cheng felt an eerie discomfort. Luo Jingshu’s dark eyes seemed like those of a wolf cub lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce and tear his enemy’s throat apart.
Xiao Cheng knew full well that Luo Jingshu was no good person, so he naturally didn’t believe in the gentle and harmless facade he put on.
Luo Jingshu was skilled at using such tricks. The first time Xiao Cheng witnessed them, he had been somewhat convinced, but now, he wouldn’t believe a word of it.
Xiao Cheng brought Luo Jingshu to his apartment purely to retrieve the necklace. Luo Jingshu’s driver waited downstairs while the two of them went upstairs.
Xiao Cheng casually kicked off his leather shoes at the entrance and slipped into a pair of slippers nearby.
Since he was already here, he decided to stay the night instead of returning.
Luo Jingshu, on the other hand, carefully put on disposable shoe covers.
Xiao Cheng turned his back to him, opened the door, and waited a few seconds, but he didn’t hear Luo Jingshu following.
Irritated, he frowned and glanced back. His tone was impatient.
“What are you doing…” His words trailed off as he saw the scene behind him.
Luo Jingshu stood to the side, carefully holding Xiao Cheng’s leather shoes and neatly placing them into the cabinet.
His expression was serious and reverent, as if performing some monumental task. He even compulsively aligned the tips of the shoes evenly with the edge of the cabinet.
“Get in here already,” Xiao Cheng snapped.
He had intended to make Luo Jingshu wait at the door, but upon witnessing this, Xiao Cheng quickly dismissed that idea.
If left alone, who knew what else Luo Jingshu might do?
Luo Jingshu turned back and smiled at him. “Coming.”
He looked like a dutiful housewife.
Xiao Cheng entered the apartment with a blank expression, turned on the air conditioner, and began removing his coat. The tie around his neck felt stifling.
Although Xiao Cheng had come along with his father earlier, he hadn’t avoided being pressured into drinking some alcohol.
He wasn’t drunk, but his face had a faint flush, and his eyes carried traces of drunkenness.
Luo Jingshu observed him from behind. Beneath the white shirt, Xiao Cheng’s frame was perfectly proportioned, his slim waist appearing as though it could be encircled with one hand. His legs were particularly straight and long, wrapped in black slacks, the smooth fabric accentuating their shapeliness.
When Xiao Cheng glanced back at him, Luo Jingshu said nothing, which only made Xiao Cheng suspicious that he was up to no good again.
“Stay here and wait for me,” Xiao Cheng ordered.
The last time he visited, there had at least been tea offered. This time, there wasn’t even a courtesy.
Fortunately, Luo Jingshu knew his current status wasn’t the same as before. Being allowed inside was already a privilege—he couldn’t expect more.
Without Xiao Cheng’s permission, he dared not wander around the apartment or even look too much. He ended up staring blankly at a potted plant in the corner.
Xiao Cheng retrieved the necklace from his bedside drawer. As he stared at the object in his hand, the unease in his heart grew heavier.
Though Luo Jingshu had claimed it was his, Xiao Cheng couldn’t shake the feeling that he was lying. Somewhere deep inside, a voice told him this necklace belonged to him.
But this intuition seemed so irrational. After some hesitation, Xiao Cheng decided to hand over the necklace.
After all, he had already brought Luo Jingshu to his home. If he went back on his word now, it would look like he was reluctant to part with it.
Luo Jingshu was waiting in the living room. When he heard footsteps, he immediately turned to look. His gaze fixed on the box in Xiao Cheng’s hand, which presumably contained the necklace.
Despite Luo Jingshu’s efforts to maintain composure, a trace of nervousness betrayed him. His sharp jawline tensed as his eyes locked on the box.
Is it that serious? Xiao Cheng thought.
It was as if Luo Jingshu feared he wouldn’t hand it over.
Truthfully, Xiao Cheng was somewhat reluctant, especially as he extended the necklace toward Luo Jingshu. For some inexplicable reason, the scene felt too familiar.
It was as though he had done this before.
“Luo Jingshu.” Xiao Cheng tightened his grip on the box, hesitating. “Are you sure we don’t know each other?”
Did the original owner truly never meet Luo Jingshu before?
Where were these inexplicable feelings of familiarity coming from?
“Mm.” Luo Jingshu looked at him deeply. “Hand me the necklace first.”
Whether they had met or not was something he’d only know after confirming this item.
Was Brother Cheng really the same person from his past life?
Xiao Cheng sighed and let go of the box. For a moment, he found the situation laughable. It was just a necklace, yet they had treated it like some priceless treasure, fighting over it.
“You can go now,” Xiao Cheng said curtly.
Having given the necklace, Xiao Cheng immediately wanted him gone. An inexplicable irritation churned in his chest, making him feel as though he’d somehow been swindled.
“Looking at you makes me upset.”
Luo Jingshu was long accustomed to Xiao Cheng’s impatience with him. Hearing these words, he merely responded with a quiet hum. “Brother Cheng, I’ll take my leave then.”
“Get lost.”
Xiao Cheng shooed him off.
At the doorway, Luo Jingshu suddenly turned back. “Brother Cheng, do you believe in the existence of supernatural phenomena?”
For a split second, Xiao Cheng’s heart raced wildly at his words.
He didn’t know what Luo Jingshu was trying to say, but as soon as he heard that sentence, he instinctively thought of transmigrating into a book.
What was Luo Jingshu trying to hint at?
“For example?”
Luo Jingshu fixed his gaze on him, trying to discern something from his face. “For example, someone who was clearly dead yet somehow got a second chance at life.”
The hint was obvious. It could mean rebirth or possession—it all depended on which interpretation Xiao Cheng fit into.
Xiao Cheng tugged the corner of his lips into a faint smirk. Wasn’t he describing transmigration?
He had died in that other world before being transported into this book.
He assumed he had died, right?
Xiao Cheng wasn’t entirely sure. But his body had ended up here; his original one shouldn’t be alive unless the original owner of this body had somehow swapped places with him.
The possibility didn’t seem entirely far-fetched when he thought about it like this.
Xiao Cheng fell into a brief daze, though his expression remained composed. Transmigration was his biggest secret, and no matter what, he couldn’t let it slip.
He didn’t want to become a test subject or a freak for others to examine.
“You’ve probably been watching too many horror movies.”
Luo Jingshu studied his face. “But there have been news reports of people claiming they were possessed.”
Xiao Cheng had no idea why Luo Jingshu suddenly wanted to talk about this. Was there something wrong with that necklace?
But no matter how he tried to piece it together, he couldn’t understand it.
“What’s next? Are you going to say you’re not Luo Jingshu, but some wandering ghost that doesn’t even know where it came from?”
Luo Jingshu’s lips twitched. His face formed a peculiar smile, a hint of mystery glinting in his stunning features. “And what if I am?”
Xiao Cheng’s heart gave a sudden jolt. That couldn’t be true. Could it? This wasn’t supposed to be a supernatural novel! The protagonist shou couldn’t possibly be some lost soul.
“You mean to tell me that the one who dated me before wasn’t even you?” Xiao Cheng scoffed, coldly brushing him off. “If you can’t sleep, take some sleeping pills. Don’t let your mind wander so much.”
His words were dismissive, but Xiao Cheng couldn’t ignore the cold sweat breaking out on his back. Luo Jingshu never joked about such things unless he had discovered something.
Why else would he bring up possession?
Xiao Cheng wracked his brain, trying to figure out where he might’ve slipped up. Even the Xiao family hadn’t noticed anything off about him. How could Luo Jingshu have figured it out?
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts. Maybe Luo Jingshu was just talking nonsense.
As long as he didn’t admit anything, Luo Jingshu wouldn’t have evidence.
“That’s not it,” Luo Jingshu said, continuing to scrutinize Xiao Cheng. He hadn’t noticed any visible reaction when he mentioned possession.
“I’ll take the necklace with me for now,” Luo Jingshu added, returning the conversation to the necklace.
Xiao Cheng’s suspicion deepened. It had to be the necklace. He regretted giving it to Luo Jingshu even more now.
But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand what secret the necklace held.
After Luo Jingshu left, Xiao Cheng bit his finger, his thoughts spiraling.
It seemed like Luo Jingshu suspected that he wasn’t the original owner of this body. By mentioning possession, was he implying that Xiao Cheng was just some wandering spirit?
If viewed through the lens of transmigration, it could indeed be interpreted as possession—borrowing this body for a second chance at life.
However, the evidence Xiao Cheng had gathered suggested something deeper. It felt like he and the original owner were intertwined, as if they were somehow the same person.
Luo Jingshu, however, didn’t seem to think so.
How had he come to his conclusion?
Xiao Cheng’s head ached as he tried to unravel the puzzle. Part of him wanted to confront Luo Jingshu directly and demand an explanation.
But if he did, wouldn’t that be as good as admitting it?
So, was he or wasn’t he the original owner?
Xiao Cheng clutched his head, his expression pained.
Sitting on the carpet in the living room, he remained silent for a long time before suddenly recalling that he had never thoroughly searched this apartment.
Since the necklace had been found here, could there be something else?
A sense of clarity washed over him, and he turned on all the lights in the apartment. He began meticulously combing through every corner.
The living room carpet was flipped over multiple times, and even the gaps in the sofa were checked. He left no stone unturned, including the cupboards in the kitchen.
But the more he searched, the more disheartened he became. He didn’t find anything unusual.
It was as if the necklace had appeared out of nowhere.
Xiao Cheng lay on the living room floor, staring at the lights above. His mind was spinning.
His uncertainty about his identity and his fear of what lay ahead left him deeply unsettled.
He had accepted his new life here, coming to terms with his identity and the fact that he would live in this world.
But now, someone told him: I know you’re not Xiao Cheng.
A fatal blow.
Xiao Cheng lay there for a long time before finally wiping his face and dragging his exhausted body to the wardrobe to grab clean clothes. No matter what the truth was, life had to go on.
As long as he stubbornly refused to admit anything, Luo Jingshu couldn’t prove anything.
The wardrobe was meticulously organized. Xiao Cheng didn’t stay here often, and this was leftover from the last time he cleaned.
As he reached for a clean set of pajamas, an idea suddenly struck him.
Where there was a wardrobe, there might be a hidden safe. Could this apartment have one?
He tossed the clothes aside and began examining the wardrobe carefully. After a thorough search, he finally found something unusual.
It turned out there really was one!
Xiao Cheng lifted a wooden panel, revealing a small safe inside.
But as he stared at the keypad, he froze.
What was the code?
This safe must have belonged to the original owner. What password would he have used?
Xiao Cheng thought for a moment and tried entering his own birthday.
Access denied.
He exhaled sharply, his thoughts racing. If it wasn’t his birthday, then what could it be?
What else did the original owner value?
After a moment’s hesitation, Xiao Cheng remembered that this apartment had been a gift from He An for his eighteenth birthday. Carefully, he entered He An’s birthday.
Still wrong.
Xiao Cheng frowned deeply. His gaze locked on the safe, and an impossible idea suddenly crept into his mind.
No way. The original owner wouldn’t have used that as the password.
Xiao Cheng tried to dismiss the thought, but his hands trembled slightly as he entered the numbers carefully.
The safe unlocked with a click.
Xiao Cheng’s eyes widened.
The code was Luo Jingshu’s birthday.
