Mr. Meng, somewhat surprised, asked, “Ah, I’ve been to that temple, it’s quite spiritual. I bought a talisman from the fortune teller in front of the temple before, and you won’t believe it, but shortly after, I almost got into a car accident. If it had been a few seconds later, my darling would have become a widow.”
Ruan Jiujiu comforted him, “It’s good that nothing happened.”
Mr. Meng smiled and said, “It’s fine, I have several auspicious and warding-off-evil items in my office, I’ll give you one.”
Ruan Jiujiu asked, “Give me one?”
Mr. Meng gave Ruan Jiujiu a figurine of a mythical beast from his desk and hung a warding-off-evil pendant on the wall of Ruan Jiujiu’s office.
He said, “Let’s not talk about whether it’s idealism or materialism; we all seek good luck. I hope you don’t mind.”
“I’m more than grateful; I can’t thank you enough.”
Mr. Meng’s kind gesture was not lost on Ruan Jiujiu.
Mr. Meng chatted for a few more minutes, and if it weren’t for the fact that he still had unfinished work for the day, he probably would have continued chatting away while moving his chair around.
Not long after Mr. Meng left, the door was pushed open, and it was Cheng Jun.
“Why are you here?”
“Less work today.”
Less work and he looked half-asleep. Ruan Jiujiu silently murmured to herself.
She wondered if Cheng Jun had been staying up late playing games or eating snacks at night. In any case, neither of these was a good sign.
“Why did Mr. Meng come over?”
“What, are you checking on me?”
Ruan Jiujiu teased him deliberately, then continued, “Mr. Meng came to bring me some warding-off-evil items for good luck.”
Cheng Jun fell silent.
In his mind, Ruan Jiujiu was originally some kind of supernatural being, and trying to exorcise her was just picking a fight for no reason.
Ruan Jiujiu waved at him. “What are you daydreaming about?”
“Nothing.”
Before the end of the workday, Mr. Meng came back.
This time he got straight to the point and removed the two warding-off-evil items.
In his heart, Mr. Meng couldn’t help but think that the big boss had come all the way here, and it turned out to be for such a small matter. It was as if he was obsessed with his wife, as if he had to say that Ruan Jiujiu’s aura was weak, and he didn’t want to exorcise her.
Ruan Jiujiu exclaimed, “Hey, hey, Mr. Meng, why are you taking these away?”
Mr. Meng said, “I’ve heard that these things aren’t suitable for being placed in rooms; they might affect the atmosphere. I’ll bring you a peace charm next time.”
Ruan Jiujiu was clueless about these things and said in surprise, “There are such considerations?”
Mr. Meng couldn’t help but chuckle.
Indeed, the big boss had a lot of considerations.
They had dinner together, and Ruan Jiujiu wanted to watch “The New Legend of Madame White Snake,” but Cheng Jun beat her to it and switched the channel to some war movie.
Ruan Jiujiu said, “…I never thought you had this kind of taste.”
Cheng Jun calmly explained, “This is magical realism, using exaggerated and satirical methods to depict tragedy with humor…”
“Stop, stop, stop! That’s enough!”
Ruan Jiujiu was laughing and crying at the same time, finding him truly amusing.
In the evening, light rain began to fall outside, and the cold wind carried a damp chill as it seeped in through the cracks in the door, making it feel quite chilly.
Ruan Jiujiu put on her coat and watched TV with Cheng Jun for a while. She was using her complaining skills to the fullest, constantly questioning the ridiculous plot of the show.
Cheng Jun listened quietly to Ruan Jiujiu’s complaints.
At that moment, Ruan Jiujiu’s phone beeped with a message from Tu Nan.
[Tu Nan: Sister-in-law, I want to talk to you.
Is the boss not around?]
Ruan Jiujiu subconsciously glanced at Cheng Jun, who was peeling a banana and didn’t pay any attention to her actions.
[Ruan Jiujiu: Go ahead.]
Tu Nan responded quickly.
[Tu Nan: Sister-in-law, then I’ll just say it.
Lately… the boss’s mental state doesn’t seem too good. Have you two… had another argument?]
[Ruan Jiujiu: No, not at all.]
[Tu Nan: Oh! It better not be you two! Ahem, Sister-in-law, you should take care of yourself. Having too much nighttime entertainment isn’t good, be mindful of your health.]
[Ruan Jiujiu: …]
Tu Nan was blindly guessing, leaving Ruan Jiujiu speechless.
Beside her, Cheng Jun was still eating a banana, his cheeks puffed up, like a squirrel.
Upon closer inspection, his eye sockets did indeed seem a bit dark, and his overall spirit didn’t seem as good as usual.
In front of Ruan Jiujiu, Cheng Jun acted perfectly normal. If it weren’t for Tu Nan, she wouldn’t have known that he had fallen asleep several times in the office.
Drowsy during the day, what was he doing at night?
Ruan Jiujiu restrained herself from asking.
With Cheng Jun’s personality, even if she did ask, he wouldn’t explain the real situation to her.
At night, just before the lights went out, Ruan Jiujiu advised, “Get some sleep early.”
“Okay.”
…
That night, Ruan Jiujiu didn’t sleep soundly.
Questions swirled in her mind, and she tossed and turned, wondering why Cheng Jun wasn’t sleeping.
She finally managed to fall asleep, but not long after, she woke up again, unable to find any sleep.
…
The rain outside the door was still falling lightly, dripping on the window sill with a pattering sound. Accompanied by the rustling of the trees, the damp cold penetrated deep into her heart, making Ruan Jiujiu shiver.
She carefully put on her coat, barefooted, and tiptoed to the bedroom door, pushing it open.
The living room was pitch black. Ruan Jiujiu stealthily made her way to Cheng Jun’s study, wanting to listen and find out if he was doing something else at night.
Cheng Jun’s study door was tightly closed, not a sound came from inside.
Ruan Jiujiu listened carefully, her ear to the door.
Just then, a faint inquiry came from behind her, “What are you listening to?”
The next second, Ruan Jiujiu let out a terrible scream, “Ah! Ghost!”
She was shocked and terrified, her face pale, and it took her a while to recover.
In that moment, she really thought she was going to be scared to death.
Ruan Jiujiu, still trembling, patted her chest and said, “What are you doing in the living room? You scared me to death!”
The living room light was off, and Cheng Jun stood in the dark room. She couldn’t see his expression, only hearing his calm question, “What are you doing? Why are you listening to me?”
Ruan Jiujiu replied awkwardly, “I thought your mental state hasn’t been very good during the day recently, so I wanted to see what you were doing at night. You haven’t stayed up all night, have you?”
Far from staying up one night, after the temple incident last time, Cheng Jun had trouble sleeping for several nights.
Feeling anxious and uncertain was the worst experience.
Cheng Jun calmly lied, “I’m just sitting on the sofa, having a snack.”
Ruan Jiujiu: …
Could his lie be any more convincing?
Late at night, having a snack? Cheng Jun’s imagination was truly something.
Ruan Jiujiu asked, “You didn’t secretly eat snacks again, did you? You see, if I’m not here to supervise you, what will happen? You might end up harming yourself sooner or later.”
Maybe Cheng Jun really did harm himself in his previous life.
The words “if I’m not here” struck hard at Cheng Jun’s heart.
Ruan Jiujiu was about to tell him to go back to sleep when the room suddenly lit up for a few seconds. She heard a deafening thunderclap outside, as if lightning had struck right above them. It frightened Ruan Jiujiu, and she instinctively jumped into Cheng Jun’s arms.
“Why did it start thundering all of a sudden? It was fine just now. This wretched weather changes so quickly,” she muttered.
Cheng Jun stumbled a few steps but regained his balance and held Ruan Jiujiu tightly. His embrace trembled, and his arms held her firmly.
Thinking that Cheng Jun might have been startled by the sudden clap of thunder, Ruan Jiujiu quickly said, “It’s okay; don’t be afraid. It will pass in a moment.”
Cheng Jun held her even tighter, his voice trembling as he asked, “You won’t leave, will you?”
Ruan Jiujiu was taken aback. What did leaving have to do with thunder? It seemed that ever since they returned from the temple last time, Cheng Jun had been concerned about everything related to her.
For a moment, Ruan Jiujiu almost thought Cheng Jun knew her true identity. But she quickly dismissed this possibility. If Cheng Jun really knew she was a wandering spirit, given his timid nature, he would have sought out a spirit exorcist long ago to drive her away, wouldn’t he? How could he have let her stay here peacefully?
Ruan Jiujiu softly teased, “Have you finally figured out that I’m the Snail Girl? I came here specifically to cook and repay your kindness.”
Cheng Jun’s breathing hitched. Ruan Jiujiu had intended to make a joke to ease the tension between them.
At this moment, Cheng Jun seemed even more off-kilter, and he said, “I don’t need you to cook; I don’t need you to leave a child behind. I just want you to stay.”
“Huh?”
Leave a child? How could things be this good?
Ruan Jiujiu was left speechless.
“So, don’t go.”
Ruan Jiujiu was getting confused. Was Cheng Jun clear-headed at this moment?
Why did it sound like he genuinely believed that Ruan Jiujiu was the Snail Girl, here to repay him?
Ruan Jiujiu’s heart pounded, and she began to panic, feeling chilled to the bone.
When she recalled Cheng Jun’s actions at the temple…
Could it be…
His embrace was tight around her, and she buried her face in his chest. She could feel his heart beating rapidly, and his tone was calm, slow, as if he were describing something mundane. If it weren’t for his racing heart and the rise and fall of his chest, Ruan Jiujiu would have thought he was casually speaking.
Ruan Jiujiu was so nervous that her throat felt dry. If Cheng Jun knew her true identity, could they still continue to interact peacefully? Maybe she had misunderstood him?
She asked subtly, “What do you mean? Don’t let me misunderstand.”
Ruan Jiujiu wasn’t stupid. Considering Cheng Jun’s behavior in recent days, all the evidence seemed to point to the possibility that he had guessed she wasn’t the original host.
Perhaps she understood why Cheng Jun was so worried. Cheng Jun fell silent again.
It was as if he were harboring some fear and expectation at this crucial moment, and Ruan Jiujiu suddenly didn’t want to reveal the truth.
She was always like this, avoiding facing the truth when it came down to it, especially when it involved her feelings for Cheng Jun.
Ruan Jiujiu changed the topic, hinting at Cheng Jun to let go of her arm. “Ahem, it’s the middle of the night, and we’re talking nonsense. Go back to sleep…”
*Rumble!*
An untimely thunderclap interrupted her words. Feeling guilty, Ruan Jiujiu was startled once more and immediately burrowed back into Cheng Jun’s embrace.
Ruan Jiujiu almost burst into tears. It was as if some divine force wanted to punish her for her inconsistency, and she felt a sense of unease deep in her heart.
She fell silent for a moment, deciding to ask indirectly, “Do you know my… secret?”
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