Chapter 278: Haunted Building (14)

  What did he mean by 'I'll do my best to make you fall in love with me all over again.'?

Who’s falling in love with whom?

What did he mean by falling in love again?

For a moment, the few people who had just entered the basement were caught off guard.

After all, in their lives, there had never been any mention of love, nor had they heard that any of them had a lover or a partner.

They were all a bit confused and instinctively looked towards the basement.

The basement was in a dark corner where sunlight could barely reach. Even during the day, it was no different from night, illuminated only by a warm lamp that lit up the entire room.

It also lit up the makeshift little bed that had been set up the night before.

At this moment, there were two people sitting on the bed, very close to each other. One of them had practically pulled the other into their embrace, holding his hand against his face, gazing at him with tenderness and affection.

It was an incredibly intimate posture, intimate enough to resemble two lovers deeply in love with each other.

Even the person being held didn't struggle, obediently allowing himself to be embraced. His beautiful eyes showed no sign of resistance, as if the man in front of him really was their long-forgotten lover.

The atmosphere between the two was harmonious, with an unspoken hint of ambiguity.

Anyone unaware of the situation might indeed think the two were passionate lovers.

Lovers?

Ha.

One was a kidnapper, and the other was the kidnapped.

They weren't lovers, let alone deeply in love. Under normal circumstances, Xu He wouldn’t even be qualified to know this young master.

Watching the scene before him, a surge of inexplicable anger welled up in Zhou Jinchen. His face darkened as he strode over to the bedside, reaching out to grab Ruan Qing’s wrist to drag him away.

But Ruan Qing... dodged him.

When Zhou Jinchen made a move, Ruan Qing instinctively dodged into Xu He’s embrace, then raised his eyes to look at the unfamiliar man trying to grab him.

His eyes brimmed with moisture, full of panic and fear, like a startled little deer.

Xu He, on the other hand, immediately wrapped his arms around Ruan Qing when he dodged into his embrace, holding him protectively, giving Ruan Qing a strong sense of security.

Zhou Jinchen's face grew even darker at the sight. He cast an icy glance at the person hiding in Xu He’s arms. "Have you forgotten what I told you?"

"Get down here!"

The viewers in the livestream, who had looked up some information online the previous night while Xu He was browsing, now understood the situation with the streamer. They also realized that the streamer wasn't maintaining a persona but had actually lost his memory.

The audience, who had been angrily cursing Xu He for being shameless, immediately chimed in after hearing Zhou Jinchen's words.

[Yeah, yeah, listen to him, honey. Even though he always looks like someone owes him eight million, I still think he's more of a good guy than the rest.]

[What the hell! This bastard is taking advantage of my wife’s memory loss to deceive him! Don’t believe that jerk, honey! He’s not even your lover!]

However, the person who had been obedient before was now acting out of character. Upon hearing Zhou Jinchen's cold words, Ruan Qing shrank further into Xu He's embrace, even burying his head in Xu He's chest.

Xu He gently patted Ruan Qing’s head in a comforting manner, his movements full of tenderness.

It was as if he was silently telling Ruan Qing that he would always protect him.

Zhou Jinchen's gaze turned completely cold. Just as he was about to reach out and pull Ruan Qing away, a flash of the boy's earlier expression crossed his mind.

Strange, panicked, and obviously afraid.

Zhou Jinchen paused and suddenly realized what was happening.

Although the boy was a bit spoiled, he had always been obedient to his "father." But now, the look in his eyes was completely unfamiliar, nothing like how he used to look at him.

...He’s lost his memory again.

Even though Zhou Jinchen knew the boy's condition caused frequent memory loss, seeing it happen again still left him with an indescribable, complicated feeling.

It made him inexplicably irritated and somewhat uncomfortable.

Almost as if someone else had touched something that used to be his, it just didn't feel right.

Though this young master didn’t belong to him, and nothing seemed to have happened between him and Xu He yet—his clothes and state were normal—Zhou Jinchen suppressed that bit of discomfort. He looked at Xu He coldly and spoke with a voice filled with menace and killing intent, "It seems you've forgotten what I told you."

Xu He paid no mind to Zhou Jinchen's attitude. He lowered his head to gaze at the young boy in his arms and softly said, "How could I bear to leave him all alone?"

This remark seemed like a response to Zhou Jinchen, but it was more of a sweet whisper meant for Ruan Qing, as Xu He’s words were filled with tenderness and affection, like a lover’s murmurs.

After speaking, Xu He lifted his head to face the visibly enraged Zhou Jinchen and let out a soft chuckle. "Don’t you think you’re overstepping your bounds?"

Before Zhou Jinchen could reply, Xu He continued, "I haven’t disrupted our plan, nor have I broken any agreements."

The implication was clear: Zhou Jinchen had no right to meddle in his affairs.

In truth, this was indeed the case. The group was only temporarily working together, with no one more important than the other, and none of them obligated to follow anyone else’s orders unconditionally.

Under such circumstances, it was only natural that no one had the right to interfere with the actions or choices of others.

Especially when it came to something like deceiving a hostage.

If it had been any other hostage, Xu He might have gone even further, and no one would have said a word. But this young boy was a different case.

Yan Lulin glanced at the others nearby, all of whom looked cold and indifferent, and frowned. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with their reactions.

Since when had these people shown such strange emotional fluctuations?

Though they didn’t have much affection for one another, they still knew each other fairly well. Typically, only anger or hatred would elicit any kind of response from them. 

When it came to deceiving a hostage, even if the hostage accidentally died, they would be indifferent and simply think about how to cover it up and fool Ren Yanqing's side.

But now, their reactions were clearly unusual.

Their emotions were far too volatile. And it didn’t seem like they were angry about the kidnapping plan potentially failing. It looked more like they were... jealous? Jealous of how close that young boy was to Xu He?

This idea was utterly absurd.

None of these people were romantics, nor were they the type to be swayed by appearances. How could they all have fallen for the enemy’s son in just one day?

Yan Lulin cast a serious look at the delicate boy in Xu He’s arms.

The boy’s features were incredibly refined, as if meticulously crafted by God himself. Perhaps because he had just woken up, his face was tinged with a beautiful flush. Combined with the soft lighting, it gave him a captivating glow, as if the evening sunset had cast its radiance upon him, making him appear even more striking and intoxicating.

The boy's slender body, perhaps due to overwhelming fear, curled restlessly in Xu He’s arms, appearing somewhat fragile and helpless.

It also made him particularly endearing.

...Indeed, he possessed the allure to bring ruin to a nation.

The idea of several people falling in love with the same person would naturally seem absurd in most cases, but with this boy, it almost seemed inevitable.

Yan Lulin averted his gaze somewhat awkwardly, and his frown deepened.

Deceiving a hostage wasn't an issue in itself, but if the hostage caused internal discord and led to the failure of the kidnapping, that would be a serious problem.

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