The voice of the Pale Ghost Face echoed in the corridor for a long time.
Each time it sounded, Lu Yunze and Jiang Sui’s heads ached.
Only after the echoes completely faded did they finally lower their hands from their ears.
“What the hell? Are we really dealing with a ghost?”
Lu Yunze remained alert, watching the surroundings in case the Pale Ghost Face returned.
“Jiang Sui, are you okay?”
He immediately began checking on her condition.
“I’m… I’m fine.”
Jiang Sui was still a bit dazed.
If this had been an enemy attack, she would have likely died the moment she was ambushed.
But that ghostly face only tried to drag her away, without inflicting any harm at all.
If there was one thing that made Jiang Sui feel uncomfortable, it was the chill that spread through her entire body when those two hands grabbed her shoulders.
That temperature was nothing like a human’s.
Colder than a corpse.
Yet not simply cold—it made her scalp tingle and her stomach churn.
What was going on?
And what the hell was that “open the door” business?
Lu Yunze wanted to ask Jiang Sui if she knew any inside information.
But the little maid only shook her head, indicating she didn’t know anything.
She also thanked Lu Yunze for saving her life.
“I’ve been saved by the young master again.”
Jiang Sui rubbed her hands together, her smile nearly ingratiating.
“After we get back, what kind of reward does the young master want?”
“Is this really the time for that?”
“…I suppose not.”
Jiang Sui’s ear twitched.
Her keen hearing caught the sound of footsteps approaching from afar.
She took her leave from Lu Yunze first, slipping into the private room they had just exited.
Lu Yunze was still wondering what she was up to.
But the voice behind him quickly dispelled his confusion.
Turning around, he saw that the person approaching was none other than Luo Yao.
“Brother Lu! What are you doing here?”
Even in high heels, Luo Yao ran swiftly.
She only stopped when she reached him.
“I should be asking you that.”
Luo Yao’s cheeks immediately puffed up.
“We’ve been looking for you this whole time. What were you doing here?”
“Nothing much. Just had a bit too much to eat and wanted to walk around.”
“Really?”
Luo Yao squinted slightly, studying his expression.
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“What do you mean? I…”
Luo Yao walked right past him, went to the door of the private room, opened it, and barged in.
But there was no one inside.
The chairs that Lu Yunze and Jiang Sui had knocked over had somehow been put back in place.
There wasn’t a single trace of anyone having been there.
Lu Yunze breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he noticed the still-open window, and his heart skipped a beat.
They were on the tenth floor or higher.
How had she managed that?
After confirming everything was fine, Luo Yao finally smiled again.
“Good that Brother Lu is okay. It’s time for us to head home.”
“So soon?”
Lu Yunze had thought the banquet would last at least until late at night.
“This hotel really isn’t up to par. The power system keeps malfunctioning, ruining everyone’s mood.”
Luo Yao shrugged.
As she spoke, she sat down on a nearby chair, swinging her legs.
“Besides, I called Father and complained about it. He told us to come home right away.”
“If it’s Uncle Luo’s request, then that’s fine.”
“Also, Father asked me a very strange question.”
Luo Yao squinted again.
“He asked if I’d seen his keys.”
“Huh?”
Lu Yunze’s first thought was of what the Pale Ghost Face had said.
Keys and a door—was there a connection between the two?
It was indeed strange.
Uncle Luo didn’t seem like the type to misplace things.
“Let’s go, Brother Lu.”
“Oh, okay.”
The banquet, which had been plagued by mishaps, could no longer continue.
Though the guests were disappointed, they had no choice but to pack up and go home to wash up and sleep.
Lu Yunze, Luo Yao, and Luo Heng all rode home in the car that Lin Ying personally drove.
On the way, the three kept complaining to each other about the night’s events.
It was supposed to be a banquet held for Lu Yunze, yet it had ended so anticlimactically.
When they got home, they all returned to their respective rooms to rest.
Meanwhile, Lin Ying, having just finished his chauffeur duties, arrived at Luo Tianyu’s study.
He knocked and then entered.
“Old Master, both the young master and miss have returned safely.”
“Good.”
The study’s main lights were off.
Only a small desk lamp emitted a soft glow.
Luo Tianyu sat at the far end of the study, facing the window, his expression grim.
“Did Luo Yao say whether she found the keys?”
“No, Old Master.”
“You may leave.”
With a thud, the study door closed.
He was alone once more.
Luo Tianyu furrowed his brow even tighter.
In his palm, he clutched a necklace.
As his hand tightened, the veins on the back of his hand gradually bulged.
The necklace now only had a cord left; the ornament was gone.
Elsewhere.
After taking a relaxing bath, Lu Yunze had completely put the unpleasantness of the night behind him.
When he came to the living room, he ran into Luo Yao, who was still drinking water.
She had bathed earlier and changed into soft, form-fitting pajamas, her skin fair with a rosy glow.
“Brother Lu, what a coincidence.”
“Yeah, came out for some water.”
“Here, take this.”
Unexpectedly, Luo Yao had prepared it in advance.
This surprised Lu Yunze quite a bit.
“I knew Brother Lu would most likely come here after his bath, so I saved you the trouble.”
The young miss smiled sweetly and adorably.
“Thanks.”
“You’re not upset about tonight, are you, Brother Lu? After all, that banquet was for you.”
When she mentioned it, a hint of regret still colored Luo Yao’s expression.
“It’s fine. I don’t care.”
Lu Yunze spread his hands.
“You know I don’t like wasting time at banquets.”
“That’s true…”
Luo Yao’s voice nearly faded.
But she managed to finish her sentence.
“If Brother Lu needs anything, you can come to me anytime.”
Her eyes sparkled in the dimly lit living room, like gems.
“I’ll do my best to help you, just like when we were kids.”
Lu Yunze stood still for a moment.
Then he vigorously tousled her hair.
“Alright, I got it.”
He turned and headed back to his room.
“Hey, leaving already? There’s nothing you want me to help with?”
“If I have to say something, then yes.”
“Tell me, tell me.”
Luo Yao immediately looked eager.
“Do you know how to give a massage? My shoulders are kind of sore.”
“Ah…”
Luo Yao’s eyes dimmed instantly.
“Sorry, I don’t.”
Lu Yunze didn’t blame her.
But as she left the living room, she looked like a puppet about to break.
Staggering, she disappeared into the depths of the corridor.
Back in his room, Lu Yunze collapsed into his chair.
He felt as if he would sink into it.
Even though he hadn’t been in any intense combat, he still felt incredibly tired.
Especially his shoulders.
They had started aching even before the banquet ended, and still felt uncomfortable.
Great.
Was he going to damage his body at such a young age by using secret arts improperly?
“I really wish someone would give me a massage.”
Lu Yunze closed his eyes and drawled, trying to relax his mind and distract himself.
Before long.
A perfectly applied pressure settled on his shoulders.
Not only did it relieve the soreness, but it also sent a pleasant tingle through him.
“Yeah, just like that.”
Lu Yunze felt like he was in heaven.
“A little harder, a little more inward, yeah, right there, ahh~”
He even let out a strange sound.
Lu Yunze thought, this dream is way too realistic…
Dream?
Lu Yunze abruptly shot up from the chair.
He turned around, and sure enough, Jiang Sui was standing right behind him.
She looked a bit startled by his sudden jump.
Her massage hands hung in the air.
“How did you get in again?”
Lu Yunze glanced at the door, then at the bed.
“How did you get in this time?”
“The young master doesn’t have the habit of closing the window.”
Jiang Sui smiled innocently.
Lu Yunze was starting to wonder what excuse she would come up with next to cover up sneaking into his room.
After the door and under the bed, now it was climbing through the window?
Fortunately, Lu Yunze was used to it.
“Didn’t the young master find it comfortable? Why did you run away?”
“Anyone would be startled.”
After saying that, he lay back down, letting her continue massaging his shoulders.
He had to admit, Jiang Sui’s fingers were incredibly nimble.
She did rough work all the time, so she wasn’t lacking in strength, and she also knew massage techniques.
Combined, it was simply heavenly.
“Did the young master regret tonight’s banquet?”
He initially planned not to tell the truth.
But the massage was so comfortable that Lu Yunze dropped all his guard.
“If I have to say it, then yes.”
Luo Tianyu had gone to such great lengths for him, yet it ended like this.
It would be a lie to say he felt no regret at all.
“Then let the young master enjoy this well.”
“You know how nimble my fingers are.”
“Let me help the young master dispel all negative feelings.”
“Mm.”
“Make sure to work hard in the competition next week.”
As she spoke, she leaned closer to his ear.
Finally, she even extended her pink tongue and licked his earlobe.
Lu Yunze shivered all over.
But he had already been disarmed by the massage, powerless to resist.
This was Lu Yunze, completely defenseless.
Only before me does he show such a posture.
Strong enemies couldn’t make him give up.
Luo Yao couldn’t make him relax this much.
Others were even less capable.
Only I, in the whole world, can make him become like this.
Jiang Sui, unable to help herself, continued to taste his deliciousness with her tongue, which was even more nimble than her fingers.
Delicious, so delicious.
Once, twice, one more time.
Mm, one more time.
When Jiang Sui came to her senses, she noticed that Lu Yunze’s ear was already wet with glistening saliva.
“Young master, the massage is over. I’ll be going now.”
“Aah~ okay, have a good rest.”
Lu Yunze was also extremely sleepy.
Not bothering with anything else, he got into bed and fell asleep.
Within three seconds, faint snores sounded.
Jiang Sui gently closed the door.
She took a deep breath, savoring the taste she just had, and trembled lightly herself.
Back in her bedroom, she didn’t rest immediately.
Instead, she sat at the desk and thought.
“There’s definitely some secret hidden in the Luo family estate.”
The ghost, the door, and tonight’s events—there had to be something behind them.
And what made Jiang Sui very concerned—
The mark on Lu Yunze’s shoulder, after turning a burning red color, had cooled and become a conspicuous black.
A black star wrapped by three tentacles?
When she thought of this, Jiang Sui immediately pulled out the ancient book.
The pattern on the book’s cover, after simplifying the extra parts, was identical to the pattern on Lu Yunze’s shoulder!
“That ghost is related to the ancient book.”
“He might know the origin of this book.”
Just then.
Jiang Sui heard a soft knock.
Looking up, she saw a cat’s paw tapping on the window glass, then retracting.
Immediately after, a cute cat head poked out.
“You came back just in time.”