Chapter 72 - Beating

When Xu Yixiang came in, she saw Su Min sitting there. The curtain around him billowed in the wind making him look like he was about to fly off with the wind.

She had a good impression of Su Min and didn’t want him to jump.

And so she blurted that sentence out. Although she realised later that it didn’t sound right, it was too late to take it back.

Conversely, Su Min was shocked by Xu Yixiang’s shout and almost fell because of that.

Fortunately, Chen Su had him in his hold and had him pinned to the windowsill. Although the others couldn’t see it, Su Min could see it clearly himself.

He even felt like he was being teased.

Su Min took a deep breath, “I don’t have the intention to jump.”

“You can’t jump off.” Xu Yixiang walked over and tried to persuade him, “Although we may not have much hope, we can’t give up so easily. Also, if you jump off now, what if we end up being able to leave tomorrow?”

Su Min: “???”

What is she on about?

Chen Su bit his throat, “Does this feel good?”

His voice was slightly hoarse.

In all honesty, Su Min was quite sensitive there. When Chen Su touched it, he could keenly sense Su Min’s reaction.

Su Min answered contrarily: “Feels bad.”

Xu Yixiang thought he was talking to her, “If it feels bad you should hurry and come down. You can catch a cold like this, and you’ll feel even worse like that.”

Yan Jing Cai nodded nonstop.

Hearing her words, Su Min suddenly thought of the words of concern he would typically hear from the elders. The female protagonist suddenly felt like the elders nagging at home.

Su Min tried to shake his head, but he couldn’t.

Chen Su laughed, “Then I’ll let you feel even better.”

Su Min felt that his tone sounded like he was saying “feel good with me” and “let’s feel good together”.

With this kind of bastard line coming out from Chen Su’s mouth, it gave him the urge to slap him and beat him up.

But unfortunately, he was pinned in place by the other party and he couldn’t move.

The male and female protagonist stood directly opposite him. They stared at him without blinking but they knew nothing about Chen Su and his actions.

Chen Su kissed his chin.

Su Min’s toes couldn’t help but curl up. He raised his head slightly.

This strange action of his confused Xu Yixiang and Yan Jing Cai. They only felt that things were getting more dangerous.

Yan Jing Cai didn’t know what was wrong and could only say the same thing: “Su Min, hurry and come down. No matter how despaired you feel, you can’t end your life like that.”

Xu Yixiang had more to say. “Su Min, think properly first. With the second floor being so low, you won’t die from that. At most you would get a few broken bones or become disabled. Do you really want to suffer like that? Do you want to spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair?

Su Min felt that her words were very reasonable.

He restrained his voice: “I was just ge…..getting some air. I’ll get down now. Don’t worry.”

After he said that, he let out a quiet hum.

Xu Yixiang found it even more strange. Why did that voice sound so delicate? Although it was soft, she even heard the sound being dragged out at the end.

Suddenly, a thought came to mind.

Her eyes widened and she breathed deeply a few times. She grabbed Yan Jing Cai’s arm, “Su Min, we won’t bother you anymore. Just pay attention to safety.”

Yan Jing Cai was dragged out by her with a look of confusion.

Xu Yixiang even considerately closed the door while reminding him: “Be sure to pay attention to safety. Don’t be on the short end of the stick.”

The two quickly disappeared from the room. With the door closed, it was as if they had never appeared.

Su Min: “???”

What was going on? Why wasn’t the female protagonist persuading him anymore? Why wasn’t the male protagonist worried anymore? With them running off like that, he suddenly felt unsafe.

Chen Su couldn’t hold back his laughter, “They abandoned you.”

Hearing this, Su Min angrily glared at him. He accused him: “The culprit even has the nerve to say that?”

The male and female protagonist definitely won’t abandon him.

……

Outside the room.

Yan Jing Cai still wanted to go back in the room. He complained: “With us coming out like this, what if Su Min does something dumb?”

He felt that Su Min looked very vulnerable like that.

Xu Yixiang stopped him, “I realised that we were just thinking to much. He probably really just wanted to get some air. Don’t you know Su Min’s personality?”

Su Min was too pitiful. He even had to bribe a ghost.

Yan Jing Cai was convinced by her words, “What you said makes sense. Then let’s check on him later just to be safe.”

Xu Yixiang nodded and pulled him away.

……….

An hour later, Xu Yixiang and Yan Jing Cai returned to the room.

They had just finished washing up so they were very cautious when they entered fearing that something terrible might be lying in wait for them.

Su Min was sitting on the bed.

Hearing their sounds, he looked up.

Xu Yixiang coughed a few times, “Su Min you’re done getting air? Do you want to go wash up? It’s not good washing up too late.”

Su Min nodded and made a sound of agreement.

When he left the room, Xu Yixiang breathed a sigh of relief. She flew over to the windowsill and looked around but didn’t see anything.

Yan Jing Cai asked: “What are you looking for?”

Xu Yixiang didn’t even look back, “Nothing.”

She couldn’t find anything. She had wanted to see if she could find clues left behind by the other party, but she didn’t find anything.

She wondered if it was Xiao Chen.

As soon as this idea appeared in her mind, she felt a cold breeze blow by and couldn’t help but shiver. She quickly closed the window.

The cold sensation still didn’t disappear.

Xu Yixiang returned to Yan Jing Cai’s bed, “I’ll sleep here tonight. I don’t want to sleep with Han Qinqin.”

She didn’t want to sleep over there fearing that she would be killed in the middle of the night, so she wanted to squeeze in with Yan Jing Cai for the night.

In any case, their lives were at risk here so who would have the energy to think about anything else. The two of them haven’t gone that far yet and she believed in Yan Jing Cai’s character.

“Okay.” Yan Jing Cai thought about it, “Su Min probably wouldn’t mind. We just need to make sure we don’t bother him and it should be fine.”

Xu Yixiang nodded, “I have a feeling something will happen tonight.”

This was also her sixth sense. As for what was going to happen tonight, she wasn’t sure.

It was now just pass eleven o’clock. There was less than an hour left until the next day.

***

After Su Min left the bathroom, he entered the empty corridor.

It was dark on both sides while the corridor on the other end was dimly lit to indicate that there was someone staying there.

He wasn’t sure how many children lived on the right side of the second floor.

Although it wasn’t very safe both during the day and at night, it felt even more dangerous at night so he could only check it out tomorrow during the day.

However, as he neared the room, something flashed by and a figure appeared in front of him.

Seeing the figure, Su Min became vigilant, “Ming Ming?”

The young boy stood there with his face obscured by the shadows. Although you could only see below his neck, Su Min felt that he was Ming Ming.

This strange feeling could only be Ming Ming.

Unless the other children that he had not yet seen also would give him that feeling.

The other party didn’t answer. Su Min tentatively took a step forward only to see that Ming Ming had also taken a step forward to reveal his chin from the shadows.

With every step he took, Ming Ming also took a step.

Su Min felt a little numb. The distance between him and Ming Ming would gradually close like this and, before he could reach the door, Ming Ming would be standing next to him.

He naturally couldn’t leave things like this.

The moment Ming Ming reaches him before he reached the door, he wouldn’t be able to enter the room.

Su Min took a large step.

By taking a few steps like this, when he reached the edge of the door, Ming Ming was opposite him and he could clearly see his expression.

The expressionless face now revealed a smile.

All these signs clearly indicated that he wasn’t a normal child.

Su Min recalled the contents of the file which mentioned him being sent back. He had previously suspected that something may have gone wrong.

Now that he thought about it, with him doing something like this in the middle of the night, it wasn’t surprising that the adoptive family sent him back.

But he still didn’t’ know what happened at the orphanage.

Su Min hesitantly asked: “It’s so late. Do you need something?”

Ming Ming didn’t answer. He just continued to stare straight at him.

Su Min noticed that there appeared to be a cross hanging from his neck. He didn’t know if it was something the old director made him wear.

There was also a cross at the top of the orphanage building.

Su Min and the boy stood there in stalemate for a long time. Eventually he decided to ignore it and quickly dashed in the room.

Ming Ming remained standing outside.

Yan Jing Cai was still awake. Seeing his actions, he asked: “What’s wrong?”

Su Min stood by the door, “Ming Ming is outside.”

“That laughing boy?” Xu Yixiang quickly got up from the bed and came over, “Why did he suddenly appear here?”

Su Min shook his head, “Not sure. He suddenly appeared.”

He didn’t know when and where exactly Ming Ming appeared, but he guessed that he probably was at the end of the corridor the moment he left the bathroom.

A faint laughter was heard outside.

Xu Yixiang’s arms were covered in goosebumps, “This little brat is too scary.”

Ignoring the fact that he was giggling in the corner earlier, he was now giggling outside their room. It was very terrifying hearing it in the middle of the night.

Su Min returned to his bed, “For now, don’t open the door.”

He still couldn’t figure out the meaning behind Ming Ming’s smile. It gave him a very strange feeling.

They didn’t know what would happen if they opened the door and a closed door reassured them a little more.

Yan Jing Cai was restless. He guessed: “Do you think he would break in? Last time he entered a room by himself.”

“Not sure.” Su Min thought it was unlikely and reassured him: “Probably won’t.”

He wouldn’t kill them all tonight. If he did, the movie wouldn’t work.

Yan Jing Cai spoke dejectedly, “I sure hope he won’t.”

Su Min suddenly asked: “What’s Han Qinqin doing now?”

“Han Qinqin?” Xu Yixiang thought for a moment, “She didn’t seem to be doing anything special. She was just playing on her phone in bed and is probably asleep now. She sleeps quite early.”

The phone couldn’t connect to the outside so she didn’t know what she could be doing on her phone.

But she wasn’t close to Han Qinqin so she naturally wouldn’t ask.

Su Min didn’t think much of it. He laid back in bed, “Let’s sleep soon. Tomorrow we still have a lot to do.”

The lights in the room were on. Everyone decided not to turn off the lights for the night.

Although it wasn’t very bright because it was quite old, it was enough to give them a sense a security.

At some unknown point in time, the giggling outside stopped.

Su Min finally let out a sigh of relief and his heart calmed down.

By suddenly relaxing after a tense day, sleep very quickly took over.

Late into the night, Su Min was awakened by the cinema’s prompt.

【Audience Member Su Min, congratulations on surviving through another day. Please keep up the good work. Today’s hint: Pantry.]

Still in a half-asleep state, Su Min’s mind was muddled

By the time he opened his eyes again, it was gradually getting brighter outside. Su Min suddenly sat up and looked at the dark sky outside.

He didn’t retain much memory of the pantry and he couldn’t remember where it was. He also had not seen a pantry anywhere during his stay at the orphanage the past few days.

Did Han Qinqin die in the pantry?