CH 16

Sneak into Your Home

Lou Ming had just finished his meal when he received the message. He stared at his cellphone for a long time. A very strange feeling filled his heart, it was difficult to describe the mixed flavors.

”He Qi.” Lou Ming looked up and stopped He Qi who was cleaning the table.

”Third Young Master?” He Qi stopped his movements and waited for the Third Young Master’s instructions.

”Is there anything else to eat at home?” Lou Ming asked.

”Third Young Master, you didn’t have enough to eat?” He Qi glanced at the leftover food on the table in confusion.  

”No, forget it…” Lou Ming sighed, “You go out and buy some food and drinks. Buy something that girls like to eat.”

Girls? Who? He Qi was shocked, and his jaw dropped.

Lou Ming knew that Chen Yu was coming so he didn’t continue his research from earlier. Instead, he found a book and sat in the living room reading it. By the time he was halfway through, He Qi also filled half the coffee table with all kinds of snacks. The person who said she was coming had yet to show up.

Lou Ming looked at the time and found that it was almost ten o’clock. It was already this time, that little girl shouldn’t be coming today. Lou Ming estimated that the little girl was chatting with her family and forgot to come here. After all, this was her first return since the holiday. The Chen family hasn’t seen their daughter for a long time.

Suddenly, a faint loss emerged. Lou Ming shook his head with a wry smile. As expected, he hasn’t had normal social interactions in a long time, so he cared a lot. Lou Ming closed the book in his hand and planned to put it back in his study and return to his room to take a rest.

“Third Young Master.” At this time, He Qi entered from outside and said with a complicated face, “Did Miss Chen said that she made an appointment with you to come over tonight as a guest?”

It turns out that the girl mentioned by Third Young Master was the Chen family’s Miss ah, which almost made him think crookedly.1

”…” Lou Ming, who just thought someone wouldn’t come, also had a complicated expression, “Let her in.”

The moment Chen Yu stepped into the courtyard, the rich spiritual energy went straight into her bones. This feeling made her comfortable and almost caused her to moan. The compass in Chen Yu’s pocket also felt comfortable and shook twice in excitement.

“Be reserve.” Chen Yu took out the compass, put it in her palm and tapped it. Then, she looked around the courtyard curiously. Last time she was in a hurry, so she didn’t notice that there was a spirit gathering array in the courtyard.

”Miss Chen Yu, Third Young Master is waiting for you in the living room.” He Qi reminded.

Chen Yu ‘oh’, then ran in with a light face and looked up at Lou Ming’s stern look.

”Third Brother, I’m here.” Chen Yu greeted vigorously. She glanced at the nearby coffee table filled with heaps of snacks and gulped uncontrollably. Chen Yu’s two big eyes glimmered and face was full of expectation as she asked, “Were these…prepared for me?”  

This couldn’t be blamed on her narcissism, because the way it was displayed was clearly for guests.

”En.” Lou Ming nodded. This was originally prepared for her.

”Thank you, Third Brother.” Chen Yu cheered and jumped onto the sofa to eat. Although she was rich now, she has always been a good frugal child and never been rotten.

Lou Ming turned around with a complicated face. He waited for the little girl to take two bites before asking aloud: “Does Mayor Chen and Mrs. Chen know that you’re here?”

”They don’t know ah.” Chen Yu replied as she ate. “I waited until they fell asleep before sneaking out. Otherwise, they will know how bad I am when I run out at night.”

“You also know that it’s not good to run out at night?” Lou Ming raised an eyebrow.

”I know ah.” Chen Yu knowingly replied.

”…” For the first time, the knowledgeable Third Young Master didn’t know how to reply. She already knows that it’s bad, what else should I say? Third Young Master Lou was dispirited.  

”Can I watch TV?” Chen Yu asked, turning her head over to him while eating chocolate biscuits.

”Watch.” Lou Ming waited for Chen Yu to turn on the TV with the remote control before he asked, “Xi…. Girl, when are you going to go back?” After all, it’s already ten o’clock in the evening.

“Ah, you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll leave before dawn.” Chen Yu said and adjusted her seating to be more comfortable. She took the remote control in one hand and grabbed a pillow with her other hand and held it in her arms, then muttered in a low voice, “This pillow is so hard ah.”

Dawn? Lou Ming’s face was a little dark. He looked at the compass that Chen Yu placed at the corner of the table and said, “You can leave the compass here and come back tomorrow to get it. You don’t have to stay here all night.”

“But I also want to absorb spiritual energy ah.” Chen Yu said pitifully, “I lost a lot of spiritual energy catching the malevolent ghost on the mountain that day. I still haven’t recovered yet.”

Lou Ming’s eyes glanced at the little girl’s right arm when recalling the events from that day. He saw that the wound was scabbed and was almost recovered. He put down his heart and said, “You can come back tomorrow during the day.”

“Okay. I sneak into your home anyway. What’s the difference between day and night?” Chen Yu continued, “And I have to find an excuse to go out during the day otherwise my mom will definitely ask.”

What’s the difference between day and night? Sneak into your home anyway. Blue tendons on Lou Ming’s forehead bulged at the ambiguous words.

”No,” Lou Ming frowned. “When it’s twelve, you must go back.”

Chen Yu saw that Lou Ming looked a little angry. Although she didn’t understand why, she could only honestly nod.  

Lou Ming’s complexion cleared up a little. He was about to educate this little girl on the dangers of staying alone in a place filled with men when the cellphone on the couch suddenly rang.

Chen Yu saw this, grabbed his cellphone and handed it to Lou Ming.

Lou Ming took the phone and found it was a video call from his mom. Lou Ming turned to Chen Yu and said, “You watch TV here. I’ll go and take this call.”

After that, Lou Ming took his cellphone to the study on the second floor and accepted the video call.

Mother Lou is an elegant elderly lady that was nearly sixty years old. She had a light smile on her elegant delicate face: “Why did it took you so long to answer the phone? Were you enthralled by some drawings again?”

Lou Ming smiled and agreed tacitly. He strangely asked, “Mom, why are you still awake so late?”

Mother Lou pays great attention to personal maintenance after she aged. She usually goes to bed before ten o’clock.

”Of course, there’s a reason.” After Mother Lou finished, the video on the cellphone suddenly moved. It seemed that Mother Lou was handing her cellphone to another person.

”Youngest Uncle!” A clear and loud child’s voice suddenly came from the other end of the phone. The four or five-year-old boy suddenly appeared on the video call.

”Congcong?” Lou Ming looked surprised.

“Uncle, I came to see grandpa and grandma today but why aren’t you home?” Congcong’s little face crinkled and complained, “I’m so big now and still haven’t met my uncle yet. When will you come see me?”

Congcong is the son of Lou Ming’s elder sister, Lou Jingxin. Lou Ming’s brother-in-law is a diplomat and his family are stationed abroad all year round. Lou Jingxin brings her children home to visit her relatives several times a year but for many years, Lou Ming has never seen his nephew Congcong. After all, that child’s spirituality was too weak. Lou Ming was afraid that his evil spirits will hurt the child, so he only saw Congcong through video chat over these years. But the strange thing was, he likes his Third Uncle in the Lou family, Lou Ming, the most.

“Don’t give your uncle trouble.” Lou Jingxin took the cellphone from Congcong’s hand and said, “Lou Ming, we won’t disturb you. Have a good rest.”

”No.”

“As soon as we got home from the airport, Congcong asked to see you. He said he wanted to give you a gift he personally prepared. I didn’t even know that he prepared a gift for you.” Lou Jingxin said with a smile.

”Really?” Lou Ming was also curious.

”Uncle.” Congcong rubbed against his mother. “I brought you a gift. Come here tomorrow and I’ll give it to you.”

Before Lou Ming could speak, he heard his elder sister say to her son: “Congcong, your uncle is busy with his work. Give the gift to mom so I can help give it to him.”

“No, no. Uncle please come back and see me.” Congcong’s face was full of anticipation. “I seem to have a cold today. Can you come over to see me tomorrow?”

“If you have a cold, go to bed early.” Lou Jingxin picked up the cellphone and said to Lou Ming, “We won’t disturb you anymore. I’ll take Congcong to bed first. I think the air conditioner on the plane was too cold.”

”Okay.”

Lou Ming stared attentively at the dark cellphone screen. An image of his family’s faces flashed before his eyes. Congcong’s pitiful voice wanting him to go home. It seems that I haven’t had a meal with my family in more than ten years and never met any of the younger generations of my family.

As early as a few years ago, his mother and elder sister was always regretful that he couldn’t be present for family gatherings. The whole family wasn’t really united, but after a long time, everyone gradually got used to it. Last year when Lou Ming called on New Year’s Day to pay respect, they already had New Year’s Eve family dinner.  

Lou Ming wasn’t angry, but he was a little sad. After a long time, he gradually got used to the loneliness but became more homesick. What’s more, his home was only a twenty-minute drive from here.

”Hahaha…” There was a sudden burst of laughter downstairs which almost caused the patrolling soldiers in the courtyard to rush in with their guns. Fortunately, they were stopped by He Qi who explained that Miss Chen was watching a variety show.

Lou Ming returned to his senses and put down his cellphone. He walked out of the study and stand at the corridor on the second floor. He looked at the smiling girl in the living room and his eyes suddenly lit up.

He turned to go downstairs, walked to Chen Yu’s side and uttered: “Girl, I want to ask you for a favor.” 

Chen Yu, who couldn’t stop laughing at the variety show, finally managed to stop laughing and casually asked, “Hurry, what.”

“Can you give me another calming spirit talisman?” Lou Ming remembered that Chen Yu had said the calming spirit talisman can last for two hours. Deducing the 40-minute round trip, he could stay at home for an hour and twenty minutes.

“All right ah. When do you want it?” Although it took a lot of effort to draw the talisman, she can now come to this place at any time to absorb spiritual energy. If she stayed here, she could recover after an hour.

”Tomorrow morning.” Lou Ming’s voice was faintly excited.

So, the next morning, Chen Yu used the excuse of shopping with her classmates to go out. Mother Chen’s face expressed: my family’s daughter finally made friends. But Chen Yu actually left the house, turned and slipped into the Lou family’s courtyard.

Author’s Notes:

Humph, the easiest solution is to cut her off, hahahaha…2