Chapter 28: Just the Beginning

Chapter 28: Just the Beginning

Ruan Nanzhu genuinely enjoyed the noodles Lin Qiushi cooked. He thoroughly ate the entire bowl clean, not even a drop of the broth was left.

Lin Qiushi asked, Was it good?

It was better than whatever you made in the door world. Ruan Nanzhu gracefully wiped his mouth then glanced at the time on his watch. Get everything ready as soon as possible. I will come pick you up in the afternoon.

Okay. Lin Qiushi nodded in understanding.

After Ruan Nanzhu finished speaking, he got up from his seat to leave. Lin Qiushis dear Chestnut came over and started to whine pitifully, gently wrapping its tail around Ruan Nanzhus leg. With large eyes revealing its reluctance to part with Ruan Nanzhu, Chestnut gazed up at the other and mewled softly, as if begging for him to stay. The fire in Lin Qiushis eyes roared with resentment as he enviously watched this scene. However, even though he knew that his burning with jealousy was rather unsightly, there was nothing he could do about it; after all, who told Chestnut to be such a loveable cat?

The place was rented out by Lin Qiushi. He still had half a year left on his rental lease, and he never intended to leave his residence anytime soon, but, unfortunately, plans changed. Although he actually wasnt much of a city person, because he attended college in the city, he had to stay here. It wasnt long before he became accustomed to this weather and lifestyle; and once he graduated, he didnt bother moving out and simply remained here.

Lin Qiushi began to organize all of his belongings. He didnt have that many clothes, so he was easily able to pack them up within moments. The most troublesome things to pack, however, were the countless work books that were too heavy and burdensome to take with him. He stared the books for a good while. After a moments hesitation, he went downstairs to call the cleaning lady and eventually had all of his books sent away.

Life was simply too short to last long. At the end of the day, one should always act in a way that would make them feel wholly content and unregretful with the way they lived. And if that meant throwing away some work books, so be it.

After sorting out his luggage, Lin Qiushi contacted his friend, Wu Qi, and briefly told him he was moving.

Upon hearing that Lin Qiushi was relocating, Wu Qi blurted that hed lend a hand, but Lin Qiushi immediately refused his help, saying that the moving company had already been called and that he did not need to rush over for any specific reasons.

So, where are you moving to? Wu Qi wondered.

The suburbs. Once I get settled and everything, Ill call you over sometime so we can hang out. Lin Qiushi said. Now, obediently go back to doing whatever it was you were doing. Work hard, and dont fool around too much.

You better not forget to send me the address later! Wu Qi reminded him. That aside, its good that youve resigned and decided to enjoy life a bit. Just who in their right minds could put up with working overtime every single day like you did! Even though youre young, you still have to consider your own health and well-being, okay?

Mhm. Lin Qiushi hummed in response.

At around three oclock in the afternoon, Ruan Nanzhu and Cheng Qianli arrived at his house to help him carry his luggage to the car. The meowing Chestnut was also put inside a pet carrier, and then placed in the backseat of the car.

Lin Qiushi: When we arrive at the villa, will Chestnut really let me hold it?

Ruan Nanzhu: En.

Cheng Qianli: Lin Qiushi, do you know that, right now, you kind of look like a wife who has been abandoned by her husband?

Lin Qiushi: No, I dont know. I didnt have a single clue. And I give you my wholehearted gratitude for letting me know.

As they drove along the path, the scenery around them gradually grew quieter and more desolate. At long last, they took the highway exit, veering off the busy road, and finally reached an isolated villa hidden deep within the distant suburbs.

This was Lin Qiushis second time visiting this place. When he dragged the hefty lugged inside the villa him, he spotted Cheng Yixie in the living room.

Cheng Yixie was currently eating something. He didnt even bat an eyelid at their arrival. With his face void of all emotion, he greeted them coldly, Brother Ruan.

Lin Qiushi reflexively glanced at Cheng Qianli, who was standing beside him.

He had to admit, although the two were twins, the boys temperaments and styles were so different. Cheng Qianli was annoyingly lively and extroverted, and his facial expressions and gestures were so animated and uninhibited. On the other hand, Cheng Yixie was quite aloof and introverted; at first glance, he looked like someone who would be awfully difficult to get along with.

Ruan Nanzhu asked, How are the preparations coming along?

Fine. Cheng Yixie replied. You still have to go in and check the details for yourself. When will you be leaving?

Ruan Nanzhu responded, In a few days.

Cheng Yixie gave a curt nod then turned on his heels and walked away.

Upon hearing their conversation, Lin Qiushi whispered to Ruan Nanzhu, Are you going to enter the door in a few days?

Yes, answered Ruan Nanzhu.

Isnt it going to be extremely dangerous? Lin Qiushis second door was monstrously terrifying and macabre, so wouldnt that mean Ruan Nanzhus next door would be even more dreadful?

Itll be fine. Ruan Nanzhu reassured. Dont worry too much. He was so nonchalant about all of this. If was as if he wasnt entering the morbid world of the door, but instead taking a relaxing vacation. His body wasnt tense in the slightest, and he showed absolutely no signs of anxiety.

Seeing Ruan Nanzhus composed appearance calmed Lin Qiushi down, as well.

Soon after, Ruan Nanzhu properly arranged a room for Lin Qiushi to stay in; it was on the third floor, at the very end of the corridor, and directly across from Ruan Nanzhus own room.

Lin Qiushi immediately brought all of his bags inside his new room. He couldnt wait to release Chestnut from the pet carrier.

Despite being taken to a strange, new environment, Chestnut was not all feeling adverse or uncomfortable. It happily twisted its fluffy bottom and swiftly leaped over to Ruan Nanzhus side. When Chestnut reached Ruan Nanzhu, it began to endearingly rub against his leg and cutely paw at his pants, as if begging to be cuddled.

Ruan Nanzhu bent down at his waist and picked the purring Chestnut up. He then sat on the sofa, gently laying Chesnut across his lap, and beckoned Lin Qiushi towards him, Come here.

With bloodshot eyes brimming with envy, Lin Qiushi restively dashed over to Ruan Nanzhu and manically pleaded, Nanzhu Nanzhu! Let me kiss1 it!

Cheng Qianli, who was standing at the side watching this scene unfold, was at a loss: Lin Qiushi, are you seriously that addicted to cats???

Ruan Nanzhu looked down at Chestnut, then looked back up at Lin Qiushi and said, Kiss it.

Lin Qiushi: Hell yeah! He pumped his fist victoriously in his mind. He then cautiously reached out with his hand and lightly touched Chestnut with the tip of his finger. To his pleasant surprise, Chestnut did not protest or attack him with its claws, and to Lin Qiushi, who hadnt come across such an approachable Chestnut in ages, seeing this was already immense progress.

There was no time to lose! Such an opportunity could not be ignored, for who knew when this chance would ever arise again! Lin Qiushi immediately seized this moment and pounced on his cat, plunging his face straight into Chestnuts soft fur and inhaling deeply.New novel chapters are published on

Chestnut meowed and repeatedly slapped the top of Lin Qiushis head with its squishy, pink paws.

Ah, cats are truly the greatest happiness in life! Everyone becomes happy when they nuzzle cats. Hating cats is simply impossible! Its impossible to never hug a cat; its impossible to never kiss a cat in ones lifetime. Youre better off dead in that case! Cuddling cats is the only way to stay healthy and alive! Theyre the only reason for ones will to live! Cats give life! Cats are life!

After several months of suffering, trying to pet his precious Chestnut, only to be constantly disappointed, Lin Qiushi finally got what hed wished for, and to say that he was moved to tears by this would be a complete understatement.

Holy shit! What the hell is going on? Seems like things got more than just a little bit exciting in here. All of a sudden, someones voice echoed from the doorway, shattering Lin Qiushis moment of bliss. While Lin Qiushi was still trying to figure out what the other was suggesting, he felt Ruan Nanzhu reach out, softly grab a fistful of his hair and tug gently, Lin Qiushi, dont stop. Stay on your knees. Kiss it some more and go deeper.

Oh fuck! Stay kneeling?! Keep kissing and go deeper?!2 The man whistled in admiration and hooted. Getting a little hot and steamy, eh? Damn, brother Ruan, never knew you were this fucking wild!

Lin Qiushi: He was silent for about three seconds, before he finally realized what was going on. At the time, he was strictly focused on Chestnut who was on Ruan Nanzhus lap, so he didnt notice how promiscuous their position looked to others. He was kneeling before Ruan Nanzhu, the top half of his body hanging off of Ruan Nanzhus legs and his face was buried deep into the others lap, infatuatedly kissing and nuzzling Chestnut who simply laying there. No matter how one looked at it, this situation was incrediblywrong in every way!

Lin Qiushi wordlessly heaved himself up off the ground and turned to look at the person behind him.

He had seen this person when he had visited the villa previously. If he recalled correctly, the mans name was Yi Manman. Perhaps it was because of the heavy resentment and bitterness glinting sharply within the depths of Lin Qiushis eyes, but the instant his line of sight collided with the others, Yi Manman was slightly daunted. He gave a low cough and said, Ahem, dont mind me. Continue on with your business. I was simply passing through, nothing more.

Ruan Nanzhu chuckled under his breath.

Chestnut, who was laying in the others arms, looked utterly stunned and bewildered, as if it couldnt fathom what had just happened. The fur on its body was chaotically sticking up as a result of Lin Qiushis frenzied actions. But, even so, this adorable little traitor was as cute as ever.

Now standing up, Lin Qiushi shifted a bit to the side, changing his position, and exposed the cat that was hidden by his body. He raised his arm and pointed at the cat, silently indicating that he wasnt engaging in any R-18 activities.

Oh, you were just playing with the cat? Yi Manman let out an awkward smile. Sorry about that, seems as though I misunderstood.

Lin Qiushi stared at his retreating back and kept getting a ticklish feeling that something was amiss. As he dwelled on it for a while, he was suddenly struck with a burst of realization. Ruan Nanzhu had long known that Lin Qiushi was eavesdropping on them! Normally, people wouldnt even consider the idea that Lin Qiushi was able to hear their conversation, simply because they were too far away from each other, but Ruan Nanzhu just dropped the bomb by throwing such a direct statement at Lin Qiushi, who wasnt able to react at the time, clearly suggesting that he was already aware of the others actions.

But, speaking of which, what was up with his own acute hearing abilities

Harboring such doubts and skepticism, Lin Qiushi sat in the chair and began browsing through the forum.

Countless miscellaneous posts riddled this forum, with every content being different from the next; there were even some posts on how to date and socialize mixed in with all this information. Of course, after Ruan Nanzhus reminder and advice, he was not in the least interested in such things anymore; rather, he was more interested in the speculative posts concerning the doors itself.

The forum had existed for six long years, and users were still discussing what the doors were, trying to find any explanation to this anomalous phenomenon.

Was it a future technology? A gift from God? Perhaps an extraterrestrial experiment? Seemingly, not a single person had a definitive, logical answer to these innumerable speculations and questions.

As he dug deeper into the forum, Lin Qiushi noticed that there was even some discussion regarding the terrifying worlds inside the doors. He skimmed the posts, only to discover that the messages did not contain any particular information; practically everything was useless.

He aimlessly scrolled through the site for hours, until drowsiness gradually descended on him, forcing his eyes closed. At long last, he shut off his computer and went back to his bed.

This time, Lin Qiushi wasnt plagued by restlessness. The last bit of energy keeping him conscious finally slipped away, and he fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

The next day, a fine morning. The rising sun and clear skies signaled the start of a beautiful daylight.

The first thing in the morning that Lin Qiushi saw after waking up and going downstairs was an indignant Cheng Qianli quarrelling with his older twin brotherwell, to be exact, rather than quarrelling, it was more like one-sided nagging.

I said I dont want to eat any spicy foods! Why did you give me something spicy to eat? You dont care about me at all, you dont give two craps about what I like. The only thing you care about is yourself Cheng Qianli grumbled to himself, glaring at the oil-tea3 in front of him.

Cheng Yixie sat across from him, his face as expressionless as ever. If you do not want to eat, then get lost.

Cheng Qianli immediately began to throw a tantrum, pretending to wail loudly as if hed been wronged. But he still reached out and ate the oil-tea. Lin Qiushi had originally thought Cheng Qianli simply could not tolerate spicy foods in the morning, but he found that this brat pretty much loved to complain just for the sake of complaining. Although his mouth cried that he didnt want to eat, his body was extremely honest. Lin Qiushi only blinked once, before he saw that the entire bowl of oil-tea had been scraped immaculately clean.

I want another bowl. Give me another! Having wolfed down the whole dish, Cheng Qianli puffed out his cheeks. Oiand add extra spiciness to it.

The ever-amused Lin Qiushi: You really are something, you know that?

After everyone gathered together and finished their breakfast, they dispersed, leaving to do their own things. Lin Qiushi thought the mood in the villa would be rather strained, but after observing for a while, he came to find that the atmosphere was actually quite easy-going and laid-back. On the second floor of the villa was a gym and an arcade room; the fourth floor of the villa held several study rooms. Everything one could ever ask could be found here; one could simply never be bored because there was always something to do in this villa.

Cheng Qianli asked Lin Qiushi if he would be willing to go with him to bring Toast back home, and Lin Qiushi readily agreed.

As they drove onwards, Lin Qiushi discreetly inquired as to what Ruan Nanzhu was so busy with, tactfully asking whether he was about enter the door very soon.

Yeah. Cheng Qianli was sitting in the passengers seat, obnoxiously chewing on his bubble gum. Well, it also might be in a few more days, who knows. Youll start getting the hang of it over time. The more doors you pass, the more accurate your premonition will be. You will pretty much know exactly when youll be entering a door Hmmm Oh, of course, its best not to tell anyone the exact time, unless they will be entering the door with you.

So, hes going in by himself this time? Isnt it too dangerous? This was precisely what Lin Qiushi was worried about.

I wont say that it isnt dangerous, because it definitely is dangerous. Cheng Qianli acknowledged. But it seems that someone will be accompanying big brother Ruan inside. I just dont know who it is

I see. Lin Qiushi sighed. I hope I can be of more help in the future

Hearing this, Cheng Qianli shot him a side-glance. He smiled broadly and laughed, but said nothing else after that.

The next few days, Lin Qiushi barely saw a shadow of Ruan Nanzhus figure. The other appeared to be awfully busy, and he rarely stepped foot into the villa.

In any case, Lin Qiushi familiarized himself with the other members in the villa.

Yi Manman was a twenty-three year old man who was just as talkative and outgoing as Cheng Qianli. As long as the two were put together in one room, they were sure to never be bored with their endless chattering that went on for days. However, unlike Cheng Qianli, Yi Manman was a bit more mature, and he rarely lost his temper. Lu Yanxue was slightly older that Yi Manman, and she was the only girl in the villa. Her appearance was quite ordinary, and she usually had no presence; frankly speaking, she didnt look particularly courageous or anything of the sort. However, according to Cheng Qianli, Lu Yanxues performance inside the door world was beyond remarkable.

As for Cheng Qianlis older brother, Cheng Yixie As Cheng Qianli put it, You had better stay far, far away from him. Its for your own good. Theres just something wrong with his brain. The guys a total nutjob

Given the relationship between the two and having witnessed the younger brothers antics countless times, it was reasonable to say that Lin Qiushi held quite a bit of reservations on the others view.

On the fifth day after hed settled in the villa, Ruan Nanzhu, who had mysteriously vanished sometime during the week, suddenly reappeared. At the time, Lin Qiushi was getting ready to go upstairs and sleep, but the result was that he hadnt even walked down the corridor, before a figure materialized directly in front of him. Lin Qiushi staggered back in fright at this sudden appearance, but upon fixing his eyes on the figure, he discovered that the one before him was actually Ruan Nanzhu!

Ruan Nanzhus complexion was looking far from good. It was as if all of his strength had been drained out of his body. His hand was weakly pressed against the wall in an attempt to hold himself up, and he looked as though he would collapse at any given second.

Without any delay, Lin Qiushi quickly dashed forward and held him steady, Ruan Nanzhu, are you alright?

Ruan Nanzhu shook his head, Help me into my room.

Lin Qiushi grunted and didnt hesitate to help. He pulled Ruan Nanzhus arm around his own shoulder, supporting the others weight, and held him until he reached his bedroom.

The very instant Ruan Nanzhu touched the bed, he closed his eyes and fell unconscious. Alarmed, Lin Qiushi rushed downstairs to call for help.

The was the first time he encountered such a nerve-wracking situation. He didnt know if he should immediately send the other to the hospital or just wait it out.

Chen Fei swiftly came upstairs and quickly checked up on Ruan Nanzhus condition. After examining the other, he declared that it didnt seem to be anything too severe and that Ruan Nanzhu was simply exhausted. But just to be on the safe side, he suggested that they should take him to the hospital.

Lin Qiushi breathed a sigh of relief at his words.

For the first time ever, he saw such a frail Ruan Nanzhu. The others face was as white as a sheet and his body was extremely weak, almost fragile. Normally, Ruan Nanzhu made people feel as though he was someone they could forever depend on; he just gave of this powerful aura of reliability, of invincibility. It seemed that as long as he was right there by their sides, there would be naught to worry about. But seeing him like this, Lin Qiushis heart inevitably felt like it was being squeezed to death; an inexplicable feeling of sorrow and heartache washed over him.

Chen Fei drove Ruan Nanzhu to the hospital, and Lin Qiushi accompanied him the entire time.

After hanging up with the emergency room, the doctor performed a preliminary diagnosis. Thereafter, he announced the results of the check-up and confirmed that Ruan Nanzhu had not suffered from any trauma. His physical condition seemed to be stable and, overall, he seemed to be healthy and well; he just fell asleep due to overtiredness.

Thank goodness. Chen Fei heaved a sigh. Luckily, it wasnt life-threatening. Anyways, look after him for a while. I will be heading out to make a call.

Lin Qiushi nodded at him.

Chen Fei went out for a while, only to return seconds later with a dour expression on his face. Lin Qiushi asked him what was wrong. He was silent for a moment, before darkly whispering, The person who entered with brother Ruan is no more.

Dumbstruck, Lin Qiushi stared at him with wide eyes.

He just died. Chen Fei grimly continued, From upstairshe jumped down to his death

Lin Qiushi slowly moved his gaze to Ruan Nanzhus sleeping face, and suddenly exhaled the breath he had been holding.

Fortunately Fortunately, he was still alive

Authors Comment:

Lin Qiushi: I just love kissing cats.

Ruan Nanzhu: I just love whenever Lin Qiushi kisses cats.

Chestnut: Meow meow meow?

1 (X)Depending on the context, this word could mean: sucking, snorting, inhaling, absorbing, taking in, indulging, etc. I used kiss because it sounds less awkward, and I figured this word fit better with the rest of the dialogue. In this situation, though, the word LQS uses is more like putting your face on a cat and nuzzling it, like how one might plop face-down on a pillow then dig their face deeper into the pillow.

2 The same word mentioned in the first footnote was used. RNZ tells LQS to keep nuzzling/rubbing his face all over the cats fur. However, from YMMs perspective, RNZ just sounds like hes telling the other to keep sucking. Ngl, this entire section was unnecessarily difficult to translate because I kept on having to change up the words/dialogue from the very beginning, until the entire part actually made some sense in English

3 Heres a LINK explaining what Guilin Oil-Tea is. Heres another LINK explaining what Dong Oil-Tea is. (Both are similar dishes, just different regions/traditions). And heres an image of [Guilin] oil-tea: