Chapter 43: Startled Doubts — The Man in the Empty Seat
Because Bai Xiye didn’t look like some great villain on the surface, Nan Xun even made a point of asking around about his background. It was very clean, and his family was moderately well-off.
Somewhat unexpectedly, Nan Xun guessed that Bai Xiye might simply be pretending to be a good person, while in reality harboring a mind full of evil thoughts.
Having confirmed her target, Nan Xun gathered all her focus. When he took the initiative to ask her out, she happily accepted.
When Nan Xun went downstairs, Bai Xiye’s car was already parked below. The two of them went straight to the movie theater in the city center with the best audiovisual effects.
“Bai Xiye, y-you booked tickets for a horror movie?” Nan Xun twitched at the corner of her mouth as she looked at the spine-chilling trailer playing outside the theater.
Bai Xiye smiled. “Don’t girls all like watching this kind of thing?”
Nan Xun sneered inwardly. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.
It was the weekend, and this area was a bustling commercial district. Nearly every seat was filled at a glance, so Nan Xun was a little surprised when she noticed that the seat to her left was empty.
Probably someone bought a ticket but couldn’t make it at the last minute, she thought.
Nan Xun figured that Bai Xiye was hoping she’d get scared halfway through the movie and curl up into his arms. She had even planned to cooperate a little—but unfortunately, the special effects in this movie were just too bad. The more she watched, the sleepier she got.
In her drowsy haze, she seemed to tilt her head and rest it on the shoulder of the person beside her.
The shoulder was broad and solid. She rubbed against it twice, then fell asleep peacefully.
She had no idea how much time had passed when the shrill screams all around suddenly startled Nan Xun awake.
The movie had reached its climax, and people everywhere were screaming in fear.
Bai Xiye, sitting beside her, looked at her helplessly. “Momo, you can actually fall asleep during a horror movie?”
Nan Xun looked at him, her expression a little blank.
She hadn’t thought much about it while half-asleep, but now that she did, her head had clearly tilted to the left earlier—yet Bai Xiye was sitting on her… right.
Nan Xun couldn’t help swallowing hard and asked with some difficulty, “Did someone come and sit in the seat to my left just now?”
Bai Xiye said, “No. It’s been empty the whole time.”
A chill suddenly crept over Nan Xun’s body. Even the movie, which hadn’t seemed scary at all before, now made her feel uneasy.
“Can we switch seats?” Nan Xun asked.
Bai Xiye teased her. “Momo, are you scared?”
After they switched seats and she had people on both sides of her, Nan Xun finally felt a bit less afraid.
When the movie finally ended and the lights came on, Nan Xun let out a long breath of relief.
Bai Xiye insisted on driving her home. Thinking about the strange things that had happened today, Nan Xun nodded and agreed.
He escorted her all the way upstairs. Before leaving, he stared at Nan Xun with burning intensity.
Nan Xun thought that since he was her target anyway, giving him a bit of sweetness was fine. So she stood on tiptoe and lightly pecked his cheek.
Right after that kiss, Nan Xun sneezed and muttered, “It seems to have gotten colder these past few days.”
Bai Xiye hugged his arms and smiled at her. “It does seem a bit cold.”
Once Bai Xiye had gone far enough away, Nan Xun hurriedly opened the door and went inside.
But the moment she stepped in, she heard some very disharmonious sounds.
And they were coming from her own room.
“Ah… oh… faster, faster…”
Oh… honey, you’re amazing…”
It sounded like Lin Jingwan—and a man.
Nan Xun’s face darkened instantly. Holding back her temper, she listened carefully for a long time. Once she was sure she hadn’t misheard, that there really were two people inside—rolling around on her bed—she finally snapped.
With a loud bang, Nan Xun kicked the door open and roared at the naked tangle on the bed, “Lin Jingwan! You little—!”
Half an hour later, the wild man was gone, and Lin Jingwan had sobered up.
“Momo, I’m really sorry. I drank too much this time—I didn’t mean it. I mistook your room for mine.”
Lin Jingwan’s attitude in admitting her mistake was good, but Nan Xun still felt miserable.
She didn’t have any serious cleanliness issues, but the thought that the bed she slept on had just been vigorously used by two people—and might have some unspeakable remnants left behind—made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
That night, Nan Xun slept on the couch.
The next day, she firmly made up her mind to move out.
Lin Jingwan felt guilty. “Sorry, Momo. I know I can’t change my ways, but this time I’m serious. I might be with this guy for a long time, so… I was actually thinking of moving out too.”
Nan Xun shook her head. “I’ll move out. I won’t be staying long anyway. It’s not hard to find a place right now, and my pay is better than before.”
Knowing her personality, Lin Jingwan let her have her way.
But the very next day, Nan Xun felt like strangling Lin Jingwan—she hadn’t even moved out yet, and Lin Jingwan had already brought that man back again.
Feeling utterly stifled, Nan Xun moved into the bar that very night.
When Bai Xiye heard that she was living at the bar, he immediately said he had an empty villa she could stay in.
If Bai Xiye had been just anyone, Nan Xun would definitely have refused. But he was the big boss with an evil-thoughts value of 100 whom she needed to redeem. If she moved in, they’d have more opportunities to spend time together. Only by understanding the source of Bai Xiye’s evil thoughts could she find a way to eliminate them.
Besides, Nan Xun really didn’t want to go back to her original place anymore, so she agreed and arranged to move in the next day.
Bai Xiye happily rushed over to help her move. Nan Xun didn’t have many belongings, so everything was packed quickly. She didn’t take the potted spider plants from the balcony, nor did she take the bottle of white chrysanthemums. Her mood was a bit low, and she didn’t think she had the time to take care of flowers right now.
With a loud crash, after the two of them left, the vase fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. The white chrysanthemums scattered everywhere, splashed with droplets of water, looking especially… gorgeous.
The two of them did some simple tidying up of the villa together. It had two floors, and Nan Xun liked the large balcony on the second floor, so she moved all her things into the upstairs bedroom.
After settling her in, Bai Xiye left, casting a reluctant look at her before he went.
Nan Xun blew him a flying kiss and smiled. “Thanks, Xiye. Thank you for being such a gentleman all this time.”
Bai Xiye gave a wry smile. “Momo, do you think I don’t want to stay? I’m just afraid of scaring you.”
Nan Xun rolled her eyes inwardly. Then why don’t you just straightforwardly ask me to be your girlfriend? If you did, I’d definitely say yes without hesitation.
She felt like Bai Xiye’s kept woman—someone who couldn’t be brought into the light.
But none of that mattered. As long as they had time together, she’d have the chance to eliminate Bai Xiye’s evil-thoughts value.
Yet after spending seven or eight days together, Nan Xun still couldn’t see where the deeply hidden source of Bai Xiye’s evil thoughts lay. His family conditions were excellent, his upbringing was healthy, and now he was successful in both love and career—a true winner in life.
Nan Xun was starting to wonder whether she had chosen the wrong person.
