Chapter 44: Applause — The Person Behind Her
After seeing Bai Xiye off, Nan Xun—drenched in sweat—prepared to take a hot shower.
She reached back to grab the zipper on her back. It took her a while to find it, but she finally managed to pull it down smoothly.
Suddenly, Nan Xun’s back stiffened.
She felt as though someone behind her was watching her. She spun around abruptly—only to find nothing there.
The floor-to-ceiling window seemed to have been left slightly ajar. A breeze slipped in through the gap, carrying a chill with it and lifting the pale-colored curtains before letting them fall again.
Nan Xun hurried over to shut the window tightly, then continued undressing.
Halfway through taking off her dress, that feeling of being stared at grew even stronger.
Nan Xun turned around again and stared for a long time. Only after confirming that there was truly nothing there did she let out a small breath of relief.
She seemed to have become a bit neurotic lately.
Nan Xun quickly slipped out of her dress and then dashed toward the bathroom at sprinting speed.
“Heh heh.”
A low laugh sounded, vanishing into the wind in the blink of an eye.
Although she had moved into Bai Xiye’s unused villa—and although he had tactfully expressed his willingness to support her—Nan Xun was, after all, an independent woman. She insisted on continuing to work at the bar and pursue her own career.
Business at the bar was a bit slow that day. When it was time for her evening set, there were only a handful of patrons scattered around.
Nan Xun sat down on the stage and quietly sang a soothing love song into the microphone—“Chasing.”
Her tender, murmuring voice spoke of a love that could never be attained. When the song ended, the audience applauded together.
The bar where Nan Xun sang was a quiet lounge bar with a pleasant atmosphere. Most people came here to unwind—have a drink, listen to gentle love songs, and let the fatigue of the day fade away.
Nan Xun glanced around. The few customers in the bar were smiling, clearly enjoying themselves.
Everything seemed normal—yet for some reason, she felt an odd sense of unease.
A sudden gust of cold air brushed past her ear, making Nan Xun shiver.
Where could there be wind in this enclosed bar?
Nan Xun unconsciously tightened her grip on the microphone. She began to wonder if she had fallen ill lately—prone to auditory hallucinations or imagining things.
Sitting alone on the stage, Nan Xun felt as though a cold, icy air was surrounding her, leaving her with nowhere to escape.
She forced herself to ignore those unsettling thoughts and began singing her second song, “Secret Love.”
Unrequited affection, restrained pain—the song became deeply moving under her voice.
Because there weren’t many people, the applause after the second song was sparse.
But at that moment, Nan Xun suddenly clenched the microphone.
She heard a single person clapping—coming clearly from right behind her, one clap after another.
Nan Xun slowly twisted her head and looked over her shoulder.
…There was no one there.
A chill shot up from the soles of her feet, flooding her entire body with icy cold.
No one was there—so where had the applause come from?
She hadn’t misheard it. Someone had really been clapping behind her just now.
At that moment, Nan Xun finally confronted the suspicion forming in her heart.
The thought was almost laughable—but right now, she couldn’t laugh at all.
In her mind, Nan Xun viciously jabbed at a little imaginary figure and sneered at Little Eight.
“Little Eight, did you already know I wanted to beat you to death, so you hid and stopped talking? I thought this was some fresh, wholesome world—who knew it was such a hardcore one. This had better all be my hallucination. Otherwise… heh heh, once I get the chance, I’ll smash your head in.”
She didn’t know when she had provoked something like this.
She believed she had never done anything with a guilty conscience. Bai Mo hadn’t either. Even if ghosts really existed in this world, they shouldn’t be targeting her.
The suspicion pressing down on her heart made it hard to breathe. Even in the previous world, when she had seen the Demon King eat people, she had never felt this panicked.
Because the unknown was often the most terrifying thing of all.
After hurriedly finishing two songs, Nan Xun quickly stepped off the stage.
She wanted to leave immediately.
Just then, a couple happened to be heading out. Nan Xun let out a sigh of relief. Not daring to look at anyone else’s face, she greeted the familiar bartender and stuck close behind the couple as she left.
Soon, Nan Xun rejoined the crowds outside. This was a bustling district, lively and noisy.
Listening to the clamorous street cries and gazing at the dazzling neon lights, the tension in her chest finally eased a little.
Nan Xun arrived at the bus stop she used every day and deliberately boarded a crowded bus. The bar was in the commercial center, close to a busy area, so there were more than ten passengers getting on.
But in the next instant, Nan Xun remembered something and felt a surge of panic.
She had just moved into Bai Xiye’s villa. That area was a villa district—not exactly remote, but certainly not bustling either—so after getting off this bus, she would still need to transfer to another one.
Nan Xun wanted to call Bai Xiye and have the big boss come pick her up. They said ghosts feared vicious people, and with Bai Xiye’s evil-thoughts value at 100, no ghost would dare come near him.
But after dialing several times, no one answered.
By then, the bus had reached its terminal stop, and Nan Xun had no choice but to get off.
The few people who got off with her quickly left one by one, leaving only Nan Xun waiting alone at the stop for the last bus.
The summer night breeze was cool. Nan Xun shrank into herself slightly and tightened her grip on her phone.
She couldn’t help calling again, but the line was still busy for some reason.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long before the bus arrived. Nan Xun hurriedly got on.
The middle-aged driver glanced at her and smiled. “Young lady, you should go out less this late at night.”
Nan Xun forced a smile. “Thank you, Uncle. I’ll be more careful in the future.”
She scanned the bus interior. In the very last row sat a man wearing a white shirt.
At that moment, Nan Xun really wanted someone to talk to, so she walked over and sat beside him, taking the initiative to greet him.
The man had been looking out the window. Hearing her voice, he turned his head to look at her.
He was very handsome, with especially deep-set eyes. Dressed in a white shirt, suit trousers, and leather shoes, he looked every bit like an upper-class elite.
Nan Xun thought he looked familiar, but she couldn’t recall where she had seen him before.
She smiled at him and asked, “I’m going to Fengqing Villa Town ahead. Where are you headed?”
The man looked at her and said, “So am I.”
His voice was pleasant—cool and clear, with a slow, steady cadence.
With someone to talk to, much of Nan Xun’s earlier fear faded away.
The man beside her wasn’t especially talkative, but chatting with him felt comfortable. No matter what she said, he could always respond naturally, then smoothly introduce a new topic.
When the bus arrived at their stop, the two got off together. Feeling back to normal, Nan Xun even cheerfully waved goodbye to the driver.
The driver gave her a strained smile in return.
After Nan Xun walked farther away, the driver hurriedly turned to look back into the bus. It was clearly empty—yet who on earth had that little girl been chatting away with just now…?
