A day passed peacefully like this. In the end, Tao Yi and Old Qian had to call a professional locksmith to open the shop door. Any momentary sympathy Old Qian felt for Tao Yi had already vanished without a trace.
Of course, the red moon event Old Qian mentioned was a particularly hot topic today; almost everyone was discussing it. But Tao Yi had no interest in it.
Night.
Tao Yi locked up the shop and strolled down the street. He couldn't quite figure out why, but he felt weird lately, like he was on the brink of a mental breakdown. As a result, he found himself saying a very cliché line to himself: "Zheng Meixuan... what place do you hold in my heart? Why do I feel like I've been going crazy since yesterday? Why does thinking about you make it hard to breathe?"
Even though it was nighttime, the June air remained stifling, but Tao Yi's heart felt cold. He truly didn't know if he should keep Zheng Meixuan's image in his heart any longer. Throughout the day, he could pretend nothing was wrong, he could laugh and joke around, but in the deep silence of the night, regrets, dissatisfaction, hatred, and loneliness would flood over him like a beast…
Immersed in his memories, Tao Yi slowly walked toward home.
Unknowingly, the dim streetlights vanished from his bright black eyes, replaced by the faintly glowing outlines of buildings.
When he reached the building, Tao Yi shook his head abruptly, like he was trying to pump himself up. Looking toward his apartment upstairs, he said, "Enough, enough! The melodrama ends here, life goes back on track. Whether it's a horror movie or a ghost story, even if it turns into a fantasy flick, I'll make it through!"
But just after he had given himself a pep talk, Tao Yi remembered another troublesome matter: "Sigh, that goddess at home doesn't seem easy to deal with. I wonder if she's left by now."
He sighed again after speaking to himself.
He unintentionally raised his arm to check the silver moon pattern on the palm of his left hand again. To his surprise, his expression turned bewildered — the silver moon pattern on the back of his hand had disappeared: "Gone again? Are you kidding me…"
While Tao Yi was still confused, his face suddenly stiffened, or rather, turned pale green.
His stiff neck slowly lifted, and he cautiously glanced up toward his apartment window.
There was a flickering light.
The TV was on?!
How could this be? Did that female vampire turn it on?
Could she even know how to?!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Tao Yi's heart raced wildly. First, he was worried that it wasn't Ziyue who turned on the TV but Zheng Meixuan. If Zheng Meixuan had forgotten something and came back to get it, she might have casually turned on the TV…
Then… she might be in danger!
No, impossible!
Tao Yi immediately dismissed the idea. Zheng Meixuan had already returned the key to him. Last night, when Tao Yi forgot his key at the shop, he would have been sleeping on the street like Old Qian if it hadn't been for Zheng Meixuan's spare key in his pocket.
So, if it wasn't Zheng Meixuan, who could it be?
After thinking it over, there were only two possibilities: either a thief broke in, or it was Ziyue.
That's why Tao Yi was so nervous. Even though he didn't know how Ziyue, a mysterious vampire who seemed clueless about this world, managed to turn on the TV, he was certain that it wasn't a good sign!
Absolutely not!!
Why say that?
Tao Yi had read many novels and naturally thought of what an ignorant otherworldly being might do upon seeing a television!
For example, if someone on TV fired a shot at the camera, she might think that shot was intended to hurt her!
So, what would Ziyue do in return?
"My TV! My poor TV…!"
He sprinted. Tao Yi could no longer imagine anything. He had to hurry to stop it before the mysterious goddess destroyed his television!
Breathless, Tao Yi dashed up to the fourth floor and flung the door open without even catching his breath.
Upon entering, he saw the glow of the television lighting up the sofa, but there was no one on it. In fact, there was no one in the entire living room.
Did she run away? Got scared off after turning on the TV? Well, that's good, saves me trouble later… hehe…
Tao Yi was entertaining the thought when suddenly, a cold but soft arm gently wrapped around him!
The arm was icy, and at that moment, Tao Yi could distinctly feel the weak, chilly breath on the back of his neck, faintly fragrant…
What made Tao Yi's blood surge even more was that his back was also touching something cold and soft, something firm and yielding…
With his quick wit and vivid imagination, Tao Yi quickly figured out what that was, although he still didn't know who was behind him or what they wanted.
However, this unexpected enjoyment didn't last long. Almost immediately, Tao Yi was yanked into the nearby bathroom with a strong pull.
Once inside, the person turned him around with a quick motion, and Tao Yi finally saw who it was — the beautiful vampire, Ziyue.
"Still so nimble… Beautiful… beautiful lady…" Tao Yi, unsure of what was happening, started to flatter Ziyue but then suddenly realized something was seriously wrong — not just wrong, but utterly insane!
Ziyue's delicate, smooth, and incredibly fair skin nearly blinded him. Ziyue was only wearing underwear, and it was the particularly sexy kind!
Her long, slender legs were alluring, her pink lingerie accentuated her elegant curves, her slender waist was enticingly narrow, and her long, flowing purple-black hair complemented her snow-white skin perfectly, making her alluring figure even more breathtaking.
Oh god, if Tao Yi were still a sane man at this moment, he would have turned around and left immediately, because if he stayed any longer, he'd be committing a crime.
"What… what… what are you doing?! Why are you wearing… wearing those clothes?" Tao Yi didn't leave, but he also didn't commit any crimes.
Ahem, he didn't have the guts…
So, Tao Yi tried his best to stay calm and act as normal as possible!
However, the situation itself didn't seem all that normal...
Despite this, Tao Yi's eyes still couldn't help but sneak a glance at Ziyue's enticing cleavage. It was only human nature.
"Look again, and I'll gouge out your eyes and eat them," Ziyue said flatly, but with an unmistakable hint of murderous intent in her voice. Tao Yi's body tensed with fear, and his eyes darted away, quickly locking onto Ziyue's gaze as if he had never even glanced at her chest.
"Sister Yue, you've misunderstood me! You in that lingerie look just like the celestial Chang'e descended to Earth, a fairy from the Ninth Heaven gracing the mortal realm. It feels like a dream, an illusion, yet it's so real!! Such mesmerizing beauty is something that even a mere mortal like me cannot easily resist, and it naturally inspires in me the purest, most sacred appreciation for your divine allure… Especially the purple gemstone necklace on your chest; it perfectly accentuates your beauty to the fullest..." Tao Yi's expression was calm and serious, not missing a beat!
He looked as if he had truly been wronged.
Seeing that Ziyue seemed to calm down a little, Tao Yi quickly asked, "By the way… why is Sister Yue wearing these clothes?"
"You think I wanted to wear these dirty, smelly clothes?! They were the only women's clothes left in your house! What choice did I have?" Ziyue's voice was low, filled with fury as she growled at Tao Yi. "Get me some proper women's clothes, now!"
"What about your own clothes?"
"None of your business!"
"…" Tao Yi was speechless. Just as he was about to leave the bathroom, a strong force suddenly pulled him back. He looked helpless, "What now, Sister Yue…"
After asking, Tao Yi saw Ziyue glance carefully at the closed bathroom door, then listen intently. Only then did she lower her voice and ask Tao Yi, "How well do you know your own home?"
"What do you mean?" Tao Yi was puzzled, staring into Ziyue's eyes, waiting for her to clarify this strange question.
"The black box. What is it? Who left it here?" Ziyue's eyes sparkled, and she stared intently at Tao Yi. "What kind of place is it connected to?"
Click, click — Tao Yi blinked.
"Answer me! This is your home!" Ziyue demanded.
"...Now you remember it's my home," Tao Yi muttered to himself, not daring to speak recklessly in front of Ziyue.
He thought for a moment and then blinked again. Click, click…
"Ahem, Sister Yue, the questions you've asked, uh, they're all rather deep, you know? I might not fully grasp them due to my limited understanding, maybe even some innate obstacles. Could you be a bit clearer? What do you mean, connected to another world? All this random talk… I'm just a human on Earth…"
"Don't play dumb with me! Since I arrived here last night, that thing has been present. There's no way you don't know about it!" Ziyue's expression turned icy once more.
Sigh, always with that frosty face… I wonder if it will freeze one day…
"Always present? Where?" Tao Yi's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, not understanding what Ziyue meant.
Suddenly, before Ziyue could respond, Tao Yi seemed to realize something and quickly said, "Ah! I get it, the unknown object you're talking about — is it the one opposite the sofa?"
"Yes!" Ziyue confirmed with a nod, then added, "The world there has people flying freely through the sky. Though they are just people, they possess tremendous destructive power! Their attire is also very different from yours."
She finished, gazing steadily at Tao Yi, hoping for an explanation.
"Have you left this place today?" Tao Yi blinked again. Click, click.
"No, why are you asking?" Ziyue seemed puzzled.
With a slight smirk, Tao Yi muttered under his breath, "Well, that complicates things..."
"What complicates things?"
Tao Yi immediately put on a serious expression, looking deeply into Ziyue's eyes, "Nothing, I meant… about the mysterious world, Miss. You know, we're actually in great danger right now!"
He finished, eyes wide open, taking a deep breath. His already overly serious expression turned even more exaggerated.
"Follow me, I know what's going on, but I need a moment to explain it to you."
With that, Tao Yi quietly pushed open the bathroom door, cautiously glanced around, and began to move toward the sofa.
"Are you sure you can handle this?!" Ziyue's voice was still low, full of doubt as she stared at Tao Yi's back.
"Miss, although this is dangerous, I have to go. Maybe I've hidden it well, but when necessary, no matter how reluctant I am, I must step forward. Perhaps this is — responsibility!" Tao Yi declared righteously as he strode toward the TV.
Ziyue stood leaning against the bathroom door, looking at Tao Yi as if he were an idiot…
Suddenly, Tao Yi stopped, turned back, and struck a pose he thought was very cool, saying, "That thing is called a television. It's not something to mess with — very dangerous!"