"We're here."
Shen Yuan watched as the metal gate opened outside the car window and glanced at the side gate Zhou Yi usually entered from. He turned to Mu Chen. "Are your parents home? I should've brought something for them."
"Don't worry. This is my secondary house. My family lives in the main house in another city where our main company is. Aside from servants, there's only me here," Mu Chen reassured.
"I guess I picked the right person to bother."
"That, you did."
The car stopped by the porch, and 2 servants opened each side of the door for them. Shen Yuan stepped out and followed Mu Chen inside.
The mansion was as luxurious as it looked from the outside. Floors made out of the highest grade marble, gold and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and paintings and antiques decorated walls and corners that were deemed too empty. There was not a space that wouldn't stimulate the eyes.
Rather than a comfortable house, it almost felt like a display museum. Each room was meticulously coordinated like an exhibition showroom.
"Is my house not up to your aesthetic?" Mu Chen noticed the judgment in Shen Yuan's eyes.
"It's a bit too busy for me." Shen Yuan shrugged.
"The designer coordinated it according to my parents' preference. It's been like this since before I moved in. Unfortunately, I have no say in it." Mu Chen flicked a delicate vase ornament on a drawer countertop, ensuing a light, crisp clink. "Most of the gifts they received that didn't match the main house's aesthetic get moved here."
"I guess we can't play much, then."
"I don't know what kind of thing you usually play indoors, but I can offer you some multiplayer console games." Mu Chen chuckled. "After dinner, of course. How about it?"
"A chance to beat President Mu at something? With pleasure."
A servant took their belongings to bring them to Mu Chen's room while a maid showed them to the dining room. Two portions of food were prepared at the table, another maid standing at the side of the room ready to refill their glasses.
Shen Yuan picked up the knife and fork and looked at the medium-rare meat on his plate. He sliced a piece thoughtfully.
The vultures were a man-eating species. Although they could eat other meat, they extremely preferred human meat. One was like plain water and the other was an intoxicating, nourishing wine.
He took a bite and silently chewed.
It was a familiar taste.
"How is it?" Mu Chen asked with a smile. "It's a special meat from my farm."
"Your farm?"
"It started as a small project I personally wanted to do. Once I graduate, I plan to open a restaurant to make a profit out of it." Mu Chen took a bite and chewed it with delight in his eyes, the purest joy Shen Yuan had ever seen in them. "It's very soft and melts right into your tongue, doesn't it?"
"True." Shen Yuan sliced another piece. "There is also a nice, sweet aftertaste. I'd say your farm did a very good job."
Mu Chen watched Shen Yuan continue his meal. His gaze deepened with his smile. "I'm glad you like it."
The two of them ate in silence. Shen Yuan didn't rush to finish his food, following Mu Chen's pace.
This wasn't reality. Eating this kind of thing didn't mean anything here. He wasn't eating real humans. Rather, even if this was reality, he could still eat it without problem.
He had long crossed the line and already booked the VIP ticket to hell. What was another sin or two? It wasn't like he could revive this grounded meat by not eating it.
Finishing his meal, Mu Chen cleaned his palate with a drink and wiped his mouth. "Should we go to my room?"
"I've come this far." Shen Yuan finished his drink and smiled at Mu Chen. "It'll be a pity if I don't ask for a tour, won't it? I can brag to everyone that I'm familiar with your house."
"You're finally showing your true color," Mu Chen said in amusement.
"You said that, but you don't seem displeased that I do."
"Why would I be? I'm proud to give anyone something they can brag about." Mu Chen stood up from his seat and reached out a hand to Shen Yuan's chin, tilting his face up to him. His eyes gleamed a faint red. "And I find your honesty very cute."
Shen Yuan raised his eyebrows and let out a small laugh. "I have to say, it's the first time someone ever called me cute. Your eyes must be tired from all your work, President Mu."
"On the contrary, my vision is far better than average." Mu Chen offered his hand.
Shen Yuan accepted it and got off his seat only to be caught off guard by an extra pull. Mu Chen welcomed him with open arms and caught him by his waist.
He didn't conceal his mirth."Throwing yourself to me already?"
"If you want to make me fluster, you'll have to do better than that."
Mu Chen studied Shen Yuan's unimpressed look for a few long seconds before letting him go. "Challenge accepted. For now, let's start the tour. Maybe I can impress you enough to interest you for a second visit."
"We'll see about that."
The two left the dining room and Shen Yuan followed Mu Chen's lead around the mansion. Servants stood by at specific points on each floor, so Mu Chen could call any one of them at any time. They all kept their heads low in his presence.
Shen Yuan carefully scanned each room, but he didn't find any portrait of a family inside. There was also no specific indication as to how many people lived there. True to Mu Chen's statement, it did feel like a secondary house from the lack of personal items.
By the end of the tour, he decided to ask, "Where do all your servants sleep? Or do most of them go home after a specific time?"
"The servants live in the outhouse." Mu Chen brought Shen Yuan to the second-floor deck and pointed to the small two-story house by the garden.
Shen Yuan pretended to admire the garden and rested his sight on the outhouse a moment longer before shifting away. If Zhou Yi didn't live inside the mansion, then he should be living there.
But he didn't see him among the servants and even if he did work for Mu Chen, it didn't explain the animosity they had towards each other. He had to make sure.
"Do you know vultures?"
"The bird?" Mu Chen looked at Shen Yuan in askance.
Shen Yuan probed Mu Chen's expression briefly but didn't see any specific reaction towards the word. He nodded. "Yeah, the bird."
"What's wrong with them?"
"Nothing. Your garden reminds me of it."
Mu Chen stared at his garden, wondering which part of it evoked such a resemblance. "…Should I change my gardener?"
"It's a compliment. It matches you very well."
"…" Mu Chen narrowed his eyes.
"I'm kidding." Shen Yuan chuckled and turned on his heels. "I need to go to the toilet a bit. I'll join you in the game room."
After receiving Mu Chen's nod, Shen Yuan walked back inside and went to the bathroom. He locked the door and stood in contemplation.
What now?
If this was in reality, the amount of information he had gathered would be more than enough to relay to his team and have it analyzed. He didn't have the necessary devices and resources to dig deeper without arousing suspicion.
From Mu Chen's strength earlier, he was certain he was equally strong to Zhou Yi. Fighting him was not a choice. Trying to sneak around him was also too risky.
He scratched his hair and sighed in defeat. There was no use forcing through a way with thorns ahead. He could only wait and see whether Zhou Yi took the bait. He would definitely tell him everything in order to get him away from Mu Chen.
Just in case, he flushed the toilet and washed his hands before leaving the bathroom. When he got to the game room, Mu Chen was in the middle of preparing the game while a servant arranged their refreshments on the coffee table.
Seeing Mu Chen's frown in serious contemplation on what to play, Shen Yuan couldn't help but crack a smile.
It was kind of cute.
"You seem really eager, President Mu." Shen Yuan flumped himself on the sofa and overlapped his legs. "Don't tell me you never actually play yourself?"
Mu Chen took his seat next to Shen Yuan and handed him one of the controllers. "Guess?"
Shen Yuan took it. "Were you even the one who bought it?"
"It's a birthday present. Though the account is mainly used by my cousins. They keep the games up to date, so it's a win-win."
"Well, unfortunately for you, I'm not the type to go easy on a newbie."
"I'd be offended if you do. Let's see who's the newbie by the end of this."