Bai Lixin quietly took two steps backward.
Father Fei didn’t wake up from sleepwalking; he merely turned around at the top of the staircase, reversed his direction, and staggered down the stairs.
This time, he headed straight for the front door.
Amid S419M’s screams of fright, Bai Lixin once again silently followed Father Fei.
Father Fei reached the door, extended his right hand forward, then slowly pulled it backward, mimicking the motion of opening a door.
Perhaps in his dream, someone had entered, as Bai Lixin saw a hint of fear on Father Fei’s expressionless face.
Father Fei stiffly crossed his arms in front of him, his back slightly arched, adopting a respectful and humble posture.
He opened his mouth, and his lips moved silently, uttering something without sound.
Bai Lixin stared at Father Fei’s mouth, attempting to decipher what he was saying through limited lip-reading. However, Father Fei’s mechanical opening and closing of his mouth provided no useful information.
Perhaps because the dream guest had entered from outside, Father Fei closed the door again, maintaining the humble posture as he returned to the sofa in the hall.
He alternated between respectful and fearful, whispering something carefully.
Thoughts by day, dreams by night — some scientists claim dreams are a reflection of an individual’s reflection of the real world.
Sleepwalking behaviors sometimes repeat movements imprinted in muscle memory or reenact events that were too impactful.
Other times, it may involve actions one wishes to do but dares not in reality, so they manifest in sleepwalking.
Of course, sleepwalking can also exhibit whimsical and nonsensical behaviors, but the probability of these occurrences isn’t too high.
S419M: [Who is he talking to? Li Manyu? It doesn’t seem like it from his expression.]
[If it’s not Li Manyu, then is it Fei Yino?]
Bai Lixin: [What if it’s neither? Father Fei is wary of Fei Yino, but he doesn’t look as afraid as he is now.]
S419M: [A third person?]
Bai Lixin observed Father Fei thoughtfully, [Perhaps.]
It was unclear as to what Father Fei had said to the person on the sofa, he walked to the spot where the rose bouquet was placed earlier, picked up the “rose vase,” and returned to the sofa.
Father Fei slightly raised his shoulders, respectfully extending the vase towards the person on the sofa.
Presumably, the person in Father Fei’s dream took the vase, and then Father Fei stood straight. His neck slowly turned, the rigid gaze moving from the hall to the staircase landing. Finally, his chin lifted gradually, as if observing someone moving from the hall to the upper floor.
Probably because the dream figure had reached the third floor, Father Fei returned to his initial rigid state, and walked towards the second floor.
This time, there was no suspenseful twist after reaching the second floor. After reaching it, Father Fei walked directly to his bedroom.
Father Fei’s bedroom was slightly ajar, casting a soft yellow light onto the corridor through the crack of the open door.
Bai Lixin followed Father Fei all the way to the bedroom. When Father Fei pushed the bedroom door open, Bai Lixin glanced inside to confirm that there was no one on the bed before following him in.
It seemed Li Manyu was still In Big Zhuang’s room and hadn’t returned.
After returning to the bedroom, Father Fei obediently lay on the bed, covered himself with the quilt, and closed his eyes.
Two minutes later, the dim room echoed with Father Fei’s steady breathing and shallow snoring.
On Father Fei’s bedside table was a dark brown glass bottle and a white plastic bottle. Bai Lixin took the pill bottles and looked at them under the dim light of the night light.
Melatonin capsules, used for calming the nerves and aiding sleep.
The other bottle contained painkillers with an addictive ingredient.
Medication with this component is often used to alleviate intense pain from wounds, and some doctors prescribe such painkillers for post-surgery recovery.
Father Fei was taking this medicine; could he have some injury on his body?
Aunt Zhang had mentioned that Father Fei had a serious illness six months ago, and the family business had to be handed over to Fei Yino.
Could it be that Father Fei’s illness from six months ago hasn’t fully recovered, so he needs painkillers to alleviate persistent pain?
The other side of the bed was vacant, but there were traces of being turned over.
It seems that Li Manyu might have secretly left the room while Father Fei was sound asleep.
Bai Lixin was about to inspect Father Fei’s bedroom when faint footsteps reached him from outside the door.
The steps were light but approaching this way.
He quickly abandoned his investigative thoughts and used the invisibility card the moment the footsteps’ owner pushed the door open.
…
Li Manyu quietly opened the door. In the split second before the door closed, a breeze seemed to pass by her ears.
However, she didn’t care about it and just silently entered the room. With a satisfied smile on her face, she turned around and closed the door.
As the door closed, Li Manyu muttered softly, “The little wolfdog’s stamina is impressive. I haven’t had this much fun in a while.”
…
Bai Lixin silently returned to his room on the third floor. When he reached the bed, the black liquid that should have remained on the sheets had disappeared.
The bed was spotless, with nothing but some messy wrinkles….
—————————
The next day, Bai Lixin woke up early.
The sun had just risen, and when he approached the window to look outside, he noticed a figure standing in the garden.
The figure stood near the rose bushes where Father Fei had picked flowers yesterday, facing away from him, just standing there erect.
He seemed to sense his gaze, and with a precise turn, he lifted his head, making direct eye contact with Bai Lixin.
It was Fei Yino.
Fei Yino was dressed entirely in black. He stared at Bai Lixin as Bai Lixin observed him.
Bai Lixin noticed that Fei Yino seemed to like black clothing. From the first time he saw him, Fei Yino consistently wore all-black attire, not black and white.
Pure black—black shirt, black tie, black suit, black shoes. Besides black, Bai Lixin couldn’t find any other color on Fei Yino.
Fei Yino didn’t seem to want to take another look at Bai Lixin and immediately shifted his gaze away.
At that moment, a knocking sound came from outside, and an unfamiliar voice said, “Young Master, are you awake?”
Bai Lixin hadn’t heard this voice before, so he walked over and opened the door, finding a woman slightly younger than Aunt Zhang.
“Young Master, I’m here to clean the room.” She shook the cleaning tools in her hand as she spoke.
Bai Lixin asked tentatively, “Sister Wang?”
The woman’s eyes widened in surprise. “Young Master, didn’t you lose your memory? How do you know me?”
Bai Lixin explained, “I don’t know you. I heard from Aunt Zhang that the person who cleans my room is called ‘Sister Wang,’ so I guessed you might be Sister Wang.”
Sister Wang nodded repeatedly. “That’s right, I am Sister Wang.”
She scrutinized Bai Lixin from head to toe. “Young Master, it’s truly wonderful to see you unharmed.”
Wiping a tear from her eye, she added, “I never thought I’d see you again. It’s truly wonderful.”
Sister Wang seemed to have a closer relationship with the original owner than Aunt Zhang. Bai Lixin made room for her, and gestured for her to come in.
The woman was diligent, as soon as she entered the bedroom, she went straight to the bed, pulled the curtains open, and opened the window for ventilation.
The bright sunlight instantly flooded into the room. Bai Lixin was stung by the bright sunshine and instinctively squinted his eyes.
By the time he adjusted to the brightness, Sister Wang had already started cleaning the windowsill on her own.
Bai Lixin walked over to Sister Wang. The tall black figure outside the window was nowhere to be seen.
“Sister Wang,” Bai Lixin pointed outside at the rose garden, “who planted this rose garden?”
Sister Wang’s hand wiping the windowsill didn’t pause. She took the time to glance at the rose garden and said, “Master Fei planted it because the Madam likes roses.”
“The Madam, do you mean my mother?”
Sister Wang replied, “Of course, who else could be the madam of this house besides your mother?”
“Let me tell you, your mother made an excellent choice. We servants often gossip privately, and we all admire your mother.”
“To please the Madam, Master Fei specially created this garden and planted roses for her.”
“Not only that, Master Fei occasionally picks roses himself and puts them in a vase to surprise the Madam.”
Bai Lixin looked at the candid Sister Wang and asked, “What kind of person is Master Fei?”
“Although Master Fei is over fifty years, you can’t tell his age at all. He looks like he’s in his forties. Not only is he good-looking, but his personality is also gentle and refined. Moreover, he’s wealthy, and most importantly, Master Fei dotes on his wife.”
“Master Fei also takes special care of us workers. He pays us more than others, and we don’t have to do a lot of work. Other people’s servants usually work 24 hours, but not for Master Fei. The time assigned to us is eight hours, and by five in the afternoon, he lets us go home.”
“In short, we often marvel at how there can be such a perfect man in the world as Master Fei.”
Bai Lixin asked, “And Li Manyu… I mean, my mother, what kind of person is she?”
Sister Wang put down the cloth in her hand, cupped her chin with one hand, and said without hesitation, “Madam, she’s a beauty.”
“She’s very pretty. As they say, heroes are paired with beauties. That’s why she married Master Fei. The two of them are a match made in heaven, a perfect match.”
“Haha,” Bai Lixin chuckled, “Sister Wang, why do you only say good things? Are Master Fei and my mother really as good as you say? Don’t deceive me.”
“Why would I deceive you? Everything I say is true.” Sister Wang said earnestly, “If you don’t believe me, you can ask anyone. Everyone says the same. Besides, Master Fei pays me a salary, and Madam is the lady of this house. You’re her son, and I definitely won’t say anything unpleasant in front of you. In case it reaches Madam and Master Fei’s ears, I might lose my job.”
“I’m not that foolish.” Sister Wang lowered her head and muttered quietly, “I know when I’ve had enough to eat.”
“And Fei Yino? What kind of person is he? Although I have amnesia and don’t remember anything, I can tell he doesn’t seem to like me.”
Sister Wang raised her head, “Well, that is understandable.”
Bai Lixin: “How so?”
The usually straightforward Sister Wang hesitated at this moment. She bit her lip and hesitated, “Uh, well, it’s like this…Madam and Master Fei are true love, but this true life is sometimes built on the sacrifice of others. Sacrifice leads to injuries. Do you understand, Young Master?”
Bai Lixin raised an eyebrow, “Are you saying Li Manyu… my mother is the third party?”
Sister Wang’s face turned red with embarrassment, but she nodded honestly.
S419M: [Wow! I get it now!]
[I wondered why Li Manyu was so good at seducing Big Zhuang. It turns out she’s good at it. She seduced Father Fei during the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Fei, leading to their divorce. The original family was disrupted due to Li Manyu’s involvement, the original wife left, and the third party took over. No wonder Fei Yino’s attitude towards Father Fei and Li Manyu is so weird. How can it not be? Fei Yino must hate them!]
[The original owner is the child of the third party, so Fei Yino must dislike the original owner too!]
[Damn it, I was really fooled by Li Manyu, Lord Host. Although she showed fear when she came to the police station to pick you up, she gave me the impression of being gentle and magnanimous. I thought she was decent, but it turns out she was hiding deeply.]
[But let’s not just curse her; Father Fei is no saint either. Handsome and wealthy, gentle and perfect? A man of half a hundred years old can still commit adultery, bah!]
[One is fickle, the other is two-faced. What a perfect match!]
[I guess the original owner was driven away by Fei Yino, considering Fei Yino now holds the reins of the family. He probably can do whatever he wants, and Father Fei and Li Manyu wouldn’t say a word.]
[But what does this have to do with the ghostly figure by the window and the secrets of this family?] Bai Lixin replied in his mind, [Why were Li Manyu and Father Fei afraid when they saw me at the police station?]
[And your speculation just now is contradictory. If the original owner was really driven away by Fei Yino, and Father Fei and Li Manyu were afraid to offend Fei Yino, why would they rush to the police station to bring me back? Aren’t they afraid of making Fei Yino angrier?]
S419M: [Because they had no choice. You had already gone to the police station, and it was the police who called them. People like them, with status and face, can’t just ignore their son’s life and death. Should they abandon you at the police station? How embarrassing would it be if word got out? They took you back because of pressure and public opinion.]
[I guess Fei Yino also knew he couldn’t get rid of you in the short term, so he treats you coldly.]
[Tsk tsk, Fei Yino is taking revenge. He endured so much for so many years, and now he’s retaliating against everyone who harmed him.]
[It’s Fei Yino knocking on the door in the middle of the night, and the man who bullied the original owner in the other room is probably Fei Yino as well.]
[Doesn’t Fei Yino have the key to the room next door?]
[This is the truth about the black shadow and the secrets of this family, Lord Host!]
[Damn it, I actually figured it out. I’m so awesome, Lord Host, praise me!]
[…] Bai Lixin cupped his chin and pondered, [No, there must be some clues and information missing. If that was the case, it wouldn’t explain why Father Fei and Li Manyu were afraid when they saw me at the police station.]
S419M: [This is easy to explain.]
[Think about it, Father Fei and Li Manyu must have known that you were expelled by Fei Yino, right? When the police called them to come claim you, they weren’t afraid of you but were afraid of Fei Yino’s reaction after bringing you back home.]
[Didn’t Father Fei fall ill half a year ago? That illness seems suspicious, maybe it was caused by Fei Yino.]
Bai Lixin looked at Sister Wang, “Sister Wang, I heard from Aunt Zhang that Master Fei had a serious illness half a year ago. Do you know what illness that was?”
Sister Wang: “I know about that. I heard Aunt Zhang mention it. Master Fei is usually too busy with work. One night, while working late, he suddenly coughed up blood and passed out. After diagnosis, it was an acute cardiopulmonary disease.”
Bai Lixin: “Cardiopulmonary disease? That should be pulmonary heart disease, right? Does Master Fei have heart disease?”
Sister Wang shook her head, “No, Master Fei is usually very healthy. But I heard it was because Master Fei had been continuously working late at night during that time, which caused excessive fatigue and led to the onset of cardiopulmonary disease.”
“You heard it from Aunt Zhang?” Bai Lixin caught the crucial words in Sister Wang’s statement. “Why did you hear it from Aunt Zhang? How does she know so much? Isn’t she supposed to leave work at the same time as you?”
Sister Wang waved her hand, “Aunt Zhang is different from us; she’s an old member of this family. She lives here, and she usually works the night shift, so she stays here at night. Because Master Fei is busy, and there’s always a need for someone to serve tea and water. Master Fei couldn’t bear to burden Madam, so he kept Aunt Zhang.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Indeed, Aunt Zhang was quite different from Sister Wang.
Aunt Zhang worked night shifts in this house so she obviously knew much more than people like Sister Wang who work day shifts.
“Young Master,” Sister Wang hesitated for two seconds but still advised, “this family is different now. Ever since Master Fei fell ill, the one who speaks in the house is now the Eldest Young Master. In the future, when you’re in front of Eldest Young Master Fei Yino, you should bow your head and not provoke him anymore.”
“I shouldn’t say such words but I’m worried when I see you looking so clueless.” Sister Wang grabbed Bai Lixin’s hand. “I’m just a servant, uneducated, but I also understand a truth.”
“When under someone’s roof, you have to bow your head.”
“That’s how it is to live under someone else’s roof, there’s nothing shameful about it.”
Bai Lixin looked at Sister Wang, who was full of concern. “Did I often provoke Fei Yino before? How did I provoke him?”
Sister Wang said, “It’s just that you knew he dislikes you, but you still deliberately got in front of him to make your presence felt.”
“When Eldest Young Master Fei Yino does something, you insist on following him like a shadow. There were several times when I watched Eldest Young Master Fei Yino get annoyed.”
“For example, when Eldest Young Master Fei Yino went to play golf, you didn’t know how to play, but you insisted on following.”
“And another time when he went horseback riding, you insisted on going too. As a result, the horse got startled, went wild, and almost threw you off. You see, you went looking for death and almost took the Eldest Young Master with you. The horse you were riding almost hit him, if he hadn’t quickly stopped the horse, both of you would have been bedridden for months!”
“How can I put it, Young Master, you need to understand the Eldest Young Master a bit more and not be willful.” Sister Wang sighed, “The once united family has been torn apart. He used to be a proud son of heaven, it’s natural that he’s upset and resentful. Now, the Eldest Young Master decides everything in the house. If you continue to be willful, Madam and Master Fei won’t be able to protect and indulge you as they did before.”
Bai Lixin suddenly raised his eyelids, “What did you say? My mother and Master Fei used to dote on me a lot?”
Sister Wang widened her eyes, “Of course, you’re Madam’s own son. Master Fei loves your mother so much, and loving the house means loving everything in it. They certainly gave you all the good things. When you just arrived, Master Fei treated you very well. Some things that the Eldest Young Master didn’t have, Master Fei got for you first, fearing you might feel unfamiliar in this house.”
Bai Lixin’s eyes flickered. He looked outside at the flower garden, where a gardener was pruning branches. “Sister Wang, did I also like roses before?”
“Huh, don’t you remember your own preferences?” Sister Wang was a bit surprised but still honest, “You don’t like roses, or it seems you really dislike them.”
Bai Lixin: “How do you know I dislike roses?”
Sister Wang scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly, “Because once I didn’t know and accidentally brought the vase of roses intended for Madam to your room. As a result, you got really angry when you saw the roses, saying you hated roses the most. I’ll never forget it.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Bai Lixin’s eyelids lowered slightly, covering his eyes that sparkled like stars. “I must have lost control of my emotions at that time and reacted so strongly. I hope it didn’t scare you.”
Sister Wang didn’t expect to receive an apology from the young master after such a long time. She shook her head with a wry smile, “It was originally my fault. I put things in the wrong place first. If anyone should apologize, it should be me apologizing to you, young master. But why is it you apologizing to me instead?”
“There’s one more thing I’m curious about, Sister Wang,” Bai Lixin took the initiative to bring the topic back on track, “I heard Aunt Zhang mention briefly that the Fei family’s business didn’t seem to be very outstanding at the beginning. It was only after Li Manyu married into the Fei family that their business made remarkable progress.”
“Why did the business suddenly improve back then? Do you know about this?”
