Shen Yujing's sudden move was too abrupt, and everyone quickly pulled the two apart to prevent the situation from escalating further.
During the scuffle, the mark on Quan Leyi's collar was rubbed off by Shen Yujing's force, no longer visible as a lipstick stain.
Xu Che restrained Shen Yujing, while Hang Feng held back Quan Leyi.
Murong Huan glared at Shen Yujing, "What are you doing out of the blue?"
Song Yi also pulled Murong Huan, saying, "Don't be too hasty, let's hear what they have to say first."
Shen Yujing pointed at Quan Leyi, his voice filled with anger, "What did you do, don't you know? You let me down so much!"
Under Shen Yujing's accusations, Quan Leyi felt guilty.
Earlier, after packing his luggage, he went to the bathroom and happened to run into Hang Feng at the door, where they exchanged a few words.
To be precise, it was Quan Leyi who was educating Hang Feng about the prostate and potential issues it might cause.
Could it be that Shen Yujing overheard this conversation?
Though the two were not on the same wavelength, they somehow managed to converse.
After much hesitation, Quan Leyi managed to squeeze out a few words, "I understand."
Shen Yujing pressed further, "What do you understand?"
Quan Leyi lowered his head, mumbling, "I won't do it again."
He truly understood; this was Shen Yujing's privacy, and he would be careful not to mention it outside anymore.
Shen Yujing interpreted Quan Leyi's words as a promise not to use such underhanded tactics again and to compete fairly.
Shen Yujing also knew that emotions were not something one could control, otherwise he wouldn't...
Forget it, he understood.
Thus, Shen Yujing decided to reluctantly forgive Quan Leyi for now, saying, "Let's just leave it at that."
He also realized that his direct action just now was too hasty.
Quickly glancing at Song Yi, he saw her face was only slightly bewildered, but certainly not disgusted or annoyed, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as she didn't dislike him.
However, everyone else present was completely confused.
They couldn't understand why they fought or why they made up.
But since the two involved parties didn't bring it up again, the matter was dropped.
At this moment, Jiang Yiheng stepped in to change the subject, taking out a pocket watch from his pocket, "I found this on the table."
A very exquisite pocket watch, inside was a black-and-white photo of a puppy, and it was also inlaid with a blue gemstone, seemingly valuable.
"Wow!" Quan Le was intrigued, saying, "There really is treasure inside!"
Murong Huan encouraged everyone to stand up, "Let's start searching from the first floor!"
After a thorough search, they indeed found many valuable items.
Such as some exquisite and beautiful jewelry, some obviously meticulously carved items, and many antique vases that looked to be of considerable age.
When they reached the second floor, everyone split up.
Upon entering a room, Song Yi felt the carpet under her feet was uneven.
There was a noticeable bump, indicating the floor wasn't flat.
So Song Yi crouched down, lifting the carpet to reveal a golden key hidden underneath.
At the same time, Shen Yujing's voice came from the opposite room—
"Holy crap! There's a cellar here!"
Everyone gathered around, clearly curious.
Shen Yujing frowned, "But this door is locked; we need to find the key."
The group began searching the room for the key, accompanied by Quan Le's pessimistic remarks, "Finding the cellar is good enough; that tiny key, are we going to look for it until tomorrow?"
Song Yi looked at the key in her hand, crouched down, and tried inserting it into the lock, twisting.
Then, the door opened.
Everyone: "???"
Jiang Yiheng asked her, "How did you find it?"
Song Yi replied, "I found it under the carpet in the opposite room."
Shen Yujing could only say two words, "Awesome," before stepping forward to pull open the cellar door.
The stairs led to the cellar, and looking down, it was pitch black, nothing visible.
Song Yi, intrigued, said, "Wow, are we starting an adventure quest? Let's go down together!"
Murong Huan took a step back; she was always afraid of the dark and didn't hide her fear.
Quan Le noticed Murong Huan's reluctance and said, "Then Murong Huan and I will stay upstairs; if anything happens, we can be there to help."
Song Yi nodded but soon fell into thought.
No, leaving Quan Le and Murong Huan alone, even if something happened, no one could save them.
Although as protagonists, they wouldn't die in such a place, it was safer to be cautious.
After all, who knows... if someone might break a leg.
So Song Yi looked at the group and said, "Jiang Yiheng, you stay upstairs with them too."
Jiang Yiheng was so scared of ghosts, and it was so dark down there; if he fainted, it would be troublesome.
And comparatively, Jiang Yiheng would be the reliable one upstairs.
Jiang Yiheng was already hesitating on how to refuse, and since Song Yi gave him an out, he agreed.
So it was decided that Song Yi, Shen Yujing, Hang Feng, and Xu Che would go down to investigate.
Song Yi, full of curiosity, was about to rush down first when someone tugged at her hat.
Curiously turning around, she saw Shen Yujing and asked, "What are you doing?"
Shen Yujing let go, awkwardly saying, "Move aside, I'll go first."
Who knows what's down there; it's quite dangerous for her to go first.
Song Yi asked, "Why?"
"Why so many questions? I just want to be first, is that okay? If there's anything good, I get to see it first!" Shen Yujing said as he started down the stairs.
On the surface, he seemed calm, but he was a bit nervous.
Who knows what kind of weird things are in this old castle's basement? Maybe a coffin... maybe a vampire...
Ugh, ugh, ugh!
Meanwhile, Song Yi looked at him with a speechless expression.
Seriously, even the order of going down has to be first? So childish.
Despite thinking that, Song Yi still took out her phone, turned on the flashlight, and helped illuminate the way for Shen Yujing.
Song Yi went down second, followed by Hang Feng, with Xu Che bringing up the rear.
Once all four were on the ground, Song Yi said, "Why are all three of you staring at me? Get your phones out and turn on the flashlight."
All three remained silent.
Shen Yujing said, "Didn't bring it."
Hang Feng: "Me neither."
Xu Che: "Same."
Song Yi: "???"
In this modern age, is it possible to be without a phone? These three are so unreliable!
So Song Yi used her phone to scan the entire room, showing everyone the layout.
It was a very ordinary room, filled with many boxes, but there was one particularly large box.
How to put it, it was big enough to fit a person inside.
Shen Yujing immediately tensed up, pointing at the largest box, "Could it be... could it be..."
Song Yi asked, "Could it be what?"
Shen Yujing swallowed hard, "Could it be a coffin!"
Xu Che followed up, his voice indifferent, "If you say so, could there be a vampire in the coffin?"
"It's not impossible, I tell you, these things are spooky..."
Shen Yujing's words trailed off halfway as he suddenly realized.
No, Xu Che wasn't discussing the possibility of a vampire with him; he was mocking him!
Shen Yujing: "What do you mean?"
"Speculation is useless; we need to see for ourselves," Xu Che said as he moved forward.
It was a matter of dignity, so Shen Yujing also picked up his pace, trying to open the coffin—oh, the box—before Xu Che.
Still standing in place, Hang Feng asked Song Yi, "Should we follow them?"
"No need, let them check it out," Song Yi held up her phone, curiously watching their backs, saying, "Actually, I think Shen Yujing's right; we should be careful."
Crossing into a book is real, and reviving a vampire in a castle isn't entirely impossible. It's just a difference between campus romance and western fantasy monsters.
Hmm, no big deal.
And soon, Shen Yujing's voice rang out as he took a step back and exclaimed, "Holy crap!"
Song Yi asked, "What's wrong?"
Shen Yujing didn't answer, and Xu Che was unusually silent, clearly both were stunned by the sight before them.
Curious, Song Yi walked over and squeezed between Shen Yujing and Xu Che to peek into the box.
After seeing what was inside, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Holy crap!"
The box, stretching two meters long, was filled with gold and silver treasures, almost blinding them under the flashlight's light.
Song Yi's voice trembled: "We're... we're..."
Hang Feng asked, "What?"
Song Yi swallowed hard and enunciated clearly, "We're, rich, now."
When all the boxes were carried to the surface by the servants, everyone was in a state of shock.
Originally just for fun, the "treasure hunt" unexpectedly turned up real treasure.
A dozen or so boxes filled with gold, silver, jade, and jewelry, looked incredibly valuable... no, priceless.
Song Yi took Murong Huan's hand and said, "This house was a great buy, a great buy."
Murong Huan chuckled, also recovering from the surprise of sudden wealth.
She said, "You found them, so take a look and take whatever you like, as much as you want, no restrictions."
Song Yi was about to politely decline when she saw Shen Yujing rushing to the largest box, not holding back at all, and saying, "Actually, I had my eye on this one."
Shen Yujing rummaged through the box and found a jade carving... of something unidentifiable.
It looked oddly shaped, like a mushroom.
So Song Yi asked, "What did you get?"
Shen Yujing held the base of the jade, his peach blossom eyes full of anticipation as he asked Song Yi, "Don't you think it looks like a hammer?"
Song Yi: "......?"
Huh? She thought Shen Yujing looked like a hammer.
Not getting a response from Song Yi, Shen Yujing was a bit disappointed but still carefully guarded the "jade hammer" in his hand.
Under Murong Huan's urging, everyone still picked a piece of jewelry as a "New Year's gift."
Song Yi chose a green gemstone silver ring, making her fingers look even more slender and fair.
By some strange impulse, Hang Feng also bent down and picked a ring from the boxes.
Of course, he never let his emotions show as blatantly as before. This ring was not similar to Song Yi's, or even related in any way.
But among everyone present, only he and Song Yi chose rings.
The boxes were soon carried away by the servants, to be transported back home by air ahead of them.
By now, dinner was ready, and under the steward's guidance, they arrived at the dining room.
A long table was set with a variety of delicious dishes, arranged neatly, making people's appetites soar.
Murong Huan naturally sat in the main seat, while Song Yi sat in the first seat to her left.
This time, Shen Yujing was unusually quick to react, immediately pulling out the chair next to Song Yi and quickly occupying the best spot.
Excellent, only he was sitting next to Song Yi.
Shen Yujing was quite satisfied with his agility and then watched as Xu Che pulled out the chair directly opposite Song Yi.
Perfect, Song Yi's left was him and directly opposite was Xu Che, Hang Feng, Jiang Yiheng, and Quan Le were all far away, he could relax now.
Thinking this, Shen Yujing's mood greatly improved, and he even ate two bowls of rice.
After everyone had their fill, the servants led them to the next-door lounge.
The same long table was set with fruits and desserts, and the room's layout was also quite reasonable. Although not very big, it had everything from mahjong tables to billiard tables and karaoke.
Of course, these things didn't quite match the castle, clearly newly added.
Seeing these, one could momentarily forget where they were.
But after a day of rushing around, everyone had just overeaten, so they weren't in the mood to eat more for now.
So Murong Huan suggested again, "Let's play a game, the loser has to eat a piece of dessert, how about it?"
The desserts were small, forcing down two wasn't impossible.
This time, the game was simple, truth or dare, with seven cards, the person with the highest card could ask the one with the lowest card a truth or dare.
The first round's loser was Murong Huan herself, her smile immediately froze.
And the one with the highest card was... Jiang Yiheng.
Jiang Yiheng looked at Murong Huan and asked, "Truth or dare?"
Murong Huan pursed her lips, a bit troubled but still said, "Truth."
Although she thought Jiang Yiheng wouldn't make her do anything too outrageous, it was too cold outside, what if he wanted her to run a lap or something, quite exhausting.
Jiang Yiheng was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Why did you invite us to go abroad for New Year's?"
Murong Huan's eyes flashed with shock, then she instinctively denied, "What else? Of course... it's fun."
Jiang Yiheng's gaze directly met Murong Huan's, seemingly asking, "Lying, isn't that a violation?"
Murong Huan's face instantly turned pale.
Quan Le couldn't stand it and said, "Jiang Yiheng, what are you doing? We said it's just for fun, so many questions? What exactly do you want..."
Quan Le's words were cut off as he saw Murong Huan's eyes already reddened.
Quan Le: "!!!"
Song Yi also frowned.
Murong Huan stood up directly and looked at Jiang Yiheng, "Okay, I'll answer you. Because my parents are getting a divorce, so I don't want to stay at home, okay?"
After saying that, Murong Huan walked out directly, from her back one could see the usually arrogant young lady now wiping her tears.
Quan Le couldn't understand and glared at Jiang Yiheng, then got up and followed.
Seeing Quan Le go after her first, Song Yi looked at Jiang Yiheng somewhat puzzled and asked, "Since you could tell she was unhappy today, shouldn't we just make her happy? Why point it out so directly?"
Shen Yujing looked at Song Yi blankly.
Huh? She and Jiang Yiheng both saw that Murong Huan was unhappy today? How was that seen? He didn't feel it at all?
Jiang Yiheng also got up and walked out, leaving only a sentence, "Given her personality, saying something out is better than keeping it in."
Shen Yujing dragged his chair closer to Song Yi and looked towards the door, asking, "What's going on?"
Song Yi pursed her lips, puffed her cheeks, and looked a bit troubled.
What Jiang Yiheng said, she couldn't refute.
Although she and Murong Huan were best friends, they knew each other too briefly, what Jiang Yiheng said might be the most correct way to handle it for Murong Huan.
At the corner of the corridor.
The girl sobbed there, her cries very wronged.
Quan Le stood behind her, his eyes filled with worry and panic, but he could only anxiously wait, not knowing how to comfort her.
Or perhaps he was afraid that comforting her now would make Murong Huan feel embarrassed and cry even harder.
Just as Quan Le hesitated, Jiang Yiheng walked past him.
Quan Le asked, "Why are you here?"
Clearly, he made Murong Huan cry, how dare he come over?
Jiang Yiheng didn't answer Quan Le's question but went to Murong Huan and handed her a clean handkerchief.
Murong Huan's head was still buried in her arms, not lifting it to respond.
Jiang Yiheng lowered his eyes and gently placed the handkerchief beside Murong Huan's hand.
Murong Huan instinctively hooked her finger and picked it up, soon hearing the sound of her using Jiang Yiheng's handkerchief to wipe her nose.
Under the moonlight, the usually cold boy's lips slightly lifted, saying, "Cry enough and take a break, no second handkerchief."
Murong Huan clenched the already dirty handkerchief in her hand, looked up at him, and asked, "Why are you here?"
"They'll be worried; cry enough and go back soon." Jiang Yiheng paused for a moment and then added, "There are cookies in the room; if you don't hurry back, they'll be all gone."
Murong Huan was taken aback and said, "So you still remember those things."
She suddenly recalled many past events.
When she was little, Murong Huan was very well-behaved, so she was often bullied and teased. She would seek comfort from Jiang Yiheng.
Of course, the process of seeking comfort was Jiang Yiheng sitting at his desk doing homework, while Murong Huan sat beside him, crying and eating cookies brought by the housekeeper.
By the time she finished eating, she was too tired to cry anymore, wiped her tears, had a meal at the Jiang's house, and then went home.
Back then, although Jiang Yiheng didn't like her, he wasn't too repulsed either. At least, no matter how noisy she was, he never asked her to leave. He just lowered his head and did his homework, occasionally reaching out to hand her a tissue.
But later, as her parents' relationship grew increasingly strained, Murong Huan understood that being well-behaved and sensible wouldn't make people like her.
Just as her father didn't like her mother, Jiang Yiheng didn't like her.
So she started to become willful and unreasonable, thinking that this way she could get everything she wanted, but she never expected to push Jiang Yiheng even further away.
"It's mainly because you came too often before; I wouldn't forget that," Jiang Yiheng said, then looked at Quan Le, "I'm going back first. Keep an eye on her and get back soon."
After Jiang Yiheng left, Quan Le glanced at Murong Huan and then quickly looked away, his hand that had been hanging by his side clenching tightly.
Yes, he had almost forgotten.
No matter how Murong Huan's relationship with Jiang Yiheng was, she was still his fiancée in name.
And, they had spent more than a decade together as childhood sweethearts.
