kingnovel Chapter 789 Hu Youyu Returns
Chapter 789 Hu Youyu Returns
Xu Hongdou could clearly feel Lin Bufan's arm around her waist, his palm warm, gently and slowly caressing her waist. The movement was light and fleeting, yet it felt like it carried a tiny electric current, sending a tingling sensation through her from her lower back to her tailbone.
If that were all, Xu Hongdou would have tolerated it, but when she sensed that Lin Bufan wanted to take things further, she could no longer bear it!
It's not that Xu Hongdou dislikes Lin Bufan's behavior, but there are too many people here, and if Lin Bufan continues like this, he will definitely embarrass himself!
Just as Lin Bufan's fingers "accidentally" brushed against Xu Hongdou's waist again, and even showed a slight tendency to move towards her lower abdomen, Xu Hongdou finally couldn't bear it any longer.
"Snapped!"
A crisp slapping sound suddenly rang out in the quiet room.
Xu Hongdou suddenly opened her eyes, shoved away Lin Bufan's mischievous hand, and sat up abruptly. The movement was so forceful that it even lifted the blanket, startling Chen Nanxing and Da Mai who were beside her.
"Lin Bufan!" Xu Hongdou's chest heaved slightly, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes seemed to burn with two small flames as she glared at him, both ashamed and angry: "Where are you putting your hands?!"
Lin Bufan was a little stunned by her slap. He covered the back of his hand, but quickly put on his usual innocent and aggrieved expression: "Hongdou, what's wrong with you? I was sleeping... I bumped into you by accident, why did you hit me?"
"Accidentally?" Xu Hongdou was so angry she almost laughed. "You were 'accidentally' for an hour?! Do you think I'm made of wood and don't feel anything?!"
Chen Nanxing, who was already awake, was propping his head up with his hand, looking on with amusement and a mischievous smile. Da Mai, on the other hand, had his face buried in the pillow, his shoulders heaving, whether he was chuckling or blushing, it was hard to tell.
Seeing that Xu Hongdou was truly angry, Lin Bufan dared not pretend to be stupid any longer. He awkwardly withdrew his hand and touched his nose: "Well... I was just... doing this for our plan. Think about it, we're a couple now, sleeping together, isn't a little physical contact normal? What if that Miss Liu hasn't gone far, or is secretly observing somewhere, and sees us being so respectful to each other, she definitely won't believe it. I'm just... being professional, yes, being professional!"
"Dedicated my foot!" Xu Hongdou grabbed a pillow and threw it at Lin Bufan. "It's broad daylight, there are no ghosts out there. Stop using Miss Liu as an excuse! I think you're just taking advantage of the situation to be a pervert!"
Lin Bufan caught the pillow with lightning speed, hugged it to his chest, and chuckled, "What do you mean... I'm just putting on an immersive performance, trying to make it realistic. Look at Nanxing, why doesn't he have any objections?" As he spoke, he winked at Chen Nanxing.
Chen Nanxing immediately received the signal and moved closer to Lin Bufan, taking his arm and giving Xu Hongdou a playful, coquettish look: "That's right, Hongdou, you're too sensitive. Bufan is doing this for everyone's good, just bear with it and it will pass."
Xu Hongdou was furious at Chen Nanxing's submissive manner, but she couldn't say anything. She couldn't very well say that she was getting a little carried away by his teasing, could she?
"I...I'm going to wash up!" Xu Hongdou didn't want to waste any more words with Lin Bufan, so she threw off the covers and got out of bed.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Lin Bufan called out to her, his expression suddenly becoming more serious: "Hongdou, there's something I need to remind you of."
Xu Hongdou paused, turned to look at Lin Bufan, and asked suspiciously, "What is it now?"
Lin Bufan cleared his throat, his expression particularly serious, even with a hint of academic discussion: "What I wanted to say was, you're not very well-behaved when you sleep at night...? Last night I almost got kicked off the bed several times by you."
Of course, I'm fine, but Nanxing is right next to me. What if I accidentally hurt Nanxing?
So, I think we need to be careful about our sleeping positions. Ideally… um, hold me tighter, keep me in place, so you don't move around too much.
Xu Hongdou's face flushed red instantly, half from embarrassment and half from anger. She always slept very properly at night; Lin Bufan's words were clearly a lie and a flirtation!
"Lin Bufan! Go to hell!" Xu Hongdou grabbed the pillow that Lin Bufan had caught earlier and was now hugging in his arms, and threw it at him again, this time hitting him directly in the face.
"Pfft—" Chen Nanxing next to him couldn't help but burst out laughing. He quickly covered his mouth, but his shoulders were shaking violently.
Lin Bufan pulled the pillow off his face, his hair all messed up, and looked "wronged": "I was just stating the facts... it was also for safety reasons..."
Xu Hongdou was too lazy to waste any more words with Lin Bufan. She glared at him fiercely, threw off the covers, and got out of bed. Unlike Nana, she didn't try to hide herself. Right in front of Lin Bufan, with her back to him, she picked up the coat she had changed out of last night, put it on, then quickly put on her pants, tidied her hair, and walked out of the room without looking back, her footsteps thumping on the floor.
Once Xu Hongdou's footsteps faded into the corridor, Chen Nanxing stopped laughing and glanced at Da Mai, who was still motionless under the covers, pretending to be asleep with great "dedication." She knew this girl was shy; if Lin Bufan didn't get up, she estimated she could stay there until noon.
Chen Nanxing kicked Lin Bufan in the shin: "Still lying there? Get up! Hongdou will be coming in to urge you to have breakfast soon!"
Lin Bufan slowly sat up, stretched, and his bones made a slight "crack" sound. He glanced at Da Mai, who was "sleeping" beside him, and smiled slightly. He didn't tease her anymore, but nimbly got out of bed, picked up his pajamas from the floor, and put them on.
Chen Nanxing quickly got dressed, and the two of them left the room one after the other, gently closing the door behind them.
Almost the instant the door closed, Da Mai quietly peeked out from under the covers, her cheeks flushed like a ripe apple. She breathed a long sigh of relief, then listened warily to make sure there was no more noise outside before tiptoeing out of bed and sneaking back to her room as fast as she could.
……
Over the next few days, life in the courtyard seemed to enter a peculiar "new normal".
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.
The initial fear and embarrassment of the four women were gradually replaced by a helpless "habit" through repetition.
After dinner, without Lin Bufan even needing to urge them, the four women would exchange glances when they saw that it was almost time, then silently get up, go back to their rooms to get their "props," and then, with expressions of "ready to die," crawl into room number five one by one.
The process of setting up the "scene" has become increasingly skillful. Although blushing still occurs, at least the initial awkwardness and finger-pointing are no longer present. The placement of the "props" has also been "optimized" several times, striving for order within chaos and a more "realistic" feel.
Under Lin Bufan's persuasive words—ostensibly to "prevent Miss Liu from becoming suspicious and to discover patterns"—the people sitting next to Lin Bufan on either side of him in bed each night were not fixed. Sometimes it was Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing, sometimes it was Nana and Damai, and sometimes it was Chen Nanxing and Nana again... In Lin Bufan's words, this was called "dynamic adjustment to increase realism and simulate complex emotional relationships."
The four women were speechless, but when they thought of that fleeting red color and the mournful singing, they could only grit their teeth and accept this "complexity".
Of course, the four women weren't entirely without suspicion. After the initial two days of panic, Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing had become a little bolder. One night, when the door was silently pushed open again by that chilling aura, Xu Hongdou forced herself to open her eyes a tiny crack, suppressing her fear.
In the dim light, she actually caught a glimpse of it!
In the shadows outside the crack in the door, a glaring, blood-red hem of clothing hung silently, motionless. Although she couldn't see a face or hear any singing, the chilling stillness and the visual impact of that color instantly froze her blood. She quickly closed her eyes tightly, daring not to peek any further. Chen Nanxing had a similar experience, equally terrified.
And this is naturally thanks to Sang Biao's "guest appearance".
With Sang Biao's cooperation and Lin Bufan's emotional manipulation, the four women's last doubts were completely dispelled—that Miss Liu might really come to "check up" every night.
……
And so, in a tense, awkward, and somewhat absurd atmosphere, time flew by and it was time for Hu Youyu to return.
Early in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, the courtyard was still shrouded in tranquility. Hu Youyu, travel-worn, carrying his guitar and luggage, pushed open the gate, his face beaming with the excitement of returning home and eager to share his experiences. He took a deep breath of the familiar air, puffed out his chest, and was about to shout at the top of his lungs:
"I, Hu Hansan... no, I, Hu Youyu, am back! Folks, come out and greet me!" But before the words could even leave his throat—
"Squeak."
The door to room number five opened right before his eyes!
Nana came out, her hair a little messy, her face showing the languor of someone just waking up, and she was adjusting the sleeves of her coat.
Hu Youyu's mouth gaped open and froze, his eyes wide as if he had seen something unbelievable. He looked at Nana, then at the door to Lin Bufan's room behind her, his mind momentarily blank.
Nana also saw Hu Youyu in the yard. She was taken aback at first, then a smile appeared on her face. She was about to greet him, "Teacher Hu, you're back..."
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly realized something—she had come out of Lin Bufan's room! At this time, in this situation… what would Hu Youyu think?
Nana's cheeks flushed instantly, and she opened her mouth to explain, "Teacher Hu, it's not what you think, it's because..."
"Nana, what are you doing blocking the doorway?" A soft, sleepy voice came from behind Nana.
Immediately after, Da Mai, wearing pajamas and with messy hair, rubbed her eyes and squeezed out from beside Nana, muttering softly, "So sleepy... I didn't sleep well again last night..."
Hu Youyu's mouth gaped even wider, almost big enough to fit an egg. His gaze darted back and forth between Damai and Nana, the shock on his face beyond words.
However, what really made his eyes pop out was yet to come.
Chen Nanxing yawned and followed Da Mai out, smoothing her long hair with her hand as she walked. When she saw Hu Youyu, she waved casually, "Hey, Hu, you're back?" Her tone was as natural as if she were coming out of her own room in the morning.
Finally, Xu Hongdou came out as well. She was dressed more neatly than the other three girls, but she clearly looked like she had just gotten up, with pillow marks still on her face. Seeing the dumbfounded Hu Youyu, she paused, her expression slightly unnatural, but she still nodded: "Good morning, Teacher Hu."
Hu Youyu extended a trembling finger, pointing to Nana, Damai, Chen Nanxing, and Xu Hongdou in turn, then to the open door of room number five. He stammered, unable to speak coherently: "You...you...you...you...I...I was away for the past few days...you...you and Teacher Lin...what...what did you do?!"
……
More than half an hour later, in the kitchen of the courtyard.
The group sat around the dining table with a simple breakfast laid out before them. Hu Youyu listened to the four women's explanations, which, of course, omitted many details, only mentioning that "Miss Liu" had sneaked into the guesthouse construction site at night, that they were frightened, that they needed to pretend to have partners to avoid being possessed, and that they had to squeeze into Lin Bufan's room to "act" for the past few nights.
Hu Youyu held his chopsticks, not moving them for a long time. He looked at this, then at that, his expression slowly shifting from initial shock to deep suspicion. He struggled to process this bizarre story:
female ghost?
A red wedding dress?
Three hundred years of cultivation?
Five people sharing a bed to prevent possession?
Finally, Hu Youyu couldn't listen anymore. He slammed his chopsticks on the table with a loud "bang," stood up, and raised his voice an octave higher:
"No way! Dear sisters and cousins! What do you take me for? A three-year-old? Do you think I'd believe such nonsense?!" Hu Youyu cried out in anguish, pointing to her own nose, "I may be a little silly, but I'm not stupid! Miss Liu? Checking on you every night? Sleeping in the same room for safety? This excuse... this excuse is so flimsy!"
The women exchanged glances, their faces filled with helplessness.
Yes, this sounds pretty far-fetched. If you hadn't experienced it yourself, who would believe it?
But that's just how it is, what can they do?
Knowing that explanations were futile, the girls simply gave up and gave up.
Believe it or not, just destroy it, hurry up and do it!
Seeing that the four women remained silent, Hu Youyu assumed he had hit the nail on the head. He shook his head in anguish, his tone shifting from questioning to earnest advice: "I understand, I understand! A man like Teacher Lin, who has talent, looks, money, status, and most importantly, is young and energetic, is simply... a legendary all-around warrior! So perfect he doesn't seem real!"
It's perfectly normal for you to be attracted to him, to like him, and even... well, to want to get closer to him! I understand! Really, it's not your fault at all; you can only blame Teacher Lin for being too outstanding and too charming!
Hu Youyu paused, his expression becoming incredibly sincere, even carrying a heavy sense of "concern for the country and its people": "But! No matter how outstanding Teacher Lin is, he's still made of flesh and blood! He's not made of iron! Look at him, huh? Four people in one night... and they're all at that age where they're like wolves in sheep's clothing! This... this is unbearable for anyone! Even if Teacher Lin were Superman, his kidneys couldn't withstand this kind of abuse!"