Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 142: Candles
Kuang Jinxin and Qian Ai stood frozen at the doorway, their hearts feeling as if they had been crushed by a spiked wheel, shattered into pieces, bleeding profusely.
The one being slapped wasn’t them, yet they wished it was.
Slap.
Slap.
Slap…
The frequency of the slaps gradually slowed down. The figure seemed to be in acute pain, shaking more violently with each slap, hesitating longer than before with each hit.
The voice repeating “I was wrong” also started to weaken.
Finally, he stopped completely, trembling as he slowly raised his head, looking towards the empty space in front of him, as if there was an invisible watcher standing there.
Kuang Jinxin and Qian Ai also involuntarily looked toward that empty space.
At that moment, in the originally empty space, a shadow slowly began to form. The figure was clearly that of an adult man, tall and imposing.
The moonlight outlined the profile of his face, making Kuang Jinxin shiver involuntarily.
It was Chi Yingxue’s father. Even as just a silhouette, he recognized it!
The shadow glanced at the thin figure, then suddenly raised its hand.
The child’s figure trembled violently, slapping himself again fiercely. “I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong…”
The sound of the slaps became more rapid and forceful than before. His fear overcame his hesitation; each slap seemed less like self-reflection and more like a plea for the other not to take action, that he could do it himself. Really, he could.
Kuang Jinxin and Qian Ai could no longer bear it; the two figures in front of them weren’t illusions but real people! Everything in front of them was so vivid, so brutally real!
The two rushed into the room, Kuang Jinxin heading straight for the thin figure, while Qian Ai cursed at the tall man’s silhouette. “You’re nothing but a fucking beast—”
With that curse, the [Money Dart] flew sharply out, faster than Qian Ai’s words, striking towards the tall shadow like a sharp knife!
The shadow couldn’t dodge in time, and the money dart hit him squarely in the face!
At the moment of impact, the shadow dispersed silently, and the [Money Dart] pierced through the scattering dust, embedding in the floor tile with a “thwack”.
Beside him, Kuang Jinxin had already embraced the thin figure tightly in his arms.
Like in the previous room, he still couldn’t see the face of the little shadow and couldn’t even touch his body tangibly. He held him as if embracing a soft, cool mist; he knew he was there, but he couldn’t grasp firmly, or he would end up holding himself.
Gently embracing like this, the little shadow stopped slapping himself, but his mouth still muttered, “I was wrong, I was wrong…”
Kuang Jinxin interrupted him. “You’re not wrong. You’ve done nothing wrong…”
His eyes were sore, and his throat was bitter. He had to restrain himself to keep his voice steady.
“I’m wrong…”
“You’re not wrong.”
“I’m wrong…”
“You’re not wrong!”
The dialogue meaninglessly repeated itself, like a ball rolling at a constant speed on a frictionless path, never stopping, never-ending.
Qian Ai wanted to stop it, but seeing the rare stubbornness in Kuang Jinxin’s eyes, the words “Don’t waste your effort” that reached his lips were swallowed back.
After what felt like an eternity, the mechanical conversation that might have repeated hundreds of times finally ceased.
“I… I’m not wrong?”
The little shadow raised its head, hesitating, trembling in its voice. It was like a last spark of hope rising from the ashes.
“You’re not wrong.” Kuang Jinxin repeated for the thousandth and one time, just as firmly.
Qian Ai squatted down, declaring without hesitation, “The wrong one is that bastard! He doesn’t deserve to be a father! Peh, he doesn’t even deserve to be called a human!”
The familiar goose-yellow halo lit up inside the room.
The shadow in Kuang Jinxin’s arms dispersed, blending into the flickering candlelight and into the gradually warming air.
Qian Ai was confused. This was the second time this happened. As soon as the candle appeared, the little shadow disappeared. But he didn’t have the leisure to ponder the deeper meaning; no one knew when the candle would extinguish. While it was still bright, they needed to hurry and find the badge.
Seeing Kuang Jinxin still squatting on the ground, maintaining the embracing pose in a daze, Qian Ai patted his shoulder. “Don’t space out. As usual, you search the walls; I’ll check the ceiling and floor tiles.”
Kuang Jinxin silently stood up. He hadn’t recovered from the previous distress, but knowing the urgency, he quietly walked towards the wall, searching swiftly.
Qian Ai sighed, not trying to strike up a conversation anymore.
It wasn’t just Kuang Jinxin; his own heart was heavy. He wanted to curse—to beat that beast with a stick.
The silent search for the badge soon ended, just like the last room, without any findings.
Heaven, Earth, People, Harmony.
Now only the [Harmony] room was left.
Kuang Jinxin and Qian Ai stood in front of the last room, looking up at the wooden plaque carved with [Harmony], feeling the irony.
Harmony.
In this mansion, in these dark rooms, where was the “Harmony”?
They saw only pain, fear, coldness.
Lifting his hand to touch the door, Qian Ai hesitated unprecedentedly; he didn’t know what he would see inside. This uncertainty made him anxious.
Turning to look at Kuang Jinxin, he tried to lighten the mood with a joke. “I think I’m developing a phobia of opening doors…”
Kuang Jinxin didn’t hesitate. “Qian Ge, if opening the door reveals that big shadow again, just deal with him with the [Money Dart].”
Qian Ai hesitated at such a bold Kuang Jinxin. “What if the shadow turns out to be a good person this time?”
“Impossible.” Kuang Jinxin was adamant.
The repeated “I was wrong” echoed in his ears, and Qian Ai’s eyes darkened. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
“Creak—”
The door opened in response.
A rotten food smell assaulted their senses, instantly nauseating.
Both partners covered their noses and mouths, peering into the room.
This time, there was no one in the center of the room.
A thin, frail figure huddled in a corner, holding a bowl of indistinguishable food, shoveling it into his mouth as if it was a delicacy, as if any slower and it would be snatched away.
But Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin could only smell the sourness and stench of spoiled food, like the swill hauled away from the back doors of restaurants.
The figure was skin and bones, smaller and weaker than the shadows in the previous rooms, especially huddled in the corner. At a glance, it was hard to discern that it was a child; it more resembled a stray cat or dog in the darkness, starved and emaciated.
“I can’t take this. I can’t watch this.” Qian Ai turned away, taking a deep breath. “This is fake, right?” He seemed to be asking Kuang Jinxin, but also convincing himself. “It’s just a dream, an illusion…”
His mouth kept moving, but the more he spoke, the stronger the conviction in his heart became.
This was Chi Yingxue.
Childhood trauma, psychological shadows, split personalities—even he, who had only seen multiple personality cases in TV dramas, could easily trace a logical chain.
“Why…” He didn’t know how many times he had asked this question. With his limited understanding, he couldn’t fathom any reason that would justify such cruel treatment of a child.
“No matter why, he deserves to die.” Kuang Jinxin looked steadily at the dark figure in the corner. For the first time, coldness filled his heart and eyes.
There was no reason that justified the abuse of a child.
The instigator should be utterly destroyed.
This was the most extreme moment of Kuang Jinxin’s life. He couldn’t control his anger, and for a moment, a murderous intent flashed through his mind.
Fortunately, the adult shadow didn’t reappear in the room, so nothing further stimulated his emotions.
After several deep breaths, he finally suppressed those chaotic thoughts and raised his arm to open the [Stationery Box]…
[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Romantic Afternoon Tea] on you~~]
Qian Ai didn’t hear the notification. He only saw a huge cake with an orange fragrance suddenly appearing on the ceiling of the room, and then the next second, it landed on the floor with a thud, surprisingly not breaking apart. Only the soft cake base trembled slightly under its cream and then steadied.
The cake was made with a cheesecake base, layered with orange jam and cream in the middle, and topped with a gingerbread man surrounded by a small mountain of orange soda candies.
Qian Ai didn’t intend to observe so closely; it was just professional instinct, but after he finished observing, he was drooling, suddenly realizing something more surprising—Kuang Jinxin could control the flavor of the cake?!
The last time Yan Wang used [Romantic Afternoon Tea], he was on the scene, and the scene could only be described as “chaotic”. He couldn’t predict what would fall from the sky or whether the next second he would be drowned in cream or scalded by coffee.
Just as he thought to ask, he suddenly heard the sound of a bowl falling to the ground and breaking into pieces.
Qian Ai looked in the direction of the sound, only to see the little shadow wobbling to its feet, no longer caring about the broken bowl, inching closer to the cake.
He walked with a limp, as if injured, but his direct path betrayed his desire.
Finally, he reached for the cake but didn’t reach out to take it. He just stood there, deeply inhaling, as if just the smell was enough to bring him happiness and fulfillment.
Kuang Jinxin stepped half into the threshold, and the little shadow suddenly shrank back.
He withdrew his foot and squatted down at the doorway, watching the little shadow. “I’m offering this to you.”
The little shadow hesitated, but eventually couldn’t resist the temptation, scooping up some orange jam with his finger and licking it.
His height was just right for the orange jam, but he had to jump to reach the cream.
“I’m offering this to you,” Kuang Jinxin repeated, encouragingly. “When you’re done, there’s more. As much as you want, whatever flavor you want.”
The little shadow turned to look at him.
In the dim night, nothing was clear, but Kuang Jinxin felt like he saw something.
He saw the small Chi Yingxue, delicate and beautiful, like a porcelain doll.
The little shadow turned back to the cake, and the next second, he suddenly jumped up, grabbing a large piece of cream-coated cake and stuffing it eagerly into his mouth.
Qian Ai squatted down next to Kuang Jinxin, maintaining a distance that would make the little shadow feel safe, quietly watching him devour the cake.
Despite wolfing it down, only the sweet scent of the cake remained in the room. The earlier smell of spoiled food, like a cowardly evader of light, fled and disappeared without a trace.
“Actually, these cakes were originally meant for Da Xue,” Kuang Jinxin said with a smile, talking to the little shadow in a gentle and innocent tone, as if coaxing a child. “Da Xue, you probably don’t know him. He’s a very awkward guy…”
He kept talking, not caring whether the little shadow listened or not, seemingly just wanting to speak and not necessarily needing someone to listen. “I promised him that next time I enter the Owl, I would use [Romantic Afternoon Tea] for him, but I didn’t keep my word…”
“I just wanted to see if he would ask me if I didn’t bring it up. I know he definitely remembers…”
“But he just wouldn’t ask, even though he was dying to…”
“Now it’s gone. He won’t get any even if he wants it…”
“If he can’t hold back and really asks about it, I’ll say I gave it to Xiao Xue, okay?”
Listening to this, Qian Ai became more and more intrigued. He never knew there was such a story between these two teammates. No, what surprised him more was that Kuang Jinxin could also be mischievous. He could even imagine how much Chi Yingxue would be inwardly hurt.
But he still unconditionally sided with Kuang Jinxin. Chi Yingxue’s awkward personality needed timely knocking. If indulged further, it might slide into a dangerous abyss…
“Burp—”
The little shadow suddenly burped.
Qian Ai snapped back to reality, only then realizing that nearly a third of the cake had been eaten. From the side, the little shadow’s belly was visibly rounder.
He hesitated about whether to stop him, as overeating and starving were both harmful to the body, just as bad as being famished.
Then the little shadow burped again.
And a candle lit up in the corner.
The candlelight brightened the room, and the shadow dispersed with it, leaving behind the cake while still emitting a rich orange fragrance.
Kuang Jinxin closed his eyes, deactivating the stationery effect.
The cake slowly disappeared, and the room returned to its empty state.
“What does this candle mean?” Qian Ai had wanted to ask for a while. “Why does the shadow disappear when the candle comes?”
Kuang Jinxin looked at the candlelight, his furrowed brows finally relaxing. “Where there is light, there is no fear of darkness.”
Behind the candle, at the joint between the wall and floor tiles, a light flickered like stars.
Kuang Jinxin and Qian Ai exchanged glances and immediately got up and rushed over!
The wind they stirred fluttered the candle flame, and in the flickering warmth, the notification finally arrived—
[Owl: Congratulations on finding the 9/23 Hell Badge!]
As the voice in their ears faded, they suddenly smelled an orange scent, different from Kuang Jinxin’s earlier cake, fresher and livelier, like a glass of iced… orange soda!
“Chi Yingxue!” Kuang Jinxin exclaimed, running out the door.
Qian Ai was half a step slower, following in confusion. “What Chi Yingxue?”
“This scent is Chi Yingxue. He loves drinking orange soda!” Kuang Jinxin was almost certain now that this elusive scent had led him here, whether intentionally or unconsciously, it was definitely Chi Yingxue guiding him!
Where did this orange soda come from? This scent was very similar to what he smelled when he woke up in the front yard. Was Chi Yingxue also beside him then, or did it mean something else?
Damn it!
Qian Ai gave up thinking. Falling behind in the story was his own fault. All he could do was follow those ahead.
Kuang Jinxin followed the scent through the [Harmony], [Person], [Ground], [Heaven] rooms. Just as he crossed the last room, he finally saw a shadow in the corridor, identical to the one he chased when he separated from Xu Wang and Wu Sheng!
Kuang Jinxin sprinted at full speed, grabbing the shadow’s shoulder without a word. “Xiao Xue…”
In an instant, the black shadow dissipated.
He caught nothing but the cold moonlight.
“Boom—”
A sound like moving boulders echoed beside him.
He and Qian Ai, who had just caught up, turned to see the high wall that enclosed the narrow area, stretching endlessly into the distance, collapsing.
The debris raised dust, obscuring the night sky.
“Lao Qian?!” Amidst the dust, a voice called out in surprise from the other side of the wall.
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