Chapter 86: Transmigrated as a Fraudulent Male Streamer (10)
Cen Yu lay under the blanket, cursing up a storm in his mind!
He distinctly remembered the legend that when experiencing sleep paralysis or ghost encounters, the dirtier your language, the more effective it was!
Whether it was his furious cursing taking effect or the “ghost” becoming wary because Pei Hengyun beside him was awakened by the noise, the moment Cen Yu saw Pei Hengyun groggily stirring, that unruly hand vanished from under the blanket without a trace.
“…Little Yu?” Pei Hengyun rubbed his eyes, groggily propping himself up.
He casually clicked on the light switch on his side of the room, squinting at Cen Yu. “What’s wrong? Were you talking just now?”
Cen Yu was still half-reclined on the bed. He wiggled his feet under the blanket and found that the ghost hand was indeed gone.
Naturally, he couldn’t tell Pei Hengyun that he had been groped by a ghost in the middle of the night, so he gave a vague reply, “It’s nothing. Just saw some infuriating news online and couldn’t help cursing a bit.”
“What did you see?” Having been woken up, Pei Hengyun seemed to lose all sleepiness, suddenly in the mood for a late-night chat with Cen Yu. He leaned on one arm, tilting his head to look at Cen Yu with curiosity.
“Nothing much,” Cen Yu said. “Just saw someone improperly sneaking hands on someone else, only to get their hands and legs broken, their junk chopped off and thrown into a blender.”
He flashed a smile at Pei Hengyun. “People who grope around stealthily like that deserve to have their limbs broken. Don’t you think so?”
Pei Hengyun looked a little bewildered, but seeing how genuinely angry Cen Yu seemed, he nodded in agreement, “Indeed.”
He said to Cen Yu, “…Groping others like that.”
“That really is far too repulsive.”
Heh, Cen Yu thought to himself, just wait till I catch who you are, kid.
He was now absolutely certain that the hand caressing him in the bathroom earlier and under the blanket just now belonged to “that ghost” present throughout the entire novel.
Truth be told, for a horror novel, this “ghost” never actually made a direct, formal appearance. It was only as people continuously met their demises alongside a flurry of bizarre occurrences that everyone realized a “ghost” had long snuck into their midst.
Moreover, Cen Yu had noticed something while carefully reading the novel earlier.
He didn’t know if this ghost had its own rules or if something else was placing constraints on it.
It didn’t go for an immediate, full-party wipeout right from the start. Instead, it picked them off one by one, slowly eroding this group’s will to survive.
Pei Hengyun chatted with Cen Yu for a bit longer, but he was clearly exhausted, soon leaning back against his pillow and drifting off to sleep again.
Cen Yu threw a glance at Pei Hengyun. Perhaps worried that the thing might return, he didn’t switch off the light this time…
Fortunately, right up until the moment Cen Yu fell asleep, that entity didn’t come back to harass him again.
The next morning, when Cen Yu woke up, he found that Pei Hengyun was no longer in the bedroom.
After a quick, basic wash, he ambled downstairs in his sandals, catching sight of Jiang Tuan walking back in with breakfast in hand.
When Jiang Tuan spotted him, an awkward expression crossed his face, but as Cen Yu let out a yawn and prepared to walk past, Jiang Tuan called out to stop him.
“…Hey, you.” Jiang Tuan looked at Cen Yu hesitantly.
“?” Cen Yu put on a what do you want expression.
Uncomfortable under Cen Yu’s gaze, Jiang Tuan simply shoved the soy milk, steamed buns, and eggs in his hand toward Cen Yu. “They’ve all eaten.”
“This was bought for you.”
“…Bought specifically for me?” Cen Yu was a bit surprised.
He recalled that the Jiang Tuan in the original novel thoroughly disliked him, viewing him as a cancer ruining Pei Hengyun’s life.
“If you don’t want to eat it, don’t,” Jiang Tuan said hurriedly. Setting the breakfast down on the living room table on the first floor, he turned and darted straight back into his room.
Though he moved quickly, Cen Yu still caught sight of his slightly reddened ears.
They stood out vividly against his healthy, wheat-toned skin.
“?” I didn’t say I wouldn’t eat it, why run so fast?
Cen Yu really couldn’t get a read on Jiang Tuan’s thoughts. Seeing that the buns and soy milk were still piping hot, he dragged over a small stool and sat down to eat.
The soy milk was packed in a long plastic pouch. Too lazy to poke a straw in, Cen Yu simply bit off the corner of the plastic pouch and drank straight from it.
Just then, he spotted He Yongning returning, dressed in sportswear and looking like he had just finished exercising.
What time was it? Cen Yu turned his head to check the clock—wasn’t it only 9:00 AM?
The guy had already gone for a run and come back.
“Nn.” Cen Yu jerked his chin at He Yongning, signaling Good morning, what were you up to?
He Yongning had a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. Wearing a headband and dressed in a white-and-gray tracksuit, he looked considerably younger than his usual meticulously groomed appearance.
He looked at Cen Yu, noting the guy holding a pouch of soy milk between his teeth while greeting him. Although he thoroughly disliked his habitually careless and lazy demeanor, he still offered a slight nod.
“Good morning.”
Cen Yu took a sudden, powerful gulp, downing the soy milk completely before asking He Yongning, “Have you seen Pei Hengyun?”
“Pei Hengyun?” He Yongning pondered for a second. “Didn’t see him.”
He looked at Cen Yu. “Didn’t you two sleep in the same room last night? You don’t know?”
If he had previously assumed Cen Yu was merely Pei Hengyun’s friend, after witnessing Pei Hengyun’s instinctive urge to block Cen Yu with his own body the moment the bathroom door opened yesterday—along with his extreme attachment to Cen Yu—he knew their relationship was definitely not as simple as being friends.
“I didn’t tie a leash on him,” Cen Yu replied, baffled.
He Yongning didn’t take Cen Yu’s bait. Cen Yu hadn’t tied a leash on Pei Hengyun.
From what he saw, Pei Hengyun was the one who wished he could tie a leash on Cen Yu.
He had no desire to discuss these topics with Cen Yu here. Having gone out for a run and worked up a sweat, he decided to take a shower.
So, giving Cen Yu another brief nod, he bypassed him and walked straight up to the second floor.
Cen Yu simply grabbed his steamed bun and walked out into the courtyard to munch on it.
Though this place was described as a rural township, following the road ahead from Jiang Tuan’s house actually led to a market street that was quite lively.
Presumably, Jiang Tuan had bought these steamed buns over there…
Chewing on his bun, he stood by the entrance, contemplating going for a stroll, when he noticed a man wearing glasses walking down the road toward him. Upon spotting Cen Yu, a flicker of confusion crossed the man’s eyes, but he still walked up to the courtyard gate where Cen Yu stood.
“…And you are?” The man looked at Cen Yu and inquired.
Perhaps realizing he hadn’t introduced himself, he immediately added, “I’m Yu Sheng, Jiang Tuan’s classmate.”
Yu Sheng.
Cen Yu instantly understood this man’s identity.
He was the class monitor who had organized this class reunion, currently working as a mathematics teacher at Meiman Middle School—the top scholar from their high school days.
“Class Monitor, right?” Cen Yu extended a hand. “I’m Pei Hengyun’s friend, I came along with him to visit his hometown.”
“Pei Hengyun.” A look of sudden realization washed over Yu Sheng’s face.
“I heard he’s working as an art teacher now, is that right?”
“I remember he used to love sports back then. I thought he’d pursue something in athletics.” His demeanor was gentle, carrying a scholarly air and looking somewhat shy. He shook Cen Yu’s hand for a few seconds before letting go.
“Class Monitor,” Pei Hengyun’s voice echoed from the other side.
When Cen Yu turned his head, he saw Pei Hengyun walking over, carrying a freshly bought savory pancake in his hand.
