Ye Sha slowly woke up and looked out the window. The weather was pleasant today, with a clear blue sky.
When he glanced back at the bed, the beautiful Liu Boss was nestled against his chest like a sleepy kitten, peacefully dozing. The soft, warm sensation of her against him filled Ye Sha’s heart with a rare sense of calm.
Carefully slipping out of bed without waking her, Ye Sha stood up.
Last night had been... challenging, to say the least. Sharing a bed with a stunning beauty who clung tightly to him made it nearly impossible to resist temptation. One wrong move, and his hands would’ve landed on her lofty peaks. Thankfully, Ye Sha had strong self-control, making him a modern-day embodiment of Liu Xiahui. Otherwise, he might have succumbed.
Not that Liu Yuning hadn’t tried to test his limits—she seemed to enjoy seeing his awkward reactions.
The faint rustling of Ye Sha putting on clothes stirred Liu Yuning from her sleep. Sitting up, she rubbed her drowsy eyes. She wore only one of Ye Sha’s shirts, oversized enough that it carelessly revealed glimpses of her alluring figure.
“Ye Sha!” Liu Yuning called out, pouting like a little girl as she reached for him. “I’m scared. Hold me!”
Ye Sha glanced at the bright daylight streaming through the window and sighed before walking over to embrace her. “Boss, it’s the middle of the day, and I’m right here. What’s there to be scared of?”
“I’m scared... you’ll disappear,” Liu Yuning murmured, smiling cheekily as she received his warm hug.
“I need to go buy some clothes. Will you come with me?”She only had a single set of sportswear, as the rest of her wardrobe was locked away in the quarantined building. She couldn’t very well walk around in Ye Sha’s shirt.
“Sure. I’m still your employee, after all. I’ll do as the boss says,” Ye Sha said, looking her in the eye and nodding.
“Well then... do you want to watch me change?” Liu Yuning asked playfully, her voice teasingly seductive. Slowly, she began unbuttoning the shirt, a glimpse of fair skin flashing in Ye Sha’s view.
“Nope! Nope, can’t handle it!” Ye Sha fled the room, retreating in panic. Behind him, Liu Yuning’s laughter rang out joyfully.
“The world’s gone mad. I’m thinking of quitting my job. My parents say there’s a monster in our hometown—a giant locust tree has come alive and is killing people!”Liu Ming, dressed in a security uniform, sighed and shared his concerns with his colleague.
“It’s not a monster; it’s one of those ‘abnormal entities,’” his coworker, Wang Fengyang, corrected him. “And what good will quitting do? Haven’t you seen the news? Some people were killed at home even while hiding!”
“Then what’s the point? Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. How are we supposed to live like this?” Liu Ming spread his hands, exasperated.
“Just take things one day at a time. Whether those entities show up or not, you still have to eat. Make some money first—at least enough to keep yourself fed,” Wang Fengyang advised. Then he turned back to the security monitors.
As mall security guards, their job was generally easy, involving little more than monitoring and making announcements.
Knock, knock, knock.
A sudden knock on the door broke the calm. Without looking up, Wang Fengyang called out, “Come in.”
“A… a… r-run… ab-abnormal…!”Liu Ming, who had been idly playing on his phone, glanced up, and his device clattered to the floor.
Pointing toward the door, his hand trembled violently. His face was pale, his body shaking uncontrollably as he tried to speak but couldn’t form a coherent sentence. He stumbled back, nearly falling off his chair.
Facing away from the door, Wang Fengyang was already drenched in cold sweat. His entire body quivered, and his heart pounded furiously. He didn’t dare turn around, terrified that doing so would spell his end.
Two dry, branch-like hands slowly rested on Wang Fengyang’s shoulders. A chilling voice spoke, each word clear and deliberate:“Your task now is to find Ye Sha.”
“Ye… Ye Sha? Who is that?” Wang Fengyang, surprisingly bold, managed to stammer a response. Beside him, Liu Ming was already a blubbering mess, snot and tears streaming down his face.
“You’re not allowed to ask! He is mine to kill!”The abnormal entity shrieked in fury, as if Ye Sha was its ultimate grievance. One withered finger jabbed into Wang Fengyang’s shoulder, sending searing pain through his nerves.
“I’ll find him! I’ll help you find him!”Desperation to survive overpowered the pain as Wang Fengyang shakily agreed to its demand.
“Hehehehehehehe…”The entity’s laughter echoed through the room, eerie and grating. The oppressive atmosphere in the security office grew almost unbearable.
Meanwhile, in the mall, Liu Yuning held onto Ye Sha’s arm as they shopped for clothes.
She initially wanted to visit her usual high-end stores, but Ye Sha suggested opting for simpler, more practical outfits. Clothes that allowed for easy movement and were durable made more sense in their current situation—after all, no one knew when an abnormal entity might show up. Luxury attire wouldn’t exactly make for an easy escape.
Suddenly, the mall’s announcement system crackled to life.“Attention, Ye Sha. Please come to the third-floor broadcast room. A staff member has found an item of yours. Kindly come to retrieve it.”
The message repeated three times. Ye Sha’s eyes narrowed.
He had come empty-handed, bringing only his electric scooter key, house key, and phone—all of which were securely in his pocket. There was no way he could’ve lost anything.
“What did you lose? Let’s go get it,” Liu Yuning suggested, unaware of the danger.
“Don’t ask! Run outside first! If it’s nothing, we can come back later.”Ye Sha made a quick decision, likely more cautious after yesterday’s gym incident. Grabbing Liu Yuning’s hand, he led her in a sprint toward the mall exit.