Chapter 188: Chapter 188 – I, Ren Suo, Have a Clear Conscience
Ren Suo rushed forward, thinking about how he should tell the truth ‘logically and appropriately’.
The moment one tells a lie, one would be destined to tell many more lies to fill the gaps and conceal the truth—as if. I, Ren Suo, am an upright and honorable man. I have a clear conscience and there is absolutely no harm in telling the truth!
Only a despicable person, a refined scum, or a savage animal disguised in human form that wears clothes would tell lies!
Ren Suo made a decision—he would not lie anymore that night!
When he entered the room, however, Ren Suo saw Dong Chengling standing at his computer desk.
“Ahem,” Ren Suo said as he cleared his throat, ready to explain why Qiao Muyi was sleeping on his bed and in his clothes. He took a glance at the bed from the corner of his eye—
—The bed was empty.
That can’t be, was Dong Chengling so quick to kill her ‘enemy’?
Meanwhile, Dong Chengling has carefully wrapped the cockroach with the tissue paper in her hand. She did not seem to be using much force, but the cockroach was already motionless as it was being wrapped in the ball of tissue.
Dong Chengling said, “I’m so sorry, Ren Suo. I used to be quite scared of cockroaches when I was a kid, but my mother deliberately trained me to kill them whenever they appeared… Over time, I got used to doing that and would subconsciously chase after and kill any cockroach I see. However, I am still not adept at casting the ability, or I would have been able to knock the cockroach unconscious from a distance just now.”
She turned around to face Ren Suo and said apologetically, “I’m sorry for opening the door to your room without first asking for your consent.”
“No… it’s okay,” Ren Suo replied.
Dong Chengling did not notice Qiao Muyi and Gu Yueyan, nor did she feel their presence. With the Stone Heart cotton pills attached to them, their breathing and Reiki currents were unnoticeable.
Ren Suo looked away from his bed and scanned the room: there was nowhere for a person to hide.
Could she be under the bed too…
Ren Suo thought of what would happen when Qiao Muyi, a Countermeasure Division personnel, discovered himself hiding a drenched female high school student in his home. He could almost imagine a police car filled with Practitioners on the highway, rushing towards the Heavenly Institution of Lian, with its sirens wailing through the rain.
At that moment, he saw a tiny gap between his wardrobe and its door.
Hallelujah!
Ren Suo kept his happiness in and said calmly, “After being away for half a month, I did not realize that so many pests have started thriving in the house… I will clean the house thoroughly tomorrow.”
Dong Chengling nodded and walked to the toilet to throw the ball of tissue away, then washed her hands.
Suddenly, she said, “Ren Suo, I have a question to ask you. If it is difficult to answer, you may choose not to answer it.”
“What’s the question?” Ren Suo asked.
She questioned, “In the box in your room… Why are there female undergarments and female clothes?”
Ren Suo blinked. He recalled that the ending point of Dong Chengling’s hunt for the cockroach was right before his computer desk.
Incidentally, the cardboard box in which he stuffed Qiao Muyi’s clothes was right under the computer desk.
That was truly the observation skills of a Practitioner!
Ren Suo sighed as he met the clear gaze of Dong Chengling. He recalled his determination a minute ago:
“I, Ren Suo, am an upright and honorable man”;
“Only a despicable person, a refined scum, or a savage animal disguised in human form that wears clothes would tell lies”;
“He would not lie anymore that night”…
As calm as he could be, Ren Suo replied, “That’s my sister’s clothes. She is intending to come over to stay for a while during the summer break, so she sent some of her clothes over.”
He did not blush.
Dong Chengling muttered, “I must say that your sister is developing really well then… Alright, I’ll be going off now.”
“Okay, goodbye,” Ren Suo said.
When Dong Chengling walked out of the door, she turned to look at Ren Suo and smiled. She said, “I thought that you would hold me back.”
“Hold you back?” replied Ren Suo, slightly stunned.
How did she know—indeed, Ren Suo really wanted to invite Dong Chengling to take a nap for a few minutes, because she now possessed a second key.
However, considering the present situation in his house, the longer Dong Chengling remained in his house, the more dangerous it would be. After all, the key would not run away, and based on his relationship with Dong Chengling, he still had many more opportunities to retrieve it. Why should he create more ‘drama’ and trouble for himself then?
Who would willingly choose to walk on thorns when there was a paved path as an alternative?
As such, Ren Suo changed the subject and said, “By the way, I have not congratulated you for being promoted to the second tier.”
“You found out?” Dong Chengling replied as she blinked. She seemed to think of something, following which a look of sudden realization emerged on her face, which then turned into a look of relief and comfort, and finally, she smiled, brimming with joy. Ren Suo looked in amusement at the changes in the expressions on her face—he could have compiled screenshots of each one of them into a sticker pack!
Dong Chengling said, “I see… You’re truly the Ren Suo I know. Since it has to do with your self-esteem, I will respect your decision… I will call you again when lunch is ready tomorrow. Mmm, I do not have Gu Yueyan’s mobile number now, can you help me to notify her?”
“Sure,” replied Ren Suo.
Dong Chengling tilted her head slightly and added elatedly, “In that case, you have to work hard too. I will be waiting for you! Quickly promote from tier 1!”
Ren Suo was bewildered. Had he been playing too many games recently, which caused his conversation and comprehension skills to deteriorate? Why could he not fully understand what she was saying?
Ren Suo watched as Dong Chengling walked into the elevator and the elevator doors closed. He stopped thinking about what she was talking about just before she left and heaved a sigh of relief. He quickly closed his door, went into the bedroom and opened the wardrobe—
Qiao Muyi had curled herself into a ball with her arms hugging her knees. Her head was leaning against the side of the wardrobe, her eyes were closed and her cheeks were flushed. Ren Suo tapped on her shoulder a few times but she did not respond. She must be sound asleep.
In her state, it was unlikely that Qiao Muyi crawled into the wardrobe to hide when she heard Dong Chengling’s footsteps approaching. Even Ren Suo himself did not manage to react in time, so it was even more impossible for the weak Qiao Muyi to have reacted more quickly than Dong Chengling moved.
Did that mean that she had crawled into the wardrobe to hide from the beginning as she thought that it was too dangerous for her to be lying on the bed?
Then, Ren Suo took a glance at Gu Yueyan who was under the bed. How was this girl sleeping so soundly?
However, for some reason, as Ren Suo looked at Gu Yueyan, he suddenly felt that she looked more and more beautiful. He continued gazing at her clothes, her skin, her hair, and then her face; however, he had absolutely no intention of touching Gu Yueyan.
“Mmm…”
Upon hearing a murmur from the wardrobe, Ren Suo was jolted to his senses. It was only then that he realized that he had been staring at Gu Yueyan for a very long time—almost half an hour had passed!
“What is this feeling… a key? Regardless, it’s not because I have any indecent intentions…” Ren Suo thought.
He quickly stood up and found that Qiao Muyi, who was in the wardrobe, had awoken. She rubbed her eyes drowsily. Ren Suo picked her up directly and carried her to the living room—he already intended to do that, but Gu Yueyan read his mind and wanted to stop him.
She said, “Eh? I can walk, I can walk.”
Ren Suo did not care and carried her onto the couch in the living room. Qiao Muyi glanced at him and questioned, “Why, what obscene thing did you do in the bedroom just now that you do not want me to see?”
Seeing how Qiao Muyi returned to being her usual obnoxious self, Ren Suo knew she was fine now. He asked, “Your Awakening problem has ceased, right?”
“It’s over. After all, it’s much easier to promote from tier 1 to 2 than from 0 to 1,” Qiao Muyi replied as she stretched her muscles. Even though she was wearing loose clothing, they still accentuated her figure. Ren Suo recalled that she was not wearing her underwear and quickly turned around.
Qiao Muyi stood up and stretched her waist. She said, “I have recovered my strength, so there’s no need to be afraid of being taken advantage of by perverts now. However, it’s already very late… Can I spend the night at your house?”
Ren Suo patted the couch and said, “Well, if you don’t mind.”
Qiao Muyi glanced at Ren Suo. She asked, “Are you really that willing to make two girls sleep on the couch?”
“Willing… eh? Two girls?” Ren Suo replied.
Qiao Muyi smiled and questioned, “Why did you think I hid in your wardrobe and not under the bed?”
Good game, well played. Even saying ‘Hallelujah’ could not save Ren Suo now.
Ren Suo said, “I can explain that—”
Looking at Ren Suo panic, Qiao Muyi burst out in laughter. She said, “She is a student of the Heavenly Institution of Lian. She must have suddenly Awakened in your house?”
Ren Suo was stunned. He said, “Awakened? She was so shocked when she saw the family of dead cockroaches in the guest room that she knocked her head against the wall and fell unconscious. I don’t know if she was Awakening.”
Qiao Muyi said, “She should have been Awakening. Her body temperature is relatively high; it’s the same for the vast majority of first-time Awakeners. Of course, I will definitely ask her about what exactly happened when tomorrow comes. Even though I am friends with you, Ren Suo, I am not gonna protect you if you turn out to be a criminal.”
Ren Suo lifted his chin and remarked, “Don’t you worry about that!”
Qiao Muyi further questioned Ren Suo, “Besides, if I were not around, were you intending to let her lie on the carpet in her drenched clothes while she Awakens? Don’t you know that when one is Awakening, the state of the Awakening person is very critical? It is very easy to result in unknown after-effects!”
“You are also an Awakened person, shouldn’t you still remember how fragile and weak you were when you were Awakening?”
Ren Suo opened his mouth and finally managed to utter a sentence, “Okay, I will sleep on the couch tonight!”
“Then I’ll go in and help her to change out of her clothes. You’d better not come in. Anyway, can I use any of the clothes in your wardrobe?” Qiao Muyi asked.
Ren Suo waved his hands in helplessness, and Qiao Muyi walked barefooted into the bedroom.
“Right,” Ren Suo asked suddenly, “Why did you think of hiding yourself?”
Qiao Muyi glanced at him. She replied, “Isn’t it a given? Dong Chengling went into your bedroom, did she not?”
How was Dong Chengling entering the bedroom a given?
Ren Suo sat on the couch and thought of replenishing his energy with a good night’s sleep. Fortunately, after receiving the Super-evolution of Cats, Ren Suo was able to fall asleep anytime and anywhere. He was also able to accumulate his total sleeping time, and even if day became night and night became day, his lifestyle would not be affected.
However, when Ren Suo scanned the living room, he saw some debris on the floor next to the coffee table.
“Hmm?” muttered Ren Suo to himself as he looked at the debris on the floor. They were fine specks of glass, so fine that he would not injure his fingers if he touched them.
“Where did it come from…”
He looked at what was above the glass fragments and realized that the four sharp and pointed corners of the glass coffee table were now smoothed out.
All of the four corners of the glass coffee table had been smoothed out.