Nightmare Despair

Chapter 24 Strange
Lu Yan's drinking etiquette remains as poor as ever.

After a few bites, his eyes glazed over, and his cheeks flushed red.

Fortunately, Zhou Kai kept a close eye on her this time, preventing her from passing out under the table.

Alcohol burned through the dam of reason, and a flood of emotions poured out.

Lu Yan first sighed deeply, then buried her face in her arms, her shoulders starting to tremble.

"Xiao Kai... I'm sorry, I have to break my promise."

"Your major... is fucking weird. I've pulled every string I could, and not a single company has ever heard of it!"

"If all else fails, I'll have my dad arrange a quiet job for you at the factory, where you can just sit on the computer and drink tea all day..."

"Woo..."

Zhou Kai was both amused and exasperated. He reached out and patted her back, as if to comfort a lucky cat: "Sister Yanzi, I'm very grateful that you're willing to help me."

Don't be upset about this.

But Lu Yan couldn't listen anymore. The alcohol amplified her guilt and helplessness, and she could only lie on the table, silently dropping pearls.

Ma Yifan sat there restlessly, wanting to offer some advice but unsure where to begin. After a long pause, he finally tentatively asked, "Brother Kai, what did you study in college?"

He was genuinely curious about what kind of "sinkhole" major could leave Lu Yan, a local expert, completely stumped.

Zhou Kai said helplessly, "Classical Studies, Language and Literature."

Ma Yifan scratched his head. He recognized every single word, but when put together, it was even more chaotic than the plate of roasted pig brains he had just eaten.

But he was quick-witted and immediately came up with a new idea: "Brother Kai, I have a suggestion, I don't know if it's appropriate."

Zhou Kai raised his chin: "Speak."

Ma Yifan rubbed his hands together, his eyes lighting up as if he had thought of something interesting: "A few of my buddies and I are really interested in fighting and martial arts."

"I just never had any connections, or I kept running into people who were just trying to scam me out of money."

"Look at you, Kai, you've only been training for a short time, and those old hands from Falcon Wing are no match for you..."

"So, I'd like to organize a gathering and invite you to be our master and teach us real kung fu!"

Ma Yifan became more and more excited as he spoke, and his thoughts became clearer and clearer.

"Brother Kai, what do you think about this?"

Zhou Kai was stunned. After a few seconds, a genuine smile slowly bloomed on his face.

"can."

"of course can."

Fate is a strange thing sometimes.

An unexpected dinner party unexpectedly solved his livelihood problem so easily.

There's no need to be coy or tactless in refusing at times like this.

Zhou Kai reached out and shook hands firmly with Ma Yifan.

"Brother Ma, thanks a lot, you've been a huge help!"

Ma Yifan grinned like a 300-pound child: "It's settled! I'll contact them right away and give you a definite answer within a week, Brother Kai!"

……

"If you drink like this again next time, I promise I'll throw you straight into a roadside trash can."

Zhou Kai helped Lu Yan and escorted her back to her apartment building.

Lu Yan clung to his arm, half-coquettishly and half-threateningly muttering, "You dare!"

"You think you're all grown up now, huh? You don't respect me anymore... Believe me or not, I'll tell your sister on you!"

Zhou Kai pursed his lips and said softly, "Which sister are you looking for? Aren't you one?"

Lu Yan's body stiffened for a moment, and she suddenly fell silent.

After settling her in the bedroom and covering her with the blanket, Zhou Kai turned to leave.

The strange feeling he had when he fell asleep last night was like a thorn stuck in his heart; he had to go back and find out as soon as possible.

But just as he was about to leave, Lu Yan reached out from under the covers and grabbed the hem of his clothes.

"I promise I won't drink it again."

Zhou Kai nodded: "It's settled, I recorded it..."

Lu Yan still wouldn't let go. She looked up, her eyes somewhat hazy in the alcohol and lamplight: "You seem to have come back to life these past two days."

Zhou Kai frowned; that was indeed the case.

Perhaps due to the combined effects of the Moonlit Orchid and his clear mind, his emotions became more acute, and his emotional expression became more like that of a normal person, rather than the cold, lifeless walking corpse he used to be.

Strangely, the state of mental clarity had long since disappeared, but the vibrant emotions remained.

"I guess my health improved, and my mood improved as well."

"Sis, I'm heading back now. See you tomorrow?"

Lu Yan's fingers tightened suddenly as she gripped the hem of his clothes.

Her lips moved as if she was about to say something, but a few seconds later, she angrily threw off his clothes.

"Go away! You're just like your sister!"

"Get out of here, all of you! Humph!" Zhou Kai laughed and turned to walk towards the door. "Provocation won't work on me. Anyway, see you tomorrow."

He only said half of what he meant.

There's another half-sentence hidden in my heart.

If tonight's nightmare doesn't completely crush me, see you tomorrow, Sister Yanzi.

"bye."

The moment Zhou Kai turned to close the door, the smile on his face vanished like the tide, leaving only a steely calm.

His "light steps" made his footsteps silent, but his vigilance against unknown nightmares made each step feel as heavy as lead.

With a soft click of the door lock, his figure completely disappeared into the stairwell.

creak, creak.

Lu Yan sat silently on the bed, hugging her knees, swaying gently like an abandoned child.

What was she trying to say?

"Xiao Kai, why don't you move in with me? Your rented place is shabby and small, with poor soundproofing, and the utilities are ridiculously expensive."

"It just so happens that Zhou Qing, that heartless woman, is off fooling around with a bad woman, so the second bedroom is empty."

It's perfectly normal for an older sister to say that, right?
But I...

Why can't I just say it?

Her eyes welled up with tears again, and Lu Yan swayed for a while.

She suddenly fell backward, pulled the blanket over her head, and cried out in despair, "Ugh! I'm drunk again!"

With so many worries, sleep is the most reliable thing to do!

……

There were three people on the bus, including the driver and passengers. Zhou Kai was sitting in the last row by the window.

The city outside the window, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, resembled a fading oil painting.

He was fiddling with the black business card in his hand.

[To Sleepless Dreams]

"What exactly are you rats trying to do?"

The cards twirled deftly between his fingers, making a crisp sound.

They're supposed to be good people, but they investigated his identity, followed him, and used despicable methods.

They could be called bad people, yet they haven't taken any concrete action.

The world is never black and white; the vast majority of people and things are immersed in this chaotic gray.

"We can't let our guard down... Once we've resolved the current troubles, we must find out the truth about these people!"

Zhou Kai had a sudden thought and remembered his elusive roommate from his university dormitory.

I thought that after graduation we would go our separate ways and live our own lives, but I never expected that I would need his help so soon.

Fortunately, that guy is more like a higher-dimensional artistic life form living in the internet, making him easier to find online.

suddenly.

boom!
The bus braked suddenly, the screeching sound of the tires almost tearing our eardrums.

The immense inertia caused the entire carriage to tilt forward.

In the past, Zhou Kai would have been sent flying like a cannonball by now.

But now, it's different.

He gripped the metal armrest of the seat with one hand, and despite the violent shaking and shifting of the car, his body remained as steady as a rock, except for a slight forward lean.

His enhanced strength and body coordination allowed him to achieve an effect as if he were welded to the spot using only one hand.

A dozen seconds later, the bus, billowing black smoke, crashed into the roadside green belt and finally came to a stop.

The driver, whose face had turned purple from being constricted by the seatbelt, unbuckled the belt in shock and scrambled out of the car to check the front of the vehicle where the collision had just occurred.

The car is smoking and could catch fire at any moment; we can't stay any longer.

Zhou Kai got up and casually lifted another guy who had fainted out of the car off the bus like a chick.

"That's strange... Where is the person? The front of the car is smashed like this, where is that person?"

The driver, with one hand covering his head, paced back and forth around the bus, constantly shouting.

The front bumper of the bus was completely dented, and the windshield was shattered into a spiderweb pattern. Judging from the marks, it was clear that the bus had hit a person squarely.

But... the car is so badly damaged, where's the blood?
What about the person who was hit? Surely they can't be completely left without even a trace of blood?

"Strange! Absolutely bizarre!"

The bus driver, trembling, made phone calls to the police, called a tow truck, and contacted the company...

He turned around to say something to the passengers, but found the room empty: "Hey, you two handsome guys, they'll be here soon... Wait, what's wrong with the person?"

Not far away, only the unconscious young man lay on the grass, while Zhou Kai had already disappeared into the street corner as dusk fell.

(End of this chapter)