411: 8.11 House Rules

8.11 House Rules

"Haha…" Ji Yan laughed awkwardly and shoved the card back into his pocket when he saw Lu Yizhou's expression darkened. "I told you… my luck has always been extremely good and it just gets better at this kind of game." He cleared his throat and looked around. "Oh let's gather with everyone, shall we? I bet there will be a new scenario soon."0

Lu Yizhou looked around to confirm that everyone had left during their conversation, leaving the dining room empty save from the two of them. He nodded. "Let's go."

Arriving at the door, Lu Yizhou saw that the whole teammates plus Baines were already waiting for them in the hallway. As usual, Olivia complained with a sour face. "What are you taking so long in there for? Getting chummy with each other eh?"

Ji Yan made a noise of confusion. "Miss Irene doesn't understand how to use the system panel so I was just telling her how. That's all. Oh right, guys, what did you get from the side quest completion?"

Without any warning, Lu Yizhou's scalp suddenly tingled and he snapped his head back so quickly that he almost got a whiplash. He surveyed the empty space before him warily. Something — or someone — was watching him. Lu Yizhou wouldn't mistake a feeling like this. It was the same feeling he got when he stood outside the manor earlier and saw the pallid face staring at him from the window.

Once, he could regard it as a coincidence. But twice?

Lu Yizhou wasn't so naive to think that the only threat in the family was Luca. But what if… it was his lover? What if it was his lover who had been watching him since then? Lu Yizhou's heart suddenly lurched in his chest but before he could do something to test his hypothesis, Ji Yan had called out for him. 

"Miss Irene?" He craned his neck to follow Lu Yizhou's line of sight. Finding nothing but the empty dining room, he turned to Lu Yizhou in confusion. "Is there something wrong?"

"No," Lu Yizhou shook his head and barely calmed the rapid thumping of his heart. "Nothing's wrong."

"Esteemed guest," Baines spoke out and inclined his head politely. "Master has ordered me to arrange rooms for you. Please follow me." 

Subsequently, they got a tour around the first floor of the mansion; the dreary garden, piano room, and library. Along the way, Lu Yizhou noted how he did not see any servants around. Weird… it was impossible for Baines to maintain such a huge mansion all by himself and it was not like the family was so poor that they could only hire Baines. So where had the servants gone?

Amidst his consternation, they finally stopped at the split staircase in the main lobby that led to the second floor. Baines turned to face them. "The right wing has been used to accommodate the previous batch of doctors so you will live in the left wing. Master has a few important rules in this house and I'd appreciate it very much if you can adhere to it during your stay. Otherwise…" Baines trailed off mid-sentence and leveled them with a grave stare to let them fill in the blanks. 

Lu Yizhou heard Ji Yan gulp audibly beside him. 

"What are the rules?" Ailín asked with a huff, a new bottle of wine clutched in his arms, presumably his newly gained souvenir from the dinner earlier. "Don't tell me that alcohol will be prohibited inside the room. Let me tell you, I won't be able to live that way!"

"First," Baines continued seamlessly as if he did not hear that. "Noises are not allowed after 9 pm, including showers. Madam and Miss will be resting by then, and Master will be very enraged if they are disturbed. You have one and half an hour left to finish whatever you want to do."

Ji Yan raised his hand like a good student but again, Baines acted like he did not see a thing, causing him to deflate like a balloon. "Second, your area of movement will be limited to the first and second floor. Please don't try to come up to the third and fourth floor because it is a private area."

"What's on the fourth floor?" Lu Yizhou suddenly interjected. He felt Diana cast a glance at him before promptly looking away but Lu Yizhou was currently focused to beat Baines in a silent staring contest.

He had thought that he would be ignored like Ji Yan, after all Baines was an NPC whose words had been programmed to come out of his mouth at appropriate times. So he was a tad surprised when he got an answer, "Fourth floor is Miss' sleeping quarter. She dislikes strangers the most and the illness has caused her mood to be unstable at times, so make sure not to let her see you…"

"...otherwise?" Ji Yan followed up nervously. 

Baines was silent for a second before continuing, "Third, and also the most important rule." He pinned them with a heavy look. "Whatever you hear or see in this house stays here forever. Remember, we will be watching you."

Lu Yizhou frowned. Somehow he had a hunch that the 'we' Baines was talking about was not only limited to him and the members of this family.

Ji Yan visibly shivered. "Holy— good job at scaring me to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. This is so far the creepiest game I have ever encountered." Not to mention Ji Yan who was the most experienced of them all, even Ailín looked slightly alarmed and Olivia was a bit green in the face. Whereas Diana… well, her thick glasses had prevented anyone from truly deciphering her expression.

After laying down the rules, Baines continued guiding them to their rooms. Their footsteps echoed against the wooden floor and their shadows that were casted over by the candles were distorted, making it look like a horde of howling spirits were trailing after them whenever they went. 

Lu Yizhou silently observed the creaky floor with his brows creased. Goddamnit, it would be a pain in the ass if he were to go out later. How could he investigate without alerting anyone like this?

"We are here." Baines stopped in front of a door and pushed the key into the hole. A long creak lingered in the air as the door swung open, sending shivers down their spine. It was quite a large and opulent room with a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling. When they stood in the doorway, they could only make out the edge of the twin beds and the dressing. The wall in front of them opened to the floor to ceiling window that faced the withering garden and the overcast sky outside 

"This room is for Lady Ailín and Lady Diana." Baines gestured inside.

Everyone was surprised, and Ji Yan represented all of them by asking, "You're deciding roommates for us?!"

"Yes," Baines replied succinctly. "Having two people in one room has proven to be the best. You will be able to take care of each other and offer help in times of need."

"But… But…" Ji Yan eyed Lu Yizhou and Olivia back and forth. It was obvious whom he wanted to room with. "But there are five people here. So does that mean that one of us will be alone?"

Please let it be me, Lu Yizhou prayed desperately. 

To be in a room with either Ji Yan or Olivia was such a pain in the ass and Lu Yizhou couldn't even bring himself to choose which was better of the two! Ugh, he'd rather be roommates with a ghost rather than them!

"Yes, that's right." Baines started to walk down the hallway and stopped in front of a room two doors from Ailín and Diana. "Lady Ji Yan and Lady Olivia, please."

Lu Yizhou couldn't describe the relief that coursed through when that sentence came out of Baines' mouth. Contrary to that, Ji Yan openly clutched his head, a despairing look on his face. "Nooo!"

Olivia snapped at him with a provoking tone. "What?! If you want to room with her, then just go! Do you think I will need you?!" Even though she said that, Lu Yizhou could see that she was clenching her fists tight and the rims of her eyes were tinged with red as if she would burst out into tears right the second Ji Yan agreed. 

"I… I don't mean that," Ji Yan countered weakly. "I am just worried about leaving Miss Irene alone. She is a newbie after all. Can't we just room together? Three of us?"

"No," Baines and Lu Yizhou said at the same time, sounding equally persistent. 

"It's not advisable to change rooms as you please, Lady Ji Yan," Baines said gravely.

"It's okay. I can manage alone," was what Lu Yizhou said even though inwardly, he was scoffing. Please, rooming with one of them was already a headache. If the three of them had to stay in the same room for the next seven days, then it would be better to just kill Lu Yizhou once and for all. 

In addition to that, the more they progressed into the plot, the more Lu Yizhou had a gnawing suspicion that Olivia was supposed to be the female lead!

Now, it seemed like his guess was proven true. Staying in the same room for seven days, forced to interact closely and learn each other's likes and dislikes, and then in one certain dangerous moment, Ji Yan would swoop in like a prince charming in white horse to save Olivia, wouldn't that be the perfect plot? Heavens, look, he could still identify the two protagonists of this world even without 666's assistance.

[666: QAQ]

"Hear that?!" Olivia stomped her feet. "She doesn't need you at all!" Without waiting for Ji Yan to react, she dragged him inside the room by arm. Lu Yizhou only heard Ji Yan hollered, "Please find me if you need help, Miss Irene!" before the door slammed shut, leaving him with Baines alone in the hallway. 

Wordlessly, Baines turned and continued walking. The distance between his room and the protagonists wasn't merely doors anymore. They turned once into a corner to see a room at the end of the hallway. It seemed… bigger than the two others, even when he was supposed to live alone. 

"That will be your room, Lady Irene." Baines inclined his head. "If there's nothing else then—"

"Who has golden eyes in this house, Baines?" Lu Yizhou asked, his pupils growing crimson as the Devil's Whisper skill was activated. "Tell me. You know it, don't you?"

Baines' eyes turned dazed. "Madam… and Miss are both born with golden eyes."

"Both of them?" Lu Yizhou's forehead creased. He was ready to ask another question again when Ozzie's voice suddenly resounded in his mind, sounding particularly urgent and excited,

'Daddy, I sensed Mommy meow! Mommy is inside your room! Daddy, hurry!'

Forgetting every list of information he wanted to dig from Baines' mouth, Lu Yizhou abruptly spun on his heels and marched toward the door, his blood roaring beside his ear. He couldn't keep the excitement off face. His heart repeatedly slammed into his ribcage, yearning to go to whom it belonged to. Finally… he knew that his lover would always be able to find him! 

Lu Yizhou slammed open the door and his expression abruptly froze.

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