"That's up to you."
Jiang Yu put the room card on the door lock and walked in. When he turned around to close the door, his eyes passed by the lonely figure in the corridor.
Wu Weiwei's eyes were dazed, his shadow was forced back to his feet by the light, shrinking into a small ball. It was completely different from his usual joking appearance. At this moment, he looked more like a lone migratory bird during migration.
I want to find a home, but I have no idea where to go.
The moment the door closed, Jiang Yu's deep voice came through the crack, "The past cannot determine the future."
Wu Weiwei's eyes moved, and when he looked over, the door was locked.
The little weasel stuffed in the schoolbag arched its back, pushed open the zipper with its nose tip, revealing its black nose and whiskers on both sides, and sniffed the air eagerly.
After making sure that Wu Weiwei was the only one in the corridor, he poked his head out.
Jiang Yu's words were like a heavy blow, which shattered Wu Weiwei's heart that had fallen to the bottom of the valley, and then pieced it together again, kneading it into a new ball of flesh and blood.
Wu Weiwei suddenly became full of fighting spirit. The past was past. As long as he didn't make any more mistakes and took every step firmly, the regret and shame that was entangled in his heart would be peeled off from his body layer by layer and covered by his new self.
He felt something wet touching his palm and looked down. The weasel's body had already struggled most of the way out of the backpack and was reminding him that his butt was stuck.
In the room not far from the corridor ahead, a couple just happened to walk out hand in hand.
Wu Weiwei was startled. He held down the weasel's head, stuffed it back into his backpack, and quickly opened the door with the room card.
When they reached the safe area, the weasel broke out of the backpack again and sniffed every corner like a patrolling guard.
Wu Weiwei fell on the bed with his head tilted back, stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, turned over and sat up, and asked, "Besides catching mice and possessing people, what else can you do?"
The weasel stiffened slightly, turned around with its head lowered, and shook its head in frustration.
Although it has had the opportunity to practice cultivation, it has been relying on offerings and worshipping the moon to improve itself. Its cultivation is actually very shallow, and it is only enough to help Sun Jiayu get rid of his illness.
When faced with a powerful opponent, it can't even run away.
Seeing its drooping head, Wu Weiwei guessed that this weasel was a rookie just like himself.
He patted the weasel on the back and said, "It's okay. Let's work together."
The weasel nodded vigorously.
Wu Weiwei looked at its cute appearance and felt soft at heart. He couldn't help wanting to help it. He slid from the bed to the carpet and told it about Yu Heshan's situation.
"Although I sometimes shamelessly call Mr. Zhao my master, he is Brother Chen's master, not mine. Mr. Zhao is a very nice person and likes to practice Tai Chi in the morning."
"Mr. Jiang is our financial manager and a major investor with a strong background. You must never enter his room. If you enter, you will be scared out of your wits. It's not that there is something in there, but... it's eerie, like a dry well that has never seen the sun for thousands of years."
"By the way, don't provoke that parrot. It looks gluttonous and talkative, but it's actually very fierce, with a bad temper."
After a few seconds of pause, he added, "Most of the time, it's very friendly. By the way, it guards its food, so don't touch the nuts in its bowl. Otherwise, it will peck your head off."
The weasel opened its eyes wide and held its head tightly with its two short furry paws.
This is not alarmist.
On the first day Wu Weiwei arrived at the courtyard, he stole a fat melon seed out of impatience, wanting to use it to tease the macaw.
Who knew that the little fellow was so smart that he actually knew that it was the food in his own bowl. Without any warning, he pounced on the food and snatched the melon seeds away, and even pecked Wu Weiwei's scalp as a punishment.
His scalp was sensitive, and when the hooked mouth poked him, it hurt so much that he almost cried.
Afterwards, Chen Ling told him about the macaw's habits and warning points, and warned him not to provoke it.
After hearing the sad story, the weasel hesitated for a moment, then moved forward and rubbed its head against Wu Weiwei's knee to comfort him.
Wu Weiwei sighed and picked it up. "Spirit is different. It understands human nature so well."
Thinking of the courtyard's mascot, he asked the weasel: "Do you think Xiaolan has also become a spirit? Why do I feel that it is too smart to be a bird?"
Take what happened at Mr. Sun’s house before. If it were any other animal, it would not be able to understand Chen Ling’s long speech.
Yes, parrots can understand human language and mimic human speech. Their brains are indeed smarter than ordinary birds or other animals, but they are definitely not as smart as Xiaolan.
The weasel blinked and said nothing.
Wu Weiwei rubbed his hair and said, "Forget it. Our Brother Chen and Mr. Zhao are not ordinary people. The parrots they raise are naturally parrots with great wisdom in their brains. They cannot be compared with other birds."
The weasel began nodding again.
"Doesn't your neck get tired from all the nodding?"
This time the weasel shook his head.
Wu Weiwei chuckled, "It's OK as long as you don't feel tired. Maybe it can even cure your cervical spine."
He patted his butt, stood up, stretched his limbs, and walked towards the bathroom when he suddenly remembered something. He bent down very seriously and picked up the weasel that was following him closely.
"Don't release the gas, or you'll be blasted out."
The weasel opened its mouth and uttered a few short breaths.
Wu Weiwei saw that its throat and tongue were fine, and it didn't look like it was dumb due to some external reason, so he asked, "Have you never been able to make a sound?"
The weasel shook its head, raised its neck as high as it could, and used its little paws to lift away the thick white fur on its neck.
Hidden beneath the villi is a horizontal scar, right at the location of the vocal cords.
The hair of weasels can be made into high-quality wolf hair, and some people use their fur to impersonate mink. Many humans chase and hunt them.
This injury might have been caused during an escape.
Wu Weiwei pressed its little paw down and said, "Although Yuhe Mountain is a little bald, it is absolutely safe. You should just follow Brother Chen from now on. You may not be able to have a luxurious life, but you will definitely have a stable life."
The weasel rubbed the tiger's mouth that Wu Weiwei had stuck on its cheek with the tip of its nose to show that it understood.
At this time, the person that the man and the spirit were talking about was lying on the bed, sleeping soundly with his limbs spread out.
Chen Ling's lips parted slightly and he let out a soft snoring sound. His eyelashes trembled at the sudden touch of moisture.
Jiang Yu wiped his face with a warm, wet towel, his fingertips hidden under the towel, gently wiping the young man's cheek.
The fair face was illuminated by the dim light, with a soft and warm color, and every time the towel wiped it, a trace of moisture was left.
The water vapor evaporated, leaving behind a refreshing coolness that made Chen Ling hum comfortably. He struggled to open his eyes a little, and under the cover of his eyelashes, he could only see a figure moving.
He turned over and buried his head in the depression formed by two pillows.
Jiang Yu had no expression on his face. He covered the young man with a blanket and went into the bathroom.
He turned on the faucet and watched the transparent, colorless liquid flow from the back of his hand, along his fingertips, and gather with other water at the bottom of the basin and flow into the dark pipe.
Wu Weiwei's words rang in his ears. Jiang Yu frowned slightly in annoyance and rubbed the towel vigorously. The nail of his left hand scratched the thumb of his right hand, leaving a long red mark.
The thin skin turned up, and bright red blood oozed out from under the skin.
He raised his hand, looked at the wound towards the light, and licked it with the tip of his tongue. The strong fishy taste made him frown in disgust. He turned on the water again almost roughly and kept rinsing the wound.
The wound healed, but the violence welling up in my heart could not be calmed.
Jiang Yu didn't show it on his face, and he was no longer so eager to scrub the towel. There was a dark color in his eyes, his jaw was tense, but the corners of his lips were quietly curved. It was unknown whether he was really happy in his heart.
He hung up the towel, walked out, and stopped at the head of the bed.
The young man's breathing was light, and after he changed his sleeping position, his snoring stopped.
Jiang Yu leaned closer, put his arms on both sides of Chen Ling's shoulders, closed his eyes and rubbed the ends of his hair with the tip of his nose. He breathed in the scent of another person, a smell he could not describe, like soft hands, gentle wind, and sudden rain in the scorching desert.
With endless tenacity, it permeates everything silently.
He lay down on his side with his clothes on, and hugged the young man tightly through the quilt. He wanted to use force but was afraid of waking him up, so he could only move his body uncomfortably and press his chest against the young man's back through the thin quilt.
"Chen Ling." The man's voice sounded after the lights were turned off, as low as a string.
After a while, he shouted again stubbornly.
Chen Ling slept soundly and had no idea what he was dreaming about. He smacked his lips and raised his hand to wipe the corner of his mouth.
Jiang Yu's chest trembled, and he smiled silently. He closed his eyes and buried his chin on the side of the young man's neck. "If someone standing in a mud pit can be your friend, then someone who crawled out of hell can be your friend too..."
She buried her cheeks downwards, and breathed in Chen Ling's scent almost greedily with the tip of her nose. "You smell so good."
Chen Ling just woke up: "..."
I don't know, I don't know anything. To avoid embarrassment, Chen Ling gave himself some hints and pretended to roll out of the man's arms, with half of his body hanging on the edge of the bed.
He was debating whether to roll back a little when the man’s arm reached out and pulled him back.
Jiang Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, seeing through everything. He smiled gently, turned over and got off the bed, walked to the sofa and lay down.
After the dangerous man left, Chen Ling breathed a sigh of relief, curled up in the thin quilt, and soon fell asleep again.
He dreamed that night.
He dreamed of endless darkness and stench, but also of bright sunshine and the vast ocean. Finally, he walked into a cave. It was pitch black inside, and the howling of evil spirits was everywhere.
Something reached out of the darkness and entangled his hands and feet.
Realizing that the other party had no intention of hurting him, he stayed where he was, waiting to wake up from the dream.
Unlike the early morning at Yuhe Mountain, because the guesthouse is next to the wildlife park, tour guides will bring tourists out of their rooms early in the morning before dawn to start the first itinerary of the day.
Chen Ling was extremely tired yesterday. He thought he could recharge himself after a good sleep, but when he sat up, he felt sore all over, as if he had been tied up with ropes all night. The blood circulation in his arms and thighs was blocked, and after the slight numbness, he felt sore, swollen and weak.
He rubbed his hair, the more he thought about it, the more confused he became, and he glared at the man on the sofa fiercely.
Jiang Yu was too tall, with his legs hanging over the armrest of the sofa, his hands folded across his chest, his face calm, as if the noisy footsteps outside the door didn't exist at all.
Chen Ling was sulking, angry at himself for making a mistake last night.
I can tell with my toes why my body feels so sore and painful. It must be because my ancestor was not being honest and secretly climbed into bed again!
Chen Ling regretted it now, very much. Why did he not expose the truth for the sake of saving face? It would have been much better to just throw the person out of the room!
He got up angrily, deliberately walked heavily past the sofa and went to the bathroom.
There was no sound outside the door. He was still pretending on the sofa. Chen Ling thought it was Jiang Yu who was squeezing the toothpaste. Then he put the toothbrush in his mouth and brushed it up and down at a rapid speed.
More and more white foam appeared, falling out from the corners of his mouth.
I rubbed it casually with the back of my hand, and somehow I remembered the words I heard last night.
There was no beginning or end to it, but Chen Ling knew that the person Jiang Yu was talking about who crawled out of hell was referring to himself.
There are many mysteries about this man. Why did he protect the Jiang family and let the Jiang family worship him? Why can he walk freely in the world of the living as a ghost? Doesn't he have to go back to the underworld to work
For example, the dark red spell on Jiang Yu’s back.
Everyone has secrets, even himself.
One night, when he was about to graduate from elementary school, he dreamed of looking for a toilet. He searched everywhere but couldn't find one. He was frightened awake and found that he had wet his pants.
In order to cover up the evidence of the crime, Chen Ling took off the pants and threw them into the trash can. He waited until his parents were out of the house before he quietly took them out and threw them away.
This matter was so shameful that he kept it in his heart and never told anyone.
It wasn't a big deal, but if someone found out and questioned him, he would be furious. The secrets hidden in Jiang Yu must not be something as trivial as bedwetting.
Whether judging others by himself or out of respect for the other party's privacy, Chen Ling would not ask, let alone explore the matter behind their back.
If the ancestor was willing to tell him, he would just be a quiet listener.
Even though he was thinking this in his mind, his brain was out of control. Jiang Yu's voice kept churning in his mind. It was because of that sentence that he didn't stand up and push the man away in person.
His voice was extremely low, and although there were no intense emotional ups and downs, Chen Ling could clearly feel that the Netherworld God, who was carefully revered by the Jiang family, could also have moments of weakness.
Unconsciously, the movement of my hands stopped and the walls of my mouth were irritated by the toothpaste, causing a slight pain.
Chen Ling suddenly came to his senses, quickly spat out the toothpaste, and tilted his head back to rinse his mouth with water.
The doorbell rang outside.
Chen Ling quickly washed his face and went out, only to find that Jiang Yu had already gotten up from the sofa, walked to the entrance and was opening the door.
Qian Qing was outside the door, and the anxious expression on his face froze when he saw the stranger.
Taking a step back to make sure she was in the right room, she asked softly, "Excuse me, is Chen Ling here? I'm a staff member at the breeding base, and I have something urgent to discuss with him."
The macaw, which had been huddled in the corner all night, flew to Chen Ling's shoulder upon hearing the sound, tilted its head, and stared at Qian Qing.
Chen Ling stroked its feathers and said, "It must have come to you to comfort your girlfriend."
The parrot blinked, opened its mouth, stuck out its tongue and called out, "Friends, looking for friends."
Hearing the funny bird calls, Qian Qing's anxiety and nervousness when facing Jiang Yu faded a lot. She tiptoed to look into the house and waved to Chen Ling and the parrot.
Jiang Yu stepped aside and said, "Let's go in and talk."
Qian Qing nodded cautiously and walked into the entrance hall holding her bag tightly.
It was not until she faced Chen Ling's friendly smile that she finally breathed a sigh of relief and freed herself from the oppressive feeling brought by Jiang Yu.
Chen Ling shrugged his shoulders, and the parrot knew very well that it would jump onto the armrest by itself. "Sister Qian, why are you here so early? Did something happen to the female parrot?"
"She started throwing tantrums in the middle of the night yesterday." Qian Qing said helplessly, "I was thinking of waiting for you to fall asleep before coming to see you, but the female was so noisy that I had no choice but to come over now."
After Chen Ling finished washing up, he felt much better than when he got up. He patted the macaw's head and gestured to the door, "Don't just stand there. I'll take you to your date."
The parrot then stepped forward, grabbed the young man's clothes, and using the power of its beak and claws, climbed from the hem of the young man's clothes all the way up to his shoulders.
Qian Qing was surprised, "Did you train this? It's amazing."
Chen Ling smiled but said nothing. He felt that the parrot was trying to be cool, but unfortunately he had no evidence.
The young man was leaving, so Jiang Yu naturally had no reason to stay. He straightened his collar, which was messed up by sleep, and followed him.
When passing by Wu Weiwei's room, Chen Ling sent him a message, asking him to come to the breeding base next door when he woke up.
Qian Qing led the way. Knowing that neither of them had eaten breakfast, she turned around and said, "Our base provides breakfast for employees. It tastes pretty good. If you don't mind, why don't we go eat some together later?"
"Okay." Chen Ling is not picky about food. Filling his stomach is the main thing, and taste is secondary.
Three figures were reflected on the elevator door, standing separately. Qian Qing lowered his head and used his mobile phone to contact his colleagues, while Jiang Yu lowered his eyes and pursed his lips, not knowing what he was thinking.
Chen Ling's intuition told him that the man was a little unhappy.
Turning his head slightly towards Jiang Yu, Chen Ling asked, "What's wrong with you? Did you not sleep well last night?"
"Yeah." Jiang Yu admitted, refusing to say more.
Thinking of that narrow sofa, it was indeed too unfair. Chen Ling said, "We will go back to Yuhe Mountain after we finish this matter. You can catch up on your sleep."
"The reason I couldn't sleep well wasn't because of the sofa, but because I was thinking about you." Jiang Yu didn't shy away from the fact that there was a third person present.
After hearing the first sentence, Chen Ling knew that the conversation was off track, and he quickly gestured to change the subject. Unfortunately, he was a step too late. The man's words had already come out, and they sounded particularly muffled in the closed metal space.
"Why did you go and kiss that bird?"
“…Because she’s cute?” Shocked by the strange question, Chen Ling’s answer was a little dull.
"Where's the weasel?" Jiang Yu was used to not showing his emotions, but when facing Chen Ling, he didn't want to hide even a little bit, like a little boy trying hard to attract attention, "The weasel is a male."
Chen Ling: “…”
Qian Qing: “…” Who am I, where am I, what is the relationship between these two people, why do I smell jealousy... It’s so weird!
Jiang Yu asked the third question: "And this..."
Chen Ling knew that he was going to mention Qian Qing, so he rushed over and covered Jiang Yu's mouth. His face was burning, and he glanced at Qian Qing, who was pretending to be deaf and dumb perfectly.
Jiang Yu was very tall and refused to bend down, so Chen Ling could only stand on his tiptoes in humiliation and whisper into his ear, "Let's talk about this issue when we get back."
Jiang Yu looked at the young man, his expression did not ease.
Chen Ling remembered the only time the man was shy, gritted his teeth, and blurted out: "Be good and listen."
Jiang Yu was stunned for a moment, his eyes swept across the young man's face, he pursed his lips, and a small area of skin behind his ear turned slightly red.
Chen Ling was very proud, thinking that he had grasped the opponent's weakness, so he let go with peace of mind.
So what if the ancestor has been practicing Taoism for thousands of years? He is still just a young boy who has never been in love. When he actively attacks, he has a lot of tricks, but when he passively fights back, his defense collapses with just a slight blow.
Qian Qing glanced at the smiling face reflected on the elevator door and coughed softly, "We're almost on the first floor."
In the lobby outside the elevator, tourists from the tour group were gathering and counting.
Chen Ling followed Qian Qing, squeezed through the crowd and walked out. After going down the stairs, he suddenly remembered something.
"Jiang Yu, where is your car?" He was busy too late last night and was extremely sleep-deprived. When Sun Peifeng offered to drive him there, he agreed in a daze, completely forgetting that they had driven to Sun Peifeng's house by themselves.
Jiang Yu: "Downstairs of Sun Peifeng's house."
Chen Ling: "Why didn't you say anything last night?"
"Did you tell me you'd ride in the same car with me?" Jiang Yu asked back, "You've been avoiding me before, so I just wanted to stay with you for a while and make up for the time."
The old ancestor's words were too straightforward. Chen Ling touched his nose awkwardly, feeling guilty for doing something wrong. He turned away and changed the subject: "It doesn't matter if it's not open. Anyway, I have to take Li Hongyu to deal with the follow-up issues of the Sun family later."
"Yeah." Jiang Yu responded lightly.
The two people behind her didn't shy away from talking, which made her feel like a giant light bulb.
She took a deep breath and quickened her pace, walking faster and faster.
The female parrot faced the wall all night, exuding a moving sadness and melancholy all over her body.
Qian Qing led Chen Ling and Jiang Yu to stand outside the breeding room and tapped the glass wall with his fingertips. "It's relatively quiet now. It started to bark intermittently from the early hours of last night. The sound is very sharp and mixed with anger."
Chen Ling: “…”
He patted the parrot on his shoulder on the back and said, "Go in. It must have missed you."
Xiao Lan appeared calm on the surface, but was actually very anxious. He held his head high as if proudly, but his eyes were actually fixed on the bird on the branch.
Qian Qing opened the door for it, and the macaw hopped in, stood on the ground and called out.
The female parrot on the tree was stubborn and refused to look back, pretending it didn't exist.
Chen Ling, who was watching from outside, sighed: "Why is there so much drama?"
Qian Qing said: "Macaws are like this. They are still in the adjustment period, and the tempers of both parties will be more obvious. When the adjustment period is completely over, the relationship between them will get better and better. After the relationship is stable, they will no longer have a more obvious 'estrus period', because they have a partner and can reproduce at any time."
Chen Ling nodded, just like everyone else.
Qian Qing suddenly exclaimed "Ah", opened the metal door and ran in.
The male macaw was being chased all over the room by the female one, and a few purple-blue feathers fluttered down from the air.
Chen Ling was a bit mean, he didn't feel sorry, he just thought it was funny, he bent his elbow and bumped into Jiang Yu, "Do you think this is domestic violence?"
Jiang Yu looked at his smiling eyes and said seriously, "It doesn't count."
"Yeah, this is called interest." Chen Ling didn't expect that beating is love and scolding is love can also be reflected in birds.
Jiang Yu put his hands in his trouser pockets, leaning to the right, his cool skin pressed against the young man's arm. "So, being mean to me in the elevator is also considered a hobby?"
"… Of course not." Chen Ling's reaction was amazingly fast. "How can humans be the same as parrots!"