You're Being Mean to Me

"Finally back!" Weixi opened the door to the suite and saw Yaxiu and Feili standing outside dripping wet, like two puppies that had fallen into the water. "Didn't you two have an umbrella?" Weixi laughed. Right in the middle of the fireworks gala, a torrential downpour had suddenly struck. When they checked in over their phones, they realized they were too far apart and decided to catch separate cabs back. "It's not that we didn't..." Yaxiu brought out a clear umbrella, looking somewhat dispirited. "A kind soul shoved an umbrella into our hands." He and Feili had just taken the cable car down to the foot of the mountain when the storm hit. They had originally planned to wait in a sheltered area until the rain stopped, but a mysterious person in a mask and hood suddenly thrust an umbrella at them, did a good deed anonymously, and turned away immediately. Unable to refuse such kindness, they had no choice but to leave Xiaguang Happy World under it. As it turned out, the umbrella was barely enough for a single person, let alone two; using it was practically no different from having no umbrella at all. Even though Yaxiu and Feili huddled close together, the rain soaked them from head to toe anyway. Rose brought dry towels over and draped them over their shoulders. Yaxiu glanced around the suite, noticed that Igola and Harvey were here too, and asked, "Where's Niya?" While preparing hot drinks, Rose replied, "She said there was somewhere she wanted to go, so she didn't leave with us." Yaxiu glanced out at the howling wind and pouring rain, took out his phone to call Niya, but the call went straight to a powered-off message. Frowning, he asked, "Weixi, do you know where Niya went?" "No idea." Weixi wrapped her arms around the towel-swaddled Feili and said languidly, "Master, do you really need to worry about Niya? In this world, who could bully her besides you? Look at you and the little lamb, soaked to the bone. Hurry up and strip down so you two can go wash up in the bathroom together!" Yaxiu figured that made sense. Sitting down on the long sofa, he eyed Weixi with suspicion. "You seemed awfully quiet at the park today. Are you brewing up some kind of mischief?" "Master, you really..." Weixi put on a look of piteous grief. "I saw how much fun you were having and couldn't bear to disturb you, yet you look at me like that... You've truly hurt my feelings this time. I'm ignoring you from now on." "Really?" A sudden burst of unexpected joy washed over Yaxiu. "That's wonderful!" "Of course not. How could I ever ignore Master?" Weixi blinked and rubbed her cheek against Feili's. "Did you have fun after taking the cable car up?" "The mountain bungee jump was pretty fun," Yaxiu commented. "It's just that Feili is terrified of heights. Her legs turned to jelly every single time; she couldn't even stand up without someone carrying her." "Oh, really?" The corners of Weixi's mouth curled as she shot Feili a sideways glance that sent Feili's heart pounding. "Why didn't you get back to the central square in time? Did something happen?" "The cable car broke down." Yaxiu took the hot drink Rose handed him and thanked her. "Still, we didn't miss the fireworks. They really were beautiful." "Was it really the fireworks that were beautiful?" Weixi narrowed her eyes, smiling fondly. "Something definitely happened while you were on that cable car." Yaxiu and Feili exchanged a look, silently resolving to invoke their 'right to remain silent' against this soul demigod. Yet when Weixi's appetite for gossip was whetted, she was hardly so easy to shake off. "Feili's eyes are swollen from crying, but her spirits look much better than before, so she clearly slept. I'm guessing she cried her eyes out on the cable car, and then dozed off on the ride back?" Yaxiu's eyebrows twitched wildly, and he couldn't help wrapping his dry towel a little tighter—dead on! Once the turmoil in her heart was soothed, Feili had relaxed completely, sleeping sweetly leaning against Yaxiu in the car, and even Yaxiu had ended up nodding off. "Why did you cry?" Rose asked curiously. "Was it not fun?" "I thought it was decent," Harvey put in. "The corpse party parade over there was quite good. The variety of ways to die on display was very rich and fascinating!" "I... I..." Feili stammered in embarrassment. "Don't worry about me, I'm already fine." Weixi wiped the rainwater from Feili's hair and asked with a chuckle, "So will you still have insomnia from now on?" Feili pressed her lips together and shook her head rapidly. Yaxiu dried his hair with the towel and bluntly shifted the topic: "Harvey, why are you and Igola hanging around over here?" They had booked three large suites in this hotel: one for the men, one for the women, and one for Yaxiu. Finding everyone gathered in the women's suite struck him as odd. "This idiot Harvey left the room key card inside," Igola said irritably. "We're waiting for room service to come unlock the door, but it looks like a tour group checked in tonight, so the hotel is short-staffed. Who knows when someone will come up." "Forgot the key card?" Yaxiu thought for a moment. "Aren't our rooms side by side? Couldn't someone just cross over from the balcony to open the door?" Igola glanced outside. "It's still raining out there. We'd better just wait—" "I'll go!" Teased within an inch of her life by Weixi, Feili jumped at the task immediately. Casting aside the dry towel, she hurried onto the balcony. Just as Yaxiu walked over to help, he saw Feili leap straight from one balcony to the next. A dozen-odd seconds later, the door to the neighboring suite opened, and Feili returned holding the key card. "All done!" Igola and Harvey voiced their thanks, took the key card, and headed back to their room to rest. Feili turned around, only to find Yaxiu staring at her with suspicion. "Miss Feili," he said leisurely, "we are staying in a suite on the twenty-seventh floor." Feili tilted her head, missing his subtext. "Earlier, on the roller coaster and the bungee jump, your fear of heights supposedly scared you until your legs went limp. Yet twenty-seven floors above the ground, you can hop between balconies with total freedom." Yaxiu's face was deadpan. "Your fear of heights seems remarkably flexible." Feili shuddered, then instantly collapsed into a limp heap on the floor, looking up at Yaxiu with a pitiful expression. "Don't tell me your jelly legs have a delayed trigger?!" "No, my legs really are weak." Feili blinked. "You're being mean to me. You scared me so badly I can't stand up." "I'm being mean to you? How was I being mean?" She pouted. "You spoke to me in the same tone you use with Sister Weixi. It scared me." Weixi patted Yaxiu on the shoulder. "See how poorly you treat me on normal days? Everyone has witnessed it with their own eyes." Yaxiu sighed, reached out, and pulled Feili up. "Were you unhappy at the theme park? Is that why you put on a mask to match the atmosphere?" "No, not at all!" Feili hadn't expected Yaxiu to misunderstand, and she blurted out in a rush, "I was so happy today! Today was the happiest day of my life, even happier than our last date! I just... I just thought it was more fun that way..." "As long as you're happy, that's what matters," Yaxiu said with a smile. "Because I was very happy too. It was wonderful being able to spend today with you." Feili froze, then once again slumped into a limp heap on the floor. Yaxiu was torn between amusement and exasperation. "I wasn't being mean to you this time, was I?" "No, it's just, it's just..." As she spoke, tears began to fall again. She bit her lower lip softly. "I can finally forgive you..." "Huh?" Now it was Yaxiu's turn to be bewildered. "How did I offend you?" "The Ferris wheel." She sniffled hard. "Back then, you said—" Ding—dong— The doorbell chimed abruptly, and Yaxiu breathed a sigh of relief. "Is that Niya back?" Rose went over to open the door. Yet what met their eyes was a group of police officers clad in raincoats. The man at their head produced his identification and said courteously, "Good evening. I am Underwood, Deputy Chief of the Changqiao City Police Department. Is Mr. Heath in?" Yaxiu exchanged glances with the others, walked to the entrance, and said, "I am Yaxiu Heath. Are you looking for me?" "I have long looked forward to meeting you." Underwood extended his hand. "My child is a faithful reader of yours." "Thank—" The moment Yaxiu took his hand, cold handcuffs snapped shut around his wrists. Feili sprang to her feet, Rose took a step back and produced her phone, Weixi stretched languidly, and from next door came the sound of a door opening. "Yaxiu Heath, you are officially under arrest on charges of murder to assist in our investigation."