Afterlife Department

Chapter 330 – Concern

"Xiao Ling. You really won't stay with me?" Hao Baiyun asked as they stood on the side and watched the policemen placed the corpses of the assassins on the stretcher. "Xiao Ling?" he called and turned when he didn't hear Huo Ling answer. Then, his eyes widened when he saw that Huo Ling and Yi Bing are already gone. "Xiao Ling? Xiao Ling!" he called as he looked around. "Xiao Ling – " 

"What are you yelling and running around for?" Gu Xingfeng asked. 

Hao Baiyun turned to him. "Xiao Ling is – " he said. 

Gu Xingfeng frowned and took off his jacket, then wrapped it around Hao Baiyun. "I saw him and that fake MI6 left." He told Hao Baiyun. 

Hao Baiyun's eyes widened. "WHAT?! AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!?!" he shouted. 

Gu Xingfeng covered his ears and looked away, only to see that everyone is looking at them. His eyes narrowed. "What are you looking at?!" he snapped at them. 

They immediately looked away and resumed working. 

Hao Baiyun didn't care. He only cares about Huo Ling. He hit Gu Xingfeng to call for the other's attention. "What are you yelling at them for?!" he asked. 

Gu Xingfeng turned to him. "You're also yelling earlier!" he said. 

"Shut up!" Hao Baiyun said. "Why didn't you stop xiao Ling from leaving?!" he asked, mad, and placed his hands on his waist as he frowned at Gu Xingfeng. Moving about, the jacket slipped off of his shoulder. 

Gu Xingfeng immediately caught the jacket. But, doing so, his arms are on both sides of Hao Baiyun, and it looked like he is hugging the other. Thinking so, his ears turned red. But, the other seemed oblivious. "Like I care!" he said and immediately wore the jacket on Hao Baiyun's shoulder again. "Go home by yourself!" he told him before he walked away. 

"Gu Xingfeng, you jerk! What do you mean, 'like I care'?! It is xiao Ling!" Hao Baiyun yelled. "And 'go home by yourself'?! Gu Xingfeng, you're such a jerk!" he shouted before he marched away. Suddenly, he felt the jacket on his shoulder slipped down again. His eyes widened and his ears went red. "I don't need your jacket!" he said and thrown the jacket on the ground. 

Everyone held their breath as they didn't dare breathe loudly when they heard what Hao Baiyun said. They also didn't dare to look at Gu Xingfeng's face. And so, they missed to see the redness on Gu Xingfeng's ears. 

It's as if Gu Xingfeng didn't hear Hao Baiyun's scolding. When he heard the last part, he immediately made a hundred and eighty degree turn and marched back to Hao Baiyun. He picked up the jacket along the way and then pulled Hao Baiyun back. 

"What – " Hao Baiyun spoke when Gu Xingfeng suddenly grabbed his arms and wore the jacket on him. 

"It's almost dusk. It is cold." Gu Xingfeng said as he seriously wore the jacket on Hao Baiyun. "And, it's not like I don't want to send you home. I'm busy for the aftermath of what happened today." He explained. "I'll have Xiao Xie and Song Mingfan send you home. Wait here." He told him before he took out his phone and dialed a number. 

Hao Baiyun stared at Gu Xingfeng, stunned. He suddenly felt the jacket is too warm, and so the redness from his ears spread onto his face. He hurriedly turned his back on Gu Xingfeng and covered his burning face with both his hands. He missed to see Gu Xingfeng's face that is burning, too, after he called for people to send Hao Baiyun home. 

… 

"So, where do you live?" Huo Ling asked as he followed behind Yi Bing. He looked at Yi Bing's back and thought that even just the back of this person looks very handsome. He can't help but lower his head to hide the flush on his cheeks. He placed his hand on his chest when he felt his heart fluttered. 

Yi Bing, who postured his body where he thought he would look cool, was silently listening to Huo Ling's footsteps behind him. Even the pace of Huo Ling's footsteps sounds cute. Neither too fast nor too slow. Just right. "Just around this area." He answered. He has bought a flat unit when he came to China after he returned from Bolivia. 

"How about your parents?" Huo Ling asked. 

"I don't have parents." Yi Bing answered. 

"I'm sorry to hear that." Huo Ling hung his head. "Will… it be okay if I'll go with you?" he asked. 

Definitely. Yi Bing mentally answered. "Why did you ask?" he asked and stopped, then turned to Huo Ling. 

"Uh… will there be no conflict?" Huo Ling asked. "Like a… wife, perhaps? Or, girlfriend?" he added. Or boyfriend. He thought. 

"No." Yi Bing answered. You'll be my boyfriend. And later, wife (husband). He thought as he stared at Huo Ling's face. "There's only…" you, he added in his heart. "… me." He said. 

"Oh." Huo Ling muttered. The corners of his lips can't help but rise. "I see…" he said. So, he is single! He thought, feeling happy. "Then… let's go?" he asked. 

Yi Bing looked at the sky and saw it's already dark. "Let's go buy some ingredients first." He said. 

Huo Ling nodded. What happened earlier drained their strength, and he felt hungry again. Fortunately, Yi Bing is thoughtful and remembered for them to eat dinner again. Also, they haven't eaten much earlier during their meal with Hao Baiyun and Gu Xingfeng. Not only was the atmosphere felt awkward and tense earlier, but they were also attacked by the assassins. 

"Okay!" he answered. "But, let me cook! I owe you my life – thrice!" he said as he raised his three fingers. 

Yi Bing's lips curled up. "Sure." He answered. This begins where you'll be my wife (husband). He thought as he stared at Huo Ling's slightly blushing cheeks. 

Stable World, Rainbow Tower. 

"Hah… hahhh…!" Di San panted after he and Gu Shi finally reached the top of the Rainbow Tower. There was no elevator. There is only a long, winding stairs which don't even have a railing for you to cling on to in case you'd fall! "Is… this Rapunzel's tower? Or Sleeping Beauty's?" he asked. 

Gu Shi took a long and deep breath as he took another step. "… just be thankful there were no thorns surrounding the tower." He told Di San and stopped in front of the only door in the topmost floor of the tower. 

"Chrysanthemum Room." Di San muttered as he walked beside Gu Shi and looked at the name on the door. "'chrysanthemum'… 'anu1 –'…" he bit his tongue to prevent himself from speaking further. 

"… Yang Jie said that it was also Shen Taizi who named this room…" Gu Shi spoke in a low voice, almost a whisper. 

Di San. "…" what the heaven is wrong with Shen Taizi's sense of humor? Was it eaten by the Soul Eaters? "Oh." He just said and nothing more. 

Gu Shi decided to change the weird topic. "Even though we have escaped the void of the Soul Fragment earlier, but we don't know what will happen now that we're nearer to it." He said and looked at the Space Gloves they are wearing. 

The Space Gloves can tear the space they are currently in, making them escape the void earlier. This is thanks to Yi Bing. 

Di San gulped. "This is really weird." He said as he looked around. "We are getting nearer to it, yet we didn't see nor anything has happened." He said as he looked around the tower. Suddenly, he noticed something. "Gu Shi…" he called when he froze in realization. 

"What's wrong?" Gu Shi asked as he turned to Di San. 

"… the space… has the Rainbow Tower been this narrow?" Di San asked. 

Gu Shi turned to look and also froze. He saw that the walls of the Rainbow Tower seemed to be nearer than they earlier that they have seen it. "… f*ck." He cursed. "Are we still not out of the void yet?" he asked as he grabbed Di San's arm and pulled him towards him. "Don't leave my side. We don't know what's going to happen next." He told him. 

Di San gulped in nervousness and silently nodded as he stared at the empty walls of the Rainbow Tower. "I also noticed…" he spoke. 

"What?" Gu Shi asked as they retreated towards the door of the Chrysanthemum Room. 

"Gu Shi… wah!" Di San exclaimed when he suddenly felt something pulled him from behind. "Gu Shi!" he called and immediately pushed Gu Shi's hand holding his arm.

"Di San!" Gu Shi called, stunned, as he watched Di San being pulled. Then, he saw Di San removed his hand holding his arm. He suddenly felt something bubbled up in his chest and, before Di San could lower his hand, he grabbed his hand! 

Di San's eyes widened in shock when he felt his hand was held, tight. "Gu Shi – " he muttered under his breath. The door behind them opened and, together, they were pulled inside. 

Then, the door of the Chrysanthemum Room closed.