Monster Apartment

Chapter 6

Gu Bai stood dumbfounded in the doorway, hearing the clanking of bells in Ms Huang’s house next door, as if demolition was in progress.

Gu Bai stood there shivering, too afraid to move forward.

The clanking went on for about five minutes. The man who had just walked in came out as he straightened his clothes, buttoning his cufflinks neatly without even disturbing his hair.

Gu Bai couldn’t help but press closer to his door, quietly minimizing his presence.

The man noticed Gu Bai’s tiny movement and tilted his head to glance at him. Gu Bai was stunned and immediately averted his eyes and lowered his head.

The man raised his eyebrows and didn’t say anything. He turned his head and walked towards the lift.

It wasn’t until the lift went down that Gu Bai took a sharp breath, ran to the door of Ms Huang’s house next door and quietly poked his head.

The house was a mess. Nothing was left intact.

The two people in the house, however, one was lying dead on the floor and the other was hanging on the back of the sofa like dried salted fish.

Gu Bai was horrified and reflexively fished out his mobile phone. He pressed the incomparably familiar three keys in a swift and unforgiving manner.

Then Mr Zhai, whose body was sprawled on the ground, groaned in pain, moving arduously and slowly as he writhed on the ground.

Gu Bai hurriedly put the phone away, not caring too much, walked straight into the house and carefully helped Zhai Liangjun up.

Zhai Liangjun’s handsome and dashing face, which his fans called the world’s treasure, was now beaten into a pig’s head, and his body was not any better.

Ms Huang, who was hanging on the back of the sofa, did not move at all.

These two people were the talk of the showbiz world, and any small movement could cause a tremendous commotion, and Gu Bai didn’t know what he could do to help them.

He asked nervously, “Do you want me to call the emergency services?”

It is so disfigured!

It’s frightening as hell.

Zhai Liangjun waved his hand and reached out to touch his face, then flinched in pain. Flinching he yanked on other wounds on his face, and suddenly his no-longer-handsome face was a ghastly mess.

“There’s a medical kit under the TV cabinet.” Zhai Liangjun said vaguely.

Gu Bai nodded and pulled out a box from underneath the TV cabinet. After opening it, he was dumbstruck to find that he didn’t recognize any of the medicines inside.

Not to mention that he didn’t know the medicine, he had never even seen the medicine bottle before.

Who would use jade stones as medicine bottles!

“Gu Xiao Bai, bring the medicine box over here!” Zhai Liangjun called out.

“Oh, yes!” Gu Bai carried the box back next to Zhai Liangjun. He turned his head to look at Huang Yining who was still lying on the back of the sofa without moving, “Ms Huang she…”

Zhai Liangjun tilted his head and glanced at her, “It’s fine. She’s resting.”

He said, while skillfully taking out two pill bottles and pouring two pills out and swallowing them.

He moved so fast that Gu Bai didn’t even see what the medicine looked like before Zhai Liangjun had already changed to another medicine bottle, poured out a few drops of what was probably essential oil with a sweet plant fragrance and rubbed it onto the wound on his face.

He had just finished rubbing it in when the back of his head was kicked by Ms Huang who had gotten up at some point.

Ms Huang spoke breathlessly at this point, “You’re using my old mother’s baby again.”

Mr Zhai held the foot that was pressed against the back of his head and turned his head to look at Ms Huang, concerned, “Is everything alright?”

Huang Yining waved her hand, “It’s only a three-quarter death blow.”

Gu Bai looked at the mess on the lady’s body and let out a “gasp”.

“Hey? The little brat is here.” Only then did Huang Yining notice the presence of another person. She stood up and walked over to sit next to Zhai Liangjun, “Just in time, I couldn’t find you last night. Today is the same.”

Mr Zhai stopped moving.

Gu Bai’s face showed confusion, “Last night?”

“Yeah.” Huang Yining said, rolling her eyes at Mr Zhai.

Gu Bai froze for a couple of seconds, feeling that something was wrong. But he couldn’t catch the point.

He was a little coy: “What can I do for you?”

“The little guy is from the S City Institute of Fine Arts. I’ve seen his paintings. They’re quite good.” Huang Yining said, “I want to ask you for a favour.”

Gu Bai was a little happy to be suddenly praised but also very embarrassed.

He spoke with a leap of faith, “What kind of favour?”

“It’s just a small thing, you ……” Her words were interrupted when her mobile phone rang, which dropped next to her. Huang Yining paused as if she remembered something. A remorseful look came over her face.

“Are you free this afternoon?” She asked Gu Bai.

Gu Bai nodded, “Yes.”

“Alright then, I’ll come and find you this afternoon.” Huang Yining said as she picked up her mobile phone to answer the call. She then breezed up to the first floor and reappeared downstairs in less than three minutes.

She changed her clothes and was hastily fixing her make-up.

She is still a bit pale, but her whole person is beautiful and fresh, and there is no sign of the mess she has been through.

Huang Yining turned around and looked at the two people in the living room, “I have work today. Zhai Liangjun, you help me clean up the house, do you hear me?”

Zhai Liangjun raised his hands in surrender: “Okay, okay.”

Gu Bai looked at Huang Yining, who was rushing out in her high heels. He then turned his head to look at Zhai Liangjun and found that the swollen bruises on the actor’s face had faded considerably.

Mr Zhai repeated the steps of pouring essential oil and then applying it and asked in the meantime, “Did you stay up late last night?”

Gu Bai shook his head, and after a pause, he whispered, “Mr Zhai, it seems my house was invaded by thieves in the middle of the night yesterday.”

Zhai Liangjun’s movements stalled: “Huh?”

What kind of thief would have the audacity to come here?

“Last night at three in the middle of the night. They didn’t enter my bedroom…” Gu Bai was full of misery, “But they didn’t steal anything, just burned the tissue you left me.”

Zhai Liangjun responded for a second to the tissue he had left for Gu Bai, and then he looked like he wanted to say something.

Three o’clock at midnight, that was Huang Yining’s activity time.

Huang Yining had argued with him early in the morning about this. She said he shouldn’t have left a duster for Gu Bai to prevent her from entering the house.

Huang Yining is a fierce person, and when she enters someone’s house, she will break something directly associated with the owner’s family. Otherwise, she will bring misfortune to the owner’s family.

It must have taken her a long time to find the tissue paper, which was related to Gu Bai. But did not seem very important.

In view of the fact that his signature was on the tissue, Mr Zhai thought that Ms Huang had been so angry that she wanted to kill him. That was why she had chosen to burn the tissue.

The reason why Zhai Liangjun hung a duster for Gu Bai and fed him two snacks was to prevent Huang Yining from scaring Gu Bai in the middle of the night.

After all, Huang Yining has a small heart and a big temper. Apart from that big man in the building, she has attacked all the people who have offended her.

But Zhai Liangjun really didn’t expect that Huang Yining had gone to Gu Bai for help last night.

No wonder she was so angry early in the morning.

Mr Zhai felt as if he had placed another huge stone in his path of love.

Gu Bai waited for a while before Zhai Liangjun could say anything, so he felt a little embarrassed.

He rubbed his nose and redeemed himself, “I’m going to ask the property owner to transfer the surveillance.”

Zhai Liangjun’s movement of pouring the potion paused: “There is no surveillance in our property.”

Gu Bai: …

“Eh?”

“There’s no surveillance in our community.” Zhai Liangjun said while rubbing the bruises on his face, “And it wasn’t a thief who got in last night. It was Huang Yining.”

Gu Bai: …

Gu Bai: ????

Not.

Wait????

Excuse me???

“You didn’t lock the door. So she simply opened the door and went in.” Zhai Liangjun said, pointing to a button next to the door that was locked, “You press that, that’s the lock.”

In fact, that button is to enable the defence arrangement. Although there is nothing like practical defence in this arrangement among a bunch of monsters. However, when it is enabled, the agreed implication is that the door is locked and no visitors are allowed.

The monsters who live in this neighbourhood are used to calling it the locked door.

It’s the same as leaving the door unlocked in the countryside where guests are always welcome to come in.

Among the monsters, there are those like Zhai Liangjun who would call out and ring the doorbell before entering the door and those like Huang Yining who would open the door and come in when they see the door unlocked.

After all, a security door is no different from a piece of paper to a monster.

Only when the door was locked would those monsters who had to come to visit the house behave themselves and ring the doorbell.

Gu Bai turned his head in bewilderment to look at the button for that lock: “Then…why did she burn that piece of tissue paper?”

Zhai Liangjun stroked Gu Bai’s head with a benevolent face and gave an answer that was simply sad to hear and tearful to see.

He said, “Probably because she doesn’t like me.”

Zhai Liangjun didn’t think he could find another reason.

Of all the things, how could she manage to burn the tissue he had left for Gu Bai!

Was there any better explanation than that Huang Yining wanted to beat him to death?

None.

Mr Zhai wanted to cry a little.

Gu Bai looked at Zhai Liangjun and felt convinced.

Perhaps this was the way of the rich.

Gu Bai, who knew nothing about the world of the rich, thought so and reluctantly accepted the situation as it was set up.

Mr Zhai felt a little sad as he thought about his future.

But he still assured Gu Bai, “If you want my autograph, I’ll sign hundreds or dozens of them for you later!”

“No, it’s not necessary.” Gu Bai waved his hand. Although it was a bit unfortunate that he couldn’t have hundreds or dozens of Movie Emperor’s autographs to sell for money, he really didn’t feel too good about accepting such kindness from others.

“It’s better to make up one for you.” Zhai Liangjun said.

He thought Gu Bai might be a fan of his. If he wasn’t a fan why would he purposely keep that tissue paper with his signature on it?

Tissue paper eh.

It was not like it was something like a signed cardstock or something worth collecting.

Mr Zhai had work in the afternoon, so he had to help Huang Yining clean up the house all morning.

He used the ridiculous excuse that “a baby might get scratched by the glass”, which would be mocked by the monsters, to get Gu Bai, who was worried about his injuries, out of the house and agreed to eat together at noon.

Mr Zhai gave Gu Bai a signed poster of himself when he went to his house to dawdle over lunch.

Gu Bai also remembered to ask him for the property manager’s phone number, and Mr Zhai was so friendly that he even gave him one of his personal numbers along with it.

Before leaving Gu Bai’s house, Zhai Liangjun warned in a serious tone, ” The big guy across the hall from you, don’t mess with him. He’s super fierce.”

Gu Bai couldn’t help but shrink his neck as he recalled the eye-sword that had been flown at him this morning and asked in a small voice, “Who was that?”

“Si Yiming, our building’s house-holding god beast.” Mr Zhai replied with a serious face, “Super fierce.”

Gu Bai looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t.

He always felt that it wasn’t too good to say that people were the house-holding god beasts.

But looking at Zhai Liangjun’s serious face, Gu Bai couldn’t help but follow suit and nod seriously.

After pressing the button to lock the door, Gu Bai spent the afternoon sitting on the first floor staring at his untouched painting papers.

He had no idea what to do with the painting of the theme of inheritance.

This agony did not end until Huang Yining rang his doorbell.

Gu Bai made a cup of tea for Ms Huang.

Ms Huang took the tea, touched her face and said to Gu Bai, “This skin of mine is a bit old.”

Gu Bai froze and took a closer look at Huang Yining.

Huang Yining was a beautiful woman. To describe her, beautiful words such as “skin like cream” and “eyebrows like far away daisies” wouldn’t even be an exaggeration.

“Very pretty.” Gu Bai said honestly.

Huang Yining couldn’t help but smile at Gu Bai’s sincere look.

But she still seriously retorted Gu Bai: “No, there are already fine lines.”

Gu Bai had never been able to understand how picky girls were about their skin, but he kept his respect and meekly didn’t say anything.

Huang Yining said, “You can draw me a new one right? Xiao Xiao.”

Gu Bai froze and said, “Draw you like this right now?”

Huang Yining’s nodded, “Well, a flawless version. You name the price.”

Gu Bai had never met such a customer before.

He tugged at the hem of his shirt nervously and said in a small voice, “For an oil painting, will a thousand yuan do?”

Huang Yining paused: “A thousand? Soul stones?”

“Eh?” Gu Bai shook his head in confusion and corrected in a small voice, “RMB.”

Huang Yining: …