Chapter 034: Brother, I’ll Help You No Matter What

Tianluan Cloud Bay was a long way from the city. The journey from the starting point to here was nearly fifty kilometers, and with the evening rush hour traffic, by the time the car finally entered the scenic area, almost two hours had passed.

At this hour, the square in the scenic area was still bustling. Vendors selling ice cream and grilled cold noodles were shouting over the noise, children were wailing incessantly, and the speakers for the plaza dancers were all turned up to the maximum, fighting for space.

Watching the lively crowd of tourists, Li Tianque found it hard to feel any of the eerie atmosphere the driver had tried to conjure. He gazed out the window, somewhat lost, watching the commotion slowly contract and vanish under the glow of the streetlights...

Passing through the scenic area, Li Tianque looked into the distance at Tianluan Cloud Bay. Rows of elegant European-style villas came into view, their cream-colored walls giving them a distinctive look. Bathed in gentle white light, they were a feast for the eyes.

Yet, as the taxi drew closer to the villas, a nameless unease began to well up inside him, as though the air pressure here had suddenly risen, filling him with a stifling, inexplicable dread that grew stronger with every moment.

The driver, in the end, did not stop at the entrance to the neighborhood, but instead pulled up by the side of the uphill road leading to the main gate.

“Hey, kid, I’ll let you off here. It’s hard to turn around up there…”

Li Tianque couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat. He thought, Brother, if you’re scared, just say you’re scared. This excuse is a bit much—the road is wide enough to fit three Hummers side by side, and you say you can’t turn around?

Still, Li Tianque didn’t press the issue. After paying, he walked up the slope alone, following the streetlights.

A bitter, bone-chilling wind swept over him. Though the nights in the mountains were certainly colder than elsewhere, this seemed excessive.

With unease gnawing at him, Li Tianque arrived at the main entrance of the villa community. The resident entrance was equipped with facial recognition. He didn’t attempt to use it, but knocked on the window of the security booth nearby.

It was only now that Li Tianque realized there was actually a guard post at the entrance. As soon as he knocked, a man stepped out, looked him over, opened the gate for him, and asked,

“You must be the guest for Tianshen Pavilion, right?”

Remembering the address Lü Mou had given him before, Li Tianque nodded quickly.

“All right, go on in! Welcome.” The guard gestured him inside. His face showed no warmth, but there was something odd about his expression, as if he was worried about something.

By now, Li Tianque was hardly surprised by anything. Following the guard’s directions, he headed toward his lodging.

Once inside Tianluan Cloud Bay, despite most of the villas being unoccupied, the place was ablaze with light. There were no houses in the dilapidated state the driver had described. Occasionally, he glimpsed a lit-up home, lively and noisy—one even seemed to be hosting a party, the scent of barbecue wafting through the air.

Li Tianque noticed the houses were numbered according to an ancient system—Heaven, Earth, and Man; then Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, and so on. Following this logic, he soon found his own place.

To his astonishment, his assigned villa was brightly lit, and its decor was strikingly different from the others. The exterior walls had been specially treated, with a texture reminiscent of foam panels. The building was painted a soft girlish pink, with a pointy roof and square brick patterns on the walls, making it look for all the world like a pink fairytale castle.

On the balcony upstairs, a long Pink Panther plush toy sat in a hanging basket, surrounded by twinkling fairy lights. Dozens of pots of colorful succulents were arranged neatly nearby. The flower beds below were planted with lavender and roses, and the garden featured some unusually shaped sculptures.

The material of these sculptures wasn’t stone or metal—they looked a bit like root carvings, but the color was an odd, blood-red. In the center of the flower lawn, a fountain bubbled, with a few small fish swimming in the pool.

Li Tianque paused, thinking this pink little castle was excessively girlish—surely someone else lived here, perhaps a woman.

What was going on? Did this pest control company not only provide employee housing, but also arrange marriages?

He quickly dismissed the thought, straightened his hat, and, feeling somewhat nervous, approached the front door. After searching for a moment, he noticed a cat-face button on the right, which looked like a doorbell, so he pressed it.

As soon as he pressed the cat-face button, the image changed into a fierce tiger, and a terrifying roar sounded.

To his own surprise, Li Tianque felt no fear at all—perhaps he had grown immune to such sudden frights after all the strange things he’d experienced lately.

He waited at the door, but nothing happened. He pressed the button a few more times; the same roar came each time, but nobody answered.

Li Tianque frowned. A sense of foreboding crept over him.

He felt a chill at his back. Turning, he noticed the fountain had stopped flowing at some point, and the flowers in the garden seemed to have grown taller. A dense fog had settled around the little pink castle.

He was about to press the doorbell again when another roar pierced his ears.

He froze—he hadn’t touched the button, so why the roar?

He looked back at the garden; the fog was thicker now, and the fountain was spraying a vivid, blood-red liquid.

Amidst the swirling mist, a huge black shadow appeared. It looked like a giant beast—a lion or a tiger, perhaps—but he couldn’t see its limbs, and its head was enormous, seeming directly attached to its body.

Instinctively, Li Tianque retreated, pressing himself against the door. He scanned the area for anything he could use as a weapon, and shouted,

“Open up! I’m Li Tianque! Lü Mou sent me!”

The shadow in the fog drew closer. Just then, the door abruptly swung open.

Because he’d been leaning on it, Li Tianque fell backward into the house.

Struggling to his feet, he found the door had already closed behind him, and the sounds from outside had vanished.

“Hee hee, you must be the new roommate. Welcome, big brother! My name is Dani!”

As he stood up, Li Tianque’s gaze traveled up a slender white stocking to find, to his astonishment, that the person speaking was a lovely, gentle young girl. Her eyes were sapphire blue, her skin as pale as snow—clearly of European descent—and her features delicate and ethereal.

She wore a pale pink schoolgirl uniform, a cute bat-shaped bow atop her head, and her face was adorned with two sparkling eyes like priceless crystals.

Bathed in the soft yellow glow of the lamp, she looked enchantingly innocent.

“Ah… ah? Hello, I’m Li Tianque… You said you’re my roommate? How many people live here?”

Still in a daze, Li Tianque blurted out the question.

Dani smiled sweetly and said, “Hee hee, of course it’s just the two of us. Brother Lü Mou is so nice—I asked him to find me a big brother to cuddle with me as I sleep, and I can’t believe he found one so quickly! I’m so happy!”

Li Tianque’s face flushed scarlet. He scratched his head awkwardly and asked, “So… what exactly is going on?”

“What do you mean, what’s going on? Since you promised Brother Lü Mou you’d keep me company, of course you have to cuddle me when we sleep!”

“Huh? Lü Mou wants me to cuddle you while we sleep?” Li Tianque’s voice was full of surprise, but despite himself, a “gentlemanly” smile crept onto his face.

He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly at Lü Mou’s thoughtfulness. This favor…

A brother indeed!