Chapter 15: She’s My Neighbor

By the time Cheng Yuan finished cracking all eight hundred eggs, it was already midnight.

She yawned, hearing her father’s gentle voice: “Yuanyuan, go get some sleep. I’ll finish cooking the eggs and rest after.”

“You should sleep soon too, Dad,” she replied with another yawn. Strangely, while she’d felt incredibly drowsy while cracking eggs, now that she was in bed, sleep refused to come.

Tossing and turning, she suddenly remembered the jade pendant. Clutching it tightly in her hand, she wondered, Could it be that as long as I hold this, I can see Sleeping Beauty again?

Sure enough, the moment she closed her eyes, she found herself once more in that pitch-black space, the only source of light illuminating the ice bed.

But this time, he looked different. The first time, he’d been in a formal suit and tie. The second, completely naked and surrounded by bubbles. Now, he wore a loosely draped black silk robe, half his bronzed chest exposed. Combined with his flawless features, he looked sinfully gorgeous.

Cheng Yuan swallowed hard. In both her lives, she had never truly been in a proper relationship—aside from that unfortunate encounter with a scumbag. And she had certainly never been this close to a man so dangerously handsome.

Tsk tsk tsk… if men this fine existed in real life, how many hearts would they break?

Her gaze lingered on his thin, slightly pale lips. “Why do I keep seeing you?” she muttered.

So strange…

She leaned in closer and noticed faint dark circles under his eyes. “You sleep so much, why do you still have eye bags?”

“Hey, wake up!”

“……”

“Stop sleeping!”

“……”

“If you don’t wake up, I’m gonna rip your robe off.”

She grabbed the edge of the robe. The silk was smooth and cool to the touch—definitely high-end. “Must be nice being rich,” she mumbled appreciatively. “Even your robe feels expensive.”

Then, with a quick tug, she yanked it open, exposing his chiseled upper body.

The moment she did, the sleeping beauty vanished.

The pendant slipped from her grasp. Rolling over, Cheng Yuan drifted into a deep and peaceful sleep.

---

Meanwhile, in Hai City, in a modestly decorated yet refined apartment, a man’s eyes flew open.

He looked down—his robe, once perfectly arranged, now hung open.

He calmly adjusted it, then walked to the window. The glittering city lights outside created a stark contrast against the dark, silent room. This was the third time now—each time he’d heard that woman’s voice, he’d fallen into a deep sleep. Except for the second time, when he’d slept through the night, the other two had ended with him abruptly waking up to her voice.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and reached for his phone.

Within minutes, Tao An arrived, breathless, holding a cup of warm milk. “Brother Nan, drink this. It should help you sleep better.”

Jun Nanye took a sip, then turned to gaze out at the skyline. “Tao An,” he said quietly, “do you believe in ghosts?”

Tao An stiffened. “Brother Nan, don’t scare me like that! I’m super easily spooked!” His eyes darted around the brightly lit room, flinching at even the slightest breeze.

“Coward,” Jun Nanye muttered, casting him a side-eye.

“How’s the Search for the Most Beautiful Voice project going?” he asked, shifting the topic.

“We’ve locked in the director and mentors, and the TV station’s signed on. The promotional materials will be out in a few days,” Tao An reported. He hesitated. “Brother Nan, want a cigarette?”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

“I’m joking! Just a joke!” Tao An laughed nervously. “Oh! Tomorrow’s the first, are you going to the Southern Bakery?”

Every first and fifteenth of the lunar month, Brother Nan would visit the Southern Bakery. And each time, he seemed… different. A little softer, a little less aloof.

“Yes.” Jun Nanye reached for the paperweight on the coffee table and handed it to Tao An. “Have someone investigate this jade pendant. Quietly.”

Tao An took the item, blinking. “Isn’t this your pendant? When did it go missing?”

Jun Nanye gave him a withering look. “Time to get your eyes checked.”

He stood. “And Tao An—if this gets leaked, you’re fired. I’ll have your old orphanage bulldozed to the ground.”

“No, no! Please, Brother Nan, I’ll handle it super discreetly!” Tao An panicked, grabbing at the hem of his robe. “Don’t destroy the orphanage! That’s my home!”

Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill over.

“You’d rather stay in that dump than move to a better place?” Jun Nanye raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “You’re a man. Stop crying.”

Tao An sniffled, quickly wiping his face. “So… you’re saying you’ll help relocate the orphanage?”

“Where it moves depends on you.” Jun Nanye leaned back, watching the rapid shift in Tao An’s expression with mild amusement.

“Brother Nan, don’t worry! I’ll definitely find the pendant!” Tao An vowed, looking like he was about to swear an oath of loyalty.

After Tao An left, Jun Nanye opened the drawer beside the bed and pulled out another jade pendant. This one bore the image of a soaring dragon. The one in the painting he’d given Tao An depicted a phoenix.

Rubbing the pendant thoughtfully, a trace of confusion flickered across his face. Could those old legends actually be true…?

---

Cheng Yuan slept soundly and woke up at 5:30 a.m. sharp, feeling refreshed and full of energy.

“Yuan Yuan, I left you twenty yuan. Buy yourself breakfast,” Cheng Huaien said as he packed the eggs and prepared for his delivery run.

“Twenty? Isn’t that a bit much?” Cheng Yuan looked at the bills in her hand, surprised. She felt her father was being unusually generous.

It wasn’t that her father was stingy, but he had always given her just enough, fearing she might secretly use the money to go to internet cafes.

“It’s fine. Girls should always have some extra money,” he replied, already halfway out the door. “I’ll come pick you up after school!”

Cheng Yuan went for her usual morning jog. As she reached an intersection, she saw Aunt Yu collapsed by the roadside.

Alarmed, she rushed over, lifted Aunt Yu onto her back, and sprinted toward the hospital, shouting for help and urging the neighbors to find Yu Qing.

She waited outside the emergency room, her heart pounding with worry.