Chapter 5

Shi Yu: “…”

That so-called “sincere” apology didn’t feel sincere at all.

Shi Yu frowned slightly, speechless. If he said he didn’t accept the apology, would this guy even care?

Based on what just happened, it wasn’t hard for Shi Yu to guess who this person was. He clearly didn’t get along with Shen Yan and acted all wild and arrogant. Who else could he be but Han Chuyi, the guy in the novel who only listened to Sang Huaiyu?

But what surprised him was—why was this guy here too?

Could it be that the creepy delivery from last night was that serious? One member of the main cast wasn’t enough, and now two of them had to come deal with it?

The thought flashed through his mind and disappeared. Shi Yu turned around and simply nodded at Shen Yan without saying anything.

Han Chuyi withdrew his hand, bored, and looked back at Shen Yan.

Han Chuyi: “So what’s going on now?”

“You guys are just sitting around waiting?”

He had already seen the report Shen Yan submitted and knew that the “undeliverable package” was now targeting this normal guy.

But just sitting around and waiting for the creepy thing to show up? Who knew how long that would take?

Such a waste of time.

He coughed. Thinking about how Brother Sang might come tomorrow and be unhappy seeing his score still low…

Han Chuyi: “At this rate, you’ll be waiting till nightfall.”

“How about… we take the initiative?”

Han Chuyi didn’t want to waste any time. He wanted to get rid of the thing before evening.

Shen Yan gave him a look. Since Han Chuyi was officially part of the case, he didn’t interrupt and asked:

Shen Yan: “What’s your idea?”

Han Chuyi glanced at Shi Yu standing off to the side and analyzed:

Han Chuyi: “That thing probably isn’t showing up now because all of you are still here.”

While most creepy beings prefer to show up at night, it’s not like they can’t kill during the day. Right now, it’s hiding because it senses danger in this room. But once Shen Yan and the others lower their guard, it’ll make its move.

Han Chuyi casually said:

Han Chuyi: “So you guys leave for a bit. I’ll set up the room, and let Mr. Shi stay here alone.”

“If it thinks no one else is around, it might come out, right?”

Unlike Shen Yan, who prefers caution and safety, Han Chuyi always takes bold risks when dealing with supernatural cases. He’s used this same trick many times: drawing out the threat by putting someone as bait, including himself.

He was confident he could react fast enough to catch the thing before it harmed Shi Yu.

No need to waste time.

Shi Yu: “…”

Confidence is good, but this guy was too confident.

So basically, his whole plan depended on himself?

He didn’t even stop to think—what if something goes wrong?

Shi Yu shot him an annoyed glare. No wonder readers didn’t like this guy much in the book, even though he was handsome and had cute tiger teeth. He was impulsive, short-tempered, and didn’t think about consequences.

Once Han Chuyi gave his suggestion, the living room fell into awkward silence. Honestly, this method had worked for him in past missions.

But this time, the person involved wasn’t a fellow ability user—it was just a regular guy. They had to be more careful.

Just as Han Chuyi was about to speak again, Shen Yan shot him a sharp look and cut him off:

Shen Yan: “Enough.”

“I’m currently in charge of this case. If you want to help, stay in line.”

“That plan doesn’t guarantee the safety of the resident.”

He rubbed his forehead. He had finally started to feel a bit less tired, but now the exhaustion was coming back.

Han Chuyi gave him a weird look:

Han Chuyi: “Seriously? You of all people, Doctor Shen, being this cautious?”

“We’re here. How could anything possibly go wrong?” Two S-class ability users from the Association wouldn’t let a B-level creepy thing hurt anyone.

Han Chuyi: “Doctor Shen, are you… scared?”

Han Chuyi had never liked Shen Yan, mostly because of his feelings for Sang Huaiyu. So when Shen Yan shut down his idea, Han Chuyi took the chance to poke at him.

He raised his eyebrow, looked at Shen Yan, then turned to Shi Yu.

Han Chuyi: “Doctor Shen, if you had told me earlier that you were that worried, I wouldn’t have made the suggestion.”

“Oh right—look at how scared everyone is. Honestly, wouldn’t it be better to trust me instead?”

So passive-aggressive.

His words made Shi Yu feel completely speechless.

What does your stupid love triangle have to do with me?! I’m just a bystander! Why is Han Chuyi dragging me into this?!

Shi Yu replied coldly: “Sorry, I just met Doctor Shen and you guys for the first time. I don’t really know either of you. But between you and him, I’d rather trust Doctor Shen’s judgment.”

After that, he adjusted his mask and nodded politely at Shen Yan.

Shi Yu: “Anyway, Doctor Shen, if you and this guy have anything to discuss, go ahead. I’ll head back to my room.”

The young man in the blue hoodie turned around and went into the bedroom, leaving the rest behind in the living room.

Wang Shan looked awkward and didn’t know where to focus his eyes. How had things gotten so tense so quickly after Han Chuyi arrived?

The others all sat quietly, pretending to see nothing, say nothing.

Shen Yan didn’t bother looking at Han Chuyi again. He glanced back at the bedroom, almost unconsciously.

Honestly, Han Chuyi had spoken a little rudely just now…

Maybe when Shi Yu comes out later, he should apologize.

Meanwhile, Shi Yu had no idea what Shen Yan was thinking outside. Now that he was alone in his room, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

That “love triangle battle” between the second and third male leads just now was painfully awkward.

“From now on, I must stay away from story characters.”

Shi Yu nodded, more determined than ever to stay out of anything related to the plot or its characters after this incident.

But… he was so hungry. He had waited outside for a long time and didn’t eat anything all morning. After the stomach pain passed, the familiar feeling of hunger returned.

Shi Yu looked around his bedroom and finally found a bag of bread in a small drawer on the balcony. He opened it and started eating with some water.

The dry bread didn’t taste like much. Shi Yu remembered that this brand used to be sweet, but maybe because he was in a bad mood today, it tasted like chewing wax.

Still, he forced himself to finish it.

After eating the whole bag, he rubbed his belly. He still felt hungry. He really wanted to eat the roasted chicken in the fridge, but that annoying guy was still outside…

He hesitated, then sadly gave up the idea.

Outside, the sky was getting dark. He had already slept until noon, and now after wasting some more time, it was almost evening.

Evening was when strange things usually happened. Shen Yan opened his eyes and pulled himself together.

He pushed down the constant tiredness that was always attacking his mind. Looking at the time, he originally wanted to ask Shi Yu to come out and stay with them.

But remembering what Han Chuyi said earlier, he paused and didn’t knock on the door.

Forget it. I’ll wait a little longer.

“Such a fake,” Han Chuyi sneered, glancing at the tightly closed door casually.

With so many people around, that “undeliverable package” showing up would be crazy. But just as he thought that, he didn’t notice that something had changed in the room just beyond the door.

Shi Yu was starving. In his mind, he kept thinking about “roast chicken drumsticks, wings, and racks.” All kinds of spicy, tasty meats floated through his imagination. He lay on the bed, holding his stomach and sighed.

His phone buzzed lightly next to him, and a secret message quietly appeared in his inbox.

Shi Yu closed his eyes. While trying to rest, he suddenly thought he smelled meat in the air.

Was he imagining things because he was too hungry?

He had just been thinking about roast chicken, and now he imagined the smell too?

But the roast chicken didn’t smell quite like what he had in mind. He liked spicy flavor, but this one smelled more like… honey?

Shi Yu suddenly sat up. Wait—can a hallucination feel this real?

The next second, a square box about 25cm wide appeared outside on the balcony.

This was the 19th floor! A package floating in midair on the balcony—it looked like something straight out of a horror movie!

Shi Yu’s eyes widened, his heart jumping into his throat.

The creepy package quietly stuck to the window, as if it could break in at any moment. Shi Yu wanted to shout, but his voice was stuck—he couldn’t make a sound, like something was choking him.

He stood there in a daze, unable to move even a step.

Damn! Is this what being controlled by something strange feels like? Did the people before him die like this too?

That thought flashed through his mind. Just when he thought he would die silently at the hands of this creepy package, the bloody box suddenly paused.

The “undeliverable package” stared at Shi Yu’s normal human body. As if it noticed something, it suddenly stopped.

Then, like it couldn’t help itself, it broke through the window and rushed in.

It was getting closer!

Am I really going to die?

Shi Yu’s heart pounded like crazy. But just when the package got close to his feet—it suddenly broke open!

The clear packing tape was torn by some unknown force. In Shi Yu’s confused gaze, a steaming hot honey-roasted chicken rice meal popped out.