Chapter Thirteen: The Cave of White Bones Is Gone

“Do you remember that restaurant we went to for dinner?” Chen Hao sat up in bed and seized Gu Mengyan by the shoulders.

Startled by his sudden movement, Gu Mengyan was confused by his intense reaction, but she answered him truthfully, “What restaurant? What are you talking about? After we finished working overtime that day, we just came straight home!”

“But I distinctly remember it was you who pressed me about where I was going to enjoy myself after work. I picked out a restaurant, and then we took the whole office for a late-night meal,” Chen Hao said, bewildered.

Gu Mengyan’s eyebrows shot up. She shook off his hands from her shoulders and snapped, “Really, Chen Hao! You ungrateful brat! I’ve been taking care of you for days and you haven’t even said thank you. Now you’re making things up about me? Is that really how you see me, as someone who bullies you? What do you mean I pressed you? Am I some tyrannical landlady or a bandit?”

Seeing her anger flare, Chen Hao hurried to explain. He knew her well after living together for so long. When she got mad, her temper could last for days, and no one could talk her down. All he could do was anxiously wait for it to pass and brace himself for any sudden outbursts.

“No, no! My dear Miss Gu, you misunderstood. That’s not what I meant at all! I just meant that we went to eat after working overtime…” He trailed off, suddenly recalling what she’d said earlier. “Wait! Did you say we came straight home after working overtime that weekend? We didn’t go anywhere else?”

“That’s right!” Gu Mengyan looked at him oddly and pressed her hand to his forehead. “What’s going on with you? Are you running a fever? Why are you acting so weird today? No, not just today—even that night you asked me to look after you, you were strange. What’s wrong with you?”

Her words were filled with concern. Their relationship was special—not only childhood friends, but to her, Chen Hao was almost like a brother. They’d grown up together, and their bond was close. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have stayed by his bedside for so long at his request.

In her eyes, Chen Hao had always been decisive and independent, someone whose choices she never doubted. So though his request for her to look after him after overtime had been odd, she hadn’t dwelled on it. But now, waking up and forgetting everything that happened, he was making her seriously worried.

“Chen Hao… we should go to the hospital! What if you’re ill?” The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became, her tone shifting to anxiety. “First you fainted for no reason, now you’ve lost your memory! Y-you’re not coming down with meningitis or Parkinson’s, are you?”

“Nonsense!” Chen Hao retorted, “What are you talking about? I’m fine! And even if I did get something like that, you’d be the first one I’d infect!”

Gu Mengyan’s eyes lit up with suspicion. “See? There’s something wrong with you. Parkinson’s isn’t contagious! Come on, let’s go to the hospital!”

“Stop it!” Chen Hao waved off her hand as she tried to pull him. “Forget it, I can’t explain it all now. Just come with me somewhere first—once we get there, I’ll tell you everything.”

With that, he threw off his covers and got out of bed—only to feel a chill where he shouldn’t. Glancing down, he immediately covered himself. “What the hell! Where are my pants? Who took them off?”

He glared at Gu Mengyan. “You brat, was it you?”

She shrugged indifferently. “Yeah, so what?”

“Why did you take off my pants?!”

“Please!” She cast a disdainful glance at the area he was covering. “You told me you’d be asleep for two days and to look after you. Of course I took them off to make things easier for you! Don’t worry, I have zero interest in your thing. Bill handled your bathroom needs, not me! Like I’d bother with you—I find it gross.

“Besides, we used to bathe together as kids. I’ve seen it all before. What are you so shy about?”

“Damn it…” Chen Hao was furious but helpless. He couldn’t hit her or scold her, so all he could do was grit his teeth. “You little terror! I wonder what sort of hero it’ll take to finally tame you and spare me all this chaos.”

“Yeah, right. You should worry about yourself first! Maybe all those girls around you have you so confused you’ll end up liking men instead! No wonder Bill was so excited to help you out—your tastes really are unique, you even like foreigners!” When it came to verbal sparring, Chen Hao had never bested Gu Mengyan, and this time was no different.

“Fine, you win! Enough talk, let’s go. I need to get to the bottom of this,” he said, quickly dressing and pulling her out of the house.

“Hey, slow down!” she protested.

Dragging her along, Chen Hao finally managed to get Gu Mengyan out of the house. They went down to the garage, got into his car, and drove straight toward his destination.

Gu Mengyan had no idea where he was taking her, but curiosity filled her. Seeing how serious he was behind the wheel, she didn’t ask, but instead leaned her head on her hand and silently watched him all the way.

When the car finally stopped, she was still lost in thought until Chen Hao’s exclamation snapped her out of it.

“Damn it! Where’s the White Bone Cave Restaurant? Don’t tell me it’s really become a cave of bones!”