Knock Knock Knock

"Holy shit! Who's there?! Turn on the lights!!" Zhang Ziming shouted in a panic.

The candlelight had been flickering across their faces, but when it suddenly went out, everyone's vision plunged into darkness.

Already spooked by the two ghost stories they'd just heard, the girls in the living room screamed hysterically as the room became pitch black.

Liu Bo had snatched the remote earlier, but someone bumped into him, causing it to slip from his grasp.

In the chaos, no one thought to use their phone flashlights—instead, they fumbled around blindly, searching for the remote.

Then, out of nowhere, the piano nearby let out a sharp, jarring note.

Ding!! Dong!!

The sound was so abrupt, echoing through the spacious living room, that it sent chills down their spines.

"Ahhhh!!" The girls instantly leaped onto the couch, clinging to each other in terror.

Su Yang found himself buried under a pile of people—arms around him, legs draped over his lap, bodies pressed against his sides.

He remained completely still, unfazed. The moment the candle had gone out, he'd seen Liu Bo discreetly toss the remote under the table.

Then he watched as Liu Bo quietly crawled away. The only reason Su Yang could see in the dark was his enhanced 88-point physique, which sharpened all his senses far beyond normal human limits.

He sat there, amused, as Liu Bo tiptoed over to the piano and took a seat.

Su Yang had no intention of stopping him—this situation was too good to ruin.

When the piano played again, Xia Keke shrieked, "Stop it!! You're scaring me!! Please!!"

Finally, Meng Wenzhou spoke up. "Alright, fatso, that's enough."

"Fine, fine." Liu Bo pulled out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and retrieved the remote before pressing the button.

The living room instantly flooded with light.

Everyone squinted, blinking as their eyes adjusted. After a few seconds, Meng Wenzhou and Liu Bo turned to look at Su Yang.

There he was—left arm around Pan Ning, right arm around Tang Ziyun, Han Xiaoyu perched on his lap, and Xia Keke squeezed in beside Tang Ziyun.

Meanwhile, Liu Meng, Shen Yixue, and Zhang Ziming were huddled together at the edge of the couch.

"Damn."

The girls around Su Yang suddenly snapped back to reality and scrambled away—except for Pan Ning, who barely moved.

"You guys are the worst!!" Xia Keke pouted angrily.

"Yeah! You almost gave me a heart attack," Han Xiaoyu added, her cheeks flushed.

Though her embarrassment wasn’t from fear—it was from realizing she’d just been sitting in Su Yang’s lap.

"Yang, how come you didn’t react at all just now?"

Su Yang smirked. "I saw you sneaking over. What was I supposed to do?"

Pan Ning pinched his arm. "You saw him go over?"

"Uh, yeah."

"And you didn’t tell me?"

"You were all clinging to me—when would I have had the chance?"

"Hmph. I think you enjoyed it."

......

Zhang Ziming swallowed hard. He had been scared—especially when the piano started playing.

He glared at Liu Bo and Meng Wenzhou. "You two, why didn’t you give me a heads-up?!"

"Where’s the fun in that? The randomness is the best part."

"Fun my ass! You almost killed me!"

"I thought you weren’t scared?"

"Not when it’s just movies or books! But when it’s happening right in front of you? Hell yeah, I’m scared!"

"Alright, knock it off. This stuff can actually freak people out," Su Yang said, standing up and stretching his neck.

"So… are we still continuing?"

"No way! I’m not even gonna be able to sleep now. What if someone knocks on my door in the middle of the night? I’d lose it!" Xia Keke whined.

"Relax, I was just messing around. There’s no—"

Knock knock knock, knock knock knock!

The moment Liu Bo said that, a sharp rapping came from the villa’s front door.

All ten of them whipped their heads toward the entrance.

"Ahhh!! Ahhh!!" The girls screamed again.

"Goddammit, who the hell is it now?! Cut it out!!" Zhang Ziming scanned the room—everyone was accounted for.

Even Su Yang felt his hair stand on end. "Who’s there?!" he called toward the door.

No response.

A few seconds later—more knocking.

"Are you kidding me?!" Liu Bo mustered his courage and stormed toward the door.

Whoosh!

He yanked it open—only to find a hotel staff member standing outside.

Liu Bo’s raised fist froze mid-air. "Dude, what the hell? Why didn’t you answer when I called?"

The staffer blinked. "Uh… I didn’t hear anyone call me?"

"What do you want?"

"My apologies for disturbing you. Our manager heard that a Mr. Meng and his friends were staying in Villa No. 1, so he sent me over with some late-night snacks."

The young man smiled and stepped aside, revealing a small cart.

"Jesus, you scared the crap out of us. What’s on it?"

"Just some seafood, mostly. Should I bring it in?"

"Yeah, go ahead." Liu Bo exhaled in relief and let the staffer wheel the cart inside.

The server glanced at the group of attractive young men and women on the couch and couldn’t help but think, Rich people really know how to live.

"I’ll leave the cart here. Please enjoy the food at your leisure. Sorry again for the disturbance."

With a polite nod, he turned and left.

"Ugh!! I’m dead!" Zhang Ziming collapsed onto the couch, his forehead dotted with sweat.

"Tell me about it. Even I got spooked," Meng Wenzhou admitted, downing a glass of red wine.

Liu Bo shut the door and walked back, grinning. "Turns out it was just some guy delivering food. Said their manager sent him because he knew you were here, Meng."

"Could’ve given me a heads-up."

After everyone calmed down, Liu Bo opened the containers on the cart—inside were rows of premium lobsters, crabs, and other high-end seafood.

"Perfect timing. I’m kinda hungry. Let’s dig in."

"You sure it’s not poisoned?" Xia Keke muttered, still traumatized.

Meng Wenzhou nearly choked on his wine. "If they poisoned me, this hotel would be done."

"Seriously, what’s your deal? You get special treatment everywhere."

"Nothing crazy. My family’s just got some money, that’s all."

"Money, plus the last name Meng… Wait, is your dad Meng Jianyun?" Liu Meng asked, eyes widening.

Meng Wenzhou shrugged. "Yeah. Not like it’s a secret." He plopped back onto the couch.

"No wonder. The manager should’ve come himself."

"Who’s Meng Jianyun?" Xia Keke asked, clueless.

"Haicheng’s richest man. A top-tier entrepreneur—ranked in the top 20 on last year’s national wealth list."

"Whoa!!" Xia Keke’s jaw dropped as she stared at Meng Wenzhou. "You’re that loaded?!"

"What's so impressive about that? It's my dad who's impressive, not me. Alright, just treat me normally. You probably know me well enough—I'm not one to put on airs. Let's just keep it real. Now, let's eat!"