Chapter 87: The Snow in the Room
Wutong Road No. 66 was almost never quiet. Inside this unusual home, there was always some sort of noise. If it wasn’t Yu Sheng’s fiery temper heating up the place, it was the shrill cries of the little Doll named Irene—together, they ensured no peaceful moment could last. Adding to the lively scene, Foxy, the fox-eared girl, sat nearby, happily crunching on her bag of chips as though watching a show unfold right before her eyes.
For about ten minutes, absolute chaos reigned. Irene darted about like a wild creature, snapping her tiny teeth at anyone who came near. Eventually, Yu Sheng managed to catch her. With a firm grip, he lifted her up and, after quite the struggle, hung her on the drying rack on the living room’s small balcony.
“Yu Sheng, you rotten scoundrel! Put me down!” Irene shrieked, twisting and swinging her arms madly. The rod had slipped right through her sleeves, pinning her clothes from behind and leaving her to dangle like a salted fish flapping in a seaside breeze. She glared at him, furious. “It’s just a twelve-hour ban, alright? My account isn’t doomed forever! Are you seriously going to leave me hanging here for twelve hours? Don’t you feel guilty? At least hang me in a more comfortable way!”
“If I just used clothespins, you’d slip free in no time,” Yu Sheng replied, settling himself onto the sofa and giving her a sideways glance. “This’ll teach you not to mess with my stuff. Relax, I’ll let you down before dinner. But if you dare do it again, I’ll hang you in the basement instead.”
At the mention of the basement, Irene’s eyes went wide, and she began to struggle even more fiercely. Yet, despite her defiant kicking, her “indomitable spirit” quickly crumbled. “I-I was wrong! I was wrong! I promise I won’t do it again! Please, just let me down…”
Truth be told, Irene could back down astonishingly fast when faced with real threats. Although she was terrible at games, had a foul mouth, forgot things all the time, and often seemed hot-tempered, she knew when to admit defeat. Yu Sheng simply ignored her pleas, treating them as nothing more than background noise.
Foxy, still holding her snack bag, tiptoed quietly closer. She looked up at Irene, then glanced at Yu Sheng. With a small pause, she spoke softly, “Benefactor, I think Irene really regrets what she did. Could you let her down?”
As though offering peace, Foxy stretched out her chips. “Here, have some. Maybe it’ll help you calm down.”
Yu Sheng reached into the bag, took a few chips, and tossed them into his mouth. As he crunched, he glanced at Irene, who had fixed her gaze on the television the moment he switched it on. Seeing the bright screen, she suddenly quieted as if the TV had cast some silent spell on her.