"Right, it's been ages. You'll have to buy me a good drink later. I remember you had quite a few treasures hidden under your bed: My Story with My Sister, The Many Charms of the Neighbor Auntie, The Abyss of Sin Has Me in Its Grip... You must have collected plenty more over the years."
Ye Chen rattled off a string of titles that made Hannibal's heart pound.
He had only caught a hurried glimpse back then, but as a fellow enthusiast, Ye Chen had made a point of remembering quite a few of the books.
Ye Chen spoke casually, but every word sent a fresh chill through Hannibal. How does he know about those?
Ye Chen had just said he knew far more than Hannibal imagined.
Hannibal grew even warier of him. He made up his mind then and there: he could not afford to offend this menace.
What was more terrifying than having a secret you thought was safely buried suddenly exposed—without the faintest idea how the other person had found out? Every word Ye Chen said left Hannibal drenched in cold sweat, his whole body icy.
"Oh, and those two swords from back then. If I remember right, they were..."
Ye Chen pressed his advantage, quietly reciting the time, the place, and even the layout and furnishings of Hannibal's room without getting a detail wrong.
"I'm begging you. Can we please stop talking about this?"
Hannibal hated having someone hold this over him. If no one else had been around, he might have dropped to his knees before Ye Chen. The man was practically a god. How did he know everything Hannibal had done, even what was in his room? The more Hannibal thought about it, the more frightened he became.
Ye Chen patted his shoulder. "Relax.