Zheng Mother was about to head upstairs to check on things when she spotted Ning Shile standing frozen outside Zheng Ye's room. Puzzled, she asked, "What's wrong, Shile? Why is your face so red?"
"Nothing...!" Ning Shile straightened up and stammered, "It's, it's getting late. I should head home, Auntie."
"It is getting late," Zheng Mother agreed with a nod, but she showed no intention of letting him leave. "Stay here tonight."
Ning Shile hurriedly waved his hands. "No, that would be too much trouble. I can just take a taxi home."
"It's no trouble." Zheng Mother took Ning Shile by the arm and led him toward the room next door. "The butler already got a room ready for you. Just stay."
"It's so late now. I wouldn't feel comfortable letting you go home alone," Zheng Mother coaxed as they walked. After opening the door to the next room, she stopped in front of Ning Shile and said, "We have everything you need here. Make yourself at home."
"Stay the night, and I'll have the driver take you home tomorrow. How does that sound?"
Faced with Zheng Mother's warm insistence, Ning Shile could only agree.
But the moment Ning Shile stepped into the room, that inexplicable sense of familiarity returned.
The furnishings, the decor, even the color of the bedding—all of it felt familiar to Ning Shile.
He felt as though he had been here before.
As though he had even stayed here.
How strange.
Still, after a long day of traveling, Ning Shile was exhausted and didn't dwell on it.
He washed up, then nestled happily under the covers and played on his phone.
There wasn't much to look at on Weibo right now. Aside from celebrity gossip, it was all promotional ads. After scrolling a little, he ran