On a Stormy Night, the Campus Belle Knocked on My Door Seeking Shelter
Chapter 23: A Treaty to Do as One Pleases

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: A Treaty to Do as One Pleases

Chen Mo had planned on seeing what she would write, but saw that Su Yuqing had only written the title "Deed of Indenture" and her signature, "Signatory: Su Yuqing," on the paper.

A large area in the middle was left blank.

Then, she handed the paper back to him and said with a smile, "I’ll leave it to you, my creditor, to fill in the terms in the middle."

Chen Mo grinned wickedly at this. "Does that mean I can do whatever I want?"

"In that case, what service would you like right now, my lord creditor?" Su Yuqing said with a playful smile.

"Let me think... Forget about service, but I do have one command." Chen Mo suddenly leaned in close to Su Yuqing’s ear. His breath stirred the wisps of hair there, and the warm, gentle puff of air made Su Yuqing feel a tickle...

Hearing the word "command," Su Yuqing’s heart inexplicably began to beat a little faster. She had no idea what Chen Mo was going to say.

"Tonight..."

Hearing Chen Mo’s opening word, Su Yuqing swallowed nervously.

"...you must be in bed by 10 PM. You’re not allowed to get up before 7 AM, and your creditor will be making breakfast tomorrow."

When Chen Mo finished, Su Yuqing shot him a surprised look. "That’s the command?"

"Of course. And it’s a very serious one! You have to obey it!" Chen Mo said, his expression turning stern.

"As you command, my lord creditor." A warmth spread through Su Yuqing’s heart, and she nodded with a radiant smile.

"That’s more like it."

As he stood up, Chen Mo suddenly remembered that Su Yuqing hadn’t even taken her phone when she went out last night. According to his investigation, it had already been broken.

’Looks like I’ll be spending a lot more tomorrow. I wonder what Dad will do when he finds out I’m racking up charges on his credit card.’ Chen Mo couldn’t help but wonder if he should find a way to make some money.

’With my abilities and memories from my past life, I could easily help the police solve cases and earn reward money.’

’But that would create a huge stir. I’d be hyped up as some kind of child prodigy, a future star of the police force, or something like that. I’d be trapped.’

He didn’t want to return to that line of work in this life. Although every solved case brought a great sense of accomplishment, the job truly came at the cost of one’s health. It was a noble profession, but an exhausting one.

Besides, the real process of solving a case was often incredibly tedious and boring. The soul-crushing feeling of sifting through a sea of useless leads for a single useful clue, only to come up empty-handed, was enough to make you snap.

Anyone who truly poured their heart and soul into that job, always charging to the front lines, was no ordinary person.

In this life, Chen Mo wanted things to be a little more peaceful.

As night fell, Su Yuqing finally obeyed Chen Mo’s command and dutifully went to bed at 10 PM.

The guest room had its own en-suite bathroom, just without a tub, so Su Yuqing didn’t need to share with Chen Mo to wash up.

"If you’re in the habit of locking your door, feel free to lock it." After pouring Su Yuqing a small glass of warm milk, Chen Mo pulled her door closed and walked out.

Su Yuqing glanced at the doorknob but didn’t get out of bed to lock it.

Back in his own bedroom, Chen Mo finally drifted off to sleep as well.

In his past life as a detective, he had constantly relied on the rush of solving cases to numb himself.

That was why he was always on the front lines, taking on the toughest and most grueling tasks day after day. His mentor’s heart ached for him and had planned to arrange a good desk job for him, but he had politely refused.

If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to numb himself and stop thinking about the guilt of having caused Su Yuqing’s death.

Even though he wasn’t the killer, he blamed himself deeply for what happened.

Now that he was back in high school, no longer a detective, and with Su Yuqing saved, both his body and mind could finally be at ease.

He could finally sleep peacefully, without a single worry weighing on his mind.

Since he’d been so disoriented when he woke up that morning, Chen Mo firmly reminded himself before drifting off this time: he was back in high school, Su Yuqing was safe and sound, and it was time for him to finally get a good night’s sleep.

After this round of self-reassurance, it was around 11 PM when Chen Mo finally fell into a deep sleep...

Su Yuqing, for her part, found it too early to sleep. She lay in bed, her mind wandering aimlessly, until she too gradually drifted off around 11 PM...

...

"Hey, you’re a big kid. Why are you crying?"

In a corner of the park, a handsome and adorable Little Boy was squatting in front of a little girl as fair and delicate as a porcelain doll, asking with curiosity.

"I’m... not... crying..." The little girl glanced at the boy before looking away, her words coming out in fits and starts.

"But I saw you!" The Little Boy seemed to realize something. He stood up and looked toward a few other boys nearby who were play-fighting with sticks, then crouched in front of the girl again. "Was it them? Did they bully you just now? I’ll make them apologize."

As he said this, the Little Boy prepared to rush over and confront the other boys, startling the girl into quickly pulling him back.

"No, it has nothing to do with them..." This time, the little girl spoke without faltering.

"Then why were you crying?" The Little Boy took a clean handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped away her lingering tears.

Feeling the Little Boy’s gentle touch, the little girl froze for a moment, staring at him blankly.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?" the Little Boy asked with adorable earnestness, running over to a small puddle to check his reflection.

"There’s nothing there. You can stop looking." Seeing the Little Boy’s earnest expression, the little girl suddenly smiled through her tears.

"Hehe, you’re smiling! You’re smiling!" The Little Boy turned, saw her, and ran back over, overjoyed.

"Thank you," the little girl said. Looking at the Little Boy’s pure innocence, she felt a strange warmth spread through her heart.

"What for? My mom says boys aren’t supposed to let girls cry. See? My mom gave me this handkerchief. She said boys should always carry one, so if they see a girl crying, they can help wipe away her tears," the Little Boy said with a cheerful laugh.

"Momo..." Suddenly, a pleasant female voice called out from the distance. The Little Boy immediately turned to look.

"That’s my mom, I have to go. Don’t cry anymore, okay? My name is Chen Mo. I come to this park a lot, so if you’re ever sad about anything, you can come and tell me..."

The Little Boy smiled, waved, and quickly ran off...

"Mom, I met a girl who was crying today, but I made her laugh! Aren’t I great?" the Little Boy said with a grin, eager for his mother’s praise.

"Oh my, our Momo is so wonderful. You’re truly a little man. In that case, when Mommy isn’t around, Momo can live happily with Grandma and Grandpa, right?" His mother said with a gentle laugh, squatting down to pat the Little Boy’s head...

RING RING RING!

An alarm suddenly blared. The Little Boy’s smile gradually merged with the smiling face of a high school boy in reality. In a daze, Chen Mo opened his eyes, slapped the alarm clock silent, and muttered, ’Strange, why did I suddenly dream I was a kid again? Did watching all that Crayon Shin-chan awaken my inner child or something?’