After Transmigrating into a Novel with My Boyfriend, He Turned Out to Be a Native Villain

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Hao Lan's heart skipped a beat.

Damn, why did this old lady have to show up right now?

His eyes instinctively darted toward Hou Liang beside him, only to meet the other man's gaze directly.

Seeing the meaningful mockery in the man's eyes, Hao Lan's eyes widened as he cursed inwardly.

This bastard wouldn't actually snitch, would he??

Sure enough, the next second, Hou Liang's slow drawl came from beside him: "He came with Bo Jingmo."

Hao Lan: Fuck!

What kind of grown-ass man still tattles like this?! Elementary school kids don't even do this anymore!

He shot Hou Liang a furious glare while lowering his voice.

Hou Liang paused.

How could he explain to Hao Lan that he'd never actually been upstairs himself?

Back then, Hou Liang had considered going up to investigate. But the moment his foot touched the first step, an ominous aura had suddenly seeped through the dim stairwell—as if the owner upstairs was warning him against approaching.

Every survival instinct in his body screamed at him to retreat.

One more step forward, and the consequences could be dire.

Too unnerved to proceed alone, Hou Liang had waited until Bo Jingmo arrived.

He hadn't gone up himself—but that didn't mean he wanted Bo Jingmo going up either.

Mainly because Bo Jingmo would never share any findings with him.

At this thought, Hou Liang suddenly countered: "If you find anything, will you tell me?"

Hao Lan nearly laughed out loud.

Seriously? That storage room was completely empty—what clues could possibly be there?

Suppressing the urge to mock him outright, Hao Lan grinned.

"Sure! I actually did learn one thing over there—want to hear it?"

"What?"

"I found out where the orphanage trash cans are. Now you won't have to take the long way when throwing out garbage."

Hou Liang: "..." Are you mentally ill?

Seeing the man's disgusted and skeptical look, Hao Lan shrugged helplessly.

"See? I tell you the truth and you don't believe me. What clues could there possibly be in that dump?"

"..."

Honestly, who would believe this nonsense?

The elderly woman frowned as she watched them whispering.

"What are you discussing? Since Bo Jingmo is here too, where is he?"

Hou Liang hesitated briefly before slowly answering: "Bo Jingmo is—"

Just then, a panicked voice came from outside.

"Aunt Lin! There's trouble at the square!!"

The old woman turned with a frown. "What happened?"

The messenger's face twisted with displeasure as he lowered his voice. "Those two new volunteers made the children cry."

Hou Liang stiffened beside them.

He knew Jiang Xi was working there.

Did something happen to Xi Xi?

Instantly, everyone forgot about Bo Jingmo, rushing toward the square instead.

Hao Lan initially moved to follow, but remembering Bo Jingmo was still upstairs, his steps faltered.

At that moment, Aunt Lin suddenly turned back, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Why are you still here?"

Startled at being singled out, Hao Lan blinked before forcing an awkward chuckle.

"N-nothing! I'm going too."

Damn, this old lady was way too sharp.

As he finally stepped outside, Aunt Lin closed the main door—then pulled out a lock and secured it shut.

Hao Lan's eyes bulged.

They were locking it?!

This place definitely had secrets.

He sidled closer with a smile.

"Aunt Lin, is there a reason we need to lock this place?"

Only to be met with her icy silence as she pocketed the keys and walked away.

Undeterred by the cold shoulder (his skin was thick enough anyway), Hao Lan glanced back at the building one last time before leaving.

Bro Bo... could get himself out, right?

Well, just in case, he should probably go tell Sister Li.

...Meanwhile, atop the tower—

Having concealed his presence to evade Aunt Lin, Bo Jingmo emerged from the shadows to watch the others depart before turning back toward the stairs.

The narrow stairwell was eerily silent, every breath audibly sharp in the stillness.

As he took his first step upward, a soft, lilting hum suddenly echoed around him—

A childlike voice, singing aimlessly, the melody drifting unsettlingly through the air.

Something seemed to crawl along the walls, rustling faintly, while an icy chill crept up the back of his neck.

Any normal person would have fled in terror from such oppressive dread.

But Bo Jingmo simply paused—then calmly reached back to touch his own neck.

The presence recoiled in apparent surprise, hastily withdrawing.

Feeling the familiar sensation slip through his fingers, Bo Jingmo rubbed his fingertips together and chuckled.

Eyes curving gently, he spoke in a warm tone: "Could you not scare me, please?"

The air seemed to freeze solid.

Who could have predicted such a bizarre request?

The child's humming ceased abruptly. The suffocating atmosphere vanished instantly, replaced by tomblike silence.

Bo Jingmo continued up the stairs, still smiling.

"Are you upset with me?"

"..."

No response came.

Reaching the top floor, he faced a wooden door and knocked softly.

"May I come in?"

Only silence answered from within.

When no reply came, Bo Jingmo didn't knock again—nor did he speak. He simply waited with endless patience outside the door.

Minutes later, footsteps finally sounded inside.

A little girl's voice came from behind the door:

"Who are you?"

Her tone was calm despite the youthful lilt.

Bo Jingmo smiled. "I'm one of the new volunteers."

"Volunteer?" She almost seemed to laugh. "Aunt Lin would never let volunteers find this place."

"Then would you like me to leave?" he asked gently.

"..."

The girl fell silent again.

After a long pause, the aged door creaked open—just a crack.

A pair of dark, beautiful eyes peered out—round and bright, with slightly upturned corners.

Her delicate features were childishly soft, with strands of hair clinging to her cheeks, giving her an adorably naive appearance. Now those eyes studied Bo Jingmo with wary curiosity.

At a glance—she was the spitting image of a miniature Yu Li.

Bo Jingmo's pupils constricted violently. His heart lurched as if pierced by an arrow, his throat bobbing while his fingers curled slightly in restraint.

...So adorable.