Chapter 5

Gathering with several haunted house friends of Carl Jass, LenXiao Merrill finally let loose completely, listening to their hilarious stories from those eerie places while laughing heartily.

A guy recounted that during a recent haunted house visit, a girl was so frightened she lost one of her high heels. The ghost impersonator, being kind-hearted, picked up the shoe to return it. But as soon as he removed his mask, the girl was terrified again and dropped the other shoe. In the end, she had to limp home barefoot without even saying a word of thanks.

"There are actually people even more embarrassing than me!" Lunsiao Merrill exclaimed, clutching his stomach in laughter. The initial fear had completely dissipated, replaced by pure delight. "I thought I was the most timid person around."

As they were talking, a girl timidly entered the haunted house. Upon entering, she found a group of people sitting there drinking tea and chatting. She was instantly taken aback; after a few seconds of stunned silence, she suddenly screamed in panic, "There's someone in the haunted house! Help!"

Karl Jies leaned against the wall, his smile curving into a bright grin: "It's done—tomorrow's headline in City A's newspapers will probably read 'Living creature spotted at XX Haunted House, tourists terrified.'"

A single remark made everyone burst into laughter. The girl realized she had made a mistake, blushed, said "I'm sorry," and hurriedly left the room.

"We won't interfere with your business anymore; we're heading back now. We'll come see you later if time permits," Karl Jess said, waving his hand and naturally taking Lunschon Merrill's wrist as he prepared to leave.

"Next time, remember to bring a gift—or I'll kick you out!" one of the guys said with a laugh.

"Understood, understood!" Karl Jess replied without turning around, his tone clearly dismissive—Lunshao Merrill knew full well he wouldn't bring it again next time.

As they left the haunted house, a cool evening breeze brushed against their cheeks. Karl Jass released LenXiao Merrill's hand and asked with a raised eyebrow, "How was it? Did you have fun?"

Lensoe Merrill nodded vigorously, his smile impossible to hide: "Well, I'm really happy. I never imagined I could make friends in a haunted house—I used to be too afraid to even talk to strangers."

Carl Jace patted her shoulder with a smug expression: "Well, it doesn't matter who brought you—I'm incredibly charming and can make friends wherever I go."

"You say you're fat, yet you still breathe heavily!" Lunsiao Merrill rolled his eyes and walked quickly past him. "It's ironic—you've studied for so many years, yet you can't even use proper modesty."

Carl Jass deliberately stopped in place, watching her back with a sneer and intentionally refraining from pursuing her. Len Xiao Merrill took a few steps forward, noticed no movement behind him, turned around, saw he was still standing there, and shouted angrily, "Why aren't you leaving? Did your shoes get stuck to some kind of adhesive? If you don't leave now, I won't care about you—I'll go back to the Bread Tree myself. And when that happens, don't say I abandoned you."

Carl Jass spoke slowly, his tone tinged with playful sarcasm as if he had found her weakness: "Miss LenXiao Merrill, are you sure... you know the way back to the Bread Tree?"

Lensoe Merrill's face turned red instantly, and he replied confidently yet uncertainly, "I... of course, I recognize him!"

To be honest, she's a complete road blindness—she couldn't even tell the direction of the way back to the bread tree, let alone identify the cardinal directions. The entire time she followed Karl Jess, she was constantly distracted and completely lost her way.

Carl Jace raised an eyebrow, gesturing to turn around: "Alright then. You go ahead at your own pace—I'll stop by a nearby juice shop for a while. After all, it's not my responsibility if the breadfruit business runs into losses."

"No, no, no!" LenXiao Merrill rushed over, grabbing his sleeve with a softer tone that even carried a hint of flattery. "Brother Karl Jess, I'm sorry—I didn't pretend to be someone I wasn't." Could you take me back? I really don't know the way."

Seeing her look utterly defeated, Carl Jess couldn't help but laugh and deliberately quickened his pace: "Let's go!"

Lensoe Merrill was jogging behind him and could hardly keep up; he couldn't help but complain, "Slow down! You're doing this on purpose!"

Though Karl Jess said nothing, his steps quietly slowed. When LenXiao Merrill caught up and saw her gasping for breath, a subtle warmth flickered in his eyes. He had initially intended to dampen her arrogance, but upon seeing how exhausted she looked—with her face flushed—he found himself unable to resist helping her.

The two walked side by side in silence for a moment. After a long hesitation, LenXiao·Merrill finally whispered, "Today... thank you."

She repeated these five words to herself countless times. She wasn't particularly good at using polite phrases, especially when dealing with Karl Jess—her arch-nemesis. "I really had a great time today."

Carl Jass scoffed, "Just this? It's something that brings you joy, but to me, it's nothing more than a trivial little incident."

Len Xiao Merrill lowered his head and said softly, "I wasn't like this before. I didn't enjoy talking to strangers or making friends; I spent every day alone, finding life utterly boring. Only by chatting with you today did I realize how fascinating the outside world truly is—and how much I'd missed out."

She spoke from the heart: due to autism, she had become accustomed to isolation. It was Carl Jass who gradually guided her out of this state and helped her experience a unique sense of warmth.

Seeing her desolate expression, Karl Jass's heart softened, and his tone grew much gentler: "Little fool, if you ever want to go, I'll take you there at any time—just let me know, and we'll set off."

He reflected that he had come with a specific purpose, yet now he genuinely wished to bring some joy to the girl and add a touch of color to her monochrome world.

Lensoe Merrill raised his head, his eyes shining with light as he smiled and said, "Thank you."

"Say 'thank you' again?" Karl Jess stroked her hair. "Never say those two words in front of me again—got it?"

Lensoe Merrill nodded and let him take her hand as they walked forward. The moment he held her hand, a strange sense of security washed over her—something she had never experienced except from her brother.

In the days that followed, Carl Jess frequently took LenXiao Merrill out of their small neighborhood around the Bread Tree; they visited night markets together, watched sunsets together, and strolled through parks. LenXiao Merrill gradually became more outgoing, no longer afraid of strangers, and would even take the initiative to greet people—changes all made possible by Carl Jess's companionship.

Early that morning, LenXiao Merrill arrived at the Bread Tree promptly, but Karl Jess, who usually arrived even earlier than she did, failed to show up. She checked the time—it was only just past seven. Karl Jess was always diligent; he never ran late and always communicated his plans clearly—if he couldn't make it, he would inform her in advance.

A sense of unease gradually arose in Lensoe Merrill's mind. Could something have happened to her? As he pulled out his phone and was about to make a call, he saw Carl Jess push the door open and walk in, his face pale.

"How could you arrive so late?" LenXiao Merrill rushed forward, his tone filled with complaint, yet his concern unmistakable. "I thought something had happened to you."

Carl Jess smiled, raised his hand to stroke her hair, but instinctively paused and hid his left hand: "It's okay—just a little delay."

Yet Lenso Merrill keenly sensed something amiss; his gaze remained fixed on the man's left hand, and his unease grew even stronger—he seemed to be deliberately concealing something.