HLnovel Chapter 205 Alienation
Chapter 205 Alienation
Chapter 205 Alienation
Bai Li followed Wu Hai through three carved bronze doors, the halo of the crystal chandelier casting long, thin shadows on the Persian carpet.
Exquisite portraits, antiques, and precious metal artifacts are on display.
The entire space exudes a strong sense of luxury.
Walking along the winding corridor, I don't know how many turns I passed and how many servants bowed and greeted me.
Bai Li didn't pay special attention, but she still managed to spot the similarities among these maids.
She guessed that these maids must have received proper training, as their movements were uniform, their faces showed a standardized respect, their heads were lowered and their eyes were downcast, and their faces had no extra expression.
After walking for a while, we finally arrived at the place where Wuhai actually lived.
Even Bai Li, who had seen a lot, was still shocked by the scene before her.
The interior of the main house is predominantly decorated in cool colors.
The gleaming marble floor reflected the distorted shadows of the two people.
The twelve-meter-high dome is painted with constellation diagrams.
In the corner is a black obsidian fireplace that reaches the sky.
Even though it wasn't lit in the height of summer, it still exudes a majestic aura reminiscent of winter.
Shirai could already imagine how the roaring fire in the fireplace would illuminate the cold, desolate space as winter approached.
Yes.
cool.
This was Bai Li's first impression upon entering.
Although it is very clean, large, and beautiful.
But there's too much blank space in this area.
In the huge, spacious living room, there was only a circle of black sofas and a fireplace as decoration.
The rest of the space is filled with the view outside the window.
Outside the almost 270° panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows is a rolling pine forest and hills.
Tall, layered green.
At a glance.
There is nothing else.
The air was filled with a cool fragrance of pine needles and cedar.
A gentle breeze rustled through the window, carrying the sound of pine needles.
It was the height of summer, but there was an inexplicable chill in the air.
It was colder than she had imagined—not in terms of temperature, but in the deep-seated sense of alienation.
—A gorgeous shell without a soul.
“Young Master’s bedroom is in the tower.” Sheldon respectfully handed over a hot towel and asked with a smile, “Miss Bai, you must be tired from your journey. If you need to rest, I will take you there right away.”
"Forehead……"
Bai Li paused slightly, her gaze shifting back and forth between Sheldon and the towel. Hesitantly, she took the hot towel and wiped her hands.
What do you mean?
Should we go to our room in Wuhai to rest?
Her relationship with Wuhai isn't that good yet.
Upon hearing this, Wu Hai immediately glared at Sheldon: "Sheldon, you've been too talkative."
After saying that, he snatched the hot towel from Bai Li's hand and returned it to Sheldon, waving for him to leave.
Sheldon took the towel and left the stage with regret.
Looking at Bai Li's face, Wu Hai had invited her to his manor several times, but when she actually came, he didn't know what to do with her.
After all, he didn't know what else Bai Li liked besides antiques and wine.
If Bai Li knew what Wu Hai was thinking at this moment, she would definitely be both amused and exasperated.
Wu Hai simply cleared his throat and asked, "Are you hungry? Or do you want to rest? If you're tired, I'll take you to your room."
Bai Li glanced at Wu Hai in surprise. She had thought that Wu Hai must have some purpose in inviting her to the manor, and that he might be plotting some kind of scheme.
But now it seems that's not the case.
Bai Li shook her head. A gentle mountain breeze brushed against her hair, bringing a refreshing coolness. She took a deep breath and said:
"No need to sleep. If you sleep now, you won't be able to adjust to the time difference. Why don't you show me around and let me see where you live?"
Bai Li's words were not said casually.
She has now developed a genuine interest in Wuhai.
I'm not kidding.
What kind of personality would lead someone to live in such a house filled with a sense of alienation?
What kind of family is the Wu family?
It must be enormous in scale and possess extraordinary power.
But why would Wu Hai live here alone?
Is his passion for cross-dressing merely a personal hobby, or is there another reason behind it?
However, she couldn't bring herself to ask these questions, so she kept them to herself.
Let's take a look at the houses...
Since I have nothing better to do anyway, I might just get some unexpected benefits.
……
Bai Li suddenly stopped in the corridor.
In front of her was a giant oil painting.
The middle-aged man in the painting sits on a bronze throne, dressed in an elegant suit. One hand rests naturally on the exquisitely carved dragon head armrest, while the other hand gently presses against an open copy of "The Wealth of Nations".
His gaze was deep, as if piercing through the screen, and he exuded an aura of quiet authority.
This is the first portrait Bai Li sees after entering the manor.
“My grandfather.” Wu Hai also stopped and stood beside Bai Li.
Wu Hai's grandfather, that is, the shipping magnate.
Currently, the highest-ranking person in the Wu family.
This oil painting is enormous, fitting perfectly to occupy the entire wall. Judging from its integration with the architecture, it doesn't seem to have been added later, but rather existed from the very beginning of the manor's construction.
"How did his portrait end up in your house?" Bai Li couldn't help but ask.
Wu Hai tilted his head slightly, staring at the portrait. His eyes darkened, and he explained, "This originally belonged to my grandfather. He gave it to me later, but I kept all his things."
No wonder...
There's always a sense of disconnect in this manor.
Some places look too old-fashioned, like the decorating style of the last century.
However, some places look very modern, as if they were renovated later, probably after Wuhai moved in.
Such a grand estate is extremely rare; there are probably only a handful in the entire country of A.
The shipping magnate just gave it away without hesitation.
The gift wasn't given to his own son, but to his grandson, who was a generation removed.
It seems this shipping magnate really does love Wuhai, just like the rumors say...
After wandering around, Bai Li only found two portraits.
This one.
And a picture of a black leopard.
Upon seeing the portrait, a genuine smile finally appeared on Wu Hai's face, his tone full of affection: "Anubis, my big cat, isn't it beautiful?"
Against a backdrop of blue sky and emerald green ferns, a lithe black panther stands in the center of the picture, its glossy fur gleaming with a metallic sheen, plump and strong.
However, she has a blank and innocent look in her eyes.
It's obvious that it's not from the wild, but domesticated.
She's being taken very well...
Bai Li nodded repeatedly in praise: "I didn't expect you to be a cat owner too. No wonder Sanmao likes you."
Wu Hai paused, his fingertip unconsciously touching his lips. After recalling the events, he said with some uncertainty, "Your fat orange cat is probably just naturally friendly, right?"
“No, Sanmao really likes you a lot.” Bai Li said as she continued walking forward, her tone firm.
Hearing Bai Li say that, Wu Hai was inexplicably happy.
I don't know what's so great about being liked by a fat orange cat.
However, Wu Hai still smiled and said, "Then I have to thank it for its kindness. I'll bring it some dried fish next time."
"No." Bai Li immediately turned her head, her expression serious, and refused righteously: "It's on a diet and can't eat snacks."
As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Li seemed to suddenly remember something, her eyes narrowed slightly, she took a step closer to Wu Hai, and asked, "You didn't feed it, did you?"
Wu Hai remained silent, his expression still smiling, but he slowly looked away and denied, "No."
Seeing Wu Hai's reaction, Bai Li immediately knew that she should take what Wu Hai said in reverse.
So, Wuhai was indeed fed to Sanmao.
She said, "Why is Sanmao's weight loss progress so slow?"
Moreover, Sanmao has an exceptionally strong and irrational fondness for sticking to Wuhai.
It seems Wuhai gave it a "kickback".
Bai Li felt both annoyed and amused, and really wanted to go home and pinch Sanmao's chubby little face hard.
But since she couldn't touch it now, she could only hold up one finger and warn the man beside her, "Don't feed it next time. If I catch you doing it even once, then..."
"So what?" Wu Hai raised an eyebrow.
He was very curious about what Bai Li would say.
Bai Li: "I'll just drink one bottle of your wine, the most expensive kind."
Wu Hai chuckled, he had thought it would be something else entirely.
So that's what it is.
Just how much does Shirari like drinking?
A strange stereotype has been reinforced.
"I couldn't be happier." Wu Hai blinked, his eyes full of laughter. "Speaking of which, would you like to visit my wine cellar?"
Bai Li thought for a moment and nodded: "Lead the way."
Since we're already here, let her see it all.
……
Bai Li knew she had said something that posed little threat to Wu Hai.
But she did it on purpose.
Saying anything else would be too hurtful.
But it's good that Wuhai can laugh like that.
The deeper she went on the tour, the more chilling she felt.
The uniform "luxury," the servants with their formulaic expressions, the only thing on display is a portrait of the grandfather, and there's no trace of his personal life.
It's quite frightening that such a large manor feels almost devoid of human presence.
Perhaps it was because Bai Li realized these things that she wanted to see Wu Hai smile.
Looking back on it afterward, Bai Li was in a daze for a moment.
Unbeknownst to her, she had somehow developed a close and friendly relationship with Wu Hai.
However, there are still many mysteries surrounding Wu Hai.
None of the questions in her mind were answered.
There are 5 points left to raise Wuhai's favorability to 50.
She was somewhat looking forward to getting the character card for Wuhai.