Jian Yue was utterly stunned. The moment he lifted his head, his gaze collided with that of President Shen. The man’s brows drew together ever so slightly.
“Butler Wang,” Shen said, voice faint and calm, “why are you standing there in a daze? Do you need me to invite you over personally?”
That slight frown, Jian Yue knew it too well. It was the prelude that always came right before a salary deduction!
Before President Shen could say another word, the system panel flashed before Jian Yue’s eyes:
Main Mission: [The Butler’s Duty]
All required lines completed. Mission accomplished. Card skill cooldown reset.
Wonderful!
Mission complete!
Jian Yue’s eyes brightened with joy. Without waiting for Shen Yushu to speak again, he interrupted the man’s spell-like composure and hurried forward with small, quick steps.
“Young Master, your old servant is here!”
Wen Yu looked at him in disbelief, utterly stunned by his shameless eagerness.
The live-stream chat instantly exploded with laughter:
“Hahaha! He’s shocked again!”
“You haven’t even seen his most bootlicking side yet!”
“I swear, I’ve never seen anyone so flexible in both body and spirit.”
“I just searched for ‘fastest dungeon-clearing guide’, how did I end up in this live stream?”
“Hahaha! Guess you actually found the right place!”
Everyone in the chat was buzzing with amusement.
Most of the viewers were players themselves, people who lived each day teetering on the edge of life and death. The constant mental strain had long made their days heavy and dull.
Yet Jian Yue’s live stream was different from the others, his power might not be the strongest, but his optimism was contagious.
He carried a kind of unshakable calm, a rare sense of ease that quietly infected everyone around him.
Gradually, everyone who entered his stream found themselves wanting to stay, his presence made them feel lighter, happier.
The system chimed in again:
“2,300 viewers have just voted for this live room. Congratulations, Host! You’re about to enter the Weekly Ranking. Keep up the good work!”
Inside the instance, Jian Yue had no idea how lively his stream had become.
Shen Yushu glanced at him and saw that Jian Yue’s face had regained some color after parting from Wen Yu. With that, he turned and walked deeper into the old residence, and the group followed behind him.
The moment they stepped inside, a faint scent of herbs filled the air.
The elderly lady lay on the bed, her face more pale and fragile than before, though her spirit seemed stable enough.
She looked up with a faint smile. “Why are you here so late?”
Shen Yushu sat down at the bedside. “The doctor came by earlier and said your condition isn’t looking good. You coughed up blood last night, so I wanted to check on you.”
That doctor was actually a nutritionist Shen had hired from the city. How he’d managed to send someone like that to a remote village, Jian Yue had no idea. In truth, he knew very little about how deep Shen Yushu’s resources ran.
“It’s just an old illness.” The old lady leaned back against the headboard, her voice faint. “You worry too much. After all these years, it’s always been the same. If I go, I’ll finally reunite with your father and brother underground.”
Her expression was calm, almost unnervingly so.
Jian Yue felt a chill in his chest. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this mother didn’t truly love her son.
Standing a measured distance from her, Shen Yushu said softly, “It’s only right that I worry. You raised me on your own, and your illness comes from years of hard work. Don’t worry, Mother, I’ll find a way to cure you.”
The old lady covered her mouth, coughing a few times. “It’s fate,” she murmured.
“Living in this old house again, I’ve remembered many things from long ago. Back when my parents were still alive, this home was always lively. There were often travelers, people from faraway places, who came as guests. After so many years, now that we’ve returned, the house finally feels lively again…”
That caught Jian Yue’s attention immediately. Outsiders? What kind of outsiders?
Just as the thought struck him, a streak of golden light flashed across his vision.
A golden card materialized in midair, spinning once before a line of glowing text appeared:
[Gossip Skill Triggered]
[Rumor: The masters of the Shen estate has a peculiar hobby, they love hosting visiting archaeologists and secretly keeping their personal belongings as souvenirs!]
[Skill cooldown: 12 hours]
Jian Yue stiffened. Good heavens, what kind of twisted world was this!
He instinctively looked at the old lady, expecting her to react, but her face remained perfectly calm.
Strange. Normally, when the gossip skill triggered, everyone nearby would hear it too. But this time she didn’t seem to notice anything. Could it be because this was a system reward skill, so the side effects didn’t apply?
Perfect!
Jian Yue’s mind started racing. If archaeologists had indeed stayed here before, and if the Shen family’s master really had this strange habit, then there must be plenty of relics left behind somewhere in the mansion.
Those things might even hold clues for him. But where were they kept?
Before he could think further, Zhang Ma’s voice came from behind, “Young Master, Madam should rest now.”
Shen Yushu nodded. “Then please rest early, Mother. I’ll visit you again tomorrow.”
The old lady nodded faintly.
After he left, Zhang Ma helped her lie down, muttering softly, “Madam must rest well. Heaven will bless you, you’ll recover soon…”
While they spoke quietly, Jian Yue felt a spark of realization.
He opened his system panel and scrolled down, sure enough, there it was: a long-forgotten, still-active side quest.
Hidden Mission Triggered, [Zhang Ma’s Secret]
Objective: A player who doesn’t strive to be the best employee isn’t a good butler. Compete with Zhang Ma for the position of chief housekeeper.
Duration: Unlimited
Reward: Key to the Shen Estate Warehouse
The warehouse!
The warehouse!!
How could he have forgotten something that important?!
That mission had triggered on his very first day in the village, but he’d been too busy afterward and never followed up.
Now that he thought about it, there was no way the system would hand out the estate’s key as a simple reward, unless…
Unless something crucial to the main storyline was hidden inside that warehouse!
The realization hit him like lightning. He finally understood, there were no meaningless tasks in this world. The shortcut had always been right beside him!
He had to get that warehouse key.
As Jian Yue plotted, he happened to run into the archaeology team returning from the village.
He overheard them chatting:
“Unlucky day, Village Chief’s family said they’re out of lanterns.”
“Yeah, strange how they suddenly stopped selling.”
“Good thing some villagers lent us theirs.”
“Lucky us. Otherwise we’d have no light tonight…”
Jian Yue glanced at them. Each of them carried a red lantern, but the smell wafting over was faintly unpleasant, like rancid oil. Something about it didn’t sit right with him.
Something was off. Terribly off.
“Manager Wang! Miss Wen!” the archaeologists greeted cheerfully.
Wen Yu smiled. “Yes, we just got back. You managed to borrow lanterns?”
“We did,” one replied. “Plenty to spare! Manager Wang, would you like one too?”
The stench of corpse-oil grew stronger as they approached.
Jian Yue shook his head. “Thank you but I don’t need one for now.”
They didn’t insist.
Wen Yu studied him for a moment, a soft smile curving her lips. “Manager Wang, we’re all players here, why refuse? Sweetie’s boyfriend told me this afternoon that you used her card skill earlier. Since we’re all on the same side, why not work together? You’ve probably triggered the ancestral hall’s sub-mission, right? If you can get the key, we can cooperate.”
“How so?” Jian Yue asked, feigning curiosity.
She saw through him but continued smoothly, offering real bait this time. “If you can retrieve the key to the ancestral hall, we’ll help you locate the nightmare host of this instance.”
Jian Yue frowned. “The nightmare host?”
Wen Yu gave a patient smile. “When you entered the instance, didn’t the system call you a ‘trainee’? That’s because our real role is Nightmare Dissolver. Every world has dreamers, some dream good dreams, some dream nightmares. When a nightmare festers too long, it spreads and affects reality. Each dungeon, each ‘instance,’ is a cage formed by such a nightmare. Inside every cage, there’s always a nightmare host. Their obsession and resentment form the key to unraveling the core of the world.”
“And what happens if you find them?” Jian Yue asked.
“Everything,” Wen Yu said. “The nightmare host holds the main plotline. Only by finding them can you truly progress.”
Jian Yue tilted his head. “So… have you found this host yet?”
Her smile froze for a moment. “We’re still searching. Like I said, we can work together, if you bring the key, we, ”
“Then come talk to me once you’ve actually found them,” Jian Yue interrupted.
“Empty promises are worth nothing. When I worked with Sweetie, she offered me her teleportation card and I gave her solid intel in return. You want cooperation? Show some sincerity first.”
Wen Yu’s expression stiffened. She hadn’t expected him to be so sharp-tongued.
As Jian Yue turned to leave, her voice rose behind him. “You’re that confident in yourself? Refusing even a lantern? The nights here aren’t as harmless as they look. Do you really think you can face the ghosts and NPCs alone?”
Jian Yue paused mid-step. He turned his head slightly, and Wen Yu thought she’d finally swayed him.
But then he smiled. “If you really understood me,” he said softly, “you’d know, I’m not confident in myself.”
Wen Yu blinked, puzzled. Then what was he confident in? His cards?
Elsewhere, night deepened. The fog thickened, shapes flickering within, shadows shifting, whispers curling in the mist. The metallic tang of blood began to fill the air, as if some unseen stage curtain of danger had been drawn.
At the door of the study, a figure appeared. Jian Yue stepped up and knocked.
“Young Master.”
A calm voice answered from within. “Come in.”
As soon as Jian Yue entered, Shen Yushu set down his pen. “What is it?”
Normally, by this hour, his butler would have vanished long ago. Coming voluntarily? Could it be that seeing others around earlier had stirred some competitive sense of crisis?
Jian Yue stood by the doorway, notebook in hand, posture upright and solemn.
“Young Master,” he began earnestly, “Seeing how worried you were about Madam’s health today, I can’t rest easy either. As your loyal housekeeper, I’ve decided to stay here tonight, to copy Buddhist scriptures and pray for her recovery.”
The live chat exploded again:
“I knew it! He’s trying to act serious again!”
“‘If you knew him, you’d know, ’”
“‘He’s not confident in himself, he’s confident in his boss’s ghost-banishing power!’ HAHAHA this man’s insane!”
Shen Yushu fell silent for a long moment, then calmly put down his pen. “Butler Wang, if you’ve got nothing better to do, go wash up and sleep.”
He clearly thought Jian Yue was just fooling around. In Shen Yushu’s world, gods and spirits didn’t exist. His youth had been nothing but hardship and bloodshed, he had clawed his way to success with his own two hands.
Never once had any divine power come to his aid. To him, there was only reason, never superstition.
Jian Yue realized he’d miscalculated. The boss was a staunch man of science, no way he’d believe in this. But he couldn’t go back tonight.
Lighting a lamp was impossible and without the ghost girl guarding his door, returning meant certain death!
To hell with it.
He strode right up to Shen Yushu, grabbed the man’s hand, and said with heartfelt sincerity, “Young Master, people say it’s better to believe than to doubt. Madam is your mother, and you’re my employer. In my heart, I’ve already long seen her as my own mother too!”
Shen Yushu’s whole body went rigid.
He hadn’t expected Butler Wang to be this bold!
Calling his mother his own, that sounded dangerously like… a confession.
The two stood close, almost face to face. Jian Yue smelled faintly of bamboo leaves, fresh, light, and clean. His eyelashes fluttered softly like small fans, and his bright eyes clearly reflected Shen Yushu’s startled face.
Shen Yushu’s reason screamed impossible! He told himself he saw this man as nothing more than a subordinate, a brother. He was straight. Absolutely straight!
And yet…
His “brother” smelled far too good.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
This is your completely normal and non-suspicious request to buy coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Master, Calm DownChapter 2 · This Damn ValleyChapter 3 · The Old slave Is here!Chapter 4 · Shocked my Friend?Chapter 5 · Life Doesn’t have that many viewers but Live doesChapter 6 · Science is Primary productive ForceChapter 7 · A one million in a card!Chapter 8 · You’re First Person to reject Young MasterChapter 9 · He saved meChapter 10 · Your Life is mineChapter 11 · This village is such a Mess!Chapter 12 · Little GoblinChapter 13 · Who should be afraid of whom?Chapter 14 · I, an honest person, don’t understand these thingsChapter 15 · The world is finally upside downChapter 16 · Made a decision that went against our ancestorsChapter 17 · Young Master hasn’t laughed so happily in a long timeChapter 18 · Brother, you smell so good!Chapter 19 · Licking everything to the endChapter 20 · This mental state is too advancedChapter 21 · Enough, let’s stop this farce!Chapter 22 · Young master, please let me explain!Chapter 23 Part 2 · You’re playing with fire!Chapter 23 Part 2 · You’re playing with fire!Chapter 24 Part 1 · The light of righteousness shines upon the earthChapter 24 Part 2 · The light of righteousness shines upon the earthChapter 25 Part 1 · You two-faced man!Chapter 25 Part 2 · You two-faced man!Chapter 26 Part 1 · Butler Wang, I see you still retain your charmChapter 26 Part 2 · Butler Wang, I see you still retain your charmChapter 27 Part 1 · I’m straight, bro!Chapter 27 Part 2 · I’m straight, bro!Chapter 28 Part 1 · This is a blatant violation of citizens’ portrait rights!Chapter 28 Part 2 · This is a blatant violation of citizens’ portrait rights!Chapter 29 Part 1 · The domineering CEO falls in love with me!Chapter 29 Part 2 · The domineering CEO falls in love with me!Chapter 30 Part 1 · Take this Five million and leave my son!Chapter 30 Part 2 · Take this Five million and leave my SonChapter 31 Part 1 · Biting me means you’re arrogantChapter 31 Part 2 · Biting me means you’re arrogantChapter 32 Part 1 · Has butler realise his mistake?Chapter 32 Part 2 · Has butler realise his mistake?Chapter 33 Part 1 · The simple master-servant relationship has soured!Chapter 33 Part 2 · The simple master-servant relationship has soured!Chapter 34 Part 1 · A one-night stand by the domineering CEO leads him to fall in love with meChapter 34 Part 2 · A one-night stand by the domineering CEO leads him to fall in love with meChapter 35 Part 1 · This tastes damn sweet!Chapter 35 Part 2 · This tastes damn sweet!Chapter 36 Part 1 · I will take responsibility for youChapter 36 Part 2 · I will take responsibility for youChapter 37 Part 1 · He will never drink again!Chapter 37 Part 2 · He will never drink again!Chapter 38 Part 1 · He said he didn’t want itChapter 38 Part 2 · He said he didn’t want itChapter 39 · Now is not the time to ask for a title!Chapter 40 Part 1 · Brother Dao, how can I live without you!Chapter 40 Part 2 · Brother Dao, how can I live without you!Chapter 41 · What a human-like beastChapter 42 Part 1 · This damned ancestral hall has successfully caught my attention!Chapter 42 Part 2 · This damned ancestral hall has successfully caught my attention!Chapter 43 · After the overall situation is fully opened upChapter 44 · Village chief, are you really that vigorous for your age?Chapter 45 · Butler Wang, I love you!Chapter 46 · What exactly do you see in me?Chapter 47 · I swear to GodChapter 48 · All I want to do is die with himChapter 49 · I’m going to kill themChapter 50 · Who would like Shen YushuChapter 51 · Young master, I want to cling to you tightly!Chapter 52 · They’ve run away together! They’ve run away together!Chapter 53 · Sworn BrothersChapter 54 · My boss is the best in the world to meChapter 55 · I want you all to be buried with him.Chapter 56 · It’s a beautiful day outside Wanfu VillageChapter 57 · You don’t have anyone you want to seeChapter 58 · I’m married! Married!Chapter 59 · The Cold Prince’s SweetheartChapter 60 · Young master, this old servant has arrived! ~Chapter 61 · Who else could do something so outrageous?Chapter 62 · Boy, I got my eyes on youChapter 63 · Does Butler Wang really want to see him that much?Chapter 64 · Come on, call me Dad!Chapter 65 · Other men might have it too!!Chapter 66 · Being obsessed with love is indeed a major problemChapter 67 · He’s playing the devoted second male lead!Chapter 68 · The number one person to wash underwear with a cold face!Chapter 69 · Young master, will you be back for dinner tonight?Chapter 70 · Others ask for money to save peopleChapter 71 · Wang, please don’t die!Chapter 72 · My current identity is that of a father!Chapter 73 · Here’s your chance to confess!Chapter 74 · That’s definitely someone with connections!Chapter 75 · This is my personChapter 76 · How come you’re already married?Chapter 77 · I’m going to pester you, young master!Chapter 78 · How do you turn a straight man gay?!Chapter 79 · Am I Butler Wang’s mistress?!Chapter 80 · He really does have a fiancé!Chapter 81 · Don’t stay with himChapter 82 · Man, you asked for this!Chapter 83 · Was he just acting like this?Chapter 84 · The second male lead is about to turn the tables and become the master!!Chapter 85 · This trick is cheapChapter 86 · How dare you cheat on me!Chapter 87 · Are you an undercover agent sent by Butler Wang?Chapter 88 · I think of my master day and nightChapter 89 · These wealthy families really know how to have funChapter 90 · You possess such advanced talent that you can enter Hope IslandChapter 91 · Be my Consort!Chapter 92 · Young Master, are you really angry?!Chapter 93 · I swear I will only love you!Chapter 94 · Who bullied you?Chapter 95 · Just a quick favor!Chapter 96 · This is no challenge for him at all!!Chapter 97 · He’s no match for them!Chapter 98 · Xiaoyu, I only love youChapter 99 · This is Butler Wang’s territory!Chapter 100 · Is this how you treat your savior?Chapter 101 · You two are definitely a family!Chapter 102 · Who is your mother-in-law?Chapter 103 · Are we really going to send him to his death?Chapter 104 · He married him againChapter 105 · How can someone be so carefree?Chapter 106 · Butler Wang has done immeasurable good deeds!Chapter 107 · Only those who survive can be considered heroes!Chapter 108 · Since we’re going toChapter 109 · I love youChapter 110 · I will never leave you again.Chapter 111 · The Overbearing King’s Gentle PamperingChapter 112 · Mainly, I kind of want to be your auntChapter 113 · Don’t easily test my limitsChapter 114 · He’s seducing me!Chapter 115 · Uncle opened the doorChapter 116 · The world of the wealthy is such a mess!Chapter 117 · Your old servant is here!Chapter 118 · Xiaoyu, you’ve gone astray!!!Chapter 119 · Uncle, you have to keep this a secret!Chapter 120 · Who’s child is this?Chapter 121 · Butler Wang really has a crush on me!Chapter 122 · One person has surrounded everyone!Chapter 123 · Are you guys playing this fancy?!Chapter 124 · Even gamers are working for him!Chapter 125 · If you fall into the river, I’ll save you first!Chapter 126 · What a troublesome little devilChapter 127 · Does the Puppet Master app have anti-fraud features?Chapter 128 · You’re a scorpion demon incarnate!Chapter 129 · How about we give it a try?Chapter 130 · The dog shit will arrive faster than your knife!Chapter 131 · Is he hungry too?Chapter 132 · We even stayed a few days less than them!Chapter 133 · How about I marry you so you can take my place?Chapter 134 · This is truly a team full of villains!Chapter 135 · It’s clearly an auspicious omen!Chapter 136 · Is it normal to think my brother smells good?Chapter 137 · You’re the biggest capitalist here!Chapter 138 · What happened to true love?Chapter 139 · Romantic types are strictly prohibited from participating in horror dungeons!!!Chapter 140 · What should I do with Butler Wang!?Chapter 141 · Butler Wang! The most courageous man ever!Chapter 142 · What are you doing?!Chapter 143 · Man, you’re playing with fire!Chapter 144 · I heard a heartbeatChapter 145 · Can puppets also have superb kissing skills?Chapter 146 · What else is real then?!Chapter 147 · Seduction? That won’t work on me!Chapter 148 · What is my uncle doing?!Chapter 149 · Uncle, you don’t treat others like this!Chapter 150 · I’ll give you five million!!Chapter 151 · We’re true love!Chapter 152 · Sister-in-law, I genuinely want to help you!Chapter 153 · They can even find an excuse to sleep together!Chapter 154 · Butler Wang iis popular among young people.Chapter 155 · Who says Butler Wang’s strategy guide is bad?Chapter 156 · I’ll remarry the moment you’re in your coffin!Chapter 157 · Now it’s your turn to beg me or not