Rrrrip,
A crack tore through Xiao She’s heart. As he fiddled with the coffee coaster in his hand, it was jerked along, causing the porcelain cup to emit a harsh, screeching scrape against the tabletop. He carefully deliberated his words before asking, “Is it possible there’s been some kind of misunderstanding between us?”
Liang Mu looked over and asked, “Misunderstanding?”
“A misunderstanding regarding the nature of our relationship…”
Liang Mu remained silent, quietly waiting for him to continue. Xiao She bit the bullet and pushed through: “Why don’t we… change the way we interact with each other?”
A look of confusion crossed Liang Mu’s features. Just as Xiao She was about to speak further, a sudden barrage of alarms blared inside his brain.
“Warning! Bound target is developing suspicion regarding character identity! Warning! Host has performed an illegal operation; bound points will be deducted shortly!” The floating orb urged, “Host, please revoke the operation immediately!”
The deafening noise left Xiao She’s brain completely blank. He immediately pressed his hands against the table and shut his mouth.
A heavy silence fell between the two. When Liang Mu didn’t hear another word, a mocking smile touched his lips: “If someone didn’t know better, they’d think you were possessed by an alien.”
Xiao She: …Come on, sir, you’re even going to penalize me for this?
Seeing that Xiao She’s attempt to speak had clearly been nothing more than a stunt to whet his appetite, Liang Mu quickly extinguished his own wild, unfounded thought. He said faintly, “Are you unsatisfied? What level would it take for you to actually keep your word?”
Satisfied? How could I not be satisfied?
Xiao She looked at him with an eerie gaze and asked, “How do you want me to act?”
Before Liang Mu could answer, the words were choked off in his throat by Xiao She’s sudden, encroaching lean.
The devil in Liang Mu’s eyes finally cast off its veil to reveal its true face. The tone of Xiao She’s approach carried a frivolous yet dangerous cadence, like poisonous honey slowly flowing past his ear: “Be specific… What kind of behavior do you think would make me keep my word?”
Liang Mu’s fingers curled slightly against the table, only to be caught by Xiao She, who slowly and deliberately flattened them out one by one.
“Don’t be nervous.”
Liang Mu watched as this handsome devil said lightly, “I just want to have a proper chat with you.”
Outside the window, thunder rumbled as a flash of lightning struck down. Abrupt light and shadow flickered across Xiao She’s face, while his figure almost entirely enveloped Liang Mu. His hands played with the first button of Liang Mu’s dress shirt, and a faint scent of perfume drifted into his nasal passages.
Liang Mu took a deep breath and exhaled slowly and gently: “I will be obedient.”
The wildly trembling system screen stabilized, and the little orb flew a loop around his hand, cheering: “Host is so amazing!”
“Uh… wait, what??”
Xiao She, who had simply been asking what kind of performance would satisfy him, was left completely baffled. His fingers froze right in the middle of playing with the button: “Obedient to what?”
“Obedient to you.” Liang Mu grabbed Xiao She by the collar, pulling the man a bit closer. He stared into Xiao She’s amber eyes and said word by word: “Putting you first, acting as your subordinate. Every demand you made in the past, I will fulfill.”
Xiao She lost control of his fingers, and the pretty button popped right off the shirt, falling into the palm of his hand. Liang Mu merely cast a quick glance down at the button before looking back up at Xiao She: “Is this enough?”
Xiao She fell silent. He pondered very seriously for a moment, then raised his head and asked, “Are you telling the truth?”
Both of them knew the answer to this question in their hearts. Liang Mu was taken aback by his inquiry. Before he could respond, Xiao She suddenly let out an abrupt laugh: “Forget it. Stop trying to act like a gentle little lamb in front of me.”
Xiao She seemed to relax all at once, waving away whatever invisible thing had been hovering near his face. He stared at Liang Mu and said, “I know exactly how defiant you are on the inside, how desperately you want to get rid of me, and how many methods you have planned once you do. I know every single bit of it.”
He admitted honestly, “I’m just not used to seeing you act like this.”
He was much more accustomed to the Liang Mu from the novel, the one who appeared submissive on the surface while working tirelessly behind the scenes to break free, a person with bottom lines and principles who would never act weakly without cause.
Liang Mu’s breathing hitched, and his expression turned grim: “You’re not used to it?”
Xiao, she added, “After all, you’re still the young master of the Liang family…” You have your own pride…
However, as if provoked by these words, Liang Mu sharply cut him off: “Because I’m no longer acting like the high-and-mighty young master of the Liang family in front of you, you’re unsatisfied?”
“No…”
“Because the person you’re trampling underfoot isn’t a prestigious young master anymore, you can’t get any thrill out of it?”
“I didn’t…”
Liang Mu didn’t let him finish. He grabbed Xiao She viciously by the collar and pulled him down: “You don’t need to remind me of my identity over and over again. I know full well that this identity serves no other purpose than making things feel more satisfying for you.”
Xiao She: …I told you you have a terrible temper.
He attempted to smooth things over: “That’s not what I meant. You’re still the young master of the Liang family, so you ought to keep some self-respect.”
Liang Mu’s clear eyes locked onto Xiao She, his gaze conveying only a single message: So it’s still not enough?
Xiao She let go of his grip: “…It’s enough.”
Liang Mu: “Really?”
Xiao She said woodenly: “Not a word of lie.”
Just as Xiao She was suppressing the urge to vomit blood, Liang Mu showed no self-awareness whatsoever. He swiftly withdrew himself from the frozen atmosphere, hooked two fingers around the handles of the paper bag that had been pushed to the side, and asked, “What is this?”
“A birthday present,” Xiao She replied listlessly, rubbing his head. The original owner didn’t have much money left in his bank account, so when he happened to wander past a woodcarving shop, he bought a little trinket just to show some thought.
The hand Liang Mu used to hook the bag paused slightly.
Failing to notice his pause, Xiao She let out a somewhat deflated sigh. Lowering his head, he noticed Liang Mu’s hands were empty and asked in surprise, “You’ve been browsing for so long and still haven’t bought anything?”
Liang Mu slowly tightened his grip around the bag’s handles and answered his question: “It was delivered directly to my home.”
Right, forgot this guy is loaded.
Xiao She nodded: “Alright then.” He stood up and took a few steps toward the exit, and Liang Mu naturally followed behind him, carrying the items.
Seeing Liang Mu obediently trailing behind him like that, Xiao She rolled his eyes in his heart.
Keep acting, go ahead and keep up the act. Even when the storyline has skipped straight to a death trap, you still manage to look completely harmless on the surface.
The two walked all the way to the parking lot. Liang Mu went to the trunk to put the items away. When he returned, he saw Xiao She still leaning against the car body with arms crossed, staring at him. He asked in confusion, “Why aren’t you getting in?”
Because you didn’t unlock it.
Xiao She complained internally, but on the surface he put on a nonchalant front: “Well, ‘subordinate,’ I’m waiting for you to open the car door for me.”
Liang Mu stared at him intently for a moment, then walked over and opened the passenger door for him.
Xiao She: Did you press the car key behind my back??
Once Xiao She sat inside, Liang Mu even bent down and leaned in, intending to help him fasten his seatbelt.
Xiao She blinked. Looking at Liang Mu’s approaching side profile, goosebumps broke out all over his back. He pushed the man away with a playful laugh: “No need for that. Being a subordinate and being in a relationship are two completely different things.”
Liang Mu lowered his eyes, stepped back out, walked around the front of the car, and took his place in the driver’s seat.
As the car pulled out of the parking garage, the torrential downpour slammed against the windows with a loud splash, creating a heavy sheet of rain that instantly blurred the outside world.
Xiao She rested his head on his hand and looked out the window. Big, heavy drops of rain constantly battered the road, forming endless streams that poured down into the drainage grates.
What a huge rainstorm, Xiao She thought lazily. It’s almost as big as the tears the original owner will shed during the grand finale.
Liang Mu tried two different routes in a row, but both were completely flooded. He checked the navigation system and found that most of the roads were jammed due to the rainy weather. Turning to Xiao She in the dim light, he said, “The roads are blocked. Do you want to stay at a hotel?”
“No need.” Xiao She didn’t change his posture of supporting his chin with his hand. He looked over, his eyes glinting in the dark interior of the car.
He said, “Didn’t you say you’d put me first? Then let’s just go stay at your place.”
Liang Mu agreed. In the end, the car pulled up in front of a brightly lit grand estate.
The estate occupied half the mountainside, and the sprawling compound of structures inside could be seen from afar. At a single glance, it was clearly a massive residential property.
Xiao felt his head starting to ache again. Sitting up straight, he asked, “Where is this?”
Liang Mu waited for the grand iron gates to automatically open before turning the steering wheel and pulling into the underground garage. He replied, “The Liang Residence.”
Xiao’s blood pressure instantly spiked: “Are you insane? You brought me back to this home?”
“I checked the weather forecast. The rain is very heavy, but the Liang Residence is situated on high ground and won’t get flooded.” Liang Mu glanced over at him: “My own place won’t escape the flooding either, unless you want to go home and go swimming.”
Xiao, she shut his mouth and slouched straight back into his seat. Seeing him like this, a faint trace of laughter finally flickered in Liang Mu’s eyes.
He said in a low voice, “You know my family isn’t short of heirs like me. If you still want me to be of help to you, then don’t go stirring up trouble unnecessarily.” As he spoke, he seemed to amuse himself: “The members of the Liang family don’t show mercy in any aspect.”
Having tried to put on a tough act only to be dragged back to reality, Xiao She said grumpily, “The way you say that makes it sound like your last name isn’t Liang.”
Liang Mu let out a soft laugh: “If I acted like a typical member of the Liang family, you wouldn’t be living anywhere near as comfortably as you are now.”
Xiao, she went to unbuckle his seatbelt. Waiting for the man beside him to step out first, he let out a sigh and said, “That might not necessarily be true.”
A lavish spread of food and dishes had been prepared in the main building. The Liang family gathered together on the fifteenth day of every month.
When Liang Mu brought Xiao She to the dining table, the ten or so people seated around it were all quite taken aback. Liang Yingying directly rolled her eyes and turned her head the other way.
Xiao She whispered, “Why couldn’t you just have someone send some food to my room?”
Liang Mu whispered back, “On the fifteenth of the month, if you don’t eat at dinner, you can only go hungry.”
Xiao She couldn’t afford to starve, so he sat down right as a matter of course.
The people at the table heard their exchange loud and clear. A young man sitting nearby muttered under his breath, “How come any random stray dog or cat can just waltz in here now?”
A woman sitting at the far end of the table was coaxing her child. Hearing this, she persuaded, “At least he was brought here by your eldest brother. Say a little less.”
“Tch.”
Just as everyone was exchanging awkward looks, Old Master Liang arrived.
Before sitting down, Old Master Liang swept his eyes across the people seated around the table. When his gaze landed on Xiao She, he didn’t pause for even a fraction of a second, skipping right over him.
Xiao She marveled in his mind: A veteran of the high seas really is a veteran of the high seas.
Liang Mu took the new set of bowls and chopsticks provided by the maid and set them up for Xiao She. Hearing his comment, he said calmly, “I informed Grandfather in advance.”
“Oh.” Without a moment’s hesitation, Xiao She changed his tune: “The Old Master is truly a good person.”
Liang Mu gave him a strange look: “…” Didn’t you already know that?
Xiao She blinked at him, and the tense atmosphere around the dining table imperceptibly relaxed a little.
Old Master Liang cast an appreciative glance toward Xiao She, then turned and spoke: “Xiao She is a guest invited by Xiao Mu.”
The young man who had spoken earlier spoke up in a brazen manner: “Grandfather, this is a family dinner. Having an outsider join us…”
The sound of the woman setting down her bowl and chopsticks cut off the young man’s words. She offered a strained smile: “Xiao Jun, what nonsense are you talking about? Xiao Mu’s guest is our guest. How could that be anything but good?”
Old Master Liang nodded in agreement: “That’s precisely how it should be.”
Xiao She echoed with a beaming smile, “Thank you, everyone, for the welcome.”
Liang Mu arranged the tableware for Xiao She without showing any anomaly, his posture so natural that no one could spot a single fault.
Old Master Liang sat down and tapped his walking stick against the floor, symbolically drawing everyone’s attention. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth: “I have an announcement to make today.”
Xiao She’s gaze involuntarily drifted toward the floor beneath the head seat. Detecting this, Liang Mu reached out under the table, took Xiao She’s hand, and wrote on his palm: What are you looking at?
Xiao She withdrew his hand without batting an eye. Liang Mu’s empty hand paused for a moment before he slowly pulled it back.
A moment later, a hand secretly snuck beneath the tablecloth and landed on Liang Mu’s thigh. Liang Mu gave a sudden shudder.
Xiao She began writing on Liang Mu’s increasingly tense thigh. Before he could even finish the second character, Liang Mu grabbed his hand tightly, preventing him from moving any further.
Old Master Liang suddenly let out a very stern cough.
Xiao She instantly pulled his hand back, acting completely solemn as if nothing had ever happened.
Only then did Old Master Liang speak in an unhurried manner: “The committee has been contacting me continuously, hoping that I would establish a foundation.”
“In the past, I felt it was inappropriate and delayed it for a long time, but yesterday I sent a reply agreeing to it.”
As soon as his words fell, a prompt rang out inside Xiao She’s brain without any prior warning.
“Ding! Detected a character with a prestige rating reaching 90. Task activated.”
“Activated task: Act rude and disrespectful toward an elder.”
His heart jolted. Turning his head, his gaze met Liang Mu’s.
Liang Mu had clearly received this task as well. He stared at Xiao She, squeezing out a few words through his teeth: “You… really… have… a knack… for this.”