Fu Chenyuan looked down at him. The reason he was not as severely affected as Zhou Jin might have been because of what happened in the reception hall, when the little widower treated him like a sofa while looking for him. That was why his mating period was so severe.
The beautiful husband’s cheeks were red enough to drip blood. His swollen lips trembled, but he could not say a single word. Even his slender white neck and exquisite collarbones were instantly dyed with a faint crimson. He instinctively pressed his legs together, trying to shield himself from the man’s gaze.
“No, that will not do,” Lin Min finally found his voice, weak as a mosquito, filled with a sobbing tone and strong resistance. “Is saliva not enough?”
Fu Chenyuan looked down at him. Those long eyes, usually calm and self-possessed, were now dark as an abyss, swirling with complex emotions Lin Min could not understand. His voice was deep and hoarse, his tone of rational analysis at odds with his burning breath and tense body. “It took so long with me for me to regain my reason. If it were Zhou Jin, he might bite your mouth until it can never open again. Not to mention Wei Chi.”
Fu Chenyuan seemed not to care at all, acting as if he was only considering the other players’ lives and Lin Min’s mouth. Lin Min shuddered, scared out of his wits by the direct implications of the man’s deep words. He also suddenly realized he had been tricked by Fu Chenyuan earlier; the other man had also been infected.
He bit his lip and instinctively touched his lower abdomen, his snow-white fingers turning slightly pink. Fu Chenyuan’s gaze suddenly deepened as he followed the unconscious movement of Lin Min protecting his abdomen. That slender white wrist glowed with a soft luster in the dim light, looking as if it would snap at a touch.
His tone returned to its usual gentleness. “I can help you catch them.”
“We have to be quick, or else Xie Mingyuan will find his way here.”
Fu Chenyuan forced himself to ignore that slight sense of discomfort. Why did he care so much about a mere NPC? Ultimately, he could only attribute everything to the influence of the mating period.
Lin Min’s moist eyelashes trembled. Thinking of Xie Mingyuan, he had no choice but to agree to the man’s request. It was not easy for them to reach a point where they did not have to die together. Furthermore, they had turned into this state because of him.
With these thoughts, he finally nodded. He listened as Fu Chenyuan opened the stall door and walked out. Lin Min himself, eyes red with shame, began searching the limited space of the room for a cup.
The sound of fighting soon erupted outside.
Lin Min bit his lip and felt around, finally finding what he wanted on a neatly arranged cup rack nearby.
He leaned against the wall, depleted of strength, gasping for air. His entire body felt as if it had been plucked from the water, soaked in sweat and tears. He did not dare to imagine what had just happened.
Just then, the storage room door was swung open.
The light outlined Fu Chenyuan’s tall figure, and his gaze immediately fell upon Lin Min.
The beautiful little widower was curled in the corner, his snow-white skin glowing with an alluring luster in the gloom. He tightly clutched a cup filled with water, his cheeks crimson, looking as if he had been bullied miserably yet was unable to resist.
Fu Chenyuan took a deep breath and forced his gaze away. He picked up the fallen jacket and draped it over Lin Min’s shoulders again, tucking it in carefully. It was only when he spoke that he realized how hoarse his voice had become.
“I have already tied the person up.”
Fu Chenyuan looked at the cup in Lin Min’s hand. It was just as he remembered. There was a lot.
Lin Min felt the cup was scalding to the touch, but he was afraid of being looked down upon by a young man even younger than himself. Despite his crimson cheeks, he stood up and acted as if nothing had happened. He handed the cup over.
Fu Chenyuan, who was usually a germaphobe, did not refuse. His Adam’s apple rolled unconsciously as he turned and walked out.
The contents of the cup were soon half-depleted.
Zhou Jin, who had been struggling, saw his eyes clear up slightly. He instinctively smacked his lips. “What is this? Why is it so sweet?”
No one answered him. However, chaotic memories suddenly flashed through Zhou Jin’s mind. After being infected, he had chased the little widower like a dog, trying to gnaw on him. His face instantly turned bright red.
However, once the little widower came out, Zhou Jin’s expression immediately darkened again. “You… you let him kiss you? You dodged me so quickly, yet your mouth has been kissed nearly to pieces by another man!”
“Do you hate me that much?”
He stared at the little widower’s lips, then looked at Fu Chenyuan nearby, whose clothes were clearly disheveled. He became even angrier.
Lin Min shrank back in fear, and the man in front of him instinctively shielded him.
Looking at Zhou Jin’s teeth-gritting expression, Fu Chenyuan spoke to him with a normal demeanor. “Let’s go find Wei Chi next. We must find him before Xie Mingyuan does, and help him end his mating period while we are at it.”
He offered the reminder in a flat tone.
Zhou Jin also remembered that his own mating period had ended. However, he recalled that for a creature like a hornet, ending the mating period required many partners. He instinctively looked at the cup. Suddenly realizing something, his face turned bright red.
As if to cover something up, Zhou Jin swallowed all his intended questioning. He stood up and deliberately avoided looking at the little widower who still tethered his emotions. “Fine. Then… then let’s go.”
With that, he took the first step out of the room.
Lin Min’s eyes were also red with shame. Now, he only hoped this dream would end quickly.
Fu Chenyuan fastened the buttons of the suit jacket for him, slightly obscuring the suggestive disarray. His gaze uncontrollably fell on the lingering flush on Lin Min’s face and his slightly swollen lips. He was stunned for a moment once he realized what he was doing.
Watching this scene, Zhou Jin’s Adam’s apple rolled involuntarily. Fire rose in his heart, yet he did not know who to vent it on. He could only irritably run a hand through his fiery red hair and take the lead with his long legs. “What are you lingering for? Hurry up!”
The hallway was deathly silent. Only the footsteps of the three of them could be heard.
Lin Min was partially shielded behind Fu Chenyuan. The sensation of the cup’s rim and that unspeakable warmth still lingered on his fingertips. He kept his eyes lowered, not daring to recall how he had trembled against the wall in that dark room.
He truly hoped they would find Wei Chi soon.
Fortunately, their luck was good. As they rounded a corner, they heard a familiar muffled groan. Lin Min immediately realized what was happening. His snow-white fingertips gripped his sleeves tightly.
Inside the room, Wei Chi also sensed something. He proactively opened the door and walked out. The moment he emerged, his gaze locked onto the little widower with the flushed face. He was immediately seized by Zhou Jin and Fu Chenyuan.
They held the cup and poured it into him.
Standing beside him, Zhou Jin watched this scene and remembered that the little widower had treated him the same way. An unbearable thirst surged inexplicably in his throat.
Wei Chi finally regained his reason. He did not dare look at the little widower before him, remaining silent as he tasted the faint sweetness in his mouth.
Lin Min was already too ashamed to lift his head.
A short distance away, Fu Chenyuan used the internal player communication to speak to Zhou Jin: I bought a potion in the mall that can erase part of a person’s memory. We should find a way to make him drink it later.
The nonchalant expression on Zhou Jin’s face froze.
If he still remembers, there is no guarantee he won’t leave this villa out of fear, Fu Chenyuan said calmly, as if everything that happened today meant nothing to him. As soon as he leaves the villa, the dungeon boss will go with him.
Hearing these words, Zhou Jin glanced at the red-faced little widower but ultimately said nothing.
Lin Min was completely unaware of what they were discussing. Just as he was about to follow the players away, Fu Chenyuan suddenly called out to him and pressed a bottle of water into his hand. Because of what had just happened, his brain was groggy. He forgot to wonder where the man had gotten the water and simply took a few sips.
However, before Lin Min could relax, a sudden drop in temperature pulled his thoughts back. He instantly had an ominous premonition.
A familiar chill gripped Lin Min’s ankle. Just as he wanted to struggle, the sound of a swinging pendulum suddenly echoed in his ears. The ground beneath his feet began to shake; he realized that the time set by Xie Mingyuan had ended.
At the same time, Zhou Jin felt a heat in his heart. Thinking that the little widower would soon forget all this, he wanted to question him about why he was on his back earlier. But the scene before his eyes suddenly began to distort. An irresistible drowsiness hit him, and he was dragged into a deep sleep.
Lin Min was the same. Before falling unconscious, the husband opened his eyes wide. His husband’s deep, wicked voice echoed in his ears:
“Did you think it wouldn’t matter once the two hours were up?”
“Baby, there are still three days left.”
“I will be back.”
Lin Min felt somewhat groggy when he woke up. He felt as if he had been thoroughly cleaned; there was no smell of alcohol on him, only the faint scent of shower gel.
The soreness in his lower abdomen immediately pulled his thoughts back. Terrified, Lin Min sat up abruptly. Sensing the soft touch beneath him, he realized he was lying in bed. The air was filled with the scent of incense that he liked.
He felt around the head of the bed, his hands shaking as he found his familiar chick plushie. He hugged it before tentatively asking: 0766, are you there?
After speaking, Lin Min felt himself. He had already been changed into cotton pajamas. Everything that happened last night felt like a dream. He was not even sure if Xie Mingyuan had truly returned.
For some reason, those memories seemed exceptionally blurred and indistinct. Some were even completely fragmented, to the point where Lin Min was not sure if it had been a dream.
While he was nervous, the familiar mechanical voice finally reappeared in his mind.
[What is it, Host? Did you have a nightmare?] Although 0766 was limited by the host’s field of vision and could not see outside, it could hear that the host’s voice was trembling, as if he had recently finished crying.
Lin Min hurried to deny it. His beautiful face, still flushed with a slight blush, showed a bit of confusion and fear. He asked tentatively: Last night, the players and I were all captured by Xie Mingyuan.
He was too embarrassed to mention those messy events.
[Captured by Xie Mingyuan? But I didn’t detect any abnormal data fluctuations last night,] 0766’s cold mechanical voice now carried a hint of confusion. [Nothing shows up on my end. Why don’t we go downstairs and ask the players?]
In 0766’s memory, it had lost contact with the host after the host got drunk.
“Then I will go down and take a look. What time is it?” Lin Min also felt this made sense. He did not have time to change clothes and headed straight out the door. His beautiful face was full of urgency, partly because the role required it and partly because he desperately wanted to know the answer himself.
Thinking of his husband’s last sentence, Lin Min felt the ache in his belly intensify.
He felt around for his blind cane. After leaving the room, he heard 0766 say it was already 7:30 the next morning. The aroma of breakfast wafted through the air. Lin Min guessed that Wei Chi was likely making breakfast again.
At the thought of Wei Chi, his footsteps faltered. He inexplicably thought of Xie Mingyuan saying the man was thinking about that regarding him.
Lin Min took a few deep breaths to compose himself. Pretending nothing had happened, he prepared to go down, but then he heard conversation from downstairs. It seemed they mentioned his name, calling him a coward and such. It was Zhou Jin’s voice.
But when he tried to listen more closely, the conversation vanished, perhaps because they had noticed him. Instead, Fu Chenyuan’s voice greeted him as warmly as ever.
Lin Min stopped and asked, “Good morning. Were you talking about something? I thought I heard my name.”
His fingers tightened around his blind cane. Was last night truly not a dream?
“You were drunk last night. Perhaps because so much has happened recently, you kept crying. We were very worried.” Fu Chenyuan stood still, seemingly maintaining a deliberate distance. “So, did you have a nightmare last night?”
Even Zhou Jin, who loved to tease him, remained silent.
Unfortunately, Lin Min was so focused on Fu Chenyuan’s words that he completely failed to notice this anomaly. He also did not realize that the moment he spoke, everyone’s gaze was focused on him—especially Zhou Jin’s.
Before Zhou Jin had the chance to interrogate him, the dungeon boss had thrown them all out.
Looking at the pure and beautiful little widower before him, Zhou Jin knit his brows irritably. He felt that the restlessness must be because he had been “targeted” by a man and could not settle down; it was a normal physiological reaction for a straight man. Therefore, he decided he must stay far away from this little widower in the future.
He would even lock his door before sleeping!
He was like that just by being on his back; if he actually lay in the same bed, wouldn’t they ruin several sets of sheets?
Zhou Jin’s Adam’s apple rolled unconsciously. He was not like Wei Chi, the kind of man who thought of filthy things just because he saw a pretty boy. He was conservative; his first time had to be saved for his future wife. Even if the little widower touched his abs or deliberately let him smell his scent, he would not agree.
Yet, Zhou Jin felt an inexplicable irritability. After doing those things to him yesterday, he had those kinds of dreams all night even after returning, not getting a wink of sleep. Why was it that only he remembered, while the little widower remained pure and innocent?
He stared fixedly at the beautiful husband.
Lin Min was entirely unaware of the players’ thoughts. He was still trying to process Fu Chenyuan’s words and relayed them to 0766: So the players mean I was just having a nightmare last night?
He tried rubbing his legs together; they did not seem to hurt. Was everything last night truly just a dream? Although he had expected this, Lin Min could not tell if he was relieved or disappointed that his efforts had been in vain.
He was about to probe further when he heard Fu Chenyuan’s voice. He heard the man’s footsteps, seemingly taking a few steps closer toward him.
“Mr. Lin.”
“This is the box you brought back yesterday. Would you like us to help you open it and take a look?” Fu Chenyuan held the box. Although he said this, he showed no intention of leaving.
Lin Min’s attention was captured. The box was the one he had retrieved from the bank earlier.
Identifying Fu Chenyuan’s voice, Lin Min fumbled his way to the source of the sound and took the box. He felt the cold casing, reached out to turn the latch, and opened the lid. He did not actually know what was inside.
Nervously, he reached in to feel around and pulled out a round object. There seemed to be the sound of liquid sloshing inside. Lin Min shook it with some confusion.
Suddenly, his wrist was seized. Before he could react, the object was taken from his hand. He thought he had upset the players somehow, but he could not see that the several players were currently staring at the words “Eternal Life Technology” printed on the object. They warily blocked him behind them.
Fu Chenyuan maintained his gentle expression. He stepped forward and took out the remaining items from the box. It was a business card with an address. It also bore the name “Eternal Life Technology.”
Fu Chenyuan lowered his eyes and examined it for a moment. He picked up the card with his well-defined fingers, then suddenly looked up at the beautiful husband, who seemed to know nothing, and asked, “Mr. Lin, do you know about Eternal Life Technology?”
Before Lin Min woke from his sleep, he and Wei Chi had searched the bedroom thoroughly but found nothing useful.
“Eternal Life Technology?” Lin Min was stunned. The name sounded familiar. He quickly recalled that the restoration potion Xie Mingyuan had brought back for him was from this company.
His blindness was acquired; he had injured his eyes in a car accident before he met Xie Mingyuan. At that time, he was not only blind but also in great pain. Later, Xie Mingyuan sent him this potion. After using the drops for a while, the pain did stop, but once he realized there was no sign of his vision recovering, he gradually stopped using them.
Thinking it might be related to the players’ mission, Lin Min had no intention of hiding it. “Is something wrong? When my eyes were injured before, Mingyuan took me to a private hospital owned by Eternal Life Technology.”
However, he had not gone back for a check-up in a long time. Lin Min always felt that hospital was a bit strange.
“It’s nothing, just a bit curious. I see there is a treatment slip among the things Mr. Xie left behind.” Fu Chenyuan was now almost certain that Xie Mingyuan’s death was related to Eternal Life Technology. He just was not sure what had happened; to know the details, he would have to visit the place.
With this in mind, Fu Chenyuan put down the card and turned his gaze back to the gentle husband. Following the flow, he said, “I see it’s almost time for your follow-up appointment. We happen to have a car. Why don’t we take you for a check-up before we leave?”
He wanted to see what was going on with that hospital first. There was, of course, no treatment slip, but based on Fu Chenyuan’s knowledge of eye diseases and the boss’s level of care for this NPC, he would certainly take him for regular follow-ups.
Though it was a judgment based on logic, Fu Chenyuan kept thinking about what happened yesterday. He could not help but roll his Adam’s apple and look away. He looked at his own hands; his long joints were starting to turn red from over-washing. Even though he had disinfected them, he still felt that sense of uncontrollable suffocation. He did not want things to happen that were outside of his control.
Although Lin Min was somewhat slow, he could hear the intent in Fu Chenyuan’s words. Although he did not like that hospital, the other was clearly doing it for the mission. As a Saint NPC, Lin Min naturally could not refuse. So, he finally agreed to the players’ request. Confused and coaxed by Fu Chenyuan, he decided to go to the hospital after breakfast.
He followed Fu Chenyuan to the dining table. Once he felt around and sat on the stool, he suddenly realized the atmosphere at the table was somewhat heavy. Even Zhou Jin was not saying much; there was just a constant, burning gaze directed at him.
Lin Min pursed his lips and blinked, figuring he no longer had much utility value, which was why the players were ignoring him. But at the same time, he faintly felt something was wrong. He whispered to 0766 in his mind: I always feel their attitude toward me is strange.
He could not figure out the reason for the sudden change in the players’ attitudes. But then again, such a change seemed normal.
[Don’t overthink it, Host,] 0766 analyzed, worried that the host might be too scared by the nightmare to complete the mission. [It’s probably because of the Eternal Life Technology matter; they are thinking about the mission.]
Despite this, Lin Min’s heart felt heavy. He was still very concerned about last night’s “dream.”
Lin Min put down his spoon and spoke softly, “I’m finished. Once I change my clothes, we can depart.”
“Alright,” Fu Chenyuan replied.
Lin Min stood up, supporting himself against the edge of the table. He walked slowly, his blind cane making a faint tap-tap sound on the wooden floor, which sounded exceptionally clear in the overly quiet living room. He felt several gazes following him from behind, making his spine stiffen slightly and his footsteps as he went upstairs a bit frantic.
Only after confirming he was out of sight from the first floor did Lin Min lean against the wall of the second floor and let out a soft sigh. Aside from those memories of unknown veracity, he truly could not remember anything else.
Was everything last night really just a dream?
He instinctively pressed his legs together, and his cheeks began to burn again.