Lin Min froze in his tracks.
He only had time to open his eyes in terror before he felt a chill slither up from the hem of his clothes. Because he was blind, his other senses were exceptionally sharp. Lin Min clearly felt the stinging pain of his earlobe being bitten, along with the cold, hard weight of an arm wrapping around his waist.
However, the sensation was fleeting, as if it existed only to assert dominance over any man coveting the wife. It felt like a punishment for a disobedient little spouse.
Fu Chenyuan’s footsteps paused. He keenly sensed Lin Min’s abnormality. The beautiful husband’s thin body was trembling slightly right before his eyes. His hollow eyes were misted with moisture, and his expression was an indistinguishable mix of pain or perhaps something else. A soft, pleading whimper escaped his lips.
Fu Chenyuan took a step forward. His sharp gaze behind his glasses scanned Lin Min’s surroundings, yet he saw nothing. “Mr. Lin? What happened? Are you alright?”
To reduce the little widower to such a state so easily—Fu Chenyuan immediately realized this was the work of that malevolent ghost who viewed them with rabid hostility.
The man’s voice pulled Lin Min back to his senses. The moment the husband instinctively stepped back, the damp sensation vanished like a hallucination. His rosy lips trembled, and his sightless, dark pearl-like eyes widened in fear.
His voice shook with every breath. “0766, I think I heard Xie Mingyuan’s voice!”
“Has Xie Mingyuan returned early?”
Lin Min was very familiar with that voice. Furthermore, whenever Xie Mingyuan was angry, he would pinch him there. Even now, that spot was still throbbing with a dull pain.
“Do not be afraid, Host. He probably has not. The plot deviation index on my end has not changed,” 0766 comforted its frightened host. It could not see the situation and could only offer reassurance. “Think about it, Host. Given Xie Mingyuan’s usual behavior as a gloomy, possessive ghost who clings to you, if he truly returned, it would not be a matter of a simple pinch. You probably would not be able to stand straight for the rest of the day.”
“I have heard that resentment lingers after death. Perhaps it is Xie Mingyuan’s resentment acting up.”
0766 was not exaggerating. Once, when the host had been coaxed out to dinner by another suitor, Xie Mingyuan had appeared fine on the surface, but the system had been blocked for a day and a night. When it finally heard the host’s voice again, he could only make sounds like a tiny kitten. If Xie Mingyuan really did return early and saw the host actively leaning into another man’s arms, the host might truly be turned into a cream puff.
Lin Min comforted himself with these thoughts. Remembering Fu Chenyuan’s worried inquiry, he felt even more dependent on the man. He instinctively moved closer toward him. “It is nothing. I just felt like someone was touching me again.”
His voice grew softer as he spoke. A blush crept onto his cheeks. Saying such things felt like an admission that he was so unsatisfied after his husband’s death that he was imagining people touching him in secret. Lin Min felt belatedly embarrassed, failing to see the sudden darkening of Fu Chenyuan’s eyes or the faint chill in his gaze as he stared at the floor.
Fu Chenyuan felt a subtle irritation. He knew the instance Boss was asserting sovereignty over him, deliberately making the beautiful husband utter such sounds. Did the Boss think everyone would fall for his wife? However, another thought crossed his mind, and he regained his composure.
Fu Chenyuan stared at the footprints. The instance Boss had appeared much earlier than expected. Perhaps because of this, Xie Mingyuan’s power was significantly weakened, which was why he had not caused any substantial harm yet. Thus, Fu Chenyuan did not reject the husband’s proximity. He wanted to test Xie Mingyuan’s strength.
Lin Min did not know what Fu Chenyuan was thinking. Because his clothes were still quite thin and he felt insecure after the recent incident, he decided to go upstairs to change into something warmer. He felt his way toward the stairs, unaware of the various expressions on the players’ faces as they watched his retreating figure.
The little widower looked tall and thin, but that specific area was rounded. It seemed as though all his softness was concentrated in that one place.
Fu Chenyuan was the first to look away. He turned to Wei Chi, who was standing nearby in thought. “Was it you who dealt with the people outside? Is it cleaned up?”
He vaguely remembered Wei Chi going out the previous night and returning with something in his hand.
“Yes,” Wei Chi replied succinctly. He took out an identification badge and shook it in front of them. “It was one of Xie Mingyuan’s former subordinates and someone sent by a rival company. However, the strange thing is that they were not after the inheritance as the police suggested. They were looking for something.”
Wei Chi’s face remained expressionless as he looked at Fu Chenyuan, whose face showed a glimmer of interest. “I questioned them, but they only said the item was in the bedroom. Additionally, we were intercepted once on our way to the bank today. Perhaps we can start with Lin Min. He might know something regarding Xie Mingyuan’s affairs. He trusts you more. It should be easier if you do it.”
Wei Chi spoke in a steady tone as he tossed the identification badge to Fu Chenyuan. Although he was used to clearing instances alone, he knew his personality was not likable. It was better to leave such matters to Fu Chenyuan, whom the little widower preferred.
He inevitably thought of what had happened the previous night. The little widower probably would not want to be close to him again. Looking at his cold face, no one could guess what he was thinking, but Fu Chenyuan noticed a slight tell in the way he stared at the creases on his own sleeve. Fu Chenyuan did not dwell on it and glanced at the badge.
Staring at the words “Everlife Technology,” Fu Chenyuan noted it down and handed the badge back. “Trust? Perhaps not. I am merely temporarily safer in his eyes. To pry information out of him, we will need other methods of assistance. I investigated beforehand. He gets drunk very easily.”
Lin Min did not know what the players were discussing. His reason for coming upstairs was not just about the clothes; that specific area felt uncomfortable from being rubbed, perhaps because it had brushed against Fu Chenyuan yesterday.
He walked over to the massive wardrobe in the corner. All of Lin Min’s clothes had been provided by Xie Mingyuan, who had loved buying clothes for him. As the collection grew, a custom wardrobe was built in addition to the walk-in closet. It was large enough to hide a person inside.
He picked out some soft clothes to change into. However, the moment he turned the doorknob, the stinging pain from the fabric rubbing against him felt like an electric current surging through his body. Even this fabric would not work? Lin Min knit his brows in frustration.
Even if he could not see himself, he knew the area must be swollen and rounded, stretching the thin fabric into a visible curve. His cheeks burned with shame. In an act of concealment, he covered the swollen area and retreated back into the room. With a slight frown and a hunched back, he felt quite annoyed as he carefully lifted the hem of his shirt.
“Maybe I should use something to tape it down. 0766 probably cannot see this, right?”
The posture was somewhat shameful. The modest husband did not want anyone to see him like this, not even the system. However, being blind, he naturally did not notice a silent dark shadow standing at the gap of the door. The door, which had been left slightly ajar, was blown open by the wind. Everything happening inside the room was now clearly visible to the newcomer.
Wei Chi stood at the doorway. His tall, broad shouldered, and narrow waisted frame nearly filled the entire doorframe. A rare, minute trace of stillness appeared on his habitually expressionless face. He had only come to retrieve the box brought back from the bank; he had not expected to unintentionally witness such a scene.
The beautiful husband was obediently biting the hem of his shirt. His snowy-white, clean face was tinged with a slight blush, looking as if he were doing something naughty. The corners of his lips were rubbed into a glistening wetness.
The swollen area looked truly pitiable. Since he could not see, he could only feel around with his fingers. Just as his fingertips brushed against it, he could not help but shiver. His abdomen, which tapered inward, trembled uncontrollably, and a muffled whimper escaped his blocked mouth.
Wei Chi’s cold face showed no expression, but his muscles tensed with every breath. A strange emotion surfaced in his heart. He did not know why he did not leave immediately, but instead stayed like a voyeur watching the beautiful widower left behind in his deceased boss’s home. From that narrow, delicate waist to the area the beautiful husband was struggling to cover, the snowy-white softness was eye catching.
Wei Chi knew he was not interested in men, but he could not distinguish what his current emotion was. For someone born into the world of underground boxing, his only way to release energy was through the visceral impact of fists against opponents in the ring. However, in such high adrenaline environments, he occasionally heard discussions about such matters.
Who was whiter, who was softer, and who was better to kiss.
Wei Chi had never participated. He had no interest in those filthy jokes and did not understand the appeal of exchanging saliva. Sometimes, out of impatience, he would even drag them into a fight. Yet, looking at the wetness at the corner of the husband’s lips, he felt inexplicably thirsty, and his Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously.
Those lewd words circled in Wei Chi’s mind. But he was not the husband of this beautiful man. He could only see the slender waist through the gap, but he did not know if it was soft or if the moist, red mouth was truly that fragrant. This realization caused Wei Chi to look away as if he had been burned. He raised his hand to close the door, but a sound like a kitten’s cry came from inside the room.
Feeling discouraged by repeated failures, Lin Min let go of the hem he was biting. The fabric fell softly. His voice carried a slight pant from the previous exertion. “Why won’t it stick properly?” The area around it had been rubbed red from his efforts.
Wei Chi’s movements paused. His cold eyes looked toward the blind husband inside the room, who seemed completely unaware of his presence. Seeing the other person lift his shirt again, frowning and trying to find the position of the injury on his chest, Wei Chi felt an inexplicable mix of thoughts. He did not know if he should speak up; he felt a strange sense of wrongness, as if he were peeping at his boss’s wife. Yet his gaze remained fixed there, seeing the already red and swollen area looking even more pitiable and rounded under the husband’s fingers.
Wei Chi did not know if he should knock to warn him. However, before he could speak, he suddenly noticed Zhou Jin’s unmistakable bright red hair at the bottom of the stairs. The other man had not noticed him yet. He was looking at his phone with a strange expression while walking upstairs.
Wei Chi froze for a moment. He looked at the blind husband inside the room, who was struggling to bite his shirt hem, completely unaware that this posture made everything clearly visible. His time in the underground gym had shaped his taciturn and trouble-avoiding personality.
Perhaps worried that Zhou Jin would notice and that it would be difficult to explain this scene, Wei Chi instinctively stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. It was only when he caught the faint fragrance in the air that he realized what he had just done.
Outside the door, the sound of Zhou Jin’s footsteps seemed to pause for a moment but soon faded away. Wei Chi did not care. His attention was entirely on the husband, whose eyes were red and who had nearly torn off all the adhesive bandages in fright. Up close, he could now see deep and shallow red marks on the husband’s fair neck.
“Who is there?” Lin Min suddenly heard the cold voice of a man at the doorway.
Only then did he sluggishly realize that he had apparently forgotten to close the door. His sightless eyes widened, and his cheeks instantly turned a deep crimson, even his ears flushing red. Wei Chi thought of the scene he had witnessed upon returning the previous night. He could roughly guess who had made those marks. His Adam’s apple bobbed. Driven by an unknown sentiment, he looked at the husband and asked, “Do you need my help?”
Wei Chi’s voice remained flat, as if he were merely explaining his reason for entering. He knew the beautiful husband had no interest in him. He lacked the youthful vitality of Zhou Jin and was not as gentle as Fu Chenyuan. Even if he offered, the other person would not agree.
Lin Min’s face exploded in heat. He recognized the voice as Wei Chi’s. If what had just happened was truly seen, Lin Min felt that in that man’s eyes, he must seem like a lonely widower who could not endure the lack of a husband’s comfort. He dared not think further. Besides, how could anyone ask for help with such a thing?
“I,” Lin Min was about to refuse directly when he heard the silent 0766 speak.
“Plot generating.”
“Although your kindness was misunderstood last night and you were mocked and thrown out by the players, your gentle and kind nature means you do not blame them. You only feel that you were inconsiderate. They are all good children. It is only because they are too young and do not know how to interact with people that they say such things.”
“Hearing the player’s request now, although you are hesitant and ashamed, you feel you cannot let the player’s kindness go to waste. Saint Value: +15%.”
Lin Min, who had intended to refuse, felt his cheeks burn at the new task. How could he ask someone else to help with this? His snowy fingertips curled in shame. However, looking at the mission countdown, he struggled to steady himself.
Wei Chi, who had been expecting the beautiful character to refuse him, instead saw the little widower tilt his elegant face up. He slowly felt his way over and pulled Wei Chi’s large, callused palm with his snowy fingertips. He placed two adhesive bandages into the palm.
Biting the hem of his sweater with his rosy lips, his usually clear voice now trembled with shame. “It hurts very much from the rubbing. Thank you for being willing to help me.”