As soon as they stepped outside, Qi Lin’s anger completely erupted. Gripping Zhuang Yuhua by the throat, he roared: “You said you would help me, yet time and time again you pulled me away. What kind of trick are you trying to pull? Did Li Chen buy you off?”
Zhuang Yuhua was speechless. You are the coward who chickened out and scared your husband away! Being a matchmaker and cannon fodder is really hard, okay!
Wriggling out enough space to breathe, he pressed his palms together in a pleading gesture and shook them back and forth: ” muebles If you roar this loudly and my big brother hears, my score for good impressions will be completely ruined.”
He emphasized the word “brother” heavily. Even a pig using its brain could understand what it meant: if you want to step into my family’s door, don’t mess with my brother-in-law.
Qi Lin’s mouth twitched. Punching the empty air, he let out a huffy breath through his flared nostrils and limped away.
Zhuang Yuhua irritably grabbed a handful of his hair, cast a helpless glance at the closed bedroom door, and screamed internally: Being a matchmaker cannon fodder is truly difficult!
Scarcely had he returned to his room when a knock sounded at the door. Figuring Qi Lin had nowhere to sleep and came back, since the system’s execution was truly reliable, he opened it right up.
The moment the door pulled wide, Zhou Ze smiled and greeted him: “Xiao Hua…”
Zhuang Yuhua moved to shut the door, but seeing Zhou Ze’s slender hand grab the door frame, he nearly jumped in fright and hurriedly let go: “What are you doing?”
Taking the opportunity, Zhou Ze squeezed inside, lowering his gaze with a hesitant expression: “Xiao Hua, can I sleep with you today?”
“No.” Zhuang Yuhua answered bluntly, reaching for the door handle.
With his back against the door and his hand gripping the handle, Zhou Ze blinked and spoke in a tiny voice: “I had a fight with Li Chen, and I do not want to go back.”
Their hands brushed against each other. Zhuang Yuhua, broad-shouldered and slightly sturdier, practically enveloped the other man in his shadow. It was an ambiguous posture, but he felt none of it.
With his brows tightly knitted and a look of deep agitation, resembling a leopard ready to snap at any moment, he let out a cold huff from his nose, pressed the door handle, and forcefully shoved the man back outside.
The door slammed shut with a heavy thud.
At the very final second, he saw the little octopus atop Zhou Ze’s head looking like it was about to cry its eyes out, while the waves along the edge of the virtual frame seemed to roll even more violently.
[Xiao Hua hates me]
Zhuang Yuhua tossed and turned on the bed in agitation, unable to figure out where his foolproof plan had gone wrong. They had barely arrived at the destination before all four of them fell out with each other.
Checking the time, he saw it was getting late.
With a sudden bolt upright, he pumped himself up: The plan cannot stop. Since we are already here, we have to see it through.
Whatever happened before, let us just write it off as an accident and start fresh!
Besides, if he failed to finish the task any longer, his spot as number one in the industry would be impossible to hold down.
Step one, first win back the target’s trust.
Tugging at his hair in an attempt to shake off the frustration, he howled internally: I have seriously never met such a bizarre target!
[999, where is the big boss? Has he gone back?]
999 unfolded a floor plan in his mind, marking a small glowing dot: [Ever since the target left, he has remained in motion, moving slowly and without any fixed destination.]
Taking a quick look, Zhuang Yuhua bolted out the door: [Next time just say he is taking a walk.]
[…] 999 replied after a long pause: [Save successful.]
Taking a shortcut to chase after Zhou Ze, he found him alongside a highway two kilometers away.
On a cliff built of jagged, piled-up rocks, Zhou Ze stood facing the biting wind, his black trench coat snapping loudly.
The black rocks were sharp and jagged, the black canopy of the sky felt oppressive and lonely, and the black sea was cold and indifferent.
Walking over, Zhuang Yuhua caught sight of his complexion: ghostly pale.
“Are you planning to walk all the way back?” he asked half-jokingly, neither hot nor cold, maintaining a careful distance.
“Xiao Hua?” Zhou Ze was startled when he heard the voice from behind. Surprise was quickly followed by boundless excitement and a sense of fortunate relief.
The blue frame above his head faded slightly:
[Good thing Xiao Hua does not hate me that much]
Down below the cliff, the sea waves crashed furiously upward, churning up white foam and letting out a deafening roar.
Zhuang Yuhua’s first reaction was that this place was seriously unfit for a conversation.
Lifting his gaze, he saw the tip of Zhou Ze’s nose frozen bright red and felt even less inclined to linger: “Let us head back.”
“Xiao Hua!” Left behind, Zhou Ze felt a wave of lonely panic suddenly wash over him. He rushed forward to grab the other man, but his foot got wedged into a crack in the rock, and with a sharp click, it gave way.
Unable to hold back a gasp of pain, he dropped to a crouch clutching his knees, tears welling up in his eyes, yet the figure ahead kept walking without even turning back.
He wanted to cry, but not from the pain.
Biting down hard on his knuckle, he forced himself to swallow back his cowardly tears, while helplessly holding onto the desperate hope that the person might turn around.
With only the sound of the wind and the crashing waves in his ears, Zhuang Yuhua assumed Zhou Ze was following right behind him. After walking a long way and finally figuring out how to break the awkwardness, he turned his head, only to find nobody there!
“Zhou Ze?!” Striding back quickly, amid the pitch-black stones, he finally managed to spot a tiny black figure.
“Zhou Ze? What is wrong?” Not daring to get too close, he squatted down carefully and asked.
“I am fine.” Zhou Ze raised his head and forced a smile.
Frowning, Zhuang Yuhua thought that smile looked even worse than crying.
He watched the constantly shifting inner voice panel, where the blue grew deeper and deeper while the little octopus slumped over in tears:
[Xiao Hua does not want me anymore]
[I hate myself so much]
[I want to die]
The virtual frame shifted from blue to pitch black. At the same exact moment, an alarm rang out in Zhuang Yuhua’s head:
[Target has entered the corruption process, the small world is collapsing. Host, please handle this immediately]
“I am right here! I did not abandon you!” Zhuang Yuhua pulled the man straight into his arms, only to realize his entire body was trembling. “It was my fault for walking ahead and not holding onto you. I am here to pick you up.”
Biting down hard on his lower lip, Zhou Ze pressed his thumb into the web of his hand, eyes squeezed shut as he fought to force the tears back down.
His inner voice frame shifted back to blue, though the shade remained deep:
[Xiao Hua is lying to me]
“I am telling the truth. I did not abandon you, I am right here.” Zhuang Yuhua gently patted the man’s back, smoothing out the tense muscles bit by bit. “If I ever leave you behind again, I am a complete bastard.”
In a low yet firm tone, he added: “I will definitely give you happiness.”
Even if the protagonist gong and the spare tire were both somewhat unreliable, his skills were top-tier. After a period of guidance, whoever it was would turn into an attentive, warm, and romantic excellent husband.
Watching the virtual frame cycle frantically through a rainbow of colors, he could roughly guess how turbulent Zhou Ze’s internal thoughts must be.
Before long, the virtual frame settled on a pale blue, with a single tear lingering on the edge of the little octopus’s eye, half-falling.
[I believe Xiao Hua]
Startled, Zhuang Yuhua told 999: [I feel like my linguistic artistry has improved yet again. I turned the tables with just a few words.]
999 flattered him: [The Host is amazing, crisis averted!]
“Then let us go home, together.” Standing up, Zhuang Yuhua extended a hand toward Zhou Ze.
“Okay.” Lowering his head to quickly wipe away a tear, Zhou Ze placed his hand in his.
That hand was warm and strong.
Pulling with a hearty tug, Zhuang Yuhua hoisted him up. The moment they took a single step, Zhou Ze suddenly lost his footing and pitched forward. Instinctively grabbing him by the waist, Zhuang Yuhua hauled him tight against his chest.
“What is wrong?”
“It seems that I sprained my ankle.”
The virtual frame’s blue deepened:
[Xiao Hua is going to find me troublesome]
The frame darkened further, Zhou Ze’s breathing accelerated noticeably, and the grip clutching his clothes tightened.
[Xiao Hua is going to abandon me]
Zhuang Yuhua sighed internally: He really is a sensitive little rabbit.
Picking the man up bridal-style, he carefully navigated through the cluster of rocks, picked out a flat boulder to seat him on, and squatted down to examine his foot.
Zhou Ze flinched away, looking somewhat incredulous.
“It is okay to be vulnerable sometimes. You are not made of steel, getting hurt is inevitable, and it is only right that I take care of you.” Zhuang Yuhua gently touched the ankle, feeling the tension in his body relax slightly.
“You are my brother, are you not?”
The virtual frame began cycling through rainbow colors once more. Chuckling to himself, Zhuang Yuhua switched on his flashlight to inspect the injury.
The ankle joint was swollen a full circle. When he gave it a light touch, Zhou Ze could not hold back a hiss, though he quickly swallowed the tail end of the sound.
“I will carry you. Get on.” Bending down, Zhuang Yuhua patted his own thigh to signal him to climb aboard.
“No need…” Zhou Ze instinctively refused.
[I am too heavy, I will wear Xiao Hua out]
“Brother, I am not tired. In fact, I wish you would gain a few more pounds.” Zhuang Yuhua chuckled softly with a hint of teasing. “If not, I will just squat right here and keep you company all night so we can watch the sunrise together in the morning.”
“Do not.” Blinking, Zhou Ze slowly rested his hands on the other’s shoulders. Sensing no rejection from the body beneath him, he carefully leaned his upper body against his back.
As he was lifted instantly into the air, he nervously grabbed the fabric across Zhuang Yuhua’s chest and locked his arms tight.
“Brother, relax a bit. It is too tight, I cannot move.”
Zhou Ze’s ears flushed red in an instant. Awkwardly loosening his grip, he was forced to loop his arms loosely around the other’s neck when Zhuang Yuhua gave a slight upward bounce.
Two kilometers was not all that far. The whole way back, Zhuang Yuhua amusedly watched the virtual frame shift through every color of the spectrum.
Even without looking, he knew how turbulent Zhou Ze’s internal journey must be, feeling every rapid beat of his heart.
“Brother, I am sorry.” Seizing the right moment, he lowered his head and played the part of a penitent, obedient child. “Back at the pool, I should not have walked off like that. I was wrong.”
A chuckle sounded from behind, followed by a light pat on top of his head.
Softly, Zhou Ze said: “I did not blame you.”
Zhuang Yuhua froze, only then remembering to check the data changes: [999, I practically drove the big boss to the brink of death. How high is the hostility value now?]
He was afraid that acting too well-behaved might let the hostility value drop.
Regretfully, 999 reported: [Host, the protagonist shou’s hostility value has not changed at all. Please keep up the good work.]
?
Puzzled, Zhuang Yuhua felt a gentle tap on his shoulder as Zhou Ze pointed toward a brightly lit spot not far ahead: “Let us go rest on the beach for a while.”
“Sure.” Carrying him over, Zhuang Yuhua froze at the sight of a heart-shaped enclosure outlined with glowing light strips and fresh flowers.
This was a proposal sanctuary prepared for the protagonist, where the ring was buried right beneath the crossed wine bottles.
Offering an awkward smile, he spoke with a trace of insecurity in his voice: “Looks like we accidentally crashed someone else’s spot. Should we…”
Massaging the crown of his head with a smile, Zhou Ze replied: “It is so late, they have probably all left. It should be fine to sit for a little while.”
With the sea breeze blowing, the sand soft underfoot, and a distant lighthouse blinking in the distance, the two of them sat in silence within the romantic floral heart.
Unable to figure out why he had not just walked away firmly a moment before, Zhuang Yuhua irritably popped open a bottle of liquor. After taking a swig, he remembered Zhou Ze and reached for another bottle.
Catching his hand, Zhou Ze offered a faint smile: “I am allergic to alcohol. I cannot drink.”
“Oh?” Feigning a look of disappointment, Zhuang Yuhua let out an “oh.”
Allergic to alcohol, huh? Heh heh, I can definitely make use of that.
“It is fine to drink just a little.” Zhou Ze reached out to pull the bottle away.
“Forget it.” Changing his mind instantly, Zhuang Yuhua figured since his voice was still hoarse, he should not drink either.
Another weird silence settled in. After a long moment, Zhou Ze spoke up: “They must be very much in love.”
“Huh?” Having already finished one bottle and started on the next, Zhuang Yuhua raised his head in confusion.
Following Zhou Ze’s gaze, he finally noticed that pulling away the two bottles of wine had exposed a small box. Its exquisite packaging screamed exorbitant luxury, while the dust-free display showed the owner’s meticulous care, a noble piece of black velvet cradling a sincere heart.
“No, they did not make it,” Zhuang Yuhua said, a bit drunk and speaking without thinking as he stared blankly at the ring box.
“Whoever prepared this surprise must love their partner deeply,” Zhou Ze insisted stubbornly, knowing full well it had not worked out.
“No,” Zhuang Yuhua muttered.
The surprise was designed by him, the items were prepared by the system, and he had neither partner nor love.
“Maybe you are right.” Gazing into Zhuang Yuhua’s eyes, Zhou Ze filled his gaze with all his gentleness, bit his lip, and buried the ring box back under the sand.
To think that for a fleeting second, he had foolishly hoped Xiao Hua was the one who prepared it for him. How laughable.