Li Yan spent the rest of the afternoon hiding in the library of the grand estate. He sat on a low bench, his fingers rubbing his aching temples as he tried to piece together his situation.
He was a corporate man who dealt with numbers and ironclad legal contracts. He was not a submissive spouse meant to balance the power of two crazy warriors.
Suddenly, the air in front of his face turned bright blue. A loud, sharp chime echoed directly inside his head, making him flinch.
[Mandatory Daily Quest: The Glass Garden Stroll.]
[Objective: Host must take a romantic evening stroll through the glass gardens with both bonded husbands to build intimacy.]
[Time remaining to comply: 5 minutes.]
[Penalty for rejection: 500-volt electric shock applied directly to the host’s soul.]
Li Yan glared at the floating blue window with absolute hatred. "A romantic stroll? Are you completely insane? I just escaped their hands at dinner. I am not going on a date with two men."
The blue text on the screen began to flash violently, turning an angry shade of red.
[Warning: Host resistance detected. Preparing penalty shock in 3... 2...]
A sudden, sharp spark of blue lightning cracked across the edges of the screen. Before Li Yan could even move, a bolt of pure, white-hot energy shot straight into his chest.
"Ahhhh!" Li Yan screamed, his entire body jerking violently as a wave of intense, burning pain ripped through his mind and soul. It felt like his veins were being filled with boiling water.
He fell off the bench, crashing onto the floor as he gasped for air, his hands shaking uncontrollably.
[Penalty applied. Time remaining to comply: 3 minutes. Would you like to try for a second shock?]
"No! Stop! I’ll do it!" Li Yan choked out, his voice raw as he dragged himself up from the floor. He wiped a layer of cold sweat from his forehead, his heart pounding in terror.
The System was not a joke. It really had the power to destroy him if he did not play along with this ridiculous novel plot.
He walked out of the library with stiff, heavy steps, heading toward the rear of the estate where the glass gardens were located.
Prince Jing Yuchen and General Zhen Sheng were already waiting by the high glass doors, both of them looking surprised to see him approach on his own. The prince had changed into a clean white tunic, while the general was leaning against a pillar, tossing a small silver coin into the air.
"Well, look who decided to join us," Zhen Sheng chuckled, catching the coin and pocketing it. "Did you finally miss our company, sweet Duke?"
"Don’t flatter yourself," Li Yan spat, his voice tight as he pushed past them into the massive glass greenhouse. "The weather is nice, and I wanted some fresh air. If you two want to follow me, keep your mouths shut."
"Your attitude remains entirely unacceptable, Mingxuan," Jing Yuchen said coldly, walking right beside him. His long silver hair caught the light of the setting sun outside the glass walls.
"You are walking too far away. Move closer to my side. A royal spouse should never walk behind his master."
"He isn’t just your spouse, Prince," Zhen Sheng barked, stepping up on Li Yan’s left side. He reached out, his large, rough hand grabbing Li Yan’s arm and pulling him roughly against his broad chest.
"He belongs with a military man who knows how to use his strength, not a snobby royal who treats him like a porcelain doll."
"Release him, brute," Jing Yuchen demanded, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low register. He grabbed Li Yan’s right wrist, the golden chain tattoo on their skin flaring with a sudden heat as he pulled Li Yan back toward him.
"You are testing my patience today."
"I am a human being! Stop pulling me like a piece of luggage!" Li Yan yelled, trying to twist his arms out of their iron grips.
The two men completely ignored him. The tension between them exploded in a split second. The air inside the glass garden grew incredibly hot and thick as their clashing scents—cold ozone and burning wood—flooded the space among the flowers.
The plants around them began to droop under the immense spiritual pressure.
"Let’s see who he really belongs to," Zhen Sheng growled, his golden eyes flashing with a wild, yandere obsession.
With a sudden movement, the general shoved Li Yan backward. Li Yan’s back hit the edge of a large, circular marble fountain in the center of the garden.
Before he could scramble away, both men moved in, trapping him against the cold stone structure. Jing Yuchen’s large hand came down to pin Li Yan’s shoulder, while Zhen Sheng gripped his thighs, their faces dark with absolute dominance.
"We should settle this right here," Jing Yuchen murmured, his breath hot against Li Yan’s face as his fingers began to tear at the front of Li Yan’s tunic.
"Let us see who can make you cry out the loudest among these flowers."
Panic exploded in Li Yan’s mind. He looked at their darkened eyes and realized they were completely serious. They were going to use him right here in broad daylight to prove who was the more powerful leader.
Using every ounce of his real-world survival instinct, Li Yan didn’t fight them with raw strength. Instead, he reached down, grabbed a heavy handful of dirt and crushed flower petals from a nearby pot, and threw it directly into the general’s golden eyes.
"Argh! You little—" Zhen Sheng barked, instinctively letting go of Li Yan’s legs to wipe his face.
In that single second of distraction, Li Yan ducked low beneath the prince’s arm, his slick, agile body slipping out of their trap. He did not look back.
He ran as fast as his sore legs could carry him, darting through the thick rows of tall green trees and exotic bushes inside the greenhouse.
"Mingxuan! Come back here!" Jing Yuchen’s furious voice echoed through the glass structure, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps rushing after him.
Li Yan ran out of a side door of the greenhouse, entering a dark, isolated wing of the estate that looked completely abandoned.
The air here was different.
He stumbled into a small, stone room filled with old, dusty barrels and hanging dried herbs. The moment he stepped inside, he noticed the heavy scents of his husbands completely vanished from his senses.
The dried herbs hanging from the ceiling were sage-root and spirit-grass—plants used to mask spiritual energy.
He collapsed against the back wall of the room, sliding down to the dusty floor as he panted heavily for breath. His heart was hammering so hard it felt painful.
He stayed perfectly quiet, listening to the distant sounds of the two men shouting his name in the distance. Thanks to the herbs, they couldn’t track his SS-Rank pheromones. He was safe for now.
As he sat in the dark, his mind began to clear. The haze of the pheromones was gone, replaced by his sharp, cold CEO logic.
"Think, Li Yan. Think," he whispered to himself, clenching his fists. "You read this book. You know how these trashy stories work. There has to be a way to break the System’s control."
He closed his eyes, forcing his memory to dig deep into the Chapters he had skimmed on his phone back in his office.
He needed to remember every single detail about Duke Xiao Mingxuan, the empire’s magical laws, and the tragic ending of the novel.
If he wanted to escape this living hell and keep his body from being ruined by those two monsters every night, he had to master this world’s rules and beat the System at its own game.