The whole bar went dead silent.
No exaggeration, everyone practically turned to stone in that instant, eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.
Even Ye Qin was stunned.
He stared dumbly at his usually unpredictable friend. Everyone else also stared at the man they’d always thought of as gentle yet distant, only to see the corners of his lips curl into a faintly delighted smile the moment Lu Jiu brazenly leaned in.
As if he had been waiting for this moment.
…?
……??
…What…?
What was Lu Jiu doing? Why was he… what were they even doing just now?
Oh right! Shen Ke drew a punishment slip for him. The slip told him to “recreate what he did that night a month ago at Ye’s villa”… Lu Jiu had just sunk the eight ball… and now it was time to carry out the punishment… Wait! huh??
Not only were the onlookers, fragile, mere mortals that they were, completely overwhelmed,
even 111, in Lu Jiu’s mind, was screeching at the top of its digital lungs.
It had kept quiet while Lu Jiu was playing pool, afraid to distract him, but now… Now it was utterly shocked by these two lunatics who didn’t play by any rulebook!!
How.. how did it turn into a kiss?!
What blew everyone’s mind even more was that!… That..
Bai Yun kissed him back.
The man smiled as he slightly opened his mouth. The pool cue had caught on the chain around his neck, bending it out of shape, yet his posture remained composed.
He tilted his head just a little, finding a better angle for the kiss and responded in kind.
Everyone watching flushed scarlet.
The lighting above the pool table was harsh and clear. They could see everything.
Lu Jiu could feel it, too.
He laughed.
Just as he’d suspected, This guy was nothing like his polished, jade-like, gentlemanly exterior.
Underneath, he was pure aggression.
He didn’t close his eyes. At such close range, they couldn’t meet each other’s gaze head-on, but their peripheral vision tangled together all the same.
Bai Yun’s eyes were smiling yet deep like a vast net. Lu Jiu, stubborn as ever, refused to be caught.
From the very first moment they’d met today, all of Bai Yun’s pretentious calm and control, Lu Jiu wanted to throw it all back at him.
He saw, with his own eyes that Bai Yun’s amusement deepened.
That old fox!
The kiss lasted only a few seconds, a brief brush of lips for them, but for everyone else, it detonated like a bomb in their hearts.
When it ended, Bai Yun raised a hand and brushed his fingers lightly along Lu Jiu’s neck, his tone calm and unhurried.
“A crazy mosquito?”
Lu Jiu was breathing a little hard, his neck tinged red.
His skin felt far too sensitive.
Damn.
He slapped Bai Yun’s hand away, rolled his eyes, and rasped in a hoarse voice, “Who told you to kiss so many times that night?”
Too many hickeys, of course it looked like mosquito bites.
If he had to say it straight, it meant that Bai Yun was just one shameless giant mosquito.
Their exchange left the rest of the onlookers even more dazed.
Bai Yun narrowed his eyes, smiling, looking as if he even enjoyed Lu Jiu’s “use-and-toss” attitude.
His gaze stayed fixed on Lu Jiu’s face.
“Still want to play? It’s already midnight.” His tone was gentle.
“So what if it’s midnight?”
Lu Jiu slid the cue stick free from Bai Yun’s necklace, turned around with forced calm, as if the one who’d just been kissed breathless and blushing wasn’t him at all.
This was nightlife, it had only just begun. Bedtime was still a long way off.
He wasn’t about to let one kiss tear down that thin paper barrier between them and give Bai Yun the upper hand.
“Ye Qin said you’re all going grape-picking tomorrow morning,” Bai Yun said, still in that mild, patient voice.
Grape-picking was physical work and if they didn’t sleep soon, they’d have no energy left for it.
Lu Jiu paused, gave him a side eye. “One more game.”
After that, he’d sleep.
As he wiped the cue stick, he asked casually, “You going tomorrow?”
At that, Bai Yun’s smile deepened.
He spoke three words, his voice low and rich.
“Depends on you.”
Lu Jiu froze.
…Heh. Play dead, why don’t you.
Ye Qin couldn’t take it anymore. He strode over in two long steps, grabbed Bai Yun by the arm, “Come on, come on, we need to talk!”
Even someone as worldly as Ye Qin was a little rattled. To him, this all felt vaguely taboo, though, thinking about it rationally, the two weren’t related by blood, nor was it some scandalous age gap but still, he needed a moment to process.
Dragging Bai Yun away, he practically restored oxygen to the room.
Everyone collectively exhaled.
But they were still on the verge of falling apart.
Luo Yi was shaking all over, staring first at Bai Yun’s retreating back, then at Lu Jiu, who honestly looked like he intended to play another round, his mouth opening and closing without a sound.
…So that night a month ago, Lu Jiu really had… But it was actually with Bai Yun…?!
Ding Jiaye looked like he’d been strangled, face green. Thinking back on how he’d treated Lu Jiu since a month ago, and remembering every time Bai Yun had looked at him with that calm “smile” cold sweat poured down his back.
Shen Ke snapped out of his daze, stumbled to Lu Jiu’s side, legs trembling. “Bro, you… ”
“Coming or not? Play another round?” Lu Jiu asked coolly.
Shen Ke’s face cracked.
Play what, play your head! Who had the nerves for pool right now?!
“Bro, I’m begging you! What… what’s going on between you and Bai Yun-ge…?”
If he didn’t get an answer tonight, he’d never sleep again.
Lu Jiu seemed to sense his torment. He glanced over.
Then smiled, wickedly.
“Take a guess.”
That night, Lu Jiu, without warning, casually and unrestrainedly dropped a bombshell on everyone.
And almost no one slept well afterward.
Some people gossiped all night, saliva flying; others tossed and turned, plagued by restless thoughts.
The manor looked quiet under the night sky, but underneath, it was buzzing with chaos.
The next morning, Lu Quning immediately noticed something was off.
People were whispering in corners, and when they looked his way, their expressions were… strange.
When he smiled and walked up like usual, asking what they were talking about, they only said:
“Lu Quning, did you hear?”
He blinked. “Hear what?”
They snickered and walked off.
Lu Quning’s face darkened. What the hell? Some stupid prank? Ridiculous.
He focused inward and asked in his mind, “329, what do you think is going on with Lu Jiu?”
He’d thought about it all night.
In fact, when Lu Jiu returned to the room, he’d still been awake, just pretending to sleep.
Unfortunately for anyone hoping for more drama, after his shower, Lu Jiu simply went to bed.
Nothing extra, no movement, no sound.
Lu Quning, however, couldn’t shake the feeling that something about Lu Jiu had changed. Could it be that his soul had come back? Had the corrupted data inside his body disappeared?
“329, can you scan his condition?” he asked silently.
“No.” The system’s mechanical voice echoed stiffly in his mind.
“I told you! Some of my functions were damaged when you forcibly entered these worlds. I can’t even contact my fellow systems anymore.”
“Honestly, you don’t need to worry about Lu Jiu,” it continued. “Whether he’s still corrupted data or not doesn’t affect you. In this undeveloped world, you’re free, unbound by missions. There’s no need for you to provoke him.”
Lu Quning was a failed quick-transmigration player, he hated to admit it, but the record spoke for itself.
He could never complete missions smoothly; his achievement points were always at the bottom of the rankings, and the day he could exchange enough to resurrect himself seemed impossibly far away.
During one traversal, he had accidentally stumbled into a bug rift within the Bureau’s system and obtained a mysterious code. Without hesitation, he used it to pry open an unfinished world, diving in despite the risk of having his soul torn to shreds by the temporal currents.
By sheer luck, he succeeded. He escaped the Bureau’s surveillance and the suffocating mission system. Finally, he could live freely.
But ever since awakening in this new body, Lu Quning had felt… uneasy.
After countless missions, he’d come to realize how crucial money, power, and influence were to human survival. The Lu family was moderately wealthy, yes but not enough.
He wasn’t being greedy.
He just wanted to improve his living conditions a little more. A bit more fatherly affection, a few more useful friends, better social connections, and more opportunities to climb upward.
Fortunately, without the Bureau breathing down his neck, he could take his time planning. He just needed to eliminate every potential risk along the way.
Lu Jiu’s “corruption” was one of those risks.
He knew that the reason Lu Jiu had become corrupted was because of him and yes, he felt guilty but it hadn’t been intentional. It was an accident.
And since the accident had already happened, all he could do now was choose the most beneficial solution for everyone involved.
That meant, Lu Jiu needed to be kept away from this social circle, away from the Lu family.
That was, in truth, the best possible outcome for him. Otherwise, sooner or later, Lu Jiu would anger someone far beyond his ability to handle and bring ruin upon himself and the Lus.
Lu Quning’s expression hardened, “No, I can’t just leave it alone. I’ll have to try provoking him one more time.”
As long as Lu Jiu was still corrupted, he had to find a way to make Lu Mingyang resolve to drive him out of the family. It was the only way to destroy and then rebuild, to force him into rebirth through ruin.
329 was silent for a moment, “…What if the corrupted data in Lu Jiu’s body really has disappeared?”
Lu Quning’s brow furrowed sharply but only for a second before he relaxed.
“I wish that were true,” he said with a sigh. “But that corruption’s been in him for three years. How could it just vanish overnight?”
He shook his head, “I can’t rely on wishful thinking.”
329 went quiet again.
Naturally, Ye Qin wasn’t going grape-picking with this bunch of kids. He arranged for a guide from the estate to take them instead.
After breakfast, the group piled into an electric sightseeing car and headed toward the vineyard.
The vineyard was huge, divided into two parts: one side was a professional cultivation base, the other a romantic grove designed for leisure.
Clusters of grapes hung everywhere, heavy, glistening purple jewels shining quietly under the sun.
As the guide chattered about grape varieties and let them taste the fruit on-site, the group wandered among the flowers and trees. The hangover haze from last night quickly vanished.
Lu Quning, however, was secretly watching Lu Jiu the whole time.
Lu Jiu seemed in good spirits today, occasionally plucking a grape to toss into his mouth, chatting casually with Shen Ke.
Later, when everyone spread out, he noticed Lu Jiu drifting deeper into the grove alone. At the same time, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of another figure.
Lu Quning immediately moved to intercept.
Ding Jiaye blinked at him in confusion. “What are you doing?”
“Mr. Ding, could you please stop bothering my brother?” Lu Quning said quietly. “What are you planning, following him like that?”
“Following!? What are you talking about?” Ding Jiaye looked baffled, then glanced ahead. “Wait, you mean Lu Jiu went that way? I didn’t even see him!”
Lu Quning’s tone cooled. “Whether you saw him or not, just stay away from him.”
He knew Ding Jiaye disliked him. The more he blocked him, the more stubborn Ding Jiaye became. The man had always been that foolish.
Sure enough, Ding Jiaye shoved his arm away with a sneer, “Who the hell do you think you are? You think I take orders from you? I’ll go wherever I damn well please!”
With that, he strode off in the same direction Lu Jiu had gone.
Lu Quning turned sharply. “You!”
He cut himself off mid-sentence, frozen for a moment.
He stood there staring after them until Ye Lin noticed something was wrong and walked over, “What are you looking at?”
Lu Quning hesitated. “My brother just went that way. I saw Ding Jiaye follow him, but… I’m not sure if it’s coincidence or if he’s going after him.”
Ye Lin’s face darkened, and he immediately started running in that direction.
His sudden movement caught everyone’s attention. The rest, ever eager for gossip, quickly trailed after him! determined to watch the drama unfold.
Lu Quning, however, stayed rooted where he was.
Meanwhile, Lu Jiu was idly holding a few grapes, strolling deeper into the grove while chatting with 111 in his head.
Bai Yun had said last night, “We’ll see,”
and sure enough, he was nowhere to be seen this morning.
111’s tone was exaggeratedly dramatic, “Host, aren’t you being a little clingy? You miss your hubby already after just one morning apart!”
Lu Jiu snorted.
“You really are a system. You don’t understand how humans date, do you?” he said lazily. “If he’s so ‘busy’ he vanishes without a trace, what kind of relationship is that? You can’t even schedule a date for your future husband, huh?”
He looked thoroughly unimpressed.
Just then, the sound of tires rolling over gravel reached his ears from not far away.
He glanced toward it. About ten meters to the right, beyond the trees, a car had stopped on a narrow path. Three men in suits stepped out.
One was unfamiliar, in his thirties, with a polished, professional air and he was shaking hands eagerly with the other two.
Ye Qin raised a hand, gesturing for them to walk ahead, probably planning to show them around the vineyard.
And as for that other tall, well-built figure…
Lu Jiu leaned lazily back against a tree, biting into a grape. The sweet juice burst in his mouth as his eyes swept slowly over the man’s outfit from head to toe.
He had a jacket draped over one arm, both hands tucked in his pockets. His white shirt was worn casually beneath a fitted vest, accentuating his lean, sculpted frame.
Handsome as hell.
Then, suddenly, the man turned his head. Through the shifting sunlight and shadows, his gaze met Lu Jiu’s from across the distance.
A moment later, his lips curved upward and he changed direction, walking straight toward him.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
(づ｡•́‿•̀｡)づ ☕ — coffee for the hardworking translator
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (1)Chapter 2 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (2)Chapter 3 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (3)Chapter 4 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (4)Chapter 5 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (5)Chapter 6 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (6)Chapter 7 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (7)Chapter 8 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (8)Chapter 9 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (9)Chapter 10 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (10)Chapter 11 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (11)Chapter 12 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (12)Chapter 13 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (13)Chapter 14 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s room (14)Chapter 15 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (15)Chapter 16 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (16)Chapter 17 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (17)Chapter 18 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (18)Chapter 19 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (19)Chapter 20 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (20)Chapter 21 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (21)Chapter 22 Part 1 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (22)Chapter 22 Part 2 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (22)Chapter 23 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (23)Chapter 24 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (24)Chapter 25 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (25)Chapter 26 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (26)Chapter 27 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (27)Chapter 28 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (28)Chapter 29 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (29)Chapter 30 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (30)Chapter 31 Part 1 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (31)Chapter 31 Part 2 · After Breaking into the Big Boss’s Room (31)Chapter 32 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (1)Chapter 33 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (2)Chapter 34 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (3)Chapter 35 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (4)Chapter 36 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (5)Chapter 37 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (6)Chapter 38 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (7)Chapter 39 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (8)Chapter 40 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (9)Chapter 41 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (10)Chapter 42 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (11)Chapter 43 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (12)Chapter 44 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (13)Chapter 45 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (14)Chapter 46 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (15)Chapter 47 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (16)Chapter 48 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (17)Chapter 49 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (18)Chapter 50 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (19)Chapter 51 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (20)Chapter 52 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (21)Chapter 53 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (22)Chapter 54 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (23)Chapter 55 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (24)Chapter 56 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (25)Chapter 57 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (26)Chapter 58 · The Empire’s Number One Beta Crown Prince (27)Chapter 59 · Hatching Baby Zombies (1)Chapter 60 · Hatching Baby Zombies (2)Chapter 61 · Hatching Baby Zombies (3)Chapter 62 · Hatching Baby Zombies (4)Chapter 63 · Hatching Baby Zombies (5)Chapter 64 · Hatching Baby Zombies (6)Chapter 65 · Hatching Baby Zombies (7)Chapter 66 · Hatching Baby Zombies (8)Chapter 67 · Hatching Baby Zombies (9)Chapter 68 · Hatching Baby Zombies (10)Chapter 69 · Hatching Baby Zombies (11)Chapter 70 · Hatching Baby Zombies (12)Chapter 71 · Hatching Baby Zombies (13)Chapter 72 · Hatching Baby Zombies (14)Chapter 73 · Hatching Baby Zombies (15)Chapter 74 · Hatching Baby Zombies (16)Chapter 75 · Hatching Baby Zombies (17)Chapter 76 · Hatching Baby Zombies (18)Chapter 77 · Hatching Baby Zombies (19)Chapter 78 · Hatching Baby Zombies (20)Chapter 79 · The Mermaid on the Shore (1)Chapter 80 · The Mermaid on the Shore (2)Chapter 81 · The Mermaid on the Shore (3)Chapter 82 · The Mermaid on the Shore (4)Chapter 83 · The Mermaid on the Shore (5)Chapter 84 · The Mermaid on the Shore (6)Chapter 85 · The Mermaid on the Shore (7)Chapter 86 · The Mermaid on the Shore (8)Chapter 87 · The Mermaid on the Shore (9)Chapter 88 · The Mermaid on the Shore (10)Chapter 89 · The Mermaid on the Shore (11)Chapter 90 · The Mermaid on the Shore (12)Chapter 91 · The Mermaid on the Shore (13)Chapter 92 · The Mermaid on the Shore (14)Chapter 93 · The Mermaid on the Shore (15)Chapter 94 · The Mermaid on the Shore (16)Chapter 95 · The Mermaid on the Shore (17)Chapter 96 Part 1 · The Mermaid on the Shore (18)Chapter 96 Part 2 · The Mermaid on the Shore (18)Chapter 97 · The Mermaid on the Shore (19)Chapter 98 · Give me a drop of blood (1)Chapter 99 · Give me a drop of blood (2)Chapter 100 · Give me a drop of blood (3)Chapter 101 · Give Me a Drop of Blood (4)Chapter 102 · Give Me a Drop of Blood (5)Chapter 103 · Give Me a Drop of Blood (6)Chapter 104 · Give Me a Drop of Blood (7)Chapter 105 · Give Me a Drop of Blood (8)Chapter 106 · Give Me a Drop of Blood (9)Chapter 107 · Give Me a Drop of Blood (10)Chapter 108 · Give Me a Drop of Blood (11)Chapter 109 · Give Me a Drop of Blood (12)Chapter 110 · Give Me a Drop of Blood (13)Chapter 111 · Give Me a Drop of Blood (14)Chapter 112 · Give Me a Drop of Blood (15)Chapter 113 · Give Me a Drop of Blood (16)Chapter 114 · Give Me a Drop of Blood (17)Chapter 115 · Extra 1: A Little Conversation After Drinking (1)Chapter 116 · Extra: A Little Conversation After Drinking (2)Chapter 117 · Extra: A Little Conversation After Drinking (3)