Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The two of them followed his lead and got onto the bed. As soon as they lay down, they understood why he had cried out.

Although the bed was large, it wasn’t a modern king-sized bed. It had railings on all four sides and a canopy overhead.

From their position lying on the bed, the three of them could see exactly what was on the underside of that canopy.

It was a massive ‘Double Happiness’ character cut from red paper. Spanning over three meters, it was a very festive piece of paper-cutting.

However, seeing items associated with weddings or funerals in an Instance like this was exceptionally terrifying. It easily brought to mind things like ghost brides.

After staring at the paper-cutting for a long while, Chu Yue climbed up from the bed. “What is that? There seems to be something protruding from the edges of the character.”

Once he got closer and saw it clearly, his scalp crawled.

It wasn’t just a simple Double Happiness character.

The paper-cutting was so large that, at first glance, most people would overlook the abnormalities along its edges.

Those protrusions, which looked like decorative patterns on the strokes of the character, were incredibly intricate. Whoever had cut this must have put in an immense amount of effort.

They were tiny silhouettes of people. They stood packed closely together-men, women, young, and old-each with different expressions and poses.

Only upon closer inspection did one realize that these inconspicuous little patterns were the true subjects of this paper-cutting.

More horrifyingly, the eyes of these figures were vivid and lifelike. It felt as if they were crouching on the bed’s canopy, staring down at the people sleeping below.

‘Eerie’ didn’t even begin to describe it. It looked unsettling enough during the day; if one were to lie in bed at night, who knew what kind of sight they would see upon opening their eyes in the middle of the night?

Guan Doujin was furious. He stood with his hands on his hips and cursed, “Is this Inn cursed? What kind of decent Inn would decorate like this? Don’t they have any superstitions? Should we tear it down?”

Although his anger was partly feigned, the grim expressions on all three of their faces were very real.

“Don’t tear it,” Shen Yubi said, tugging at the bedsheet beneath him. “Use this to cover it up.”

The three of them busied themselves for a long time before they managed to seal the canopy tightly with the bedsheets. By then, the sun had already dipped below the horizon, leaving only a red afterglow.

It wasn’t convenient to go out at this hour, so the three of them sat around the table and spent half an hour nursing a single pot of tea.

No one spoke during that time. Guan Doujin looked from one to the other, determined to remain a mere spectator with no intention of lightening the mood.

Finally, unable to bear the stalemate, Chu Yue spoke first.

His gaze swept over the two men opposite him. “Do you two know each other?”

Guan Doujin replied, “Nope.”

Shen Yubi said, “Yes.”

Chu Yue looked over, and Guan Doujin changed his tune without batting an eye: “We’re not that close.”

“We’ve known each other for over ten years,” Shen Yubi exposed him ruthlessly.

Guan Doujin didn’t blush or stammer. He simply looked sincere again. “I guess we should be a bit closer then. How did you tell?”

Chu Yue didn’t answer.

In truth, he had initially thought Guan Doujin was a newbie who had just entered the game. However, the man hadn’t put much effort into his disguise; not only was his performance full of holes, but he also had a teammate who refused to cooperate. Naturally, Chu Yue had figured it out.

After a few brief words, that topic ended, and the room fell back into an awkward silence.

After a long while, Guan Doujin couldn’t take it anymore. He stood up to head out. “I can’t take it. I’ve got a stomach full of water and I need to use the restroom. You two can go back to staring at each other.”

Only the two of them remained in the room. Shen Yubi tapped his fingers twice on the tabletop. “Didn’t I tell you not to come back?”

When he said that, Chu Yue was certain of his identity.

Instead of answering the question, Chu Yue raised an eyebrow in surprise. “It really is you. How did you suddenly grow up?”

Now that the identity was confirmed, Chu Yue couldn’t help but recall the youth who hadn’t even reached his chest.

Little Shen Yubi would blush, act spoiled, and even throw little tantrums. Despite his suspicions, he found it hard to reconcile that image with the frost-cold man before him.

Seeing that the other remained silent, Chu Yue also fell quiet for a moment before saying, “You told me that if I stayed here, the System would grant my wish. I came here for that wish in the first place.”

“There’s no need,” Shen Yubi said. “You’ll die.”

He had struggled in this game for over a decade, never being stingy with his Points or items, yet he had only reached Level 9.
Yet, he was already one of the top experts in the game.

Reaching Level 12 was incredibly difficult!

Chu Yue said, “I’m not afraid of dying.”

Shen Yubi looked up. “Then what was the point of me being trapped here for over a decade?”

Their tones were calm-so calm that an outsider wouldn’t have even realized they were in the middle of a heated argument.

“Waiting,” Chu Yue said, looking Shen Yubi in the eye. “Waiting for me to learn the truth. Waiting for a chance for both of us to survive together.”

Shen Yubi let out a soft chuckle. He stood up and left the room, slamming the door behind him with a loud bang.

Chu Yue sat in the room alone. He didn’t go down for dinner, instead calling for the Waiter to bring up some bathwater so he could wash.

He dried himself off and got dressed.

While tying his belt, Chu Yue suddenly thought of the scenes from the previous Instance where Shen Yubi would strip his clothes off every morning.

He hadn’t understood it before, but now he seemed to realize what the man had been trying to do.

Chu Yue reached up and touched his shoulder. On the back of his right shoulder, there was a small red birthmark.

Shen Yubi had seen it when they were children.

He must have suspected something from the moment they entered the Instance. Later, his willingness to share a room was likely just to confirm if Chu Yue was that person from all those years ago.

Pushing open the window to look outside again, the streets were empty.

Everything was pitch black. There was no beautiful night scenery like in television dramas; the ancient houses hidden in the darkness only looked eerie and sinister.

Shen Yubi and Guan Doujin returned together. By then, Chu Yue was already lying in bed, ready to sleep.

Fortunately, they had covered the words on the bed canopy earlier. Otherwise, with night falling, it would have added a layer of psychological pressure even if they weren’t afraid.

After washing up quietly, the other two got into bed one after the other.

Chu Yue lay on the innermost side, and Shen Yubi lay down next to him.

As he moved, the pleasant scent of herbs drifted to Chu Yue’s nose again. It wasn’t bitter or astringent, but rather slightly sweet-completely different from the man himself.

The bed was very large; even with three of them, they could turn over without any trouble.

Drip.

Something dripped from the bed canopy. Chu Yue wiped his cheek with his fingertip; it felt viscous.

Before Chu Yue could react, red writing slowly emerged on the canopy above.

[Tonight’s Mortality Rate: 1/12]

It was the first night’s death notification.

Another person…

Chu Yue was quite sensitive to being watched. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel a gaze fixed on his face.

Shen Yubi’s breathing was light-so light that even though they were close, he could barely feel it.

But Chu Yue knew Shen Yubi was looking at him. He just didn’t know what kind of expression was in his eyes.

Lying flat on his back without opening his eyes, he asked, “What are you looking at?”

Shen Yubi replied, “Seeing if you’re an idiot.”

Chu Yue: “…”

The moment he spoke, Chu Yue knew what he was going to say. It was the middle of the night, and he couldn’t be bothered to bicker with him.

Shen Yubi: “Did I hit the nail on the head?”

Shen Yubi: “Look at that. Quite the temper, giving me the silent treatment now.”

Chu Yue: “…”

Guan Doujin rolled over and spoke up weakly, “There’s another person here who wants to sleep. Can you two wait until tomorrow to argue?”

Chu Yue said, “I haven’t said a single word.”

Guan Doujin: “Your silence is deafening.”

Chu Yue: “…”

Unable to ignore the gaze beside him, Chu Yue simply rolled over to face the wall, giving Shen Yubi the back of his head to stare at instead.

Just like the small town in the previous Instance, everything went silent once night fell.

Tonight was their first night in the game. During the day, Guan Doujin had mentioned that the Mortality Rate on the first night in a game world was usually high.

In their words, the game was “killing the chicken to warn the monkeys”-giving the Players a show of force as soon as they entered the Instance.

Originally, Chu Yue wanted to listen for any movement outside. However, perhaps it was a setting of the Instance, but he couldn’t stay focused for long. His mind began to grow foggy, and he drifted off to sleep at some point.

While he was fast asleep, someone suddenly nudged his shoulder a few times. Chu Yue opened his eyes to see Shen Yubi.

He wasn’t sure if the man hadn’t slept at all or if something had woken him up. Chu Yue let out a yawn, forcing himself to wake up.

He whispered, “What’s wrong? Is there something happening outside?”

“No,” Shen Yubi said, pointing toward the ceiling. “Look.”