Chapter 42

Chapter 42

At the thought of what Lu Yuanshi had done not long ago, Xiao Huai felt as if a faint electric current ran through him, leaving him unsettled.

“Xiao Huai, what happened just now?” Dehydrated from vomiting, Tang Weiqi dragged himself upright and approached Xiao Huai to ask in a low voice.

“You almost died,” Xiao Huai said.

“What?” Old Mo’s face filled with shock. At the sight of the mound of corpses, a chill swept down his back.

His instincts told him Xiao Huai was not lying.

“Remember when I told you that players are actually diamond fiends?” Xiao Huai said casually. “There’s a boss here who specializes in eating diamond fiends, or perhaps he simply hates them. Either way, he’s gone now. You’re safe.”

Tang Weiqi regarded Xiao Huai with a complicated expression. He wanted to ask how Xiao Huai had survived and why he could remain so calm.

But no one could ever lower their guard in a horror game.

They were teammates, yet no rule required them to trust or support one another.

If circumstances demanded it, they could even murder their teammates.

Just as they nearly had aboard the train.

They were teammates, but they were rivals too.

Uncle Li felt miserable all over and let out a pained groan. “Young men, I’m too old for one disaster after another all night long. I can’t take any more. I need to get back upstairs and sleep before all this running around gives me a heart attack.”

“I agree,” Old Mo said. “Aunt Wang is still outside, and this place is creepy as hell. Why don’t we wait until daylight? There are usually more forbidden rules at night, and we don’t even know what the rules are yet.”

Xiao Huai had no intention of keeping them there. They had insisted on coming to see for themselves and had nearly died as a result.

If they truly had died, they would have brought it upon themselves.

Xiao Huai meant to ignore Lu Yuanshi completely. But as he passed, Lu Yuanshi stuck to his heels like a limpet.

“Is there something you want to say?” Xiao Huai raised his eyes to him.

Xiao Huai had not yet confronted him, yet here he was, approaching of his own accord.

Lu Yuanshi held up the hand bearing Xiao Huai’s bite marks. “Cutie, were you born in the Year of the Dog?”

Goose bumps rose all over Xiao Huai at the word *cutie*. He shot Lu Yuanshi a speechless glare.

“You shouldn’t have scared me.”

“I was trying to keep you from getting killed.”

Lu Yuanshi was referring to the black-diamond monster.

If Lu Yuanshi had not pulled him back, would Xiao Huai have fallen into a trance because he was unprepared?

Since it had never happened, Xiao Huai did not know the answer.

“You heard everything?” he asked.

Lu Yuanshi shrugged without concern. “Of course. You and I were the only conscious people here.”

“Oh.”

It did not matter that Lu Yuanshi had heard. Xiao Huai was the one who had accepted the mission, after all.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Lu Yuanshi suddenly moved very close, the faintest smile curving his lips. His ink-dark eyes resembled an abyss.

Xiao Huai pushed him away. “My instincts tell me you’re more dangerous than that monster.”

He was only telling the truth, but Lu Yuanshi froze. He tilted his chin slightly. From this angle, he could see the fine bridge of Xiao Huai’s nose, the tension in the line of his lips, and… the trace of red at the corners of his eyes.

Xiao Huai’s neck lay fully exposed before him, pale and seemingly so fragile.

All humans were like this: pitifully fragile.

Yet the sight of Xiao Huai sent a thrill through nerves Lu Yuanshi had thought long dormant. He knew the man was just as vulnerable as any other human, that he could be broken with ease. And still, Lu Yuanshi seemed to glimpse immeasurable power within his soul.

What emotions hid in those red eyes? Madness? Violence? Corruption? Destruction?
Or perhaps it was the radiance of his soul.

“Hey, why are you staring into space? Aren’t you going back to sleep?” Xiao Huai snapped his fingers twice beneath Lu Yuanshi’s nose.

Lu Yuanshi returned to himself and looked at him quietly. His lips moved. “Aren’t you afraid of me?”

Xiao Huai gave a soft laugh. Candlelight happened to catch in his eyes at that moment, gilding them amber-gold. His gaze was serene, tranquil, and warm.

“So what? I like playing games, but I’m afraid of losing too. Does that mean I should never play again?”

With that, Xiao Huai headed upstairs. Lu Yuanshi did not follow. He merely watched Xiao Huai’s retreating figure from the perspective of an observer.

But when Xiao Huai reached the corner, he turned back, looked at Lu Yuanshi, and waved.

“Are you coming or not? Do you want that stink to seep into your skin? I’m locking the door.”

Lu Yuanshi’s pupils contracted. In that instant, the world became a shot from a film. Everything except Xiao Huai blurred, and time ceased to exist.

His lips curved. Meeting Xiao Huai’s gaze, he quickened his steps.

“Yes.”

Until he reached Xiao Huai’s side.

* * *

The next morning, dawn spread across the eastern clouds and burned away the starlight. Daylight illuminated the earth, and a ray of morning sun filtered through gauzy curtains to fall upon Xiao Huai’s lashes.

His thick black lashes fluttered. He stretched languidly, wanting nothing more than to bury his head in the pillow and sleep for another seven or eight centuries.

If his stomach had not been growling and if the aroma of food had not drifted in through the window, he would never have gotten out of bed.

After washing up, Xiao Huai followed the scent downstairs.

In addition to the studios, the first floor contained a large kitchen. NPCs had left fresh fruit and vegetables in baskets.

Xiao Huai peered ahead through sleep-heavy, half-lidded eyes. The people at the dining table had nearly finished breakfast and were devouring what remained from their plates.

“Morning,” Old Mo called.

“Morning.” Xiao Huai nodded faintly. “That smells good. Who’s cooking?”

“Oh, that? You can thank Chef Lu.”

“What? Chef Lu?” Xiao Huai could not reconcile Lu Yuanshi’s image with the act of cooking.

But when he walked to the kitchen and saw Lu Yuanshi wearing a pink apron, a laugh escaped him.

“So you know how to cook.” He leaned against the wall and watched Lu Yuanshi with a smile.

Lu Yuanshi glanced back while flipping a pancake in the pan.

His voice drifted over. “Want some?”

“Yes.” Xiao Huai nodded lightly.

First thing in the morning, both his eyes and his stomach were thoroughly soothed.

Lu Yuanshi’s cooking was excellent. Though he had made nothing more elaborate than eggs and bacon, Xiao Huai had no idea what he had done to make them so much more fragrant than usual.

Xiao Huai had risen late, so by the end, only he and Lu Yuanshi remained at the table.

Partway through the meal, Xiao Huai suddenly laughed, his lashes trembling softly.

Lu Yuanshi looked at him in confusion. “What is it?”

Xiao Huai rubbed the corner of one eye. Squinting with that eye, he looked at Lu Yuanshi with the other and said, “Nothing. I just remembered that pink apron. My image of you as some pampered young master who’d never touched a skillet is completely ruined.”

Lu Yuanshi raised an eyebrow. Propping himself on one hand, fork still between his fingers, he leaned toward Xiao Huai.

“Does that make you a little less afraid of me?”

The still air beside Xiao Huai’s ear seemed to absorb the warmth of Lu Yuanshi’s lips. Xiao Huai suppressed his smile, patted his stomach, and rose. He lowered his gaze to Lu Yuanshi.

“When did I ever say I was afraid of you? I only said my instincts tell me you’re dangerous. But sorry, I have a peculiar taste. I’d rather live on a knife’s edge than spend my days in peace.”