Chapter 41
Nuo Nuo’s shoulders stiffened. She clenched both fists and gestured at Lu Li, “The Clown isn’t Mom.”
“The Clown is just the Clown. It’s my best friend, my only friend.”
Nuo Nuo was stared at by Lu Li, and for no reason, she became annoyed. She pounded the Television screen hard with her fists.
“Why are you looking at me like that? You don’t believe what I’m saying?”
“Of course I believe you.” Lu Li spread his hands. “I didn’t say anything.”
Nuo Nuo snorted, pretending to be mature as she warned, “Don’t make random guesses next time. If you guess something outside the question, you’ll become a Doll too!”
After speaking, she turned around in the screen.
The image went black.
The last Television disappeared into the protruding wall, completely merging with it.
In front of the three, only three doors leading to Game Night remained.
Zhu Yue knelt on the ground, clutching the coffee table and gasping violently.
The time spent as a Doll wasn’t long, but it felt like an eternity.
Though her mind remained, it was only her mind.
Her body was out of control, stiff as a stone.
Luckily, Lu Li and Luo Jia Bai cleared the stage.
“When answering the question, Nuo Nuo didn’t look you in the eye and repeated incorrect information to emphasize it.” Luo Jia Bai was very concerned about what Nuo Nuo had just said, and began to analyze body language like Lu Li. He spoke in a voice only the two could hear, “Nuo Nuo is lying to you. She knows the Clown is Mom.”
“But why won’t she admit it?”
Luo Jia Bai fell into thought. “Does she think it’s shameful that Mom went to prison, so she doesn’t want to acknowledge her?”
“That’s not the reason.” Lu Li shook his head. “Nuo Nuo relies heavily on her mom. Even when her mom scolded her harshly in the Diary, she’d find excuses for her, thinking she’d done something wrong. There must be something else-something that lets her escape the worst outcome as long as she doesn’t admit the Clown is Mom.”
“Tomorrow we’ll reach the Second Floor. We should find the answer there.” Luo Jia Bai asked, “Did you already know that Dad-the man-wasn’t a good person?”
He gritted his teeth and changed his wording, unwilling to call the man ‘Dad.’
Scum like that doesn’t deserve to be a father.
Lu Li looked down at the guiding line at his feet and walked step by step toward the door. “I guessed a little before this stage. Just now, after getting four Items, I could fully confirm it.”
This isn’t a happy paradise; Nuo Nuo’s family is full of holes.
“From the Fifth Floor, every stage started with some description from Nuo Nuo.”
Lu Li recalled, “In Nuo Nuo’s words, Dad was always angry, and at the slightest dissatisfaction, he’d whip her. Someone like that couldn’t be a good person.”
“So that’s it.” Luo Jia Bai muttered softly, “In the Classroom stage, I clearly felt the Clown had no lower body, so I thought it was Dad. Turns out it was Mom. Totally unexpected.”
“That’s because you didn’t look carefully at the Items.”
Lu Li stood at the room’s doorway and spoke quietly, “On the day Mom left, Nuo Nuo wrote in her Diary:
If I cut off both of Mom’s legs, she’ll never leave me.”
Maybe Nuo Nuo always knew the Clown was Mom.
But why won’t she admit it?
Zhu Yue walked past. Lu Li touched his pocket, reached out to stop her, and handed over a Poison. “Once every 12 hours. Remember to come to me for your medicine.”
Zhu Yue quickly took it, bowed in thanks, her eyes sincere.
“Thank you. I definitely won’t let you down tomorrow.”
Lu Li’s Wristband kept flashing red. Some Audience, having recovered from the excitement of the daytime content, began sending rewards.
[Reward: Spirit Money * 10,000. Handing over all my pocket Spirit Money for this month to the Streamer! Finally, Game Night is here. Rubbing my hands. The daytime was so exciting! Let me see how this amazing newcomer faces off against the fierce Evil God tonight!]
[Upstairs, you must be new? You can get ready to wash up and sleep. The Streamer’s Game Night has neither visuals nor sound. It’s all about being completely bad.]
[Call the Moderator to fix the Live Stream Room and the Moderator just plays dead. But when it comes to clarifying the Streamer isn’t cheating, they’re so fast! It’s been three days in a row with no nighttime footage. If you don’t get angry, do you think the ghosts are fools? If I get mad, I’ll really get mad!]
[Reward: Spirit Money * 10,000. Help! Did any quick-eyed Ghost Friend just capture a screenshot of the Streamer crying in the Live Stream Room? Big reward offered!! I really want it as my wallpaper!!]
[Upstairs, DM me, ten consecutive screenshots, each one a different divine face.]
[Enough. I never imagined there’d be people like you among the Ghost Friends! The Streamer was so upset just now, crying, and here you are secretly sharing photos! This Underworld is just one huge Ace Simp Squad! (DM’d you as well, send me a copy too, urgent, urgent!)]
–
Lu Li closed the door and saw Bosi already sitting at the edge of the bed, a thick stack of documents spread out on the table.
“Good evening, Bosi.”
“Were you busy again today?”
Bosi’s hand, holding the quill, paused. He didn’t turn around or flip the page; his gaze lingered on the paper for a long time.
“Busy.”
But during the day, he had still found time to prepare a new method of death, different from the previous ones.
If Lu Li came to ask, Bosi could, albeit reluctantly, try it with him.
Just as Bosi expected, Lu Li walked over to the bed and carefully took out the Pillow from the headboard as if it were a treasure.
Bosi focused on his work, only sparing a sliver of attention for Lu Li as his gloved fingertips tapped lightly on the tabletop.
The room was small, and so was the bed.
From the far end of the bed to his side was only a few steps, so why was Lu Li taking so long?
For a while, there was no sound from Lu Li, but behind him came faint rustling as someone quietly tugged away a bit of the bedsheet.
Bosi frowned.
Ever since he was hired by Bosi, this human had become much bolder.
If Bosi could lower himself to share a room with Lu Li, then everything in the room ought to belong to him.
Lu Li had slept on the floor, in the corner, the previous two nights-which was at least sensible.
But now he actually dared to get on the bed without a word?
Bosi put down his quill, ready to make this ungrateful human get off the bed.
But he saw that Lu Li was still lying in his usual corner-he’d just pulled the blanket down onto the floor.
The young man’s back was pressed tightly into the corner between two walls, soft pale-gray hair falling over his shoulders and neck, chin resting on the Pillow as he rubbed against it in contentment, his hand rubbing his eyes.
Candlelight shone on him, making his already fair skin look almost translucent.
He looked as if he hadn’t eaten enough or slept well, and his mood was low.
Bosi wanted to ask, “Not dying today?”
But what came out was, “No cake today?”
“No. There’s only one Birthday a year. I already had it yesterday,” Lu Li pressed his odd, aching eyes with his fingertips. “Besides, cake is too expensive. I don’t have enough Points. Having it once is too extravagant.”
Lu Li put his hand down and asked, “Is it you who wants to eat it?”
Bosi scoffed softly. “Not interested.”
He never ate anything too sweet.
Today he had the desserts in the Dining Area slightly upgraded, originally intending to let Lu Li see how they turned out.
As for Points-he had found his own account today, with a considerable balance.
After Lu Li got his salary, eating some sweets should be more than affordable. He shouldn’t have to go hungry like this.
“This Instance will be over soon. Besides the vacation I promised you, I’ll pay you 200,000 Points up front as your salary.” Bosi stroked his chin.
You can’t give too much at the start; humans are always greedy and never satisfied.
But if you raise their salary step by step, they’ll be happy to work themselves to the bone.
Bosi said, “Depending on your performance, if you do well in the Instance, you can get a raise of 10,000 Points each time.”
Lu Li didn’t reply.
Bosi stared at the documents but couldn’t focus. His quill tapped harder and harder on the paper.
“Fine, 30,000. Your starting salary isn’t low, don’t get greedy.”
The room remained silent.
Bosi added, “A maximum of 60,000. People shouldn’t be too greedy.”
“What did you say?” Lu Li vaguely heard some noise, sleepily lifted his head, and accidentally bumped into the bed frame. Rubbing his head, he looked at Bosi. “I’m too tired.”
A chill seemed to gather around Bosi.
Normally, any Evil God facing him would pay close attention to even his smallest expressions and movements, let alone every word he said.
But this human dared to ignore him so completely.
Truly outrageous.
Bosi pressed his thin lips together and simply said, “Come sleep on the bed.”