Chapter 174
Chapter 174
Chinnawat’s voice was unusually shrill. Without his usual cartoonish accent, he sounded utterly panicked.
Qiao Yu hurried forward and pulled open the door. An intensely cold presence rushed over him.
Maria was already within arm’s reach.
Qiao Yu snatched the thermos from Chinnawat’s arms, then slammed the door shut again.
His indifferent voice came from inside. “Keep her busy a little longer. Thanks for your hard work.”
Chinnawat was stunned, standing as motionless as a wooden chicken.
The bone-chilling cold nearly touched his shoulder. At the critical moment, years of pole-dancing experience helped him narrowly avoid that hand.
“Sob, sob… My baby, my baby.”
Chinnawat immediately turned and ran, cursing Qiao Yu to death in his heart.
Even killing the donkey after it finished grinding grain had never happened this quickly!
The female ghost’s crying grew louder with her anger. Qiao Yu forcibly controlled his temper, poured Shang Yan warm water, and waited until he swallowed the medicine. Then he kicked the mud wall. “Cry, cry, cry! You’re so annoying!”
As he walked toward the door, the secluded courtyard became lively. Many streamers had followed the trail there and stared excitedly at the opening door.
“Big Sister Maria, there are lots of people inside!”
“I found them first! Don’t steal them from me!”
“It was me! I found them first…”
In those streamers’ eyes, Qiao Yu’s group had become glittering bundles of points. Their heated gazes and excitement were enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.
Chinnawat finally made it back to the entrance, only to be blocked again by the streamers.
Everyone seemed to be… waiting for him to get caught and drowned.
Only after he died would the points continue stacking…
Damn them!
The noisy arguments, frantic competition, and endless sobbing threatened to lift the roof.
Qiao Yu stepped outside and watched silently for several seconds. Impatience gradually colored his pitch-black pupils.
“Shut up!”
His voice was not loud, yet it carried an inexplicable, overwhelming pressure.
Everyone fell silent. Even Maria’s crying paused for an instant.
“Sob, sob… My baby, my baby.”
Qiao Yu stood motionless as a pallid hand reached for him. He narrowed his eyes. “Your child isn’t here. Have you forgotten? You drowned your child yourself.”
The hand stopped eerily before him.
Layers of cold air coated his raven-feather lashes in pale frost, making his entire presence look even more cool and untainted.
“Sob, sob! You’re lying! She was flesh from my own body. How could I drown her?”
“She wasn’t flesh from your body. She was the tightening curse wrapped around your head.”
Maria fell silent.
The remote courtyard became so quiet a dropped needle could be heard. Luo Yunmeng burst out laughing, the sound exceptionally conspicuous.
Only when the female ghost’s icy gaze landed on her did she hurriedly cover her mouth and shrink behind Kong Xianya.
Kong Xianya was speechless.
Fuck! What tightening curse? She was the lump of flesh standing in front of Luo Yunmeng!
Qiao Yu could not be bothered with the undercurrent between them. He brushed aside the hand reaching for him and laughed mockingly. “Coming to an orphanage to hook a rich man wasn’t a bad idea, but your luck was genuinely terrible.
“You only have yourself to blame for misjudging people. You insisted on coming to *this orphanage* to display your kindness because you wanted a wealthy patron. But every rich man who comes here is either a pedophile or an addict. What decent person did you think you’d find? You deserved to die.”
The statement contained so much information that everyone forgot to investigate why Maria’s ability had failed.
Qiao Yu left Maria speechless. Still stunned that her power to restrain people no longer worked, she refused to believe it and grabbed his wrist. He remained entirely free to move.
Qiao Yu immediately pulled free, avoiding her as though she were contagious. “I don’t have money for you to latch onto. I’m still a child.”
Maria began sobbing even harder.
“You still have the nerve to cry? Shut up!”
The sudden rise in volume frightened Maria into hiccupping. The next second, she cried even louder.
Helpless, Qiao Yu extended a hand behind him toward Luo Yunmeng. “Tape.”
Luo Yunmeng instinctively produced a roll of clear tape, her face full of disbelief. “I don’t understand how you knew I had tape.”
Qiao Yu accepted it, tore off a strip with a rip, and swiftly slapped it over Maria’s mouth. “I don’t understand your lack of understanding, Little Doctor.”
The solution was crude and simple, but Maria’s annoying sobs genuinely disappeared.
-Streamer, no recursive logic.
-Sadako: Get lost.
-Yes, ma’am.
-I’m dying. From the streamer to his fans, not one person in this Live Stream Room is easy to provoke.
-Daily question: What species is the streamer?
-I know this one. The streamer is a once-in-an-era freak, because his boyfriend is an untouchable flower on a snowy peak.
-Li Xiaoqin: Tsk. He’s obviously a husky that learned to take human form.
-Sadako: Warning-I’ll revoke your fan membership.
-Painted Skin: Don’t be like that. Let Sister Li say whatever she wants. If you make her angry, are you going to raise her children?
-Sadako: …You have a point. I’ll listen to you.
-Li Xiaoqin: Wait. Didn’t you fight over who got to raise them before?
-Sadako, Painted Skin: Wasn’t us. Never happened. Goodbye, too late to shake hands.
-Li Xiaoqin: Fuck! Come back and explain yourselves!
-Fans really do take after their idol. Ask them for manners, and they’ll hand you a tree branch.
-Director Zhou: Please do not extend the streamer’s behavior to his fans. Thank you.
Being called “Doctor” filled Luo Yunmeng with comfort from head to toe. She immediately stopped caring that Qiao Yu constantly demanded things from her.
Maria, however, felt no such comfort. Her blood-red eyes widened as she pointed at her mouth and raised a hand to tear off the tape.
Qiao Yu had no intention of giving her the opportunity. He tore off another strip and bound her hands as well.
Luo Yunmeng stared. “Are you cosplaying a kidnapper?”
Qiao Yu stood and dusted off his hands. “Don’t blame me. Her crying sounds like an air-raid siren. My head is still buzzing.”
The description was so accurate that Luo Yunmeng could not help applauding.
Kong Xianya shook her head and sighed again. “No wonder the internet is always talking about the destructive power of an unforgettable first love. I finally understand today!”
Everyone watched Maria struggle helplessly against her restraints. Their gazes toward Qiao Yu grew even more wary.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly. The three hours passed slowly.
Maria felt like a dead fish, incapable of making even the slightest wave.
Fortunately, the maddening situation was not permanent. Three hours was long, but it eventually ended.
The broadcast announced, “Time’s up. The game is over. Please look forward to playing again at the same time tomorrow.”
The bound Maria was finally released. The next second, she vanished without a trace…
As the game ended, the little ghosts watching the excitement returned to their rooms, visibly disappointed.
The streamers cast covert glances at the silent mud-brick hut, trying to spy on the “Aberration Source.” Murderous intent filled their eyes, but fear of Qiao Yu guarding the doorway kept them from acting.
More than ten minutes passed before the secluded courtyard became completely empty.
Qiao Yu did not spare them a glance. He turned and went inside.
Lucia hugged herself in a corner. Only when she heard that everyone seemed to have left did she gather the courage to ask, “Are we sleeping here tonight?”
Qiao Yu stared at the one, two, three, four enormous third wheels and sighed deeply.
It seemed he would never shake off these four burdens. They clung to him even harder than his foolish son. How annoying.
*Ziwei, come back! Dad will never complain about you again!*
At that very moment, Luo Ziwei was trapped deep inside a Red Name Instance, sobbing so hard he could barely breathe. “I want Dad!”
Chi Shang’s head ached. “…Where am I supposed to find your dad? Stop crying and punch this door. Smash the lock first.”
Luo Ziwei painfully closed his eyes and resigned himself to raising his little fist.
Another day spent missing the sharp-tongued man he had adopted as his dad… and his Small Wire.
Sob!