^^^Seductive Little Beauty in the Infinite Stream^^^

Credits to the Author: Linini

Synopsis:

Qing Xi, timid and entirely a delicate crybaby, is dragged into an infinite survival game instance by a system after his death.

With nothing but a pretty face to rely on, he has no choice but to seek out a protector among the crowd—

Someone who can shield him and help him clear the game.

In the village instance, he’s a pitiful little beauty forced into marriage by his cruel family.

In the mysterious castle instance,

he’s a frail young master. When danger strikes, he instinctively turns to the butler for help—

only to find himself tightly embraced by two players from behind.

——

Burning kisses fall on him like rain. Dizzy and dazed from being kissed, Qing Xi accidentally reveals the secret he’s been hiding.

“My baby is so beautiful,”

the man laughs in a low voice.

The “bullied” young man can no longer speak a word—he can only accept the man’s demands.

Tags:

Seductive but useless little beauty (shou) who trains dogs (i.e., tames/controls the semes) · Yandere · Split-personality · Obedient yet twisted gong

Content Warning:

The shou is intersex!

T/N: From the same author: The Delicate Beauty Becomes a Heartthrob in the Infinite Flow World. Cuz, I love lighthearted, cliché stories like this🤌

———

Chapter 1

"Village Instance"

After gradually regaining consciousness, Qing Xi found himself in a strange place.

It was a shabby, small bedroom.

The lime on the walls had not only peeled off but also revealed the bumpy surface underneath.

In front of Qing Xi was a small table missing one of its legs, and he was currently sitting on a large wooden bed.

Only when he lowered his head slightly did he notice that he was wearing a bright red wedding robe. However, the fabric was of very poor quality.

This made the delicate-skinned boy feel a bit uncomfortable wearing it.

He frowned and reached out, intending to take it off.

Just then, 202, who had rushed over to meet this new player, was immediately captivated by the little beauty bathed in orange firelight.

Soft black hair, a snow-white face with exquisite and striking features, and the tear mole beneath the corner of his right eye only added a unique touch of beauty.

Such a scene made 202, ranked number one among all robots, experience for the first time the “heat” humans always spoke about.

Usually cold and emotionless toward all other players, 202’s tone softened for the first time in its life.

【Player, hello. I am the system assigned to you by the main god. You can call me 202.】

【Also, this is your first mini-instance in the Infinite Game. Please first accept the storyline and tasks.】

The sudden strange voice made Qing Xi feel a bit guarded. But before he could do anything, a flood of text automatically appeared in his mind.

【Lotus Village.

This is a remote and rather backward mountain village.

Because of this, there aren’t many families living here, and most are elderly.

The original body was a strange person, neither male nor female. Because of this, he replaced his beloved older sister and married a sickly man who was on the brink of death.】

【Main Task: Survive until the end of the instance. (Note: The instance lasts seven days.)】

【Side Task: Uncover the secrets hidden in this village.】

After receiving the full storyline, Qing Xi felt a deep sense of unease.

He didn’t know why, after dying, his timid self would be thrown into such a terrifying little world. But if he wanted a chance to survive, then he needed to find a strong ally.

Maybe his sickly husband could be a good choice.

Creak…

At that moment, the wooden door was pushed open from the outside, making an unpleasant screeching sound.

Hearing it, Qing Xi quickly grabbed the red veil nearby and draped it over his head.

With his vision blocked, he couldn’t see anything and could only hear footsteps approaching, growing nearer and nearer, until a pair of deep blue cloth shoes appeared in front of him.

Cough cough…

The man suddenly coughed.

Qing Xi instinctively clenched his hands. But remembering he needed this man’s protection, he asked, “Are you alright?”

“Mm.”

“Sorry to make you worry.”

The man’s voice was gentle, so maybe he would be easy to get along with.

As Qing Xi was thinking this, the veil on his head was suddenly lifted.

His first reaction was to look up.

A refined and handsome face appeared before him. The only flaw was the man's overly pale complexion, giving off a severely sickly appearance.

It seemed his illness was truly serious.

The moment the man laid eyes on Qing Xi’s face, his pupils contracted.

At that moment, the boy’s figure was all he could see.

The black-haired little beauty under the warm lamplight was simply too pleasing to the eye.

Feeling the man’s intense stare, Qing Xi naturally noticed it. His cheeks flushed, and he awkwardly asked, “Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

“No, I was just stunned… I didn’t expect my little wife to be this beautiful.”

Qing Xi wasn’t unfamiliar with compliments like that. After all, he’d heard such words from many people since he was young.

But coming from this man, for some reason, it made him feel a faint sense of shyness. Was it because this man was now his husband?

“You’re very good-looking too,” Qing Xi replied with a smile.

The man was amused by his response and sat down beside him.

As he came closer, Qing Xi caught a whiff of a faint herbal scent—like traditional medicinal herbs.

Thinking of his husband’s sickly condition, Qing Xi felt a bit more sympathetic toward him.

“What’s wrong?” the man asked.

“N-nothing.”

“Can we go to sleep now?” Qing Xi asked.

Being suddenly pulled into this instance world, and now finally relaxing, Qing Xi felt exhausted.

The man glanced at the sleepy boy and chuckled lightly. “Yes, but we haven’t had our nuptial wine yet.”

Saying this, he got up and brought over two small red cups.

They looked just like the ones Qing Xi had seen on TV.

He was only focused on going to sleep now, so he quickly picked up the cup and drank it.

The slightly bitter taste made the boy frown—he disliked such flavors—but he forced himself to finish it.

“Sleep now.”

The man’s voice grew low and deep beside his ear.

Qing Xi wanted to say something else, but his consciousness slowly faded into a blur.

In the next second, his whole body fell backward.

The cup in his hand also slipped to the ground along with its owner's collapse.

The man looked at the unconscious youth on the bed, his gaze darkening slightly.

The fair-skinned, beautiful youth lay on a red quilt embroidered with mandarin ducks—two contrasting colors forming a striking picture.

The man leaned in slightly, his fingers slowly touching Qing Xi’s soft cheek, then trailing downward.

Soon, the red wedding robe Qing Xi wore was discarded onto the floor... followed by the matching embroidered shoes.

【Ding—The livestream room has automatically started. Viewers, please be mindful of your comments, or they will be blocked.】

【Holy crap, I just entered and saw that??? What a stunning little beauty!! That’s my wife now, slurp slurp.】

【And this little beauty is actually a newbie! And look at the identity he drew—total cannon fodder among cannon fodder.】

After seeing that comment, the viewers who had been admiring the beauty finally recalled which instance this was.

"Rural Anomalies"

Don’t be fooled by the simple name—its difficulty level is B+.

In the infinite world, all instances are ranked by letters: S, A, B, C, D, E, F, with each level having a "+" variant.

So this instance being B+ means it’s even harder than a normal B-level one.

【Nooo, I finally got a gorgeous wife, and now he’s gonna die this fast?】

No one could give a reassuring answer—because anyone who drew this “cannon fodder bride” role before died horribly.

Just then, the little beauty everyone was worried about slowly opened his eyes.

Qing Xi, upon waking, met the deep, emotionless gaze of the man.

But instead of fear, the youth’s pretty face bloomed with a sweet and obedient smile. “Sorry, I just... fell asleep like that.”

Then, seeing that he was only left with his inner white clothes, he reached out toward the man. “And thank you for helping me take off my robe.”

“Also, can you help me up? I’m feeling a little weak.”

The original owner of this body had been knocked out and substituted into this wedding with an empty stomach, which made Qing Xi feel very hungry now.

【We’re doomed. This sickly husband has a notoriously bad temper. Last time, a somewhat decent-looking player tried seducing him and got hacked to death with an axe on day one.】

【Help, I don’t even have the heart to keep watching.】

【My beautiful wife, sob sob.】

But the next moment shocked everyone watching.

Because the man actually held Qing Xi’s hand—and even crouched down to help him put his shoes back on.

Watching the small feet hidden under his socks being slipped into the red embroidered shoes, the man stood up and said calmly, “I’ll go to the kitchen and get you something to eat. Stay in the room and don’t wander around.”

“Mm-hmm, okay.”

“Thank you, hubby.”

The little beauty obediently responded, the way he said "hubby" so sweet it practically dripped sugar.

The man’s tall figure stiffened slightly, but he said nothing.

Still, if one looked closely, he was walking away much faster than when he had entered.

【I can’t believe it—my little beauty actually survived, and the husband even went to fetch food himself!】

【This is the power of looks!! All those past players who died on day one are probably crying in their graves.】

【Tsk, I knew it—no one can resist my wife! Even a fierce NPC husband isn’t immune!】

Once the man left and closed the door, the room fell into silence again.

Qing Xi propped his chin in his hands and began recalling everything that had happened.

After he “fainted,” the man must’ve stood there observing him for quite a while, and then—mysteriously—helped him take off his robe.

At the time, the boy’s heart had been pounding, but he had no choice but to keep “sleeping.”

Upon waking, he had carefully tested the waters to approach the man, and luckily, it turned out safe.

That also helped Qing Xi confirm how he would interact with this man in the coming days.

——

“Mmm, it smells so good—it must taste amazing too.”

Qing Xi smiled with crescent-shaped eyes as he picked up the golden-fried egg with chopsticks and held it up to the man’s lips. “Our chef worked hard, so you should try it first.”

The man initially wanted to refuse, but when he met the boy’s smiling, crescent-shaped eyes, he inexplicably agreed.

His throat, unused to food, instantly felt uncomfortable—but he still swallowed the bite of egg.

Then he looked at Qing Xi, who now had puffed cheeks as he chewed, looking like a little bunny.

So cute... and really makes you want to bully him...

Qing Xi had no idea what his husband was thinking. After finishing the delicious bowl of noodles, he cutely asked the man to rub his tummy.

When the man’s large hand touched the warm skin, his gaze darkened slightly—but he didn’t pull away.

As for the livestream viewers, if they didn’t already know the background of this instance, they’d truly think they were watching a sweet romance world.

The contrast with the previous tone was drastic.

【Tsk tsk, my wife is so good at this. I feel like that husband is already completely under his control.】

【+1, wife really knows how to tame a dog.】

【But don’t celebrate too soon. What if that husband suddenly turns violent on the newbie?】

【Yeah, just a pretty face. I doubt he’ll survive long. Everything so far could be a coincidence.】

Now that his hunger was dealt with, Qing Xi genuinely felt sleepy.

He yawned, then sweetly asked the man to carry him for washing up.

And the man, once again, didn’t refuse. He went to the kitchen to fetch warm water and brought back a soft, clean cloth.

His considerate care only made the youth more determined to cling tightly to this golden thigh.

So when both of them were done and lying on the big bed, Qing Xi immediately rolled into the man’s arms and even leaned over to kiss his pale lips.

“Goodnight, hubby.”

The man was stunned by the sudden gesture.

It took him a while to respond in a low voice.

“Goodnight.”

And the viewers in the livestream, having gone from constant shock to full acceptance, were now getting used to this “sweet romance” plotline.

That same night, a hot new thread appeared on the biggest forum in the infinite world:

#Shocking! The scary NPC husband in that rural instance is actually a total love-struck fool!#

After Qing Xi woke up again, the sky outside was already bright, which meant he had safely survived a full day in this instance.

Warm sunlight streamed in through the window.

He sat up and looked around. The room was empty—he was the only one there. His husband had left at some point without him noticing.

Still not fully awake, the young boy yawned again and reached out to pinch his own cheeks, trying to make himself a bit more alert.

When the man walked in from outside, this was the scene he saw—

A little bunny dressed only in a white inner garment, eyes half-closed, softly pinching his own cheeks. He looked utterly adorable.

The man suddenly had a strong urge… to just eat him up right then and there—

Right on that big bed.

He couldn’t help but wonder: once he bullied this teary-eyed little bride until he cried, what would the boy do? Would he obediently submit, or would he look up at him with those lively, beautiful eyes and plead for mercy?

“Husband.”

The boy’s sweet, soft voice pulled the man out of his increasingly twisted thoughts.

“What is it?”

The man asked as he walked over.

“Nothing, I just got a bit unhappy waking up and not seeing you,” Qing Xi said while reaching out his arms toward him. “Can you carry me out?”

The man looked at this human who was acting all spoiled again, and thought he was truly strange. Wasn’t he afraid of him at all?

But even more peculiar was himself.

Because he realized—he couldn’t refuse any of the boy’s requests.

Or maybe… it wasn’t that he couldn’t. He just… didn’t want to.

As his arms wrapped around that slim and soft waist, the man even caught a whiff of a sweet scent—the same scent he had smelled in his dreams last night.

So it was coming from the little bunny himself.

Qing Xi had no idea what kind of random thoughts the man holding him was having.

All he knew was that when he snuggled into the man’s broad chest, it didn’t feel as cold as he imagined—in fact, it was rather warm.

Looks like his sickly husband’s physique was much better than expected.

——

After finishing the breakfast the man made, Qing Xi suddenly remembered a side mission he needed to complete. He looked at his husband, who was washing dishes, and said, “Husband, how about we go out for a walk later?”

The man didn’t immediately agree this time. He simply turned to look at the boy, his voice slightly hoarse. “Why the sudden interest in taking a walk?”

Qing Xi got up and blinked as he appeared at his side. “Isn’t it because I want to spend more time with you and build our relationship?”

“After all, we hadn’t even met before I got married into the family.”

Qing Xi’s words left no room for rebuttal, so the man didn’t question further.

A few seconds later, Qing Xi got the answer he was waiting for.

“Alright, I’ll go with you.”

“Thank you, hubby.”

“I love you the most.”

Qing Xi grinned and planted a kiss on the man’s cheek.

The man didn’t say anything about the gesture, but hidden behind his hair, his earlobes quietly turned red where the boy couldn’t see.

——

Once outside, Qing Xi held the man’s hand and walked forward while casually observing the village around them.

From the size alone, it really was just as described in the plot.

The village wasn’t big—only about a dozen houses were visible to the naked eye, most of them low bungalows made of a few red bricks.

In comparison, the blue brick house where his husband lived was actually the best house in the village.

“Want to go home and have a look?”

The man’s sudden question caught Qing Xi off guard. It wasn’t until he looked ahead and saw the house standing not far away that he realized what the man meant.

That was Qing Xi’s home in the original plot.

Qing Xi shook his head. “Forget it. Besides, I don’t think they’d want to see me either.”

After the system told him that those so-called family members wouldn’t live for much longer, Qing Xi had already decided there was no point in going back.

And besides, this wasn’t an ordinary world. He needed to tread carefully with everything he did.

But even though he didn’t want to go looking for trouble, trouble came looking for him the moment it saw him.

“Qing Xi!”

A girl’s voice called from the distance.

Qing Xi looked up and saw a young woman with twin ponytails shouting his name. Her face was filled with unconcealed disgust.

There was no avoiding it. Qing Xi could only bring the man with him and walk over.

“Big sister.”

He greeted her using the title from his memories.

When Qing Mei saw her freak-of-a-brother not only unscathed but dressed in beautiful new clothes, a flicker of jealousy flashed in her eyes.

“Qing Xi, you were clearly almost home just now. Why didn’t you just come in?”

“Or are you thinking that now that you’re married, you don’t need to acknowledge your family anymore?”

Qing Xi didn’t understand why his sister had to question him like this. He pursed his lips and replied, “I’ve never thought that way. And the reason I got married—you and mother should know that better than anyone.”

Qing Mei instantly flared up! She raised her hand to hit Qing Xi.

But before she could even get close, she fell forward, face-first into the dirt.

The man pulled the frightened youth into his arms, and for the first time, a wave of anger surged in his heart.

“You saw she was going to hit you—why didn’t you dodge?”

“I…”

Qing Xi was about to say that he had intended to dodge, but everything that had happened since he was drugged and married off had piled up inside. At that moment, all the wrongs and grievances he had endured surged to the surface.

His eyes turned red, and tears quickly welled up.

Before long, crystal-clear teardrops rolled down his cheeks one after another, landing softly on the ground.

The boy’s sudden crying threw the man into a panic. He had no idea what to do, and could only clumsily try to comfort him.

“Qing Xi, don’t cry. I didn’t mean to be harsh with you.”

“I… I just got too worried.”

“Really?”

Qing Xi looked up at him. His eyes, now misty from crying, shimmered brightly. The tear tracks on his face made the man’s heart ache even more.

“Yes. You’re my wife. I’d never hurt you—I only want to protect you.”

“Your… wife?”

Qing Xi looked away. He didn’t dare imagine what would happen if the man learned the truth.

But he couldn’t reveal it now. He still needed the man’s protection.

“Qing Xi.”

The boy’s silence filled the man with unease.

Yes, he was starting to fear that the youth might pull away from him. If that happened, what would he do?

Maybe… maybe he should take him back right now, lock him up, and make sure he only ever saw him.

That way, the little bunny would always belong to him alone.

“You said it yourself—you’ll always protect me, your wife.”

Qing Xi’s sweet and innocent smile shattered all of the man’s dark thoughts.

“Alright. I’ll always protect you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

This man, feared by everyone for his cruelty, was now making such a precious promise to one human.

This quietly sweet moment was fully taken in by Qing Mei, who had just climbed up from the ground.

She hadn’t paid much attention to the sickly man before.

In the village, people said he was ugly, old-looking, and sickly—unlikely to live long. So even though his family conditions were better than most, Qing Mei had never considered marrying him.

That’s why she arranged for her freak-of-a-brother, Qing Xi, to take her place in the pre-arranged childhood engagement.

But who would’ve guessed? The man wasn’t old at all—he was strikingly handsome.

He was tall and strong, and even though his face was pale, it didn’t diminish his looks in the slightest.

If she had known he looked like that, she definitely would’ve married him herself.

Thinking this, Qing Mei couldn’t help but feel regret.

“Zhou Ming, do you remember me? I’m Qing Mei—the one who used to play tag with you as kids.”

She walked up to the man, eyes full of hope.

But the man—Zhou Ming—didn’t even look at her. He just held Qing Xi tightly and said, “We won’t be coming back for the family visit tomorrow.”

Being blatantly ignored made Qing Mei furious, but she didn’t want to leave a bad impression on Zhou Ming, so she forced a smile and said, “I understand. I’ll pass that along to Mother.”

Then she turned to Qing Xi and said gently, “Qing Xi, come home when you have time, okay? Mother and I really miss you.”

If Qing Xi hadn’t already known what kind of person Qing Mei truly was, he might have been fooled by her fake concern.

Instead, he just responded with a mocking smile. “Big sister, we still have things to do. We’ll be going.”

Being ignored again and again, Qing Mei nearly lost her composure, but she remembered her plan—to find an opportunity to tell Zhou Ming the “truth” about the marriage swap. So she swallowed her anger.

Soon. Once she managed to frame that damn freak properly, everything would be hers again.

Back on the familiar path home, Qing Xi lost interest in exploring the rest of the village. Instead, he started thinking over the clues he’d gathered.

First of all, it turned out his husband’s name was Zhou Ming.

But most of the villagers had the surname Qing, which meant his family had come from somewhere else.

Then there was the original plot’s mother character.

From what little he remembered, she had a bad temper and often beat and scolded the original Qing Xi.

And just now, even with all the commotion outside, she hadn’t come out to check—completely out of character.

Could there be some connection between the two?

“Qing Xi, we’re home.”

Zhou Ming’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

The boy figured it was only the start of the second day—there was no need to rush. He let himself relax.

But what Qing Xi didn’t see was Zhou Ming, now standing quietly behind him.

In an instant, the man’s deep, shadowy eyes turned blood-red.

At the same moment, Qing Mei lay sprawled in the muddy road, unmoving.

From her forehead and beyond, a foul-smelling pool of thick, blackish-red blood had begun to spread...

No one knew how long had passed, but the "Qingmei" lying on the ground finally got up. However, instead of returning to her room, she staggered out and pushed open the front door.

The skin on her face no longer looked like a normal human's—pale and bluish, like that of a corpse.

But "Qingmei" seemed completely unaware. She just kept walking forward.

And along the way, she didn’t encounter a single villager. She didn’t find this strange either, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Eventually, she arrived at her destination.

It was the village’s only small pond.

No one knew exactly how deep the water was, but it was said that several children had drowned there long ago.

There were even rumors that a water ghost lived in the pond.

"Qingmei" stepped into the water one step at a time from the shore.

Soon, only her head was left floating on the surface.

Just as she was about to be completely submerged, something suddenly darted out from her body with a splash.

When Qingmei opened her eyes again, she found herself in the center of the pond!

Realizing she was about to sink, she immediately started crying out for help.

“Help! Is anyone there? Please help me!”

“Help…”

Qingmei kept shouting, but no one responded.

Gradually, the injury at the back of her head began to sap her strength from blood loss, leaving her feeling weak. Her body slowly began to sink straight down.

And just before her consciousness completely faded…

A grotesque and terrifying face appeared before her eyes.

It was her own face—when she had been conspiring with her mother about how to frame Qing Xi after Qing Xi and Zhou Ming had left.

As for her mother, she had ended up being smothered to death by her own daughter with a pillow after saying something wrong in the heat of the moment.

So… this was her retribution?

——

Half-asleep, Qing Xi stirred when he heard what sounded like a commotion outside. He turned to the man next to him and asked:

“Honey, is something going on outside?”

“No, nothing happened.”

“Go back to sleep.”

“I’ll be right here with you.”

“Mm.” Qing Xi’s voice was filled with dependence and trust.

Before long, the room was so quiet that only Qing Xi’s steady breathing could be heard.

Zhou Ming gazed at the sleeping boy with eyes full of tenderness and love.

After a while, Zhou Ming finally got up reluctantly.

Now it was time for him to take care of those trivial matters so that he could spend more time with his little wife.

——

“Zhou-ge, are you home?”

“Zhou-ge!”

Just after waking up, Qing Xi heard someone knocking at the door nonstop. Not seeing Zhou Ming anywhere in the room, he assumed his husband had come back.

But when he opened the heavy wooden door, he found a stranger standing outside.

The man was tall with a buzz cut and a handsome face, but his expression looked fierce, making Qing Xi instinctively avoid getting too close.

What’s more, he was wearing only a white tank top and gray shorts, exposing his muscular—but not overly bulky—build.

Lu Hua had been about to leave after knocking several times without a response, when the door suddenly opened.

To his surprise, the one who answered wasn’t his good buddy Zhou Ming, but a delicate young beauty.

The boy’s hair was still a bit tousled, clearly just out of bed.

Zhou-ge… where did you find such a gorgeous boy?

Lu Hua, who usually showed no courtesy to anyone outside his two best friends, found himself for the first time ever becoming conscious of his appearance.

He even tried to mimic lines he had heard on TV, flashing a bright and charming smile at the little beauty. “Hello, I’m Lu Hua. It’s nice to meet you.”

After what just happened, all traces of Qing Xi’s drowsiness vanished.

Now staring at the man greeting him, he thought the guy seemed a bit silly.

Though still a little wary, the well-mannered boy responded politely.

“Hello, I’m Qing Xi.”

Qing Xi… Lu Hua repeated the name silently in his heart, thinking not only was the boy beautiful, but even his name sounded lovely.

Even more importantly, he was Lu Hua’s ideal type in every way.

Honestly, it felt like he had just met his destined wife!

【Ding——The livestream has automatically started.】

That familiar mechanical voice of System 202 suddenly echoed in his mind.

Catching the unprepared boy completely off guard.

His round apricot eyes widened in shock, making him look like a startled little kitten.

“Qing Xi, are you okay?”

Lu Hua asked in concern, seizing the chance to grab the boy’s soft, fair hand.

Mm, his wife’s hand was just as small and soft as he had imagined.

“I’m fine. You can let go of me now.”

Frowning slightly at Lu Hua’s rude behavior, Qing Xi sounded displeased.

“Sorry.”

Like a guilty puppy, Lu Hua immediately admitted his mistake when he saw that his wife was angry.

[Meow meow meow??? At first, I thought this was some countryside romance storyline.]

[What’s going on?? I was only gone for one day, and my wife already has another dog??]

[Hehe, but this dog’s body looks great. When doing that kind of thing, he’d definitely make our wife feel better than that sickly husband.]

[Also, the contrast in their skin tones—tsk. That big arm looks even thicker than my wife’s calf.]

“If you don’t have anything else, you can leave now. Zhou Ming isn’t home at the moment.”

“Then I’ll come back to look for Zhou-ge later. It’s nothing urgent anyway.”

Lu Hua said that, but his eyes remained glued to Qing Xi, not even blinking.

Qing Xi originally thought the man would leave after he said that, but he just kept staring at him. So shameless.

Flustered and annoyed, Qing Xi decided not to bother with this big idiot anymore. He turned around and went back into the courtyard, intending to shut the door.

But just as he was about to close it—

A tanned hand, much bigger than his own, suddenly reached in and stopped it.

“Qing Xi, I suddenly remembered I actually have something important to talk to Zhou-ge about. Can I come in and wait for him?”

The boy raised his eyes to look at him. Seeing the sincere expression on the man’s face, he hesitated but eventually nodded and let him in.

[Ahhhhhh wife don’t let the wolf in! I swear! That guy’s totally lying to you!!]

[Wait, is this NPC even supposed to be in this storyline? I’ve never seen him before.]

[Same! This is the first time I’ve seen this dude. Could he be a newly added character in this instance?]

[Hehe, another day of watching our pretty wife attract more dogs.]

“Thank you, Qing Xi.”

After coming in, Lu Hua immediately made himself at home and dragged over a chair to sit in the courtyard. Then, as if casually, he asked the boy,

“Qing Xi, if I may ask, what’s your relationship with Zhou-ge?”

“Because I’ve never seen you before, and I’ve never heard Zhou-ge mention you.”

Qing Xi glanced at him and replied blandly, “It’s normal you haven’t seen me. I’m the wife he just married yesterday.”

!!!!

Lu Hua nearly fell off the chair upon hearing that.

What! The person I just fell for at first sight is already married!?

Wait—when did Zhou-ge even hold a wedding? As his brother, how could I not know anything about it!?

This is outrageous! Did he even consider me a real bro!?

The shock was too much, and for a while, Lu Hua just sat there in a daze.

Meanwhile, Qing Xi returned to his room.

From that conversation with Lu Hua, he’d gotten a crucial piece of information.

Logically, since they all grew up in the same village, Lu Hua should’ve known him. But he didn’t.

If Zhou Ming’s alienation could be explained by his poor health, then what about Lu Hua?

And his surname is Lu… so is he, like Zhou Ming, also from outside the village?

Qing Xi now felt like he was surrounded by a thick fog of mystery, not knowing where to start unraveling the truth.

“202, can you… maybe give me a little hint?”

Alone in the room, the boy pitifully reached out to his system for help.

But what he didn’t know was that these systems only issue missions and plotlines to their bound players. As for other things… they didn’t care.

Especially since 202 was known to be the most emotionless system of them all.

[QwQ, poor wife… If I could talk, I really wanna give you a hint.]

[Sob, wife stay strong, you have to pass the instance on your own.]

[202 won’t help him, right? I remember someone who was bound to it before said it’s cold as ice and completely devoid of human emotion—just a ruthless machine.]

[Well, it is a robot, after all.]

But just as the viewers were discussing 202, the system was secretly giving its little player a hint. Compared to its usual tone, it even sounded… gentler.

【Perhaps the player can try asking some of the other villagers. You might learn something useful.】

!!!

Qing Xi’s eyes lit up instantly when he heard that.

He really was dumb—he’d forgotten such a simple method.

“Thank you so much, 202.”

The boy expressed his heartfelt thanks through mental communication.

“It’s nothing. It’s part of my duty as your system.”

But as 202 recalled everything it had seen recently, for the first time in its high-level system existence, it experienced something akin to desire.

It really wanted to become human.

That way, it could always stay by its little player’s side, to protect him.

And maybe… just like those others, it could do some “bullying” things to Qing Xi too.

Besides, in 202’s eyes, its little player was so obedient—he would surely enjoy that…