Chapter 5 (Village Instance)

When Qing Xi woke up, he was surprised to find himself lying in bed, and someone had even taken off his outerwear.

The young boy slowly sat up, his beautiful little face full of confusion.

He wondered, Did I take off my clothes before going to sleep?

Subconsciously, Qing Xi bit his lip—a habit he had when thinking.

But the moment his teeth pressed down, he felt a faint sting on his lips.

Startled, he quickly put on his shoes and went to the mirror, only to discover that his lips were significantly more swollen than before.

Could it have been a mosquito bite?

Thinking this, Qing Xi even complained to the system, saying that the mosquitoes this season were too vicious—they’d even bitten his lips swollen.

Although certain unsavory content would automatically be filtered out, 202—who knew the truth—could only coldly stare at the young player’s lips. There were unmistakable marks left by that person’s bites.

Just as Qing Xi finished getting dressed, Zhou Ming, who had been gone for most of the day, finally returned.

He brought a small gift for Qing Xi—a box of delicious-looking pastries.

Qing Xi, who had a sweet tooth, was delighted and immediately gave Zhou Ming’s thin lips a kiss as a reward.

Mm, kissing a man’s lips felt soft with a hint of coolness, but also surprisingly nice, so the young boy didn’t dislike it.

“Thank you, hubby. I really like the gift.”

Zhou Ming was pleased by his little wife’s affectionate gesture, but the moment he saw Qing Xi’s lips, his good mood instantly vanished.

His fingers lightly touched Qing Xi’s lips, and he casually asked, “Qing Xi, what happened to your mouth?”

Those marks were unmistakable—someone must’ve taken advantage of his absence to kiss his little wife.

And judging from how swollen they were, it must have been quite rough.

So what had his little wife been doing at that time?

Was he struggling desperately? Or was he on their marital bed, letting another man kiss him, kissing him until he cried while begging?

He hadn’t even kissed him like that yet—and this was his little wife.

Dark thoughts spiraled in Zhou Ming’s mind, and the hostility in his eyes deepened.

Yes, I really should just lock him up at home. That way, he’ll finally learn to behave.

“I don’t know. Probably a mosquito bite,” Qing Xi said.

Speaking of it, the delicate and whiny boy looked aggrieved. He even pointed at his lips, pouting at his husband, “Look, it’s all swollen and it hurts a little.”

Zhou Ming looked down at the boy who was now acting spoiled again, his gaze growing darker.

Suddenly, he softened his voice, a hint of coaxing in his tone. “Then let me tell you a way to make it stop hurting, okay?”

“Okay!”

The beautiful little wife trusted his husband wholeheartedly and didn’t doubt for a second that he might deceive him.

So the moment he agreed, a hot and aggressive kiss landed on his lips.

Qing Xi was pulled into that familiar, warm embrace as strong arms wrapped around his waist.

“Mm…” The kiss left the boy gasping for air. He tried to push the man away, but with his limited strength, he couldn’t budge Zhou Ming in his current fervent state.

By the time he was finally released, Qing Xi’s lips were even redder and more swollen than before.

Just as he finally caught his breath, Zhou Ming suddenly scooped him up in a bridal carry.

“Hubby!” Qing Xi, startled, could only cling tightly to his neck.

“Baby, I’m hungry.”

Zhou Ming leaned into the boy’s ear, his breath hot against his skin, making Qing Xi instinctively clench his fists.

He turned his face away and said softly, “If you’re hungry, you can eat the pastries first…”

“But right now, I’d rather eat this ‘delicious little treat’ in my arms.”

Realizing who Zhou Ming meant by “little treat,” Qing Xi’s face flushed red, and he didn’t dare meet the man’s eyes.

But Zhou Ming wasn’t about to let such a delectable treat go.

He gently laid his little wife on the bed, and his pale yet handsome face curved into a faint smile.

“Qing Qing, this is our wedding night.”

At those words, the blush on Qing Xi’s face returned in full force.

“Then you have to be gentle…”

The shy, stunning boy gripped the hem of his clothes tightly, looking up at the man with soft and obedient eyes—so sweet and alluring.

Zhou Ming’s breath caught.

He replied with a gentle “Okay.”

And so began a night of intimate sweetness between husband and wife.

From the man's kisses, Qing Xi felt his head turning dizzy again, until he heard Zhou Ming’s low chuckle.

“So my baby is really a beautiful little delicate flower.”

Realizing what he meant, Qing Xi no longer had the strength to hide his secret.

He could only endure his husband’s “bullying” while silently accusing him of being so mean…

When everything was finally over, Qing Xi’s tear-stained face looked pitiful, his lips red and swollen beyond recognition—not to mention the rest of his body.

He looked absolutely miserable.

Zhou Ming lay back with a satisfied expression on his face.

This beautiful little delicate flower was finally his.

Thinking this, Zhou Ming leaned over and kissed Qing Xi on the forehead again.

This was also his and only his little wife.

——

When Qing Xi woke up again, the sky was already completely shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to see anything outside.

He had just tried to sit up from the bed when he felt a soreness and weakness around his waist, making him quite uncomfortable.

Adding to that, Zhou Ming had disappeared somewhere without a trace, and feeling like he had been abandoned, Qing Xi started to cry in grievance.

"System, don’t you think he’s being too much? It’s already this late and he left me alone in the room."

202 looked at the brightly lit bedroom illuminated by several burning candles on the table, then glanced at the pitifully crying little beauty of a player and gently agreed.

【Mm, very excessive.】

【Then maybe we should take this chance to just ignore him from now on.】

Besides, the most important thing was—Qing Xi still needed his husband's protection.

Seeing that its attempt at sowing discord had failed, 202 didn't say anything more. Instead, it kept thinking of ways to become human as soon as possible.

Creak—just then, the door was pushed open.

Zhou Ming walked in carrying food in his hands.

When he saw Qing Xi with tears still in his eyes, his heart clenched. He quickly put down the food and rushed over.

“Baby, why are you crying?”

Could it be that those things came to bully his little wife again while he was gone?

Seeing the culprit arrive, Qing Xi immediately glared at him, full of annoyance. “It’s all your fault.”

“You knew I’m afraid of the dark, but you still left me alone here.”

Zhou Ming glanced at the candles he had deliberately lit before leaving. They were still faithfully burning, casting a warm glow in the room.

But a good husband should be brave enough to admit his mistakes.

And his little wife was always right.

So Zhou Ming immediately admitted his fault.

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I promise there won’t be a next time.”

Seeing how quickly he apologized, Qing Xi’s small tantrum melted away. Instead, he gave him another command. “I don’t have the strength anymore, so you have to carry me to eat.”

“Okay.” Zhou Ming was naturally more than happy to do anything that would bring him closer to his little wife.

After feeding his little wife dinner, Zhou Ming went to boil a pot of hot water.

He claimed it was to let Qing Xi bathe, but in truth, it was just another excuse to devour him from head to toe once more.

Now completely drained and exhausted, Qing Xi quickly fell into a deep sleep in Zhou Ming’s arms.

Thus, the second day in this dungeon passed safely.

And the third morning arrived with the crowing of a rooster.

At the village entrance, a few people had appeared.

There were two men and two women.

Leading them was a man who stood over 1.9 meters tall. His features were strikingly handsome with a hint of mixed heritage, and his pupils were a clear amber color.

His expression was cold and aloof.

This only deepened the fear in the hearts of the three people behind him.

After all, someone like him—handsome and renowned—was already a legendary figure among the old players.

K—he was currently ranked fifth on the player leaderboard, earning him the nickname “God K.”

Keep in mind, the number of players in this infinite game exceeded several million. So someone like God K was already at the very top.

No one knew why he had been assigned to such a low-level B+ dungeon this time, but the three others hoped they could cling to his leg for protection and pass safely.

After a long pause, a skinny man with glasses mustered up the courage to approach and asked, “God K, what should we do next?”

The man known as K merely glanced back at them indifferently. “Just play your roles. Other than that, don’t drag me down.”

K himself wasn’t sure why he had been assigned to this low-tier world, but since these three were now his teammates, there was no need for infighting. He would just play along.

“Understood, God K. We promise not to get in your way.”

Though his words were cold and distant, the three found his response oddly reassuring.

Their assigned roles this time were to play a family who had just returned from working in the city.

——

After breakfast, Zhou Ming said he had something to do and left. Although Qing Xi found it strange, he didn’t ask much.

It just so happened he needed to go out too.

Qing Xi planned to visit that Aunt Niu from yesterday, hoping she might provide some useful information.

But he didn’t dare go alone, so he decided to find Lu Hua and ask him to accompany him.

So ten minutes after Zhou Ming left, Qing Xi also headed out.

Halfway there, Qing Xi realized something important—he didn’t know where Lu Hua’s house was.

Just as he was fretting over it, a stranger’s voice came from behind him.

“Excuse me, little brother, do you know where the Qing family’s house is?”

Qing Xi turned around and saw four unfamiliar people. Their clothing didn’t look like the villagers’ at all.

So… outsiders?

Suppressing his suspicions, the boy decided not to overthink it.

He glanced at them again and replied, “Sorry, I’m not really sure either.”

But the moment they saw this boy’s face, the four newcomers were stunned.

It was the first time they had seen such a beautiful NPC in a dungeon.

Under the dazzling golden sunlight, the black-haired, fair-skinned, and delicately featured boy easily captured all their attention.

Qing Xi had no idea what the people in front of him were thinking.

He decided to continue searching house by house—maybe he’d get lucky and run into Lu Hua.

As the boy prepared to leave, K, usually calm and composed, found his feet following the boy almost involuntarily.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Qing Xi turned around and saw the tall man from earlier now following him.

???

What was this guy trying to do?

Feeling “bullied,” Qing Xi stopped and looked unhappily at the man, his tone sharp.

“Hey, why are you following me?”

K stared at the pretty bunny in front of him, who looked even more vibrant now that he was upset. A trace of amusement flickered in his eyes, but he kept his expression cold and aloof.

“My house is just up ahead.”

“……”

Unable to refute that, the boy became even more annoyed and ignored the man, turning to leave.

Just as K was about to follow and say something soft to calm him, he saw a man running toward them.

No—his target was clearly the little bunny.

Sure enough, the man stopped right in front of the bunny and smiled at him.

And the bunny actually smiled back at him.

Heh, what’s so funny? Just some dumb guy.

“Qing Xi, why are you out? Did Brother Zhou go out again?”

“Yeah, but I only came out because I wanted to continue what we started yesterday. It’s got nothing to do with him.”

“Or… did you forget what you promised me?”

Lu Hua smiled. “Of course not. Let’s go now.”

As he spoke to the boy, Lu Hua seemed to just notice the tall man behind him. He asked curiously, “Qing Xi, is this your friend?”

“No. I don’t know him.”

“Oh, I see.”

Lu Hua withdrew his gaze, his lips curving into a smile.

But it was a smile full of provocation.

K, of course, noticed.

But in the end, they were all just hunters coveting the same rare treasure, so what difference did it make?

At that moment, the glasses-wearing man from earlier quickly approached and once again asked Lu Hua the question from before.

“So you’re all from Uncle Qing’s family?”

“Yes, we siblings just got back from the city today.”

“But it’s been over ten years since we left, so we can’t quite remember where home is.”

Lu Hua didn’t ask further. He just kindly pointed them in the right direction. “You’ve gone too far. Uncle Qing’s house is just back that way.”

“Got it, thank you so much!”

“No problem. We’ve got things to do, so we’ll be going now.”

With that, Lu Hua took Qing Xi’s hand and left.

Qing Xi wasn’t sure why Lu Hua suddenly grabbed his hand, but since he was helping today, he decided to let it slide.

After the two NPCs walked off, the man with glasses carefully turned to the cold-faced K and asked, “God K, should we head over now?”

“You go first.”

With the order given, the three didn’t delay.

Soon, only K was left outside. Thinking back to the interaction between those two, so intimate and natural…

It irritated him for some reason.

Hah, it’s just an NPC. There’s no need to care.

But despite telling himself this, K only grew more frustrated.

His expression darkened—but in the end, he still decided to follow.

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