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Bonus chapter! Thank you to JustSomeOne for the donation! ^^
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As Qi Lintian’s voice faded, the office fell into dead silence, the atmosphere itself seeming to freeze.
Ruan Qing’s slender frame trembled slightly, his entire body curled into Lin Zhiyan’s embrace, his face still buried against him—he didn’t even lift his head, let alone respond.
As if the name "Xia Qing" meant nothing to him.
Lin Zhiyan, holding him close, naturally noticed the subtle shift in his demeanor. And he knew very well what the boy’s name was.
Xia Qing.
This was no coincidence. Qi Lintian knew him.
But why would Xia Qing know Qi Lintian?
Then it struck him—there was one detail he’d overlooked in the boy’s file. The information about his previous patron was missing.
No name was given, just a vague reference to a "Mr. Lin."
Perhaps it wasn’t "Lin" at all, but… "Lintian."
Someone who could evade his men’s investigation, leaving only the title "Mr. Lin" behind—it had to be Qi Lintian.
And sure enough, Qi Lintian had been in S City months ago, where the boy attended university.
Lin Zhiyan’s grip around Ruan Qing unconsciously tightened. His expression remained calm as he smiled at Qi Lintian. "Mr. Qi, you must be mistaken. There’s no one here named Xia Qing."
Qi Lintian ignored him entirely, his gaze locked onto the figure in Lin Zhiyan’s arms. Then, without hesitation, he strode toward the desk.
"Mr. Qi!" Lin Zhiyan’s tone sharpened, the smile vanishing from his face. "We’re… rather occupied at the moment. I’d appreciate it if you don’t come any closer."
"Unless Mr. Qi has a habit of watching others in intimate situations?"
Still, Qi Lintian didn’t stop. Lin Zhiyan’s eyes turned icy, all traces of respect gone. "Even if that’s the case, my lover and I don’t enjoy being spectated. Have some decency."
Just then, the boy in his arms gave Lin Zhiyan’s chest a light, chiding punch. A whisper-soft voice, laced with coquettish complaint, escaped him: "Brother Lin, this is all your fault… I told you not to do this in the office…"
The boy’s voice was barely audible, but Qi Lintian heard it—and froze mid-step.
That wasn’t Xia Qing’s voice.
Xia Qing’s tone was cool and detached, but this boy’s carried a sultry allure, their voices nothing alike.
This wasn’t Xia Qing.
Qi Lintian glanced at the person buried in Lin Zhiyan’s arms and, in the end, turned away without a trace of reluctance.
The live-stream audience had been watching the entire scene, and their teeth were practically grinding to dust—furious at Qi Lintian’s blindness, furious at his utter lack of spine.
[I waited so long for this showdown—ex-sugar daddy vs. current sugar daddy—and this is what you give me? Seriously?]
[Bro, you’ve missed out on your "wife" twice now, you know that? Are you the male lead in some soap opera who keeps just barely missing the female lead? Do you actually think she’ll always be yours no matter what? Bet you’ll be wearing a green hat by tonight!]
[I can’t even—I’m stressed out for you! Why didn’t you just yank him over and check? Ever heard of voice mimicry? "Wife" can copy anyone’s voice!]
[Serves you right, you damn fool. How are you this stupid? No wonder you got dumped!]
Ruan Qing listened to the fading footsteps and finally let out a quiet sigh of relief, his body relaxing slightly. He straightened up, putting some distance between himself and Lin Zhiyan.
But before that relief could fully settle, his breath hitched again—because Lin Zhiyan let out a low, mocking laugh that sent a chill down his spine.
Lin Zhiyan gripped Ruan Qing’s wrist, pulling him back in, his voice laced with icy sarcasm. "What? That afraid of him finding out about us?"
Before Ruan Qing could respond, Lin Zhiyan continued, "Don’t tell me you jumped to me before even breaking up with him?"
Though his tone was almost teasing, Ruan Qing’s scalp prickled with dread. He shook his head frantically. "N-no… I didn’t. I already broke up with him before."
The original owner, after learning his roommates had won the lottery spot—and that Lin Zhiyan was the cruise’s manager—had sent a breakup text to his former sugar daddy.
Even if the man never replied, they were technically already over.
Ruan Qing hurriedly pulled out his phone, pulling up the old message as proof.
Lin Zhiyan took the phone, skimmed it, then scrolled up.
The original owner and his ex had barely texted—just a handful of generic holiday greetings, clearly copy-pasted.
No sincerity, no affection. Just the bare minimum expected of a gold-digger. And the ex had never replied.
Lin Zhiyan handed the phone back, then pinched Ruan Qing’s palm lightly, his tone unreadable. "How cold. Didn’t even say hello to an old flame—even faked your voice to trick him. A few months together, and you’re already this heartless?"
Lin Zhiyan’s voice grew colder as he spoke, his grip on Ruan Qing’s hand tightening slightly. "Seems your old flame still can’t forget you—he recognized you just from your back."
"I…" Ruan Qing opened his mouth, flustered, but in the end, said nothing. There was nothing to say.
After all, no words would be appropriate. No one discusses their former patron with their current one.
Fortunately, Lin Zhiyan didn’t press further, nor did he revisit what had just happened.
He idly toyed with Ruan Qing’s hand, acutely aware that Qi Lintian might notice something amiss at any moment—might even return at any second.
Before the cruise ship reached its destination, Qi Lintian could revoke Lin Zhiyan’s authority as the ship’s manager whenever he pleased.
But Xia Qing? Letting him go was out of the question. Whether Lin Zhiyan had genuinely fallen for him or some trick had been played, he would never return him to Qi Lintian.
He had to erase all doubt.
Releasing Ruan Qing, Lin Zhiyan pulled a card from his pocket and pressed it into his palm. "Go rest. I’ll join you after handling some business."
Ruan Qing lowered his gaze to the card. It was the same type issued to staff—an ID badge. This one bore Lin Zhiyan’s name, photo, and position:
Lin Zhiyan
Cruise Ship Manager
With a final, indifferent glance at the staff member who had entered earlier with Qi Lintian, Lin Zhiyan turned away.
The staff member immediately bowed politely to both men before extending a hand toward Ruan Qing. "Mr. Xia, please follow me."
Pressing his lips together, Ruan Qing slid off Lin Zhiyan’s lap and followed the employee to his room.
Room 1005—the fifth suite on the tenth floor.
Once Ruan Qing was inside, the staff left, leaving him alone.
He examined the ID card again. This likely functioned as an invitation pass—and a far more secure one than those given to guests.
Tucking it away, Ruan Qing studied the room.
Its layout was nothing like the guest cabins below. This space was refined and opulent, less a cruise ship cabin and more a five-star presidential suite.
Traces of daily life were everywhere. Someone clearly lived here.
This was Lin Zhiyan’s own room.
Ruan Qing scanned the room but found nothing unusual. His gaze settled on the only window in the cabin.
The window wasn’t particularly large, but it wasn’t small either—just big enough for a slender man to slip through.
He approached it and discreetly ran his hands along the frame.
The window was completely sealed shut, with no way to open it. The glass, too, seemed to be a special type of bulletproof material, nearly impossible to break.
Even for the sake of the cruise ship’s structural integrity and safety, using this kind of glass was excessive. It was just as strange as sealing off the passageways to the deck.
…Almost as if they were trying to keep something outside from getting in.
Abandoning his attempt, Ruan Qing turned his attention to the view beyond the window.
Only darkness and silence greeted him.
A thick fog had rolled over the sea, swallowing even the light from his room. Nothing was visible.
Given the high humidity and dropping temperatures, fog wasn’t unusual—but that didn’t make the oppressive blackness any less unnerving.
He checked his phone. Almost 1 AM. Lin Zhiyan would be back soon.
Ruan Qing desperately wanted to leave the room now, to find some excuse to die and escape this nightmare. But he couldn’t.
Roaming the ship at this hour—especially in a game where every guest had been assigned a private cabin—was beyond dangerous. It could get him killed for real.
And he was different from the others. He was the only one without a genuine invitation, the NPC meant to die at the very beginning of the dungeon.
But staying here, alone with Lin Zhiyan…
His long lashes trembled faintly, and his grip on the phone tightened. Taking a deep breath, he finally turned toward the door.
Lin Zhiyan radiated danger. Aligning with him would only lead to one outcome: death, and an eternity trapped in this cursed game.
True, nighttime in the dungeon was perilous—but in Infinite Horror, risk and opportunity went hand in hand. The greater the danger, the more critical the clues.
Yet in the end, Ruan Qing never made it out.
Just as he reached for the door handle, a faint noise echoed from the hallway outside.
Something—or someone—was approaching.
But it wasn’t footsteps.
It was the sound of something being dragged across the floor, accompanied by a faint, wet dripping.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
In the dead silence of the early morning, the dripping sound was deafening—unnervingly loud, unnervingly wrong.
Ruan Qing froze, his hand jerking back from the doorknob as if scalded.
Was there really someone outside?
The noise grew closer now, creeping unmistakably toward his room. His breath hitched, his pulse hammering in his throat. In a flash, his hand shot out, twisting the lock shut.
Click.
The sound of the bolt was faint, barely audible—but the dragging, shuffling noise outside stopped.
As if whatever was out there had heard.
As if it was now… staring straight at Room 1005.
