***
Bonus chapter! Thank you to --- for the donation! ^^
***
Ruan Qing stiffened at Fang Qingyuan’s words, the refusal dying on his lips.
He was afraid—terrified, really—of Miao Li finding out.
Terrified that Miao Li would abandon him.
Fang Qingyuan took in Ruan Qing’s panic and fear at a glance. It didn’t bring him any satisfaction. Instead, a dark, uncontainable fury rose in his chest, his eyes turning dangerously cold.
So you love him that much? Enough to fear him knowing the truth?
Tch. If you were so afraid, you shouldn’t have cheated in the first place.
The memory of what he’d seen by the lake made the air around Fang Qingyuan turn even heavier. Suppressing the storm in his gaze, he let out a low, humorless laugh—icy and ominous.
"You’ve already cheated. What’s one more, hm?"
Ruan Qing’s damp eyes flickered with panic and helplessness, but Fang Qingyuan’s expression left no room for negotiation. He bit his lower lip hard, his lashes fluttering down as if wrestling with himself.
Fang Qingyuan didn’t rush him. He waited patiently, knowing the answer would be the one he wanted.
After a long, frozen moment, Ruan Qing finally lowered his head, tears welling in his eyes, humiliation written across his face. His body still tensed with resistance, but he didn’t pull away as Fang Qingyuan wrapped an arm around him.
He was surrendering.
With that video hanging over him, he had no choice but to accept Fang Qingyuan’s terms.
Fang Qingyuan had expected this outcome, yet when Ruan Qing silently yielded, his smile faded. His expression darkened completely, a palpable aura of menace rolling off him.
He wasn’t naïve enough to think Ruan Qing’s compliance had anything to do with him. Had it been anyone else holding that leverage, the result would’ve been the same.
All for the sake of that ridiculous... "beloved" of his.
Meanwhile, the live-stream audience had been watching the entire scene unfold—but right now, their focus wasn’t on the two men. It was on the figure hovering above and to their left.
A crimson silhouette, now visible up to the thighs, was no longer still and lifeless as before. It trembled faintly at first, then more violently, like someone choking, thrashing against a noose—
Or like... she was furious.
[BOSS, STOP FLIRTING WITH YOUR WIFE AND LOOK UP—LOOK UP! SHE’S GETTING CLOSER! SHE’S GONNA KILL YOU, DAMMIT!]
[Oh no, oh no… Looks like the village chief isn’t happy with Boss Fang’s actions as a potential love interest. Did she see her son getting bullied and decide to step in herself?]
[This is the first time we’ve seen the village chief take action. She must really love her son—if she hadn’t held up that beam in the fire, the wife might not have survived long enough for the third guy to save him.]
[I get that she’s trying to help, but damn, it’s creepy as hell. Imagine looking up and just seeing a pair of floating red legs. I’d have a heart attack on the spot.]
Fang Qingyuan, seemingly oblivious to the crimson specter, studied the docile figure before him and suppressed the violence simmering in his chest. Something felt off.
If this person really was <First High School>’s notorious school bully, Su Qing, then it meant he could move freely between dungeons, even assume different roles in each one.
And the only ones capable of that were players of Infinite Horror Game.
Though Fang Qingyuan had never met one of the legendary "special players" himself, he’d heard the rumors. Unlike ordinary players, they didn’t enter the game the usual way. Their identities were different—most ended up becoming NPCs within the dungeons.
Just like the person in front of him.
If he really was a special player, there was no way he’d fall for a dungeon NPC.
And Fang Qingyuan had a suspicion—this person might very well be the target of that astronomical bounty.
His lips curled into a faint, unreadable smile. "Did you know? Two of those high-value bounties just disappeared."
"Bounty quests only vanish under two conditions: either they’ve been completed… or the player who posted them is dead."
In Infinite Horror Game, player points couldn’t be seized or inherited—only voluntarily transferred. Upon death, a player’s entire account was wiped clean by the system.
And so were their bounty postings.
Between the two possibilities, Fang Qingyuan leaned toward the latter.
"Bounty quests? What bounty quests?" Confusion flickered across Ruan Qing’s delicate features, as if he genuinely had no idea what Fang was talking about.
Fang Qingyuan studied him carefully. The bewilderment looked real—no trace of deception. For now, he couldn’t tell if this was an act.
But he didn’t let his guard down. If this person really was one of those legendary special NPCs, his acting would be flawless. A test this simple wouldn’t expose him.
If not for the uncanny similarity in their voices—and Su Qing’s bizarre final question to the dungeon boss—Fang Qingyuan might never have suspected Su Qing was a player at all.
Earlier, the sight of the boy kissing that man had clouded his judgment. But now, upon closer reflection, the whole situation was riddled with inconsistencies.
If he truly loved that man named Miao Li, how could he cheat? How could he kiss another man in the lake?
Had no one interrupted them, those two might have gone even further—behavior completely at odds with someone who supposedly loved another deeply enough to die for them.
This person… was Su Qing. Even without concrete evidence, he was sure of it.
"You're Su—" Just as Fang Qingyuan was about to lay it all out, movement sounded nearby—footsteps approaching.
Fang Qingyuan hadn’t dragged Ruan Qing far, just behind some bushes along the main path. They were barely two meters from the road, close enough to hear the footsteps clearly.
Swallowing his words, Fang Qingyuan silently pulled Ruan Qing deeper into the shadows of the trees. Only when he was certain they were hidden did he glance subtly toward the road.
Villagers from Miao Village.
Though several walked by, none traveled in pairs. Each moved independently, all heading southeast.
That wasn’t the direction of the village houses.
Once the villagers had passed, Fang Qingyuan lowered his voice. "Where are they going?"
Ruan Qing didn’t want to answer. His lips pressed together briefly before he finally muttered, reluctant, "...To the fields. To plant herbs."
Fang Qingyuan’s eyes narrowed. "Herbs?"
"Yeah." Ruan Qing nodded, then—as if suddenly realizing an escape—quickly added, "It’s getting late. I should go too."
He made to leave in the direction the villagers had gone. Truthfully, he hadn’t needed to work the fields in a long time; Miao Ciyu handled it for him. But this was the perfect excuse to shake the man off.
Yet after just a few steps, Fang Qingyuan yanked him back by the wrist.
Pinning Ruan Qing against the tree, Fang Qingyuan caged him in—one hand gripping his wrist, the other planted beside his head. Leaning down slightly, his voice dropped to a rough, dangerous murmur.
"Did I say you could leave?"
Fang Qingyuan was just as tall as Miao Ciyu, standing nearly a full head above Ruan Qing. His broad frame blocked the light, casting Ruan Qing entirely in shadow—an overwhelming presence that stirred unease, even fear.
This was an undeniably perilous position.
Though he had already agreed to let the man become the "other man," it was only out of helplessness.
Ruan Qing frantically tried to push Fang Qingyuan away, but one of his wrists was firmly gripped, impossible to pull free, while the strength of his other hand posed no threat to Fang Qingyuan at all.
Perhaps even both hands wouldn’t have made a difference.
His long lashes trembled slightly with unease as he turned his face away, avoiding Fang Qingyuan’s predatory gaze. In a small voice, he explained, "Every household in Miao Village has to send someone to work in the fields."
"If anyone refuses… the villagers will burn them to death."
As he spoke, a trace of fear flickered across his delicate features, as though he truly dreaded being executed by the villagers.
Fang Qingyuan froze. He never expected that simply skipping fieldwork would lead to being burned alive.
In dungeons, bizarre and dangerous rules like this were usually crucial—they could very well be tied to the key to clearing the instance.
"I’ll go with you."
Ruan Qing’s face twisted with hesitation and discomfort. He lowered his head and murmured, "...I’m getting married tomorrow."
Though he didn’t finish, Fang Qingyuan immediately understood. Getting married tomorrow, yet showing up in the fields today with a strange man? That would definitely draw attention.
He was afraid of arousing suspicion.
"How devoted," Fang Qingyuan sneered silently. "Right? A groom who cheats with two people the day before his wedding."
He emphasized the word "cheats," his tone dripping with sarcasm—what kind of devotion could a cheater even claim?
Ruan Qing’s face paled, then flushed with humiliation. He pressed his lips into a thin line, finally bowing his head in shame.
Skipping fieldwork meant death, so Fang Qingyuan didn’t delay any further. Still, he refused to let Ruan Qing walk alone, instead following at a careful distance as they headed toward the gathering point for the villagers.
The space between them was safe enough that no one would suspect a connection, avoiding unnecessary scrutiny.
With no more room to argue, Ruan Qing could only brace himself and continue toward the meeting spot.
As usual, Miao Ciyu led the group. His entire presence radiated cold menace, his aura oppressive and dangerous.
The villagers assembled in fearful silence, none daring to make a sound. Some even subconsciously shifted farther away.
Miao Village had no strict rules about formation, but the villagers habitually stood in their usual spots, making their positions nearly unchanged.
Today was different. Once the other villagers had taken their positions, the remaining villagers abandoned their usual spots and spontaneously moved to stand behind the others.
The group that should have been at the center of the square was now pushed toward the edge, creating a scene that was almost comical.
But for the villagers, it was anything but funny. Those forced to the front were visibly desperate to move back, their faces twisted in distress, muscles tense and veins bulging—as if enduring unbearable agony.
Yet the moment Ruan Qing approached, the tension eased slightly.
