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Bonus chapter! Thank you to --- for the donation! ^^
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Miao Ciyu's words were filled with hostility, with no hint of joking—as if he were simply informing Ruan Qing.
Informing Ruan Qing that he would absolutely do it.
In Miao Village, death was just an ordinary, everyday thing. But few could calmly accept their own death—at least, Ruan Qing couldn't.
His face paled, his lips trembling slightly, but in the end, he said nothing. He stood up silently and began gathering the things that had fallen to the ground.
The cushion was completely ruined.
Already dirty from hitting the ground, it had sunk into the mud after bearing the weight of two people.
And it wasn’t just the cushion—Ruan Qing himself wasn’t in good shape either.
His lips were visibly swollen, glistening with moisture, as if they had been thoroughly kissed raw. Anyone could tell they had been roughly treated, the sight alone unbearably enticing.
Even if Miao Ciyu had left no other marks on him, he was in no state to go to Miao Li’s house now.
Ruan Qing seemed well aware that he couldn’t let anyone see him like this. After picking everything up, he didn’t head toward Miao Li’s place. Instead, he silently turned and walked back in the direction of his own home.
This time, Miao Ciyu didn’t stop him. He just watched Ruan Qing leave with an inscrutable, shadowed gaze, the darkness in his eyes terrifying.
Ignoring the stare burning into his back, Ruan Qing pressed his lips together and looked down at the things in his arms. He needed to come up with a perfect excuse for Miao Li to explain why he hadn’t shown up.
But before that, he had to avoid running into anyone else.
Holding the items, Ruan Qing quietly made his way home. Just as he was about to step inside, he froze.
Because there was someone in his house.
And it wasn’t the group of strangers from earlier—it was… Miao Li.
Miao Li had passed by earlier and come looking for him.
Realizing this, Ruan Qing’s eyes widened in panic, and he immediately ducked into a dark corner nearby.
The village chief’s residence wasn’t small, with plenty of shrubs lining the outer walls. The shadowy corners were hard to spot, making them the perfect hiding place.
So, before Ruan Qing could slip in, he discovered that the corner was already occupied.
By more than one person.
The players were stunned. They had hidden in this spot earlier when someone arrived at the chief’s house.
But they never expected that someone returning to their own home would stand at the door for less than three seconds before hiding—and even end up hiding in the same place as them.
The two parties collided abruptly, caught completely off guard.
The short-haired girl reacted the fastest. As Ruan Qing stared in panic, his eyes wide with shock, she immediately pulled out a small knife and pressed it against his fair, jade-like neck.
"Don’t scream, or I’ll kill you."
Ruan Qing’s pupils contracted. Instinctively, he tilted his head back, his eyes filled with terror, not daring to make a single sound.
Even without the girl’s threat, he wouldn’t have dared to scream.
Because the person inside the yard seemed to have noticed something. Along with the large black dog at his feet, he stepped out of the yard and was now scanning the area near the entrance.
There was no need to guess who it was—it was Miao Li, waiting for him at home.
If Miao Li saw him like this…
Ruan Qing pressed his lips tightly together, his grip on the items in his arms tightening slightly, his fingertips turning white from the force. The fear in his eyes reached its peak.
The short-haired girl took in every detail of his reaction. Thinking she was the one who had frightened him, she moved the knife back just a fraction.
She didn’t want to threaten someone with Ruan Qing’s special status in Miao Village, but she had no choice. If he made any noise and alerted the man inside the house, they could all end up dead here.
Their instincts told them that man was extremely dangerous.
But…
The short-haired girl’s gaze lingered on the young man’s flushed lips, and her tone carried a hint of something unreadable.
"Don’t tell me… you were just sneaking back from an affair?"
She hit the mark. The moment those words left her mouth, the hostage’s face paled, and his slender, delicate frame trembled slightly.
Though the girl had kept her voice low, the nearby players still heard her. They couldn’t help but admire this guy—brave enough to have an affair the day before his wedding, even while involved with such a dangerous man. It took some serious audacity.
Then again, maybe not that audacious, given how terrified he was of being caught right now.
Fang Qingyuan wasn’t with the group at the moment, but Mu Ye’an, who was usually inseparable from him, was there. Leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, he gave Ruan Qing a brief, indifferent glance before looking away.
His demeanor was as detached as ever—just as cold as when he had rejected Ruan Qing in the past.
The live-stream audience felt inexplicably disappointed by this scene and flooded the chat with comments.
[I thought Boss Mu would regret it the moment he saw my wife, but he didn’t even spare him a second glance. Told you—Boss Mu doesn’t do regrets! I’m rooting for you, Boss Mu!]
[Boss Mu stays cold! You’re the first guy to ever reject my wife. I mean, I think you’re kinda blind, but damn, I respect the guts.]
[Ehhh, not so sure. That look he gave was terrifying—not mocking or disgusted. And when has Boss Mu ever acknowledged anyone unless he was about to kill them? Is he… planning to murder my wife?!]
[Am I the only one wondering what happened during the blackout just now? Wife looks like he just got railed—like he’s practically oozing that just-got-fucked energy. Can this trash stream stop cutting out at the most critical moments?]
The chat was buzzing, but the players didn’t spare it a glance. Their focus was entirely on the man at the gate, and when his gaze swept over, they instinctively held their breaths.
Luckily, they were hidden around a corner, shielded by thick bushes. From the outside, spotting them was nearly impossible.
Miao Li didn’t notice anyone. After scanning the area and finding nothing, he frowned slightly and turned to go back inside.
But the moment he moved, the black dog at his feet locked onto a specific spot in the shadows and let out a fierce bark.
"Woof!"
Miao Li froze. His eyes narrowed, sharp as a blade, as he stared straight toward the corner—exactly where the players were hiding.
The players’ hearts lurched at the sound of the dog.
We’re screwed.
The short-haired girl’s hand trembled around her knife. If that man saw her holding his fiancé at knifepoint, she’d be dead meat.
Her instincts had never been wrong. Without hesitation, she tried to pull the blade away from Ruan Qing.
But before she could move, the knife was wrenched from her grip, and she stumbled backward. Had the bespectacled player not caught her, she would’ve hit the ground hard.
Her face went pale as she stared at Mu Ye’an—now holding her knife—and the hostage in his grasp.
This wasn’t like when she had done it. She’d only threatened the boy to keep him quiet. But Boss Mu? He would kill without blinking.
Even if it were a player standing in his way, he wouldn’t hesitate to strike—let alone just an NPC.
The short-haired girl opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came out. She bit her lower lip and turned her head away in silence.
The sharp blade pressed against Ruan Qing’s skin—this was no longer just a half-hearted threat.
The throat was a fragile place, and being threatened like this would instinctively make anyone want to flee in fear. What’s more, the oppressive aura this man exuded was on an entirely different level from the short-haired girl’s.
Powerful. Dangerous.
Ruan Qing had tried to escape the moment the situation took a turn. He instinctively stepped back to avoid the blade, but the man holding him was right behind him—so his retreat only sent him stumbling into the man’s arms.
And the knife at his neck remained, its cold edge glinting ominously, as if it could slice open Ruan Qing’s throat without mercy at any second.
The items he had been holding scattered to the ground with a loud clatter, but he had no mind to care about them now.
The icy touch of the blade against his skin made Ruan Qing’s beautiful eyes glisten with fear, his delicate face filled with terror and unease.
No one could face death without fear—especially not Ruan Qing, who had just narrowly escaped dying in a fire.
But there was no escape. Pressed against the man’s chest, his slender frame trembled uncontrollably.
Overwhelmed by terror, Ruan Qing bit down hard on his lower lip until a faint taste of blood seeped into his mouth—proof of just how terrified he was.
And this was the scene that greeted Miao Li as he approached.
His gaze darkened completely at the sight of the blade against Ruan Qing’s throat and the fear in his eyes, his expression turning grim and menacing.
He began walking slowly toward the man.
"Don’t move." Mu Ye’an tightened his grip on the knife, pressing it closer to Ruan Qing’s neck.
Ruan Qing’s eyes widened, his delicate face filled with panic and helplessness. Forced to tilt his head back by the blade, his body leaned even further into Mu Ye’an, nearly pressing against him completely.
From behind, if one ignored the knife at his throat, their posture might have looked intimate—even tender.
But this was no act of closeness. One more fraction of an inch, and the blade would draw blood.
