Chapter 3

Just when he was a single step from completing the Task, Qin Guan stubbornly shut his mouth. Whether it was a plot necessity or he was deliberately stringing him along, it was hard to say.

If someone hadn’t walked in, Jiang Xiao would have really liked to violently shake Qin Guan’s shoulders and force him to spill everything.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me,” Qin Guan spoke, completely ignoring the presence of others, lowering his head to speak directly into Jiang Xiao’s ear. “Still need to find some solid evidence to show you.”

Jiang Xiao’s ear tingled from the blown air, making him lean his head far back. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t comprehend how Qin Guan seemed even gayer than him.

“Qin Guan,” Wen Xu’s voice cut in, its usual mildness drained of all warmth, “Step back.”

“Oh? The boyfriend’s here to check up on you?” Qin Guan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He laid an arm across the sofa back behind Jiang Xiao and met Wen Xu’s gaze with a hint of provocation.

The words made Jiang Xiao’s heart jump.

“What boyfriend?” Jiang Xiao said quickly. “Don’t spout nonsense.”

Jiang Xiao had the rule firmly memorized: it was forbidden to disclose relationships to others. That didn’t just cover ex-boyfriends; it included his current boyfriend too.

Qin Guan’s mouth twisted. “Then isn’t a ‘friend’ being a little too meddlesome? Why not go be a world policeman if you’re so capable?”

The statement was clearly meant for Wen Xu’s ears.

Qin Guan’s behavior against Wen Xu was brazen and unapologetic. He simply couldn’t stand Wen Xu controlling Jiang Xiao so tightly, as if every man who came near Jiang Xiao needed to be heat-sanitized. But what he disliked even more was how willingly Jiang Xiao listened to Wen Xu.

Jiang Xiao didn’t listen to anyone else’s words; he only listened to Wen Xu’s.

A moment ago, Jiang Xiao had nearly been scared to death by Qin Guan.

So it was just a prank.

He had truly lost his temper.

Wen Xu had entered, so Jiang Xiao couldn’t continue pumping Qin Guan for info. Nor could he just slide sideways on the sofa. He opted to simply stand up. “It’s so cold in this room. Can we turn the temperature up a bit? Oh right, did you find the others?”

Jiang Xiao groped his way outward. Since restoring his sight was impossible, it was best to adapt as quickly as possible. He still had quite a few things he needed to do alone.

Just then, he sensed someone beside him. It should be Wen Xu. So he naturally reached out and took hold of them. “Take me to have a look.”

An eerie silence fell over the room.

Jiang Xiao didn’t realize anything was off at first. He tilted his head. “Wen Xu?”

That’s when he suddenly felt something was wrong. His fingers trailed upward, touching the other’s cuff.

It wasn’t the silky fabric of a dress shirt, but rather a sweater, the same material as his own.

The fingers pressing against the other’s wrist recoiled as if they’d touched a branding iron.

And the other person finally spoke, his voice icy and distant:

“You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

His attitude was like dealing with a complete stranger.

This was…

[Bo Xiting, Photography Department student, your senior.]

[He enjoys extreme sports and live combat simulations.]

[Hidden Identity: Your third Boyfriend]

[After the breakup, you never contacted each other again.]

This introduction… Jiang Xiao’s heart skipped a beat, capturing the most crucial part. “…Third boyfriend?”

“Don’t tell me there’s a first and a second, too?”

A moment ago, Jiang Xiao had been wondering which three people he’d locked onto as suspects. Now the truth was glaringly obvious. The one who wanted to engineer the car accident and put him to death was one of these three ex-boyfriends.

…What kind of disastrous things had he done, that even after separation, they still wanted his life?

Jiang Xiao had never even been on a single date in his actual life, yet in this game, he instantly gained three ex-boyfriends brimming with hatred for him. Tsk, this game was quite educational. Before he even finished playing, he’d already lost all interest in dating.

Life was more important.

“…Senior. Uh, have a seat anywhere.” Jiang Xiao pretended nothing was wrong, doing his best to play the proper junior.

Bo Xiting clearly didn’t want to bother with him. He gave a cool “Mm,” and walked right past Jiang Xiao.

Carrying a bleak, desolate chill with him.

The System sent over Bo Xiting’s photo.

In the image, Bo Xiting was in a deep black outdoor jacket, his slender fingers pulling the trigger. His face was a cold, pale white, the brim of his hat pulled low to cover his messy hair. His nose bridge was high and straight, his lips pressed thin, and his dark, bottomless eyes stared straight ahead, devoid of any emotion.

Jiang Xiao studied it closely, noticing his eyes carried a touch of icy, deep green. In the refraction of the light, they seemed unfathomable and mysterious.

Just from the look, he was hard to get close to.

And he did seem quite a bit like a murder suspect—

He knew how to use a gun, liked extreme sports, so his physical fitness should be decent too.

Of course, at the moment, that was all just speculation.

Wen Xu stepped forward and took Jiang Xiao’s hand. It was icy cold, just as expected.

“I’ve already asked the butler to adjust the temperature for the whole building. It’ll warm up soon,” Wen Xu said. “Ying Weizhu and Big Brother are still on the way. They’ll be here shortly.”

Ying Weizhu? Yet another unfamiliar name.

But wait… Big Brother? Whose big brother?

It couldn’t be his, right?

Countless foggy questions surfaced above Jiang Xiao’s head. The System, however, had no intention of giving him data ahead of time to let him acclimatize. Jiang Xiao could only hope that his character’s setup at least valued blood ties somewhat and hadn’t been a playboy there too. Otherwise, this would be impossible to act out.

In his moment of distraction, Jiang Xiao abruptly realized the surroundings had gone silent at some point. Wen Xu seemed to have guided him into a new room.

“This is the bedroom.” Noticing Jiang Xiao’s hand clench into a fist, Wen Xu offered the prompt. Then he paused briefly. “Xiaoxiao, why did you… have to invite them here?”

Wen Xu’s tone changed.

No longer the polite and measured, perfectly appropriate robotic pleasantries he’d used in front of outsiders. Now it carried some actual, genuine emotion.

Jiang Xiao felt a gentle push. He stumbled a few steps and fell backwards onto the large bed behind him. Then a weight settled around his waist. Wen Xu’s arms had wrapped around him from behind.

“Your body still hasn’t recovered. You should be resting quietly at home. Coming all the way out here is very inconvenient for you. Besides, your relationship with those few people is only average. There’s no need to see them.”

Wen Xu’s attitude wasn’t forceful. It didn’t evoke aversion. On the contrary, his manner was soft, without any sense of pressure. Even his complaints sounded pleasant to the ear.

“Originally, we could have spent today alone. And now we have to play host to outsiders.”

A warm sensation covered the back of his hand. Jiang Xiao’s entire body went rigid. Wen Xu didn’t notice his abnormality, simply attributing it to a stress reaction from the unfamiliar environment. Slowly, he interlaced his fingers through Jiang Xiao’s, locking them together, palm to palm, as if hoping this action might dispel the gloom inside him.

“Th-this, um…” Jiang Xiao’s tongue tied in knots. Heaven was trying to kill him!

The most critical crisis had arrived!

How exactly was he, a straight man! supposed to smoothly and seamlessly transform into being gay? He couldn’t even watch an instructional video right now!!

Jiang Xiao tried to stealthily pull his hand back, but every time he was on the verge of success, Wen Xu would re-secure his grip.

It was like a game of cat and mouse.

Jiang Xiao wanted to reclaim his straight man’s dignity, but Wen Xu only took it as wanting to play.

Jiang Xiao was utterly exasperated.

Wen Xu whispered softly, “I want to tell them. About our relationship. Can I?”

“No!” This time Jiang Xiao’s reaction was lightning fast, nearly instantaneous in its refusal.

[Your relationship with Wen Xu is a secret affair. Wen Xu’s family does not permit him to date a man, and they especially cannot tolerate a homosexual scandal. You promised him that you wouldn’t let anyone know until Wen Xu could break free of his family.]

“Didn’t we already promise?” Jiang Xiao said. “We won’t tell anyone.”

Wen Xu gave a helpless laugh, remembered Jiang Xiao couldn’t see, and idly brushed aside the stray hair on Jiang Xiao’s forehead, tidying his hairstyle a bit.

“After dinner, let’s just have them leave.”

Jiang Xiao nodded.

“One more thing. Qin Guan is trying to stir up trouble between us.” Wen Xu’s tone was flat, as if discussing a familiar, routine matter. “He likes you. What about you?”

“Like me? How is that possible?” Jiang Xiao didn’t even hesitate. “He’s homophobic. He’d sooner like anyone but me.” He hesitated. “And he’s like that with everyone. Probably just angry I didn’t invite him this time, snapping at whoever’s around. Don’t take it to heart.”

“Also,” Jiang Xiao added seriously, “he can really fight. Don’t conflict with him. You can’t beat him.”

Wen Xu tidied up a little, then laughed, a carefree “Mm.”

“Then what about Xiaoxiao?” Wen Xu circled the question back. “Do you like him?”

Jiang Xiao stiffened. “Of course not, obviously…”

Before entering this game, Jiang Xiao had never even imagined a day would come when he’d be asked whether he liked a guy.

Jiang Xiao fumed at the System, “Next instance I’m going to be a straight man! No, I am a straight man! I don’t want to be gay anymore!”

The System: “We’ll see based on your performance.”

Jiang Xiao: “…”

Wen Xu observed Jiang Xiao’s expression.

Jiang Xiao’s face was completely natural. It definitely couldn’t be an act.

He didn’t like Qin Guan.

The flickering fire sparked by Qin Guan’s provocation faded, bit by bit.

“Then does Xiaoxiao like me?” Wen Xu asked again. His voice was even lower, requiring careful listening to catch clearly.

Jiang Xiao’s face heated. He’d never imagined he’d be discussing this kind of topic with another man. It was simply too mortifying. “Y-yes. Who else could I like, besides you?”

“Then kiss me.” Wen Xu leaned a little closer, his voice a low murmur. “Xiaoxiao, I’m going out again soon to entertain your guests. You have to give me a little reward.”

Jiang Xiao: “…”

If Jiang Xiao were water in a kettle, he’d likely be boiling over in a sputtering, sparking frenzy by now.

He was a straight guy who’d never even dated in his whole life.

Was something as important as his first kiss really going to be given up here?

He didn’t want that!

Jiang Xiao’s lips moved slightly. He whispered back, just as quietly, “They’re right outside…”

“The door is shut. They can’t see.”

Wen Xu was dead set on making Jiang Xiao understand—just whose boyfriend he was.

Always being partial to Qin Guan. Even letting him hold him.

If Jiang Xiao lacked a sense of boundaries with normal friends, then Wen Xu would be the one to establish them.

“But…”

Jiang Xiao racked his brain for an excuse.

Now he understood perfectly why the System had tossed out the line, “This game does not have an Intimacy Lock.”

That sort of thing wasn’t normally important. It mainly appeared in dating sims. Without the Player’s will, an NPC couldn’t make physical contact with them. But with the Intimacy Lock now absent, it meant Wen Xu could do anything to him.

As long as he had no justifiable reason to refuse.

Or even if he did refuse, it might be futile.

Unless he wasn’t afraid Wen Xu might notice something off about him.

But how was he supposed to know how Wen Xu had previously… done things with him? They were both men. What was there to kiss?

Time slipped by second by second. Wen Xu’s presence drew closer and closer.

Even though he was a medical student, his body carried not the slightest scent of disinfectant. He was clean, like a handful of fresh snow. Leaning in closer, one could catch a hint of sweetness, possibly some kind of fruit fragrance, not excessively cloying, but just right.

Even so, even so…

Jiang Xiao’s mind raced at top speed. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration struck. Just before the situation completely spiraled out of control, he lowered his voice and said to Wen Xu:

“You know, someone died in this very room once!”

Wen Xu’s lowered eyelashes lifted. His breath caught.

“…What?”