Jiang Xiao’s tone was quite serious. He genuinely didn’t know the reason. He roughly guessed that maybe Bo Xiting thought he was fickle and irresponsible. But he was just that kind of person. Didn’t Bo Xiting know that before getting involved?
No way.
But this reason was very likely an important ground for Bo Xiting’s hatred, potentially even murderous intent, towards him.
Could he be the one who orchestrated the car accident?
Wen Xu furrowed his brows almost imperceptibly.
Jiang Xiao seemed to pay too much attention to Bo Xiting. Even though he couldn’t see, Wen Xu could sense that Jiang Xiao’s “gaze” was constantly fixed on Bo Xiting.
Wen Xu understood very well: once Jiang Xiao started to take an interest in someone, it meant he wasn’t far from getting into a relationship with that person.
Just as Bo Xiting was about to speak, Ying Weizhu said: “Asking like that isn’t interesting. Why not change the phrasing, for example—”
“The day of your car accident, Bo Xiting happened to be right at the scene. Was it a coincidence, or was it intentional?”
Ying Weizhu’s words stirred up a hornet’s nest. Even Wen Xu and Qin Guan showed shock on their faces. Yet, at the center of attention, Bo Xiting’s expression remained completely unmoved, showing not a trace of guilt or panic.
Jiang Xiao hadn’t expected that his single question would unearth such an important clue! Immediately, another question followed:
That day of the accident, where exactly was he going?
Jiang Xiao hadn’t considered this question before. He had focused entirely on the accident itself, without thinking closely about why he had the accident.
If the perpetrator knew his destination and arranged the accident on that route, then perhaps they didn’t want him to reach that destination.
But why was that…
“How do you know he was at the scene?” Qin Guan didn’t get led along by Ying Weizhu’s words. He frowned. “Could it be you were also at the scene and saw him?”
“I have my ways, naturally.” Ying Weizhu’s lips held a hint of a cold smirk. Casually, he took a sip of wine and placed the glass on the table with a crisp “clink.” “But unfortunately, I wasn’t at the scene.”
“Jiang Xiao, where were you going that day, and who did you want to meet? If the person you wanted to meet was Bo Xiting, yet he appeared at the place of your accident, isn’t that strange?”
【On the day of the car accident, you arranged to meet Bo Xiting at a tea restaurant three kilometers away. However, you had the accident en route, and the meeting was left unresolved.】
【But Bo Xiting never gave you a clear answer, so he might not necessarily have shown up at the tea restaurant.】
Jiang Xiao fell silent.
Bo Xiting’s suspicion had suddenly skyrocketed. But Ying Weizhu’s words clearly had strange points as well.
Ying Weizhu seemed to have known all along that Bo Xiting would appear there… his tone was far too confident.
Why was that?
“I was indeed at the accident scene.” Bo Xiting was silent for a few seconds before speaking coldly, “But that doesn’t prove anything.”
“At the time, I was handling work for the magazine agency. The shoot location was on the bridge. Appearing there was just a coincidence.”
Ying Weizhu let out a scoff: “An excuse like that could probably only fool Jiang Xiao and elementary schoolers.” He glanced at Qin Guan as he said this.
Qin Guan: “…”
“Senior, did you know it was me in the accident back then?” Jiang Xiao couldn’t help asking.
Bo Xiting’s tone was exceptionally stiff:
“I only found out about this today.”
Jiang Xiao couldn’t tell if what Bo Xiting was saying was true or false.
“Forget it…” Jiang Xiao thought for a moment, then said to Ying Weizhu, “Stop always thinking someone wants to harm me. Maybe it was really just an accident.”
Ying Weizhu’s voice was thick with strong sarcasm as he said just two words: “Is it.”
The game ended on a sour note.
Jiang Xiao leaned back on the sofa, sorting through his thoughts. The clues just felt too chaotic; for a moment, he couldn’t make sense of them. It seemed every ex-boyfriend harbored obvious resentment towards him. But what unsettled and worried Jiang Xiao even more was the one who had never appeared, his first boyfriend, Jiang Mu.
The fear of the unknown is always far deeper than the fear of the known.
When would Jiang Mu appear? Did he really plan never to show his face?
Footsteps sounded around him, some heavy, some light, as people came and went. The weary vigilance of nighttime filled his brain. Jiang Xiao heard the clock strike eleven; the deep night was finally arriving.
The person was about to “make a move.”
Who would it be? Could it be him?
Sitting beside him, Wen Xu’s phone vibrated. He glanced at it and said gently to Jiang Xiao, “I’ll step out for a moment. I’ll be right back. Any snacks you want?”
Jiang Xiao didn’t feel like eating right now. He just wanted to find a weapon to defend himself, but that would seem too deliberate.
All he could do was lie down and wait for death.
Looking resigned to his fate, Jiang Xiao said to the System, “Doesn’t this game have a shop? I want to buy some items.”
System: “No.”
“So the player just has to brute-force their way through?” Jiang Xiao asked again.
System: “After clearing a stage, there’s a probability of obtaining items. Trades between players are possible.”
Jiang Xiao understood: “So I still need to do the Side Quests.”
The Side Quest clearly stated that rich rewards awaited upon completion. Jiang Xiao definitely wanted to claim them.
But the question was, what exactly was the breakthrough point…
“Qin Guan?” Jiang Xiao called out but didn’t get a reply. He called again, and a voice came from nearby:
“Don’t bother shouting. He just went out.”
“Then Senior…”
“He went out too.”
“Then why are you still here?” Jiang Xiao said.
“Unlike the others, my phone isn’t ringing off the hook. I’m free,” Ying Weizhu said coldly.
After an unknown amount of time passed, Jiang Xiao was starting to yawn. The others finally returned one after another.
Qin Guan came back first, immediately stealing Wen Xu’s seat. He turned his face and said to Jiang Xiao, “Found out.”
Jiang Xiao’s nerves instantly went taut. His throat was even a little dry. “Who?”
“Can’t tell you easily right now. Even if I told you, you’d…” Qin Guan’s voice sounded strange for some reason, as if suppressing some heavy emotion. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
“No, you tell me right now.” Jiang Xiao said, “Immediately! This instant!”
Qin Guan: “Then wait till everyone else has left. There are too many people right now; it’s inconvenient.” He added vaguely, “Don’t let anyone else look at your phone again.”
Jiang Xiao couldn’t shake a bad feeling, as if something was about to happen.
Wen Xu came back into the room. Seeing Qin Guan had taken his spot, he didn’t say anything and just sat down on Jiang Xiao’s other side.
“I booked rooms for everyone else, next door,” Wen Xu said.
So Wen Xu had gone to book rooms just now.
“Did you see Senior?” Jiang Xiao asked.
“Xiaoxiao,” Wen Xu’s voice was very gentle, “aren’t you paying a little too much attention to him?”
Jiang Xiao felt Wen Xu move closer. The scent of a sweet, fresh fragrance wafted into his nostrils. He smiled, “What, are you jealous?”
“Mm.” Wen Xu admitted it openly, leaning close to his ear. The posture was intimate and remarkably conspicuous. Warm breath poured into his ear, creating a ticklish, numb sensation. “A little bit.”
“I was thinking, after we go back, will Xiaoxiao break up with me because of him?”
Wen Xu’s voice remained completely non-threatening. Maybe that was just his way—he never made people feel threatened. Even when jealous, he was very calm.
He didn’t make people uncomfortable.
“Of course not.” Jiang Xiao’s tone was decisive. He replied at a volume only Wen Xu could hear, “I’m paying attention to him for another reason. Besides, he’s not my type.”
Just as he said this, Bo Xiting happened to walk past him. Jiang Xiao didn’t notice.
The corner of Bo Xiting’s mouth tugged into a faint, almost mocking arc.
But he wasn’t surprised.
Jiang Xiao, meanwhile, was clear-headed. He knew very well that Wen Xu was currently on his side. But if Jiang Xiao started acting like a fickle scumbag now, Wen Xu’s stance could very well change.
Jiang Xiao wouldn’t let that happen.
Wen Xu looked thoughtfully at Jiang Xiao. Jiang Xiao’s expression was natural, and his tone was flawless, showing no signs of lying.
After a moment, Wen Xu smiled and said, “Then I’m quite honored.”
Everyone was gathered now. It was nearly midnight, and this birthday banquet was drawing to a close. Jiang Xiao was so tired he was almost asleep, yet none of the others had mentioned leaving. He rubbed his eyes and said drowsily, “Everyone, go get some sleep. Tonight…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Xiao suddenly heard Ying Weizhu say in surprise, “Why did the power go out?”
For Jiang Xiao, a blackout didn’t affect him at all. But very soon, he heard a “click.”
Someone else was entering this room!
And Jiang Xiao sensed that the two people beside him had gotten up at some point without him knowing. He was completely alone!
In an instant, his drowsiness vanished entirely, replaced by a chill creeping into his heart. He wasn’t sure if this blackout had been deliberately designed. The purpose was simple: to kill him!
Although Jiang Xiao felt his luck shouldn’t be so rotten as to hit the fifty-fifty chance, if it really was the case, how should he respond?
Jiang Xiao couldn’t just sit and wait for death anymore. As soon as he started to stand, he felt someone rapidly approaching him, then giving him a shove.
Caught off guard, Jiang Xiao fell back onto the sofa. Before he could even let out a muffled sound, the person had lifted his chin. Amidst Jiang Xiao’s bewildered, erratic breathing and struggles, the person abruptly kissed the corner of his mouth.
Jiang Xiao: “………………”
Jiang Xiao: “?”
Jiang Xiao’s mind was completely filled with: What the hell is this?!
Weren’t they here to kill him? What was this situation!
Seeing that Jiang Xiao seemed stunned, the person pressed his advantage further, wetting his lips and prying his teeth apart with his tongue, carrying a hint of coaxing seduction. If Jiang Xiao truly had a rich romantic history, it might have been one thing, but Jiang Xiao had never experienced such an onslaught. Subconsciously, he bit down hard.
The person let out a muffled groan of pain, but the sound was extremely low, clearly not expecting Jiang Xiao to bite him. Before Jiang Xiao could even make out the voice, the other had already retreated, even giving Jiang Xiao’s cheek a pinch.
His lip must have been bitten by Jiang Xiao.
Inside Jiang Xiao’s mouth, besides the faintest, almost imperceptible salty taste, there was a light peach wine flavor.
His chest heaved violently. He wasn’t sure if it was shame or fury, but a straight man like him being kissed by a guy, with no way to even complain, just made him want to punch a sandbag. In the next second, he heard a “click”—someone seemed to have lit a lighter—and then someone started singing:
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you—”
“Happy birthday to you!”
An attendant entered, lighting candles on a cake. The group began to sing the birthday song for Jiang Xiao.
Jiang Xiao: “…”
Jiang Xiao was at a loss whether to cry or laugh: “Was this the final part of the birthday surprise? Why didn’t you tell me!”
That was more terrifying than a ghost story just now!
Jiang Xiao’s back was drenched in a cold sweat. He said, “Thank you, everyone.”
The butler turned the lights back on and started distributing cake. Jiang Xiao’s mind was entirely on Qin Guan’s clue; he ate a bite of cake absentmindedly, his thoughts elsewhere.
“Where’s Qin Guan?”
Ying Weizhu said irritably, “He’s not here.”
The attendant bowed slightly and went to the storage room to put away the clothes Jiang Xiao had mentioned earlier that morning. After a long while, he ran back out, looking extremely terrified, his voice filled with utter panic:
“Sir, this is bad! Someone inside is injured!”
“It seems… it seems they’ve stopped breathing!”
