Surviving the Disaster, Life Is Impossible Like This (Spoiled)

In the deep autumn of the capital, ginkgo leaves carpeted the streets in a brilliant golden blanket.

Half a month had passed since that thrilling "European castle honeymoon trip" that they had announced to the public.

The entrance to Huo Group's top private hospital was especially lively today.

Countless cameras stood outside the cordon as reporters craned their necks, waiting for President Huo, who had supposedly returned from his honeymoon feeling unwell, to be discharged.

[Have to say, this is what top-tier celebrity treatment looks like.]

When Jian Ning appeared at the entrance in sunglasses and a mask, pushing Huo Si's wheelchair, the camera flashes nearly blinded him.

Huo Si wore a dark black cashmere overcoat, with a thin blanket covering his knees. Although his complexion was much rosier than it had been at the castle, he still looked somewhat thin. That fragile, sickly beauty added a cold aloofness that kept strangers at a distance to his naturally sharp presence.

In truth, Huo Si could already walk. But to maintain the image of someone recovering from a serious illness—and to enjoy his wife's wheelchair-pushing service—he sat there with complete peace of mind.

"President Huo! We heard you encountered an accident in Europe this time. Is that true?"

"Jian Ning, some people say you went there to treat a private illness. Is it convenient for you to reveal anything?"

Jian Ning stopped, removed his mask, and revealed a perfect professional smile.

"You media friends have misunderstood. We really did go on our honeymoon."

"As for the wheelchair..." Jian Ning glanced down at Huo Si, his gaze affectionate—and teasing. "It's because Mr. Huo accidentally sprained his ankle while skiing. Everyone knows he's rather delicate. The slightest pain means he needs a wheelchair."

Huo Si: "..."

Under the blanket, he lightly pinched Jian Ning's fingers, his eyes issuing a warning. Delicate?

Jian Ning clasped his hand in return and snapped back in his heart.

[You are! The doctor said you could already get out of bed, but you insisted on making me push you! If that isn't being delicate, what is?]

[Pinch me again, and I'll push you into a ditch!]

Huo Household Villa.

The convoy slowly drove in.

The master bedroom that had collapsed because of the Peach Blossom Calamity that night, the blown-out lights, and the water-damaged floors had all been restored to pristine condition after half a month of emergency repairs.

But what made Huo Si's face darken was that the "moon gate" Jian Xiu had forcibly chiseled open had not only remained unsealed, but had been renovated even more exquisitely.

There was even a plaque hanging above the doorway: [Lovers' Knot Gate].

"How is it? Not bad, right?"

Jian Xiu had one arm in a sling—the injuries from the castle explosion had not fully healed—and stood on the other side of the moon gate in casual home clothes, smiling at them.

"To celebrate my brother-in-law's discharge, I specifically had bamboo planted on both sides of this gate. It symbolizes rising steadily and staying healthy and strong."

Huo Si looked at the gate leading straight to Jian Xiu's neighboring home and gave a cold laugh.

"President Jian is very thoughtful. But I think this gate looks more like a peephole."

"Are you planning to move a stool here every day and watch my wife and me live our lives?"

Jian Xiu admitted it openly. "That's right. President Huo is a 'disabled person' now. If I don't keep an eye on you for Ning Ning, what if you make him serve you tea and water until he gets exhausted?"

Caught between them, Jian Ning watched two men worth more than a trillion combined bicker like elementary school students and rubbed his forehead helplessly.

[This life... is impossible.]

[It used to be one person doting on me. Now it's two people fighting to spoil me. It feels great, but they're really too noisy!]

"Enough, enough! Both of you, say less!"

Jian Ning pushed Huo Si into the living room, then turned to Jian Xiu.

"Brother, your arm still isn't healed. Go back and rest. Aunt Zhang made bone broth tonight. I'll have some sent over later."

The moment Jian Xiu heard there would be soup, his face lit up. "My little brother still cares about me! Unlike certain people, who only know how to bite the hand that feeds them."

After saying that, he glared at Huo Si and happily returned to his own courtyard.

That night, in the master bedroom.

After showering, Huo Si leaned against the headboard and read a book.

Jian Ning entered carrying two bowls of soup. He placed one on Huo Si's bedside table and held the other himself as he drank.

"Aunt Zhang's cooking is really good." Jian Ning sighed contentedly. "Oh, right. Is that King... really dead?"

Huo Si's hand paused as he turned the page.

The castle explosion that night had been too violent. The entire tower had collapsed. According to the search and rescue conducted afterward by Jian Xiu's people, only some charred remains had been found at the scene, and no DNA could be identified.

But no normal person could possibly survive an explosion of that magnitude.

"He should be dead," Huo Si said calmly. "Jian Xiu's people searched through the entire ruin. Even that snake was cooked through. Gu Hansheng couldn't have survived."

Jian Ning nodded, but he still felt vaguely uneasy.

[System, are you sure? What about Lin Yu?]

The system fell silent for two seconds.

[Host, the system's current scanning range is limited to the capital. No life signals from Lin Yu or King have been detected within the capital.]

[However, the residual energy fluctuations from the Everyone's Favorite System do not seem to have completely dissipated. It may have entered some kind of "dormant" or "transferred" state.]

[Suggestion for the host: remain vigilant, but enjoy life for the next few days first.]

Jian Ning pursed his lips.

That was true. Soldiers came, generals blocked them; water came, earth dammed it. Huo Si's poison had been cured, and he had reunited with his brother-in-law. There was nothing left to fear.

He climbed onto the bed and slipped into Huo Si's blankets like a cat.

"Mr. Huo, how is your sense of touch... recovering?"

Huo Si put down his book, turned onto his side, and looked at the person in his arms.

Although the poison had been cured, those days of sensory deprivation had left a considerable psychological shadow on him. Even now, he would sometimes unconsciously grip things tightly, afraid of losing his sense of touch again.

"It's still a little dull," Huo Si answered honestly.

He reached out and gently caressed Jian Ning's cheek. The warm, smooth sensation beneath his fingertips gave him immense reassurance.

"But when I touch you, I can feel it very clearly."

Jian Ning's face reddened.

"Smooth talker."

He grabbed Huo Si's hand and placed it on his own waist.

"Since you're recovering, it's time to start rehabilitation."

"The doctor said you need more 'hand exercises' to stimulate the nerve endings."

Huo Si's gaze darkened, and his voice dropped a little.

"Hand exercises?"

"What kind does Mrs. Huo mean?"

Jian Ning gave a mischievous smile and pulled a deck of cards out from under his pillow.

"Of course—shuffling cards!"

"Come on, come on, let's play Fight the Landlord! The loser gets a note stuck on them! I want to see whether President Huo's hand speed has recovered!"

Huo Si: "..."

All the suggestive atmosphere instantly vanished.

He looked at the deck of cards, then at Jian Ning's little face practically screaming, "I want to win money," and laughed in exasperation.

"Fine."

Huo Si took the cards, his gaze dangerous.

"Then we'll play. But the loser doesn't get notes stuck on them."

Jian Ning blinked. "Then what do we stick on?"

Huo Si suddenly flipped over and pressed him beneath him, scattering cards all over the bed.

"For every round you lose, you take off one piece of clothing."

"Jian Ning, didn't you just say you wanted 'rehabilitation'? This method is better at stimulating the nerves."

Jian Ning was horrified and clutched his collar tightly.

[Fuck! Shameless pervert!]

[I'm wearing pajamas! There's only one layer underneath! If I lose one round, I'll be naked!]

[System! X-Ray Vision! Hurry up and activate X-Ray Vision! Tonight, I'm going to make him lose until he's left with only his underwear!]

System: [Sorry, host. Due to excessive depletion during the battle at the castle, the X-Ray Vision function is currently cooling down. Remaining time: 12 hours. Please fend for yourself.]

Jian Ning: "..."

Heaven was trying to kill him!

That night, the battle in the master bedroom was extremely intense.

Of course, it was not Fight the Landlord.

Because Jian Ning lost in the very first round—after all, Huo Si was a master at memorizing cards.

Between taking off his clothes and paying with his body, Jian Ning very sensibly chose... to beg for mercy.

Early the next morning.

When Jian Ning went downstairs for breakfast while holding his waist, Jian Xiu was already seated at the table.

He glanced at the obvious hickey on Jian Ning's neck, and the chopsticks in his hand snapped with a crack.

"Huo Si!" Jian Xiu slammed the table and rose to his feet. "Are you even human?! You just got discharged and you're already tormenting my brother?!"

"Look at those dark circles under his eyes! This is abuse!"

Huo Si elegantly took a sip of coffee, clearly in an excellent mood.

"Big Brother has misunderstood. This is 'rehabilitation training.' As a family member, Jian Ning was extremely cooperative."

Jian Ning buried his face in his bowl and did not dare raise his head at all.

[Stop arguing, stop arguing...]

[If you keep arguing, the whole world will know what happened last night!]

Right in the middle of that chaotic breakfast.

The television in the living room was broadcasting an entertainment news report.

"Recently, a talent show called The Masked Singer has suddenly become wildly popular. One mysterious singer known as 'X' gained tens of millions of fans overnight through his unique voice and bizarre stage style."

"Some fans claim that listening to his songs gives them a kind of... floating, euphoric hallucination?"

Jian Ning had been drinking porridge, but the moment he heard the word "hallucination," his ears suddenly perked up.

He raised his head and looked toward the television screen.

On the screen, the singer code-named "X" wore a pure white half-face mask.

Thin and gaunt, he stood in the center of the stage, his long, pale fingers wrapped around the microphone.

Although his face could not be seen, that posture, that gaze...

Jian Ning's heart abruptly skipped a beat.

[That figure...]

[Why does he look so much like...]

"Like who?" Huo Si keenly noticed his abnormal reaction and followed his gaze.

Jian Ning narrowed his eyes and stared fixedly at the screen.

[Like Lin Yu.]

[Although his temperament has changed, becoming gloomier, that build can't fool anyone.]

[And... hallucinations? Singing can create hallucinations? Isn't that a variant of the Everyone's Favorite System?]

Jian Xiu glanced at the television and said disdainfully, "Pretending to be mysterious. These days, people in the entertainment industry will create any persona they dare just to become famous."

But Jian Ning said nothing.

He put down his bowl, wiped his mouth, and his expression turned grave.

The system notification sounded at just the right moment.

[Ding! Abnormal energy fluctuations detected!]

[Source: television signal.]

[The singer's voice contains a special infrasonic frequency capable of slightly affecting human brain waves.]

[Warning: this may be a new form of the Everyone's Favorite System after corruption—[Mental Pollution].]

Jian Ning took a deep breath and looked at Huo Si and Jian Xiu.

"Brother, husband."

"It seems our peaceful days are coming to an end."

"This X... has a problem."

That afternoon, Su Mo sent Jian Ning an invitation notice.

It was from the production team of The Masked Singer.

"Jian Ning, the production team wants to invite you to be a special guest judge," Su Mo said over the phone. "The appearance fee is very high, and they specifically requested you by name. They said that singer 'X' admires you very much and wants you to critique his song."

Jian Ning looked at the notice in his hand, a cold smile curling across his lips.

[Admires me?]

[He wants to hypnotize me face-to-face, doesn't he?]

"Accept it," Jian Ning said into the phone. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Since he's my 'fan,' how could I, as his idol, not go and show my support in person?"

[Lin Yu, if it really is you...]

[This time, I won't let you get another chance to run away.]