Darling, I missed you so much

Thin lips brushed together, soft and lingering.

The BOSS seemed not to have expected him to do this. For an instant, his pupils froze, and his icy emotions seemed to thaw like frozen ice, stirring and swaying.

The dangerous tentacles around them froze as well. Before long, they actually grew gentle, silently winding around the young man's slender ankles and waist before creeping toward his wrists...

The tentacles were about to coil around his wrists, yet the [Task complete] notification still hadn't sounded. Sweat beaded at Yu Qing's temples, his heart leaping into his throat as panic rapidly spread through his body. Just before he was completely restrained, he suddenly raised a hand and gently batted the tentacles away.

It actually... looked like a young couple flirting.

But only Yu Qing knew how vast the gap in their strength was. He couldn't test the BOSS's patience, nor did he dare gamble on a monster who commanded slaughter developing feelings for him.

So, within what little he could do, he had to be careful, careful, and more careful still.

Tentatively, he slowly lifted his wrists and looped his arms around the man's neck... Keep! On! Kissing!

Before long, the young man's brows suddenly knitted!

For some reason, the tentacles around his waist abruptly tightened, viciously, as though... they meant to kill him!

Oh, great, Yu Qing thought bitterly as his breath was abruptly cut off. Not strangling me this time? Going to cut me in half instead?!

At that same moment:

[Ding-]

The sound of the livestream reconnecting rang in his ears, startling the young man into a shudder. His lips involuntarily broke away.

He had no strength to look at the wildly scrolling comments. By the time he heard [Task complete], he was drenched in sweat as though he had been washed in water, unable to muster even a scrap of strength.

From the viewers' perspective, the BOSS now had complete control.

Yu Qing was like a rag doll in his hands. He couldn't win by resisting, but giving up would mean death too!

Yet... Yu Qing leaned against the man's shoulder as though nothing were wrong, allowing the BOSS to lift him however he pleased. His expression languid, he murmured intimately, "Darling, I missed you so much."

[AAAAAA??? Flirting with the BOSS! He's flirting with the BOSS!!!]

As the situation shifted slightly, the viewers kept screaming: [That's a level-seven BOSS, right? I've never seen a streamer this bold. Followed!]

[Isn't he trying to escape rather than flirt? Look, the BOSS is practically strangling him to death!]

His sultry breath rose and fell beside the man's ear. When the BOSS made no further move, Yu Qing knew he had seized another opportunity. He quickly turned his head and gently bit the tip of the man's ear.

He drew blood, lightly swept it into his mouth with his tongue, and silently murmured a strange incantation.

Unfortunately, before he could finish, the BOSS lifted him higher again. Before long, the man was holding him in his arms with just one hand.

Yu Qing was so small that the man's hand almost completely encircled his lean waist.

The BOSS looked at him, his dangerous crimson eyes drawing ever closer. The young man immediately held his breath as the other said, "You're very clever. You know how to read any creature's mind."

His voice was low, his entire presence radiating a cold, oppressive pressure. The viewers shouted: [Any other newbie would've been scared to death by now!]

But Yu Qing merely took two deep breaths, barely managed to steady his trembling hands, and smiled. "Really? But I don't want to guess what other people are thinking."

The exquisite young man was a first-rate liar. "We're family. I only want to... guess what you're thinking."

"Oh?" That simple remark piqued the BOSS's interest. The icy pressure eased slightly, and a pitch-black tentacle slowly rose, teasingly tilting the young man's pale face up. "Then guess what I'm thinking... right now."

"You find me interesting," Yu Qing said calmly. "You're testing me."

"If I pass your test, you'll keep me by your side as a tool to relieve your boredom."

"If I fail, you'll crush me to death, just like you tried to do a moment ago."

"And whether I pass depends entirely on whether you're happy."

Silence settled over their surroundings as his words fell.

Before long, a low chuckle reached his ears. Yu Qing's heart pounded wildly. As the tension of narrowly escaping death gradually receded, cold sweat slicked his palms, and even his stomach began to cramp faintly.

Yet his face wore a smile.

He smiled with perfect composure, his pale fingertips gliding lightly over the man's Adam's apple. "I guessed right, didn't I? Does toying with me like this please you? Mas-ter?"

The laughter beside him grew even more velvety, sinking into his ears, yet remained cold and chilling.

Danger converged in this battle of minds. At that moment, life and death miraculously sparked sexual tension.

At last, "Stay."

The BOSS spoke, his words like an imperial decree granting a pardon from death. Even the viewers couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief.

A few scattered comments drifted past. Before the tension could fully dissipate, the viewers suddenly stiffened as they heard Yu Qing say, "No."

[???]

The chat instantly erupted. For the first time, a streamer had dragged the viewers' hearts into their throats along with his own.

Yet... Yu Qing had firmly, unequivocally refused.

He said, "No. I won't stay here."

Then his thin lips moved, continuing to murmur something soundlessly.

The BOSS lifted his gaze, displaying rare patience. "Why?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that, Master?" Yu Qing's voice was soft and seductive. After several days of saying it, "Master" rolled off his tongue more and more easily. "What exactly do you want me to stay here as?"

His hand leisurely closed around a tentacle, toying with it lightly. "Your beloved? Your lover? A plaything? A tool?"

"None of those."

Yu Qing said with perfect clarity, "You have no feelings. You don't love me."

"What would happen to me if I stayed here? At best, I'd become one of your many monsters, greeting new challengers alongside you. At worst..."

The young man's voice grew increasingly bewitching, yet his gaze grew ever more contemptuous. "You'd kill me. Not. A. Trace. Left."

He whispered those last four words against the BOSS's ear. Then the exhilaration of revenge gradually surfaced in his eyes, obsessive and terrifying.

"And another thing, Master." Yu Qing spoke again. As a small red heart-shaped mark appeared on the BOSS's ear, he suddenly announced coldly, "You can never order me around again!"

As his words fell, the young man's fingers moved. Somehow, as though a string had been attached to it, the BOSS's tentacle rose against his will and lashed straight out-Smack!

It struck his own body, sending him flying far away.

Forced to lift his gaze, blood staining the corner of his mouth, the man found himself in such a wretched state on his own turf for the first time!

Most of the viewers were equally stunned. Only the few who understood what had happened were so excited they rolled around on the spot.

[AAAAAAA! Brilliant, brilliant, this streamer is absolutely brilliant!!! Look at the BOSS's ear! There's a red heart-shaped mark on it! The streamer marked the BOSS, and now he can control him!]

[Holy shit! How did things turn around so fast? My brain can't keep up!]

[What's so hard to follow? Watch the replay, watch the replay, aaaaa! The streamer bit the BOSS's ear, then kept silently muttering something. He was reciting an incantation, one that can mark anything!]

[Whaaaat? I've only seen that kind of incantation when the Puppeteer was tackling challenges! This streamer's a newbie who doesn't even have any skills. How could he possibly know it?!]

[Right? I feel like the streamer knows so much too. Like that "there's a Dream Core outside the dream" thing earlier. I thought only people into the occult knew that, but the streamer knew it.]

[AAAAAA! Qingqing's like an encyclopedia! A ruthless beauty, I love him even more now, aaaaaa!!!]

While the viewers were caught up in their excitement, Yu Qing had already casually tied back his long hair with an elastic and manipulated the tentacles to bind the BOSS's limbs.

Then his leather boots touched the ground. The young man advanced, casually retrieving something from the system as he went, one step, another, another...