Meanwhile, inside the instance.
After hearing Che Quan's voice, Jiang Cong calmly turned his leisurely gaze toward him.
His nonchalant expression made it seem as though Che Quan had wandered into Jiang Cong's home.
At this, Che Quan's face turned even icier. He took a knife straight from the kitchen and strode toward Jiang Cong.
Jiang Cong watched with a faint smile. Even the live comments reacted more strongly than he did.
When Che Quan reached him, Jiang Cong's smile deepened despite himself. He spoke with cultivated ease, his tone light. "Aren't you going to ask what my role is in this instance first?"
His breathtakingly perfect face icy, Che Quan raised the knife and said with cold indifference, "Not interested."
Jiang Cong smiled unhurriedly. "Then do you know what the punishment is for personally killing another player in an instance?"
"I don't care."
Che Quan refused to yield an inch.
He pressed the knife against Jiang Cong's refined, godlike face, his eyes filled with haughty disdain.
Just one stroke of this knife across Jiang Cong's neck...
Che Quan moved the knife downward, its keen edge closing in on the skin of Jiang Cong's neck.
Throughout it all, Jiang Cong neither retreated nor dodged. Even the smile on his lips never faded.
One standing and one seated, they faced off for a long moment before Che Quan lost interest first. He tossed the knife aside, and it hit the floor with a sharp clatter.
The scene felt familiar.
Che Quan remembered doing the same thing last night, inexplicably letting Jiang Cong off.
His brows drew together slightly.
How strange.
But seeing that Jiang Cong had no intention of fighting back or defending himself, he couldn't summon the slightest interest in killing him.
It always left him with the uncomfortable feeling that the victory would be unfair.
If Jiang Cong ever fought him in earnest, he would beat Jiang Cong until he conceded wholeheartedly.
For now, Che Quan couldn't be bothered with Jiang Cong anymore. Leaving the knife on the floor, he turned and walked toward the kitchen.
There were still some vegetables left from yesterday.
He was hungry.
Once Che Quan left, Jiang Cong stopped pretending to watch TV. He rose from the sofa, casually picked up the knife, and followed Che Quan on his long legs.
After following him into the kitchen, Jiang Cong washed the knife and put it back, then turned sideways to watch Che Quan, who ignored him and lowered his eyes to prepare the ingredients.
As Jiang Cong watched, a trace of fascination flickered through his eyes, vanishing in an instant.
He spoke unhurriedly. "Che Quan, there's something interesting in your room. Want to see?"
Che Quan turned a deaf ear to him. After picking out the vegetables, he tossed them straight into the washing basket and turned on the faucet, letting the steady stream rinse them.
Jiang Cong wasn't surprised by how completely Che Quan ignored him. Instead, his smile deepened, as though he found this way of getting along quite entertaining.
Jiang Cong added lightly, "If you go take a look, I'll make you a feast. How about it?"
Che Quan's hands stopped at once.
Jiang Cong curled his beautifully shaped lips.
Yesterday, the smell of Che Quan's homemade dinner had told him how terrible Che Quan's cooking was.
After all, he had previously been a vampire noble who had never lifted a finger in the kitchen.
Jiang Cong watched as, after pausing for two or three seconds, Che Quan finally glanced sideways at him, his eyes ice-cold.
"A feast?" Che Quan asked without a trace of emotion or warmth.
Jiang Cong chuckled softly, his lips curving beautifully, his deep eyes noncommittal. His waist-length silver hair, loosely tied back, looked translucent and soft in the evening glow as dusk gave way to night.
"Well? Do you agree?"
Che Quan didn't answer immediately.
He glanced at the vegetables in the basket, then thought about the dinner he had eaten yesterday.
Che Quan turned off the faucet and tilted his head slightly, his gaze indifferent. "Will you take responsibility if it tastes bad?"
Jiang Cong replied unconcernedly, "It won't taste worse than your cooking."
Che Quan's expression dropped several more degrees.
But he said nothing and simply walked out of the kitchen, apparently accepting Jiang Cong's proposed bargain.
If it didn't suit his tastes, though, Che Quan would definitely make trouble for him.
Che Quan waited in the living room. He had no idea how much time had passed when, as he listened to Jiang Cong moving around in the kitchen, he suddenly heard a knock at the door.
Che Quan glanced outside again.
It was completely dark now.
The knocking wasn't as frantic as last night's, but it was still eerie.
One knock at a time, every three seconds.
Che Quan listened impassively, without the slightest intention of getting up. He even turned up the TV volume.
Only after knocking at that unwavering, uncanny rhythm for about five minutes did the person outside leave.
Or rather, the knocking stopped. Che Quan had no idea whether the person had left.
But he didn't particularly care.
"It's ready. Time for dinner."
Jiang Cong's voice came from the kitchen. Che Quan looked up and saw the silver-haired young man coming out with a dish in each hand, both appealing in appearance and aroma.
"There's more inside."
Meeting his gaze, Jiang Cong smiled.
Without a word, Che Quan went to sit at the dining table and watched Jiang Cong bring out a full six dishes and a bowl of soup.
Every one of them made him inexplicably hungry.
Finally, Jiang Cong filled a bowl with rice and set it before Che Quan.
He himself was about to return to the kitchen to clean up.
Seeing this, Che Quan kept his chopsticks still for the moment. He glanced at Jiang Cong and said, "Aren't you sitting down?"
Jiang Cong stopped at his words, looking innocent. "I thought you wouldn't want to share a table with me."
"If you don't taste the food, how will I know whether you poisoned it?"
Understanding dawned on Jiang Cong. "That's true."
He turned back to the kitchen, filled another bowl with rice, took a pair of chopsticks, and sat down opposite Che Quan.
Although Che Quan remained expressionless, Jiang Cong knew him exceptionally well. One look at the young man was enough to tell him which dish he should start "testing."
And so they finished the sumptuous dinner, one tasting and the other eating.
Leaning back in his chair, Che Quan felt the warm fullness in his stomach and couldn't help narrowing his eyes lazily, like a proud, pedigreed cat.
As a vampire, he had never experienced such a feeling of fullness before. It was as though warmth enveloped his entire body.
So delicious.
Jiang Cong might be a complete bastard, but his cooking wasn't bad.
And watching Jiang Cong expertly clear everything away gave Che Quan an inexplicable pleasure, as though he had enslaved him.
By the time the night had grown utterly dark.
Jiang Cong gave Che Quan an inviting smile. "Time to keep your promise?"
Che Quan lazily murmured assent, signaling for Jiang Cong to lead the way.
He didn't know why Jiang Cong had been able to enter Room 201 unhindered, nor did he know exactly what role the other man had in this instance.
Now, he wanted to find out.
But Jiang Cong led him to the study in his own Room 201.
Che Quan raised an eyebrow without speaking and followed Jiang Cong inside.
The study was dimly lit. Che Quan couldn't tell what mechanism Jiang Cong pressed beside the desk, but a hidden door suddenly appeared next to the bookcase.
Che Quan froze for a moment, then went in with Jiang Cong.
The farther they went, the more surprised Che Quan became.
There was more than just a hidden room here. There was also a straight secret passage leading toward the bedroom.
Their surroundings grew darker and darker, with only Jiang Cong's small flashlight illuminating the way ahead.
Che Quan finally reached a small hidden room directly beneath his bedroom, equipped with a complete surveillance setup.
Watching Che Quan stop in his tracks, Jiang Cong said with elegant composure, "See? Watching you from every angle."
Before you continue