Poor soundproofing

"Waaah, it itches so much..."

The itching grew worse and worse.

This was no fucking way to live.

Only then did Lu Heng walk over and hand her the back scratcher. Xia Zhi greeted it like a priceless treasure, thanking him over and over before frantically scratching herself front and back.

"Ah... that feels so good."

The temporary relief felt like heaven.

Xia Zhi itched all over, right down to her toes and the strands of her hair. It was so bad she wanted to peel off her skin and dig out the little bugs inside.

Even the back scratcher failed to satisfy her, so she started clawing at herself with her hands. Her skin was so delicate that a little force left bloody red marks across her arms, neck, and legs, a horrifying sight.

Lu Heng frowned slightly as he watched her suffer.

"I'll take you to the hospital."

Lu Heng caught Xia Zhi by the wrist and started pulling her toward the door, but she knew the punishment would end before they even reached the hospital.

"I'm not going."

She pressed herself tightly against the cold, hard wall, rubbing forcefully against its corner to relieve the itching.

"I'll be fine in a little while, really."

"If you want to help, scratch my back for me."

Xia Zhi hastily shoved the back scratcher into Lu Heng's hand and urgently divided up the work. "You take the back, I'll take the front."

She really was unbearably itchy. Every pore on her body itched.

Xia Zhi couldn't scratch fast enough. When she tended to her head, she neglected her feet, exhausting herself until sweat covered her forehead and she panted nonstop.

Holding the back scratcher, still warm from Xia Zhi's body, Lu Heng wasn't quite sure where to start. But remembering that this woman was being punished because of him, he sighed and slowly extended it.

He had never scratched anyone's back in his life.

"Haven't you eaten? Harder!"

Xia Zhi yelled at Lu Heng.

Lu Heng nearly hurled the back scratcher into her face, but he restrained himself and pressed harder instead.

Xia Zhi tilted her head back and exhaled. "That feels so good. A little harder..."

At that moment, Xia Zhi looked exactly like an addict, her hair disheveled, her face drenched in sweat, her eyes bloodshot, and the veins on her forehead bulging.

Lu Heng refused to scratch her any further. "No. You're already bleeding. You'll scar if this goes on."

But Xia Zhi seemed not to hear him, her hand reaching for her face again.

Several distinct bloody scratches already marked her face.

Lu Heng hurriedly caught both her hands and pinned them at her sides. "Xia Zhi, you can't keep scratching. Get a hold of yourself!"

How could Xia Zhi listen to anyone's advice now? Her whole body itched as though ten thousand ants were gnawing at her heart.

Women always had extraordinary strength when they went wild. One lapse nearly let Xia Zhi break free, and Lu Heng hurriedly pressed his whole body against her.

"I underestimated you."

Pinned so tightly that she couldn't move, Xia Zhi grew frantic, her eyes reddening further.

"Lu Heng, let go of me!"

"No."

This woman had finally stopped calling him "Ah Heng" with that fake affection.

"Bastard! Let go!"

Lu Heng stood firm. "If I let you go now, I'll have a disfigured wife tomorrow."

But Xia Zhi itched so badly. All she could think about was scratching, scratching, scratching.

"Then scratch me. Please..."

Lu Heng remained unmoved. "No scratching. It'll leave scars."

Xia Zhi came up with another idea. "Then knock me out, like they do on TV. Just hit me here on the neck."

Lu Heng said, "..."

"You watch too much TV."

She was far too taken in by it, too.

"Waaah... then what am I supposed to do? I'm itching to death, itching to death! I feel awful..."

Xia Zhi kept twisting and struggling, trying to ease her discomfort by rubbing her body against Lu Heng and the wall. She really was suffering terribly.

This punishment was too severe. She was scared.

[Cutie, please help me... I really can't take this. I'm going to die. Is there any medicine for itching?]

Left with no other choice, Xia Zhi could only ask the system for help.

Little Sponge said there was nothing to be done. [Dear host, of course there's medicine for itching, but you don't have any balance.]

*[??]*

What was that?

A balance?

[I have money! I have money! I have loads of money.]

Little Sponge replied, [Not money from your world, but money in your system bank. You haven't done any missions, so there's no money in your system bank, and you can't buy anything from the system shop.]

Xia Zhi was falling apart. [I don't know anything about a system bank or a system shop. You never mentioned them.]

Little Sponge replied, [But you never asked.]

Xia Zhi fell apart even further. [I don't understand any of this. How was I supposed to ask?]

[As the system, shouldn't you have taken the initiative to tell me?]

In contrast to Xia Zhi's anxiety, Little Sponge seemed entirely unhurried. [Then I'll tell you now. Look, this is the medicine for itching. It's called "Itch-Stop," and it costs 30 system coins.]

As Little Sponge spoke, the "Itch-Stop" product was displayed.

[Besides "Itch-Stop," the system shop has all sorts of good things, including various antidotes and plenty of toys. Would you like to learn more, dear host? I can introduce them to you.]

Xia Zhi couldn't take any of that in. [Give me a bottle of that Stop-whatever!]

Little Sponge replied, [You have no money.]

[Put it on my tab. Give me a bottle first!!]

Little Sponge replied, [You have no money.]

[I told you, put it on my tab.]

Little Sponge said lazily, [You have nothing to put up as collateral.]

[I'll put you up as collateral.]

Little Sponge replied, [Dear host, you really are heartless. But my system level is too low. I'm only worth 10 coins as collateral.]

Xia Zhi was frantic. [How exactly do I earn coins?]

Little Sponge replied, [By doing missions.]

Xia Zhi gritted her teeth. [What missions? Could you please explain everything in one go?]

Little Sponge replied, [The missions are random, with different targets, but they're all people in this world. Once you choose one, you have to carry out the mission, or you'll be punished.]

"Punishment" was the last word Xia Zhi could bear to hear now. Just hearing it made her legs go weak, her scalp prickle, and her heart nearly shatter.

Little Sponge continued, [Mission rewards depend on the difficulty. Some pay 10 coins, some pay 20, and so on. The highest reward is 100 coins.]

[I'll choose a 30-coin mission.]

Little Sponge replied, [I wouldn't advise that, dear host. Your punishment will end in another thirty-two minutes. Just hold on a little longer.]

[As for missions, you can do those when you're healthy and have time to spare, earning coins to save for next time.]

Xia Zhi's head buzzed. [What? It's only been twenty-eight minutes?]

Her vision darkened, and she nearly fainted.

Their two young bodies were pressed tightly together. The woman rubbing against him was turning Lu Heng on almost beyond his control, and he had no choice but to pull off his tie and bind Xia Zhi's hands.

The moment Lu Heng tossed Xia Zhi onto the bed, she scrambled and rolled toward the edge, trying to get down.

Lu Heng had no choice but to bind her feet as well.

The scene looked exactly like their wedding night, yet Lu Heng felt completely different.

He stared at the woman writhing like a water snake on the bed, his eyes dark. "Don't scream. This old house has poor soundproofing."