Lu Xunji ignored Xie Ji's heartfelt remark and turned to pull a human-shaped mold out of the suitcase beside the bed.
It was none other than his "little rubber wife."
Then, right in front of Xie Ji, he tossed his little rubber wife into a large black plastic garbage bag as expressionlessly as if he were throwing away trash, and casually dumped it in a corner of the balcony.
Xie Ji: "..."
Hmph. What a poser. You clearly love it!
He might even sneak his little rubber wife out of the plastic bag when I'm not around...
Barely had the thought occurred to him when Lu Xunji frowned, seemingly still dissatisfied with where his little rubber wife was staying, and turned to drag it out of the room.
Xie Ji coughed and asked amiably, "Where are you going, Brother Lu? Off to bond with my little sister-in-law? I won't get in your way here, will I? Should I make myself scarce for a bit? It's fine, I completely understand. I..."
As he spoke, he made to get up.
Lu Xunji glanced at him. "Taking out the trash."
Xie Ji: "..."
He paused, then said tactfully, "You really don't have to be embarrassed..."
"Lie down and stay put," Lu Xunji said, then opened the door and left.
Not long afterward, someone knocked on the bedroom door. Xie Ji ran over to open it. "That was quick for taking out the trash..."
Ji Shi stood outside and asked quietly, "I just saw Lu Xunji go out. Good thing I ducked out of sight fast enough. He didn't spot me. So? Did he agree to let us crash in his bed?"
Xie Ji gave him a thumbs-up. "Nice guy, big bed. Get in here."
"There are still more good people than bad in this world," Ji Shi sighed, squeezing into Lu Xunji's bedroom with Xie Ji.
Although the show was livestreamed, barring special circumstances, all cameras were switched off after ten at night until six the next morning.
It fit perfectly with the farmers' schedule of rising with the sun and resting at sunset.
So as long as they left before six tomorrow morning, nobody would discover that they had sneaked into Lu Xunji's bed!
The two stood on the balcony and looked down, spotting Lu Xunji beneath the dim yellow lights.
"What's he throwing away?" Ji Shi had been standing outside for ages and really was thirsty, so he could only take the cup Xie Ji had used and pour himself some water. He stood beside Xie Ji on the balcony in the cold breeze.
"Abandoning his wife and child," Xie Ji said with a trace of regret.
Ji Shi: "..."
After taking out the trash, Lu Xunji did not return right away. Instead, he leaned beneath a nearby streetlight, lost in thought, and only headed back to his room over half an hour later.
When he returned to his room, he discovered an extra pair of shoes beside the bed that did not belong there.
His gaze naturally fell on the large bed nearby.
Xie Ji was already asleep, his head on one pillow and another tucked between his legs. His long golden hair spread across the entire pillow, looking especially beautiful beneath the light.
Ji Shi sat to one side, apparently studying Xie Ji's sleeping position with curiosity. Suddenly sensing that something seemed to be blocking the light, he looked up and found that the bedroom's owner had returned.
Their eyes met, and Ji Shi detected a hint of anger in Lu Xunji's slightly narrowed eyes.
He actually had quite a favorable impression of Lu Xunji and quickly disregarded the cold aura radiating from him. "Xie Ji said you agreed to let us crash in your bed together..." he said quietly.
Before he could finish, Lu Xunji interrupted him. "Get out."
Ji Shi: "?"
What happened to agreeing?
Ji Shi: "But..."
Lu Xunji's expression was icy. "I don't want to say it a third time. Either you walk out yourself, or I toss you out the window."
Ji Shi stood up. He thought it over and over but could not make sense of it. Pointing at Xie Ji, who lay asleep on the bed, he asked, "Aren't you two on bad terms? Doesn't everyone online say he stole your identity for eighteen years and you hate his guts? Why is he allowed, but I'm not?"
Lu Xunji sneered. "Look outside the window."
Ji Shi looked out the window. "What about it?"
Lu Xunji: "There's the sea."
Their traditional Chinese courtyard residence was the tallest building on the entire deserted island. Looking out the window now, beyond the darkness lay the boundless ocean, accompanied by the sounds of waves rising and falling.
Ji Shi slapped his thigh in realization. "Are you saying that because your heart is as vast as the sea, you don't mind Xie Ji stealing your identity as a young master and living in luxury for eighteen years?"
Lu Xunji grabbed Ji Shi by the collar, dragged him to the door, and kicked him out.
"No. I mean, do you live by the sea? Because you're sticking your nose awfully far out."
The bedroom door slammed shut, nearly flattening Ji Shi's high nose bridge into 2D.
Ji Shi: "..."
A person shouldn't-at the very least, couldn't-have double standards this bad.
At least give me back my pillow!
I paid twenty yuan for it!
And right now, his pillow was in Xie Ji's arms.
With a thoroughly sour expression, Lu Xunji pulled the pillow out. Xie Ji's brows furrowed in his sleep, and his hands involuntarily began moving, searching for the pillow that had left him.
Seeing that he was about to wake up because he could not find the pillow, Lu Xunji grabbed his own pillow from the side and stuffed it into Xie Ji's arms.
Xie Ji was not picky. He leaned over to sniff the pillow and rubbed his face against it. Seemingly quite satisfied with its softness, he tucked it between his legs and went still.
Ji Shi was still outside debating whether to knock and demand his pillow back when the bedroom door suddenly opened.
His face lit up. "I knew you were still a very kind..."
The next instant, his pillow was flung out, and the door shut mercilessly once again.
Ji Shi quietly ground his teeth and sat outside Lu Xunji's door, clutching his pillow with a sour expression.
I'm going to sit outside Lu Xunji's door all night!
The moment the livestream starts tomorrow morning, I'll start playing the victim!
I'll make it impossible for Lu Xunji to survive online!
Xie Ji did not know whether Lu Xunji would survive.
He only knew that he himself was about to stop surviving.
At two in the morning, Xie Ji was woken from a sound sleep by a system notification.
[Detected: the target's favorability has reached -200. The punishment mechanism will now activate.] [Punishment: linked dreams. Target's dream detected. Connecting the host's senses with those of the person in the dream.]
Xie Ji opened his eyes groggily, but what greeted him was not a warm, large bed. Instead, he was in a vast, icy cave, with the sound of dripping water around him.
He was about to stand up when he discovered that his four limbs were suspended by four delicate iron chains. Tiny golden bells hung from the chains, jingling whenever he moved.
"What's going on?" Xie Ji shook his hand, and the little black snake slowly slid out of his arm.
"The system's punishment mechanism. When the character's dislike reaches a certain level, the things he wants to do to you will manifest in his dreams. The punishment you have to undergo is basically entering his dream, and none of your five senses can be blocked during the punishment... In other words, everything that happens to you in the dream will be reflected in your real-life body."
Xie Ji was horrified. "Then what if Lu Xunji toys with me to death in the dream?!"
Little Black flicked his tongue. "No need to be scared to death. Our system is very user-friendly. We'll arrange a customized, full-service cremation package for you. Judging by the current situation... a life worth dying for-and doing time for-is right before your eyes. Good luck, Xie Xiaokui."
Xie Ji tugged at the chains. "Fuck, these chains look so thin. Why can't I break free?"
"Because this is a dream. Everything in a dream is controlled solely by its owner's subconscious... Science doesn't apply. If he doesn't want you to escape, you can't leave."
The little black snake hissed, flicking his tongue. "Oh, right. Since there may be some bloody, violent scenes in the dream, underage systems like us aren't allowed to watch, so I'll be blocked out in five minutes. Now I need to ask you one final question: if you unfortunately perish during the punishment, would you like us to provide an ash-scattering service?"
Xie Ji closed his eyes briefly. "Keep them."
The little black snake asked, "Keep them for what?"
Xie Ji gritted his teeth. "Press them into dice for Lu Xunji. The kind with six pips on every face. Those are my last words."
The little black snake: "..."
So his last words are six sixes, huh.
The mist in the cave abruptly thickened. A rustling sound arose, seemingly the sound of some sort of reptile moving.
The mist blocked Xie Ji's vision, leaving him unable to see anything, but his sense of touch became much sharper.
The next instant, something cold seemed to coil up his calf, sliding all the way to his waist and slowly rubbing against him.
Xie Ji: "..."
Xie Ji knew this sensation well. It was the feeling of a snake's tail sweeping over his body.
Only the snake's tail wrapped around his waist felt much larger than the little black snake's.