Pitiful Widower (02)

Xue Ci was a little embarrassed.

Especially after hearing Qin Zhou mention what Lu Min had done to his leg.

It's as if everyone has feelings for him.

I wonder if this will give Lu Min a bad impression... Xue Ci looked at Lu Min, who seemed to have noticed her gaze as well, and turned to the side, meeting her eyes.

The man's face flushed instantly.

Lu Min didn't know why he was so afraid to meet Xue Ci's gaze, and immediately lowered his head. "You, you're here. I, we..."

As if he knew they had just been discussing a strange topic, he inadvertently confessed, and his speech became slurred.

Qin Zhou was quite frank. "What happened in your living room just now? This guy said you took off your stockings and were staring at your thighs."

"..." Xue Ci was embarrassed by his blunt words, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, "It's nothing."

Ignoring their previous conversation, he interrupted, "Why are you both on the stairs?"

Qin Zhou: "It's too stuffy in the room, let's go downstairs for a walk."

He also wanted to see if there were any clues that would help him clear the game sooner; this place was too boring, and he wanted to go back to playing games.

Lu Min.

Xue Ci asked patiently, "And you?"

Lu Min then spoke up, "I'm going downstairs to get some water."

Xue Ci "Oh," and reminded them, "Then be careful. Once you're done with your business, hurry back to your rooms. It's not safe here."

He walked over, stood close to the two of them, and whispered, "People will die."

Both of them stiffened slightly.

Xue Ci thought the two of them were frightened by her words.

Little did they know that he was too close, and the fragrance emanating from him caused the two inexperienced virgins to slightly arouse themselves.

It's already this strong just from the aroma.

Xue Ci returned to the corridor with satisfaction.

Fu Chengsi happened to see the corners of her lips turn up in a smile.

Are you happy again about hooking up with a few idiots?

People who appear cold on the outside are often the strongest in overcoming challenges. Xue Ci was temporarily intimidated by Fu Chengsi's indifference, but there was no need to completely give up on him.

Moreover, he's the one with the most intellectual expertise.

Xue Ci to him, ignoring his attitude, and turned back to her room.

*

Most of the servants in the castle lived in small rooms on the first floor. Xue Ci was the last to be hired, and since the rooms on the first floor were already full, she lived in a guest room on the second floor.

His room was sparsely furnished; the bed, table, and chairs were all single-sized.

The wardrobe is quite large.

Xue Ci opened it, and her eyes widened when she saw what was inside.

The wardrobe was filled with various maid outfits, as well as pastoral-style long dresses in different styles and colors. At the bottom was a large box containing matching white stockings.

[Baby, there are also cat ears and rabbit ears.]

[It also has a tail.]

"..."

Xue Ci tried to pretend she hadn't heard, but Fragment's voice seemed excited. "[Baby, don't wear it for them to see.]"

Xue Ci showed a displeased expression: [If you can't even dress properly, why make so much of a fuss?]

He knew these were all Fragment of personal preferences.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. He wasn't too opposed to long skirts, but those fluffy things just looked really strange on him.

Xue Ci rested in her room for a while, but perhaps because of the new environment, she couldn't fall asleep despite being tired.

He simply got up and took a walk around the castle.

Gothic buildings become increasingly pointed towards the top, and only about a dozen rooms are habitable.

Mrs. West's room was on the top floor, requiring a climb up five floors. The lights throughout the castle were dim, creating an eerie atmosphere.

The stairwell is filled with oil paintings of people, mostly members of the West Family.

There are also photos of Mrs. West in her youth and her violin teacher.

The violin teacher in the portrait is very handsome and a good match for the young Mrs. West next to him. It's just a pity that the portrait below the teacher shows that he only lived to be 22 years old.

Not far from their portraits, a violin was placed on the wall.

Below are a few lines of smaller print, which roughly say that this violin was a prize Mrs. West received after winning her first international competition.

Xue Ci opened Mrs. West's profile on the system panel—it showed that she was a rare violin prodigy in the town, having won an international award at the young age of 18, with unlimited potential.

However, looking at the awards, it seems she only has this one award.

The specific reason wasn't written out, but Xue Ci felt this was a crucial clue.

After all, her violin teacher also passed away that same year.

He silently noted it down, feeling a sense of regret.

There are very few windows in the castle.

When Xue Ci reached the fourth floor, she was sweating from the stuffiness, so she opened a window not far away to let in some fresh air.

The window had only one latch, a very thin sheet of iron. An average adult male could easily push it in from the outside. Fortunately, the area was sparsely populated, and there was only one similar building nearby.

The weather outside is gloomy.

Xue Ci looked across the street; all the windows were closed, so it was impossible to tell if anyone lived there. The garden, however, was meticulously maintained.

Of course, his garden is much larger.

Mrs. West seems to really like flowers.

After the car accident, she became unable to walk and spent most of her time in bed and in a wheelchair.

Her only pleasure was having someone push her into the garden on sunny days so she could feel the breath of nature.

The weather is bad today, so she's not going out.

When Xue Ci arrived on the fifth floor, his palms were already sweating. After figuring out which room Mrs. West was staying in, he didn't go up to the roof but went straight to the garden.

Two gardeners were hired to tend the garden, and the shrubs, flowers, and rockery were arranged in a pleasing and orderly manner. There wasn't even a single fallen leaf on the cobblestone path.

Xue Ci didn't have much time to admire the flowers and soon arrived at the rabbit cage.

Feeding the rabbits was one of his tasks, but the gardener already helped with that while working in the garden.

The small blackboard outside the cage reads "Feeded already," and the date is today.

Xue Ci down; his fingers were slender and could easily slip through the cracks in the cage.

The little rabbit was pure white, without a single stray hair, and its eyes were the color of sparkling rubies.

Xue Ci thought it would take some time to build a good relationship with it, but to her surprise, the little rabbit nuzzled against her affectionately as soon as she stretched out her finger.

Xue Ci slightly, released the rabbit from its cage, held it in her hands and petted it for a while before returning to the castle.

*

When I returned, there were two more people in the living room.

The butler and another maid.

The housekeeper was a very serious and old-fashioned man with a bad temper; he would be scolded for even the slightest mistake.

Sure enough, Xue Ci was scolded as soon as she entered the room.

"Young man, did you leave those socks on the sofa?"

It was obvious that all the other servants had stockings on their legs, but he was bare-legged.

The NPCs' lines are all fixed. Faced with the angry butler, Xue Ci ignored him completely. After being scolded, he quickly went to the sofa.

But no matter how hard he searched, he could only find one stocking.

One is missing.

Did it fall under the sofa?

Xue Ci slumped over and carefully searched through the cracks in the sofa.

Still no.

Puzzled, Xue Ci straightened up and caught a glimpse of a tall figure behind her. Turning around, she found Lu Min already standing there.

"Is there something you need?" Xue Ci stood still, her skirt falling with her movement.

Lu Min lowered his head, not daring to meet Xue Ci's gaze.

"I... I came to find you..."

How can her legs be so white?

"Aren't your legs... no... uncomfortable?"

Her waist is so slim.

Lu Min had seen Xue Ci bending over and searching for something on the sofa. His head was buzzing, and he felt hot all over.

What happened?

They're both men, so why is Song Xueci so different?

And that pose just now...

Lu Min dared not think any further and handed over the ointment in his hand, "Is your leg still sore? Did you hurt it when you were stretching my legs? I'm sorry, I didn't know my body would be so stiff."

"...?"

What vulgar language are you spouting?

However, judging from Lu Min's socially awkward appearance, Xue Ci guessed that the other party did not have that intention.

He immediately accepted the player's friendly gesture, smiling at them and saying, "Thank you, you're so kind to me."

Two seconds later, he heard the sound of the progress bar moving forward, just as he had hoped.

At the same time, new tasks will also appear.

[You lost a pair of white stockings and think this is a good opportunity.]

[So, holding the remaining stocking, he went around asking each player if they had taken his white stockings.]

Xue Ci: "?"

That's not a good idea.

Xue Ci checked the information and found that all three players were straight men. To accuse a straight man of stealing her stockings so casually...

It doesn't sound very serious at all.

[You don't know how to seduce people, so it's normal to fail.]

Xue Ci finally understood.

He needs to use various deceptive tactics to lure several players into his trap.

This is... too difficult.

Xue Ci a deep breath; there was no other way.

He glanced at the butler and maid, and noticed the butler looking at him suspiciously. He then grabbed Lu Min's clothes and whispered, "Could you wait for me outside my room?"

Lu Min's eyelids twitched. "... W-what's wrong?"

Xue Ci didn't realize that the otaku opposite her had been completely captivated.

He licked his dry lips. "Just wait for me."

Lu Min, as if possessed, said, "... Okay."

As an adult, he naturally knew what waiting at the room door meant.

Lu Min went upstairs in a daze, without responding to the housekeeper's greetings.

He squatted at the door of Xue Ci's room, like a helpless big dog.

What should I do?

What if Song Xueci actually extends that kind of invitation to him later?

He's straight; he can't do these things.

I had no experience whatsoever.

It might actually hurt or injure someone.

Ke Xue Ci... must be very lonely.

An NPC, and the only Asian here.

With his thin and frail body, he would likely be easily ostracized.

Meeting someone from the same country would be incredibly exciting.

Lu Min wanted to say that even without doing those things, he was still willing to be friends with Xue Ci.

She's so beautiful, who wouldn't want to say a few more words to her?

Or is Xue Ci looking for a husband?

Lu Min had never been to a public bathroom, nor had he compared his own size to that of people his age, so he didn't know whether his was considered big or small.

But the color is terrifying and ugly.

What should I do if I get rejected?

Countless chaotic thoughts flashed through Lu Min's mind until Xue Ci came up to him. He reacted strongly, as if he had done something wrong, and even bumped his head when he got up.

Xue Ci worriedly, "Are you alright?"

This nerdy guy seems a bit slow; can he really beat the game?

It seems he really needs to develop other people at the same time.

"I... I'm fine." Lu Min's mouth was dry. "What do you need me for?"

His voice trembled slightly, and when he saw Xue Ci take out a pair of stockings and wave them in front of him, his eyelids twitched violently.

His face was contorted with tension.

Lu Min's long hair obscured his expression, and Xue Ci, unaware of anything amiss, suppressed her shame and recited her lines: "Did you take my white silk stockings?"

Lu Min was taken aback and immediately waved his hands, sweating profusely with nervousness. "I... I didn't... I didn't steal anything from anyone."

Xue Ci was also certain that he hadn't taken it, and quietly said "Oh."

Lu Min's back was already covered in sweat. He stared at Xue Ci's rosy face and mustered his courage to ask, "Did you lose one? Were you looking for it near the sofa earlier?"

Xue Ci.

Lu Min wasn't sure if he was just making conversation, but since Xue Ci wasn't talking to him, he took the initiative to speak, "Could it be that it fell into a crevice? I'll help you find it right away."

"No."

The young servant was certain, frowning as he said, "Someone must have stolen it."

"Do you think the other two have taken it?" There are only three outsiders in this villa. Lu Min is confused, "But it's useless if they take it. What can they do?"

Xue Ci's eyes widened slightly. "You're a little stupid."

Lu Min was taken aback.

Xue Ci said he was stupid, but why did his body feel numb and strangely pleasant?

Before he could even recover from the lingering sensation, he felt Xue Ci leaning closer.

Her lips exuded a rich fragrance in front of him.

"Of course..."

The castle walls are thin and not soundproof.

Fu Chengsi's room is right across from Xue Ci's.

The door wasn't closed properly to begin with.

His leather shoes made no sound as they stepped on the carpet.

Before closing the door, he saw the young servant tiptoe and whisper in Lu Min's ear.

I don't know what I said, but it made that otaku's body tense up instantly, and a large part of his body became clearly visible.

An ignorant fool who's never seen the world.

They reacted so strongly just from being approached and having a few words spoken.

I guess Song Xueci will be riding on me and shaking my waist tonight.

Fu Chengsi's narrow eyes flashed with disdain as he slammed the door shut.

Author's Note:

Jealousy is jealousy! [Joker][Joker][Joker]