The Pitiful Widower (06)

The young servant was wearing a green dress today, with a thin lace ribbon around his neck.

But what could those translucent strips possibly cover?

The hickey was so large, and the suction was so strong.

One can imagine how much force the other person was using, while simultaneously suppressing some kind of desire.

They really know how to do things.

She calls him "husband" during the day, but at night she obediently tilts her head back and lets other men suck her.

Fu Chengsi coldly withdrew his gaze and turned to go to the kitchen.

Xue Ci was completely oblivious to Fu Chengsi's suspicious gaze; he wasn't even aware of the pink hickey on his neck.

I just felt an unusual discomfort and thought it was a mosquito bite.

There are many woods around the castle, so it's normal to have mosquitoes.

After returning from the market yesterday, Joel asked Fu Chengsi where he had been, but didn't say anything else. He simply arranged his work for the near future.

One of the gardeners died, and since a replacement couldn't be found for the time being, some of the garden maintenance work was assigned to him.

Stepping through the fresh morning dew, the young servant carried a glass bottle to the vicinity of the garden and picked the most vibrant flowers.

The flowers, vying for attention, all paled in comparison to that beautiful and innocent face.

Xue Ci's raven-feather-like eyelashes drooped down, dampened by the morning dew, giving her an ethereal, misty aura.

At first glance, I thought it was some kind of fairy.

Lu Min arrived at the garden, and the first thing he saw was this beautiful little flower fairy.

He stared, dumbfounded, and stood there hesitating, wondering whether he should go over and tell the other person what had happened last night.

Before Xue Ci could even cut two blossoms, the system panel refreshed with a "ding".

There's been another character added.

Bill —the blond man who grabbed him at the market yesterday.

The information shows that Bill lives in a slum hundreds of kilometers away from here. He is an orphan, dropped out of school early, has no ambition or skills, and has survived by cheating and swindling.

Recalling Bill's tone yesterday, Xue Ci felt that they most likely knew each other.

He couldn't understand how the other person knew him, given how far apart they were.

[You have triggered a hidden storyline—your encounter with your husband.]

[You and your husband meet in front of a church in the Gleri Town.]

Perhaps Bill knew about these things.

Xue Ci noted down the keywords.

Distracted, he accidentally ruined a flower.

A look of regret crossed Xue Ci stopped thinking about it and focused on the task at hand.

The glass bottle wasn't very big, Xue Ci used several different types to create it, intending for Joel to place it by Mrs. West's bedside.

Turning back to the castle, he discovered that the wall of the castle, which was perpetually shrouded in darkness, was covered with vines.

Xue Ci felt it looked familiar, but couldn't quite place it.

[Baby.]

A voice suddenly broke the Fragment: "[I have indeed seen this before.]"

Xue Ci gave a blank "hmm," and two photos appeared on the panel.

His ears burned when he saw it, and he finally remembered, suppressing his embarrassment: [You did this on purpose, didn't you? You deliberately chose... this kind of photo!]

It's no wonder Xue Ci said that; the photos posted by Fragment were simply too unserious.

One image shows Xue Ci using the male wizard skin in a holographic game, with his waist and legs entangled in the Lost Forest dungeon; the other image shows him sleeping in a zombie world, with vines and branches rubbing his mouth against his lips.

It looks so erotic.

I didn't expect that they were all saved.

No matter how much Fragment tried to reason with him this time, Xue Ci ignored him completely.

He carried the glass bottle inside, entrusted the flowers to Joel, and then Lu Min called to him from behind.

"Are you... are you going to work in the garden later?"

Xue Ci.

He knew that people with social anxiety wouldn't take the initiative to greet others, so he assumed the other person had something important to say, but Lu Min simply offered to help him.

The two went to the garden, where Lu Min basically took care of all the work.

As a person with social anxiety, he doesn't want to bother others with anything, but he is very capable with his hands and can prune tree branches quite skillfully.

"You're so amazing!" Xue Ci never hesitated to praise him, making this large dog wag its tail almost to the sky.

Her flushed ears were hidden in her messy curly hair.

Lu Min smelled the fragrance wafting from Xue Ci, which had a hint of mosquito repellent.

His gaze involuntarily fell on the hickey on the other person's neck.

Last night, he witnessed firsthand how the hickey was sucked out.

The other party is a male ghost that has vanished without a trace.

I never imagined that this castle really was haunted.

Lu Min wasn't afraid of ghosts; in fact, he felt that even stranger things would appear in the castle in the future.

But this ghost turned out to be a lecherous ghost!

The ghost actually has pretty good taste, specifically targeting handsome young men like Xue Ci.

Xue Ci felt the other person's gaze and touched her face. "Is there any dust?"

"... No, no." Lu Min hesitated for a long time before finally speaking tactfully, "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Fine."

Xue Ci didn't have any nightmares and slept soundly. When she woke up in the morning, she felt energetic and her cheeks were rosy.

"Hmm..." Lu Min swallowed back what he wanted to say.

He was asleep when he was woken up by the sound of splashing water. When he opened his eyes, in the moonlight, Xue Ci's ankle seemed to be lifted up by something unseen, almost reaching her chest.

In that situation, his first reaction was... Xue Ci so soft, she can even strike that pose.

The lecherous ghost was very focused on eating, but unfortunately, lacking a physical form, he couldn't swallow the flowing honey water, only managing to soak his thighs and the sheets.

Lu Min couldn't see clearly, but he could smell the fragrance.

The room was filled with a sweet, cloying aroma.

Xue Ci let out an unconscious soft breath, tilting her long neck back, and marks quickly appeared on her small Adam's apple.

Lu Min then realized that Xue Ci was being bullied by a ghost. He rushed over immediately, but was slammed against the wall by a force.

A sharp pain shot through his chest, and Lu Min let out a muffled groan as a chilling voice rang in his ears.

It's like a warning.

Keep him far away from the person in bed.

This lecherous ghost was extremely possessive, as if he already knew Xue Ci. Lu Min ignored all of this, gritted his teeth and endured the pain to get up. He used his points to exchange for several items in the system to exorcise the ghost, tried each one, and finally drove the evil spirit away.

Lu Min, who was still panting heavily, immediately held his breath when he saw that Xue Ci had not yet woken up.

Xue Ci's legs were on the bed sheet, and wet stains could be vaguely seen on her legs, which were covered by the quilt.

Lu Min had the absurd idea of licking them all clean.

When did he become such a disgusting pervert?

Suppressing his thoughts, he helped Xue Ci wrap herself in the blanket, but accidentally saw the mark on Xue Ci's stomach.

It looks like a tattoo.

After emitting an eerie red color, it disappeared without a trace, as if the color had faded.

Lu Min has a photographic memory; he can redraw it on the system panel after just one glance.

He was completely stunned when he saw the results of the search.

... There's even something called Silver Mark.

Silver Mark are a unique feature of the succubus race. Lu Min looked up information about succubi and remained calm for a long time.

Does she need a man's penis to replenish her energy?

If they were to actually date, it might happen three or four times a day, and in many cases, the succubus would initiate the act.

Ride there, or sit on their face.

Lu Min was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and couldn't calm down.

My heart was pounding, and my lower abdomen felt tight.

He swallowed hard, staring at the bulging, protruding part.

He was simultaneously loathing himself and calculating how much he could give Xue Ci.

Lu Min couldn't sleep at all, nor did he want to. He sat on the edge of the bed, his upper body leaning over it.

Fearing the lecherous ghost would return, they stayed up all night.

Why should a game NPC be harassed? Or is this part of the original character design?

Lu Min Xue Ci, feeling indignant on her behalf.

Will you submit to a succubus who is controlled by her body?

But he knew this was not something Xue Ci wanted to do.

What can he do? What can he do for Xue Ci?

Lu Min had the idea of taking the person out of the game.

To lead people out of the game, you must at least solve the puzzles, complete the game, and achieve the "end" ending.

There was still much to be done, and for the first time, this listless, reclusive man found a sense of purpose in life.

*

Lu Min has long arms and legs, making him exceptionally efficient in his work.

Xue Ci only needed to praise her from the sidelines, "Did you even wash the sheets for me? Thank you."

"... N-nothing."

A suspicious blush appeared on the man's face.

Xue Ci didn't notice, and didn't know that Lu Min had smelled her bed sheet right next to his face.

I spent the morning working.

At lunchtime, the other two disappeared. Joel sent the other servants to look for them, and they were eventually found on the top floor of the castle and by the outer wall, respectively.

After the meal, Qin Zhou offered to help Xue Ci feed the rabbits.

"Don't worry, I've raised them before, I have experience."

The word "rabbit" triggered the keyword, and Xue Ci told the other party one of the clues, "This rabbit belongs to Mrs. West. She has loved raising rabbits since she was a child, and she has raised countless ones."

Qin Zhou nodded, though it was unclear whether he had taken those words to heart.

After everyone left, Xue Ci's system panel refreshed the data for the second time today.

[You can see the players' game progress bars.]

This is of great help to Xue Ci, since he needs to team up with the most skilled player who is most likely to clear the game.

The castle was actually very peaceful; apart from the dead NPCs, nothing strange had happened.

Despite this, Fu Chengsi's progress bar has reached 40%.

Xue Ci surprised.

What surprised him even more was that Lu Min, who was always around him, had also reached 30% progress, ranking second.

Qin Zhou and Lu Min's progress bars are about the same.

After watching the progress bar, Xue Ci realized that she hadn't spoken to Fu Chengsi today.

He looked around and saw Fu Chengsi standing in the kitchen, holding a note in his hand, probably having found some clues again.

Xue Ci felt awkward making conversation, especially with someone as foul-mouthed as Fu Chengsi.

He also had a small bottle of mosquito repellent on him, which he took out of his pocket and headed towards the kitchen.

11 glanced at Fu Chengsi, who was leaning against the door in a mannequin pose: [...] So pretentious.

Every movement is meticulously designed.

The shirt needs to be ironed every day, and the folded part should slightly reveal the lines of the arms. The profile perfectly frames the host, with a sharp jawline, and even the angle of the hair has been styled with hairspray for a long time.

Like a peacock in its mating season.

And you have to pretend you don't care at all.

Xue Ci didn't notice any of this; in his eyes, Fu Chengsi was just an unapproachable person who was picky about everything.

Therefore, he was very careful when speaking to the other person, afraid that he would be ridiculed for saying the wrong thing.

"Do you need mosquito repellent?" Xue Ci placed the small glass bottle on the table next to Fu Chengsi, and then glanced at the note in his hand.

It was the ingredient list Joel had given him a few days ago, but this time it was marked with Mrs. West's, her daughter's, and her granddaughter's taste preferences.

Xue Ci nuzzled her fluffy head closer. "Is this list related to the gardener's matter?"

He spoke in a breathy voice, afraid that others would hear, which made him sound very delicate.

Fu Chengsi glanced at him. "No."

Xue Ci that the other party was not going to tell her, so she didn't ask any further. Just as she was about to leave, the man spoke again.

"Is the mosquito repellent for me?"

Xue Ci hummed in agreement.

"Your room must have more mosquitoes than mine, otherwise how could you have red marks on your neck from their bites?"

Xue Ci was completely confused and touched her neck.

He didn't even know if he had a red bump on his neck.

The idiot didn't pick up on the sarcasm and earnestly explained, "I didn't use it in my room; I used it this morning in the garden."

Still playing dumb.

Looking at Song Xueci's pure and innocent face, Fu Chengsi couldn't tell whether it was her natural appearance or a deliberate tactic to attract men.

He twitched the corner of his mouth, his tone laced with jealousy he himself didn't realize. "Since you've already chosen Lu Min, why are you calling me 'husband'?"

Do you think I'm easy? That I'd willingly be your dog just because you call me "husband"?

What are you talking about?

Xue Ci really didn't understand how a bottle of mosquito repellent could be related to yesterday's "calling for husband" incident. That was a special case, Fu Chengsi knew that too.

But why keep bringing it up the next day?

He didn't mention any of that, did he?

Xue Ci raised her eyes and looked at Fu Chengsi.

The other person was staring at his mouth.

It was as if they were checking whether he had kissed other men.

He looked no different from a husband checking if his wife was cheating.

How strange...

Especially since she had actually called him "husband" before.

Unable to bear the other person's exposed gaze, Xue Ci silently took the mosquito repellent away. "If you don't need it, then forget it."

Fu Chengsi was still waiting for an explanation; he would believe Song Xueci said the hickeys on her neck were mosquito bites.

Not only was there no explanation, but the mosquito repellent I had received also disappeared.

After Song Xueci retrieved the mosquito repellent, she bumped into Qin Zhou, who was coming out of the garden.

Then, he saw Song Xueci hand the mosquito repellent that was originally meant for him to Qin Zhou.

A fool whose clothes are covered in rabbit fur and whose hair is still covered in leaves.

They stole the mosquito repellent that was rightfully his.

Fu Chengsi's face was terribly grim.

He coldly watched the fool, who then pulled out some magic roses meant for fooling children from who-knows-where and displayed them in front of Song Xueci.

As a result of his poor skill, the roses caught fire.

He snorted inwardly and was about to walk over to ask for the mosquito repellent back when he saw Song Xueci accept the burnt rose.

"Thank you."

Song Xueci's profile was facing him, and he could see a slight upward curve of her cheeks.

He completely mesmerized the red-haired guy on the other side, staring at him intently.

Song Xueci now has another dog by her side.

Fu Chengsi froze in his tracks.

What did he do in the past? Was he also Song Xueci?

Song Xueci's casual flirting with men will only backfire in the end, leaving her completely burned and unable to even cry.

*

"There seems to be something here..." After Qin Zhou had cheered the person up, he noticed something on the other person's neck. He leaned over and took a closer look, and then he was stunned.

This is...

Catching a glimpse of a tall figure out of the corner of his eye, Qin Zhou glanced at Fu Chengsi not far away and immediately shielded Xue Ci with his body.

Xue Ci: "?"

"That's a hickey on your neck, isn't it?" Qin Zhou's expression was unnatural, his tone disdainful. "Did Lu Min do it secretly?"

He seemed certain that Lu Min was a perverted otaku. "He shared a room with you, he must have kissed you while you were sleeping."

Xue Ci finally realized—there was a hickey on her neck.

Fu Chengsi must have seen it too. No wonder he said those strange things; he thought Fu was two-timing Fu.

But this time he has more than two boats.

Xue Ci didn't know where the hickeys on her neck came from, or even that she had seen them with her own eyes. "It shouldn't be Lu Min..."

"Who else could it be but him?" Qin Zhou scoffed disdainfully, seemingly looking down on such behavior. "Maybe he even secretly smoked other things."

"Do you want to have it checked?"

Xue Ci hesitated, and the next moment, she heard Qin Zhou continue, "How about I check for you? I can see places you can't."

Don't worry, I'm straight, I won't take advantage of you.

Author's Note:

Where is the place the baby can't see? You'd never guess!