10

 Song Yu slowly loosened her lip, which she had been biting since the man leaned in to speak to her ear. Her reddened eyes and soft face didn't look like someone who would dare to confront a creditor head-on.

Perhaps it was because Shang Linchu was dressed casually today, lacking the oppressive aura of a superior, or perhaps it was because embarrassment and shame overshadowed her fear.

After a moment, Song Yu lowered her eyes and said in a muffled voice, "How much money does my brother still owe you?"

Shang Linchu and Song Yu were much shorter, and standing like this, he could only see the other's wet eyelashes, making him look pitiful. He

put away most of his teasing thoughts. He leaned down, wanting to see the expression on the boy's face, but instead saw a large tear roll down.

The man was stunned.

He inexplicably thought of the day he met Song Yu, when the other wore clean, worn clothes, but had fair skin and a gentle, beautiful face.

Under the blazing sun, the boy was squatting under a tree, taking pictures of a small wildflower with his phone.

The boy seemed sensitive to the sun; his skin quickly reddened. He remembered his assistant bringing him an umbrella and recalling the boy's expression upon receiving it—

slow, like a dazed rabbit.

With his abilities, investigating someone was a piece of cake, and he quickly learned everything about Song Yu. He also knew that Song Yu's younger brother was in debt.

He inexplicably helped pay off the debt, and when he received the written IOU with his fingerprint, he felt as if he had obtained something—a tool to get closer to Song Yu.

In truth, he didn't know what he wanted; it was just that every time he saw Song Yu, it was as if his blood started flowing again, a desire to tease him, to see more vivid expressions.

Shang Linchu grew up in a cold and cruel family, and he knew this pattern perfectly well—like a hunter treating weak prey.

But just now, the moment Song Yu's tears fell, he felt he had misunderstood all along.

It wasn't like that.

A hunter sees his prey's tears and is either indifferent or annoyed.

But when he saw Song Yu cry, he felt…disorder.

From his heart to his limbs, everything was in disarray, preventing him from using normal thinking to negotiate or compensate.

He could only stiffen and bend down to wipe away his tears.

The man's fingertips weren't delicate, making Song Yu uncomfortable. Whether out of fear or stubbornness, he turned his face away.

Realizing what was happening, Song Yu expected Shang Linchu to be cold.

Instead, the other suddenly whispered, "I was wrong."

Song Yu froze, looking up at the other with a bewildered expression, his face still streaked with tears.

"My fault."

Unlike the harshness of the previous words, Shang Linchu's words carried a hint of compliance and coaxing.

This caused Song Yu, who had been so upset he couldn't stop crying, to stop abruptly, even letting out a sob.

Song Yu: "..."

He sniffled sheepishly.

A moment later.

"I'll pay you back slowly." Song Yu glanced at the bag of strange clothes at the foot of the bed and slowly negotiated with the other, "I don't want to wear these."

Shang Linchu stared at him, only uttering one word after a long pause: "Stupid."

Even in this state, he was still thinking about paying off his brother's debts.

Song Yu pursed his lips, not daring to retort even if he was unhappy.

Those words had exhausted all his courage.

However, the creditor seemed to have a better temper than he had imagined.

For the first time, Song Yu felt that crying was useful.

He didn't know what to say, but luckily Tan Yue called again at that moment. Song Yu stared at his phone, then turned his head and cautiously glanced at Shang Lin Chu.

After what had just happened, Shang Lin Chu didn't dare to tease him easily again, afraid of making him cry again.

He couldn't imagine whether this delicate boy would be scared to tears if he knew his deepest, most unspeakable thoughts.

Let's wait a little longer.

"You answer it."

Noticing that the creditor's expression was still relatively normal, Song Yu answered the phone.

"Hmm..."

"Whatever." "

I didn't cry... I just woke up."

"I know..."

Most of the talking was done by the person on the other end of the phone, while the boy listened quietly.

After hanging up, Song Yu glanced at Shang Lin Chu and cautiously said, "My friend is coming over."

Shang Lin Chu chuckled softly: "Is he trying to kick me out?"

"..."

Song Yu thought for a moment and fiddled with his phone a few times.

Soon, Shang Linchu received a WeChat message.

He opened it.

【Song Yu has transferred 20,000 yuan to you.】

“This is all I’ve saved,” Song Yu said, trying to sound sincere. “I’ll save up and pay you back.”

It sounded a bit like a slap followed by a sweet treat.

But whether he was slapped or given a treat, Shang Linchu felt good.

However, before leaving, he wanted to know something from the other person.

“Friend or boyfriend?”

Song Yu didn’t understand why Shang Linchu would ask such a question, but he answered honestly, “Friend.”

Shang Linchu already knew everything about Song Yu’s family background.

There was just one more thing he wanted to know from the person herself

—something Shang Linchu had asked immediately after seeing the hotel room photos.

"What did you do at the hotel last time?"

"Did he kiss you? Or did you do everything?"

Song Yu's scalp tingled: "Nothing..."

"Hmm?"

"We didn't kiss at the hotel."

Song Yu's breathing became short, her nerves tense, thinking the other person would press for more details, when the next moment, she felt her wrist being pulled.

The man's movements were gentle, without any sense of aggression.

So although Song Yu was nervous, she only pulled back slightly, without withdrawing her hand.

Shang Linchu opened the jewelry box, inside lay a bracelet, not entirely silver, but adorned with red petals.

These red petals were carefully cut from rubies.

Shang Linchu had this bracelet custom-made from the first day of his business trip.

He didn't have many thoughts, nor did he expect that a bracelet alone could win her heart. He just felt that after a trip, he should bring something back.

It was as if Song Yu was his little wife waiting for his return.

The bracelet was much cooler than body temperature, and wearing it actually had a cooling effect.

Song Yu's nervousness slowly subsided.

"Have other men used these to pursue you?"

Shang Linchu released the thin wrist, and after seeing the boy shake his head, the corners of his lips turned up slightly: "Looks like I'm one of the more competitive ones."

Song

Yu stared at him, somewhat bewildered, but was quickly interrupted by a voice message from Tan Yue.

Shang Linchu didn't say anything more and left.

Song Yu opened the message; Tan Yue said he was almost there, had brought sushi and ramen, and asked if there was anything else he wanted to eat.

He replied casually, his gaze accidentally falling on the foot of the bed, only to realize that Shang Linchu hadn't taken the clothes with him.

His face flushed, and Song Yu immediately stuffed the bag haphazardly into the back of the closet.

*

Shang Linchu had many enemies, but recently, when he came to Song Yu's place, he always had his bodyguards wait downstairs.

The apartment was quiet on a hot summer afternoon; most people were hiding in their rooms.

Any sounds from the stairwell could be clearly heard.

"You need to rest well."

"What do you want to eat tomorrow? I'll bring it over for you. What's the big deal? I'm just idling at home anyway."

"Eating with you makes me hungry."

The handsome, tall young man carried a takeout box in one hand and kept sending voice messages into his phone with the other. His voice sounded... somewhat disgusting, contrary to his cool exterior.

Shang Linchu, leaning on his cane, stepped down the last step, just as the other person strode up the stairs.

They brushed past each other without stopping.

Only after Tan Yue's figure disappeared did Shang Linchu glance indifferently upstairs.

Did Song Yu like people speaking in that tone?

But the boy from earlier certainly possessed an advantage he couldn't match.

Shang Linchu suddenly felt disgusted by the Tang suits in his wardrobe that made him look ten years older.

*

Before Tan Yue arrived, Song Yu, afraid the other would notice he'd been crying, deliberately went to the bathroom to wash his face.

However, on his way back to the bedroom from the bathroom, 009 suddenly appeared, bringing bad news: [Host, the progress bar has regressed.]

"..."

Song Yu looked aggrieved.

009: [The main characters met in the stairwell just now.]

He hadn't expected Tan Yue to arrive so quickly.

009 comforted him: [It's okay, they just met ahead of time, didn't know each other, and didn't speak, so it only regressed by 1%.]

[However, before the main plot arrives, it's necessary to avoid the two of them meeting. ] Song

Yu nodded.

A few seconds later, Tan Yue came upstairs. He noticed Song Yu's damp cheeks: "Just finished washing up?"

Song Yu hummed in agreement: "Come in."

The two entered the house one after the other.

The air conditioner was on, the temperature was just right for Song Yu, but for Tan Yue, who was sensitive to heat, it was practically nonexistent.

Having just climbed the stairs, the boy's forehead was covered in sweat, and the veins on his hands were clearly visible.

Song Yu turned down the air conditioner, moved the small fan in front of Tan Yue, turned it to the highest setting, and asked, "Do you want some water? I only have warm water here."

Tan Yue put the chilled water back in the bag: "I only drink warm water."

Song Yu hummed in agreement, squatted down, took a disposable paper cup from the cabinet, and went to the table to pour water.

Watching the boy bustling around, Tan Yue inexplicably felt that this was very much like married life.

If it were real, he couldn't even imagine how happy he would be.

The two didn't talk much during the meal, but the atmosphere was pleasant. After finishing, Song Yu tried to clean up, but Tan Yue pushed him aside, his shoulder against Song Yu's.

This young master, who never lifted a finger, was now willingly serving him.

He didn't see her as just anyone; he completely considered Song Yu his future wife.

It was only a little before 2 PM when they finished cleaning up. Tan Yue, finally seeing Song Yu, refused to leave, so he used the excuse of playing games with him.

Song Yu wasn't very good at games, but in this world's setting, he had been addicted to the online world for a period of time.

However, there was only one chair in the room.

After Song Yu sat down, Tan Yue sat on the edge of the bed, one hand propped on the chair, the other swiping on a tablet.

The game was still loading, and when he glanced up slightly, Song Yu's fair profile was facing him.

Chasing someone was so satisfying.

Tan Yue didn't show anything on the surface and teamed up with Song Yu. He was very skilled at the game, letting Song Yu win both games without him even realizing it.

The feeling of clinging to someone's coattails made Song Yu somewhat enjoy the game, so he urged the other to start another round: "Hurry up, hurry up."

Tan Yue was only tugged at the hem of his clothes, but half of his body went numb, and he felt like he was floating.

He regretted it a little; if those things hadn't happened, Song Yu would definitely be calling him "husband" or something if he were being affectionate now. He

could call him that later.

Tan Yue prepared to start another round.

His distracted state prevented him from noticing that Song Yu wasn't wearing the same red string bracelet from Taobao, but a valuable gemstone bracelet.

Song Yu was just waiting to win without any effort when 009 suddenly remembered: [Host, you have triggered a hidden plot. Given that the plot is currently stalled, and the female character used by the protagonist is also in the game, I will match you up for the next round.]

[Your task is to connect the two characters as much as possible, so that the protagonist's encounter will increase the progress bar.]

[Completing the task will earn you 3000 points, limited to one hour.] Song

Yu glanced at the progress bar; it was currently at 64%, meaning the main characters should have already met in the game. He looked at Tan Yue and tentatively asked, "Have you been playing games a lot lately?"

Tan Yue replied, "Not much."

Song Yu said "Oh," and then asked, "Not even at night?"

Tan Yue stared at him, turned his face away, and didn't answer the question, only reminding him that the game was about to start.

The young man, experiencing his first stirrings of love, was filled with restlessness every night, only able to look at the photos in his album over and over again, imagining blush-inducing scenes.

Of course, how could he possibly say this to the handsome young man he liked?

Saying he didn't play games at night, but played something else?

He'd scare the person

he'd finally managed to win back away. Having spent these past few days together, Tan Yue had already realized that Song Yu, who claimed to be experienced, was actually quite timid and physically very sensitive; his skin would turn red at the slightest touch, and tears would well up after just a few kisses.

He guessed that many men had tricked him into doing those things before.

The more he cried, the more unstoppable it became.

Therefore, he was easily frightened now.

He might get scared and agree immediately, but forced love is never sweet.

He'd probably end up crying and pleading for mercy, trying to get the other person to let him go.

Tan swallowed harder, his mouth growing increasingly dry.

It seemed like forcing it...could be sweet too.

He dared not think further, took a big gulp to quench his thirst, and started a new game with Song Yuxin.

Following 009's guidance, Song Yu recognized the protagonist's alternate account. To provoke her, he didn't give up this time and fought his way through the female character.

The result… he was wiped out in one move.

Song Yu: “…”

But Tan Yue quickly avenged him.

Seeing the opportunity, Song Yu immediately said, “Why don't we add her?”

Tan Yue raised an eyebrow: “Add who?”

“This girl,” Song Yu pointed to the protagonist's alternate account, “She seems pretty skilled.”

Tan Yue: “As skilled as me?”

“…” Song Yu ignored this and continued working on the quest. “You guys can play games together sometimes.” Tan Yue

didn't speak, his lips tightly pressed together, looking unhappy.

Song Yu could sense the sudden change in the other's mood, but the quest had to be completed.

Perhaps it was because Tan Yue's temper had been very stable these past few days, and he had been kind to him. Song Yu suddenly became arrogant, insisting that he thought this person was good and wanted to add her to his team, even resorting to threatening her in a soft, whiny tone.

“If you don’t add her, I’ll go… Ah—”

Before Song Yu could finish speaking, he felt himself and the entire chair being pulled away, and he cried out softly in fright.

“You’re going to add her? Don’t you like men? Has your sexual orientation changed again?” Tan Yue’s face darkened. “Can you even kiss? Your waist is so narrow, do you even have the strength?”

…Wh-what?

Song Yu didn’t know why Tan Yue was suddenly so unhappy and said so many mocking things about him.

Bad guy.

It was one thing to say he was weak, but he also said he couldn’t kiss.

Song Yu was quite embarrassed and annoyed by having his weakness exposed. Perhaps due to his blood rushing to his head, he forgot that men cannot be provoked, especially possessive and jealous men.

Once provoked, they almost lose their rationality and demand things purely on instinct.

So when Song Yu was upset and deliberately said that the other person couldn’t kiss and that kissing him was not comfortable at all, his mouth was forcefully blocked.

Perhaps because he dreamed of this scene every night, Tan Yue was much more skilled this time.

Without bumping into his teeth, he almost immediately went straight in as soon as his lips touched his.

Song Yu couldn't react and could only whimper, his whole body pressed firmly into the chair, his neck tilted back, forced to endure it.

So fierce.

Terribly fierce.

That was the only thought in Song Yu's mind.

His mouth was numb and sore; the other person wouldn't let him close his mouth, and saliva kept flowing.

He didn't know whose saliva it was, but he swallowed it all down the boy's slightly bobbing Adam's apple.

This action seemed to have struck a nerve with Tan Yue; the other person's back trembled with excitement, and he pressed Song Yu's head down with his bulging, veiny hand.

Soft strands of hair tangled between his fingers.

The room was filled with the ambiguous sounds of water.

...

Perhaps because Song Yu's cheeks were getting redder and redder, and he looked like he was having trouble breathing, his slender white fingers trembling on his shoulder, Tan Yue quickly released him.

The kiss only lasted five minutes.

Tan Yue had originally wanted to say something like, "I don't know how to kiss and I made you cry," but seeing Song Yu's furrowed brows and pitiful, miserable appearance, he swallowed the words.

Song Yu's lips were a darker shade, and his chin was wet.

He really couldn't understand.

Why did those men who liked to kiss him always make him look so disheveled and dirty?

His chin and mouth were covered in saliva.

Song Yu dodged the tissue Tan Yue offered to wipe his lips, weakly pulled it out, and slowly wiped away the water stains.

"Baby,"

Tan Yue suddenly called out.

Song Yu didn't want to respond.

But Tan Yue persisted, adding more and more words, saying things like "Baby's mouth is so soft," and "Baby swallowed my saliva too." By the end, Song Yu's cheeks were burning hot, both angry and embarrassed, like a puffed-up kitten: "Don't call me baby!" Tan Yue finally breathed a

sigh of relief.

At this moment, he didn't even realize how much he resembled the kind of kid who deliberately provoked someone, then made them angry, and then stubbornly clung to them.

He could hit him, he could scold him, as long as he kept paying attention.

But Song Yu really didn't have time to pay attention to Tan Yue right now.

He had just finished yelling at Tan Yue when 009 reminded him that the protagonist's alternate account had contacted him.

Song Yu opened the game's private message section, and sure enough, the other party had sent him several messages—

【If you're brothers, let's trash talk face to face!】

【Turn on your mic! Hurry up.】

【Don't play dead.】

Song Yu: "..."

He couldn't imagine that the other party was someone like Shang Lincheng.

Just thinking about it was a bit scary.

009: 【Host, the other party is Shang Linchu's sister, Shang Yan. The protagonist already has someone he's interested in and hasn't tried the virtual world like in the original plot.】

Sister?

Song Yu felt a little guilty thinking about how he had fought so fiercely with a girl earlier. Fortunately, he lost in the end.

But since the other party wasn't the protagonist, he didn't need to do any of this, right?

009 started looking for data loopholes again: 【The task only states that these two accounts should connect, but it doesn't specify who the other party in the game is.】

【So, according to Shang Yan, just trash talking a few times, and the task will be completed. The progress bar for the protagonist meeting the other party won't be reset.】

That sounds much simpler.

So Song Yu immediately turned on her mic as instructed.

As soon as she did, a somewhat immature girl's voice came through: "Why were you chasing me and attacking me? Do you like me? Trying to get my attention?"

Song Yu: "..."

Is she her younger sister? She doesn't seem to resemble Shang Linchu at all.

Song Yu hesitated for a moment, then decided to apologize first: "Um... I'm sorry about earlier."

The boy's voice was soft, especially since he had just been kissed; his voice was muffled, and the last syllable lingered.

The tone on the other end immediately changed: "He's a big brother~ Hehe~"

Song Yu: "...Yeah."

Tan Yue, who had been standing to the side, finally spoke up: "He has a girlfriend."

There was a pause on the other end, and the voice sounded even more excited: "Really!?"

Before Song Yu could react, she heard the notification sound of the mission being completed.

Moreover, the progress bar had increased by 2%.

009: [Host, keep up the good work. The more you say, the easier it is to increase the progress.]

Song Yu's eyes lit up.

The progress bar only increased during the time she was dressed as a woman; otherwise, it didn't increase at all. Song Yu was also quite afraid of being chased for debts in this world, so she tugged at Tan Yue's sleeve.

Tan Yue looked down and saw Song Yu's red earlobes, her voice as soft as cotton candy: "You... say something more."

Tan Yue was taken aback.

After realizing what she meant, his heart pounded, and he gradually became more and more unrestrained.

"Of course someone as beautiful as you has a boyfriend."

"You guessed it, you have good taste."

"She is indeed my wife."

...

Song Yu finally grabbed him: "...Okay, that's enough."

After showing off to the other person, Tan Yue immediately turned off his microphone, not wanting anyone else to hear Song Yu's voice.

Song Yu had completed her task, and seeing that it was getting late, she ruthlessly sent him away.

Although Tan Yue was unhappy, he didn't say much, thinking about how he had kissed her earlier. Before leaving, he turned back: "By the way, you work part-time at a bar near the university town, right?"

"Yeah."

Song Yu stared at the screen for a long time, wanting to take a nap before work, looking like she refused to chat anymore.

Tan Yue saw through her, smiled, and didn't say anything more, taking the trash with her before leaving.

*

"No, don't touch my tail..."

Song Yu's blue eyes were filled with tears, his voice sounding pitiful, but he couldn't see who was touching his tail. His

fluffy white tail was being stroked by a pair of invisible hands, little by little, from the base to the tip, slowly smoothing the fur.

Song Yu couldn't help but collapse to the ground, exposing his belly to the other hand, letting other hands stroke his soft belly.

And his two ears.

"Meow—"

Song Yu was surprised to find that he couldn't speak anymore, only meowing like a kitten.

He... he had actually become a cat?!

Song Yu trembled with shock, and after realizing what was happening, he tried to roll over and run away, but was pinned down by his pink paws.

The next moment, he heard a grown man's whisper in his ear.

"A lying kitten will be severely punished."

"Meow..." Don't do this.

...

Song Yu woke up in fright.

In his dream, he had become a kitten, and many people were stroking his tail and touching his ears.

Realizing it was a dream, Song Yu began to feel fortunate.

His cheeks and back were covered in sweat, making him feel sticky and giving off a musty, damp smell.

With two hours until work, Song Yu got up, changed the sheets, and opened his wardrobe to find a change of clothes before taking a shower.

Then, he realized—

one of his underwear seemed to be missing.

Song Yu was in debt in this world and didn't have many clothes, including only a few pairs of underwear, so he would notice if one was missing.

Had it been left hanging outside?

Afraid of being late, Song Yu ignored the missing underwear and took another pair to the bathroom.

The bar was doing fairly well that evening.

Song Yu followed the manager, delivering drinks, completely unaware of the two people in the corner.

"So it really is here with you." Tan Yue stared intently at Song Yu. "I should have asked you sooner."

Shen Yize, standing beside him, took a sip of water without much expression. "The online girlfriend you mentioned a while ago, is she him?"

"She's my online boyfriend." Tan Yue, of course, didn't mention that Song Yu had disguised herself as a man to deceive him. "But I recently made her angry, so I'm pursuing her again."

Shen Yize: "Then it'll probably be soon."

"Definitely. She's very clingy and likes to act cute; she can't bear to be apart from me for even a moment."

The Tan and Shen families have a good relationship, and Shen Yize and Tan Yue are particularly close. Although there's a few years difference, they get along like peers.

A while ago, Tan Yue came home and told him he had a girlfriend.

Shen Yize remembered congratulating him then.

"Congratulations."

Shen Yize chuckled softly, saying the same thing now.

However, the dim light didn't reveal the obscure emotions in his eyes.

Tan Yue was floating on air, his love-struck mind completely oblivious to the way his brother was looking at his online boyfriend.

It was as if he wanted to devour it completely.

"By the way, brother, let me show you the red string he gave me." Tan Yue stretched out his arm, revealing the only thing he could boast about at the moment, "He braided it himself."

Even Shen Yize could no longer easily pretend.

The corners of his mouth gradually stiffened.

Tan Yue continued to show off, oblivious to the fact that it might not look good on me, but it looked especially beautiful on him. "

Especially fair-skinned."

Shen Yize said coldly, "I know he's fair-skinned."

Tan Yue said "Ah."

However, before they could notice anything amiss, a deep, mature male voice suddenly sounded behind them: "Is that so?"

The two of them looked over.

The man in the suit was tall and upright, exuding the aura of a top-level superior.

Tan Yue felt that the other party looked somewhat familiar, and his male intuition made him hostile towards this person: "Who are you?"

Shang Linchu did not answer the question, but instead twitched the corners of his mouth: "But the red string he's wearing right now isn't yours."

Tan Yue's face darkened. "

It's the bracelet I gave him."

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