Chapter 20: The Widow in the Mansion

The fine mist of rain continued to fall from the sky, though it was entirely shielded by a manor constructed of black fog.

Yu Deng was pinned against the headboard by his late husband, his neck tilted back in a graceful, slender arch. His soft, dark hair was disarrayed, and tears still clung to the corners of his eyes.

His late husband hovered over his chest, clutching him tightly—a gesture that felt as much like longing as it did imprisonment.

Cheng Zhaolin called out to Yu Deng again, his tone gentle and intimate: "My dear wife?"

"...Hmph."

At the sound of this address, Yu Deng finally felt a dull, sluggish sense of reality regarding his status as a "male wife."

However, the sensitive, cherry-pink spot remained tingling and uncomfortable. Still nursing a grudge, Yu Deng pushed awkwardly against Cheng Zhaolin’s shoulders. How could his late husband bite him there? It was just too perverted!

Cheng Zhaolin took the opportunity to lift his head, though his body remained pressed against Yu Deng’s, his high, sharp bridge of a nose brushing against Yu Deng’s warm cheek.

"My wife still hasn't answered me."

Yu Deng stared blankly at his late husband for a few seconds before remembering what had been said. His late husband had told him not to look at anyone else.

"But, that’s not something I can control, is it?" Yu Deng asked, looking quite perplexed. "After all, there are so many people in this world."

Cheng Zhaolin watched him steadily for a few moments, his eyes curving into a smile. "My wife is right."

If he simply eliminated all the other eyesores and obstacles, would that solve the problem?

As this thought crossed his mind, the very space housing the mansion trembled.

Yu Deng, however, was held securely in place. Cheng Zhaolin was pressed so close that wisps of icy, ethereal coldness seeped through his tattered clothing. Wrapped entirely in his late husband’s embrace, Yu Deng realized, belatedly, that he could not detect a heartbeat.

...Because Cheng Zhaolin was, indeed, dead.

Yu Deng bit his slightly swollen lip. "Were you trapped inside all this time, unable to get out?"

"Yes," Cheng Zhaolin replied, his tone dismissive. "I was always in the coffin. Even when I emerged, others couldn't see me or hear me speak."

The mature and powerful man deliberately revealed a facade of vulnerability before his young wife.

"Then... did you do something bad?" Yu Deng asked in a small voice.

"My dear, that is the greatest secret of the Cheng family." Cheng Zhaolin used his fingertips to rub the corner of Yu Deng’s eye, yet he added, "I have never deigned to do anything wicked or harmful."

At least, when he was once human, he never deigned to. As for now... well, now that he was a ghost, it was only natural to want to possess the human he loved exclusively.

Yu Deng remained silent for several minutes.

He felt like such a bad person. His late husband might have been murdered, and now that he had finally managed to escape, Yu Deng was tasked with sealing him away again.

But if he didn't complete the mission, he would lose his life... Was there no way to have the best of both worlds?

Because Yu Deng remained quiet for too long, Cheng Zhaolin grew restless, unable to suppress his inner nature as an evil spirit.

An icy hand moved to Yu Deng’s back, stroking him slowly, trailing down his spine to knead his sensitive tailbone. His fingertips nearly brushed the curved swell of his hip.

Yu Deng’s eyelashes fluttered violently, and he instinctively kicked Cheng Zhaolin.

"Apologies, my dear. An evil spirit cannot control itself." Despite the apology, Cheng Zhaolin did not stop; he gripped Yu Deng’s ankle and lowered his head to peck at his crimson lips.

Yu Deng’s slender, pale legs were parted and slightly lifted. The black mist slithered over his trousers, threatening to tear the fabric.

"I said you aren't allowed to kiss me. And don't touch me... you're such a pervert," Yu Deng complained.

Perhaps because he now knew his late husband was the "Mr. Shadow" from a few days ago, Yu Deng’s temper had flared.

"Every time you kiss me, it’s itchy and painful, and you keep kissing those places."

"A pervert?"

Cheng Zhaolin accepted the label with a smile, reasoning, "Evil spirits truly have no morality... However, if my wife is unhappy, I shall kiss you more gently. I won't hurt you, so that wouldn't count as bullying, would it?"

The evil spirit skipped over the question of whether he was allowed to kiss him at all, or even do far worse things, choosing instead to negotiate the level of intensity.

It sounded logical on the surface, but it was dripping with malicious, seductive coercion.

Yu Deng tilted his head, pondering this for a moment.

It did sound somewhat reasonable...?

"Fine, then. You aren't allowed to hurt me next time you kiss me."

"Of course, no problem at all."

System 01: [...]

*You foolish host. You’ve barely finished any of your tasks, and yet you let yourself be bullied so easily.*

***

In the second-floor study of the mansion.

Cheng Xiao stood a few meters away, exchanging words with Lin Zhiyue, every sentence revolving around the young widow, Yu Deng.

Miss Lin, who had walked on thin ice her entire life, had never experienced such a breakdown.

She believed that Cheng Xiao truly had no interest in capturing her; the boy had eyes only for Yu Deng. In a sense, her desire to kill him had shifted to a different level.

"...I understand. You really have no intention of prying. I will let you go for now," Lin Zhiyue said, forcing a smile. "But let me offer you a word of advice."

She said sternly, "Do not covet those you shouldn't."

Cheng Xiao gave her a look and replied with a hint of irony, "Stepmother probably doesn't like girls."

Lin Zhiyue: "..." Forget it.

Miss Lin turned and left.

Cheng Xiao watched the "murderess" depart, his tensed muscles relaxing as he tucked the dagger hidden in his sleeve back into place.

He looked out the window at the gray, gloomy sky and frowned.

Downstairs, the players had gathered, a rare occurrence outside of a formal meeting. Seeing Cheng Xiao approach, Ke Qi whispered, "The mansion is very strange right now."

"Oh?"

"Look." Ke Qi pointed at the pitch-black environment of the mansion, then gestured toward a servant standing nearby. "The NPCs are acting weird. I spoke to them earlier and it was almost hair-raising. The veteran players say they might be about to trigger a major event."

At this moment, the mansion felt as though it had formed some kind of dangerous domain, one the players knew nothing about.

Cheng Xiao looked at the servants. Their expressions were subtle, stiff, and uncanny, as if they were puppets on strings.

Cheng Xiao’s brow furrowed deeper.

Strange. He hadn't seen his stepmother in the house for a while. Could he have run into danger?

Just then, the butler walked silently into the room. Cheng Xiao caught him. "Uncle Dong, have you seen Stepmother?"

The butler rolled his eyes. "The Mistress went in that direction."

***

Ten minutes later.

The manor constructed of black fog turned back into nothingness, and Yu Deng saw the dim light of day once more.

The thick fog ahead was suddenly parted. A vigorous figure moved rapidly from the distance, clearing away any ominous creatures that approached with swift precision, before finally stopping a few meters away from Yu Deng.

Cheng Xiao’s eyes were filled only with his beautiful stepmother. Upon seeing him, he exhaled in relief—only to notice another man beside Yu Deng.

Cheng Xiao’s gaze sharpened.

Looking closer, he realized Yu Deng had changed his clothes, and the man was meticulously tending to him, buttoning his shirt and straightening his collar.

Yu Deng’s eyes were wet, the corners flushed a lingering,潮 (damp) red, as if he had been thoroughly ravished.

Cheng Xiao: "..."

He pressed his knuckles hard, gripping his dagger, and stepped forward.

Yu Deng stared at Cheng Xiao in a daze.

*Wait, isn't Cheng Xiao a novice player too? Why does he look so capable in a fight?!*

The system preempted Yu Deng’s thoughts, offering comfort: [Host, once you complete the novice dungeon and acquire skills and items, you will be very powerful as well.]

Yu Deng was immediately appeased.

Cheng Xiao ignored the restless black fog attempting to drive him away, standing a meter from Yu Deng.

These two men possessed similar jawlines, and the pathological obsession hidden in their eyes for Yu Deng was identical.

Cheng Xiao asked softly, "Stepmother, who is he?"

Before Yu Deng could answer, Cheng Zhaolin scoffed. "You call him Stepmother, and yet you cannot even recognize his spouse—your own father?"

Cheng Zhaolin looked at his adopted son with cold indifference, sighing with the authority of an elder.

"I never should have agreed to adopt you. It was my failure to let you grow into such a scoundrel, daring to covet your elder."

Cheng Xiao realized instantly who this man was. He tightened his grip on his weapon and sneered, "Isn't it only natural to care for a father's widow? Who knew that the dead would come back to stir up trouble? Besides, Deng-deng didn't refuse me."

The smile in Cheng Zhaolin’s eyes faded.

The refined, imposing master and the sharp, burgeoning wolf cub could not stand the sight of each other. The mature, older man and the vibrant, younger one—their auras were evenly matched, locked in a tense standoff.

Had Yu Deng not been standing right there, they likely would have already come to blows.

Caught in the middle, Yu Deng stared at the two men who had been at each other's throats the moment they met. He felt anxious, not knowing what to do.

In his panic, his eyes brimmed with tears again.

"My wife is so beautiful and lovely; it’s no wonder so many people like you," Cheng Zhaolin said, lowering his eyes with a sigh.

Yu Deng thought for a few seconds and decided to interpret this as a compliment. He blinked, feeling a bit proud. "People have always liked me."

"Yes, I can see that."

Cheng Zhaolin curved his lips into a gentle smile. "However, my wife is my spouse alone."

He had been in the past, and he would be in the future.

As these words fell, sharp tendrils of black mist couldn't wait to strike at Cheng Xiao, who reacted instantly, slicing through them, his muscles taut and ready for battle.

Yu Deng’s eyes widened: "!!"

Why were they starting to fight?!

"Wait..." Yu Deng was frantic, grabbing the stepson who was about to attack his late husband. "D-don't fight."

*Don't be so stubborn as to go up against the ghost boss!*

Cheng Xiao paused, mistakenly believing that Yu Deng was stopping him because he didn't want Cheng Zhaolin to get hurt.

The rebellious wolf cub instantly turned into a dejected puppy.

He lowered his eyes, emphasizing, "Deng-deng, whatever he can give you, I can give you too."

Cheng Zhaolin glanced coldly at his adopted son. "Is that so?"

"Instead of talking so much, why not let Deng-deng choose?" Cheng Xiao looked deeply at Yu Deng. "Deng-deng, who do you like?"

Yu Deng looked conflicted, glancing from his stepson to his late husband.

In truth, both of them were bad dogs who liked to chew on him—they were two of a kind. If he absolutely had to choose...

"I... I like the obedient ones, the strong ones."

*They have to cooperate with me on missions, and it would be best if they could carry me to victory!*

At these words, both Cheng Zhaolin and Cheng Xiao held the same look of absolute certainty in their eyes.

An obsession so intense and pathological that it guaranteed they would never allow another of their kind to remain by Yu Deng’s side.

Even if, in name, they were a family.

They would fight to claim the only bride.