Chapter 014: The Widow in the Mansion 14

The young stepson spoke with righteous earnestness, but upon closer inspection, one could detect a strong aroma of tea beneath his words.

The live chat erupted with exclamations of disbelief.

[Alright, alright, you’re a tea master, huh? Your abacus just slapped me in the face.]

[What? Younger and better at caring? In that case, Deng Deng should be with me!!]

[I’m pondering something: is it really true that Deng Deng’s deceased husband has no connection to her anymore?]

[Good question. There were several inexplicable blackouts these past few days; I have a bold theory...]

[If that’s the case, things just got interesting. Let me call my fellow lovers of love triangles to the stream.]

“Stepmom, what do you think?”

Yu Deng’s mind was blank; she had no idea what the Cheng family planned to do, nor whether her late husband truly loved her.

Please, she had never even met her late husband.

Yu Deng tried to think scientifically and rigorously: “Actually, being widowed should mean the marriage is dissolved, right? Does it have to be so complicated?”

Wasn’t this something that should be communicated to the NPCs? So troublesome.

However, one thing the stepson said struck a chord with Yu Deng.

The murderer had been targeting the Cheng family’s legitimate line. If the murderer considered him part of the family, would he also be at risk of being killed?

Yu Deng hesitated and sought help from her system: “System, if I follow this line of thought, would it be safer for me to sever all ties with the Cheng family’s members? Am I analyzing this correctly?”

System 01: [...Your analysis is excellent. Next time, please refrain from analyzing.]

“System?”

[...Due to involvement with the side quest’s plot and tasks, the system is unable to provide an answer. Host, please consider carefully.]

“...Oh.”

Cheng Xiao, seeing Yu Deng so hesitant, clicked his tongue in displeasure.

That person who had long been dead—was Yu Deng still so preoccupied with him? Or was it that the so-called deceased truly was an irreplaceable first love?

“I... I will think about it.”

A breeze stirred within the room, accompanied by the soft sound of turning paper and an intangible sensation of being watched.

After the players finished their discussion, Cheng Chaoxia finally snapped out of her sorrow and stopped crying.

Apparently, a concubine had said something, prompting Cheng Chaoxia to retort fiercely: “How could I be the murderer! Wen Hao is my own son; how could I harm him? Father’s matters have nothing to do with me!”

Yu Deng heard her sharp, angry shout from afar and found it odd—why was she so agitated?

Weren’t the veteran players saying she hadn’t left the house? Her alibi was perfect. So why the frantic defense?

Yu Deng shook her head, unable to understand her.

This was the third death in the Cheng family. The servants, now numb and accustomed, carried the strangely contorted-faced Cheng Wen Hao to a new funeral hall.

Yu Deng overheard a servant sigh softly.

“Such a pity for the young master, and Miss Lin as well. Ah, life is full of uncertainties.”

Right.

Yu Deng suddenly remembered that in the past few days, their focus had been on the various disputes and tangled emotions among the Cheng family’s main and collateral branches. But for a murder mystery, shouldn’t they also investigate the backgrounds of lesser-known characters, like Miss Lin and the concubines?

It seemed that attention to such details was indispensable for solving mysteries.

He had already said he wasn’t good at this! And only now was he thinking of this.

Worried he might forget, Yu Deng immediately asked the stepson.

“Of course we checked,” Cheng Xiao said. “This kind of thing must be checked, but how much we find depends on luck. The guests were discussing it just yesterday.”

Cheng Xiao’s casual words suddenly made him realize—if Stepmom was asking, did that mean he himself was unclear?

Yu Deng let out a soft “ah” and lowered his head.

So they’d already had a meeting about it.

Actually, their logic was understandable. Although Yu Deng was seen as a friendly NPC, there was an inherent difference between players and NPCs; players would never trust him completely.

Oh, except for Cheng Xiao, who insisted on involving the NPC.

So it was normal that meetings weren’t specifically notified to him.

He just felt a little wronged.

Yu Deng bit his soft, full lips and suppressed the tears welling in his eyes.

He stood there, dejected, like a little cat denied a fish snack.

[Baby, your sadness breaks mommy’s heart.]

[Knowing our Deng Deng is a fool and still not including her, slamming the table!]

[Deng Deng works hard on the tasks, players hold meetings and don’t tell her, Deng Deng is good, players are bad!]

[Pure-hearted master.]

“If Stepmom wants to know, I can tell her,” Cheng Xiao said quickly, noticing Yu Deng’s drooping demeanor and guessing he might cry.

“The deceased fourth concubine’s family used to be quite wealthy. They ran a school, and Master Cheng invested in it. Later her family declined, so she married into the Cheng family.”

“Miss Lin is the Lin family’s legitimate daughter, though her birth mother died early. The Lin family isn’t as rich as the Chengs but is still a prominent household.”

“The old madam was from a noble family and her marriage to the Chengs was an alliance. The second and third concubines were former singers. The fifth concubine was a merchant’s daughter and was once favored by Master Cheng.”

Yu Deng’s tears were interrupted by the flood of information. Half-aggrieved, half-pained, he sorted out the clues and realized they matched what he knew, feeling much better instantly.

The live chat also helped piece together the plot, voicing their doubts.

[These players are getting weirder. Two veterans are here, but progress only happens after someone dies.]

[Let’s categorize the players: Our Deng Deng is the little fool, Cheng Dog is obsessed with Deng Deng. Two veterans’ moves are mysterious. Zhang and Ke are innocent, foolish college students. Mediterranean is still unconscious. The office worker and designer are average. Looking at it this way, isn’t it predictable?]

[Maybe the quest requires survival for seven days? So everyone’s taking it day by day, waiting for new clues to complete their deductions.]

[I’m wondering how many will survive this quest.]

...

No further incidents occurred during the four days of daylight. The days seemed to grow shorter, and dusk soon fell again.

The fourth night was approaching.

[Host, please note: your personal side quest remains incomplete. Three hours remain for completion.]

Ah, right, he did have a task. The drowning of Cheng Wen Hao had startled him and he almost forgot about it.

Yu Deng dawdled and opened the rosewood wardrobe to select an outfit.

[Hmm...? Why is Deng Deng starting to look at dresses now?]

[Are you guys not paying attention to the streamer’s current task? The wife has a cross-dressing mission, everyone!!]

[Oh wow, I’m instantly excited!]

Yu Deng’s eyes were overwhelmed by the choices.

The wardrobe was filled with common Republican-era styles: Western dresses, school uniforms, horse-face skirts, but mostly cheongsams.

[Host, please wait.]

Yu Deng paused amidst his clothing selection: “Hmm? What’s up?”

[Because your livestream audience is conducting a large-scale petition, the main system has evaluated and adjusted your task. A voting segment has been added; you must wear the style chosen by the viewers.]

Yu Deng: “??”

What was this? Forcing fan service without even consulting the streamer?

Yu Deng, annoyed by being strong-armed, reminded the audience: “Then vote for a nice one.”

The chat readily agreed. Five minutes later, voting ended with the highest votes for a navy blue cheongsam.

This cheongsam reached about mid-calf on Yu Deng, with a high slit. The back and neckline had crisscross fabric forming faux cutouts. The skirt’s surface was embroidered with intricate golden patterns—complex and elegant.

The outfit came with white ankle socks and a pair of leather shoes.

Yu Deng examined the dress briefly and was fairly satisfied.

But the dress was likely less pleased with Yu Deng—it was very difficult to wear, and Yu Deng struggled.

He clumsily put on the dress; the complicated design on the back had him fumbling blindly, only tangling the ties more.

His arms grew tired, and he began to complain to the voting audience: “Look at this! You picked such a hard dress to wear, I can’t manage it.”

[Yes yes, got it, hehe, wife, slurp...]

Since the dressing process was mostly done, the livestream didn’t black out. But the audience merely responded perfunctorily with “uh-huh”s and a flood of playful noises.

Yu Deng gave up after a long struggle.

Anyway, since others would see it, it wasn’t unreasonable to have someone help him put it on properly.

The only suitable person seemed to be Cheng Xiao.

Yu Deng took the unworn socks and knocked on the neighboring door.

“I was just about to—” Cheng Xiao opened the door but stopped mid-sentence.

After a brief pause, Cheng Xiao suddenly pulled Yu Deng inside, locked the door, and stared intently.

His beautiful stepmother was wearing a dress.

A cheongsam.

The navy fabric made her already fair skin appear even paler. The form-fitting material accentuated a slender waist and long, straight legs. The high slit revealed glimpses of flesh that were both alluring and tangible.

Yu Deng had not tried to feminize himself. He wore no makeup, his small Adam’s apple was visible, and his hair remained his own fluffy short style. Yet, none of it seemed out of place.

His delicate features and soft temperament were slightly subdued by the dress, making him resemble a pampered young lady.

His long lashes fluttered slightly, the corners of his eyes lifting gently, his gaze moist and affectionate—anyone meeting his eyes would be momentarily paralyzed.

Cheng Xiao’s eyes were fixed straight ahead, his throat dry.

Yu Deng stepped further inside, wrinkling his nose: “Help me put on the dress properly. I can’t wear it right.”

Cheng Xiao was confused: “What?”

Isn’t it already on?

Yu Deng, exasperated by his stupidity, turned around: “The back. I can’t do it myself. Help me.”

Only then did Cheng Xiao notice the dress’s back was not traditionally fully covered but had a small cutout.

The fabric and ribbons there were tangled and messed up, exposing a large patch of skin.

“You came running over like this...” Cheng Xiao took a deep breath and reached out to tie the ribbons for Yu Deng.