Chapter 22: The Widow in the Mansion

This corner was planted with several trees, their lush branches and leaves casting deep shadows that concealed the two figures nuzzling together.

Yu Deng was still held in the arms of his young stepson, his head spinning from the kisses. He hadn't quite caught what Cheng Xiao had just said, so he spoke softly, his voice tinged with a hint of a sob: "What did you say?"

"I said that your mouth is so soft, your tongue is so soft, and it feels so good to kiss you," Cheng Xiao replied, repeating himself bluntly with a look of immense satisfaction after finishing his kiss.

Yu Deng was half a beat slow to process the words. Once he understood, he turned his head away, not wanting to look at him. Why did he have to describe it in such detail? It was so strange.

Just as Cheng Xiao was about to kiss Yu Deng’s reddened earlobe again, the ball of black mist that had been simmering nearby could no longer contain itself. With a sudden dash, the black mist stretched itself into a thin sheet and draped over Yu Deng’s ear, transforming into a veil to block the path of the man with ulterior motives.

Yu Deng: "??" Huh? Is this the black mist of my late husband? "Cheng Chaolin?" Yu Deng called out.

The black mist twisted in confusion, remaining stuck to Yu Deng’s face. It took the opportunity to quietly extend a small tentacle to wipe Yu Deng’s lips, attempting to rub away the lingering scent left by Cheng Xiao. Apart from that, however, the black mist showed no other reaction and did not speak.

Yu Deng tried to analyze the situation. The black mist was a part of Cheng Chaolin, but not entirely Cheng Chaolin himself. Since the main body hadn't shown up, it seemed the mist was incapable of communication. After all, the little ball of mist didn't seem particularly bright.

Seeing Yu Deng’s face blocked by this thing, Cheng Xiao let out a scoff: "Baby, what is this thing? It’s so ugly. How can it hang on your face?"

The black mist: "..."

The ball of black mist plopped down, curling into a ball in distress, and nestled into the crook of Yu Deng’s neck to act pitiful and seek comfort. Yu Deng blinked and poked it with his finger; the cold black mist immediately flattened like a squashed black sesame rice ball. It was just like a little pet.

Yu Deng instructed: "Are you going to follow me? Then don't move around, okay?"

The black mist obediently curled up, signaling that it was a harmless little accessory.

Cheng Xiao sneered: "..." His fists clenched tightly. *Pretend, keep pretending.*

The young man cast a sidelong, menacing glance at the black mist before pulling Yu Deng’s attention back: "There doesn't seem to be any movement in the school right now."

Hearing this, Yu Deng was also a bit puzzled. That’s right, why was there still no activity? Could he have come to the wrong place? He didn't want that! He had gone through so much trouble to climb over the wall.

"How about we go to the teaching building and check the situation?"

After saying this, Cheng Xiao finally relented and put his delicate, pampered treasure down.

On the way to the teaching building, they didn't run into many students. The few who passed by acted as if they couldn't see them at all. The only reaction these passersby had was being stunned by Yu Deng’s beauty, their gazes lingering involuntarily for a moment.

Cheng Xiao suppressed his urge to hug and kiss Yu Deng and quickly analyzed the situation. The NPCs encountered in this second phase of the illusion were quite mechanical unless triggered by specific information. However, Yu Deng remained as lively and adorable as he had been in the past few days—crying when kissed, scolding people, and even taking the initiative to climb walls to observe the school. There was no sign of him being stiff or robotic at all.

A neglected hypothesis surfaced in Cheng Xiao’s mind. The young man watched Yu Deng, his eyes dark and profound. By this time, they had already reached the front of the largest teaching building.

This private school was built in a Western-inspired style. In front of the three-story teaching building was an open area featuring corridors and pavilions. It seemed to be between classes, as many young men and women in student uniforms were chatting in the open space.

"Oh? Is that girl Miss Lin?" Yu Deng asked, his sharp eyes catching a familiar face.

"It is her."

Not far away, a pretty girl with a long braid was holding a book, chatting and laughing with a male student beside her. They looked very close. It was indeed Lin Zhiyue. She looked younger than the version he had seen at the mansion a few days ago, more lively and full of student spirit. However, after watching from the shadows for a few minutes, they only saw Lin Zhiyue chatting; no special events occurred.

Yu Deng was very confused and instinctively turned his head to look at Cheng Xiao for help. *Hurry up and use your brain!*

Fortunately, Cheng Xiao’s cognitive abilities hadn't deteriorated due to his obsession with romantic competition. Pondering the so-called "triggered plot," he suddenly said: "The Cheng family people went to find her, didn't they?"

Yu Deng: "Huh?"

Cheng Xiao’s words acted like a switch. The open space immediately became noisy. A young man in an expensive, ostentatious suit walked over, surrounded by a group of lackeys. His target was clear; he walked straight toward Lin Zhiyue. Clearly, this was Cheng Wenhao.

Yu Deng had already seen Cheng Wenhao’s bizarre, gruesome death, so seeing him alive now felt eerie. Cheng Xiao held Yu Deng’s hand and followed behind the group, cautiously approaching them.

Cheng Wenhao had reached Lin Zhiyue and smiled flippantly: "I’ve long heard that Miss Lin is beautiful. Seeing you today, it’s truly so."

Lin Zhiyue nodded at him with distant politeness and said nothing.

Her rejection ignited Cheng Wenhao’s anger. He actually reached out, trying to pull Lin Zhiyue toward him: "Very well, refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit. Do you know that my family has invested in every school here?"

The male student beside Lin Zhiyue reached out to stop Cheng Wenhao, but he overestimated the young master’s character—Cheng Wenhao kicked the boy away and, ignoring Lin Zhiyue’s struggles, forcibly held her.

The guards and the lackeys blocked those who wanted to help. The other onlookers, intimidated by Cheng Wenhao’s status, simply watched in silence. This was clearly supposed to be a sacred place of learning, yet it felt like the most humiliating of places. The scene was chaotic and infuriating.

Cheng Xiao was not surprised by the scene: "As I thought."

Yu Deng’s brows were furrowed, his pretty little face crinkled. He finally understood. All that talk about Cheng Wenhao being a hero saving beauty and chasing away those who harassed Lin Zhiyue was a lie; in reality, Cheng Wenhao was the one harassing her in broad daylight.

If Miss Lin eventually chose to take revenge through the extreme method of murder, perhaps she had encountered things even worse than they had imagined. But why would Miss Lin still marry into the Cheng family then... Yu Deng’s mind was in a knot.

The scene before him seemed to be replaying the trajectory of what had happened in the past. Was this what immersive truth-seeking felt like? Watching Cheng Wenhao do as he pleased while the crowd remained silent, Yu Deng felt a sense of disgust, followed by a sudden, deep sadness. He desperately wanted to do something for Miss Lin. Even if this was the past that had already happened and could not be undone.

In a direction Yu Deng didn't notice, the price for watching the plot had manifested—Lin Zhiyue, who had been keeping her head down, saw her fingernails grow long, her pupils turn deep red, and her eyes filled with indiscriminate hatred and aggression. A transparent barrier quietly appeared, enclosing Yu Deng and Cheng Xiao within the chaotic scene.

The black mist, which had been obediently acting as an accessory, puffed up in alarm. Cheng Xiao sensed that something was wrong and tensed up.

But Yu Deng acted faster than both of them.

Yu Deng picked up a stone from the edge of a flower bed and threw it with all his might at Cheng Wenhao. His aim was excellent; the wayward playboy was struck, let out a pained scream, and scrambled to let go.

As if a nightmare had been shattered, the eerie anomaly slowly returned to normal. Lin Zhiyue lifted her head bit by bit and cast a long, lingering look at Yu Deng. The commotion in the school gradually died down, the danger passed, and the instance fell back into a brief period of calm.

Cheng Xiao suddenly laughed: "Baby is so smart, breaking the deadlock in an instant."

Yu Deng: "?" What?

[Although I had already guessed what happened, seeing it with my own eyes is still so disgusting.]

[Indeed. Baby did what I wanted to do!]

[So, when you encounter a plot event in an illusion, you have to break the original development? My god, Dengdeng is so smart.]

[I think with our wife's silly head, he wouldn't have thought of this as a way to break the deadlock; he might have just wanted to help the Miss Lin of the past.]

"Baby, there shouldn't be any more plot here for now."

Yu Deng looked back and replied in a muffled voice: "Oh, then let's go."

With this segment of the plot over, the closed gates of the school had opened, saving Yu Deng from having to climb another wall. Just as the two of them walked out of the school, they saw two figures from afar scrambling toward them in a panic—they were the two university student players. Behind them, a child was chasing them.

The two running figures also saw Yu Deng and Cheng Xiao, looked at them with hope, and called out for help in hoarse voices.

"..."

Yu Deng and Cheng Xiao looked at each other for a few seconds. Cheng Xiao understood what Yu Deng meant and turned to wave at the two runners, signaling them to come over. The two stopped, gasping for air, and thanked Cheng Xiao intermittently.

Cheng Xiao said lazily: "Don't thank me; it was my 'little step-mom' who said to help you."

In front of other players, Cheng Xiao still referred to Yu Deng as his little step-mom. He had promised Yu Deng not to tell anyone his name. If he broke that promise, the delicate little widow might throw a tantrum. Cheng Xiao was indeed a bit twisted, always unable to resist bullying Yu Deng until he was tearful and pathetic. But that didn't mean he wanted to see Yu Deng cry out of disappointment.

Yu Deng was bewildered. He hadn't said anything just now.

The two players thanked Yu Deng very politely. A moment later, the little paperboy who had been chasing them arrived. When he unexpectedly saw Yu Deng again, he smiled with delight. He even remembered to retract his ghostly, menacing fangs: "H-hello!"

Yu Deng tilted his head and greeted the little paperboy: "Hello."

"Hehe, pretty big brother, we meet again." The little paperboy gave a shy smile. "Are these two your friends? In that case, I won't take both arms; one arm as payment is enough."

The two novice players, who had almost lost half their lives running: "??" *Little kid, why don't you listen to what you're actually saying? We only took a newspaper!!*

Yu Deng was startled by the child’s words and was absolutely shocked: "??" *Isn't the little paperboy a helpful child?*

Yu Deng said hesitantly: "Did they take your newspaper? If they return it to you, does that mean they don't have to pay? I have one here, that's already enough."

The little paperboy deliberated for a few seconds and nodded: "Alright."

The two players widened their eyes again: "???" *That's not what you said just now! You clearly said that once taken, there were no refunds!*

Zhang Ziyun returned the newspaper to the little paperboy, watched him leave, and then looked at Yu Deng with fiery eyes, thanking him frantically once more.

"At first, Xiao Yun and I weren't together. I triggered a small plot at a pharmacy and was almost chopped into medicinal herbs," Ke Qi raised his arm, revealing scarred, overlapping wounds, and explained voluntarily. "Xiao Yun was chased for half a street by a car and was almost sent flying."