Chapter 20: The Everyday Things a Married Couple Should Do
Chapter 20: The Everyday Things Couples Should Do
As soon as he stepped outside, Xing Tian’s pace quickened more and more, until he was practically jogging.
He took the elevator down as fast as possible, then without a word hailed a taxi.
Once inside, he immediately pulled out a hundred-yuan bill. “Driver! Out of the city! As fast as you can!”
The driver had no particular reaction at first, but when he saw Xing Tian’s urgency, he hesitated slightly.
“It’s late at night, everyone’s just starting work—what’s the rush?”
Xing Tian glanced at the hotel by the roadside.
This guy… could he have committed a crime?
Should he just drive straight to the police station?
“My wife is about to give birth! I have to get home quickly!” Xing Tian’s face was on the verge of tears. “Please, driver! I’m begging you!”
The driver opened his mouth but didn’t say anything.
That expression, those eyes—
The mixture of relief and urgency made the story about his wife going into labor seem believable.
Still, the driver hesitated a bit.
“But—”
Xing Tian slapped a handful of hundred-yuan bills on the dashboard.
“All right! Buckle up!”
Without further ado, the driver floored the accelerator and sped off.
No metered fare—forget it!
The driver sped down the road, skirting the speed limit, and thanks to a string of green lights, they reached the city’s edge in less than forty minutes.
“This is as far as I can go,” the driver said reluctantly.
There was no other choice—they had an agreement with the county’s taxi company not to poach each other’s territory.
County taxis only appeared in this area.
If the destination was the county, they’d take passengers; if it was within the city, they wouldn’t.
“This is fine,” Xing Tian said, thanking him before heading off into the distance.
At the highway entrance, he surveyed the surroundings—everything seemed normal.
It was rush hour; pedestrians and vehicles were just waking up, heading to work.
He quietly pulled out a motorcycle, hopped on, and rode out beyond the city limits.
Perhaps this monster named Lu Li had a human heart, but the other two were uncertain.
Maybe they would soon regret and plan to kill him.
Maybe even if he escaped the city, survival would be impossible.
But his first instinct was to flee—far away from the city.
After all, the most terrifying things in this game world were the three monster bosses; as long as he kept his distance, he might live to see dawn.
He twisted the throttle, accelerating.
But just as he brushed past a roadside sign, everything suddenly changed.
The straight road ahead, the passing vehicles and pedestrians—all vanished!
Before his eyes lay a scene straight out of hell.
The ground was covered with bloodied flesh and bleached bones, stretching endlessly.
Countless dried corpses lay motionless in various contorted poses, their twisted faces and blackened, emaciated skin bearing witness to the horrific torment they had suffered in life.
Strange, grotesque monsters wandered about, occasionally letting out beast-like howls.
Low murmurs, like static noise, echoed constantly in his ears, yet inexplicably drew him in.
Blood-red clouds shrouded the entire sky.
Lightning streaked across the night, illuminating massive, deformed shadows towering tens of kilometers high within the clouds.
This was no outskirts of Luo City!
In Xing Tian’s memory, this road led straight to the suburbs.
They had passed here with Lu Li before!
He suddenly turned around and saw the city skyline—tall buildings aglow with countless lights, cars flowing endlessly.
On one side was a hellish nightmare.
On the other, a peaceful city night.
The stark contrast nearly drove Xing Tian mad.
Now he understood.
Why the mission was to survive three days in this world.
The three bosses lurked in the city, while outside lay a hellish wasteland.
No matter what, surviving three days was a brutal challenge.
Gritting his teeth, Xing Tian resolved to return.
He planned to contact Lu Li, hoping for her protection.
If this city had any reason to exist, it was probably because Lu Li wanted to live a human life.
At least, among the three monsters, she was the most human-like.
But just as he stepped back into the city, he froze.
The night had somehow passed; blue skies and white clouds bathed the earth.
Skyscrapers towered everywhere.
Yet the shop signs were all in English.
The streets were filled with foreigners.
But these people stood expressionless and motionless, the entire street eerily silent.
Only the distant square was a giant meteor crater.
Xing Tian was stunned, then seemed to suddenly understand something.
The next moment, he vanished entirely.
Three days had passed; the mission was complete.
Xing Tian returned.
“I’m sorry, that’s just how I am,” Lu Li sighed.
“It’s okay—that’s actually your strength, Mr. Lu,” Miss Bai said softly, her golden eyes full of gentle laughter. “But that means I need to stay by your side. If the enemy you let go plans revenge, with me here, you’ll be safe.
“And I can handle the things you don’t want to do.”
Including cleaning up afterward.
She had already implanted a Dream Seed in that human, allowing her to monitor his every move; if he tried to do harm, she could end his life and soul at any moment, then devour him and create a new clone.
So Mr. Lu only needed to do what he wanted.
The aftermath could be left to her.
For this reason, she hadn’t simply dealt with Xing Tian immediately.
Because Mr. Lu did not want to kill him yet.
Lo Qianning probably had the same reason for sparing him.
That little girl probably left a backup plan on that human as well.
[That’s true, but Mr. Lu, I couldn’t ignore what you just said! What do you mean ‘still a little fishy’? I won’t accept that!]
Lo Qianning was still fretting over the food.
Xing Tian?
A trivial speck of dust—was he even worth her attention?
Compared to Mr. Lu’s opinion, none of this mattered.
Besides, if she wanted to eliminate Xing Tian, it would be easier than dealing with Bai Muli.
Just by tampering with some tiny detail, he would instantly die.
For example, if breathing caused oxygen deprivation.
Or if blood circulation caused fatal anemia.
Lu Li was unaware of any of this.
His current thought remained how to prevent the world’s destruction.
“You two did fine,” he began reasoning. “The theme is ‘home.’ Miss Bai chose everyday home cooking—my favorite and most frequently eaten dishes, just like my mother’s.
“Miss Lo picked surprises and freshness in daily life, which is fine too.”
Lu Li spread his hands. “So I declare it a tie.”
“Mr. Lu, you can’t be indecisive! I won’t accept splitting the difference,” Miss Bai said.
[Indeed, in terms of taste, I definitely surpass her. And what she cooked? Just looking at it kills the appetite—no color, aroma, or flavor.]
Seeing the two girls dissatisfied but not arguing, Lu Li felt reassured.
Apparently, he was quite important to them.
Though he didn’t know why, half of his heart was finally at ease.
With most of his worries gone, the “timid” buff disappeared.
The “lecherous” debuff returned, and his online intelligence slipped from its high ground.
“Since the theme is life, and you’re tied, let’s move on to the next contest,” Lu Li said, looking honest and straightforward. “We’ll take turns doing the everyday things couples should do, and I’ll judge the difference between you two.”
Both girls smiled mysteriously, their cheeks flushing.
They looked at Lu Li, who was blushing and smiling awkwardly.
That ambiguous smile made Lu Li uncomfortable all over.
“Mr. Lu, can’t this be done in private? Naked aprons and such—I don’t want anyone else to see, even this old lady.”
[If that guy wasn’t here to spoil things, I wouldn’t mind. But if we bathe together, we need a bigger tub, right?]
“You two! Don’t say things that might make people’s hearts flutter! Don’t say things that could be misunderstood!”
Lu Li’s face couldn’t hold its composure.
“I meant a lap pillow.”
At this moment, Lu Li was very upright.
So upright that it was as if the word “lecherous” was carved on his face.
(End of chapter)