Kaleidoscope of Death

A pleasant warmth spread throughout his body at the thought of being trusted by another wholeheartedly. Ruan Nanzhu sat closer to Lin Qiushi and slowly started, “Since you’re dying to know, it seems that I have no choice but to tell you what I put in your pocket.”

Lin Qiushi expectantly gazed at Ruan Nanzhu, awaiting his answer.

After a long moment of silence, Ruan Nanzhu parted his thin lips and softly revealed, “It was Yang Meishu’s note.”

“Her note? You mean the hint with the short poem on it?” Upon finding out what the object was, Lin Qiushi came to another realization. Slight awe and disbelief swept across his features, as he incredulously whispered, “To think that note could actually be used like that.” If it wasn’t for that slip of paper, he surely would’ve been dragged back into that godawful door world by that woman.

“That’s right,” confirmed Ruan Nanzhu. He then put a finger to his lips and softly advised, “You must remember to keep this a secret.”

Lin Qiushi nodded obediently, “I know.”

Ruan Nanzhu continued, “These types of notes are particularly special. Not only do they provide extremely detailed hints, but they also possess one very useful and vital function—the ability to ward off any single attack by any creature in the door world. I’m sure you can imagine just how extraordinary an item like this, especially when used at a critical moment. However, if more people came to know about this…”

Lin Qiushi clearly understood the implications behind the other’s statement.

In order to obtain these special hints, Yang Meishu took advantage of the death conditions in the door world to kill her fellow teammates. After everyone else died, leaving her as the only survivor, she was invincible in that world until she decided to leave, which gave her plenty of time to leisurely search for other clues in the meanwhile. On top of that, she was even guaranteed to receive a life-saving amulet for her next door. It was only natural that people would take such great risks and measures, especially if it meant they would reap even greater benefits. Who knew just how many times Yang Meishu committed such heinous deeds to acquire these hints, before she met her own end.

“Only a few people are aware of this.” Ruan Nanzhu said. “This matter must never be made public.”

Indeed, a dangerous matter like this couldn’t be made public. The instant everyone figured out these special notes had such uses, cooperating with each other within the door world would be out of the question. Rather than uniting together, they would, instead, wish for their fellow humans to die sooner. A future like that was horrifying beyond words; Lin Qiushi was terrified at the mere thought of it. Just imagine, if all the teammates in the door world were exactly like Yang Meishu…

“It’s heresy. Those who decide to walk down that crooked path of evil are bound to destroy themselves, sooner or later.” Ruan Nanzhu sighed. “I’ve already seen three other people play with fate like this. In fact, one of them has already passed his eighth door.”

“Is he that great?” Lin Qiushi was a tad curious about this person’s identity.

“Anyone who can pass through their eighth door is more than just great.” Ruan Nanzhu faintly added, “But, of course…his death will be far more tragic than most.”

Lin Qiushi: “Oh…”

“Well then, go to bed now.” Ruan Nanzhu stretched out his hand and tenderly stroked Lin Qiushi’s head, “You’re tired.”

Lin Qiushi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that Ruan Nanzhu seemed to be treating him like a child, despite his being a fully-grown male well over the age of twenty, “Just as a woman’s waist should not be touched so casually, a man’s head shouldn’t either¹.”

Upon hearing this, Ruan Nanzhu didn’t respond. He simply reached out and gave Lin Qiushi’s waist a light squeeze. Although he didn’t put too much pressure, the tender fat at Lin Qiushi’s waist was overly sensitive. Even just a slight poke from Ruan Nanzhu’s finger made Lin Qiushi want to burst into laughter. He squirmed around, quickly avoiding Ruan Nanzhu’s naughty hands, “Stop! Stop! Stop! I’m ticklish!”

Ruan Nanzhu: “It’s quite thin.”

Lin Qiushi: “Not as thin as yours.”

Ruan Nanzhu’s perfect figure was truly a source of envy; his proportions were honestly incredible. His shoulders were broad and strong, and his sculpted abs were well-defined, with its beautifully-carved lines running down his tight, narrow waist. It was obvious his toned muscles were the result of consistent exercise.

“Training your body is key. Keep working out, and you’ll be able to outrun any ghost chasing you.” Ruan Nanzhu said. “Learn from the mistake of those horror movie protagonists who always need to catch their breath after taking only two steps.”

Lin Qiushi felt that Ruan Nanzhu’s words were quite reasonable…if he was able to run just a bit faster, perhaps he wouldn’t have been caught by the woman in the door world. In that very moment, Lin Qiushi resolved himself to start exercising and strive for a body like Ruan Nanzhu’s.

After their chat, Lin Qiushi returned to his room for a good night’s rest.

Lin Qiushi had nothing to do the next day, so he decided stop by the hospital for a medical check-up to see the current condition of his liver cancer.

A few days later, the medical reports came back in. The doctor’s eyes neared popped out of his sockets upon reading the results of the examination. He immediately reached out to Lin Qiushi, inquiring about the treatments the other underwent, for Lin Qiushi’s condition wasn’t just extremely stable, but improving. After that, the doctor sincerely asked if Lin Qiushi could stop by the hospital again, so he could perform a detailed physical examination to gather more information.

Lin Qiushi tactfully refused the other’s request. If he truly was a medical miracle, he would certainly allow them to examine him however many times they’d like, especially if his circumstances could contribute to great advancements in medicine. However, the changes his body was experiencing were beyond the scope of science and reality. He couldn’t possibly tell his doctor the reason for his drastic improvement was because he was literally running for his life through the doors of hell.

During the past few days, the residents of the villa began entering the door worlds one after another. Most of them went because they accepted job requests to earn money, but there were some who went to obtain more clues for upcoming doors.

As of this moment, Lin Qiushi, who was bored senseless being the only one idling about in this villa, was fondling Toast’s soft, round butt while watching the television. He was casually flipping through the channels with the remote, when he happened to come across an interview with Tan Zaozao.

The unremarkable girl inside the door world, who slept like a worm with her butt sticking high up in the air, was now sitting ever so gracefully in front of the screen, smiling as she answered all of the host’s questions.

The host asked, “When was the last time you cried?”

Tan Zaozao tucked her hair back, and let out a charming chuckle, “I believe the last time I cried was when I had to perform a crying scene.”

The host said, “So, you haven’t genuinely cried in a long time, I’m assuming?”

Tan Zaozao replied, “I rarely cry. The way I see it, tears won’t solve any problems.”

Lin Qiushi: “…” He thought back on Tan Zaozao’s unsightly crying appearance; those thick dribbles of snot, tears and saliva messily streaking Tan Zaozao’s face as she blubbered hideously. Without batting an eyelid, he then pressed the button to the remote control, silently switching the channel.

There wasn’t a single person in the villa today. In the evening, Cheng Qianli and his older twin brother finally returned home, utterly bushed.

“Where have you been?” wondered Lin Qiushi.

“We took on a job request.” Cheng Qianli wearily responded. “Man, I’ve never met anyone so reckless in my entire life. It was ridiculous how many times they dug their own grave.”

Lin Qiushi: “Are they dead?”

Cheng Qianli nodded woefully, “The payment’s good as dead, too.”

Lin Qiushi expressed his deepest sympathy for the other.

Cheng Yixie greeted Lin Qiushi with the slight nod of his head, before going upstairs. Cheng Qianli flopped on the sofa, and with a heavy sigh, he mentioned that he’d assess the potential of the next client before accepting any request. He didn’t want to deal with any more questionable morons; if anything, at least there were cures for sickness, but there was no cure for stupid.

Lin Qiushi recalled, “By the way, I just remembered that you still haven’t told me much about the website where we can accept requests.”

Cheng Qianli sat up, pulled the laptop on the desk towards him, and started it up. After fiddling with for a bit, he turned the screen to Lin Qiushi, “This is the website; you can either take on clients or request a job from here. Of course, most of the work we’ve received are actually through private channels. The only time we actively seek others from here is when we want to get more hints or polish our skills and such.”

Lin Qiushi browsed the website.

The site was surprisingly very active. Most posts were anonymous, and those who were willing to accept a request had to message the other privately. If not all, the posts explicitly detailed the user’s requirements and any other preconditions, as well as the price the user was willing to pay.

“When you reach big brother Ruan’s level, you eventually don’t bother with requests at a given price that isn’t at least seven figures.” Cheng Qianli put his hands behind his head and slumped back on the sofa. “Not to mention, every person he’s picked up is awesome. If I recall correctly, one of his clients is even a big star, though I’m not exactly sure who it is.”

Lin Qiushi nodded.

Cheng Qianli yawned and told Lin Qiushi to freely browse the site, before retiring to his room to sleep.

This break between the previous door and the upcoming one was always the most relaxing period of time where one could truly unwind and destress. Or at least Lin Qiushi thought so.

One morning, however, Chen Fei suddenly came to him as he was cooking breakfast for the other residents, and asked, “Aren’t you stressed?”

“Stressed?” Lin Qiushi didn’t understand. “Why should I be?”

Chen Fei: “You don’t feel anything knowing that the deadline for your next door is approaching? You’ll be entering your sixth door soon, isn’t that right?”

Lin Qiushi shook his head, indicating he didn’t feel stressed at all. If it was time to enter his door, then all he could do was enter it; there was simply no escaping it, and there was also no point in stressing even more about it.

Seeing that Lin Qiushi wasn’t putting up a front or feigning bravery, Chen Fei gave the other a thumbs up and praised, “You’re really awesome.”

Tilting his head in sheer puzzlement, Lin Qiushi didn’t know what to make of the other’s compliment. That was until another newcomer was introduced to the team a few days later.

The newcomer was a man in his thirties who was quite handsome; unfortunately, his good looks were ruined by the expressions of anxiety and fear that distorted his face.

This person was brought back by Yi Manman. Lin Qiushi generally didn’t pay attention to potential newcomers until they passed a lot of low-tiered doors, gained plenty of hints for them, and remained in the villa afterwards. Only after the other met those requirements, did he consider them to be an new recruit of the team. This was partially why Li Dongyuan of White Deer managed to become a part of the team at the time—of course, the true reason for his being easily accepted as an official member of Obsidian was because Ruan Nanzhu wanted free labour.

The newcomer’s name was Qin Budai²—a name that was quite interesting, to say the least. Sadly, his mentality and aptitude were, at most, mediocre. Ever since he stepped foot into the villa, he was constantly on edge.

Lin Qiushi was in the middle of eating pan-fried pork buns, when the other arrived. In the recent days, everyone had fallen in love with Lin Qiushi’s pan-friend pork buns. His homemade meat buns were graciously stuffed and fried to perfection. A more-than-generous amount of filling was wrapped in a soft, thinly-rolled skin. Tantalizing smells always accompanied the sounds of these buns sizzling in the hot pan, cooking in their own grease. Scrumptiously crisp on the outside, and deliciously moist on the inside, these pan-fried pork buns were a flavourful explosion of rich broth packed with exquisitely tender meat.

Cheng Qianli could gobble up thirty meat buns in one sitting. Lin Qiushi, on the other hand, was a little bit more restrained than the boy; nevertheless, he could also eat more than a dozen of these.

But now, the usually cheerful and relaxed atmosphere was reduced to a painfully strange situation where a woebegone newcomer sat at the dining table, while the rest of them stared woodenly at him as they continued munching on their pan-fried pork buns.

“Three questions.” Yi Manman extended his fingers. “You only get to ask three questions.”

Qin Budai asked, “What exactly are these doors?”

Yi Manman: “Who knows. You think I’d still be sitting here if I knew what these doors were?”

Qin Budai: “How exactly did these doors come to be?”

Yi Manman: “…”

Qin Budai: “Where exactly do these doors…”

Before he could finish, Yi Manman cut him off with a pained expression, “Brother, could it be that you wanted to ask ‘Where exactly do these doors lead to’ as your final question?’”

Qin Budai nodded.

Yi Manman: “Are you a philosopher or what? Can’t you ask some meaningful questions?”

Qin Budai: “…I thought this question was pretty meaningful though.”

Yi Manman was on the verge of tearing his hair out. The others began taunting him mercilessly, saying, “You sure chose an amazing newcomer to teach, Yi Manman.” They then turned their attention to Lin Qiushi and heartily praised Ruan Nanzhu’s good eye for people. Hearing this, Lin Qiushi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Later though, Cheng Qianli privately told Lin Qiushi that newcomers like Qin Budai were either a hit-or-miss. Whether they managed to survive their first few doors depended entirely on fate, so it was best not to grow too attached to them until they passed a couple of doors.

As stated word-for-word by Cheng Qianli, “If you become too attached to them in the end, you’ll just be even sadder when they die.”

Lin Qiushi had originally thought he would have a restful break after leaving the door word, but expectations were slightly different from reality. One thing for sure, was that he certainly didn’t expect a very unlikely and unwelcome person to randomly drop by their villa one day.

He and Cheng Qianli had just returned to the villa after taking Toast out for a walk, when they spotted Ruan Nanzhu sitting on the sofa, his face expressionless as ever. And, lo-and-behold, a cute, babyfaced man was sitting right next to him. Needless to say, they were more than familiar with this person—it was Li Dongyuan, the man who had disguised himself as a newcomer to infiltrate Obsidian.

“Ruan Nanzhu, you must keep your word!” insisted Li Dongyuan.

Ruan Nanzhu hummed aloofly, “Sure.”

Li Dongyuan said, “I suppose the matter is now settled.” Suddenly, he heard the front door open, and he instantly whipped his head around, eagerly looking towards the entrance. But upon seeing Lin Qiushi and Cheng Qianli, he sighed regretfully.

“Well then, I shall see you in the next door.” Li Dongyuan reminded, “Don’t forget your promise!”

Ruan Nanzhu nodded indifferently.

Li Dongyuan stood up to leave, “See you later.”

Ruan Nanzhu didn’t bother bidding the other goodbye, and just silently watched him walk out.

“Why did he come here, big brother Ruan?” Cheng Qianli didn’t have a single good impression of that guy. It was already humiliating enough that he and Lin Qiushi were the only ones in the villa who were kept in the dark about that previous matter. But what’s more was that he had to relive such brutal shame and suffering every time he recalled the moment Cheng Yixie contemptuously mocked his IQ, all because he was utterly oblivious to Li Dongyuan’s plans. To say that this boy was filled with inexplicable rage and hatred towards Li Dongyuan was a complete understatement.

Ruan Nanzhu answered, “He wishes to work with us.”

“Work with us? He actually wants to work with us?!” Cheng Qianli couldn’t believe his ears.

“That’s right.” Ruan Nanzhu said. “He’s even willing to share his supplies with us.”

As though he had just eaten a sour lemon, Cheng Qianli’s face twisted into an awful grimace.

“Naturally, there’s a catch.” Ruan Nanzhu calmly continued, “In return for all of this, he requested to team up with Zhu Meng for work at least once a month.”

Cheng Qianli and Lin Qiushi were rendered speechless. As they looked at Ruan Nanzhu’s unchanging expression, they fell into an even deeper, awkward silence.

At long last, Cheng Qianli could not contain his emotions any longer. He crashed to the floor, and burst into rowdy fit of laughter. Tears streamed uncontrollably down his cheeks, as he hysterically laughed his ass off, “Oh my god! Oh my fucking god!!! Is Li Dongyuan fucking stupid or what—Zhu Meng?! Just who is this Zhu Meng! Bahaha!!!”

Surprisingly, Ruan Nanzhu acted as if this didn’t concern him in the slightest. Ever so indifferent, he mentioned, “Lin Qiushi, you’ll be going in with me. Be sure not to reveal anything when the time comes.”

Stifling a smile, Lin Qiushi nodded.

At first, Lin Qiushi thought Li Dongyuan was merely chasing Zhu Meng for fun, but he soon found that the guy couldn’t be any more earnest and lovestruck. Despite having realized his identity had long been revealed, he still made several calls to the villa in hopes of talking to her. As long as anyone picked up, he would relentlessly trouble them to put Zhu Meng on the line.

Eventually, everyone grew annoyed with him, so they completely removed the landline phone in the villa and immediately blacklisted his number on their own mobile phones—but of course, Li Dongyuan refused to give up; he persistently continued to pursue the love of his life. Lin Qiushi was honestly very curious as to what expression the other would show once he figured out Zhu Meng was actually Ruan Nanzhu.

Unamused, Ruan Nanzhu didn’t bother with Cheng Qianli who was dying of laughter; he simply stood up and walked away. Although Ruan Nanzhu was beyond beautiful, no one in the real world would even think to associate someone as cold as him to that young lady.

Cheng Qianli eventually stopped laughing like a maniac. As he lay on the sofa, wiping his tears and catching his breath, he wheezed, “How could Li Dongyuan like Zhu Meng that much? Man, he’s such a riot.”

Frankly speaking, Lin Qiushi thought it was quite understandable; one could even say he sympathized with the man to some extent. He replied, “If you never knew Zhu Meng was big brother Ruan, wouldn’t you also like her?”

Cheng Qianli reflexively wanted to deny it, but Lin Qiushi interrupted him, “Think about it carefully.”

After thinking about it for a bit longer, Cheng Qianli fell gravely silent.

Indeed, it was practically impossible not to be attracted to an exceptional woman like Zhu Meng. She was intelligent, beautiful, and unique; she was virtually the most perfect lover one could ever ask for. If Zhu Meng truly existed, he would definitely…No, stop right there! Don’t even think about it! Don’t you dare dig yourself into this hole! Cheng Qianli vigorously shook his head and slapped his cheeks, quickly trashing that terrible idea from his mind.

Ever since Ruan Nanzhu agreed to cooperate with Li Dongyuan, that brazen fellow began strolling into the villa every day, as if he owned the very place.

He helped himself to their meals. He helped himself to their internet. Like a shameless freeloader, he helped himself to anything and everything that wasn’t his. And when things didn’t go his way, he used his pitiable babyface to his advantage, acting as though he was being bullied.

Fortunately, the residents of this villa were all self-contained individuals who weren’t moved by such attempts. They didn’t play along with the other, or let him walk all over them. Lu Yanxue, who had a rather short temper, directly approached Li Dongyuan and nastily spat, “You are a twenty-eight-year-old grown man. Stop acting as if you’re an innocent young boy, and properly act your age. It’s disgusting.”

Li Dongyuan angrily retorted, “Just where in the world do I look twenty-eight!!! I obviously don’t look it!”

Lin Qiushi was shocked, “You’re twenty-eight years old?” To think the man was actually older than him.

Li Dongyuan snapped, “So what if I’m twenty-eight years old, huh? Haven’t you heard that men at this age are every woman’s dream!”

At the side, Chen Fei mercilessly gave the last hit while Li Dongyuan was already down, “Dongyuan, stop being rude to our Qiushi. Although you may be older than him, he is still taller than you.”

Li Dongyuan: “…” Would if kill anyone to speak kindly?

Whichever way they looked at it, the leader of one organization running off to another organization every day was inconceivable and unheard of. But Li Dongyuan was extremely thick-skinned, so no one could do anything about him.

To prevent Li Dongyuan from becoming increasingly out-of-control, Ruan Nanzhu finally took matters into his own hands, “Zhu Meng likes composed men.”

Li Dongyuan’s antics died down after that; sadly, that peace didn’t last very long. The troubles and frustrations that followed that short-lived tranquility brought about even more headaches. The brilliant Li Dongyuan easily grasped the personalities of each and every individual in this villa, and quickly found his godsend—Lin Qiushi.

Cheng Qianli was a bit too dimwitted, and the others were a bit too perceptive and uncompromising. And so, Lin Qiushi, who had a rather mild disposition, became the primary target of Li Dongyuan’s harassment.

Every single day, Lin Qiushi was subject to the other’s exhausting badgering and never-ending inquires of Zhu Meng; it was pure, agonizing torture. He endured if for a few days, but his intolerance for the other’s pestering won over him in the end. Unable to bear it any longer, he decided to talk to Ruan Nanzhu about this matter in private.

“He’s harassing you?” Ruan Nanzhu instantly put down the object in his hands when he heard this. He turned around to face Lin Qiushi. “Let me see your phone.”

Lin Qiushi handed Ruan Nanzhu his cellphone.

Upon reading the messages on the phone, Ruan Nanzhu’s face grew ominously dark. With a callous sneer, he said, “Ignore him. I’ll take care of it.”

Lin Qiushi exposed a helpless expression, “What if he finds out that you’re Zhu Meng?”

“If he finds out, then he finds out. In any case, it’s not as if he can do anything about it.” He returned the phone to Lin Qiushi. “Just try to bear with it for a bit longer.”

Lin Qiushi nodded.

He didn’t know what Ruan Nanzhu did, but Li Dongyuan actually stopped harassing him the next day. In fact, the man didn’t just stop; he even reached out to Lin Qiushi and apologised, expressing that he had sincerely reflected on his behaviour and wrongdoings.

Lin Qiushi was mulling over what possible method Ruan Nanzhu used to keep Li Dongyuan in check, when he heard Li Dongyuan conclude his apology with one sentence, “So, if you’re not angry or annoyed with me anymore, do you think you can tell Zhu Meng to give me another call?”

Lin Qiushi: “…”

Li Dongyuan: “Hm?”

Lin Qiushi: “What did Zhu Meng say?”

Li Dongyuan giggled stupidly, like an imbecile whose IQ was well below 60, “She just cursed at me. It was so nice hearing her swear like that, eheh.”

Lin Qiushi: “…” Li Dongyuan, how are you so cheap?

Li Dongyuan: “I’ve never been happier in my entire life. Gosh, I wish she would curse me out again.”

As he listened to the cloying happiness dripping from Li Dongyuan’s voice, Lin Qiushi suddenly recalled the cruel, gloomy expression marking Ruan Nanzhu’s face. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to sympathize with the man or offer him his best wishes.

Other women have probably rejected him because he was shorter than them. And yet he here was, once again chasing after a taller woman who was actually hiding a weapon even bigger than his underneath her skirt…

Lin Qiushi didn’t bother listening to Li Dongyuan prattle on any longer; he silently ended the call.

That afternoon, Lin Qiushi jokingly told Cheng Qianli about this matter. Cheng Qianli paused for three seconds, deep in thought, before saying, “I honestly never understood why our boss always wore women’s clothes, but I think I get it now.”

Lin Qiushi: “Oh?”

Cheng Qianli: “Who the hell would actually believe Zhu Meng is big brother Ruan, if they haven’t seen it with their own two eyes?”

Lin Qiushi thought back on the incredibly melodramatic Zhu Meng in the door worlds, and compared her to the oppressively cold Ruan Nanzhu of the real world, then gave a sigh, “That’s true.”

The condition for White Deer’s cooperation with Obsidian was that Zhu Meng and Li Dongyuan had to enter the door world together again. The arranged date was sometime next week. Like a nouveau riche who had no better way to spend his money, Li Dongyuan shoved a massive pile of notes at Lin Qiushi and asked him to bring them to Zhu Meng, indicating that he wanted her to choose whatever she desired.

Ruan Nanzhu couldn’t be any more indifferent to this. He calmly remarked, “It’s no wonder Li Dongyuan is still single.”

Hearing Ruan Nanzhu’s statement, Cheng Qianli, whose stupidity was beyond saving, fearlessly uttered, “But aren’t you single too, big brother Ruan?”

Ruan Nanzhu: “…”

Lin Qiushi’s lips twitched furiously as he tried suppressing his laughter.

Before Ruan Nanzhu could get angry, Cheng Yixie swiftly hurried over to take his small child away. It was in that moment, Cheng Qianli realized that he had ventured into a forbidden territory and spoke words that he shouldn’t have. As quiet as a frightened mouse, he stealthily scurried away.

“Is it that funny, hm?” Ruan Nanzhu’s cool voice sounded from beside Lin Qiushi, who dared not lift his head and expose the current expression he was wearing.

Lin Qiushi: “…” He could clearly hear the deep rumblings of a dark, brewing storm in Ruan Nanzhu’s deathly calm voice. He quickly attempted to placate the other, “Big brother Ruan, you’re different from Li Dongyuan! He just can’t get a girlfriend, but you simply aren’t looking for a girlfriend!”

Ruan Nanzhu gazed at him expressionlessly and said nothing.

Lin Qiushi was slowly shriveling up under the other’s stare, but he still hollowly continued, “Not to mention, there’s a difference between actively looking for one and passively waiting…”

Ruan Nanzhu: “Have you ever had a girlfriend?”

Lin Qiushi: “…”

Ruan Nanzhu: “Not even one?”

Lin Qiushi burned red with shame. In all honesty, he had truly wanted to find a girlfriend for himself, too. However, he was always swamped with classes and homework back when he was in school, and he pretty much worked overtime every day since he graduated. With a schedule like this, where in the world did he have the time to get himself a girlfriend?

Ruan Nanzhu: “Well, isn’t that wonderful?”

An inexplicable sense of sadness suddenly washed over Lin Qiushi. He’s lived for over twenty years, yet he was still single. He’s never had a single girlfriend in his entire life, and now he was dying. Thinking about it, his situation was quite pitiful.

Ruan Nanzhu’s mood seemed to have lightened considerably. Without the slightest sincerity, he happily comforted Lin Qiushi, “Don’t worry, it will work out somehow. Even if you cannot find yourself a girlfriend in the future, there will always be something else out there for you.”

Lin Qiushi: “Like a cat?”

Ruan Nanzhu was rendered speechless. After long moment of silence, he stood up and patted Lin Qiushi on the shoulder, “Figure it out for yourself.” With that, he turned on his heels and walked away.

Lin Qiushi: “…” What did he mean? Did he mean that cats were also impossible for him?

Just then, Chestnut happened to be passing by. At the sight of Lin Qiushi, it mewled cutely. Although there was still a long way before it became extremely affectionate with Lin Qiushi again, at least it didn’t resist the other as much as before. Lin Qiushi instantly captured the innocent little kitten.

Chestnut: “Meow meow meow?”

Lin Qiushi: “Let Dad hug you.” He plunged his head into its cushy belly and inhaled deeply.

Weakly yelping in annoyance, Chestnut batted at Lin Qiushi’s head with his soft, squishy paws. After nuzzling his cat, Lin Qiushi lovingly petted it for a while, before reluctantly releasing his cute little darling from his hold.

Well, he might not have a girlfriend, but at least he had a lovely cat. Lin Qiushi pleasantly thought to himself as he adoringly gazed at Chestnut’s retreating figure. Moreover, when he took into account Li Dongyuan’s own tragic love story, he genuinely felt that he wasn’t nearly as miserable or pitiful.

Li Dongyuan, who was investigating the next hint, suddenly sneezed. The others around him asked if he had caught a cold, but Li Dongyuan only rubbed his nose and frowned in response, “Someone must’ve been speaking ill of me!”

Then, he giggled foolishly, “Perhaps it was my adorable little Meng Meng who was talking about me?”

The others: “…” Boss, have you gone crazy?

Author’s Comment:

Ruan Nanzhu: Even if you don’t have a girlfriend, you still have other options to consider…

Lin Qiushi: That’s right, I can still spend the rest of my life with my cat…

Ruan Nanzhu: …

¹This just pretty much means, “It’s very impolite.” A woman’s waist is very sensitive and important, and only those close the woman (e.g. her husband, family, etc.) can casually touch her waist; anyone else who does so isn’t respecting the woman. In the same sense, a man’s head is very important, and only elders can touch their head; if anyone else touches their head like they would a child’s, it’s a sign of disrespect, since it would mean they find them inferior and don’t believe they deserve the same level of respect as an adult.

²His given name, Budai (不殆), literally translates to: Free of danger/Not in danger/Never defeated/etc. Needless to say, his name is ironic asf.