“Marry into the family?”
The skinny clerk, ng Ge’s mom, and ng Ge all froze in place.
ng Ge’s delicate face flushed red with embarrassnt. She softly pinched Lu Zhaohui’s arm and said, “What are you talking about? When did I say you should marry into my family?”
ng Ge’s mother stepped out from the back draped in a flamboyant woman’s dress, her face resembling that of the wisteria tree-woman staring at Lu Zhaohui in disbelief.
At night, ng Ge’s mom usually took on the form of that creepy tree spirit face. The first ti Lu Zhaohui saw her like that, he nearly fainted on the spot—if it weren’t for ng Ge calming him down repeatedly.
After staying at ng Ge’s place these past few days and spending ti with her mother, he had gradually gotten used to her appearance. He wasn’t nearly as scared anymore.
In the past, ng Ge’s mom always looked deathly ill, like she was on the verge of dying. She was the one who ordered ng Ge to go out and seduce n, bringing them back to feed her. When she couldn’t bring one back, ng Ge would instead use her charm to drain their life energy and bring it ho to help cure her mother.
Things changed after Lu Zhaohui appeared. ng Ge stopped going around seducing n, and thanks to the constant supply of pure, potent yang energy from Lu Zhaohui, her mom's condition began improving.
Because of that, both mother and daughter were very fond of Lu Zhaohui. ng Ge’s mom had even ntioned several tis that she wanted Lu Zhaohui to beco their live-in son-in-law. ng Ge, however, hadn’t agreed to it.
ng Ge never expected Lu Zhaohui to suddenly blurt that out while they were shopping. Did he hit his head or sothing?
What she didn’t know was that Lu Zhaohui only pulled this stunt to save his own skin.
Even though ng Ge treated him well and always protected him, Lu Zhaohui knew that she was in a limbo state—halfway between being an NPC and being fully self-aware. Sotis she realized she was a monster, and other tis she acted just like a regular NPC.
He’d been surviving in this bizarre world for eight days now. No matter how clueless he was at first, he had gradually grasped so of the rules here.
He was lazy, not stupid.
Even though he genuinely wanted to be with ng Ge, he also knew how dangerous this world was.
To stay alive, marrying into the family was no big deal at all.
What use was pride or dignity in a place like this? Might as well go big—he didn’t have much of an audience anyway.
“Mom, I’m serious. I want to be with ng Ge forever,” Lu Zhaohui said with unwavering determination.
“You really an it?” ng Ge’s mom, with her tree-branch head, looked at him in suspicion.
“Yes!” Lu Zhaohui answered firmly and clearly.
Off to the side, the skinny clerk snickered, his skeletal fra trembling with laughter: “Madam, you’re truly blessed. A son-in-law like this? You’d never find one even if you lit a lantern and searched the whole city.”
Upon hearing that, ng Ge’s mom was overjoyed. With a dramatic wave of her tree-branch hand, she exclaid, “Pack up everything I just tried on!”
“You got it!”
ng Ge’s father had passed away early on. It had always been just her and her mother, relying on each other for survival. With her mother chronically ill, ng Ge had to shoulder all the burdens from a young age. Now that ng Ge was grown and bound to get married soday, her mother feared being left alone, with no one to depend on. That’s why, long ago, she’d started hoping that ng Ge’s man would marry into the family.
Now that her wish was finally coming true, her heart was practically blooming with joy.
“Xiaohui, let’s go ho.”
As soon as Lu Zhaohui heard that, he breathed a long sigh of relief, imdiately stepping up to carry the bags and gently supporting ng Ge’s mom by her branch-like arm. “Mom, you’ve just recovered. Let help you walk.”
ng Ge was completely dumbfounded the whole ti. What in the world was Lu Zhaohui up to now?
…
…
Building One
“Son, you should really appreciate the good life you have now. Back in Dad’s hotown, there was a massive plague. It was terrifying—people were living in constant fear.”
“Everyone had to wear masks. You don’t know what it was like, the fear it caused. You have no idea how lucky you are right now.”
Li Ziyang was completely stunned by what Li Ran had just said.
“Daddy, your hotown sounds super scary,” said Li Ziyang.
At that mont, the door opened. Su Bingyao, freshly out of the shower and looking like a water lily in bloom, poked her head in. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with curiosity as she asked, “What are you two talking about?”
“Daddy was telling scary stories from his hotown,” Li Ziyang answered.
“Stop scaring the child. You never know when to shut that mouth of yours,” Su Bingyao scolded Li Ran with a glare, then turned to say, “Son, it’s ti for bed. It’s getting late.”
“Mommy, I wanna sleep with Mommy and Daddy tonight,” Li Ziyang said with a face full of hopeful longing.
Li Ran and Su Bingyao both froze.
If only Li Ziyang knew that Mommy and Daddy actually slept in the sa room but in separate beds—his little brain might just crack open.
Li Ran and Su Bingyao exchanged glances. Just as Li Ran was trying to figure out how to respond, Su Bingyao smiled sweetly and said, “Sure.”
This ti, it was Li Ran’s turn to be baffled. Wait, she’s actually agreeing to this?
Was she really going to let the kid sleep between them?
Li Ran kept throwing her aningful glances, but Su Bingyao pretended not to notice, her lips curled in a subtle smile.
“Daddy, do your eyes hurt?”
“Ahem, no, nothing’s wrong. Well, let’s all sleep together then. But you can’t sleep in the middle between Mommy and Daddy.”
“Okay.”
Li Ran went to the living room and looked at Su Bingyao with tenderness. “Honey, you’ve worked hard these past couple days.”
Despite her stunning beauty, fatigue was beginning to show on Su Bingyao’s face—even though she tried hard to hide it.
“Huh? Why say sothing like that out of the blue?” Su Bingyao turned her head and asked.
Honestly, Li Ran really wanted to ask her directly if she had "awakened"—but he didn’t know how to bring it up.
Awakened what, exactly?
That was the awkward part.
He wasn’t even sure what she might’ve awakened into.
What was he supposed to say—“Honey, did your real personality co back”?
She’d probably tell him he needed his head examined.
That kind of question just wouldn’t work.
But he was still worried. What if Su Bingyao admitted to awakening and then got wiped out like that lunatic Pang Lai?
After thinking it through, Li Ran decided not to ask. He’d just pretend nothing was going on.
He just felt sorry for Su Bingyao and Li Ziyang having to protect him even while they slept.
“It just ca from the heart. I’m really moved by how well you’ve taken care of this ho, honey. It makes feel so grateful.” Li Ran stepped forward, took her hand, and gave it a playful shake.
Su Bingyao shyly turned her head away, not daring to et his gaze.
Li Ran subconsciously leaned in close, his breathing growing heavy. He shut his eyes and puckered up for a kiss.
“I’m all done washing!”
Just then, Li Ziyang popped out of nowhere, completely ruining the romantic mont.
This darn kid—itching for a beating, isn’t he?
So, at 10:30 that night...
Li Ran lay wide awake, unable to fall asleep. Su Bingyao’s soft breathing and the unique fragrance of her body lingered at his nose, making him restless and agitated.
“Wife, is our son asleep yet?” Li Ran whispered.
Su Bingyao replied just as softly, “Not yet.”
Ten minutes later.
Li Ran was feeling even more flustered. This was his first ti sharing a bed with Su Bingyao. With his lovely wife right beside him, how was he supposed to resist?
He asked again, “Wife, is our son asleep yet?”
Su Bingyao was hugging Li Ziyang as they lay together. She answered calmly, “Not yet. Why? What are you trying to do?”
Li Ran sighed silently in his heart and closed his eyes, forcing himself to think of sothing—anything—else.
Another ten minutes passed.
“Wife, he’s gotta be asleep by now, right?” Li Ran asked again, still wide awake.
“Wife??”
“???”
There was no reply from Su Bingyao. Li Ran furrowed his brows in confusion.
Then, a soft, childlike voice quietly piped up—
“Daddy, Mommy’s asleep.”
Li Ran: “……”
(End of Chapter)
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