“Chapter 107 of the Love Game”

"Chapter 107 of the Love Game"

"◎Quirks◎"

"—He hadn’t even seen Huo Xu’s face today!"

"As Shi Youqing was trying to make sense of it all, the people had recovered from their shock. They cried out in distress, then cursed angrily, and began to rummage through Lu Yuze's bedroom like looters..."

"Search thoroughly! I want to see what other repulsive things this damned kid has done!" Lu's father angrily tore up several photos of corpses he was holding, kicking a dust-covered cabinet beside him. Unexpectedly, the dust cloth fell, revealing a cabinet filled with small, lifelike models of corpses in various states of death, likely expensive... "This...this despicable thing!"

In this short time, Shi Youqing had already glanced over most of the photos, which were primarily compilations of autopsy photos or real corpse photos from home and abroad. Some were aesthetically pleasing, others horrifying... a variety, most copied from the internet and apparently unrelated to Wang Fan.

"Could it be... that Yuze needed to understand anatomy?" Someone attempted to calm Lu's father's fury, but the suggestion only fueled his rage. "He studied and teaches economics! Never had anything to do with this stuff! Even if these photos could be explained by his interest in the subject, what about this... how do you explain this?!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but pull out several books from the cabinet, glancing at them disdainfully before throwing them to the ground.

Someone looked at the book titles and went pale.

Shi Youqing peeked over; the books, lacking official covers, appeared to be self-printed readings with explicit titles:

"My Corpse Lover," "99 Nights: The Ghost Bride in the Water," "Nights of Passion with My Dead Boyfriend," "That Night After His Death," "I Love His Cold Corpse"…

"...," Shi Youqing inwardly sighed.

All signs pointed to Lu Yuze possibly having a necrophilia fetish.

Although the corpses in the photos had nothing to do with Wang Fan, this gave Lu Yuze a motive for murder.

After turning Lu Yuze's home upside down, these people didn't pay any attention to Shi Youqing, the "righteous bystander" who had come in to "stop" them. Even their own child's shocking fetish being discovered by an outsider seemed to be of no concern to them, and they even gathered to discuss it fervently.

"I thought him liking men was disgusting enough, but he's gone a step further!" Lu's father ground his teeth in hatred. "How could he become like this? He seemed so normal before..."

"It might not be that serious..." the old lady, sweating, said, "Oh, and I just remembered something from many years ago. Remember when Yuze stayed at his cousin's house during high school?"

Lu's father, clearly never paying much attention to his son, was puzzled. "Which cousin? The one who died?"

"Yes, the deceased one!" she added, lowering her voice unnecessarily. "That summer, Yuze stayed at his cousin's house, and his cousin, who had a weak heart and was overworked, died suddenly one night... Yuze didn't know his cousin was dead and spent the whole night in the same room with the body... Maybe that's when it started. Now that I think about it, he didn't seem afraid when he found out his cousin was dead..."

Lu's father finally remembered the incident that should not have been forgotten, speechless in anger: "This is just..."

"Well, mental illness can be cured," the old lady continued to reassure him, "Maybe it's not bad. Maybe being with that Wang Fan was just for the thrill! Once we resolve this mental issue, he might not be so defiant at home."

Lu's father seemed convinced, frowning. "Right, at least that male vixen isn't here... They must have truly broken up."

Finishing, he brushed past Shi Youqing, striding forward.

Shi Youqing: "..."

He followed them out, and just as they stopped outside the door,

Shi Youqing thought it was Lu Yuze returning and eagerly squeezed through to see the commotion. His slim build allowed him to weave through easily.

To his surprise, it was Bai Minglang standing outside.

Bai Minglang's expression suggested he had come out to investigate the noise and hadn't had time to return. He stood face-to-face with Lu's father, frozen.

Lu's father's behavior was odd, scrutinizing Bai Minglang seriously, as if he had something to say.

Before Shi Youqing could speak, Bai Mingliang suddenly snorted in derision and retreated back into his room.

Shi Youqing turned his gaze towards Lu's father.

“...What’s the relationship between you two?”

Observing the complex expression on the other party's face, Shi Youqing couldn’t help but wonder, “Could he possibly be an illegitimate child?”

Lu's father, known for his fiery temperament, surprisingly didn’t react to Bai Mingliang’s rudeness. He simply averted his gaze and swaggered away with his entourage.

Now, only Shi Youqing and Feng Bin, who was continuously handling parcels nearby, remained in the third-floor corridor.

Shi Youqing gestured for Feng Bin to come over.

Approaching him, Feng Bin asked, “What just happened?”

Shi Youqing, leading him inside, simply replied, “See for yourself.”

Moments later, Feng Bin frowned deeply, glancing at Shi Youqing with evident concern.

Shi Youqing shared his thoughts, “Actually, I see this as an opportunity. His family barged into his house and made such a mess. It’s perfectly reasonable for me, as a neighbor, to contact him.”

Unfortunately, he didn’t have Lu Yuzhe’s phone number.

Inviting Feng Bin over was a strategy to swiftly obtain the number. Since it was Lu Yuzhe’s home, they couldn’t stay too long, even with the door open.

Aware of this, Feng Bin quickly found several delivery slips in a cardboard box near the entryway, pointing at a number, “This must be his personal number.”

Not lingering any longer, they returned to apartment 304.

Under Feng Bin’s watchful gaze, Shi Youqing dialed Lu Yuzhe’s number.

After a brief pause, the voice on the other end inquired, “Who is this?”

Shi Youqing introduced himself, “Hello, I’m Shi Youqing, your next-door neighbor. I just noticed a group of people breaking into your house, but they claimed to be your family, so I didn’t call the police. I thought it best to inform you…”

An alarmed “What?!” came from the other end.

Shi Youqing continued, “Yes, it’s true. Your place is in disarray right now…”

The call abruptly ended from the other side.

Shi Youqing was certain that Lu Yuzhe would rush back home without a second thought.

Feng Bin, after watching Shi Youqing hang up, nonchalantly settled on the sofa, lips slightly pursed, appearing carefree yet expectantly waiting. He sighed, “He bought a lot of kitchen knives and has such peculiar habits. It’s best if you avoid being alone with him. Me, Hao Tianxiang, and Bo Lan, despite having solo missions, should be able to assist, ensuring you're not left isolated.”

“I know, I certainly don't want to end up as a corpse,” Shi Youqing said with a smile. “From what we’ve seen so far, even if Lu Yuzhe isn't the murderer, he's definitely a dangerous character.”

Feng Bin felt a bit more relieved hearing this. Before leaving, he carefully checked around the door to ensure that no one was lurking around to “persecute” Shi Youqing. He then lowered his hat and continued his delivery rounds.

Even driving, it would take Lu Yuze some time to return. Shi Youqing, after waiting a few minutes, grew impatient. Considering Bo Lancha was still upstairs at Huo Xu's place, he decided to go there before Lu Yuze's return to investigate why Huo Xu's favorability had suddenly skyrocketed.

Collecting favorability points was always a hurried affair.

As he approached the elevator, the doors opened with a "ding."

Inside stood Bo Lancha.

Shi Youqing blinked and looked up at him.

Bo Lancha, clearly not expecting to encounter him at the elevator, looked fiercely angry, his eyes sharp with a chilling intensity, but he was taken aback.

“What happened to you?” Shi Youqing exclaimed.

As the elevator doors began to close, Bo Lancha snapped out of it and stepped out, but seeing Shi Youqing pressing the door open button, he grabbed his arm, “Where are you going?”

His voice was hoarse, as if something had happened.

“I was planning to visit Huo Xu...” Shi Youqing started to explain about the favorability points but stopped as he saw Bo Lancha’s expression turn even darker, his body tense with apparent fury, his eyes reddening, almost losing his sanity.

“What’s going on?” Shi Youqing, also ignoring the elevator, frowned at him, “Today is full of strange events... Earlier, Huo Xu’s favorability suddenly increased by thirty, and now you’re acting like this…”

Bo Lancha's gaze shifted slightly, “You’re going to Huo Xu because of that?”

Shi Youqing nodded, “Do you know why? If you do, I can save myself the trip.”

However, the man in front of him looked extremely angry, yet seemed somewhat relieved by his words. After a few seconds of silence, he took a deep breath and decided to seize the opportunity to belittle Huo Xu, saying slowly, “Huo Xu probably harmed many people.”

“What?”

“He recently asked me to deceive you into his clutches… His tone was experienced; he must have done this often.”

Bo Lancha was asked to pimp, and the target was him.

…No wonder, Shi Youqing understood Bo Lancha’s anger, shaking his head, “How could he be like this? Such a dirty man.”

“Yes!” Bo Lancha was completely satisfied. Seeing the youth’s crestfallen face, he felt both bitter and affectionate, wishing he could shrink him and keep him close so no one else would set their sights on him…

At that moment, an option appeared before Shi Youqing:

[The always pampered Huo Xu is injured and alone at home, needing care. Do you want to visit him?]

1#Yes 2#No

Even if he went, given Huo Xu's peculiar way of increasing favorability, wouldn’t it make more sense to go with someone else and flaunt their affection?

Besides, now was the time to disdain Huo Xu, so Shi Youqing instinctively chose not to go.

He asked Bo Lancha, “Did you hit Huo Xu?”

Bo Lan hummed vaguely, taking Shi Youqing by the hand towards the house.

It wasn’t until Bo Lan opened the door that Shi Youqing noticed his bruised knuckles. Frowning, he shook his head, “Don’t do this again in the future…”

Caught off guard, Bo Lan then heard Shi Youqing continue, “Who knows if that kind of person has any STDs… Next time you need to use your hands, wear gloves.”

Bo Lan felt his heart skip a beat.

Once inside, seeing Shi Youqing open the medicine box, Bo Lan promptly disinfected his wound right in front of him. As the youth intently watched him treat his hand, any anger he had previously felt dissipated, leaving him feeling an immense sense of happiness and relief.

After treating the minor wound, Bo Lan couldn’t resist picking Shi Youqing up in his arms.

Suddenly lifted off the ground, Shi Youqing looked at him quizzically.

Bo Lan, feeling a strong sense of satisfaction, murmured lowly, “You haven’t gotten lighter.”

“Given the meals you make every day, it would be hard to lose weight,” Shi Youqing, thinking Bo Lan was commenting on his weight, let him continue holding him. Knowing that Bo Lan kept track of his various details, including his weight, he easily complied, “Are you done now?”

Bo Lan, reluctantly putting him down on the sofa, glanced at the clock. It was almost noon, and he, almost becoming a nutritionist for Shi Youqing, headed to the kitchen to cook.

Not long after, Lu Yuzhe returned.

Hearing footsteps, Shi Youqing quietly moved behind the door.

Lu Yuzhe, hurried and breathless, was speechless upon seeing the state of his home. Whether it was shock or something else, he didn’t make a sound and just silently walked in.

Just as Shi Youqing was about to step out to check, a choice appeared:

[As a neighbor, seeing Lu Yuzhe in such a situation, do you choose to go in and show concern or quietly close the door?]

1#Go in and show concern 2#Quietly close the door

It was almost a no-brainer! With a secret like that exposed, who would want someone to come in and see their secret while offering comfort?

Shi Youqing wasn’t foolish enough to choose option 1. After selecting option 2, he deliberately tiptoed out, ensuring he was quiet yet not completely silent. Reaching the neighboring door, he softly pulled it closed.

Peering through the door gap, he saw the man’s rigid figure turn around, and the +5 increase in good feeling appeared above his head.

Everything was going as expected.

Shi Youqing, with hands clasped behind his back, returned to his apartment and called Feng Bin and Hao Tianxiang respectively.

Feng Bin could have lunch outside, while Hao Tianxiang, having the day off, had just woken up from a morning nap.

“In that case, why don’t you both come over for lunch at my place? We can also summarize our information,” Shi Youqing suggested, a triumphant smile playing on his lips. “Besides, I’ve realized that for some of the side quests, I can still accumulate goodwill points even without personal interaction. This way, we can be more efficient.”

On the other end, Hao Tianxiang loudly said, “I get it! Are we dressing up as your doubles? But we don’t have anyone here skilled in disguise, do we?”

Shi Youqing was momentarily at a loss for words, then chuckled, “Let’s talk more when we meet.”

[Author's Note]

Thank you to the angel who fired the rocket: --Waiting for the Aurora-- 1;

Special thanks to the angels who threw mines: Lovely Treasure 2; A Roll of Steel Wool 1;

Thanks to the little angels for watering with nutrient solution: Weak but Troublesome, Feng Feng, L 1 bottle;

Thank you everyone for your support. I will continue to work hard!