Chapter 3 Cousin’s Forcible Seizure of You

Chapter 3: The Cousin's Forced Affection

The voice was languid, almost condescending.

What the hell with 'come here,' what the hell with 'pursuit.'

Is this plot even right?

Are the NPCs normal?

Can system tasks nowadays be this simple and bizarre?

Lou Han: "..." As if he's some innocent little flower, to be at your mercy.

Lou Han had no intention of going over.

Earlier, when he scanned the entire room, he had only given the visible areas a cursory glance and hadn't spotted this 'cousin.'

Now, under the ambient lighting of the Lou residence, this NPC remained partially obscured in shadow.

Lou Han expressed his refusal, thank you very much. No matter how wealthy you are, not just anyone can have a romantic storyline with him.

And there's no need for a meeting anyway; he would find another way out.

He merely glanced back once, not halting his departing footsteps. Lou Han's gaze passed over that remarkably well-formed hand; the person with his back to him remained motionless under the shifting light.

The tall bodyguard remained silent, glancing sideways at his seated boss, awaiting further instructions—but no order to stop came. Seeing this, Lou Han thought to himself that this 'cousin' seemed decent enough. Unconcerned, he withdrew his gaze.

System: "Host, won't you reconsider..."

Lou Han swiftly: "Get lost."

...

The elegant youth had already left. He seemed to have paused for a moment, then changed his mind.

He wore only a white shirt and jeans, flying away like a white dove. Really quite young and handsome, Lou Yihua thought to himself.

He raised an eyebrow, looked back at the seated man, then schooled his features.

Xi Jingqi casually extinguished his cigarette.

The man seemed unperturbed, turning his attention to the contract before him, flipping through a few pages.

Lou Yihua, standing beside him, tried to gauge his thoughts about Lou Han, then lowered his gaze to his own leather shoes. In the spacious Lou family living room, this man's subordinate still stood nearby, even more reserved and cautious than he was.

A careless voice came from before him moments later.

"Do you think this is a suitable amount to lend you?"

Only then did Lou Yihua force a smile and look over. Seated in the chair was a man whose looks matched his power. As if temporarily setting aside the earlier incident, the man showed no reaction.

Twenty-six years old, hair about shoulder-length, wearing a tailored black suit, sitting casually. The black color accentuated his tall, straight figure. He gave a slight nod, the fine features of his exceptional face subtly revealed—the sharp curve of his thin lips, those pitch-black eyes that gave the impression of a wolf lying in wait.

He wore almost no accessories, save for the plain ring on his finger.

"While this may be against protocol, I've always been the one in charge of this company. The old master won't have any objections; you can rest assured about that, nephew," Lou Yihua said.

But as he spoke, Lou Yihua began to feel he was making no headway. He had thought this was a mutual probe, but the other party clearly wasn't taking it seriously!

Earlier, Lou Yihua had already obtained his phone number through special channels and told him some background about his company. So they weren't complete strangers.

Lou Yihua recalled the scene when this young man first appeared at the Lou residence a month ago. The sudden emergence of this outsider relative had stunned all the Lou family members. What was even more unacceptable was the old master's exceptionally good attitude toward this outsider. Even though his origins were unclear, there was an almost eerie sense that the old master might entrust him with everything.

Lou Yihua and the others, deciding to go all the way, had found people to 'deal with' him. The matter was handled very discreetly, but thinking back on it now still made Lou Yihua break out in a cold sweat.

On the night the decision was made, he woke groggily from sleep to find his face wet. A severed hand was hanging from his headboard... When he screamed and sat up, the servant outside called out asking what was wrong. But he regained his composure and dismissed the servant.

He didn't sleep all night. He recognized it as a warning.

The next day, he told the other Lou family members about it. Regardless of whether they were rivals—especially that woman Lou Yun, whose husband held a high position in the National Assembly and had a wider network than his—after investigating Xi Jingqi, they vaguely formed a bold speculation. They didn't know if it was true, but if it was, this man definitely shouldn't be interested in the Lou family's money.

Therefore, Lou Yihua came seeking funds with his financially troubled company, half-truthfully, half as a test.

He was usually a man of some standing, but now, as he slowly explained his company to the other, he only felt the urge to swallow hard.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lou Yihua saw that although the man before him had extinguished his cigarette and was looking at the detailed documents he had brought, his slender fingers tapped intermittently on the armrest. His expression gradually turned to an icy, sinister gloom that Lou Yihua had never seen before.

Lou Yihua stopped.

Lou Yihua's heart skipped a beat, unsure if it was because of his words. Beside him, Xi Jingqi's subordinate smiled and said to him, "Mr. Lou, we understand your situation. It's almost mealtime. I wonder if there's anything else you'd like to say."

Lou Yihua smiled awkwardly, but he knew now wasn't the time to persist shamelessly. He said politely, "You're too kind. I should have invited my nephew for a meal, but I'm really pressed for time now. I must take my leave; my sincerest apologies."

Lou Yihua took his things and left.

Xiao Jie turned his head, silent. He was responsible for handling this matter, and he had clearly failed. It was his fault.

"People often say that infinite possibilities are born when people begin to interact," the boss said with a faint, mocking smile. He tapped the table and murmured, "But now, he won't even meet me. How can we create possibilities?"

Xiao Jie stood straight, lowering his head. "I'm sorry, boss."

He had clearly secured Lou Han. The man had agreed to the contract he set up just last night. But for some reason, he had backed out at the last moment. Utterly lacking in contractual spirit.

Their boss was young, but no one dared act presumptuously in front of him, having witnessed his methods.

However, Xi Jingqi's words weren't directed at him.

After his brief laugh, Xi Jingqi's mood turned indifferent. Without assigning blame, he sat in the chair, his long legs stretched out casually, propping his chin with his hand, gazing directly out the window. His posture was lazy yet ruthless. After a quiet moment, he said, "Let's go, back to Yiyuan."

He stood up, looked at the moon outside the Lou family window, and rubbed the ring on his index finger.

----

Lou Han walked back, everything becoming clear in his mind.

System: "After you returned to the country, your cousin saw you once and sent his subordinate to express his interest in you. Instead of refusing immediately, you started playing hard to get, wanting to act coy and swindle some money from your cousin."

Lou Han finally understood why he had a hangover.

In the setting, his character was ostensibly aloof and proud but actually hypocritical and materialistic. Outwardly amiable and smiling to others, but full of malicious schemes inside.

Faced with this immoral cousin, his straight self felt insulted, yet he was also obsessed with the cousin's money, torn and indecisive.

But when Brother Wang pressed him again for money to buy commercial secrets, at this point in the plot, his character in the setting agreed, with a mix of pain and pleasure, to develop an improper relationship with the cousin. So...

Thus, Lou Han now faced a disastrous starting situation.

If Lou Han didn't accept the system's assigned task, in such worlds, there were usually other ways to explore for an exit.

For example, if Lou Han defeated all the characters and rebelled against the source rules of the virtual world, he should be able to force his way out.

Now, Lou Han's opponents include not only a hot-tempered but thick-skinned third uncle, a calm and fox-like fourth aunt, several other relatives, but also a boss-level cousin programmed to like him, who might turn villainous if his love goes unrequited.

After calming down, Lou Han felt this wasn't difficult—well, as long as he worked hard for decades in the virtual world and eventually rose to rule over the upper class.

But starting tomorrow, he would have to get to work.

The butler found Lou Han and handed him the courtyard the old master had allotted to him.

Before it got dark, Lou Han decided to go check out the place.

Upon arrival, Lou Han saw the desolate rose garden—though calling it a rose garden was an overstatement, as it was all withered grass, with roses having died out long ago.

Looking at them, Lou Han suddenly thought of Xiao Jing.

After some thought, Lou Han stayed there and threw himself into work, starting with weeding.

He found tools in the only house in the courtyard.

This place was artificially constructed and far from the crowd, which Lou Han quite liked.

In the evening, just as Lou Han entered the house to fetch another tool, he heard a knock on the door and assumed it was the butler.

Surprised, Lou Han opened the door to find a little dog at his doorstep.

It was an adorable Samoyed, who, upon seeing Lou Han, excitedly stuck out its tongue and barked at him.

Lou Han looked at it in astonishment, crouched down, and petted its head. "Why are you here? Where's your owner?"

After Lou Han petted it, the Samoyed eagerly wriggled its body to rub against his palm.

"Lulu." Lou Han saw the small card hanging on its neck, which bore its name. "So your name is Lulu."

"Alright, Lulu." Lou Han looked around outside for a long time but didn't see the dog's owner. Then again, this courtyard was quite remote—the owner probably wouldn't come here. The dog must have run off on its own and ended up here.

Initially, Lou Han had thought to let this Samoyed named Lulu find its way back. A dog with such a name likely belonged to a girl, who must be very worried by now.

But as he tilled the soil in the courtyard, Lulu kept watching him from the side, showing no intention of leaving.

"Oh, Lulu." Lou Han sighed helplessly, wiping the sweat from his face.

The Samoyed immediately nuzzled against his face. Lou Han couldn't help but smile and used his handkerchief to wipe its face as well. "I'll take you to see the butler tomorrow, okay? He should be able to help you find your owner."

Lou Han decided to spend the night there. To prevent the dog from wandering off, he closed the door.

The room was very small but relatively clean. With the window open, Lou Han could directly see the starry sky outside. After a while, the Samoyed made itself at home and fell asleep.

Lou Han himself was still immersed in the puzzle of returning home from this alternate world. He didn't hear any barking but could hear the cicadas chirping outside, and it took him a long time to fall asleep.

But in the night.

In the quiet atmosphere.

Lou Han gradually heard other sounds.

Rustling.

He opened his eyes warily.

Then his breath caught, startled by a fleeting thought in his mind.

Perhaps the current scene amplified a certain emotion within him.

So he thought he was hallucinating.

—The moonlight shone on all the land in the courtyard within his sight, also spilling into the room, casting a faint, shadowy backdrop.

Everything took on a cold, glazed hue.

A man appeared at his window by moonlight, everything dreamlike. A pleasant, low voice came from him, like the elegant resonance of a cello in the night, softly calling the dog sleeping on the floor inside.

Lulu, hearing its owner's call in its sleep, woke up and leaped to its feet, running to the window and excitedly sticking out its tongue at him.

—Noticing that Lou Han was also awake, the man turned his gaze toward him.

Alternate world. Foreign land.

Xiao Jing was leaning against the window, smiling as he looked at him.

Author's Note:

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