No one knows what happened in the fog-filled room, not even one of the participants, Yu Deng.
As the sky brightened, the shadow that had been hovering over Yu Deng finally rose slowly, lingering its fingertips on Yu Deng's neck and collarbone for a moment before dissipating at dawn.
Morning.
Yu Deng opened his eyes early. He looked at the brightening sky outside the window, feeling a bit confused.
Did he sleep so deeply last night that he didn't wake up even once?
However, Yu Deng felt like he had a nightmare last night.
It seemed like he dreamt of a pitch-black monster lying on top of him, like sleep paralysis. It was heavy and gnawing at him. He tried to push it away but couldn't, being gnawed at miserably, unable to cry.
Moreover, he wasn't sure if it was a dream or something that actually happened in the instance; he vaguely heard the sound of a suona being played during the night.
It was quite eerie.
Yu Deng pressed his lips together, realizing his mouth hurt.
"Uh."
He raised his hand to touch it and found his lips were still swollen, with a slight stinging pain near his collarbone.
He just assumed that the neck pain was from a mosquito bite and scratched it, but he was quite displeased with the condition of his mouth, cursing his mischievous stepson in his heart.
Why kiss so hard? Now he still feels uncomfortable.
After muttering his complaints, Yu Deng noticed that the progress of the special ability he unlocked yesterday had changed, now showing a 20% progress bar.
So, does this thing increase quietly at night?
Yu Deng couldn't figure it out.
After he woke up, the popularity of his livestream room kept rising.
[Wow, did you guys know the livestream went black again last night, from midnight to dawn?]
[Okay, I'm relieved to know I'm not the only pervert watching Deng Deng sleep in the middle of the night.]
[So why did it happen?! Usually, doesn't the screen go black only when the streamer does something?!]
[Yes, but there's another situation where special occurrences in the instance prevent us from viewing.]
[Oh my, does our silly and pretty Yu Deng get special treatment like this?]
As the livestream viewers continued their speculations, Yu Deng rarely thought of the comments he'd blocked. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to turn them back on.
It was still early, and the players were probably still resting. Yu Deng didn't want to go out alone. Perhaps he could look at the comments and analyze with the audience.
[I'm tearing up. After three days, the streamer finally remembers he has a livestream.]
Yu Deng blinked and greeted the viewers. He accidentally noticed the number of online viewers and was stunned.
When the livestream first started, Yu Deng remembered there were only about fifty viewers. Now, there were 150,000.
So, over the past few days, there have been tens of thousands of people watching him struggle to figure out the clues in the instance.
Yu Deng felt a wave of suffocation and blurted out, "Can you stop watching my livestream?"
[Seriously, Deng Deng, you finally interact with the comments, and your first sentence is to ask us not to watch you?]
[Wow, while other streamers are begging viewers to stay and giving fancy shout-outs for donations, our beautiful Deng Deng is different.]
[Hehe, I'm stubborn. I insist on watching my beloved.]
[Is our baby shy? Don't be afraid. We just love our cute little beauty.]
Yu Deng had no choice but to say, "Well, can you help me analyze together?"
[Analyze what? How many people in this instance are plotting against you?]
[Sorry, baby, we can't help you find the culprit. Discussions between viewers and the streamer about this will be censored.]
Yu Deng frowned, a little annoyed. "So, other than saying weird things, what else can you do?"
[I'm heartbroken. My beloved said I'm useless. I can give you livestream coins if you smile.]
[Even when baby frowns, he's so adorable. I wonder if he'll cry loudly when he's in trouble.]
Seeing the comments starting to turn inappropriate again, Yu Deng sighed and mercilessly turned them off again.
Fortunately, with this little distraction, the mansion's residents began to stir, and the players started to come out of their rooms.
After a simple wash, Yu Deng also prepared to leave his room. Before leaving, he glanced outside and happened to see a few people coming out of the mourning hall.
It was Cheng Zhaoxia, Cheng Wenhao, his already married twin sister, and Lin Ziyue.
The one keeping vigil for the Fourth Concubine was her son, who also came out of another small mourning hall.
Yu Deng counted the people several times, ensuring he wasn't mistaken.
So, no one was hurt last night? Is the culprit not among these people, or did they only want to kill Master Cheng and the Fourth Concubine and have no intention of harming anyone else, so they stopped?
Yu Deng was puzzled and decided to give up thinking, ready to see what the other players thought.
Yu Deng walked downstairs and found that some players were already up, quietly chatting in the living room on the first floor.
It was the corporate worker and a new female player with a very low presence in this batch of players, who seemed to be studying design.
Yesterday, these two were responsible for investigating Cheng Wenhao and Lin Ziyue's alibi.
Both of them were very slim, and perhaps because of the angle, Yu Deng felt they looked as thin as paper.
Hearing the noise, the two of them stiffened and turned their heads warily. Seeing it was Yu Deng, they relaxed and slowly smiled.
"Good morning, Madam."
After greeting, the two of them stopped their discussion, likely trying to avoid talking in front of the NPC Yu Deng.
Yu Deng didn't mind, turning and walking toward the corridor, where he ran into another player.
It was the new player, Ke Qi, who had kept watch with them on the first night.
Ke Qi saw Yu Deng and, mimicking the housekeeper's title from the first day, called out, "Madam."
Yu Deng nodded at Ke Qi, standing not far from him.
For the first time, Ke Qi was alone with this beautiful NPC up close, and his vision was once again dazzled, his inner fangirl screaming.
He didn't dare look directly at Yu Deng, nervously asking, "Uh, I wanted to ask, who do you think might have attacked Master Cheng?"
Yu Deng: "..." Why ask him? He had no idea either.
Yu Deng kept his composure and replied noncommittally, "I'm curious too, but without evidence, it's all just speculation."
Yu Deng's words were as good as saying nothing, yet Ke Qi, seemingly dazed by his charm, nodded fervently, "You're right, you're right.."
Yu Deng was puzzled: "..."
Weird. Could he have encountered a player in the instance who was even dumber than him?
"What are you talking about here?"
A lazy voice interrupted their conversation from behind.
Cheng Xiao walked over and put a hand on Yu Deng's shoulder.
Sensing the danger, Ke Qi didn't dare continue talking to the pretty NPC and made an excuse to slip away.
"Were you having a pleasant chat with him just now, Little mom?"
"No," Yu Deng replied, confused, "We just bumped into each other and exchanged greetings."
Cheng Xiao's mood improved, and he half-embraced Yu Deng as they walked.
Maybe it was due to the fog in the mansion, but the air felt more humid each day, often making Yu Deng feel stifled.
Like now, standing next to a tall, imposing teenager, the sense of pressure magnified, making Yu Deng feel a bit stifled.
He casually tugged at his collar, pulling it down slightly, letting a breeze in, which made him feel much cooler.
Cheng Xiao's gaze suddenly froze, his mood plummeting.
The red marks on the fair, tender skin stood out starkly, turning dark red over time. They were very conspicuous and extremely irritating.
Without a doubt, they were kiss marks.
Not just one.
"Deng Deng," Cheng Xiao grabbed Yu Deng, his tone heavy, "Who else messed with you last night?"
His beautiful stepmom had hooked up with someone last night, ending up like this.
Was it that player who was completely smitten, or was it someone else in the Cheng family with ill intentions?
Yu Deng was puzzled. "What do you mean 'who else'? Wasn't it just you suddenly kissing me yesterday?"
Yu Deng was furious. Wow, this person even has the nerve to accuse him.
Seeing Yu Deng looking completely oblivious, Cheng Xiao simply pulled open Yu Deng's collar, making him look down.
"Deng Deng, see for yourself."
Yu Deng looked down, struggling to see the red marks after a while.
Oh, he thought, that explained why he felt itchy when he woke up this morning. It must have been some insect bites.
Yu Deng didn't care much. "It must have been some bug bites."
"That must be some big bug then."
Cheng Xiao looked at Yu Deng, who clearly had been bullied yet seemed completely unaware, feeling increasingly annoyed.
And there was a subtle, despicable sense of relief.
If Yu Deng weren't so oblivious, Cheng Xiao wouldn't be able to approach and act so brazenly, which also benefited others...
Irritated, Cheng Xiao furrowed his brow and suddenly picked up Yu Deng, setting him down on a cabinet.
Yu Deng was caught off guard, sitting on the cabinet with a bewildered expression, face-to-face with Cheng Xiao, looking like a dazed, exquisite doll.
"Don't be so dumb. Don't let other 'bugs' bite you." Cheng Xiao emphasized the word "bugs," clearly implying something else.
Yu Deng was unhappy. "Why say that about me? It's not like I can prevent bug bites."
Really, why does his annoying stepson always get suddenly angry, then act all mean, and kiss him so hard that his lips stayed swollen all day?
Cheng Xiao leaned closer to Yu Deng. "That's not necessarily true."
Seeing the boy approaching, Yu Deng felt like he was about to be kissed again.
No way, his mouth was still sore.
Yu Deng glared at his stepson and quickly thought, "You can't do that to me. I'm devoted to my deceased husband."
Cheng Xiao paused, a smile tugging at his lips, but his eyes remained dark and devoid of any humor.
His eyes were filled with desire and anger, like a raging wildfire that couldn't be extinguished.
"Devoted, and yet you let someone bully you?" Cheng Xiao's fingers traced Yu Deng's collarbone, wishing he could leave new marks right away.
"Little mom, no, Yu Deng, you might have forgotten something."
"I'm the legitimate heir of the Cheng family. No matter what the others in the Cheng family think, I have the right of inheritance."
Yu Deng tilted his head. "So?"
"So, I will, and inevitably will, inherit all of Father's estate."
Cheng Xiao gazed at his beautiful, unknowingly seductive stepmother, who always attracted people like him.
His eyes were full of ambition, and he spoke each word with determination.
"Of course, that includes you."