I was still staring at the ceiling, mentally calculating the exact angle of that damn hidden camera.
"If I throw the pillow, would I hit it?" I muttered to the empty room.
[The chances of you missing, the pillow falling to the floor, and you looking like a cute idiot in front of Bai Ning are 98.7%.]
"You're chatty today, System. Giving opinions nobody asked for."
Before the System could fire back with its usual sarcasm, the sound of the door lock turning made me snap back into my "fragile, needy patient" position in the blink of an eye.
The door burst open and Bai Xue walked in.
She was slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed as if she'd just run a marathon through the hospital corridors. In her hands, she carried a small, expensive-looking pastry box.
"I'm back!" she announced, her eyes shining with pride as she locked the door again. "I didn't want to take too long, so I bribed a nurse to grab this from the hospital's VIP café."
"Bribed?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah." She shrugged, walking over to the bed and opening the box. "I used Gu Sheng's credit card. Borrowed it from Bai Yue's purse when she came to visit you."
I almost laughed out loud. The girl was evolving fast—she'd already moved on to theft.
Impressive…
Inside the box was a perfect strawberry cake. The white whipped cream contrasted beautifully with the bright red of the fresh fruit, and the soft scent instantly filled the room.
My stomach growled, reminding me that despite all the psychological drama, I was still a recovering human who hadn't eaten anything solid in hours.
Bai Xue picked up the small plastic fork that came with the box and cut a generous piece, loaded with whipped cream and half a strawberry.
Instead of handing me the fork, she sat on the edge of the bed, just inches away, and lifted the bite toward my mouth.
"Say 'Aaah,' Ryuu."
I looked at the fork, then at her.
"Xue, I punctured my lung, not broke my arms. I can eat by myself."
Her smile faltered for a split second. Her eyes darkened slightly, and she tilted her head.
"You don't want me to take care of you? You just said I was the only person you trust."
Her voice dropped a note, dangerously close to the possessiveness from earlier.
Sensing the danger, I immediately gave in.
"Ah…" I opened my mouth, feeling a little stupid but accepting my fate.
She placed the bite into my mouth with exaggerated gentleness. The cake melted on my tongue—sweet and incredibly soft.
"Is it good?" Her expression switched back to "angel mode" instantly.
"It's delicious," I replied, mouth full.
She kept cutting pieces and feeding me, a silly smile on her face.
It was a strangely peaceful scene.
The hospital room, the soft lighting, the taste of strawberry.
It almost felt like a normal couple's date.
But after the fourth bite, I realized she was just watching me chew, looking hypnotized.
"Aren't you going to eat?" I asked.
"I'm not hungry," she murmured, preparing another bite for me. "Watching you eat is enough to fill me with joy."
"No way." I gently grabbed her wrist. "We agreed we'd do everything together from now on, remember? We're partners in crime. And partners share cake."
I guided her hand toward her own face.
Her eyes widened in surprise, but she hesitantly opened her mouth, accepting the bite she had cut herself.
As she chewed, some whipped cream accidentally smeared the corner of her lower lip.
It was an accident, of course—but the image of her sitting there, lips stained white, big innocent eyes staring at me, almost made me hard.
But it also gave me an idea.
If we're going to play, let's play properly.
I raised my right hand. With the tip of my thumb, I traced along her lower lip, wiping away the sweet cream.
Bai Xue froze. Her breath hitched.
I didn't stop there. Looking straight into her eyes, I brought my thumb to my own mouth and slowly licked the whipped cream off.
"Really… very tasty," I whispered.
Bai Xue's brain seemed to short-circuit. Her face turned so red it rivaled the strawberries on the cake.
[Ding!]
[+5 Bai Xue Affection.]
[+2 Bai Xue Corruption.]
She covered her face with her free hand, letting out a muffled squeal.
"R-Ryuu! Y-You can't just do things like that out of nowhere! My heart…" she stammered, peeking through her fingers.
"Do what? I just didn't want to waste the cake," I said with a cynical smile, leaning back against the pillow.
The tense atmosphere in the room completely evaporated, replaced by a lightness I didn't know we needed. We finished the cake together, sharing the fork and laughing softly so I wouldn't strain my lung.
"You know," I began, staring at the ceiling and deliberately ignoring the camera above, "I was thinking about the future. If things were different… what would you do with your life, Xue? What was your dream before… all this?"
She stopped fiddling with the empty box and looked down, thoughtful.
"My dream?" She smiled—a melancholic smile. "When we were kids, I wanted to be a painter. I loved drawing. I wanted to paint landscapes, capture the beauty of the world on big canvases…"
"That's beautiful," I said sincerely. "Why did you stop?"
"Yue tore up my sketchbooks when we were ten. Said my talent was useless to the Bai family." She shrugged, but her eyes took on a cold glint. "She was right about one thing. The world isn't beautiful enough to paint."
Then she looked up at me, and that cold glint turned into burning devotion.
"But I think I'd start painting again. Only now, I'd paint just you, Ryuu. Portraits of you. Hundreds of them." She leaned closer, her voice turning into a dreamy whisper. "We could have a house far away from here. No windows for anyone to see you. With a wonderful basement full of our paintings. You'd never have to leave… I'd bring everything to you."
I swallowed hard.
Cute—but with a 100% chance of kidnapping me at the first opportunity.
"A basement, huh? Sounds a little poorly ventilated."
I tried to joke, steering the conversation away before she started measuring chains for my ankles.
"And I'd have to leave once in a while. After all, how would I achieve my dream?"
That worked. Curiosity replaced possessiveness on her face.
"What's your dream, Ryuu?"
"To be an actor," I replied without hesitation. "It must be fun to be someone else. But I never had the courage to try. I guess I wasn't made for it—my acting doesn't convince anyone."
[System Warning: Host's falseness level has exceeded supported limits. The host is already an Oscar-winning actor in this novel.]
"Shut up," I thought back.
Bai Xue looked fascinated.
"You'd be an amazing actor," she said, brushing my cheek with the back of her hand.
"Everyone would love you. But…" Her smile faltered, and she pouted slightly. "…I wouldn't like seeing you kiss other women on TV. I think I'd have to threaten the director."
I genuinely laughed this time—a light laugh that made my chest ache a little, but it was worth it.
"Don't worry, Xue. I'd be a very selective actor. I'd only accept roles you approve of."
She beamed and, with a sigh of pure happiness, rested her head on my chest again, hugging my waist carefully to avoid the bandages.
"I like now," she whispered sleepily. "No Yue. No Mom. No Gu Sheng. Just you and me, Ryuu. Just us."
I stroked her hair, staring at the white ceiling.
For a brief moment, peace reigned. It was just a broken girl and a transmigrator trying to survive, eating strawberry cake.
But I knew that peace was fragile.
Bai Yue—or Bai Ning—was still watching somewhere, and… well, the storm was just beginning to form.
But at least for today, I had survived.
Or so I thought.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The heavy pounding on the door made me jump in bed, a painful pull tearing through my lung. Bai Xue shot up, leaving the cake box on the bedside table.
Before she could even take a step toward the locked door, the sound of a key turning echoed.
The door swung open.
The usually quiet hospital corridor was filled with men in dark suits and tactical police uniforms.
"What the—"
Xue's voice died in her throat when the immaculate figure of Bai Ning stepped into the room.
She wore a dark, elegant overcoat, her face expressionless. But what made my blood freeze wasn't her presence.
It was the four police officers who entered right behind her.
"M-Mom…?" Xue instinctively stepped back, hitting the edge of my bed.
The twisted maternal smile she had shown me earlier was still there—but her black eyes were fixed on Bai Xue.
A look overflowing with such absolute disgust that the temperature in the room seemed to drop below zero.
"I'm sorry to interrupt my darling's dessert," Bai Ning's voice was soft and melodic, yet it cut through the air like a death sentence. "But there's trash that needs to be taken out."
She made the slightest gesture with her fingers.
Two officers immediately stepped forward, grabbing Bai Xue's arms with brutal force.
"What?! Let go of me! Ryuu!"
Bai Xue screamed, struggling wildly. Pure terror disfigured her "angel" face.
"Mom, what are you doing?! I didn't do anything!"
A stern, impassive detective stopped beside Bai Ning, holding a warrant.
"Miss Bai Xue, you are under arrest on charges of attempted first-degree murder against your sister, Bai Yue, in the stairway incident. You have the right to remain silent…"
Xue's eyes widened as panic overtook every muscle in her body.
"What?! It was a setup! You can't do this!"
She screamed, trying to wrench herself free from the officers' grip.
Attempted murder? For the fall down the stairs?
That had been Bai Yue's setup, and the whole family—including Bai Ning herself—had buried it to avoid scandal in high society.
Why bring it up now?
With a warrant—and even tactical police?
"…"
The realization struck me like lightning.
The camera on the ceiling.
She had been watching.
She saw everything.
Bai Ning realized her "pure little son" was about to be devoured by his own sister. And as a supreme yandere with 90 Corruption and Obsession… she intervened.
The stair incident was just the legal excuse to rip Bai Xue away from me without having to explain herself.
There would be no trial. No bail.
She would rot in a cell, isolated from the world—and especially from me.
A thick, cold sweat ran down my spine. My hands began trembling uncontrollably over the white sheets.
"System…" I called mentally, my inner voice hysterical. "If I had… if I hadn't used the lung pain as an excuse… if I had slept with Xue back then…"
[If the sexual act had been consummated under the camera's view, Bai Xue's survival rate would drop to 0%. The police would not have been called. Bai Ning would have sent professional cleaners. Bai Xue would have been dismembered, dissolved in acid, and the host would awaken in a soundproof underground chamber.]
My stomach churned. I genuinely felt like throwing up.
I was terrified.
For the first time since arriving in this world, the fear wasn't an act. Death hadn't just brushed past me—it had sat on my bed and smiled at me.
"Ryuu! Tell them! I was taking care of you!" Xue sobbed as she was dragged toward the door. Her eyes begged me for salvation.
The same girl who, ten minutes ago, had sworn to lock me in a basement was now being taken to her own cage.
I opened my mouth. The instinct to protect her screamed inside me—after all, I needed her affection!
But before a single word could leave my lips, Bai Ning's black eyes shifted from Xue to me.
Her smile widened by a millimeter.
It was a warning, as if she were saying:
"If you defend her, darling, Mommy will be very angry."
I froze.
My physical stats were useless. My mind told me only one thing: Survive.
Forcing my eyes to fill with real tears of panic and pain, I curled up in the bed, clutching my chest and gasping as if I were having a panic attack.
"M-Mommy… M-Mommy…" I stammered, my voice fragile and broken, playing the terrified son overwhelmed by chaos. "What's happening…? My head… it hurts…"
The effect was immediate.
"Take that criminal away. Now!" Bai Ning snarled at the officers, her voice losing its sweetness and turning into something demonic.
"No! Let me go! Ryuu!" Xue screamed, her feet dragging across the floor.
As she was about to cross the doorway, our eyes met. I tried to send her a message—but I don't know if she understood.
While Xue was dragged down the corridor, screaming my name, Bai Ning rushed to my side of the bed.
The shift in demeanor was so absurd it made me dizzy. The murderous monster vanished, replaced by the most loving and devoted mother in the universe.
She sat on the edge of the bed, exactly where Xue had been seconds earlier, and pulled my trembling head against her soft, perfumed chest.
"Shhh, shhh, Mommy's here, darling,"
she murmured, compulsively kissing the top of my head while stroking my hair with possessive force.
"Mommy made it in time. The bad woman won't put those dirty hands on you anymore."
My face was pressed against her cleavage, and I didn't dare move.
As I listened to Xue's screams fading at the end of the hospital corridor, I realized the magnitude of the mess I was in.
I wasn't playing chess with a bunch of lovestruck heroines. I was walking through a minefield, where the smallest misstep could cost me my life—or my freedom.
"It's all right now," Bai Ning whispered in my ear, and I could swear I heard a note of sadistic excitement in her voice. "You belong only to Mommy now."