The Gloomy Paper-Man Came to My Door to Pursue His Love - Chapter 21

The silence in the room was a bit excessive. After calling out several times without receiving a response, Qin Fei also fell quiet. He looked at the 2D character’s expression, trying to guess why his request had been sidelined.

In all likelihood, Shabei did not want to help him lead the guards away.

Qin Fei pursed his lips.

The request to distract the guards was actually an excuse for more interaction with the 2D character; otherwise, simply obtaining the assessment content felt far too unromantic on a night filled with such warmth.

However, since the character was unwilling to help, he would let it go.

Qin Fei turned around and listened carefully to the guards’ footsteps, intending to find a moment when their numbers were thin to make his exit.

However, the uniform sound of footsteps continued to linger outside the door, as if they were pacing back and forth just an inch away with no intention of leaving.

The castle was massive. It was impossible for the guards to patrol only this one spot.

Qin Fei sighed. He probably understood what the game intended. After all, he and the character now had 80% Intimacy. Under the influence of high intimacy, the main storyline would inevitably find every possible way to create intimate moments for the player and the character.

Leaving was certainly out of the question, but did the character even want him to stay?

Qin Fei looked up at him. “I,” he began.

“You can,” the character interrupted.

The character’s expression was tense. He must have been watching Qin Fei the entire time because as soon as Qin Fei uttered a single syllable, he immediately gave an answer.

But what could he do? Could he help lead the guards away, or could Qin Fei stay?

The programmer had concluded that the character’s intimacy was very unstable, and Qin Fei could not grasp his thoughts, so he had to ask, “Can you help me lead the guards away, or can I stay?”

“I am going to change my clothes,” the character said dryly.

Qin Fei asked, “Hmm?”

The character replied, “Suit yourself.”

In his field of vision, the character turned back toward the bathroom and slammed the door shut with a loud thud. Perhaps the character’s wardrobe was inside the bathroom.

Qin Fei’s eyes crinkled with a slight smile. He understood. The character was telling him to stay.

The room was large, but there was only one bedroom. The bathroom sat between the outer room and the bedroom. As Qin Fei passed the bathroom, he heard a series of clatters and bangs from inside, wondering exactly what the character was doing.

Crossing through the partition by the bathroom, Qin Fei arrived at the bedroom.

The bedroom was spacious and tall, with a ceiling so high it felt as if it touched the clouds. Like the outer room, the ceiling was adorned with exquisite murals. A crystal chandelier hung from above, its droplets looking like stars tied to strings.

Qin Fei’s gaze eventually landed on the large bed in the center of the room. It was a classic four-poster bed, the posts carved with the solemn crest of the Elvis family. The bed was covered in white linen sheets, and the pillows and quilt were filled with the finest down, looking plump and soft.

With a creak, the bathroom door suddenly opened.

Qin Fei looked toward the sound and saw Xi Li still wearing his soaking wet clothes. As he walked, water droplets dampened the plush rug on the floor. Qin Fei was looking at him, but Xi Li did not glance back. With a cold expression, he walked straight to the bedroom wardrobe, took out clean clothes, and walked straight back to the bathroom. Throughout this entire process, he never once looked at Qin Fei.

But very quickly, Xi Li emerged from the bathroom again.

Qin Fei looked over. The character was not wearing the set he had just taken from the wardrobe, but rather the outermost layer he had been wearing before it was soaked.

Qin Fei smiled. His 2D character was truly strange.

Xi Li snapped, “What are you laughing at?!”

Qin Fei said, “There is only one bed.”

Xi Li replied, “Yes.”

Qin Fei suggested, “You should sleep on the bed.”

He meant they would sleep separately. Xi Li breathed a sigh of relief, but a certain unidentifiable emotion deep in his heart prevented him from relaxing completely.

He endured it and asked, “What about you?”

Qin Fei had already chosen his spot for the night, which was the same armchair he had sat in earlier. Xi Li followed Qin Fei’s gaze to the single armchair.

“I will sleep on the sofa,” Xi Li said.

Qin Fei countered, “How could that be? You should sleep on the bed.”

As Xi Li leaned over to tidy the sofa, he heard Qin Fei’s polite and distant voice again. “I am already very grateful that you are putting me up. How could I let you sleep on the sofa?”

“Do you have to be so,” Xi Li began, but halfway through his sentence, he cut himself off. He pointed at the bed. “You sleep here.”

Then he pointed at the sofa. “I sleep here.”

His tone brooked no argument, and he backed it up with action. Xi Li sat down heavily on the sofa, occupying the spot Qin Fei had scouted earlier. Likely not wanting to negotiate further, he simply closed his eyes.

Qin Fei said nothing more. He looked at the wool blanket he had previously thrown on the floor to soak up water; it had originally been on the sofa. He remembered there was another wool rug in the chair behind the table, so he walked toward the outer room.

When he grabbed the wool blanket and turned around, he nearly collided with Xi Li. Xi Li’s gaze fell on the blanket in Qin Fei’s hand. His tense face softened slightly as he said dryly, “I am getting water.”

“Alright,” Qin Fei said.

Qin Fei stepped aside. After they passed each other, he placed the wool blanket on the sofa.

“Do I need to take a shower?” Qin Fei walked into the bedroom and whispered to his terminal.

The terminal replied, “If you want something to happen. After all, a shower is a signal that something is about to occur.”

Qin Fei glanced toward the bathroom and saw Xi Li on the sofa. The sofa was soft, but for Xi Li’s 192cm height, it looked cramped. His 2D character had closed his eyes again, but the wool blanket was now tucked neatly over him. They were at 80% Intimacy, and even physical consolation had been unlocked, yet they were sleeping separately.

Qin Fei did not send such a signal. In all likelihood, Shabei was not ready yet.

The terminal said, “If you are not prepared for anything to happen, you can simply go to sleep. Do not worry, time in the main storyline passes quickly. You can rest without wasting time.”

Qin Fei took off his outer coat, lifted a corner of the quilt, and climbed in. The bed was very soft, but Qin Fei tossed and turned.

“Is the bed uncomfortable?” A stiff inquiry drifted from the partition.

Qin Fei stopped moving. “Sorry for disturbing you,” Qin Fei said, his head resting on the pillow as he looked at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling. “It is a bit too bright.”

He heard footsteps, followed by a click. The ceiling lights were turned off. The room fell into darkness, with only moonlight spilling in through the window. Qin Fei still could not sleep and quietly rolled over.

After a while, the partition spoke again. “Now what?”

Qin Fei stopped rolling. “It might be that the fireplace is too noisy.”

In the outer room, flames danced in the fireplace, and the wood occasionally made popping sounds. The bedroom light was not off, but it was blocked by the bathroom door. By that faint light, Qin Fei saw the tall character go to the outer room and crudely extinguish the flickering flames with a bucket of water.

As the fireplace went silent, the warmth in the room did not decrease. This temperature was different from the dry heat of a fireplace. It felt like being under a warm sun, so comfortable that his pores seemed to open up.

The terminal reminded him, “You seem to have forgotten that the pheromone you chose for your 2D character is Mimicry Scorching Sun.”

Qin Fei was surprised that pheromones could be used this way. Holding the corners of the quilt with both hands, he peeked and saw Xi Li sitting quietly in the sofa with the cashmere blanket over his lap and the tassels trailing on the floor.

For an Omega, an Alpha’s pheromones are oppressive. Qin Fei had encountered many idiotic Alphas who deliberately released their pheromones in front of him, like a peacock spreading its feathers, eager to show off their scent. Qin Fei thought to himself that he liked Shabei’s pheromones.

But whether he liked it or not, Qin Fei still could not sleep.

The terminal said, “You can fast-forward time. As soon as it is morning and the guards stop patrolling, you can complete the mission.”

Qin Fei looked toward the partition again. The character must have noticed the blanket was touching the floor because a large hand suddenly gathered the tassels into a palm.

Qin Fei did not fast-forward time. He tried to sleep, but he simply could not. “Mr. Shabei,” he said softly, fearing he would disturb the other.

“What now!” the other replied in a tone that was not great.

“Would you like a drink?” Qin Fei asked.

“What?”

“I am having some trouble sleeping. I might need a little wine to help me rest.”

Qin Fei had noticed the wine cabinet in the character’s room. The partition remained silent. He had likely been rejected.

Qin Fei sighed and was about to try sleeping again when the crystal chandelier above suddenly lit up. The light was blinding. Once he adjusted, he saw Xi Li standing by the bed. His hand was large, holding a bottle of wine and a glass in one hand.

There was no opening ceremony or decanting. The bottle hit the glass as Xi Li poured. However, he restrained his strength and did not pour too much.

“Is this enough?” Xi Li asked.

Qin Fei sat up, intentionally avoiding contact with Xi Li’s fingertips. The game pod simulated all real sensations but would not harm the body, so the terminal did not stop him. Qin Fei truly did have difficulty falling asleep.

Taking the glass and looking up, he saw Xi Li staring intently at his hand with a displeased expression. He thought of something. “Mr. Sha, would you like a glass?”

The character’s face darkened further. He truly was an unstable character. Qin Fei decided that saying less was safer.

Perhaps because Xi Li’s pouring was crude, Qin Fei drank crudely as well. After finishing, it felt like he had just gulped it down without tasting anything.

“Mr. Sha, could you pour me another?” Qin Fei requested.

Mr. Sha, with a dark face, poured another glass. The second glass was finished slowly. Qin Fei was satisfied. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

Xi Li silently took the empty glass and turned to leave, offering no reply to his polite thanks. Walking to the outer room, Xi Li tossed the wine bottle onto the table. Red wine splashed out and soaked the books scattered on the table, but he did not care. Only when the wine in the bottle was almost gone did Xi Li reach out to steady it.

With the lights off, the fireplace extinguished, and the wine finished, that person should finally be quiet now. Xi Li wiped the wine from his hand and cast a dark look toward the bedroom. That person had lied back down in the blankets.

Feeling stifled, Xi Li returned to that cramped sofa. Just as he sat down, more rustling sounds came from the bedroom.

The noise had not stopped all night. Every slight sound caused him to open his eyes and look toward the bedroom. He watched to see what the person was up to, to see if he had any intention of starting those interactions.

As before, Xi Li looked toward the bulge in the bed. He heard some mumbling coming through the light quilt.

“The Elvis family, three hundred years. Dark red. The flag is a double-edged sword.”

Xi Li was puzzled. The person was actually reciting the Elvis family history, and his voice was getting louder, eventually reaching a point where he seemed oblivious to anyone else.

Xi Li stared at him. “Are you drunk?”

After a long while, a response came from that side, laced with a hint of intoxication. “I do not think so.”

“Continue then,” Xi Li said. He picked up the wool blanket and skillfully covered himself.

The room was not silent, yet it felt peaceful. By his ear was Qin Fei’s stumbling recitation. “Viscount Elvis has three hundred years of history.”

“Wrong,” Xi Li corrected.

Qin Fei politely asked for guidance. “Where is the mistake?”

“The Elvis family has three hundred years of history, not the Viscount,” Xi Li replied.

“Thank you for your correction,” Qin Fei said.

The smile on the corner of Xi Li’s mouth had not yet fully bloomed before it was pushed back by that polite and distant attitude maintained even while drunk.

“Viscount Elvis. The Elvis family has three hundred years of history. Dark red represents the ancestors.”

Xi Li listened quietly. He thought of the last time he had hacked into Qin Fei’s terminal. At that time, Qin Fei had also had a bit to drink. He could barely hold a conversation but could not remember the situation afterward. Otherwise, Xi Li had appeared as a projection. How could he still be treated as a virus by Qin Fei?

This person had a terrible tolerance for alcohol. One glass and he was down. When he woke up, he would completely forget what happened while he was drunk.

Xi Li gazed blankly toward the bedroom. Mottled moonlight spilled into the room like a silvery white veil, draping over the quiet night, over Xi Li’s heart, and over his rationality.

There was a long silence.

“Qin Fei,” Xi Li called out.

“Hmm?”

Xi Li used his consciousness data to disconnect the link between the terminal and the game pod. He asked, “Who am I?”

Qin Fei thought about it. “Mr. Sha.”

“What did you call me before?” Xi Li asked.

“Shabei.”

“What else?”

“Teacher?”

“Not that.”

“Hubby?”

In the dim shadows of the moonlight, Xi Li replied, “Yes.”