The Protagonist 'Gong' Became my Wife - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Blackening

It wasn’t until Gu Zhuo was brought back home by Jiang Yanning that he understood how exactly his cover had been blown. Also, why the hypnosis skill had failed.

77 fished out the skill manual from a corner, where a line of extremely inconspicuous small print read:

This item is limited to one use. If used again, not only will it have no effect, but it will cause the previously used skill to fail.

Gu Zhuo and 77 looked at each other, both hanging their heads in guilt.

Jiang Yanning hadn’t said a word. Now, sitting on the sofa, he tapped his finger against his knee, sizing Gu Zhuo up. He suddenly asked: “Want to know how I recognized you?”

Gu Zhuo gave a well-behaved smile. “Gege, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

Jiang Yanning answered himself. “I met with He Wenyun. He said he once saw me and Ding You hugging on the roadside; at that time, I clearly smelled your scent. Combined with my previous suspicions, I decided to bluff you.”

Even though Gu Zhuo was playing dumb, he already knew the answer. He needed Gu Zhuo’s explanation. But half a day passed, and Gu Zhuo was still staring into the void, his soul seemingly elsewhere.

Jiang Yanning finally couldn’t sit still. He stood up, pressed Gu Zhuo’s shoulders against the back of the sofa, leaned down to look straight into his eyes, and spoke in a tone that could be called gentle: “Do you have nothing you want to say to me?”

Don’t you want to explain why you were stripping Wen Shi’s clothes? Why can you erase my memory? Why do you always stare at the air? What is the ultimate goal of everything you do? Is it for… Gu Xiao?

Because there was too much he wanted to ask, and because he was desperate for answers, Jiang Yanning found himself unable to speak. He thought that if Gu Zhuo could just make up a reason, he would believe it without hesitation. As long as Gu Zhuo didn’t leave him, they could still go back to how they were.

The atmosphere gradually froze. 77 flapped its wings, dove between the two, and covered Gu Zhuo’s mouth tightly. You can’t say it! If you say it, everything is over! Host, you don’t want to drop dead on the spot, do you!Then how should I explain?77 gritted its teeth. Don’t explain. Anyway, Host, you have to leave once the mission is done. There are less than two months until the deadline. When you leave then, everyone in this world will forget you.To be precise, every trace of your existence will vanish.

Everyone would only know the ordinary original Gu Zhuo, who worked hard to earn money for his mother’s treatment. Even the Jiang Yanning in front of him wouldn’t remember him.

Gu Zhuo drooped his eyes, repeating that same line: “What is there to explain? Since Gege already thinks this way, there’s nothing I can do.”

Jiang Yanning stared at him for a long time, then suddenly let out a mocking laugh. “Didn’t you say you promised to have a relationship with me for the purpose of marriage? Was the happiness you brought me these past two months all an illusion?”

Gu Zhuo looked up. “No. On that point alone, I have never lied to you.”

He indirectly admitted to the previous lies. Jiang Yanning retreated a step in desolation, grabbed his phone, and drove away without saying where he was going. Gu Zhuo looked helplessly at his angry retreating back, ultimately withdrawing the hand that wanted to stop him.

【Host, what should we do now?】 The mission wasn’t complete, and they hadn’t seen a single trace of the “fragment” yet. 77 was anxious, only hating that its energy was depleted and it couldn’t detect anything.

Gu Zhuo’s mindset was much better.Let it be. Anyway, he wouldn’t believe it even if I explained these things.He went upstairs, lay on the soft large bed, and sighed. Not long after, his phone began to ding incessantly. It was a plea for help from Jiang You’an.

“Seventh Brother? Do you know what happened? My brother is throwing a huge fit in the office right now!”

Gu Zhuo lay on the bed, propping his chin on his palm, replying to the message with one hand. “I probably know. It’s because I provoked him.” “…” Jiang You’an paused for a moment, immediately clutching his phone with both hands, intending to bombard Gu Zhuo to stand up for his brother. But he accidentally caught the attention of Jiang Yanning nearby.

“Jiang You’an? What are you doing? Your work isn’t finished yet, get over here right now!” Jiang You’an jumped in fright, stuffed the phone into his pocket, and trotted over.

On the other end of the phone, 77 saw that messages had stopped coming, so it helped Gu Zhuo put the phone away. Gu Zhuo rolled over and sighed again. 77 felt a bit uncomfortable hearing it. 【Host, you…】 It brewed its words for a long time, but the speech it had prepared suddenly lost its purpose. Because Gu Zhuo had already closed his eyes.

77 squatted quietly in the corner, guarding the host as he slept.

Who knows how much time passed, but in his sleep, Gu Zhuo felt his hands and feet being manipulated; they felt heavy, and he couldn’t exert any strength. He struggled to wake up, but after smelling that familiar sweet milk scent, his guard dropped instantly, and he fell back into a peaceful sleep.

It wasn’t until he woke up in the middle of the night that he clearly felt someone lying beside him. The person was pressing down on half of his chest, and their hands and feet were resting on him unreservedly; no wonder he felt a bit breathless in his dream.

Before the smile could spread across his lips, he realized his current posture was very problematic. His limbs were spread out in an “X” shape, shackled to the headboard. With his eyesight, he could clearly see that the chains were as thick as a wrist.

He looked for 77 in shock, only to find the ball locked outside the window, staring at him with immense resentment.Why are you out there? Did Jiang Yanning do this?】 77 sneered. 【It seems the host has absolutely no idea what he’s done?

When Jiang Yanning entered the room, 77 had noticed and kept shaking Gu Zhuo, trying to wake him. But Gu Zhuo was always wary of things that didn’t have his own pheromone scent; he subconsciously raised his hand and swatted 77 away. Seeing Gu Zhuo’s movement, Jiang Yanning hesitated and stayed in place. 77 didn’t dare go back for fear of exposing too much.

It could only watch helplessly as Jiang Yanning took out the equipment and bound Gu Zhuo. In the middle of it, Jiang Yanning went out once. 77 took the chance to run back to Gu Zhuo’s side and tried to wake him again. It was swatted away once more. This time, it happened to fly right out the window. By the time it laboriously flapped its wings back, Jiang Yanning had already closed the window and sealed it shut.

After witnessing Jiang Yanning’s various abnormal behaviors, 77 concluded: 【Host, Jiang Yanning intends to imprison you and pull a “forced love” (forceful possession) trope.】 【Really?Gu Zhuo’s eyes lit up, his tone filled with indescribable anticipation. Does this mean Jiang Yanning is planning to stop being angry with him?

These things couldn’t hold him at all, but if Jiang Yanning wanted to play this game with him, he could be quite cooperative. Sensing the head in his arms move, Gu Zhuo immediately cut off contact with 77 and closed his eyes to fake sleep.

Jiang Yanning slowly sat up. Seeing Gu Zhuo’s eyelashes still trembling slightly, the fire of jealousy in his heart burned even hotter. “What? Even when you’re awake, you’re unwilling to see me? You don’t even want to pretend anymore?”

Gu Zhuo snapped his eyes open. “What do you mean?” Jiang Yanning mistook his expression for one of resistance, and his smile became more bitter. The black mist in the depths of his heart, however, churned more violently. He got off the bed, picked up a contract from the bedside, and threw it in front of Gu Zhuo.

The signed page was spread out. The original name “Gu Zhuo” had turned into “Gu Xiao.” “Gu Zhuo, so you’ve been calculating against me since then? You did all of this for Gu Xiao?”

Gu Zhuo looked up in surprise, instinctively searching for 77. He had indeed signed Gu Xiao’s name on that contract, but to outsiders, it should have looked like “Gu Zhuo.” 77’s prop shouldn’t have failed now.

Before the confusion could be answered, Jiang Yanning climbed back up, straddled Gu Zhuo’s waist with his long legs, grabbed his face with one hand, and unbuttoned his shirt one by one with the other.

“Gu Zhuo, you dare to play me?” “Watching me like this these past few days, did I seem like a joke?” “It doesn’t matter. I can forgive your deception.” “But, don’t forget, I am also a man.”

Gu Zhuo frowned, not understanding the development, but his fair skin slowly flushed red because of these actions; his breathing quickened.

“So, in order to keep you from leaving my side, I intend to…” He leaned down slightly, as if nestling in Gu Zhuo’s embrace, his red lips pressed against Gu Zhuo’s ear. One word at a time: “Do. You. To. Death.” (Sexual slang/threat)

Those four words stimulated Gu Zhuo until his eyes turned red. His limbs struggled incessantly, but could only produce the sound of iron chains clashing together. Jiang Yanning was very satisfied with his performance. He took off his tie and covered Gu Zhuo’s eyes.

Sweet milky pheromones were released unconsciously, spreading throughout the room. Because the window was blocked and the air couldn’t circulate, the concentration of pheromones grew higher and higher. Jiang Yanning was an Omega personally catalyzed by Gu Zhuo; their compatibility was unprecedentedly high.

Soon, Gu Zhuo’s bitter coffee-scented pheromones were drawn out. Jiang Yanning’s waist soon went soft. With reddened eyes, he propped himself up, intending to use another method to ensure Gu Zhuo couldn’t get out of bed.

Outside the window, 77 entered “Mosaic Mode” again. This time it was quite practiced, squatting on a tree branch, waiting for the next day to arrive. However, the next morning, the next afternoon, evening…

The Mosaic Mode still hadn’t lifted. An alarm went off in 77’s head.The Host couldn’t have lost control, right?

Gu Zhuo had indeed lost a bit of control, gripping Jiang Yanning’s waist and refusing to let go. The pheromones in the room were absurdly thick. Gu Zhuo’s glands were throbbing; he was about to be triggered into his rut, wanting to grab the person for a lifetime marking.

But, he couldn’t. He clenched his palms tightly, the iron chains rattling.

Jiang Yanning lay in his arms, asking over and over: “Do you still want to leave?” “Now that I’ve exposed your lies, you plan to leave me, don’t you?” “Stay, I can do better.”

A sense of dissonance flashed through Gu Zhuo’s heart, but his muddled brain found it hard to untangle his thoughts. He didn’t divert his attention to answer Jiang Yanning. Thus, the sweet milk pheromones turned bitter, almost making Gu Zhuo think their pheromones had merged.

Finally, Jiang Yanning cried until he fainted in his arms. The rut was forcibly suppressed, and everything returned to peace. He touched Jiang Yanning’s cheek tenderly, deciding to have a good talk with him when he woke up.

But when he woke up again, Jiang Yanning was smiling as usual, holding a bowl of porridge and guarding his bedside. “You’re awake. Are you hungry? I made this porridge myself, let me feed you.”

Gu Zhuo instinctively looked at his waist. Seeing that he sat with difficulty, he sat up in bed, pulled Jiang Yanning into his arms, and gently massaged his waist. “Don’t worry about me. You’re hungry too, you eat first.”

The warm bowl was accepted. Jiang Yanning dazedly opened his lips, swallowing the porridge fed to him mouthful by mouthful. Why does it seem like Gu Zhuo doesn’t blame him? He gathered his courage to ask.

Gu Zhuo smiled and casually undid the restraints on his hands. “These can’t hold me at all. If Gege wants to play, I can put them back on.”

He was always like this defying logic with his divine strength, superb combat power, and a personality he could switch at will. Either cheerful or dissolute.

The unease in Jiang Yanning’s heart grew stronger. He realized that even like this, he couldn’t grasp Gu Zhuo. He stood up in anger, grabbed Gu Zhuo’s collar, his words paranoid. “It doesn’t matter. I will make sure you can never leave me.”

The sound of the car driving away grew distant; Jiang Yanning had left again. In his place were high-definition surveillance cameras all over the room and layers of bodyguards outside.

Gu Zhuo easily removed the restraints on his hands and feet, went downstairs, and fished 77 back inside. He didn’t stop, going straight to the kitchen. 77 flapped its wings and followed.Host, take this chance, let’s escape!Gu Zhuo glanced at it.Escape to where? We’re both penniless. Even if we go home, we’ll be caught back.77 couldn’t think of a good method for a moment and squatted on the table dejectedly.

Gu Zhuo stirred the porridge in the pot, dished out a large bowl, and brought it to the dining room.Host, he’s treating you like this, aren’t you unhappy?Gu Zhuo swallowed the porridge.I think it’s a bit strange. Jiang Yanning doesn’t seem like this kind of person. But I feel he won’t truly hurt me.77 nodded thoughtfully.

After eating, he lay back on the bed. Gu Zhuo turned on the TV out of boredom and passed the morning in a daze, until his stomach was flattened by hunger. Finally, at noon, he welcomed Jiang You’an, who came to deliver food.

The smile on his face gradually vanished. “Why is it you? Where’s your brother?” Jiang You’an had come on orders and was quite spirited. He strode in and set the food on the small dining table. “Here, eat. My brother is busy and won’t come to see you for now. I’ll be the one delivering food these next few days.”

Gu Zhuo looked down. Although the dishes in front of him were all things he liked, he couldn’t drum up an appetite. In the past, he could have gone to find Jiang Yanning for a meal himself. The look of disappointment on his face was too obvious; Jiang You’an was the first to snap.

“Don’t be like that, my brother really is busy! There’s a big project at the company these few days, and he has to supervise it personally. He’s not intentionally avoiding you.” Seeing that Gu Zhuo still didn’t move, he simply took out his phone and took a few photos. He muttered to himself: “Just take a photo to finish the job. I’ll tell my brother later that you intentionally refused to eat, you can’t blame me!”

Gu Zhuo pursed his lips and finally picked up the chopsticks. Jiang You’an sent the photos, stuffed the phone in his pocket, and walked out swinging his car keys.

Over the next few days, Jiang Yanning was indeed very busy, leaving early and returning late. Every time Gu Zhuo wanted to say something to him, he would look up expressionlessly and seal his lips with a kiss.

“Jiang—” Kiss. “Ge—” Kiss. “Don’t—” Kiss.

Gu Zhuo was moved to anger, turning his back to him and refusing to speak. Soon, Jiang Yanning wanted to coax him again; the most common method being… pulling on his waistband. From resistance to acceptance, Gu Zhuo had to take over the initiative.

Little did he know what Jiang Yanning was thinking at that moment: He really only loves my body.

So the next day, Jiang Yanning used a business trip as an excuse to leave for a few days. When he returned, he gave Gu Zhuo a huge surprise.

Gu Zhuo was still sleeping at the time. Sensing the familiar aura in his dream, he instinctively leaned over, pulled the person into his arms, and habitually rubbed against his chest. Suddenly, he felt something foreign on the side of his face. Jiang Yanning’s body stiffened from the stimulus, and he let out a sharp intake of breath.

Gu Zhuo woke up instantly. He pulled back the collar to look. On his “little sugar bean” (nipple), a ruby was hanging, dazzling and brilliant, reflecting a magnificent light in the sunlight. Jiang Yanning placed his hand behind Gu Zhuo’s head, applying a bit of force to let him see more clearly.

“I originally planned to make it into a ring for you, but I was afraid you wouldn’t want it, so I just did this. How is it? Do you like it?”

Gu Zhuo couldn’t say he didn’t like it; he had never imagined playing like this before! He threw himself excitedly into Jiang Yanning’s arms. Jiang Yanning opened his arms and pulled him into a full embrace. His arms tightened, and his pectoral muscles, which had become more developed through exercise these past few days, bulged slightly.

“If you like it, you can play however you want.”

If Gu Zhuo had a tail, it would surely be wagging happily right now. After fooling around for a few days, Gu Zhuo finally realized that Jiang Yanning had probably awakened some strange attribute. Like a fox spirit in human form, he wanted to suck his essence every day. Pathetically, Gu Zhuo couldn’t resist at all, daily indulging in the “gentle land.” Even if 77 said a single word in his ear and disturbed him and Jiang Yanning, he would be swatted away.

After being thrown against the wall for the fourth time, 77 was furious.

…

That night, Gu Zhuo had a nightmare. It was in the interstellar world he was familiar with. The original skyscrapers were all razed to the ground, and the air was thick with the smell of blood. He looked down; under the wreckage of the mecha beneath his feet, corpses were strewn everywhere. Weak crying could be faintly heard in the surroundings, though he didn’t know which corner the person was buried in.

Gu Zhuo had always been cold-blooded; he was sent to the Colosseum before he was even an adult, hovering on the edge of life and death countless times. His heart was long since hard as iron. He stepped out expressionlessly, walking among the ruins. He felt puzzled. What happened here? How many years ago was this scene?

According to the timeline he was from, although the Empire and the Federation were at odds with undercurrents surging, a war of this scale would absolutely not break out in such a short time. As he was lamenting that the dream had no basis, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a low-lying house. While the skyscrapers were destroyed, this house was so small that it had escaped. Most importantly, it was his house. The only relic left to him by his mother, who had died early.

The arrangement of items inside the house was exactly as Gu Zhuo remembered. A thin layer of dust had accumulated on the table, showing the owner hadn’t been gone long. Indeed, not long, only four years. Gu Zhuo had been taken away by his father when his secondary differentiation began at fourteen. He stayed in the Colosseum for two years, and then was sent to the Empire to disguise himself as an Omega for two years. Until his death, only four years had passed.

Gu Zhuo’s hand trembled slightly, bracing himself against the nearby table. Since this wasn’t the past, it was the future. This was what happened after he left the interstellar world.

77, did you do this?77 flew out from the void, no longer its usual playful self.Host, time is running out. You should complete the mission.So you peeked at my memories and forged this dream?Gu Zhuo’s tone was level, seemingly suppressing something. 77 shook its head.No. This is an image generated by assuming you died at that banquet, combined with the information I know. If you don’t choose to return to the original world, the interstellar world will become like this. The Federation will be utterly defeated.

Gu Zhuo was the key to the Federation’s victory or defeat. He was an undercover agent sent by the Federation to the Empire to collect information; he held secrets that could severely damage the Empire, which would be the key to the Federation’s comeback. But Gu Zhuo died. He died at that banquet. Because his identity was exposed early, he was fought over by those Alphas of the Empire, discussed as a delicious dish deprived of human rights.

With only a photon gun, Gu Zhuo had no way to escape safely from the heavy encirclement. So he chose the method with the greatest loss: dying together with them. It wasn’t that he didn’t know the importance of those secrets; he just didn’t expect the Federation would lose so tragically.

Outside the house, the cries of survivors grew weaker. Before the crying vanished, Gu Zhuo couldn’t resist and walked out. He saw a little girl dragging a half-severed leg, crawling bit by bit toward her mother, who was long dead. She wanted to seek comfort. A long trail of blood was left on the road, overlapping with the path Gu Zhuo had crawled years ago.

At fourteen, after his differentiation succeeded, he personally killed those Alphas who had harmed his mother, but he himself was seriously wounded. He had also crawled slowly to his mother’s side like this, grabbing her cold hand.

Intense emotions long buried, like a bubbling well, struck a crack in the bottom of Gu Zhuo’s heart over and over. He suddenly sighed.77, it turns out that sometimes, you aren’t that stupid.

…

After deciding to complete the mission, Gu Zhuo began to resist. He firmly expressed his determination to go out to Jiang Yanning. If the hard way didn’t work, he tried the soft way, rubbing against Jiang Yanning’s neck like a coquettish big cat. “Gege, I really want to go out. If you don’t believe me, you can send people to follow me.”

Jiang Yanning didn’t speak; he just grabbed his collar and kissed him. Gu Zhuo understood instantly.

One day shortly after. “Xiao Zhuo, wake up! I have good news to tell you!” Gu Zhuo was shaken awake. He rubbed the corners of his eyes, seeing the restraints on his hands had been removed at some point. Jiang Yanning reached out to gently brush his hair, leaning down slightly. “Xiao Zhuo, your mother’s illness is cured! Are you happy?”

Gu Zhuo was happy, of course, because it was the medicine he had exchanged with points that cured Mother Gu. However, he had pre-emptively approached Jiang Yanning to get Mother Gu a famous expert and a more comprehensive treatment plan. So everyone else thought she was cured by the expert.

Facing Jiang Yanning’s joyful eyes, he feigned surprise. “Really? That’s great! Can I go see her?” Jiang Yanning flattened his lips, got up reluctantly, and handed him the clothes he had prepared. “Of course you should go. But aren’t you going to introduce me to your mother?” Gu Zhuo was busy changing and agreed offhandedly.

It wasn’t until they were in front of Mother Gu that Jiang Yanning naturally stated he was Gu Zhuo’s boyfriend, and Gu Zhuo realized things had gone wrong. Sure enough, Mother Gu’s smile became forced; for the sake of politeness, she didn’t make it obvious.

After a few words, Jiang Yanning’s phone rang. It was Assistant Zhou contacting him to handle company affairs. He picked up the phone, apologized to Mother Gu, and walked out of the ward. Once he was gone, Mother Gu looked at Gu Zhuo, her lips parting as if hesitating whether to speak.

Gu Zhuo broke the silence first. “Mom, what do you want to say?” Mother Gu rubbed her palms awkwardly and lowered her head. “I… I don’t know. Because Mr. Jiang has helped us so much, it’s a bit inappropriate for me to say this now. But Zhuozhuo, Mom thought you would find a girl to spend your life with.”

Seeing that Gu Zhuo wasn’t angry, she continued. “Your dad and I used to often think about what kind of girlfriend you would find, having your own children—whether boy or girl, we were looking forward to it. We even wanted to prepare a wedding house for you, earn a lot of money for your ‘bride price’ fund…”

She seemed lost in memories, unable to stop. Finally, Gu Zhuo gently patted her shoulder, apologizing but having no intention of changing his mind. “Sorry, Mom, I’ve already promised to be with Jiang Yanning.”

Mother Gu wiped away a tear that had fallen unconsciously and shook her head. “You don’t need to apologize, I was just talking. Since you’ve made your choice, Mom won’t force you. After all, Mr. Jiang is a great benefactor to our family; it was really inappropriate for me to say those things just now. Zhuozhuo, just act like I never said it. I must be out of my mind.”

The two talked for a bit longer. When Jiang Yanning returned, they picked up their things to leave the hospital and go home. Gu Zhuo’s original home had been slightly renovated by a team sent by Jiang Yanning. It was clean and tidy, unlike the old house Mother Gu had lived in for over a decade.

At noon, the two had lunch with Mother Gu and prepared to leave. Getting into the car, Gu Zhuo watched the retreating figure of his mother in the rearview mirror, as if seeing his mother from the other world waving to him. He stood between the two mothers, gradually walking toward the illusory shadow with determination.

His head was suddenly pulled into Jiang Yanning’s embrace. He came back to his senses and looked up in confusion. Jiang Yanning didn’t dare say it, but he had just felt a nameless panic, as if Gu Zhuo was about to leave him. “If you miss Mom, I can accompany you to see her.”

Gu Zhuo arched an eyebrow. “I’m not a child anymore, why are you still coaxing me like this?” Jiang Yanning suddenly raised the partition in the middle of the car and straddled Gu Zhuo’s lap. He leaned close to his ear. “Then let’s have a child.” Gu Zhuo immediately felt something was wrong; an alarm went off in his head. Damn it, he heard it!

…

The overworked 77 discovered that the frequency of pheromone blending between the Host and Jiang Yanning had increased again recently. It couldn’t even find a chance to report to the host that it had upgraded. Seeing the mission deadline getting closer, it squatted by their bed every day, causing Gu Zhuo to look at it several times, drawing Jiang Yanning’s suspicion.

“What are you looking at? Why aren’t you looking at me?” Those vinegar-filled (jealous) words gave Gu Zhuo a headache. Recently, Jiang Yanning’s temper had become stranger and stranger; he could barely handle it. He thought following his lead would make him happy, but who knew he would be jealous even of the air. Gu Zhuo threw a pillow out to cover 77 and continued what he hadn’t finished.

A few days later, Gu Zhuo finally firmly rejected Jiang Yanning’s embrace and sincerely told him a fact. “You’re a man! Men can’t get pregnant!” Jiang Yanning swept a suspicious gaze over his whole body. Noticing his slightly dark eye circles, he nodded pityingly. “Fine, I won’t bother you. I’m going to work.”

Once he was gone, 77 immediately flew to Gu Zhuo, its little wings almost hitting his face.Host! I upgraded! I upgraded!Mm. And?And let’s go finish the mission! I can help you knock Jiang Yanning out, and then we’ll sneak away. I can help you block all surveillance on the way, I guarantee he won’t find you!Gu Zhuo didn’t speak, just quietly looked at it. 77 understood. What “forced possession”? The host is clearly enjoying it. It regretfully gave up the first plan.

Then let’s do this: Jiang Yanning isn’t home during the day, we’ll sneak out. I’ll help you block the surveillance, I absolutely won’t let Jiang Yanning find out you left. How about it?】 Gu Zhuo clapped his hands.Let’s go with that. We set off tomorrow.

These past few days, Gu Zhuo hadn’t been without gains. He had squeezed the whereabouts of He Wenyun and Li Chuan out of Jiang Yanning. Originally they were both in a private mental hospital, but recently Jiang Yanning was in a good mood and the Li parents had pleaded, so they were released. He Wenyun, because of the show Gu Xiao participated in, was now famous and had become popular even domestically. Under the pressure of public opinion, Jiang Yanning had released him too.

Now, Li Chuan should be at home, occasionally going out with his “fair-weather” friends. He Wenyun should be living in a hotel long-term, preparing for the next show. The first major function after 77’s upgrade was being able to locate the positions of several important characters in the book. Like the eight gongs, and Gu Xiao.

This morning, Jiang Yanning got up early to make breakfast, gave Gu Zhuo a gentle good morning kiss, and left the house. Gu Zhuo closed his eyes to fake sleep. After seeing the little red dot belonging to Jiang Yanning leave, he stood up quickly, changed into his gear, and intended to put on the “Ding You” persona to find He Wenyun.

As for the reason, He Wenyun’s hotel was close, and he didn’t have a car.

One person and one system walked three kilometers. Gu Zhuo’s face under the mask was covered in a thin layer of sweat.77, next time you upgrade, can you make your wings bigger? Fly me.77’s little wings flapped non-stop.Host, there are skills like teleportation in our mall, but your current points are 0!The ten million he had painstakingly earned had all been used for Mother Gu’s treatment. Gu Zhuo touched the last red bill in his pocket and stopped talking.

He arrived at the hotel and went straight to the top floor. While blocking the surveillance, Gu Zhuo knocked directly on He Wenyun’s door. The door opened; Gu Zhuo squeezed in, knocked He Wenyun out with a punch, and started searching. According to 77’s deduction, there was a high probability that He Wenyun had a fragment! Because in the original plot he liked Gu Xiao, but now he likes Jiang Yanning. He even planned to be a “0” (bottom) for love. This must have been influenced by a fragment.

Gu Zhuo searched exceptionally carefully, and 77 joined in. Ten minutes later, one person and one system walked out of the hotel cursing.A lunatic! A photo hidden so deep under five locks, and when you look, it’s just a headshot of Jiang Yanning.Gu Zhuo looked down, examining the photo he had swiped. Finally, he had 77 scan it and make an identical one. Then he lit the original photo with a lighter, burning it to ashes. He Wenyun’s room had nothing special except those perverted things. This operation was another failure.

77 flitted irritably across the light screen, clicking on the avatars of the eight characters over and over. Suddenly, it realized something. 【Host, the romance lines and plot lines of the protagonist gongs… they are all complete.】

If the plot line was about giving Gu Xiao money over and over, saying it was complete was barely acceptable. But what about the romance lines? Wasn’t the destined person of the protagonist going? 77 refreshed the data and cleared the cache again and again, but the result remained the same.

Seeing Gu Zhuo’s face grow darker, 77 was so panicked its wings were fighting each other. 【77, don’t joke with me.How could Jiang Yanning possibly like Gu Xiao? 77 expanded the light screen and gave the evidence to Gu Zhuo. It had previously been thought that since the protagonist gong liked the Host so much, the romance line would definitely be at 0, and with the plot line being so simple, there was no need to worry. Who knew that opening it would give it such a shock.

The light screen showed that the total completion value of Task 2 had reached 59%. Only one step away from the passing line, and the Host would be considered to have finished the mission.

The person and system stayed by the roadside for too long; passers-by cast puzzled glances at Gu Zhuo. Gu Zhuo curled his pale lips, his pupils deep without a trace of light.Forget it, 77. Contact Li Chuan first.

…

Gu Zhuo knew he was good at disguising himself, so he had split his soul into two. One part was used for sweetness with Jiang Yanning, and the other part watched coldly from the side. After trying to find a flaw in Jiang Yanning, he discovered that Jiang Yanning seemed even better at disguising than he was. Every move, every smile, was perfectly natural and beyond reproach.

The data on 77’s light screen was so clear it made his eyes ache. He had said long ago that if Jiang Yanning no longer had only him, he would kill him. Even if he couldn’t give the other person a promise to stay together for life. But the cleanliness obsession and logic in his soul clashed in his mind. He suddenly couldn’t restrain his hand, placing it on Jiang Yanning’s neck. Slowly tightening.

His pupils reflected the expression on Jiang Yanning’s face, which went from surprise to helplessness. He even stretched his body, elongated his neck, and looked at Gu Zhuo without blinking. “What’s wrong? Want to play this today?”

Gu Zhuo applied more force; the windpipe was squeezed, and breathing became difficult. Jiang Yanning didn’t even frown. He just reached out and gently patted Gu Zhuo’s head. “Unhappy? Who made you angry?” He wanted to stand up and hug him but was pressed even harder into the sofa by Gu Zhuo; his face instantly turned a bit purple.

Gu Zhuo let go as if he had been burned. Jiang Yanning clutched his neck, coughing violently. Physiological tears flowed from his eyes, which he wiped away casually. “What exactly happened? Cough cough, is it because I’m too busy with work and didn’t spend time with you? Are you angry?”

Gu Zhuo was pulled into his embrace in a daze. His ear was pressed against his chest. Across a distance of skin and flesh, the heart in the chest was still beating rapidly because of the sudden turn of events. Jiang Yanning’s body was reminding him: Danger, stay away. But his emotions told him: Gu Zhuo is sad, needs a hug.

A husky voice sounded in his ear. “Be good, don’t be angry anymore. Tomorrow I’ll take a day off and go to the amusement park with you, okay? If that’s really not enough, I’ll go cancel your leave so you can go to school and make friends. How about that?”

During the time Gu Zhuo’s cover was first blown, Jiang Yanning had forcefully taken leave for him and didn’t allow him to contact friends. Now he had hurt him, but he was allowed to go out. Gu Zhuo bit his lower lip secretly, his hands unable to exert any strength. He had never been like this when killing people before; everyone who betrayed him had been killed with one shot. But Jiang Yanning had lied to him, and he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He couldn’t help but test him: “I almost killed you just now. Aren’t you angry? Won’t you stop liking me?” A muffled chuckle came from his chest by his ear. “How could I bear to be angry? You usually toss me around like that, and I haven’t even scolded you once.” He gently tugged on Gu Zhuo’s ear. “Little ungrateful one, as long as you don’t leave me, I will never be angry with you.”

The paranoia in Jiang Yanning’s nature was no less than Gu Zhuo’s, but he was more like the ocean, able to accommodate all of Gu Zhuo’s disguises, deceptions, and even murderous intent. As long as Gu Zhuo didn’t try to leave, he could indulge him forever. If Jiang Yanning could look down at this moment, he would find the confusion on Gu Zhuo’s face. Even 77 began to doubt its own data. Even this isn’t love?

…

The day agreed upon with Li Chuan soon arrived. On his way to school, Gu Zhuo was “kidnapped” very compliantly and locked in a basement. He was following the plot where Li Chuan kidnaps Gu Xiao later in the story, wanting a forced possession.

In the original plot, on the second day Gu Xiao was locked in the basement, Jiang Yanning arrived. The bodyguards he brought fought with Li Chuan’s subordinates, while he himself walked unhurriedly into the basement and easily took Gu Xiao away. The original text described Jiang Yanning at that time as a god descending to earth, becoming the light in Gu Xiao’s life. From then on, Gu Xiao began to slowly return Jiang Yanning’s feelings, eventually reaching a Happy Ending (HE).

77 read the original text to Gu Zhuo with great emotion. Gu Zhuo frowned and interrupted. He inexplicably found it noisy. The ropes on his hands were tied a bit tightly; he expertly untied them, only loosely wrapping them around his hands twice, leaning against the wall behind him. It was morning; he still needed to spend the afternoon plus the night here without food or water. He needed to conserve his energy.

If not necessary, he didn’t want to go through with this plot; it would make Jiang Yanning worry. But as the protagonist gong, Jiang Yanning had already perfectly completed the plot line and romance line. As long as he finished this plot, he would be considered to have completed Task 2. 77 would let him resurrect and return to the original world.

He let his thoughts wander for a long time. His stomach slowly felt hungry; it was probably past mealtime now. Jiang Yanning probably already knew he was missing. Gu Zhuo hadn’t stayed in a dark house for a long time; now he was actually a bit unaccustomed to it. Clearly, before the age of sixteen, he had always lived in such dim places…

Gu Zhuo’s eyelids gradually drooped; he was so bored he dozed off. The sound of tables and chairs colliding sounded outside the door; he didn’t take it seriously, thinking it was just Li Chuan being crazy. It wasn’t until the commotion grew louder and messy footsteps grew closer that he sensed something was wrong.

The basement door was pulled open. Jiang Yanning rushed to Gu Zhuo’s side. His calves, which had been overexerted, went soft, and his knees hit the ground with a loud thud. “Xiao Zhuo, Xiao Zhuo, are you okay?” He checked up and down. Finding no wounds, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Gu Zhuo into his arms. “It’s good you’re okay. Don’t be afraid, I’m here to save you. Don’t be afraid.”

Gu Zhuo turned his eyes slowly, his body a bit stiff. His mind was still filled with the image of Jiang Yanning rushing in just now. His suit was messy, his arms had purple bruises from hitting something, and his knuckles were red and swollen, some even scraped. He looked pathetic. He didn’t look like the god Gu Xiao described at all; rather, he looked like a refugee who had just escaped from a bandit’s nest.

In less than half a day, Jiang Yanning had found him. These traces all over his body only explained one thing: in Jiang Yanning’s heart, Gu Zhuo was far more important than the protagonist shou in the original plot.

This realization made a ball of fire rise in Gu Zhuo’s heart. It dispersed the ice wall in his soul, dispersed the coldness of the basement, and gave warmth to his limbs. Releasing the ropes, Gu Zhuo hugged the person in his arms tightly, burying his head in his neck. The gland that hadn’t yet fully grown throbbed under the skin to the rhythm of the blood vessels.

Gu Zhuo’s heart skipped a beat, and his lips covered it. Jiang Yanning’s hand paused, thinking this was a manifestation of seeking a sense of security; the movements of his hand became even gentler. “Bite, it’s okay.”

In the crude basement, they performed a brief temporary marking. The rich milk scent and bitter coffee scent intertwined, filling Jiang Yanning’s body. He dazedly let Gu Zhuo lead him away, his fingers clutching a corner of the clothes dependently.

Getting into the car, Gu Zhuo wanted to put him down but was afraid of touching his injured arms. Helpless, he had to wake the person up and ask for his cooperation. Jiang Yanning opened his misty eyes, grabbed one of Gu Zhuo’s hands, pulled aside the hem of his clothes, and placed it on his slightly bulging lower abdomen.

His voice carried an inexplicable shyness. “Xiao Zhuo, I think I’m pregnant.”