[Scene insert]
Pei Yiyan had a shiny silver chain around his neck. He was kneeling on the ground, his back covered with crisscrossing wounds that looked especially terrifying.
When the chain was yanked hard, he fell forward uncontrollably, landing in a kneeling, crawling position. The collar around his neck tightened continuously, and his face turned red from lack of air.
His hands instinctively reached up to pull at the collar, but that only angered the person holding the other end of the chain.
Shen Yuqing frowned and pulled the chain again. Looking down from above, he said coldly, “Did I allow you to move?”
“You…” Pei Yiyan was suffocating. His eyes had turned red.
Shen Yuqing walked step by step toward him, raised his leg without any mercy, and stepped on Pei Yiyan’s back. “Dogs can’t talk,” he said coldly.
Just then, the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open from outside. Shen Zhen stood there, eyes wide in disbelief. Then he shouted in anger, “Shen Yuqing! What are you doing?!”
—
The system reminded:
【Host, please skip your afternoon class and go to the Shen residence to complete the Pei Yiyan-related plot.】
Shen Yuqing felt like the world was going dark.
【Seriously, what kind of pervert is the original host?!】
The original host was oddly… talented when it came to sadomasochism.
The system said:
【That’s how the story goes.】
Even the system felt the original host had gone too far. After a moment of silence, it explained:
【Host, this world has actually been restarted several times. But in each attempt, the systems and taskers were given roles that were too unimportant, causing the missions to fail from the very start.】
So for this final attempt, the main brain chose the original host’s character—someone who could get close to all the male leads.
【We just didn’t expect the original host to be so…】
Even the AI system was too embarrassed to finish that sentence.
Shen Yuqing complained:
【Next time, can you guys at least do a proper background check?】
The system quickly promised:
【Don’t worry! I’ve already reported it to the main brain. This kind of issue will never happen again in the future!】
But the future was the future. Right now was now.
Shen Yuqing glanced at the time on his smart bracelet—it was nearly 1:30 PM.
He let out a sigh and turned to hail a ride back to the Shen residence.
Today was a weekday, so the Shen family wasn’t home. The system explained:
【Shen Zhen will come back early today. He’s about to start a partnership with the Pei family and wants to hear Pei Yiyan’s opinion.】
Even though Pei Yiyan had been pushed aside by the Pei family, he still knew more than outsiders.
But who would’ve thought Shen Zhen would walk in on a scene of abuse? Worse yet, after being found out, the original host didn’t stop—he got bolder, even throwing away any pretense.
When Shen Yuqing got home, he told the servants not to go upstairs, then slowly walked up himself.
The system urged:
【Host, no need to drag this out. The sooner you face it, the sooner it’s over. Shen Zhen will arrive at the gate in ten minutes and appear at the bedroom door in fifteen.】
Shen Yuqing dragged his feet.
【You don’t have to be that specific. That’s too much pressure.】
Right then, his smart bracelet buzzed. He looked down—it was a message from Lin Sui.
【Lin Sui: Bro Qing, I found out where Song Wangzhuo’s new part-time job is. Want to go check it out tonight?】
Shen Yuqing frowned. Why was Lin Sui so obsessed with messing with Song Wangzhuo?
The system, mechanical as ever, urged:
【Please complete the Pei Yiyan-related plot as soon as possible.】
There was no avoiding it.
Shen Yuqing took a deep breath and opened the bedroom door.
Pei Yiyan was lying on the sofa, napping. As an alpha, he was tall and broad. Even though he was now disabled, his natural good looks were still there.
He was curled up awkwardly on the small sofa, long legs bent, looking uncomfortable—but somehow, he still slept soundly.
As Shen Yuqing walked in, Pei Yiyan immediately opened his eyes at the sound of footsteps. He sat up and slightly frowned. “Who is it?”
Shen Yuqing didn’t try to hide. “It’s me.”
When Pei Yiyan heard his voice, a barely noticeable frown appeared on his face, but it disappeared quickly. His expression returned to its usual indifference. “Why are you back?”
Shen Yuqing looked down at his face, mind filled with that scene of Pei Yiyan crawling on the floor.
Yikes… who wouldn’t blacken after that?
If it were him, he’d blacken even faster than Pei Yiyan!
【Host, please complete the story mission as soon as possible.】
The system sounded anxious.
【Please complete the story mission!】
Pei Yiyan didn’t hear a response from Shen Yuqing. He frowned and tried to stand up—but before he could, he was yanked upright.
Shen Yuqing snapped, “Who let you sleep here? You want to kneel and reflect instead?!”
Pei Yiyan’s hands clenched tightly by his sides.
Ever since he started living in the Shen house, he had suffered constantly—enduring everything, lowering himself, becoming the lamb on Shen Yuqing’s chopping block.
Kneeling.
He’d been forced to kneel countless times.
But this time—he didn’t want to.
【Blackening level: 81 | Favorability: -68】
【Blackening level: 83 | Favorability: -70】
Shen Yuqing was stunned.
He hadn’t even done anything yet!
Why were both Song Wangzhuo and Pei Yiyan blackening ahead of schedule?!
The system was also shocked:
【What do we do, Host?!】
Blackening at 83—that was the highest it had reached in days.
And Pei Yiyan hadn’t even awakened yet. If he did… he might tear this world apart the next second.
Gritting his teeth, Shen Yuqing decided to go all in. He pushed Pei Yiyan down and scolded:
“You lie on the sofa all day. What use is that?!”
Pei Yiyan frowned, clearly caught off guard.
Eventually, he knelt down on the thick carpet. He sensed someone kneeling beside him. His eyes, void of any light, followed the sound and “looked” toward Shen Yuqing.
Shen Yuqing said, “You’re wasting all this time when you could be doing physical therapy. Just sleeping! You’re still young but so negative. Your punishment is—crawling in the dark!”
Crawling… in the dark?
This time, Pei Yiyan truly looked confused.
Shen Yuqing barked, “Why are you still standing there? If you don’t want to do rehab, then this is your punishment!”
The system fell silent.
It thought it was used to Shen Yuqing’s behavior… but every time it thought he’d reached the limit, he managed to break it again.
Shen Yuqing then got down on all fours too.
But he suddenly remembered—Pei Yiyan couldn’t see.
So, he reached over and grabbed Pei Yiyan’s wrist, placing the man’s hand on his own.
Pei Yiyan, unable to resist, leaned forward. He thought he was about to fall to the floor—but instead, he landed against something warm.
With his free hand, he touched the object—it was Shen Yuqing’s back.
His other hand rested on a warm hand.
Shen Yuqing said, “Feel it. Just once. Get a good sense of it!”
After saying that, Shen Yuqing pursed his lips.
Why did that sound kind of weird?
But he didn’t think about it too much. He guided Pei Yiyan’s hand upward, over his arm, shoulder, side—and just as he started to go lower, he paused, then let go.
“Got it?” Shen Yuqing asked. “Now do it yourself! Don’t even think about being lazy. I’m watching!”
Pei Yiyan looked conflicted and didn’t move.
【Blackening level: 80 | Favorability: -67】
【Blackening level: 79 | Favorability: –】
Shen Yuqing blinked.
Wait—what’s with the question marks?
He was just about to ask when the favorability stat updated:
【Favorability: -59】
At that moment, the bedroom door opened from outside.
Shen Zhen stood at the door in a suit, staring inside.
He said, “Yi—”
He couldn’t even finish Pei Yiyan’s name. All his words were stuck in his throat.
Then he blurted out, “What the hell are you two doing? Crawling like dogs in broad daylight?!”
…
Shen Yuqing suddenly realized—
He should’ve just said “crawl like a puppy” earlier! That would’ve made more sense!
But—wait a minute!
Who’s the dog here?!
He looked down at his own pose and clenched his teeth.
Fine, this time he’ll let it go.
Next time… there won’t be a next time!
