Fu Xiuning’s car had a high safety rating, and the collision earlier hadn’t been too severe, so it was still drivable.
However, having just finished a round of insane maneuvers, the driver clearly wasn’t about to take any more risks. He parked the car safely by the roadside and called a towing company.
Since one of them was unconscious, not everyone stayed behind.
In the end, Xiao Qin remained to wait for the tow truck, while Fu Xiuning drove another car, taking Xing Shi and Chai Xiaoyu back.
The mountain road was quiet, with very little traffic. On one side was the guardrail and beyond it the coast, while the other side was a dark mountain slope.
Only a short section of the road ran along the sea; the rest was forest.
Looking at the dim road ahead, Xing Shi asked, “How did you even find this road?”
Fu Xiuning replied, “By accident.”
“Really?” Xing Shi asked.
Fu Xiuning elaborated, “I used to be bored, so I drove around the suburbs and surrounding roads of City Z.”
Xing Shi said, “Scouting, in case you ever needed it?”
Fu Xiuning answered, “Something like that.”
Xing Shi then asked curiously, “Brother, you’re a pretty good driver, huh?”
There was a brief pause before Fu Xiuning responded, “I practiced specifically.”
Xing Shi seemed to recall something and said in a daze, “Ah, right. You were into racing for a while. You really have a wide range of hobbies.”
This time, Fu Xiuning didn’t reply immediately.
In the back seat, Chai Xiaoyu was still dazed. Now that there was no need to keep up appearances, they had finally arrived at the heart of tonight’s events.
Fu Xiuning rested his hand gently on the steering wheel, organizing his thoughts.
He used to be able to coax any host easily. But now that he genuinely cared, none of the words he used before felt right.
Finally, he said softly, “Whatever you like doing, I’ll do it with you.”
Xing Shi replied, “That sounds so pitiful.”
Fu Xiuning said gently, “I’m your boyfriend. Accompanying you is part of my job.”
Xing Shi blinked in mock surprise. “So you still remember that you’re my boyfriend. I thought you were going to run off with my junior instead.”
Fu Xiuning: “…”
Chai Xiaoyu wasn’t actually injured—it was mostly psychological trauma from overstimulation.
But he was young, and he regained consciousness not long after.
The moment he woke up, he heard that exchange. He blinked twice, then suddenly sat up with a jolt. “Boss, he and I are innocent! There’s absolutely nothing going on! I swear!”
He didn’t want to go through another rollercoaster like tonight, so he added frantically, “I like girls! I’ve never had feelings for men, ever!”
Xing Shi: “…”
99 and the Best Fortune: “…”
Fu Xiuning, for once, found him a little more agreeable and asked, “You’re awake? Are you feeling alright?”
Chai Xiaoyu was so emotionally scarred that even the concern sounded threatening. He answered carefully, “No… I’m fine.”
Fu Xiuning asked again, “You’re not dizzy?”
Chai Xiaoyu’s scalp tingled from the overly kind tone. It sounded like he was plotting something.
He replied cautiously, “Not dizzy. I’m perfectly fine.”
Fu Xiuning said, “Just in case, I’ll take you to the hospital for a checkup.”
Chai Xiaoyu was so scared that he waved both hands in protest. “No need! Really! Don’t worry, I’m fine!”
As he spoke, he sneaked a glance at Xing Shi in the front seat, afraid that if he kept chatting too long, his boss would tell him to go out for another round of ‘fun’ tomorrow.
So he quickly said to save himself, “I—I’ll just lie down for a while. You two keep talking.”
Then he flopped back down and turned away from them like he was dead.
The two people in the front didn’t completely forget his presence, but the conversation paused temporarily, and the car fell into silence.
After a while, Fu Xiuning glanced at Xing Shi and asked, “Want to grab a late-night snack on the way back?”
Xing Shi replied, “I’m not hungry.”
Fu Xiuning suggested, “If you’re sleepy, take a nap. It’s more than an hour’s drive.”
Xing Shi answered, “I’m not sleepy.”
After a beat, he added, “Because I’m with you.”
Fu Xiuning’s eyes darkened. He reached out a hand toward him.
Xing Shi said, “Focus on the road.”
Fu Xiuning retracted his hand and returned it to the wheel.
They continued along the winding road until they hit a traffic light.
At the red light, Fu Xiuning reached his hand out again.
This time, Xing Shi glanced over, then placed his hand into Fu Xiuning’s.
Fu Xiuning immediately held it tightly, then gently kneaded it a few times before interlocking their fingers.
Xing Shi turned to look at him. “You’re really okay?”
He’d already asked once before. After all, there were signs the car had taken a hit, and Chai Xiaoyu had passed out from the shock. He couldn’t tell if Fu Xiuning had any hidden injuries.
Originally, he wanted to stay behind and let Xiao Qin drive the two of them back. But Fu Xiuning wouldn’t allow it, so they had split up instead.
Fu Xiuning said, “Really.”
Xing Shi asked, “You didn’t hit anything?”
Fu Xiuning admitted, “A little.”
He carefully chose his words. “It was just a normal bump. Nothing serious. I was just jealous and wanted to scare someone a little. It was all under control—don’t worry.”
Chai Xiaoyu nearly exploded in the back.
Normal?! Dragging someone to a cliffside, threatening to drive into the ocean, crashing into a mountain, telling them their life is over, and demanding compensation?! That’s your definition of simple?!
He was furious—but too afraid to say a word. He just shrank deeper into the seat, pitifully silent.
Xing Shi and Fu Xiuning heard the shuffling in the back and simultaneously fell quiet.
When the light turned green, Fu Xiuning let go of Xing Shi’s hand and focused on driving. They merged into the traffic and soon entered the expressway.
By the time they returned to the city, it was already late.
Fu Xiuning drove directly to the Fu Family Hospital.
Almost everyone in the emergency room recognized him. The moment they saw him, they figured this young master of metaphysics had probably gotten into trouble again and rushed to greet him.
The exam went quickly. After checking the scans, the doctor confirmed there was no major injury—just a bruise, treatable with some ointment.
During that time, Chai Xiaoyu went to the restroom. When he came out, he saw Fu Xiuning calmly washing his hands at the sink.
His heart immediately began to pound.
It felt like Fu Xiuning had been waiting for him on purpose.
Fu Xiuning looked at Chai Xiaoyu and calmly concluded,
“Thanks to you tonight, I accidentally found out how Sui Sui really feels about me. So let’s just forget about the car.”
Chai Xiaoyu paused. “…Oh.”
Fu Xiuning slowly dried his hands and added,
“I don’t want tonight’s events being spread around. You wouldn’t want people gossiping that your boss is dating a psycho, right?”
Chai Xiaoyu: “…”
No—your condition is so serious, even if I don’t say anything, wouldn’t people still figure it out?
He held back his complaints and replied tactfully, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone a word of it.”
Fu Xiuning let out a soft “Mm.” His tone was still gentle.
“Sui Sui doesn’t seem to dislike you. You can keep calling me ‘brother’ if you want, but you’ll have to add a surname.”
Chai Xiaoyu responded obediently, “Okay, Brother Fu.”
Fu Xiuning went on,
“It’s fine if you want to keep in touch with Sui Sui once in a while, but you’d better not have any other intentions.”
Chai Xiaoyu’s heart skipped a beat. He said seriously,
“Absolutely not. I only see him as my boss. You two are a match made in heaven!”
Fu Xiuning nodded in satisfaction—and finally let him go.
The three of them left the emergency room. Chai Xiaoyu took a taxi alone, saying they were headed in different directions.
Fu Xiuning and Xing Shi returned to the car and drove back to their community.
After changing his shoes at the door, Xing Shi started to walk inside, but Fu Xiuning reached out and grabbed his wrist.
Xing Shi stopped but didn’t look back.
Fu Xiuning stepped forward and hugged him from behind, gently kissed his earlobe, and whispered,
“I should’ve told you in advance.”
Xing Shi said nothing.
He knew it had been risky—and that Fu Xiuning hadn’t told him because he knew Xing Shi might not agree.
Fu Xiuning tightened his embrace and murmured,
“Sui Sui, don’t be mad.”
Xing Shi gave a soft “mm” and patted his arm. “Go shower. I’ll put the medicine on you.”
Fu Xiuning wisely didn’t argue that “it’s just a scratch” at this point. He let go and reminded gently,
“Dry your hair when you come out—it’s cold.”
Xing Shi didn’t turn back. “Okay.”
99 watched him enter the bathroom and couldn’t help asking,
“Are you really mad?”
Xing Shi asked in return, “Shouldn’t I be?”
99 nodded. “True, he was a little scary tonight. I was scared.”
Then, as if to ease the tension, it changed the subject:
“But he’s got so many years of experience. You saw it—it turned out fine.”
Xing Shi said calmly, “I know.”
Since he clearly understood what he was dealing with, 99 wisely dropped the subject, not wanting to annoy him.
It glanced at the system still in dormancy and floated over curiously.
“Is Green Bean Paste the one from that group? Why hasn’t it woken up yet?”
It really didn’t get it.
Both it and the later-arriving systems had gone dormant after the energy burst, due to data instability. But Green Bean Paste had its energy absorbed normally—it shouldn’t be unconscious.
Xing Shi said plainly,
“Oh, there wasn’t an explosion this time. I gave it a little… help when I was absorbing the energy.”
The Best Fortune: “…”
99: “Huh?”
Xing Shi elaborated:
“I made the energy wrap around it and spin at high speed.”
He thought for a moment and added,
“Kind of like… a tornado. Or a washing machine.”
99: “…”
It turned to look at the Green Bean system again, now with a hint of pity in its gaze.
“Will that even… work?”
Xing Shi shrugged. “Who knows.”
Anyway, he didn’t need a test subject anymore, so whether Green Bean Paste woke up or not didn’t matter.
Compared to other hosts, Chai Xiaoyu had gotten off lightly. He hadn’t dismantled him on the spot tonight because, first, he didn’t want to expose Chai Xiaoyu’s identity as a host; second, he didn’t want the other hosts to realize he was still around.
He asked, “How long will the road surveillance footage be kept?”
99 quickly checked. “One month.”
Xing Shi nodded. If Green Bean Paste still hadn’t regained its memory by then, he’d dismantle it when the time was right.
After showering, drying his hair, and changing into pajamas, Xing Shi went to the living room.
When Fu Xiuning came out from his own shower, he saw Xing Shi already sitting on the sofa.
But instead of scrolling through his phone like usual, he was reading the instructions on the medicine very carefully. The warm light glowed above him, and in that moment of calm concentration, his whole figure seemed to soften.
Fu Xiuning’s eyes darkened slightly, and he slowly walked over.
He knew Xing Shi might still be angry. But that was fine—he could coax him for as long as it took.
There was no way he would let go.
Xing Shi heard the approaching footsteps and looked up.
Fu Xiuning walked over and touched Xing Shi’s head, confirming that his hair was completely dry. Then he sat down with his back to him and took off his shirt.
The worst of his injuries was on his left shoulder, where bruising had already started to show.
Fu Xiuning could have applied the ointment himself—it wasn’t a hard-to-reach spot—but he pretended not to notice it at all. Xing Shi didn’t call him out on it and quietly applied the medicine for him. As he did, he noticed a faint scar nearby—no idea what kind of incident had left it behind.
He knew tonight’s injury was nothing serious for someone like Fu Xiuning. He also knew that with Fu Xiuning’s experience, he must have already assessed all the risks in advance.
But he also knew that Fu Xiuning had acted so fast and decisively because of him—because he didn’t want Xing Shi to be troubled by Chai Xiaoyu.
Besides, in their world, what didn’t carry danger? Being soft-hearted wouldn’t accomplish anything.
Xing Shi thought to himself that if their roles were reversed, he probably would’ve done the same thing.
Still… he was worried.
Back when he’d rushed to the scene earlier, what flashed through his mind were all the details of Fu Xiuning’s past injuries, the bruises on his neck after that last incident with Lin Kecheng…
He didn’t want to see that again.
He capped the ointment and set it aside, then leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Fu Xiuning.
Fu Xiuning paused slightly, then clasped his hands over Xing Shi’s.
Xing Shi rested his chin on his shoulder, was quiet for a moment, and whispered:
“Fu Xiuning… there won’t be a next time.”
Fu Xiuning instantly understood—this meant he was forgiven. He gently pulled Xing Shi’s arms away, turned to face him, grabbed the back of his head, and kissed him.
Xing Shi tilted his head to cooperate, hooked his arms around Fu Xiuning’s neck—and was soon pressed down on the sofa.
Their kiss deepened and deepened, moving quickly from tender to passionate.
Their shirts came undone. Their chests pressed together. They could feel each other’s heartbeat.
Just as Fu Xiuning reached for his pajama waistband, Xing Shi caught his wrist with pinpoint accuracy.
Fu Xiuning froze, looking down at him.
Xing Shi steadied his breathing and gave him a look, motioning for him to stop and get up.
Fu Xiuning held his gaze for a few seconds, then stood up with restraint. Xing Shi casually adjusted his shirt, leaned forward to peck him lightly on the corner of the mouth—then quickly stood before Fu Xiuning could deepen the kiss.
“What a pity,” Xing Shi said with a teasing smile. “An injured person shouldn’t overexert himself.”
He made a heart with his hands and added cheerfully, “Good night, Brother~ Sweet dreams!”
Fu Xiuning: “…”
Before he could respond, Xing Shi had already fled into the bedroom.
Fu Xiuning stood in the living room, listening to the soft sound of the door closing. He touched his lips, still warm from the kiss, and let out a quiet laugh.
—
The next morning, the two of them met at the breakfast table, looking as composed as ever.
The only difference? As soon as the housekeeper left after serving breakfast, Xing Shi was pulled into a deep kiss by Fu Xiuning.
It lasted nearly ten minutes. If the two of them hadn’t had at least some self-control, they wouldn’t have been able to go out today.
Afterward, Xing Shi calmly returned to his seat under 99’s teasing and began to eat.
99 said dramatically, “You’re still in the mood to eat at a time like this?”
Xing Shi replied, “Want to hear the truth?”
99 perked up immediately, “Of course! Are you actually going to tell me?”
Xing Shi nodded. “Yes.”
It was rare for 99 to hear him speak so sincerely. It got even more excited, “Okay, go on!”
Xing Shi said, “I could actually skip the meal.”
99 immediately offered him some sugar: “Right! Love is better than food! Who cares about porridge!”
Xing Shi took another spoonful of porridge and asked calmly, “Do you know what I would be doing right now if I wasn’t eating?”
99 shook its head, humble and curious. “Well, it might not be polite to share that with us~”
The Best Fortune: “…”
Xing Shi said, “No, you two are exactly the right audience.”
99 wobbled again. “Okay, I’m ready~”
Xing Shi said casually: “I’d be tearing you apart.”
99: “…”
After a few seconds of silence, Xing Shi looked up. “Aren’t you going to ask me why I’d do that?”
99 scrambled, “Nope! Eat up! Quick! Or it’ll get cold!”
Xing Shi answered with a merciful “Mm.”
He was just about to take another spoonful when suddenly, he heard an unfamiliar female voice in his mind.
—
Green Bean Paste had finally woken up from its coma. It opened its eyes to find two systems floating in front of it and looked very confused.
“Where… is this?”
