Playing the Foolish Beauty in a Deadly Game - Chapter 91

Lin Qiao’s cheeks turned slightly red from such a straightforward compliment: “What’s so cute about it? It’s just opening my mouth. There’s nothing cute about that…”

Although he said that, he still obediently opened his mouth. Yatagarasu glanced a few times: “Not bad, no swelling.”

He reached out, seemingly eager to touch, but then hesitated, fearing Lin Qiao might get angry: “Would a girl hate it if you touched her tongue?”

Lin Qiao’s tongue moved uncomfortably, and he closed his mouth. He didn’t think Yatagarasu wanted to touch him, after all, he wasn’t a girl: “If it’s your girlfriend, you can touch if she agrees.”

Yatagarasu pondered thoughtfully, a bit regretfully, with only a few big words in his mind: “So I can’t touch.”

Lin Qiao was curious why Yatagarasu asked this: “Does this question have anything to do with the game clue? It doesn’t sound like it.”

Lin Qiao didn’t misinterpret mainly because Yatagarasu hadn’t shown any extra affection towards him in the last game. Yatagarasu was straightforward and a bit clueless about romance. He seemed like a big snake that had just turned into a human, with extremely keen intuition but hard to associate with “love” or any ambiguous labels.

Yatagarasu shook his head decisively, of course, it had nothing to do. He looked Lin Qiao up and down, seemingly calm on the surface, but actually flustered inside. When he first heard Lin Qiao’s name, Yatagarasu had only one thought: to come and see who Lin Qiao was, he had to meet him.

But now, face to face with Lin Qiao, Yatagarasu didn’t know what to do next. He vaguely felt… he should be nice to Lin Qiao. After all, the instinct in his body didn’t feel disgust but pleasure when he saw Lin Qiao. This proved that Lin Qiao was not an enemy to be hunted but a good partner. In the horror game, being partners meant a very pleasant cooperative passage!

So Yatagarasu said resolutely: “Team up with me, I’ll take you through the game.”

Lin Qiao thought to himself that it was indeed for cooperation, so he proposed to exchange information. Yatagarasu didn’t hide anything: “My identity is a gang member. I have cooperation not only with all the brothels in Fog City, big and small, but also with the hospitals.”

“The gang has a factory, where only core members can work.”

“The game’s task is to find the vampire. I searched the entire Fog City at night and found no trace of the vampire.”

“You must quickly complete the identity card conversion. Players need to establish their own orphanage.”

Lin Qiao had to leave the orphanage, and Yatagarasu said directly: “I can take you away right now.”

Thinking of the harsh environment in the game, Yatagarasu continued: “You won’t go hungry. I’ll protect you.”

He didn’t know where his mind wandered to, but Yatagarasu described the upcoming life with Lin Qiao: “After opening the orphanage, you’ll take care of the children at home, and I’ll go out to work and find clues.”

“It’s not to restrict your freedom. You can go out too, but female players are more dangerous in this game world.”

“There have been recent cases of women going missing. I’m investigating.”

Lin Qiao pondered for a moment and had no intention of leaving with him. Clearly, the mysterious factory run by the gang, the missing women, and the cooperation with the orphanage and hospitals were all related to mummies. Lin Qiao boldly guessed that the gang’s factory was for processing mummies and then selling them to hospitals, orphanages, art galleries, and stores. The missing women might have been captured and taken to the mummy factory. As long as it was proven that the disappearances were connected to the gang, the mystery could be solved.

However, the clues were still incomplete. For instance, how did these things relate to the orphanage? There was also the little-known “Mummy Party.” If he followed Yatagarasu to establish an orphanage and start the main quest, it would be difficult to investigate the “Mummy Party” later. After all, such a grotesque party was a celebration for the nobility and the wealthy.

Lady Claurus’s recent behavior could allow Lin Qiao to enter high society as a “famous beauty.” Moreover, Lin Qiao’s persona as a naive and decorative character posed no threat and was less likely to arouse suspicion.

Lin Qiao rubbed his forehead, his slender and slightly pink-tinted fingertips applying a bit of pressure, his ink-like hair winding around his fingers as he twirled it. He explained his actions calmly, but Yatagarasu’s frown deepened as he listened: “You’re going to sleep with them?”

Lin Qiao emphasized, “I have props to avoid that. You can trust me…” Wait, remembering Yatagarasu’s earlier words, Lin Qiao tilted his head and said, “Do you think I’m a girl?”

Yatagarasu was taken aback for a moment, and Lin Qiao laughed, “I’m a boy, you know.”

Lin Qiao saw rejection, as well as shock and confusion in Yatagarasu’s eyes. Yatagarasu reached out directly towards Lin Qiao’s crotch, and Lin Qiao clamped his legs together: “What are you doing? Don’t reach in there.”

Yatagarasu forcefully pried them apart, with great strength. Lin Qiao, knowing that this kind of person was more responsive to gentle persuasion, softened his voice: “You, I… can you please stop touching?”

“What if I were a girl, would you be so impolite?”

Yatagarasu didn’t see a problem, but sensing Lin Qiao’s aversion, he stopped and didn’t continue. He looked deeply at Lin Qiao, then left through the window.

Lin Qiao: “……”

Lin Qiao thought for a moment, his cheeks gradually turning red. But it wasn’t because of being touched that he felt embarrassed; it was because of his current cross-dressing state. Lin Qiao wasn’t angry; he could understand Yatagarasu’s reaction. After all, he had cut off three heads just to “remember the name” and “enter the same game.” Yatagarasu must have come with high expectations. Seeing that the companion he had gone to such lengths to meet was a cute girl, the young snake was probably ready to protect her, which was why he had said those things. But then Lin Qiao suddenly revealed his gender. Likely from Yatagarasu’s perspective, the person he had paid such a high price to meet turned out to be a cross-dresser…

Lin Qiao covered his face, suddenly realizing that Yatagarasu’s words like “touching a girl’s tongue” and “so cute” might have been because he had a liking for the cross-dressed him. Lin Qiao felt relieved and a bit amused at the same time. He was relieved because if Yatagarasu had a liking for the cross-dressed him, it proved that Yatagarasu was straight and liked girls. It was amusing because the young snake’s heart must have been shattered…

Lin Qiao kicked the table beside him with his foot, deciding to apologize to Yatagarasu the next time they met.

On the other side, Di Qian was led by the shelter’s people to the most luxurious accommodation area. This time, Di Qian had asked Lin Qiao for quite a bit of money and, with some savings in hand, thought she could finally get a good night’s sleep. In the past few days, Di Qian had just slept in random corners, only to be harassed, robbed, and almost caught by the patrol team. With the weather getting colder, Di Qian had no choice but to go to the shelter.

She had thought there would at least be a bed, but for a penny, the shelter only provided a bench. Homeless vagrants, workers, and others had to squeeze together on the bench. A rope was strung in front of the bench, and leaning against it was a bit more comfortable, but since she had only paid a penny, she didn’t have the right to sleep. The shelter had people patrolling specifically, and if they saw someone in the penny area dozing off, they would go and shake them awake.

At that time, Di Qian couldn’t believe that after paying money, she was just given a place to sit. So she reluctantly paid another penny and went to the two-penny bench area. Here, she was allowed to sleep, but only by sitting on the bench with her upper body leaning against the rope. This was unheard of! The entire shelter was just a large room with rows of benches. People who paid two pennies slept with their upper bodies propped up on the rope, looking like clothes drying or hanging idle fish.

This time, she silently prayed that it wouldn’t be a rope again; she just wanted a bed! She had paid four pennies this time! Di Qian was full of anticipation, envisioning a modern hotel with a soft bed and pillows, and a warm blanket. But when she arrived, she saw that on the ground were rows of something like coffins, filled with straw. Di Qian could even see the bugs on the straw and the fungi that had grown from not being changed for a long time.

Di Qiao: “……”

Suddenly, she felt that the orphanage wasn’t so unbearable after all. The space in the stable was bigger than this! And so, Di Qian spent the night in the shelter. She didn’t sleep at all that night, truly experiencing how twisted the game world of this era was. At the same time, she was very resentful that Lin Qiao was well-fed, well-drunk, and well-slept. The next day, after much inquiry, Di Qian finally found the Nelson that Lin Qiao had mentioned.

The little boy in front of her had golden but dry hair, was skin and bones, and had injuries on his body. His eyes were extremely mature, and when he looked at Di Qian’s wallet, they were filled with greed: “What do you want with me?”

Di Qian’s eyes rolled: “Do you remember the person who saved you from drowning? His name is Lin Qiao. He’s rich now and wants you to go to Claurus Cleaning Company to see him.”

Nelson’s expression turned fierce, as if he wanted to bite Di Qian. Di Qian frowned: “Go if you want. Do you know anything about the mummy or your orphanage?”

Nelson licked his lips: “Big sister, one question for two pennies.”

Di Qian handed the pennies to Nelson, warning: “If you don’t tell me a satisfactory answer, I’ll break your legs.”

Nelson took the money and lazily said: “Mummy, ah, our orphan… orphanage, sorry we call it the poorhouse children’s branch, which is a foster home.”

“There are mummies there, hidden in the basement. The exact location is near Mrs. Fred’s bakery. You can find out if you ask around.”

Seeing that what he said was reasonable and well-founded, Di Qian temporarily dismissed her doubts and went to look for clues. Nelson, on the other hand, tossed a few pennies and sneered.

On the bustling street, a mansion was holding a banquet. Several gentlemen gathered together to persuade Yan Ting to participate, as they urgently needed Yan Ting to lead a big deal. However, Yan Ting was absent-minded, constantly looking towards the street. There were several carriages there, not luxurious but extremely clean. One of the carriages had a red-haired driver who was very familiar.

The red-haired driver got up and jumped down, holding a slender figure from the carriage. Yan Ting lowered his eyes and said, “Delicate.”