After playing Three Kingdoms Kill for a while, the time gradually approached midnight.

The hapless Ren Suo, who was stripped of his clothing and had his equipment cards taken away whether he was the Lord, Loyal Minister, Traitor, or Rebel, couldn't endure it any longer. After finally being the last character to die in the sixth game, he put down his cards and said, "I'm done, I'm done. I feel like you all are targeting me."

"Not at all!" Ren Xingmei shook her head. "You gave me a scarf, how could I target my brother?"

"Right, absolutely not," Qiao Muyi said with a light laugh. "I really like your gift; there's no way I'd target Xiao Suo."

"Mm-hmm," Dong Chengling nodded. "It's rare for Suo to give me a gift; I'm quite happy."

"After all, I also received a gift from you, Ren Suo, and I'm very happy about it, so why would I target you?" Gu Yueyan said calmly.

"Same here," Lin Xianyu giggled.

Ren Suo was speechless and suggested, "Let's play some other games..."

Dong Chengling stood up, checked Ren Suo's fridge, and asked, "Do you guys want some midnight snacks?"

"Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!" A man, a woman, and a child—three voices spoke up at the same time.

Ren Xingmei started Hell 4 Pro and said, "Lucky for us, you have a lot of controllers here, Brother, so we can have fun with a four-player co-op game."

Ren Suo nodded. He broke a controller every two months, so he naturally had a good stock of them.

While Dong Chengling prepared the midnight snack, Little Jiu played with her phone. Ren Suo, Ren Xingmei, Lin Xianyu, and Qiao Muyi chose to continue playing games. At this moment, Gu Yueyan suddenly stood up and said, "I think I'll go to sleep first... I'm feeling a bit sleepy."

"Goodnight," everyone said one after another.

Gu Yueyan nodded, then smiled at them. "I'll show you a little magic trick."

With a simple toss of her hand, a stream of moonlight scattered from Gu Yueyan's palm, falling like flower petals in the living room. The sparkling fragments of moonlight dissipated upon touch, creating a beautiful and dreamy spectacle.

"Wow..."

"So beautiful..."

"Zhao Huo would definitely drag you in to be a stage special effects artist if he saw this..."

Gu Yueyan smiled and turned to enter the guest room.

Then the four, including Ren Suo, started a chaotic brawl on a Hell map. As Ren Suo played, he suddenly heard Gu Yueyan's voice in his ear, "Ren Suo."

Ren Suo was momentarily startled, and his character was immediately knocked into the lava by Lin Xianyu. It was game over.

He remembered Gu Yueyan's spell ability and mentally asked, What's the matter that you have to talk to me in such a secretive way?

Gu Yueyan's "Moonlight Garment," among its effects, allowed two people to have a private conversation. Ren Suo promptly realized, Gu Yueyan's little magic show was just her way of secretly casting "Moonlight Garment" on him.

"I'm very scared," Gu Yueyan's voice trembled slightly.

"Is it something to do with your family?"

"No, I don't know what it is, but I'm just really scared... I always feel like something bad is getting closer."

Although Gu Yueyan's words were quite vague, Ren Suo didn't disbelieve her.

If it were Lin Xianyu, he would have to think it over carefully. However, Gu Yueyan never said anything without reason. If she said so, she must truly have sensed something.

And Gu Yueyan's words felt particularly like those of a female protagonist in a horror movie. It was a holiday today, and the night was deep. Gu Yueyan suddenly felt something was amiss...

Ren Suo consoled her, "Cheng Ling, Young Master Mu, and I are all here. You don't need to be afraid. With the three of us around, no Demons and Ghosts can come near you. Sleep peacefully."

"But I'm still very scared..." Gu Yueyan murmured.

Ren Suo tried to analyze Gu Yueyan using his own reasoning: Gu Yueyan is like a child who's afraid to go to the bathroom after watching a ghost film. Telling her that Demons and Ghosts couldn't beat her parents is useless; she needs a sufficient sense of security.

"Then what do you need me to do?"

"I want to fulfill the promise I made back then," Gu Yueyan said. "I hope you can... protect me."

Ren Suo responded, "While I feel awkward saying this myself, considering Combat Power, shouldn't you be asking Cheng Ling or Young Master Mu...?"

"Teacher Dong and Sister Qiao won't do," Gu Yueyan said. "It has to be you, only you. I don't know how to put it, but the reason I wanted to stay was because... I feel that only you can help me."

"No problem."

While fiercely mashing his controller to thrash Lin Xianyu, Ren Suo mentally stated, Even if we travel to Otherworld, deities invade, the heavens and earth change, identities swap, I will guard you through a carefree night.

"What are you saying?"

Qiao Muyi suddenly asked him. Ren Suo blinked. "Memorizing the move list!"

"This game has a move list?" Qiao Muyi raised an eyebrow and unleashed a powerful move that blasted Ren Suo's character.

The game ended. Qiao Muyi glanced at the kitchen, thought for a moment, and said, "Xiao Suo, I'm going to check out where I'll be sleeping tonight in your room. You should go tidy it up a bit."

"Ah—" Ren Suo reluctantly got up to follow Qiao Muyi to the master bedroom. Cleaning up his own room for someone else to sleep in felt weird.

Passing by the guest room, Ren Suo glanced at the slightly ajar door and wondered, Has Gu Yueyan finally settled down to sleep, or is she still looking to chat with me?

Ren Suo opened the door, turned on the light, glanced at the slightly messy bedroom, and went to tidy up the bed. "You can touch anything except for the computer. It's not that I don't want you to use the computer, but it's connected to the internal network, and you're not a Researcher. If you access that..."

"Then you'll be punished?" Qiao Muyi looked around Ren Suo's room with interest, gently closed the door, sat down on the bed, and even bounced on it a bit.

Luckily, the bed Ren Suo had bought was sturdy. It didn't make a squeaking sound, though it felt like this would make things less exciting.

Ren Suo tidied up the clothes on the bed and said casually, "If I get punished, it's no big deal. After all, I'm just from the Healing room of the academy, and I have no interest in climbing the ladder. But if your record gets a mark, that would be troublesome. You're now the deputy director and will definitely become someone important in the future."

Qiao Muyi looked up at the ceiling, swinging her legs back and forth, and smiled. "Why are you so considerate and nice to me?"

"Because I neither like causing trouble for others, nor do I like others to suffer because of me," Ren Suo said, somewhat irritably, as he turned off his computer.

"Really?"

"Really."

"You're not lying to me?"

"If I'm lying, I'm a little dog."

"Eh? Why is it wet here? You couldn't have made it wet earlier, could you?" Qiao Muyi touched the bed and suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"How could that be!" Ren Suo's voice suddenly rose an octave as he walked over. "I suspect it's water dripping from the ceiling—"

Two malicious strands of Spiritual Energy leaped from Qiao Muyi's toes, stirring up the ambient Spiritual Energy in the bedroom.

One strand hit the bedroom light switch, and the other jabbed Ren Suo's knee.

The bedroom light suddenly turned off. Ren Suo, struck in the knee, stumbled and fell toward the bed. In the dim darkness, Qiao Muyi, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, reached out to catch him. She let his weight press her down as she lay back on the bed.

Since Ren Suo kept his home warm, Qiao Muyi had already taken off her coat, wearing only a thin long-sleeved shirt. Ren Suo felt his face fall into a cushiony bosom that was both elastic and substantial, his mind instantly blanked by the intoxicating scent.

Qiao Muyi felt as if she was hugging a warm, large plush toy and chuckled. She saw Ren Suo buried in her chest, the ample area warmed by his face. Even in the darkness, her face flushed slightly as her hands, wrapped around Ren Suo, gave his waist a playful squeeze.

The ticklish Ren Suo stiffened instantly and raised his head, finding himself face-to-face with Qiao Muyi, who was lying in bed hugging him.

Qiao Muyi's hands roamed up his back to his face, pinching it playfully. Her fox-like eyes were full of laughter, her upturned lips seemingly declaring the success of her prank. She chuckled, "Now, I will ask you one more time."

"You, Xiao Suo, why are you so nice to me, Young Master Mu?"

DING. The room's alarm clock sounded softly, announcing that Christmas had arrived.

In the darkened room, only a sliver of moonlight shining through the window illuminated Ren Suo's somewhat panicked face. The room was quiet, and the sounds from the living room seemed to come from another dimension.

Here, at this moment, Qiao Muyi had checkmated Ren Suo.

Sorry, Cheng Ling. It's hard to let go of someone I've truly liked. The more I look at him, the more I want him.

The triumphant, joyful, and bashful Qiao Muyi saw the stupefied Ren Suo before her and decided not to give him any chance to escape or think. Pinching his face, she drew him even closer, their eyes less than 10cm apart.

"Your answer?" Qiao Muyi asked with a smile.

At that moment, her expression suddenly changed!

She saw Ren Suo's pupils slowly lose their luster; she felt something flowing from his mouth, escaping into the moonlight and dissipating outside!

Without understanding what was happening, Qiao Muyi made a quick decision. She held Ren Suo tightly, pulling him into the darkness. She used a touch of Spiritual Energy to pull the curtains shut, blocking the moonlight, and then sealed his lips with her own, attempting to stop whatever was happening.

Seemingly by reflex, Ren Suo also embraced Qiao Muyi, but his arms soon fell limply. His eyes slowly closed, and he gave no further response.

Qiao Muyi released her lips and looked at the child-like, adorably sleeping Ren Suo. Her mind went blank, though her arms still held him tightly.

CLICK.

The light suddenly turned on.

But the door remained closed.

「Room 602, the bedroom.」

Black Bell opened her eyes, deftly slipped out of Fan Qiyu's grasp, gracefully landed on the ground, then jumped onto the windowsill.

At this moment, for some reason, the curtains on both sides of the window suddenly fell, covering the window and leaving only the gap where Black Bell was.

The merciless moonlight shone into the bedroom, but Black Bell blocked all the light; not a trace of moonlight entered the room.

The fragile feline body now seemed like a warrior protecting its owner.

Sensing something, Fan Qiyu suddenly woke up. She sat up groggily, noticed the dark room, switched on the light, and saw her Black Cat lying on the windowsill.

She got out of bed and approached slowly, picking up the sleeping Black Bell. She smiled and said, "Luna, you always sleep in such dangerous places... What would I do if something happened to you...?"

After placing the adorably sleeping Black Bell back into its cozy bed and covering it with a blanket, Fan Qiyu heard the sound of keys opening the front door. A contented smile naturally appeared on her face.

She gently stroked Black Bell and said, "Sleep well. He's back to protect me, too."