Chapter 80: Sacrificing Life for Righteousness

After Wang Bei left, only Bai Renzong and Han Jiayi remained in the apartment. Being on the top floor, when one stood in the pitch-dark room and looked around, the surrounding darkness conjured images of a safe house hidden deep within a gloomy forest, monsters lurking in the shadows outside, and themselves cowering in a corner, trembling as they awaited the coming of dawn.

Bai Renzong had never played this game before precisely because of its stifling, oppressive atmosphere. Yet tonight, in pursuit of popularity, he had thrown caution to the wind.

“Sh-shall we play a game first?” Han Jiayi suggested with a gentle smile. “You’ve finished your video clips anyway.”

“Sure,” Bai Renzong sighed. “Let’s do it. Tonight, our home in the game will finally be complete.”

“Yay!” Han Jiayi beamed with excitement, silently cheering herself on: No problem, just play for a while and you’ll forget your fears… Yes!

The two quickly became engrossed in the game, the haunted forest forgotten for the moment. Before they knew it, it was already half past eleven.

“There,” Bai Renzong nodded with satisfaction, “our home is complete. We have a generator, gasoline, a fridge, food, water—everything. The vegetables we planted are growing well… We can use them as bait to catch rabbits, and we can fish too. With both vegetables and meat, in theory, we could live here forever.”

“But what about winter? Do we have enough clothes?” Han Jiayi asked worriedly.

“There’s a fireplace,” Bai Renzong pointed to the stove in the game. “We can use wood, clothes, or books as fuel; the house will stay warm. And we’ve got five hundred kilograms of canned goods, four fridges full of vegetables and meat, and twelve rainwater tanks, all filled. If it snows, we can just stay inside—we don’t have to go out at all.”

“I see…” Han Jiayi muttered. “But doesn’t that make the game boring?”

She turned to Bai Renzong. “What should we play next?”

“You still want to play?” He raised an eyebrow. “What kind of game?”

“Um, the same kind—gathering resources and building a home.” Han Jiayi’s eyes sparkled. “The building part is the most fun!”

“In that case, let’s play ‘Scum.’ It’s similar, just a bit more complex.” Bai Renzong nodded, then yawned. “But let’s call it a night.”

“Mm!” Han Jiayi nodded, and a silence settled between them.

“Well, I’ll head to my room then…” Han Jiayi gestured behind her. “You’re… not scared, are you?”

“Not at all.” Bai Renzong nodded. “What about you? Did it spook you again?”

“Wh—how could that be?” Han Jiayi replied with feigned composure. “You’re the one who should be careful—don’t come running to me in the middle of the night!”

“Hmm—!” Bai Renzong drew out the sound playfully, and with that, they each retired for the night.

Though Bai Renzong had found the game oppressive and frightening while playing, once it was time to sleep, his mind did not wander. As scared as he had been, when bedtime came, he had no trouble drifting off.

Han Jiayi, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. Lying in bed with her eyes closed, the gloomy forest and the spinning, dancing bride in white replayed in her mind.

Knock, knock, knock. Bai Renzong had not yet fallen asleep when he heard the sound at the door. He opened it, unsurprised to find Han Jiayi standing outside, grinning mischievously.

“Want a midnight snack?” she asked sweetly.

He sighed, turned to grab a pillow and blanket, and said, “Let’s go.”

“I haven’t even said anything yet…” Han Jiayi pouted adorably.

Bai Renzong set up his pillow and blanket in the living room. A moment later, Han Jiayi returned with two bowls of crab leg noodles.

“I’m not really a fan of crab or crayfish—you know, the kind you have to shell…” Bai Renzong frowned. Seeing the disappointment on Han Jiayi’s face, he quickly added, “But since you made it, Jiayi, I know it’ll be special!”

“You—don’t call me that!” Han Jiayi’s lovely eyes widened in mock anger.

Bai Renzong simply took a bite of the noodles and nodded approvingly.

“Not bad—the crab legs are soft and tender, the sweet and spicy sauce pairs perfectly with the crab’s delicate flavor. The noodles are cooked just right—any longer and they’d be mush.”

A proud smile lit Han Jiayi’s face. “Hehe, as expected of me.”

After their late-night snack, they washed the bowls, freshened up, and finally went to bed. Bai Renzong, true to form, fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, leaving Han Jiayi to fend off the shadows by herself.

Strangely, though, tonight he didn’t snore at all.

“Hey, Renzong, are you asleep?” Han Jiayi asked nervously from her sofa across the room, clutching her teddy bear.

“Zzz…” Bai Renzong replied with a faint, even breath, though it was impossible to tell if he was really asleep or just pretending.

“Renzong!” Han Jiayi flopped on the sofa like a stranded fish, voicing her displeasure.

Bai Renzong jerked awake, turning to her with a confused look. “What is it?”

“Are you… really asleep?” Han Jiayi asked cautiously.

“Oh, come on, just go to sleep. We have to edit videos tomorrow,” Bai Renzong replied, turning away from her.

Han Jiayi wasn’t satisfied. She pointed a foot at him in protest. “No way! You have to stay awake until I fall asleep!”

Bai Renzong looked back at her reluctantly, but Han Jiayi, hugging her teddy bear between her long legs, insisted, “It’s your fault I’m scared! As a man, it’s only right for you to take responsibility, isn’t it?”

He was speechless. “Fine, you sleep. I’ll watch over you.”

Content at last, Han Jiayi nodded, closed her eyes, and hugged her teddy bear. After a while, she peeked out to see Bai Renzong staring at her through the darkness.

“What are you doing? You’re scaring me!” she exclaimed, tossing the teddy bear at him.

“You really are a handful,” Bai Renzong grumbled, catching the bear. The bear carried Han Jiayi’s subtle scent of osmanthus, which made his mind hazy for a moment. He threw the bear back to her. “Go to sleep!”

Han Jiayi hugged the bear again and turned away from him.

This left Bai Renzong free to admire her graceful silhouette. Han Jiayi wasn’t voluptuous or overtly sexy, but her figure was exquisitely proportioned, the kind of feminine curves that seemed drawn straight from a comic—a real beauty.

Especially the line from her hips down her long legs: a perfect peach leading to a pair of slender limbs…

“No! Think about something else.” Bai Renzong forced himself to focus, feeling his body’s reaction. “Better plan tomorrow’s game video editing instead.”

Han Jiayi, still hugging her teddy bear, was drifting off when snoring suddenly sounded behind her.

“How irresponsible!” she huffed, turning to glare at Bai Renzong. “He promised to watch over me, but he’s the first one to fall asleep!”

Yet the sound of his snoring was oddly comforting, reminding her that someone was right there across from her, a sense of safety spreading through her heart.

“Hmph…” Han Jiayi grumbled softly, punched her pillow into a comfortable shape, and drifted off at last, content in the warmth of Bai Renzong’s snoring.

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