It Turns out that I am Beautiful, Strong and Miserable [Quick Wear] - 170

 

ITOTIABSAM | Infinite Flow | 170

With his hair slightly damp, when Xie Ye reopened the bathroom door, Zhao Dong was already fast asleep on the bed a little further away, wrapped up in the blanket and snoring softly.

He no longer wore the oversized blue and white school uniform again, not even draping it over his arm. Instead, the youth slightly disdainfully held it between two fingers, buttoning the shirt all the way to the top. Thin and tall, with a cold expression, he could easily pass as the senior male lead favored in some idol dramas.

But as soon as he saw Gu Cong, he smiled again, the faint scent of cheap toothpaste mingling with mint, and said seriously, "Go ahead, there are no ghosts."

In the instance, most players were like Zhao Dong and wouldn't enter the bathroom alone unless absolutely necessary, especially after Cheng Xiaorong had encountered the ghost in the bathroom mirror just before boarding the bus.

Yet Gu Cong seemed to have completely forgotten past experiences and nodded in agreement, saying, "Hmm."

He knew Xie Ye liked cleanliness, as he had been like this for a long time.

Despite being just an old-fashioned motel, the soundproofing between rooms was surprisingly good, as Gu Cong hadn't heard any noise from the other players all this time.

When he emerged from the shower, enveloped in warm steam, Xie Ye had already retreated into the covers, even conscientiously leaving him half of the bed.

To be honest, even in the world of "cultivation," Gu Cong had never been close enough to share a bed with someone, let alone with Xie Ye, when he was a puppet, identical in appearance to Xie Ye himself. Now, however, Xie Ye was a living person.

And neither of them was inclined to enjoy intimate physical contact.

According to the memories of the original host, Jiang Chuan, in instances with limited conditions, sitting down to rest was common. Just as Gu Cong was preparing to lean against the low cabinet between the two beds for the night, the tired-looking Xie Ye suddenly opened his eyes.

"The floor is very cold," he said.

"Aren't you cold?" 

Gu Cong was taken aback. He hadn't expected Xie Ye to ask him such questions, considering that Xie Ye seemed to be only interested in food.

Perhaps it was because Zhao Dong, who shared the room with the leader, was sprawled out on the neighboring bed in a carefree manner, looking like he couldn't fit another adult male no matter how hard he tried.

Fortunately, Zhao Dong didn't snore, so the room was relatively quiet.

Under the dim light, Gu Cong felt the deep yet clear pupils of Xie Ye locking onto him. Subconsciously, he found an excuse. "I need to keep watch."

"It's okay," Xie Ye yawned softly. He imitated the man’s previous tone of voice. "I'm here."

Throwing off the covers like a cat shivering in the winter cold, he shook himself lightly and urged, "Hurry up."

Sitting on the edge of the bed with his knees bent, he happened to be at eye-level with Xie Ye, Gu Cong inexplicably abandoned his original plan and followed Xie Ye's instructions, taking off his shoes and lying down.

In a standard double room, there were naturally only two beds, and contrary to what Gu Cong had imagined, the bedding wasn't particularly warm. Without the warmth brought by the hot water, Xie Ye once again felt cold.

Gu Cong had thought that Xie Ye wanted to warm himself up using his body heat, so he tensed his muscles slightly. After waiting for a while, all he heard was the increasingly steady and weak breathing of the youth.

Easing his movements, Gu Cong silently turned over and stared at Xie Ye's lowered eyelashes.

Xie Ye seemed to lack a sense of security, curling up like a small animal. He didn't even use a pillow and furrowed his brows slightly, making it seem like sleeping was truly a bother.

This behavior was quite different from how Xie Ye had acted on the bus. At least when he leaned against Gu Cong's shoulder and closed his eyes, his expression had been relaxed.

"His vigilance is really lacking," 0028 commented softly, as if sighing, "It's a wonder he's managed to survive until now."

Could it be that they were dealing with a juvenile villain?

In any case, this person is no different from the immortal on Liuyun Mountain.

However, as soon as 0028 finished speaking, before their own host could respond, the sleeping Xie Ye muttered in complaint, "So noisy."

The timing was so perfect that 0028 immediately muted itself.

Gu Cong raised an eyebrow slightly. Apart from 0028, the room, the corridor, and the street were all quiet. Even the most critical person couldn't attribute the noise to anything.

[Turns out, it's not my problem,] after carefully observing for a while, 0028 concluded, [He must be dreaming.]

After all, this was Nightmare Town.

However, Gu Cong felt that Xie Ye's tone when he complained about the noise was too ordinary, unlike the first time they encountered a similar situation.

In a probing manner, he reached out and gently covered Xie Ye's ears with his palm.

—If it was an encounter in a dream, covering the ears in reality probably wouldn't help.

0028 was just about to remind Gu Cong of this when, seconds after being visibly tense, Xie Ye relaxed, even going so far as to rub his face against Gu Cong's palm like a cat.

0028 deeply suspected that this ghost was trying to scam them, but it had no evidence.

Surprisingly, the first night of the Level 7 difficulty dungeon was peaceful. By the time Xie Ye woke up again, Zhao Dong, who had recovered, was already washing up in the bathroom with the door open, the sound of running water audible.

Staring up at the mottled ceiling paint, Xie Ye's gaze seemed somewhat vacant.

Last night's dream was really awful.

But it also reminded him of that oversized school uniform jacket.

It reminded him of someone pinning him down, viciously squeezing his neck, all the while laughing and crying.

But soon, a hand with distinct knuckles appeared in front of his eyes, shaking him out of his thoughts. "Awake?"

Unconsciously touching the side of his neck to make sure there were no strange marks, Xie Ye nodded, then stayed in bed for another five minutes before getting up.

As Xie Ye rubbed against the wrinkled shirt, it miraculously became neat and clean as he got up, almost as if it were brand new.

Xie Ye himself seemed not to have noticed this or simply regarded it as normal, paying it no mind. Glancing briefly towards the bathroom to confirm that Zhao Dong was still wrestling with the nearly empty tube of toothpaste, Gu Cong casually took off his own jacket and handed it to Xie Ye. "I'm feeling a bit hot."

"You wear it."

So, when everyone began to gather downstairs, most of the players immediately noticed the familiar "new clothes" on Xie Ye.

Clearly, it wasn't his size.

The sleeves covered most of his hands, revealing only the youth's slender fingertips, and the hem extended past his buttocks, stopping in the middle of his thighs.

The casual and comfortable style that suited Gu Cong was practically engulfing for the younger version of Xie Ye, almost as if he was leaving his mark.

It seemed like a blatant display of possession.

Although in the infinite game, everyone was busy and didn't pay much attention to such details, Gu Cong's initiative to sleep with Xie Ye last night inevitably led to some speculation.

"What was I saying? Bah, hypocrites, both of them." The ground floor of the hotel was limited in space, so Li Jie opted to stand outside, uninterested in the breakfast provided by the one-eyed old lady.

Players who actively chose high-difficulty dungeons usually had some savings and plenty of supplies. The muscular young man who turned into mushroom fertilizer in their dream had already recovered his spirits, with only faint scratch marks left on his neck, made by his own scratching.

His name was Sun Pengyu, and he was from the same guild as Li Jie. It was his first time entering an advanced dungeon, and at the beginning, he almost got eliminated due to replaying the experience of the previous dungeon in his mind.

—Indeed, the mushroom that nearly crushed the roof of the car yesterday was the final boss that almost caused him to die earlier.

When they were sucked dry, whether they were male or female was indistinguishable. However, Sun Pengyu had thick eyebrows and big eyes, but unfortunately, his demeanor was tainted by a subtle hint of flattery, ruining his appearance.

"Brother Li is right," completely forgetting who saved him last night, Sun Pengyu echoed, "I despise people like that the most."

"As for the mushroom incident, don't bring it up proactively. If you can bluff your way through, then do it," Li Jie said in a low voice. "I don't think that timid newbie can figure out anything anyway. In case the same rules apply in the town, let them go check out the water first."

He intended to use them as scapegoats to pave the way for himself.

As for the timid newbie mentioned by Li Jie, he obviously lacked effective medical supplies. Most likely, he was frightened by the suffocation earlier, and after stopping the bleeding from the scratches with his nails, he removed the bandages.

Sitting across from him was Xie Ye, who was drinking a bowl of porridge, with a plate of pickled vegetables beside him. Beside him, Gu Cong was focused on peeling a boiled egg for Xie Ye.

Cheng Xiaorong couldn't help but sarcastically comment, "What happened to the Western-style fairy-tale town? That's what the dungeon brochure clearly said."

Zhao Dong took a big bite of an energy bar and said, "Hmm... maybe because the innkeeper is Chinese? Look at that old lady, she really gives off a Chinese-style horror vibe."

It seemed perfect for a scary movie.

Energy bars were dry and hard like bricks, it was okay for emergencies once in a while, but if you kept eating them, no matter how many flavors there were, you'd get tired of them.

However, besides Xie Ye, who was "lacking a screw," and Jiang Chuan, whose depth was hard to fathom, no one dared to touch the breakfast on the table. Although the system rarely tricked players with food, what if?

Better safe than sorry.

"How come there are two missing?" With Xie Ye and Jiang Chuan, who had actively violated the rules last night, still alive, the atmosphere among the players was relatively relaxed until someone finally noticed something was amiss after the young man finished his porridge.

Tang Yan, who deliberately remembered the room distribution of the players, looked around and said, "Room 205?"

After Tang Yan mentioned it, Zhao Dong also remembered that Room 205 was occupied by Xiao Baimao and a middle-aged man. Because of the former's unique appearance and being a ruthless person who operates by himself, his impression of them was particularly deep.

These two were definitely experienced old players and would never oversleep and miss breakfast.

With only one key for each room, and the innkeeper nowhere to be found after delivering breakfast, the group hurried upstairs. Tang Yan, leading the way, didn't dare to knock on the door too loudly, so she patiently controlled her strength, tapping softly, but received no response.

Standing silently at the back of the crowd, Xie Ye wrinkled his nose imperceptibly.

The smell of blood.

Unpleasant.

"This is strange. It’s not me for once?" Feeling lucky for a rare occasion, Cheng Xiaorong couldn't help but express her disbelief quietly, then added, "Boss, I remember you know how to pick locks, right?" 

Suddenly cued, Gu Cong responded, "Hmm."

Indeed, the original host did know how.

Gu Cong calmly retrieved a thin iron wire from his watch, he stepped past the crowd. His fingers moved casually, and with just a few twists, the old-fashioned door lock clicked open.

A pungent smell of blood hit their noses.

The bedding directly in front of the door was raised high, resembling a mortuary shroud, completely covering whatever lay beneath. The players looked solemn, but Xie Ye, with eager interest, focused on the iron wire in Gu Cong's hand.

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Author's Note:

Xie Ye: Looks fun.

Xie Ye: I want to learn.