When Qi Yang recognized the man, it was clear the man also recognized Qi Yang. With such a high-quality former romantic encounter, only a blind person wouldn’t recognize him.

There were other people between them. The man nodded and smiled at Qi Yang from a distance. Qi Yang, expressionless, turned his head and looked away.

Noticing Qi Yang staring at a man in the distance for several seconds, as if they knew each other, Yi Xinming approached Qi Yang and asked a question.

“Do you know him?”

“Yes.” Qi Yang’s eyes darkened slightly. He didn’t lie. If he had lied and said he didn’t know the man, Qi Yang could tell from the man’s expression that he clearly wasn’t trying to pretend there was nothing between them. So Qi Yang explained that he had met the man by chance in the real world.

Yi Xinming found the man’s face completely unfamiliar. The man stood alone outside the crowd, and despite being quite outstanding in both physique and appearance, he shouldn’t have been on the periphery of the crowd. Yet, surprisingly, no one else in the hall seemed to notice him. The man’s presence was inexplicably low. Yi Xinming instinctively furrowed his brow. Regardless of how many times the man had cleared a game, those piercing eyes alone were enough to show that he was no ordinary character.

“Neither of you are new players, are you? Since you’re not new, we won’t waste time with unnecessary talk. This game lasts seven days, and the condition for clearing it is to survive until the seventh day.”

The person who spoke first spoke again, conveying the most crucial information to Qi Yang and the others in just a few simple sentences.

“Seven days? A week?” Yi Xinming pressed his tongue against his teeth; surviving seven days wouldn’t be easy.

This game was quite different from the last one. In the previous game, they arrived directly at a middle school, in the corridor outside a classroom, and the classroom was filled with ghosts disguised as students. Here, it’s a hotel with just the owner and a few staff members, so the number of ghosts doesn’t seem to be large.

“Seven days of travel, it’s not difficult, just follow the rules,” said another young man with yellow curly hair and a somewhat cold appearance, smiling.

“There are still some empty rooms; you can go upstairs and pick one first.” These people had already chosen the good rooms before Qi Yang and the others arrived.

Seeing Qi Yang and the other two arrive so late, they probably aren’t very formidable characters. Although one of them is very handsome, clearing levels here isn’t about looks, but about strength. So, they subconsciously felt that Qi Yang and his companions weren’t very powerful.

“Everyone, disperse. This isn’t a party, there’s no point in gathering here. Those who want to rest can go to their rooms.” A young man next to the blond man stood up. He was quite handsome, with a pair of long, slanted phoenix eyes. When he spoke, his mouth was twisted into a smirk, giving him a cynical air. He walked out of the crowd, and as he passed Qi Yang, he glanced at him disdainfully. Qi Yang and the young man’s eyes met, and the young man’s lips curved into a faint smile. Qi Yang thought he was going to say something, but the young man said nothing, turned, and quickly left.

As soon as the young man left, the blond man and the shirtless man followed. They walked with a strong presence, and Qi Yang guessed that they had already formed a team. Judging by their expressions, they had probably cleared many levels, and none of them seemed nervous or scared.

Yi Xinming stared at the back of one of them. That person’s gaze towards Qi Yang was noticeably blatant. Yi Xinming planned to mention it to Qi Yang later and tell him to be careful of that person.

“By the way, does anyone know where our bedroom is?” No longer paying attention to the departing group, Qi Yang asked the remaining people in the room.

Some heard Qi Yang’s voice but turned their heads and left, as if deliberately ignoring him. A faint smile seemed to play on Qi Yang’s lips, but it wasn’t obvious. He turned his gaze to the others.

“I know…”

“I’ll take you.” A boy with a round face seemed to pluck up the courage to speak, but the next second he was interrupted by another steady, magnetic voice.

Qi Yang looked up at the person who spoke. The other person walked towards him. Qi Yang pursed his lips slightly, looking at the familiar face getting closer and closer. Qi Yang found it hard to believe this was a coincidence. The man’s gaze on him, although partly concealed, Qi Yang believed he was a good judge of character, and the man’s gaze on him was unusual.

Still want to continue your romantic encounter with him?

If he were in the real world, and if he weren’t pregnant, Qi Yang might not refuse such a high-quality and capable man, and even maintaining a long-term friends-with-benefits relationship might be acceptable. But now, Qi Yang only has one thought about men: he hopes this person disappears from his sight.

If he were to directly say, “I don’t want to see you, please get out of my sight,” he wonders what expression the man would have. He probably isn’t the type to be so obedient.

Qi Yang did not refuse the man’s kindness.

“Then I’ll trouble you.”

“No trouble at all, it’s a pleasure to see you here.” The man extended his hand towards Qi Yang.

Yi Xinming and Kang Lian, standing behind Qi Yang, looked at the man in front of them in surprise. It seemed this person not only knew Qi Yang, but their relationship might also be out of the ordinary.

Qi Yang lowered his gaze to glance at the man’s outstretched hand, then turned and walked towards the stairs.

Slowly retracting his outstretched hand, the smile on the man’s face deepened. He liked the passionate Qi Yang, and he equally liked the cold, unfeeling Qi Yang.

The man smiled gently at Yi Xinming and Kang Lian, not speaking, but his expression conveyed a message of getting along well in the future. With two or three long strides, he caught up to Qi Yang, with Yi Xinming and the others following behind, maintaining a slight distance.

The man lowered his voice slightly, “You’re really cold.”

Qi Yang’s eyes were heavy. He knew that Yi Xinming and the others were behind him. Actually, he wasn’t afraid of them knowing that he had a one-night stand with the man. He just simply didn’t want to talk to this man anymore.

If it weren’t for this guy, he wouldn’t be pregnant. He’s probably the only one playing an escape game while pregnant.

Although that one-night stand was initiated by Qi Yang himself, it didn’t stop Qi Yang from finding the man an eyesore.

“You talk too much,” Qi Yang said with cold eyes and a cold tone.

The man paused, then chuckled. After a couple of laughs, he introduced himself: “I haven’t told you my name yet. My surname is Nan, Nan Sheng, the Sheng from ‘grand’.”

Nan? A very familiar character. Qi Yang instantly thought of someone from the last game, the supervisor of that game. Their name also contained “Nan.”

Qi Yang slowed his pace, turning to glance at Nan Sheng. He had met this person in the real world before. Although they shared one character in their names, their faces were completely different. Their height and build were quite similar, but by all appearances, they shouldn’t be the same person.

Moreover, Qi Yang felt that the Nan Sheng in front of him seemed different from when he met him a few months ago. Back then, that person wasn’t as enthusiastic as he was now, and his gaze seemed to burn him.

“Qi Yang!” Since they were in the same game, his name wasn’t something to hide, Qi Yang said softly.

“Qi Yang.” Nan Sheng immediately called out Qi Yang’s name. His voice was inherently deep and magnetic, and when he called someone’s name like that, it sounded like a lover’s lingering whisper, causing Qi Yang to frown slightly.

Nan Sheng led Qi Yang and the others to a bedroom, which didn’t even look like it had been picked over.

Qi Yang turned to stare at Nan Sheng. Before he could ask, Nan Sheng confessed, “This is my room. The other rooms aren’t in a good location, and some don’t even have the bedding made yet. I thought if you slept in those rooms, you might not sleep well at night.”

“So you mean… you want me to sleep with you tonight?” Qi Yang curled his lips, his smile as if he had seen through Nan Sheng’s thoughts.

Yi Xinming and the others were standing at the door, and just as they were about to enter, they overheard the conversation between the two. Yi Xinming and Kang Lian didn’t move forward; in fact, they even wanted to retreat into the hallway. However, doing so would leave Qi Yang alone, and Qi Yang was physically weak, while the man named Nan Sheng looked tall and strong. It wouldn’t be good if he had any ill intentions towards Qi Yang, so the two remained standing at the doorway, not moving far away.

“If you’re willing.” Of course, Nan Sheng couldn’t ask for anything more.

To Nan Sheng’s surprise, Qi Yang actually nodded: “Okay, I’ll take this room.”

Nan Sheng’s joyful expression, which had just appeared, changed instantly when Qi Yang paused for a moment and then added another sentence.

“But it’s not me and you sleeping together, it’s just me alone.”

“Is that okay?” Qi Yang smiled slightly, tilting his head. His fair and handsome face was quite alluring.

Back then, Nan Sheng was captivated by this face. As a non-human who had lived for hundreds of years and seen countless beauties, he was instantly seduced by the drunken Qi Yang.

Perhaps this was a fated encounter, destined for him to be enchanted by this person.

“Yes, of course, you can tell me any needs you have. Your business is my business.” Nan Sheng no longer concealed his interest in Qi Yang, his deep, dark eyes fixed on Qi Yang, as if nothing else could enter his gaze.

“Now I want to rest.” Qi Yang’s smile faded, indirectly ushering him out, completely burning his bridges.

Nan Sheng turned to leave. At the doorway, he paused and turned back to see Qi Yang walking towards the window. His figure looked a bit thin. It seemed that what pregnant men ate was different from ordinary people; he probably needed to supplement his diet well.

Leaving the room, Nan Sheng went downstairs. He met several people on the stairs, and their expressions visibly changed when they saw Nan Sheng. They immediately moved aside to make way for him.

Nan Sheng was expressionless; his emotions only showed in front of Qi Yang. For other humans, those who only held a certain value to him, he wouldn’t even spare an extra glance.

Stepping out of the villa, Nan Sheng gazed at the distant mountains, his eyes filled with a smile. It was indeed much more pleasant this way, appearing here as a player. As for the other identity, that of a supervisor, Nan Sheng had initially thought he wouldn’t play that role in this game, but suddenly he felt that having an extra identity might not be bad after all.

With two of them to look after Qi Yang, the pregnant husband, their child would grow up healthier.

📘 The complete novel is available for download in PDF via the link below.