Cry louder, I can't hear you.

Yun Qiao felt as if she were being pressed down by a very heavy, hot object, making it difficult for her to breathe.

I'm starting to suspect I might suffocate.

Suddenly, the suffocating feeling disappeared.

She gasped for breath, finally able to breathe again.

A hoarse, sinister voice reached my ears:

"If I gave you one more chance, who would you marry?"

marry?

Yun Qiao's muddled mind couldn't process so much; upon hearing the word and recalling her own obsession, she blurted it out almost without thinking:

"Shen Suwei, will you marry me...?"

"...What?"

"Shen Suwei, will you marry me...?"

An eerie silence fell over the air.

Shen Suwei didn't speak. He lowered his eyes and stared intently at the face in his arms, which was flushed from the kiss.

His gaze slowly moved from her tightly closed eyes to her lips, which were red and swollen from being kissed.

He didn't know who she liked or who she truly wanted to marry.

But no matter who it is, it seems he's not among those options...

Every time he thinks about this fact, he can't help but feel a surge of anger.

He gripped her chin almost obsessively, leaned close to her ear, and pressed her for answers again and again:

"Who are you going to marry?"

"Shen Suwei..."

"With whom?"

"Shen Suwei..."

……

He didn't know how many times Yun Qiao had answered "Shen Suwei".

He finally let her go when she fell into a deep sleep and could not be woken up.

No one spoke again, and the room fell silent.

It was so quiet that the only sounds were Yun Qiao's long, even breaths and the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

When the clock hand points past 11:59.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he spoke in a low, hoarse voice:

"……good."

"I will marry you."

The second hand jumps to twelve.

Exactly, exactly midnight.

He reached out and gently touched the corner of her mouth.

He smiled, but what shone in his eyes was an almost obsessive possessiveness and the joy of finally getting what he wanted.

Like a snake that has finally coiled around its prey that it has been lurking for so long.

The excitement in his eyes was almost impossible to suppress.

I don't want to suppress it anymore.

No matter who she truly wants to marry, he's not going to let her go...

"Baby..." He lowered his head, almost pathologically licking and biting the fragile carotid artery on the side of her neck, "This time, you really can't escape..."

"Let's entangle ourselves until we die, okay...?"

……

When Yun Qiao regained consciousness, all she saw was white.

"White means heaven. I didn't go to hell?"

"Do you want to go to hell?"

A sinister voice suddenly came from beside her, and Yun Qiao was startled.

Turning his head, he saw Shen Suwei lying next to him.

He turned to the side, propped his head up, and stared at her for an unknown amount of time, his gaze intensely focused to the point of being almost burning.

"..." What happened? Shen Suwei is dead too?

"What are you thinking about?"

Suddenly, her cheek was gently stroked, and Yun Qiao shuddered, almost instinctively slapping his hand away and moving her body back:

"...What are you doing?"

His gaze faltered slightly, but the next second, a smile crept onto his lips. "What's wrong with me?"

As he spoke, his fingers even naturally brushed away the stray hairs that were stuck to her face.

Yun Qiao's body stiffened.

She stared at him as if she'd seen a ghost.

He was wearing the hotel's pajamas, but the straps were tied loosely, and because he was lying on his side, the neckline was slightly open, revealing a section of his pale collarbone.

He appears utterly abstinent... yet frivolous.

He's completely different from before...

After Shen Suwei's death, he became so dissolute?

【Ding--】

The system's online notification sound suddenly rang out.

Yun Qiao looked slightly surprised.

Why is there a system?

As if to answer Yun Qiao's question, the system spoke up:

[Congratulations, host, you have completed the main quest.]

"[Completed the mission?]" Yun Qiao was even more surprised. "[When did I complete it? How come I didn't know?]"

System: [None of that matters. What matters is that Shen Suwei has agreed to marry you. Therefore, the initial mission is complete. You don't need to die.]

[...] The amount of information was too much for Yun Qiao to handle, leaving her somewhat bewildered.

She paused for a moment before speaking again, starting with the most crucial question:

[What do you mean by "initial mission completed"? Shen Suwei agreed to marry me, doesn't that count as completing the mission? Shouldn't you send me back?]

System: [...He only verbally agreed; they haven't officially registered their marriage or held a wedding ceremony yet. You haven't obtained the title of Mrs. Shen Suwei, so of course the mission cannot be considered officially completed.]

Yun Qiao: [...] She was certain this time, it was definitely a scam!

Isn't this the same old trick used in scams?

Damn this broken system...

Yun Qiao was furious, but she couldn't do anything about it for the time being, so she could only patiently continue asking:

What should I do to get home?

System: [Of course, I'll have the wedding with Shen Suwei.]

If I go through with the wedding ceremony, are you sure you'll let me go back alive?

System: [Host, I am artificial intelligence. The underlying code of artificial intelligence forbids lying, so of course I will keep my promise. As long as you and Shen Suwei register your marriage and successfully hold your wedding, I will definitely let you go back. Otherwise, I will also be punished.]

Yunqiao didn't know if it was true or false, but it seemed she had no other choice.

If she wants to live, it seems she has no choice but to obey...

Shen Suwei stared at Yun Qiao for as long as she remained silent.

He didn't know what Yun Qiao was thinking, but every time she showed that expression, it made him inexplicably irritable.

It was a fear and unease about the unknown.

It seems like Yun Qiao is very, very far away from him.

But she was right in front of me.

Why does he always have this feeling that he can't hold onto her...?

She did not show up at the old man's birthday party three days ago.

He called her, but couldn't get through.

She threw her phone away and didn't take anything with her, so he had no way to locate her.

He searched for her for three days.

I thought something had happened to her, but it turned out she was with that pretty boy.

They were drinking in the hotel late at night. What were they planning to do if he hadn't come last night?

All night long, whenever he thought about this problem, he couldn't stop—

He withdrew his gaze from her face, lowered his eyes, and his eyelashes concealed the turbulent emotions surging within them.

After a long while, he raised his eyes again, looking at her with a gentle smile:

"Have you decided what you want to say to me?"

"You agreed to marry me last night?"

"Yes."

"When should we get our marriage certificate and when should we have our wedding?"

Shen Suwei's lips curled slightly as he gazed intently at her:

"Are you in a hurry?"

"...No, I just wanted to ask."

"Since there's no rush, then there's no rush for the wedding either."

In her haste, Yun Qiao quickly changed her words:

"What if I say I'm in a hurry?"

He paused his hand that had been playing with her hair, his expression remaining unchanged.

Why are you in such a hurry?

"I like you, and of course I'm eager to become your wife soon."

"You like me?"

"Um!"

Shen Suwei chuckled softly, but said nothing.

Yun Qiao felt a little guilty, and she looked away absently.

Suddenly, Shen Suwei leaned closer, his long, slender fingers gently brushing her cheek, his expression nonchalant and languid: "How much do you like it?"

Holy crap, has Shen Suwei been possessed?

What happened?

Yun Qiao made a great effort to keep herself from leaning back, and she stared at him with wide eyes:

"And what about you? You agreed to marry me, so you must like me, right? How much do you like me?"