PTYS Chapter 152

Xiao Muyu was stunned by what Shen Qingqiu said. She then turned sullen and sat up sulkily, “What nonsense are you talking about? I’m not…” It was hard to admit she was capable, but it was impossible to say she wasn’t.

Xiao Muyu took a deep breath, enduring the awkwardness and forcefully suppressing her thoughts. It was quite uncomfortable.

Shen Qingqiu lay on one side, scrutinizing Xiao Muyu, making her feel so hot under the gaze that she could almost combust. Only then did Shen Qingqiu reluctantly withdraw her gaze and said with resignation, “Am I really that bad? Do I not attract you at all?” Xiao Muyu glanced at her, seeing Shen Qingqiu’s doubtful expression, and couldn’t help but bite her lip. After a while, she stammered softly, “No, you’re good… quite attractive.” Otherwise, she wouldn’t have stopped herself at the last moment.

Earlier, due to intense emotions, Xiao Muyu had lost control. By the time she started unconsciously undressing Shen Qingqiu, she had already come to her senses.

Knowing she shouldn’t act so impulsively towards Shen Qingqiu, the burning desire inside was too intense. The smooth, warm skin under her fingertips was irresistible.

Thinking about the recent sensations, Xiao Muyu’s chest heaved faster. She tugged at her collar, got up to find her slippers, and muttered, “I… I’ll just…”

But before she could finish, Shen Qingqiu quickly hooked her legs around Xiao Muyu and pulled her back with a strong movement of her waist.

Shen Qingqiu, with her pouty lips and teary eyes, looked at Xiao Muyu as if she were a wronged wife.

Although Xiao Muyu found her somewhat annoying, she also found her very cute. She slowly turned her head and said, “Staring at me like that won’t work.”

Shen Qingqiu just wanted to tease her and didn’t really expect her to make anything special to eat.

However, when it was time to eat, seeing the spaghetti and a small piece of steak in front of her, Shen Qingqiu smiled. Xiao Muyu always had a tough exterior.

“Earlier, I thought about having a meal with steak, spaghetti, and red wine. But it always ended up being downgraded to chicken steak, cold noodles, and beer. At least in this instance, it came true,” Shen Qingqiu said while watching Xiao Muyu.

Xiao Muyu sat straight, ignoring her, and said calmly, “One should not speak while eating or sleeping.”

This made Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian laugh.

Shen Qingqiu, smiling, took a bite of the steak, feeling quite satisfied.

Beef had become a luxury now, collected by Xiao Muyu from a mall earlier.

The steak was cooked to a perfect medium-well according to Shen Qingqiu’s taste, with excellent texture and flavor.

Shen Qingqiu, satisfied with the meal, was in high spirits. After finishing, she sat aside and cleaned her dagger. Looking outside, it had finally started raining after many days.

The sky was gray, and the rain drizzled down. The streets were not quiet; groups of zombies wandered aimlessly in the rain, occasionally howling, hoping to find fresh meat.

Unfortunately, after so many days, the people here had either left or were forced out to scavenge for food, eventually becoming one of the zombies.

The starved zombies often left only bones, scattered on the ground, a sight too tragic to behold.

To stay hidden, Xiao Muyu and her group had only cleared the zombies in the hallway, leaving those on the streets to avoid attracting attention.

Shen Qingqiu soon let go of Xiao Muyu, her eyes moist, half covering her face, and mumbled, “You see, you punished me enough. Next time, can you change the method? This is too harmful to the body. Besides, isn’t this a case of hurting the enemy a thousand times while wounding yourself eight hundred?”

She mumbled on, feeling embarrassed, and buried her head, speaking to Xiao Muyu in a muffled voice.

For some reason, seeing Shen Qingqiu like this made Xiao Muyu feel a mix of emotions—bitterness and sweetness.

She ignored the overwhelming shyness that had just swept over her and moved closer to gently embrace Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Qingqiu stiffened for a moment before relaxing and moving closer. Xiao Muyu, seeing her reluctance to turn her face, couldn’t help but laugh, opening her arms to let Shen Qingqiu snuggle in.

They held each other for a long time, the passion in their young bodies gradually subsiding, replaced by a sense of happiness and warmth.

Sometimes, the intense passion and joy are hard to resist, but just holding each other quietly brings another kind of pleasure and fulfillment.

After a while, Shen Qingqiu turned in Xiao Muyu’s arms, facing her. Holding each other close, they lay on the bed, looking at each other from up close.

Xiao Muyu looked at the person in front of her, feeling her ears turning red again, but much calmer than before. She leaned forward and kissed Shen Qingqiu on the forehead.

Shen Qingqiu murmured, unable to bear it, and snuggled closer to Xiao Muyu, “I sacrificed a lot today. If you don’t cherish this opportunity, I won’t be this lenient next time. Your arms and legs can’t overpower mine.”

Xiao Muyu chuckled softly, then frowned slightly, feeling troubled, “Saying I punished you, it seems I sacrificed more.”

Shen Qingqiu also laughed, “You deserved it. If it were someone else, they’d be too hurt in their pride. We’re like this, and you still held back. Next time you draw a card, go for a ninja turtle.”

“Stop joking.” Xiao Muyu patted her, feeling her emotions wavering at those words, and her gaze darkened.

She buried her face in Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder, whispering, “I held back not because I didn’t want to, but because my emotions weren’t right. I shouldn’t be so hasty. Besides, I admit you’re right. I can’t stop you from considering me, but that doesn’t mean I agree with your actions. You still deserve to be punished.”

“Who punishes like this in bed?” she said, laughing softly, “Besides, there are other ways to punish. Whatever you do to me, I can take it.”

Xiao Muyu’s ears turned red. Shen Qingqiu, being so bold, was irresistible when she acted shy and pure.

“Be serious.” Xiao Muyu reminded Shen Qingqiu again. Finally, she asked the question she had been hiding in her heart, “Qingqiu, have we met before?”

Shen Qingqiu was stunned, looking at her with some surprise. After a moment, she barely managed to respond, “Why do you ask?”

Xiao Muyu stared into the distance with a blank expression. “I feel like you’re very familiar. It’s not just you; even some of the dungeons and scenes feel familiar, but I can’t recall why.

“In that real world before, I felt very unfulfilled. Everything seemed so illusory.

“For over twenty years, I couldn’t find the meaning of life. I’ve told you before, when I was young, my dad was always drinking and gambling, hitting and scolding my mom and me. There was no happiness in our home at all.

“Even after he died, life didn’t improve much. My mom said I look and act a lot like him. When she got hit, I would just watch, not crying or making a fuss, like a cold-blooded monster.” As she spoke, she laughed self-deprecatingly.

This was the first time Xiao Muyu had voluntarily talked about her real-life experiences. Shen Qingqiu’s smile faded.

Even though she had heard this before, hearing Xiao Muyu speak so calmly about such suffocating things still filled her with pain.

“You are not a monster, and you’re not cold-blooded. If anyone is cold-blooded, it’s me.” When they first met, Xiao Muyu was indeed very indifferent, the kind of indifference hidden beneath a gentle appearance, like a layer of hard ice keeping others out.

But among the group who cleared the dungeon, the person who showed the most kindness to players and NPCs was Xiao Muyu.

Xiao Muyu glanced at her and nodded in agreement. “You are quite cold-blooded. You played with my life right from the start, yet I still ended up liking you.”

Shen Qingqiu pouted, “If I had known I’d treasure you so much now, I wouldn’t have done it. I should have just let you play with my life from the start.”

Xiao Muyu frowned and gave her a sideways glance. Shen Qingqiu quickly covered her mouth and said, “I was just joking. I do value my life.”

“Actually, she’s right. I don’t seem to have much love or hate for them. Looking back on those events, they feel like just memories.”

She paused and looked at Shen Qingqiu, who was watching her with worry. “It didn’t affect me much. Those events don’t feel real. Instead, entering the dungeons made the game, the settings, the players I met, like Su Jin, Xiao Zuo, and especially you, feel real.

“Especially you. Rationally, I thought I should stay away from you. At that time, I even thought, this person is really annoying.”

Xiao Muyu smiled, tilting her head to look at Shen Qingqiu. The gentleness in her eyes was like starlight in the night sky, soft yet impossible to ignore.

“But I couldn’t help but be influenced by you. If we were in that other world, your actions would just be ripples that would eventually calm down.

“But it’s clearly different here. I’ve lived for so many years, and I never imagined I’d be with a woman I only knew for a few months, especially someone like you.”

Shen Qingqiu was displeased. “What’s wrong with someone like me? Am I not good?”

Xiao Muyu shook her head. “It’s not that you’re not good. It’s that you’re too good. But Qingqiu, how many people know how good you are?”

Shen Qingqiu understood what Xiao Muyu meant. She knew exactly what kind of person she was. At first, she approached Xiao Muyu with no good intentions.

Even if Xiao Muyu was wonderful, if Shen Qingqiu hadn’t fallen for her, she would have exploited her without mercy.

Her professional ethics would have made her prevent such a possibility. But Xiao Muyu was an exception. Shen Qingqiu couldn’t control herself; when Xiao Muyu was in danger, her panic was genuine and not something she could fake.

In the previous dungeons, she convinced herself that she was acting when she protected and saved her. But in reality, it had become instinct.

Even before her mind realized she liked Xiao Muyu, her body was already protecting her.

She looked at Xiao Muyu with a complicated expression. “I understand what you mean. I also feel you’re very familiar, as if we’ve been together for a long time. Sometimes, strange fragments and words pop into my mind, but I can’t remember them clearly…”

Thinking of something, Shen Qingqiu swallowed her words. She was afraid that saying too much would attract the system’s attention.

Xiao Muyu understood her concern. The surveillance of Skynet was everywhere. You never knew when it would hear what you said or see what you did.

“But I think we don’t need to be so cautious. Have you noticed? This system seems ridiculous, always trying to trip us up, but it never goes all the way.

“It doesn’t have as much power as it appears. Once it violates certain rules, it gets punished too.

“It has rules to follow and can’t do whatever it wants, as if there’s another layer of rules above it that it can’t break.”

Shen Qingqiu knew all this too, and she knew more than Xiao Muyu.

She also knew part of why the system targeted Xiao Muyu, but she wasn’t sure of the specifics.

After some hesitation, she said, “I don’t know what Skynet is exactly, but I do know it values you highly. You’re right; it seems to be restrained by something.

“Its attitude toward you is strange, like it wants to destroy you but always leaves a way out. I don’t know if that’s intentional or forced, but that’s our chance.”

Xiao Muyu looked a bit anxious. “Are you allowed to tell me this?”

She remembered the system punishing Shen Qingqiu and still didn’t know why she was punished after Dungeon 004.

Shen Qingqiu squeezed her hand and smiled reassuringly. “I know my limits.”

She paused and looked at Xiao Muyu. “Muyu, I don’t know if they represent Skynet or if Skynet is their tool, but they want something from you. I don’t know what it is, but they’re desperate for it, and my…”

Xiao Muyu covered her mouth. “Don’t say it.” Shen Qingqiu touched her chest, and Xiao Muyu’s expression grew more worried. “Does it hurt again? What did it do to you?”

“Muyu, I have an idea. Maybe we can try it.” Shen Qingqiu’s eyes brightened with a hint of excitement.

Seeing she wasn’t in pain, Xiao Muyu relaxed a bit and quickly understood what Shen Qingqiu was thinking.

“But what if it gets angry and really hurts you?”

Xiao Muyu was afraid. Hadn’t she considered Shen Qingqiu might betray her?

Did the system think it could control Shen Qingqiu with just this?

If that was the case, it was terrifying. Xiao Muyu couldn’t bear to think about it.

She frowned. “We won’t take that risk.” She had many unsolved mysteries, but she didn’t want to use Shen Qingqiu as a gamble.

If she lost Shen Qingqiu, knowing the truth would be pointless. Even if it was true, this was just a refuge.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t insist. “Okay, we’ll do it your way first. But I’ve said a lot already, and it hasn’t reacted. I think we’re right. But it’s always good to be cautious.”

“Mm.” Xiao Muyu nodded.

Shen Qingqiu kissed Xiao Muyu’s ear and whispered, “I’ve already been punished. Stay with me tonight, okay?”

Xiao Muyu looked at her, then glanced at the clock, saying nothing as she got out of bed.

Shen Qingqiu felt disappointed and said, “I just want to lie together. Is that not okay?”

Xiao Muyu pursed her lips. “I’m going to change clothes.”

Her voice was so small that Shen Qingqiu almost didn’t hear it. When she understood, she blurted out, “You’re already in pajamas…”

Before finishing, she realized and blushed. “Oh, oh, go ahead. I’ll wait… for you.”

Xiao Muyu almost rushed back to her room. Shen Qingqiu lay back on the bed, laughing, hugging the blanket, kicking her legs excitedly. Then she got up and opened the wardrobe.

Xiao Muyu took a while to return. Shen Qingqiu waited a long time before seeing her walk back slowly.

Standing by the bed, Xiao Muyu said seriously, “I was busy changing your bedclothes and forgot to do mine. Since it’s late, I’ll sleep here tonight and go back tomorrow.”

Shen Qingqiu held back her laughter, lying on her side, lifting the blanket. “Yes, I understand. Please, Captain Xiao.”

Xiao Muyu looked at her and couldn’t help but smile, a hint of shyness in her eyes that Shen Qingqiu found poetically beautiful, like a shy water lily in a cool breeze.

“You said we would just lie together.”

“I just want to hug.”

“Shen Qingqiu.”

“One kiss.”

The author adds: I made some edits. It’s nothing much, but since it’s out, let’s meet at our usual place.

The comments section made me laugh so hard. Braking with the wheel on your face, sparks flying.

But a couple of you noticed the slippers thing, haha. Little Xiao isn’t as good as her slippers.

Xiao Cen: Even your partner isn’t good?

Shen Qingqiu: …

Xiao Cen: I thought mine wasn’t good either, but later…

Shen Qingqiu: What happened later?

Xiao Cen: She was quite good. I almost cried.

Lu Zijin: These things are best experienced personally. Don’t talk about it lightly.