After the case announcement was released, Chu Luyu learned the full details of the entire serial homicide case.
Li Yuebai was highly intelligent. Every crime had been meticulously planned, his methods precise. According to private chatter at the bureau, if it hadn’t been for the unexpected lead that started with the false witness, the entire case might have slipped through his fingers.
And even as the clues gradually closed in on the truth, Li Yuebai didn’t panic. He simply found a scapegoat.
The person who turned himself in had been well-coached. Li Yuebai had briefed him on all the details of the crimes, promising that if he took the fall, his family would be taken care of for life.
The man who confessed was already terminally ill with late-stage cancer. Coincidentally, among Li Yuebai’s victims, there was someone with whom the scapegoat had a long-standing grudge.
Who knows how Li Yuebai found him, but from start to finish, the man willingly took the blame.
Yet no matter how seamlessly they’d crafted their scheme, the bureau still found the loophole…
Later, Chu Luyu told the system that she still felt a sense of unreality.
Because this plotline had no conclusion in the original story. She couldn’t imagine that the friend who continued to live beside the male lead was actually the demon that pushed him into the abyss.
…
With the case closed, Jiang Hezhou’s colleagues, understanding his unique position and wanting to be considerate of his emotions, gave him some time off afterward.
He no longer needed to commute to the bureau every day. He went to the university a couple times a week for classes, and the rest of the time, he stuck close to Chu Luyu.
He was practically inseparable from her. When she went to teach at the interest class, he followed. When she went out with her teaching assistant to buy stationery after work, he walked behind them, carrying their bags.
After observing him for two days, Chu Luyu felt something was off with Jiang Hezhou. She said to the system: [Cuihua, don’t you think the male lead has been acting a bit strange lately? He’s so clingy! Aside from the few hours he’s teaching, he’s with me almost all the time. It feels so weird. Has his disgust value toward me still not changed?]
System Cuihua: [Not only has it not changed—it’s gone up a bit. It’s now at -90 total.]
Chu Luyu took a deep breath, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in her chest: [Then why is it like this? He clearly dislikes me—so why does he want to be around me all day?]
System Cuihua: [Same as before—he wants to build rapport with you before marriage. He may dislike you in his heart, but in action, he feels responsible for you and can’t neglect you. Maybe he felt that during the time he was working the case, you two were apart for too long, so now that he’s resting, he wants to make up for all that lost time. Besides, he’s still reeling from the blow of his friend being a murderer. I figure he doesn’t want to be alone either. After thinking it over, being with you is just the most convenient option.]
Chu Luyu couldn’t stand it. She didn’t understand why, every time she felt something was off and talked to the system about it, everything ended up seeming perfectly reasonable again…
Fortunately, a new task soon appeared, giving her no spare time to dwell on things.
The task notification came one evening after dinner, while she was curled up on the sofa eating fruit.
That day, Jiang Hezhou had once again prepared pineapple and cherry tomatoes for her. But since she’d casually mentioned recently that she was craving sour things, he’d added a piece of sour plum meat alongside the tomatoes.
Chu Luyu loved it and kept popping them into her mouth one after another. And just then, the long-unheard mechanical voice rang out in her mind.
[Ding! New task! On the male lead’s birthday, wear sexy lingerie, present yourself as a gift to the male lead, and say the key line: “Brother Hezhou, today I’m giving myself to you—do you like it?”]
Chu Luyu paused in her movements, thought for a moment, and asked the system: [Cuihua, how many points is this task worth?]
System Cuihua: [8 points. It’s not difficult—the lingerie the original host picked wasn’t very revealing, so the points are low.]
Chu Luyu: [So… if I choose not to do it, deducting 80 points would be enough?]
System Cuihua: [What? Why wouldn’t you do it? This is such an easy task! Just put on an outfit, strut around in front of the male lead, say the key line, and you’re done.]
Chu Luyu: [I know it’s simple. But the male lead has been through so much lately, and I can tell he’s in a bad place. I don’t want to add to his burden on his birthday. I just want him to have a normal, happy birthday.]
System Cuihua: [Oh my god, sweetie—eighty points! Eighty points! Are you sure you want to just give that up? Sure, you’ve accumulated quite a bit, but after deducting these eighty, you’ll only have a little over a hundred left. If you still want to give the male lead that ‘wish fulfilled’ later, those will all be gone too… You’ve worked so hard all this time—what would it all be for?]
Chu Luyu: [I’ve thought about it. After coming to this world, the life I’ve lived so far is already a hundred, a thousand times better than my life in the real world. Here I have a family that loves me, I don’t have to worry about making a living, and after the tasks are over, I’ll have a body completely free from illness and pain. Cuihua, I’m content. Points to me might just mean exchanging them for money or material things. There’s nothing I particularly wish for anymore. So I just want to make things a little better for the male lead.]
After all, in this strange world, he had treated her the best. No matter what he felt in his heart, she had truly been on the receiving end of his care for these past six months.
Now they were about to part ways at a crossroads. No matter what, Chu Luyu still wanted to do something for Jiang Hezhou.
The system was silent for a long moment, then asked: [Are you sure? If you’re sure you won’t regret it, I’ll go ahead and process the task exemption exchange for you. The exchange will take effect at the end of the task deadline—meaning three days from now, after midnight, the moment the male lead’s birthday ends.]
Chu Luyu popped another cherry tomato with sour plum into her mouth. She glanced toward the kitchen, watching Jiang Hezhou’s tall, upright figure bustling about, and nodded with a smile: [I’m sure.]
Over the next two days, Chu Luyu focused on preparing for Jiang Hezhou’s birthday.
Because the two of them were practically glued together every day, she had very little time to herself. So she asked her teaching assistant to help order the cake. As for the gift, after thinking it over, Chu Luyu felt that Jiang Hezhou didn’t lack anything, so during a break between classes, while he wasn’t paying attention, she drew him a picture.
This drawing was completely different from the one she’d done at the Chen house last time.
She prepared a large sheet of drawing paper and secretly bought a beautiful frame. The style was also done in the anime-inspired illustration style she was best at in the real world.
On his birthday, Chu Luyu took advantage of the two or three hours when Jiang Hezhou was at class to quickly decorate the apartment. She didn’t know how to cook, so she called a restaurant to have food delivered.
Just as she was almost done setting up, Jiang Hezhou suddenly called—
“Why are you at home?”
His low, cool voice came through the receiver, and Chu Luyu was a bit surprised: “How did you know I’m at home?”
That morning, Jiang Hezhou had personally driven her to the interest class. She’d waited until his car drove off before secretly taking a taxi back to the apartment.
The person on the other end paused for two seconds, then said: “I was about to go pick you up, and I happened to check the surveillance at the interest class. I saw you weren’t there.”
Oh, so that’s it. But wait—even if he knew she wasn’t at the interest class, how did he know she was at home?
Chu Luyu was about to ask another question when Jiang Hezhou’s voice came through low, changing the subject: “Is there anything you want to eat? I’ll stop by the supermarket and buy some groceries to cook at home.”
Chu Luyu thought to herself—this man really had completely forgotten that today was his birthday.
Her voice soft, she reminded him: “Jiang Hezhou, today is November 27th.”
“I know. It’s also Sunday—the day you usually have two full classes.”
Chu Luyu paused for a moment, not telling him that she’d already communicated with the students and parents in the group chat to reschedule today’s classes. She’d set aside the entire day just for him, with nothing else on the agenda.
After thinking it over, she decided not to tell him just yet. She simply said she didn’t have any particular cravings and told him to just grab whatever and come back.
Jiang Hezhou was too perceptive. He could tell from her hesitant tone that something was odd. After hanging up, he closed the tracking app he’d been using and opened the surveillance program for the apartment instead.
Chu Luyu had no idea that the apartment had surveillance cameras installed, and he had no intention of telling her.
There were many things he could only do secretly to truly prevent problems before they arose.
On the surveillance feed, the girl was bustling about excitedly. On the living room coffee table, flowers, a cake, and a few dishes she’d transferred from takeout containers were already laid out.
She padded back to the room in her slippers and came out with two scented candles. When the flames flickered to life, the entire little area was instantly bathed in a romantic glow.
Jiang Hezhou was stunned for a rare moment. His mind began sifting through countless important dates.
Her birthday? No—she was born in spring, still three months away.
Their anniversary? No—today wasn’t their half-year anniversary, nor their one-year anniversary.
Then what other important day could it be?
She’d even specifically emphasized that today was November 27th.
Just then, Jiang Hezhou’s phone buzzed with a greeting message from a certain boutique.
[Dear Mr. Jiang, as time flows like a song, so does our greeting. XX Brand wishes you a happy birthday, and a life of peace and freedom year after year.]
Like a pebble suddenly dropping into a calm lake, ripples spread across the surface even without wind. The gloom that had weighed on Jiang Hezhou for days visibly lifted in that moment.
·
Chu Luyu had no idea she’d been discovered.
Hearing the door open, she grabbed the tie she’d prepared earlier and pattered over to the entrance.
Jiang Hezhou was carrying two kinds of fruit he’d picked up at the supermarket downstairs. She didn’t look closely—she just took them, set them aside, and looked up at him with eager eyes.
“Jiang Hezhou, I have a surprise for you, but I need you to cover your eyes first. Okay?”
The man looked at his girl and thought she was just too adorable, too endearing. How could everything she said and did make him love her this much?
Without a word, he simply bent down to her height, cooperative and waiting for her next move.
A few seconds later, the light before Jiang Hezhou’s eyes was completely blocked by the tie. As his vision went dark, the excitement surging through his blood grew even stronger.
The girl’s small hand took his and led him inside.
His sense of smell was sharp. Even from a distance, he immediately caught the scent of candles and rich floral fragrance in the air.
Soon, she stopped him, let go of his hand, and seemed to busy herself with something. After a moment of rustling, her voice came from nearby.
“You can take the tie off now.”
Jiang Hezhou obeyed. As he untied the blindfold, the light made his vision swim for a moment. When everything came into focus, the sight of the girl holding a large picture frame and tilting her head at him met his eyes.
She was beaming at him, her long hair falling to one side with her movement. Behind her, through the huge floor-to-ceiling window, light snow drifted gently down, contrasting with the warmth filling the room. Standing in that patch of light and shadow, she curved her eyes into two little crescent moons—
“Jiang Hezhou, happy birthday.”
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