Chapter 7.18 – I’ll Play Along With Your Act

It didn't take long for Meng Ze to return, his eyes full of worry. If it weren't for having urgent matters at the company, he wouldn't have left at all.

When he opened the door, Xiang Han was laying on the couch, extremely enraptured by the video he watched.

Seeing his vacant and 'helpless' gaze as he laid on the sofa, Meng Ze felt his heart squeeze. He quickly locked the door and walked forward to grasp Xiang Han's hand.

"Xiao Han?" He asked softly.

Xiang Han suddenly jolted to attention and shamefully noticed that he had unknowingly become affected by the video. He hurried to pull his hand back, straightened his shirt, and tried his best to cover a certain part.

Meng Ze stared at his empty hands, feeling a sense of loss. He soon got up and his expression returned to normal. "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat anything? I'll make it for you."

"Not hungry. Why did you come back?" Xiang Han attempted to shield a certain part in embarrassment as he tried to force his voice to remain normal.

At the moment, he only wanted to rush back to his room. He complained bitterly in his heart: Why did he have to come back at this time? If I'd known, I wouldn't have watched it in the living room.

When Meng Ze saw the growing 'coldness' in his tone, he felt his heart ache and he asked, voice tight, "Is it that… you don't want to see me?"

"No." Xiang Han's expression turned strange as he hollered in his mind, [Little Nine, quick, turn the video off.] At the same time, he turned to Meng Ze, "I'm going back to my room."

He immediately stood up once he finished saying this and fled to the bedroom with an extremely stiff posture.

Frustration appeared in Meng Ze's eyes as he couldn't help thinking: He doesn't even want to look at me now.

Meng Ze stayed home all afternoon to work. With regards to the current imprisonment, Xiang Han didn't ask and he did not mention it either,

Xiang Han scrolled through his phone until he'd nearly forgotten himself. When lunch rolled around, a certain person came to offer food. In between periods of time, he would even deliver fruits and snacks.

Therefore, by dinner time, Xiang Han was already stuffed. He touched his stomach and sighed, [Actually, being imprisoned is quite comfortable.]

[You're no longer worried?] Big A asked.

Xiang Han's ears pricked up to hear the sound of vegetables frying in the kitchen and his eyes curved. [Don't worry. I'm very familiar with this sort of storyline. Imprisonment by an overbearing CEO will always definitely have a Happy Ending.]

Big A, […]

While Xiang Han wasn't worried, Meng Ze was extremely worried. On one hand he was busy cooking, on the other, he was deep in thought, thinking about the things Little Han said to him today. Were they having a cold war?

Sigh, he definitely hates me even more now. It can't go on like this…

He was so lost in thoughts that the dish was completely ruined. In the end, he could only call for delivery.

That night, Xin Lu Yao called once again and asked if Xiang Han had already moved out.

However, the one who answered was Meng Ze. His tone was extremely cold and rigid, "He's showering and will not be moving out. Our relationship is very good, no need for your concern."

Xin Lu Yao shivered in fright and faintly heard Xiang Han on the other end ask 'who is it?'. Then, she hurriedly hung up.

Jiang Yi didn't like her interacting with Xiang Han ever since he found out Xiang Han was male. Knowing that she was worried, he only frowned. "That's other people's matters, what are you interfering for?"

Xin Lu Yao only wanted to express some concern for Xiang Han, but after these words and the 'who is it?' she heard previously, she began to suspect that the two had already reconciled. Thus, she no longer pursued it.

On the other side, Meng Ze immediately threw the phone onto the ground and stomped on it upon seeing Xiang Han appear. "Nothing."

Xiang Han walked over and lowered his head. "Raise your foot."

Meng Ze raised his foot, but the coffee mug in his hand took this opportunity to fall, smashing onto his phone.

"Sorry, I'll buy you another one tomorrow, alright?" He said extremely regretfully.

Xiang Han: "…" Could his acting be any worse?

Ignoring the phone, he wiped his hair and sat down on the sofa. He finally got to the point. "Until when are you planning to lock me up?"

Meng Ze's expression tightened, but he still pretended that nothing had happened as he asked, "Are you bored? How about you watch some TV…"

Xiang Han snatched the remote control away, leaving Meng Ze's empty hands hanging in the air before he could finish his words.

"I feel that we need to have a proper talk about this." Although there was nothing bad about being a rice weevil, he still felt distressed when he saw Meng Ze constantly engage in self-abuse.

Meng Ze silently retracted his hand. After some time, he finally spoke, "Until… you love me."

Xiang Han looked at him and seriously said, "Then you don't need to lock me up, I-"

"Do you still want to leave?" Meng Ze's head snapped up, cutting off his words. He ruthlessly continued, "Dream on, it's impossible. If you need someone to blame, blame yourself for provoking me first."

Xiang Han fell down, after a beat, he picked himself back up and said, "I like you right now."

Meng Ze shook his head, distressed. "I know you're lying to me."

Xiang Han fell once more, feeling like he had been stabbed by countless arrows, each one written with the words "You don't love me".

Big A said: [I feel like you're just hitting your head against a brick wall. You should use actions rather than words to prove it.]

[I already embraced him as he chewed on me yesterday.] Xiang Han was slightly frustrated.

[Perhaps it's too sudden? You need to take things slow.] Big A suggested.

[Are you saying that I should pretend to not love him, then slowly fall for him?] Xiang Han only wanted to roll his eyes.

Big A fell silent for a moment before clicking his tongue. [I also feel this is quite troublesome, why don't we just let him continue with this self-abuse? Who knows if it might cause some resonance?]

[Don't. I don't want to see a repeat of what happened in the last world.] Xiang Han immediately rejected his idea. After pondering for a moment, he felt there was some sense to Big A's suggestion.

And so, he put on a face of despair as he meandered back into the room.

Meng Ze's heart felt conflicted. His lips moved, but no words came out.

They couldn't continue this, he reminded himself once more. Thinking of the lubricant he bought last night, he made a decision and even went to search for lessons online. Having made up his mind, he took the lubricant and walked into the room.

In order to play along with his performance, Xiang Han already reluctantly moved back into his own room. When he saw Meng Ze come in, he quickly put on a frown and asked, "Why did you enter?"

Meng Ze did not reply. He grabbed the blanket and dove in, seizing Xiang Han in a probing embrace. "Xiao Han, let's be together." His voice was muffled.

Xiang Han: "…" We were already together!

Meng Ze also didn't care what his reaction was, after finishing, he slid his hand into Xiang Han's pajamas and groped his waist, squeezing and kneading.

Xiang Han's eyes widened and Meng Ze hesitated. "I have lubricant this time, it won't hurt. Be good."

Be good? What the hell was 'be good'? Were they really going to act out the little black room play? You don't love me, so I'll fuck you until you do?

Xiang Han was quite excited. He hurriedly told the system to take out all the imprisonment novels he had saved before. After taking a brief look, he immediately grew furious. [Why is it all about tops imprisoning bottoms?]

System: […] Why can't he just accept reality? It really didn't understand humans.

[Find those where the bottom imprisons the top. Hurry, you can start censoring once you're done.] Xiang Han was panicking. At the moment, he seemed to be silently enduring, as if he was about to lose his chastity. In reality, he was anxious.

When a few of the novels he requested were found, he quickly skimmed through them and had an epiphany. He swiftly suppressed the hand that was inching downwards and flipped them both around while letting out an imperious laugh. "So you locked me up because you wanted to do this sort of thing? Heh, you're really slutty. Very good, I'll satisfy you today."

Meng Ze was stunned silly, did Xiao Han…become stupid after being imprisoned? But he only locked him up for a day. It was said that shut-ins could stay indoors for up to half a month without leaving home and nothing bad happened to them.

Seeing him freeze, Xiang Han let out another unrestrained laugh. "Why aren't you talking? Isn't this what you wanted? Hm?"

"X-Xiao Han, if you're really suffering, how about I… take you out for a stroll tomorrow?" Meng Ze did his best to ignore the claws lighting up fires all around his body as he asked with worry.

"Huh?" Xiang Han's paws paused slightly. He was already so cooperative, but now Meng Ze didn't want to play anymore?

"No need. This is pretty good." Xiang Han couldn't maintain a solo act all by himself. He weakly retracted his claws and asked doubtfully, "We really aren't doing it?"

Noticing his caution, Meng Ze's heart stung. He embraced Xiang Han tightly and reassured him, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I won't ever do anything to you again."

It was Xiang Han's turn to be stunned. What script was he using now?

Amidst Meng Ze's hushed murmurs, Xiang Han gradually fell asleep. When he woke up the next day, he opened the door and immediately heard some sounds from the kitchen.

"How virtuous." Xiang Han sighed and followed the aroma.

After breakfast, Xiang Han feigned a 'my heart is dead, I don't want to be locked up' expression and successfully escaped from the responsibility of a dishwasher.

Meng Ze finished washing the bowls, cut some fruits, and sent them to his room. He said lightly, "Have some fruits, then we'll go down for a stroll?"

Xiang Han swept a dull glance over him and pretended to reluctantly agree.

Meng Ze finally let out a sigh of relief and felt that this should be enough to ensure Xiang Han wasn't stifled to death.

On their stroll, he grasped Xiang Han's hands tightly, not releasing it for a single moment. When they passed by others, he would look nervously at Xiang Han with a stiff face.

Xiang Han wanted him to relax, but for the sake of acting cold and aloof, he could only endure.

Today, Meng Ze did not go to the office. After their stroll, he worked from the living room while Xiang Han read an imprisonment novel from the bedroom and researched ways to counterattack.

Afraid that he'd be too bored, Meng Ze would often bring him food and carefully ask, "Are you bored? Do you want to watch television? How about I read something to you?"

Xiang Han had his own plan. He'd ignore Meng Ze for a day and gradually soften up the next day. His tone was neither heavy nor light. "Read something to me."

Joy surged in his heart. Meng Ze immediately wanted to go retrieve a book from the study but was stopped by Xiang Han. "No need, there's some in the tablet."

Meng Ze took the tablet and glanced at it doubtfully, his expression instantly froze.

"Read it." Xiang Han couldn't conceal the excitement in his tone, but tried his best to maintain his calm. It was very uncomfortable.

"Cough, cough." Meng Ze cleared his throat, his magnetic voice slowly began, "…He forcefully pressed President X under him, fiercely… cough ahem, his mouth was stretched in a wicked smile as he said, 'Shout, why aren't you shouting? Wasn't it you who liked it like this, I -cough- you -cough- not satisfied…', P-President X could no longer think clearly, he could only helplessly…helplessly…"

"Why did you stop?" Xiang Han currently had his eyes closed as he indulged, hearing him suddenly stop, he couldn't help opening his eyes to look over.

"Ahem, Xiao Han, how about I go find a book from the library?" Meng Ze took the tablet as he ran away.

"Wait, give me back my tablet." Xiang Han weakly extended his hand.

After working from home for a week, Meng Ze needed to make another trip to the office. Before leaving, he prepared some food and guiltily locked the door.

Xiang Han woke up late that day and was at a loss for words once he knew.

Meng Ze was in a rush. Coupled with a lack of ingredients in the fridge, he only fried a plate of tomato eggs.

Xiang Han didn't have much appetite. He wanted to eat MaLa, so he told the system, [Little Nine, steal some wifi from the neighbour and help me order two portions of MaLa crayfish.]

[Mr. Xiang, the door has been locked from the outside.] The system reminded him.

"I know, but aren't there still windows?"

[But this is the 5th floor.] The system reminded him once again.

"No worries, we just need to find a rope and pull it up."

Helpless, the system could only help him place an order.

However, after submitting an order, he couldn't find a rope for a long time. In the end, he tore the bedsheets he'd brought along with him.

The delivery man saw him receive the takeout like this and couldn't help asking in concern, "Sir, do you need me to call the cops for you?"

"No need, I'm just… being shut at home to repeat a year."

"Hehe." The delivery man left with a dry laugh while thinking to himself: This person has repeated for more than a year, right? No wonder he needs to be locked up.

After he successfully obtained his food, Xiang Han was practically salivating. He hurriedly took it to the dining room and began digging in, completely forgetting to put away the bedsheets.

When Meng Ze returned, the first thing he saw the moment he raised his head was the rope of bedsheets swaying in the wind.

Remembering the time he went to the Geng family's home at midnight and how Xiang Han used a similar rope of bedsheets to slide down from the second floor, his heart suddenly chilled.

It turned out that the warmth he saw today was all an illusion; Xiao Han still wanted to leave him. But the fifth floor was so high up and the bedsheets were so thinly joined together, could something have happened? Had Xiao Han… left? Or was he hurt?

Meng Ze felt his legs go weak. He didn't know how he managed to arrive at his house. He didn't care about anything else as he prayed repeatedly in his heart, it doesn't matter if Xiang Han left, but nothing must happen to him…

When Xiang Han heard the door open, he had just finished eating all the crayfish and released a burp in satisfaction.

Sensing Meng Ze's return, he hurriedly cleared up the evidence but when he realised that there was no time, he simply dumped everything into the space.

[What are you afraid of?]

[You don't understand. His brain will definitely dig a pit once he knows I can contact the outside world.] Xiang Han was helpless. After clearing everything up, he sprayed some glass cleaner.

[The bedsheets in the room haven't been kept.] Big A could only remind him with exasperation upon hearing this.

[It's over, it's over, why didn't you say so earlier? He came from downstairs, he probably already saw it.]

Xiang Han ran into the bedroom. Just as he grabbed the sheets, he saw Meng Ze rush towards him while panting.

Xiang Han immediately froze and turned to look at the other person. The gears in his mind turned quickly in an attempt to conjure a reason.

Meng Ze saw him sticking to the window and he was hit by a wave of dizziness, to the point where he could barely stand steadily. He quickly grabbed onto the door frame, his voice anxious and begging. "Xiao Han, don't be impulsive, come here first, okay?"

Xiang Han's brain crashed. He… He seems to be unable to keep up with the degree of expansion of Meng Ze's brain hole.