Cheng Xiao returned to his bedroom next door with the piece of cloth, only to realize what he had done.
The thin white cloth, which he had been holding tightly, had become wrinkled and had absorbed his body heat.
Seeing this, Cheng Xiao's first reaction was to wonder if Yu Deng wore this small piece of cloth, his leg flesh might be even whiter than the cloth itself.
And since the cloth was so small, would it leave a mark on his leg flesh?
Cheng Xiao's face changed several times. He quickly stuffed the cloth into the quilt, pretending nothing had happened.
Soon, he heard Yu Deng calling him at the door of the next room.
Cheng Xiao opened the door and said, "Little Mom."
Yu Deng tugged at the edge of his pants and said, "We need to keep watch later. You know that, right?"
"Yes, I know."
Cheng Xiao had already heard the system issue a side mission.
He wasn't surprised; in fact, when he drew this advantageous role, he had anticipated such events might happen.
The only unexpected part was this "Little Mom."
"Um," Yu Deng gestured slightly and said quietly, "Do you have any spare underwear?"
Yu Deng had searched his wardrobe again and found only the one that had been stolen, and he wasn't sure if it had been washed and not put back.
But now Yu Deng was reluctant to ask the butler, so he decided to ask his stepson.
As soon as Yu Deng mentioned this, Cheng Xiao couldn't help but glance towards the quilt, then quickly looked away.
After a few seconds of silence, Cheng Xiao realized that Little Mom carried a faint scent of soap mixed with his own fragrance, which made it even more alluring.
"Little Mom, did you take a shower just now?"
"Yes."
Cheng Xiao didn't rigidly think that one should not shower while keeping watch for an NPC, especially when they didn't know if they were guarding against a person or a ghost, good or bad.
It was just that in an infinite world, the bathroom might be dangerous.
Never mind. It was better to worry about his own situation as a player rather than an NPC facing emergencies.
Yu Deng tapped his fingers, sounding somewhat frustrated, "I just feel sticky and uncomfortable."
The air here was very humid, and judging by the dark and gloomy weather outside, it probably wanted to rain soon.
"Little Mom, be careful when washing up lately," Cheng Xiao said, looking at Yu Deng's face reddened by steam. "The culprit hasn't been found yet."
"Ohh..."
Yu Deng knew Cheng Xiao's words made sense but didn't know how to explain to Cheng Xiao that he had a system alert.
After thinking for a long time and not finding a way to phrase it, Yu Deng could only respond awkwardly, "I understand."
Yu Deng then asked the same question again.
"Are there none in Little Mom's room?" Cheng Xiao almost looked towards that direction again.
Yu Deng shook his head and said, "None, just one. I don't know which perverted person took it..."
Yu Deng stopped abruptly as he spoke.
Complaining to his stepson about having his underwear stolen by a pervert seemed a bit odd.
The two exchanged a silent glance. The young stepson's Adam's apple bobbed, and he turned to open the wardrobe.
With his back to Yu Deng, he said, "I haven't been home for a long time. These clothes are probably prepared by the servants; I haven't worn them."
Cheng Xiao casually picked out a smaller pair and handed it over.
Yu Deng quickly took it and hurried back to the next room.
It was past nine in the evening.
What should have been a joyous occasion had turned into a mourning event. The red lanterns in the Cheng Mansion had been taken down and replaced with white mourning banners. Dim lights lined the roadside. Dark clouds covered the moon, and the mansion was enveloped in silence, with not a single insect chirp or bird call.
Yu Deng, now dressed in mourning clothes, walked beside his stepson as they made their way to the mourning hall. He felt relieved not to be going out alone and let his mind wander aimlessly.
With Master Cheng's death, it seemed unlikely that any of the younger Cheng family members would marry in the near future. What a pity for the young couple.
In no time, they arrived at the house they had visited earlier that day, just over a hundred meters away.
The first-floor hall had been transformed into a mourning hall. White candles flickered, and colorful paper effigies were placed in the corners. In the center, there was a coffin made of golden silk nanmu wood, with Master Cheng lying inside.
The old man's face had already taken on a bluish-gray hue with spots, and his eyes remained open. The bloodstained clothes he had been wearing had been replaced.
Yu Deng glanced once and could no longer bear to look, while Cheng Xiao scrutinized Master Cheng's body in silence.
The butler stood in the hall and greeted the two. Cheng Xiao asked, "Uncle Dong, have the cause of death been determined?"
"Master Cheng was stabbed in the chest with a sharp weapon," the butler replied in a low voice. "The mansion is too large, and we're still searching for the murder weapon."
Cheng Xiao nodded and said nothing.
Yu Deng tilted his head, feeling a bit odd.
"Little Mom, what are you thinking?" Cheng Xiao asked in a low voice after the butler had left.
"I just find it a bit strange," Yu Deng said slowly. "If he was stabbed so hard, wouldn't it hurt? But it seems no one heard Master Cheng cry out for help."
He could barely tolerate even a small bump without making a fuss, so how could Master Cheng endure such pain?
"Yes, unless he couldn't speak, he must have felt pain."
Cheng Xiao looked at Yu Deng's clear eyes and suddenly felt like laughing.
His pretty Little Mom seemed naïve but could be unexpectedly perceptive at times.
The faint sound of footsteps approached from behind. Yu Deng turned around and saw players arriving.
It was the female veteran with a high ponytail, a short-haired newbie girl, and a tall, muscular boy.
The three of them eyed Yu Deng warily, their gaze suggesting that Cheng Xiao should come over.
Cheng Xiao glanced at them and moved closer, though still keeping a short distance from Yu Deng. "What's up?"
The veteran player lowered her voice and said, "We might find some clues tonight, so we volunteered to keep watch and took on a side mission."
Cheng Xiao nodded lightly to acknowledge that he understood.
Yu Deng's ears twitched.
Oh, can side missions be taken voluntarily? But why would they choose to take on such a dangerous task?
[Host, you should understand that risk and reward go hand in hand. Such side missions often provide a lot of clues.]The system seemed to let out a subtle sigh.
Yu Deng felt that the system's sigh sounded a lot like his high school teacher's reaction to his math test papers. But Yu Deng didn't dare to say anything, only replying humbly, "Oh, I understand."
Meanwhile, the short-haired girl tried to give a friendly impression. "You didn't join us this evening, so let me introduce myself. I'm Zhang Ziyun. This is Ke Qi, and Sister Tong is an experienced player who has completed three dungeons."
The player named Ke Qi scratched his head and gave a goofy smile.
Cheng Xiao nodded. "You can just call me by my dungeon identity name."
"If we get the chance to examine the body tonight," Sister Tong said, her lips moving quietly, "it's too crowded during the day."
As they spoke, several servants arrived, setting up long benches outside the mourning hall for them to rest on before stepping back to keep their distance.
As direct members of the Cheng family, Yu Deng and Cheng Xiao naturally took the positions closest to the coffin, in the hall itself. The players positioned themselves about five or six meters away.
Seeing that everyone was in place, the butler instructed, "Remember, absolutely do not let the candles go out."
For Yu Deng, keeping vigil was a completely unfamiliar experience.
There were no chairs allowed in the mourning hall, only some bundles of dry straw.
The straw was somewhat prickly and thin, making it very uncomfortable to sit on, leaving him feeling cold and uneasy.
Yu Deng frowned, sitting awkwardly and tensely. He glanced to the side and noticed that Cheng Xiao had been observing Master Cheng's body in the coffin for quite a while.
He envied those with the courage to face such things.
Yu Deng didn't dare to look around the mourning hall, only focusing on the burning candles, fearful that they might go out.
Fortunately, despite the flickering in the gentle breeze, the flames remained lit.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the night fog grew denser, and Yu Deng's drowsiness increased gradually.
After two o'clock in the morning, Yu Deng was so sleepy that he was on the verge of falling asleep. He bit his lip and pinched his thigh, the pain bringing tears to his eyes, which only slightly revived him.
At that moment, the veteran player sneaked in, signaling Cheng Xiao to distract Yu Deng, allowing them to examine the body.
Cheng Xiao glanced at Sister Tong and slowly placed a hand on Yu Deng's shoulder, giving it a slight shake. "Little Mom, they'll keep watch for us for a bit. Let's go outside and get some fresh air to wake up."
Yu Deng, too tired and frightened, immediately agreed.
The two went outside.
The sky was starless, and tree shadows under the lanterns looked like elongated ghostly shapes.
Yu Deng quickly dismissed the thought and glanced back at the mourning hall. To his shock, he saw the white candlelight flicker violently.
The flame almost went out, making the mourning hall look like a gaping abyss.
After four or five seconds, the flame slowly reignited.
Yu Deng shivered, nearly frightened out of his wits, and rubbed his eyes to confirm that the candles were still burning.
The scare made him tear up again.
"Little Mom," Cheng Xiao, who had not noticed Yu Deng's anxious gaze and thought he was cold from the outside wind, paused for a moment before grabbing a coat from a servant.
Yu Deng sat on the bench, shaking his head. "It's nothing. I thought the candle went out. Thank you."
Cheng Xiao draped the coat over Yu Deng's shoulders, holding onto the collar and lightly brushing Yu Deng's neck with his knuckles.
He lowered his eyes to look at Yu Deng's eyes, somewhat teasingly, "Little Mom, I've only seen you for a short while, and you've already had red eyes several times. Are you a crybaby?"
Yu Deng defended himself quietly, "I've been trying my best to hold back every time."
He had only managed to keep his eyes from turning red, and he felt he had tried hard enough.
"Really?"
Yu Deng, with a nasal tone, murmured an affirmative.
He didn't want to be this way, but what could he do?
He simply couldn't control it.
Whether he was angry, scared, happy, or excited, whenever his emotions fluctuated significantly, he always ended up with tears.
Even when arguing with others, he lacked spirit, and he was timid and easily frightened.
Yu Deng had long forgotten how many people had commented on him, calling him fragile, spoiled, and saying he cried more than anyone.
He hadn't expected that in this infinite world, he would still be subjected to such remarks. Perhaps, to the players, someone like him was indeed very annoying.
But physiological reactions were not something he could control.
Perhaps it was his extreme fatigue, or maybe the night itself made emotions hard to control. As Yu Deng looked at Cheng Xiao, he suddenly couldn't hold back any longer.
A warm tear fell with a soft plop, landing on Cheng Xiao's hand.
The night wind had made Cheng Xiao's hand somewhat cold, so the tear felt surprisingly hot.
"Little Mom…"
More tears began to slide down Yu Deng's cheeks.
The corners of his eyes quickly reddened, and his curled lashes were soon dampened.
Yu Deng cried quietly, without sobbing or wailing, almost serene in his sadness.
He kept his head lowered, unwilling to look at Cheng Xiao, like a delicate and withdrawn porcelain doll.
It was pitiable.
And it was also deeply endearing.
Cheng Xiao momentarily forgot what he was about to say.
Beautiful people wield the most powerful weapon, and with tears added, it becomes irresistible.
At least at this moment, Cheng Xiao couldn't bring himself to tease Yu Deng.
"Little Mom, don't cry."
Cheng Xiao crouched down in front of Yu Deng, his usual arrogance and indifference replaced by awkwardness. He awkwardly said, "I won't say anything, just stop crying."