QHM Chapter 84 – Part 1

[mfn]TL: Part 1[/mfn]Even during class in the afternoon, Xu Yin found himself distracted by a particular question—

How much would his hubby remember through dreams in this world?

Of course, no matter what, this was already the final world. In the end, they would face the answer together.

But before that, if his hubby recalled more, how was he supposed to explain everything?

Xu Yin kept thinking and thinking.

Yet at this very moment, he was caught off guard by the realization that the complexity in this man’s gaze fully revealed one thing—he had remembered everything.

So, when exactly did he start remembering this time?

Xu Yin couldn’t help but recall many details—putting aside the game, he had always found it a little strange that his hubby chose to enter the entertainment industry in the first place.

And in this instant, Xu Yin seemed to understand his motive.

At what age did Yan Shixiu enter the entertainment industry?

Twenty.

Twenty years old.

At this moment, Xu Yin was at a loss for words.

Seeing him like this, Yan Shixiu became even more nervous. He tensed his face, hesitated for a moment, then gently stroked Xu Yin’s cheek. Seeing Xu Yin staring at him, his eyes turning red and his entire body trembling slightly… Yan Shixiu suddenly pulled him into his arms!

“Yinyin, don’t cry.” He lowered his voice and whispered in Xu Yin’s ear.

Though his voice was slightly altered by a voice changer, the gentle tone remained the same as always.

The chat exploded into chaos.

“??????”

“Wait, what’s happening now?! Why is my face heating up?!”

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

“I KNEW IT! These two have been flirting all along! The Flower God was totally pampering his wife just now!!!”

“What the hell happened over the past month?!!”

Xu Yin wasn’t someone who cried easily, yet from the moment the last world ended until now, this was already the second time…

Only this man could make him like this.

Lowering his gaze, Xu Yin calmed his emotions in Yan Shixiu’s embrace and took a deep breath.

There was so much to say, but his thoughts were a mess.

After a while, Yan Shixiu loosened his hold slightly, carefully watching him before asking, “Yinyin, do you want to log off first?”

The reason Xu Yin had set up this instance to meet him online was to confirm with his own eyes whether his guess was correct—no matter what cautious thoughts this man had in trying to hide things, as long as Xu Yin looked into those eyes, he could confirm the answer.

And now, he has.

At this moment, his emotions were still surging, and there was a faint ringing in his ears.

Shifting his gaze, he looked at the familiar desolate streets and suddenly laughed through his tears. “Don’t you find these scenes familiar?”

Only then did Yan Shixiu lift his gaze to take in the surroundings. His expression froze slightly.

The SUV parked by the roadside—it was identical to the one they had taken to Base B in the third world.

Yan Shixiu seemed to realize something and turned to meet Xu Yin’s gaze.

Xu Yin’s eyes were still slightly red, but he was smiling at him.

So Yan Shixiu pressed his lips together and smiled as well.

“Let’s finish playing first and talk after we log off, how about that?” Xu Yin said softly.

The man looked at him and replied gently, “Alright.”

The chat exploded once more.

“WHAT WHAT WHAT AAAAAA CAN YOU TWO JUST GO OFFLINE AND DATE ALREADY?!! I DEMAND A FULL LIVE STREAM!!”

“Online dating is totally fine too!”

“Hungry, hungry! We need more content!”

On screen, the two virtual characters were already walking hand in hand toward the SUV.

“AAAAAHHHH LOOK, THEY’RE HOLDING HANDS!!”

Both of them could see the chat, and as the message scrolled by, Yan Shixiu suddenly intertwined their fingers.

Xu Yin felt it and glanced at him teasingly.

The man’s ears turned slightly red.

The chat went wild.

“WHAT WHAT WHAT, DID FLOWER GOD JUST SWITCH TO INTERLOCKING FINGERS ON HIS OWN?!”

“Fvck, so Flower God is actually this lowkey flirty?!”

“Please remove the word ‘lowkey,’ thanks!”

This was a three-player instance; they had to wait for the third person to join before starting.

After getting into the SUV, Xu Yin hesitated, wanting to ask something, but before he could speak, the third person suddenly appeared outside the vehicle. Both he and Yan Shixiu froze for a moment—even the chat seemed to lag.

First of all, the instance was hosted by Xu Yin, so if someone wanted to join, they had to enter Xu Yin’s livestream to get into the game.

This meant that the system hadn’t randomly matched them with a third player.

At this very moment, the person who had actively entered Xu Yin’s livestream and joined the game—or rather, this virtual avatar—had a strikingly handsome face, deep-set eyes, and a sleek black leather trench coat over a black T-shirt, paired with black pants and combat boots. His whole look was undeniably cool.

This person was none other than the God of Chuuni.

The moment they saw him, Yan Shixiu’s face turned cold, Xu Yin raised an eyebrow, and the chat collectively lost its mind.

“??? What’s this guy doing here?”

“Fvck, this drama keeps getting crazier, I LOVE IT.”

“Does the God of Chuuni have a screw loose???”

“I strongly suspect he’s just here to leech off their popularity…”

Did the God of Chuuni see these messages?

He did. But he held it in.

His real name was Chen Yu—and today had been an absolute disaster for him.

His livestream had been going fine earlier in the day when, out of nowhere, a wave of bot-like trolls flooded his chat, hurling insults nonstop.

Of course, Chen Yu was familiar with this kind of thing—after all, his own fans had done the same to others plenty of times, hadn’t they? But this was the first time he had been on the receiving end.

Frustrated, he finished his run of the instance and went to check the forums, only to discover that his fanbase had finally messed with the wrong people and pissed off some real troublemakers.

Looking further, huh? That old pushover, Prince Angel, had made a comeback, changed his name to yin, and even landed on the trending page because of a game video?!

Chen Yu watched the video—and got scared shitless by that violent angel. After staring in shock for a good while, he couldn’t help but keep watching in secret…

Then, before his very eyes, the video blew up. More and more top players started running the Haunted Orphanage instance, and yin became the center of discussion.

And just now, yin had started a new livestream, which even drew out the elusive Flower God—

And people were saying they were dating???

With five years of experience in Horror Chain, Chen Yu could tell—this Mary Sue angel was about to skyrocket to the top of the app’s rankings.

And seriously, who could accept the fact that someone who used to trail behind him was now leading the pack?!

Chen Yu sure as hell couldn’t.

…So yeah, he really was here to leech off the hype.

Cautiously, he glanced at the two people sitting in the backseat of the SUV, assessing the situation.

Their hands were intertwined, fingers tangled together in a way that screamed “clingy couple.” The taller man was staring at him with an icy glare.

Chen Yu knew exactly how powerful Flower God was—and how massive his fanbase was. A chill ran down his spine. At the same time, he felt deeply, deeply annoyed.

After getting dumped, that Prince Angel loser actually managed to latch onto someone as powerful as Flower God. Didn’t that make Chen Yu look like a total joke?

Today, not only was he here to ride the hype, but he was also determined to reclaim some dignity. If he could make those two break up right then and there, that would be perfect.

With that in mind, Chen Yu let out a deliberate sigh and looked at the angel with a complicated expression. “Yin, I wanted to talk to you.”

That tone…

“Damn, I wanna punch him!”

“Does he think he’s in a drama?!”

“If you wanna talk, can’t you just DM him? Why do you have to interrupt their date?!”

“Shit, I should’ve gone live too. Let them be lovey-dovey in the backseat while I drive. (doge)”

But now that he was here, his fans started showing up too.

“Why’s this idiot here…”

“Ugh, this Chuuni is so dumb, sigh…”

Chen Yu spoke, but Xu Yin only gave him a faint, mocking smile.

Xu Yin said nothing. Yan Shixiu also said nothing.

For a moment, Chen Yu was left hanging awkwardly. Finally, he forced out a laugh. “…Fine, I’ll drive then.”

With a stiff expression, he climbed into the driver’s seat. The two in the back didn’t object, but the atmosphere was… weird.

Once all three were inside, subtitles appeared in the air, setting up the story’s background.

“I’ll read it,” Chen Yu cleared his throat and volunteered. “A year and a half into the apocalypse, more than half of humanity has turned into zombies, and the remaining survivors have developed supernatural abilities…”

Xu Yin suddenly chuckled.

Chen Yu immediately stopped and turned around. “What’s funny?”

Then he saw the two men in the backseat gazing at each other. Xu Yin’s smile was subtle, while Yan Shixiu’s was gentle.

Chen Yu: “…………???”

Chat:

“Hahaha what’s going on? Why the sudden eye contact??”

“What’s up with these two??? AAAAAA”

“Yin, what are you laughing at? Tell us so we can be happy too, please QAQ”

The phrase “a year and a half into the apocalypse” caught Xu Yin’s attention. He vaguely remembered that the third world had the same setting—clearly, the other man had thought of it too.

After secretly sharing this little inside joke, Xu Yin turned back, raised an eyebrow, and said to Chen Yu, “Nothing. Keep reading.”

Chen Yu: “…………”

Wait a second. He came here to leech off their popularity, not to be a plot device!

But he couldn’t just throw a fit, so he took a deep breath and swallowed his frustration.

“The abilities include water, fire, ice, wood, earth, metal, and a special category—psychic abilities. However, the psychic abilities seem a little unusual…”

In the backseat, Xu Yin leaned in slightly and whispered to Yan Shixiu, “Do you think Yuan Yue will be in this instance?”

Yan Shixiu replied in a low voice, “I checked earlier. This instance is focused on finding the vaccine. Other than zombies, there shouldn’t be any NPCs.”

Chen Yu: “Uh, are you two even listening to me?”

Xu Yin: “Go on.”

Chen Yu: “…………”

Fvck!

Gritting his teeth, Chen Yu continued, “A man named Dr. Lu developed a vaccine. However, on the night he completed it, we received a message from him: ‘Many forces are after me. I don’t think I can hold out much longer. After much consideration, I’ve decided to hide the vaccine on the top floor of X Tower. I will flee far away to draw them away. Use this chance—hurry and retrieve the vaccine!’”

Xu Yin: “This Dr. Lu is kinda OOC.”

Yan Shixiu nodded.

Chen Yu: Fvck, have you two whispered enough yet?!

After finishing the introduction, small square boxes materialized around them—inside the car and scattered on the ground outside.

The three of them picked up the boxes, and words like “Water,” “Ice,” and “Wood” appeared on them—these were ability selection boxes.

Now that he understood how the instance worked, Chen Yu started the car and followed the in-game navigation toward their destination.

And since they had a moment, it was his time to put on a show.

Clearing his throat, he said, “…Yin, I heard about what happened earlier today. I came specifically to apologize on behalf of my fans. They didn’t mean any harm.”

Chat:

“Why are you apologizing for us? You did nothing wrong, QAQ.”

“I’m fuming. What do you mean they ‘didn’t mean any harm’?? Are you serious??”

“Where was this energy when Yin was getting harassed by your fans before? You didn’t say a damn word back then, but now you wanna apologize for them?”

“Instead of coming here to bother people on their date, how about you go back to your own stream and actually keep your fans in check?”

“Chuunibyou came to apologize, and you’re all still attacking him. Isn’t that a bit much?”

“Overboard? Who was it that used to swear they’d flood Yin’s screen every time he went live?!”

The chat was on fire, and the atmosphere inside the car grew increasingly tense.

Chen Yu glanced in the rearview mirror and found the two men both looking at him. For some reason, a chill ran down his spine.

Just my imagination, right?

Suppressing the unease, he forced himself to continue, “Yin, how have you been lately?”

The chat immediately exploded. Most people knew shameless people existed, but this was the first time they were witnessing a live performance.

Xu Yin found it even funnier. The man beside him was growing colder and colder—he squeezed Yan Shixiu’s hand.

Yan Shixiu paused.

Chen Yu, oblivious, kept going, “You and… the Flower God are together now?”

Before Xu Yin could reply, he let out a soft, bitter chuckle, his voice filled with melancholy. “In just one afternoon, Flower God threw four aircraft carriers at you… Your relationship must be really deep…”

Such sorrow, such longing, such subtle heartbreak.

His fans immediately teared up, but Xu Yin suddenly spoke.

“You and your girlfriend broke up?”

Chen Yu froze. “Huh?”

“Does she know you’re here, in my stream?” Xu Yin smiled as he asked.

There was no memory of the God of Chuuni breaking up in the original host’s mind.

If that relationship was still intact, and this guy still had the audacity to come into his stream and put on this show… Xu Yin had to admit, he was impressed.

Chat:

“Are his fans still gonna pretend not to see what he’s doing?”

“What did God of Chuuni do? You guys are just being haters.”

“Lmao, don’t tell me you all actually think he likes this overpowered Mary Sue angel? No way, right???”

“He’s just feeling conflicted because his friend turned out to be gay. Stop overanalyzing.”

“Oh, this performance can still be excused as ‘feeling complicated about a friend’? He clearly wishes Yin and the Flower God would break up on the spot.”

“By the way, where’s the God of Chuuni’s girlfriend? Shouldn’t she be here to watch her boyfriend’s performance??”

Chen Yu immediately straightened up. “She doesn’t know, but I’ll tell her later. I just wanted to talk to you today—she won’t mind.”

Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he glanced at Yan Shixiu through the rearview mirror and lowered his voice. “Ah, sorry… would the Flower God mind?”

“??? What the hell kind of line is that?!”

“Fvck, that’s some serious green tea energy!”**

“The tea is too strong!”

“Never thought I’d witness a green tea act in real-time!”

Chen Yu pretended not to notice anything and maintained his composure, while Xu Yin became even more amused.

In all the worlds he had lived through, he had encountered countless damsel-in-distress types trying to target him. This was the first time he had seen one aimed at his husband.

The temperature beside him plummeted to freezing, but Xu Yin spoke first, slowly.

“I don’t know if he minds,” he said lazily, “but I do care about his feelings. So, if he does mind… are you going to leave this instance?”

Chen Yu almost stomped on the brakes—like hell he would!

But Xu Yin’s words were too blunt, almost outright exposing the fact that no matter what, Chen Yu was going to shamelessly stick around.

So, Chen Yu forced out a laugh. “Yin… It’s been so long since we last saw each other. Can’t we just focus on clearing this instance together?”

Xu Yin raised an eyebrow. “Oh? If I remember correctly, you were the one who blocked me everywhere first.”

Chen Yu: “…………”

Chen Yu: “Actually… I regretted it not long after…”

Xu Yin: “Oh? You don’t care what your fans think of you anymore?”

Chen Yu: “No, that’s not—just…”

Sweat started forming on his back.