DLMSWSHH Chapter 2

TL: Hua

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Chapter 2: Newcomer

Zhong Ming leaned in and whispered to the youth, “Are you talking about Matthew? How is he different from us?”

But the youth closed his mouth. He leaned back, his gaze remaining gentle as he tapped his right index finger against his lips. Zhong Ming understood; it was a sign that he couldn’t speak of it.

Zhong Ming realized that even being a manservant in a horror game came with its own workplace rules. He was in an unfamiliar place, and there was much about this mansion he didn’t know. He nodded in understanding and poked at the “porridge” in his bowl with a spoon. After staring at it for a long while, he still couldn’t convince himself to shove the stuff into his mouth.

Zhong Ming pushed the bowl toward the youth. “You eat it. I’m not hungry.”

“Really?” The youth gave a quiet cheer and dove in, finishing the porridge in a matter of seconds. “You’re a good person.”

Zhong Ming’s eyes widened slightly. Seeing how happily the youth ate, he realized the man must have been truly starving.

BANG!

An iron bowl was slammed onto the table on purpose, letting out a deafening clang.

Zhong Ming was startled and looked up to see a blond Caucasian man staring at him. He was very tall and imposing, sitting there like a mountain. His face wasn’t considered handsome for a Caucasian, and his blue eyes were very light-colored. He stared at Zhong Ming, a grin spreading across his face.

“New guy, what’s your name?”

His attitude carried an unspoken dominance, and his gaze was sharp. Zhong Ming’s heart skipped a beat, and he answered subconsciously:

“My name is Zhong Ming.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a piercing gaze stabbed at him from the side. From the corner of his eye, Zhong Ming caught the expression on the black-haired youth’s face and realized he had likely said something he shouldn’t have.

“Oh—” the man drawled meaningfully, amidst the snickers of those around him. He enunciated clearly, “Zhong Ming.”

“Pfft.” The person beside him lowered his head and covered his mouth, letting out a few muffled chuckles before looking up at Zhong Ming. “Hey, newbie, are you a bit slow in the head?”

Not knowing how to respond, Zhong Ming pursed his lips in discomfort.

The tall Caucasian man who had asked the question wore a playful yet contemptuous expression. He playfully kicked the chair of the man beside him with a curse before turning back to Zhong Ming. “I’m Jack.”

He pointed to another brown-haired man nearby, who had been unable to stop laughing from the start. “That’s Joe.”

It was obvious these were aliases.

Zhong Ming knitted his brows and glanced toward the black-haired youth. The latter gave him a helpless look, as if to say, “Who told you to answer so quickly?” The youth then turned back and frowned at the two across from them.

“Jack, that’s a bit uncalled for, don’t you think?”

“Shut up.”

The man who called himself “Jack” openly displayed his disgust for the black-haired youth. He reached into his pocket, tapped his thick, blond-haired fingers on the table, and stared at Zhong Ming.

“I just want to get on good terms with our new friend.”

Zhong Ming felt a wave of nausea under that gaze. Jack’s eyes were cold and slimy, causing a row of goosebumps to rise along Zhong Ming’s arms.

The atmosphere in the dining hall seemed to congeal because of Jack’s actions. The only sound left in the air was the steady tap, tap, tap of fingers on the table. Jack kept watching him. Zhong Ming lowered his eyes to avoid the stare, but the gesture only seemed to signal weakness. Malicious snickers broke out around him, and gazes darted over his body like a pack of wolves eyeing its prey.

Zhong Ming finally understood: Jack was likely the “alpha wolf” among the lower-level servants, and the others were all part of his pack.

The sharp screech of chair legs scraping against the floor rang out.

Zhong Ming turned his head only to see the black-haired youth standing up.

“You lot… don’t take it too far.”

His voice was icy. As his gaze fell upon the other servants, those he looked at paused and averted their eyes.

Zhong Ming was watching their reactions with curiosity when his arm was suddenly grabbed. The black-haired youth pulled him toward the door. Just as they reached the exit of the basement, the youth looked back, his eyes landing on Jack.

“Jack, don’t forget you still owe me a day.”

The comment was cryptic, but Jack clearly understood. His face darkened instantly. Zhong Ming allowed himself to be led up the stairs in a daze until the persistent smell of mildew from the basement finally vanished.

As the soft light of the first floor filtered in, the youth released his hand. Zhong Ming looked up to see the other man turning back with a small smile. “I’m really sorry. I forgot to warn you just now.”

“In this house, servants generally don’t exchange real names. Unless they are—” He paused, his eyes flickering as he emphasized the words, “Life-and-death companions.”

Zhong Ming was startled by the weight of the phrase. Life? Death? Wasn’t he just an NPC in a horror game? Could people actually die?

Seeing the bewildered look on his face, the youth shook his head with a faint, amused smile. “You’ll find out later,” he said enigmatically. He didn’t explain further but instead reached out his right hand.

“My name is Li Yizhi.”

Probably a fake name, Zhong Ming thought. He teased, “Is that a real name or a fake one?”

The youth burst into a hearty laugh and gripped Zhong Ming’s hand firmly. “Just treat it as real!”

Zhong Ming let his lips curve into a small smile. Since he had already given his own name, he had nothing left to hide. He lightly squeezed the youth’s fingertips. “Zhong Ming.”

“Then I’ll call you Xiao Zhong,” Li Yizhi said, withdrawing his hand with a grin. “You look much younger than me. Why don’t you call me Brother Li?”

Zhong Ming couldn’t remember how old he was when he died in his past life. But looking at Li Yizhi’s upturned phoenix eyes, he wasn’t convinced the man was actually older. Not particularly wanting to call him brother, Zhong Ming simply smiled and shook his head without speaking.

“You’re so quiet.” The youth said with a hint of a smile.

Zhong Ming thought that sounded like something you’d say to a young girl. He lifted his gaze to look at the youth. Li Yizhi arched an eyebrow; he was handsome, and the gesture felt both charming and playful. Feeling inexplicably toyed with, Zhong Ming lowered his eyes and pretended not to notice.

Li Yizhi wasn’t annoyed. He leaned back against the wall with a smile. “Well, you aren’t the only silent gourd here. Better to talk less than to say the wrong thing.”

After a while, the other servants trickled up to the first floor. The group led by Jack stood on the opposite side, creating a clear border between them and Li Yizhi.

Zhong Ming observed them carefully. Jack had three people behind him: brown-haired Joe, a youth with a face full of freckles, and a black-haired man with Asian features.

Zhong Ming’s gaze lingered on the last one for a moment longer. He was very tall and thin, his head bowed deeply in an avoidant posture.

“What are you looking at him for?”

Li Yizhi’s voice sounded right in his ear. “Don’t mind him. He’s just an idiot.”

Warm breath brushed against Zhong Ming’s earlobe. He shrank his neck and shifted his feet, taking a small half-step to the left.

Li Yizhi ignored his dodging and straightened up. The last person to appear at the top of the stairs was a young man with ginger-yellow hair. He walked up, glanced at Jack, and then went straight to Li Yizhi.

“Archie.”

Li Yizhi smiled at him and held out a hand. The youth named Archie bumped fists with him, turned to give Zhong Ming a slight nod, and then silently took his place beside Li Yizhi.

Zhong Ming looked away, thinking that this was likely the other “silent gourd” Li Yizhi had mentioned.

With everyone gathered, there were four people on the left side of the corridor, led by Jack, and three on this side, including Li Yizhi. Seven servants, all male, divided into clear factions.

He didn’t expect there to be workplace struggle in a game. Zhong Ming was a little helpless; he hadn’t even realized it before he was being grouped with Li Yizhi.

He wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

The corridor was silent. Unlike the rowdiness in the basement, everyone was now cold and somber. A heavy, oppressive atmosphere spread through the air.

Moments later, the sound of footsteps approached from further down the hall.

Zhong Ming looked up and saw Matthew, whom he had met earlier. However, Matthew was now walking behind someone else.

“Is everyone here?”

A slightly hoarse female voice came through. A middle-aged woman in a black robe with pale skin stood before Matthew. Her hands were clasped in front of her, her back ramrod straight. Her well-tailored dress featured a row of white buttons down the chest, fastened all the way to the very last one beneath her throat.

Looking at her high, stiff neck, Zhong Ming felt as though he were looking at a stern, old-fashioned Puritan from a period film. Matthew stood half a step behind her. “Everyone is here, Madam.”

His attitude was very respectful. So there are servants with higher status than Matthew in this house, Zhong Ming noted with inward alarm.

Li Yizhi whispered in his ear, “That is Madam Mary. She’s the housekeeper of this manor. Whatever you do, make sure you don’t offend her.”

Madam Mary looked like someone who was difficult to get along with. Zhong Ming lowered his eyelashes and straightened his posture, adopting the “standing in the corner while the boss is angry” stance he’d used in his previous life. He kept his eyes on his nose and his nose toward his heart, hoping she wouldn’t notice him.

But luck was not on his side. The woman’s gaze slid over each servant in the corridor one by one until, finally, it came to a slow halt on Zhong Ming.

“Is this the new one?”

Matthew blinked, glanced at Zhong Ming, and answered, “Yes. It’s… that one from before.”

He leaned in and whispered something into Madam Mary’s ear. The voice was too low for Zhong Ming to catch, but from the corner of his eye, he saw the woman’s thin, pale lips curl downward, a movement that deepened the hollows of her face.

This is not good. Zhong Ming’s heart skipped a beat. A premonition of disaster rose within him, and he lowered his head even further.

An instant later, accompanied by the click-clack of heels on the floor, a pair of black, pointed leather shoes appeared in his field of vision.

A withered, bony hand reached out and forcibly gripped his chin. Zhong Ming was forced to look up, his eyes widening in surprise.

Madam Mary’s pale face was right in front of his.

Because she was so thin, her eye sockets were deeply sunken and her cheekbones were high; her nose looked as if it might poke through her skin. Her face resembled a shriveled orange, and when she looked at him with such severity, she was terrifying.

Zhong Ming stared at her in shock. In the next moment, a finger swiped forcefully across his lips.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Madam Mary’s fingertip pressed hard, creating a deep indentation in the young man’s ruby-red lips. She furrowed her brows in disgust.

“Do you not know that makeup is not permitted while working here?!”

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You can purchase the translation of chapter 1-50 (epub format) HERE. The second half is coming soon ~~