TVAAMRF Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – Paper Man 13

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As the heir to a corporate empire, Luo Yuan had been groomed since childhood with an elite education. His curriculum was diverse and comprehensive, naturally including self-defense techniques and countermeasures against kidnapping and other malicious incidents. This training had honed his vigilance to razor-sharpness.

So when a figure suddenly materialized in his bathtub, Luo Yuan’s muscles tensed before he even registered the stranger’s face. He sprang into defensive mode, his hand swiftly closing around the intruder’s throat in a precise grip as he pinned the body down.

Su Tang had been peacefully watching a movie when his vision blurred, transporting him to an unfamiliar location. Still disoriented and completely unguarded, he was easily shoved into the bathtub by Luo Yuan. Water surged up to his chest, drenching his entire body.

To compound his misery, a firm hand clamped his throat with practiced force.

Su Tang’s mind reeled with panic and confusion. No one could suddenly switch from a mundane routine to a crime drama without warning. Trembling, he finally recognized the familiar handsome face before him. He wanted to curse, but his wits remained intact. Remembering Luo Yuan had never seen him in this form, he rasped: “…Master?”

Luo Yuan’s grip loosened instantly, though his hand remained in place. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Who are you?”

Su Tang obediently gave his name.

But a paper person he’d created suddenly crossed dimensions to appear before him? Who would believe such an outrageous story?

Of course, Luo Yuan couldn’t accept this so easily. Yet the youth had indeed materialized out of nowhere—how else to explain it?

Luo Yuan wrapped himself in a towel and checked his phone first. Naturally, the system message caught his eye. Frowning, he returned to the bathroom where the young man still sat in the tub, his expression dazed, as if still processing his sudden situation.

Su Tang’s clothes clung to his body, his inky curls plastered against his forehead and cheeks. Tears glistened in his eyes, their rims tinged with crimson, while his jade-like skin glowed with a rosy hue from the steam. His features were so exquisitely refined they bordered on unnatural perfection.

At the sound of Luo Yuan’s approach, Su Tang instinctively looked up, his clear eyes reflecting the man’s handsome face.

Having nurtured this paper person for so long, Luo Yuan recognized his Q-version appearance well. If brought to life, he’d likely look exactly like this. With a darkening expression, Luo Yuan strode forward and lifted Su Tang from the tub.

The waterlogged clothes clung to his body, revealing his silhouette. Su Tang was startled when Luo Yuan suddenly picked him up and set him down barefoot. But Luo Yuan’s next action terrified him even more.

Luo Yuan ripped open his shirt and stripped it off!

Su Tang shuddered. Is this pervert trying to violate me?

Instead, Luo Yuan examined the shirt closely, tracing the embroidered character “Yuan” at the hem—his own handwriting. He recognized his own penmanship.

Though this defied all reason, even if someone wanted to scheme against him, they couldn’t create a person out of thin air and mimic a paper doll so perfectly. Anyone capable of such grand deception would have better uses for their resources. Eliminating the impossible left only the improbable as truth.

Luo Yuan’s gaze softened instantly, all traces of unfamiliarity and coldness vanishing. His hand brushed Su Tang’s cheek with the care of one handling a precious treasure.

“I’m sorry.”

After confirming this was Su Tang, Luo Yuan saw the bruises he’d left from his defensive grip. Overcome with guilt, he took Su Tang’s hand and pressed it to his own neck. “Pinch me back,” he said. “Harder.”

Su Tang’s eyes widened, his entire face practically screaming: Are you out of your mind?!

But Luo Yuan was clearly serious, grabbing Su Tang’s hand and forcefully pinching himself. He’d accidentally injured Su Tang in a moment of self-defense, but since the damage was done, his sense of justice demanded equal retribution.

Su Tang hadn’t been particularly frightened before, but now he finally sensed Luo Yuan’s villainous aura. What kind of twisted logic was this? Su Tang had been angry about being pinched, but after this bizarre treatment, he found himself utterly speechless.

Seeing Su Tang’s violent struggles and growing anger, Luo Yuan finally said, “Let’s leave it for now. I’ll help you bathe first, then apply ointment later.”

Then, Su Tang’s clothes were stripped off completely. Luo Yuan intended to wash him personally.

Su Tang was utterly bewildered. Once he came to his senses, he immediately struggled, wanting to wash himself.

But Luo Yuan asked, “Do you know how to wash properly?”

Su Tang bristled. It’s just a bath! Who doesn’t know? Are you calling me an idiot?!

He turned angrily to look at the high-end shower equipment, which truly left him momentarily stunned. He didn’t know how to use it at first, and the bottles and jars around were all labeled in foreign languages. It wasn’t English, and he couldn’t tell which was shampoo and which was body wash.

Holy shit, isn’t this bullying?!

Su Tang refused to accept this. Why not just teach me? I’d learn in a flash. This is clearly about looking down on me.

Luo Yuan ruffled his hair, now frosted with soap bubbles, and murmured, “Be good. Don’t fuss.”

The scalp massage made Su Tang’s eyes flutter shut in bliss. If he wants to pamper me, fine. It’s not like I’m losing anything. Besides, didn’t he owe some reparation anyway?

After the bath, Luo Yuan dried him with a clean towel, then brought out his own nightclothes from the wardrobe. The tall man’s garments hung loosely on Su Tang’s frame. Luo Yuan rolled the sleeves and pant legs twice to accommodate the difference.

As he fastened the buttons, Luo Yuan’s gaze lingered on Su Tang’s neck. The pale jade skin bore faint red marks, creating an almost cruel allure.

Luo Yuan’s eyes darkened, lashes lowering. He felt a twinge of regret for marring this flawless porcelain skin. Worse still, he wanted more marks on Su Tang’s body—not these, but the ones from his dreams.

Luo Yuan gently touched his neck and asked, “Does it hurt?”

Su Tang nodded honestly. “A little.”

But it wasn’t severe. Luo Yuan had immediately loosened his grip when he saw Su Tang’s face clearly. It was just that his skin was tender, prone to leaving marks.

Luo Yuan brought over the first aid kit and carefully applied ointment. As he was about to withdraw his hand, a sudden gurgle echoed through the quiet night, loud and abrupt.

Su Tang’s entire face flushed crimson—his stomach had growled.

Luo Yuan pressed his lips together, suppressing a smile. “Forgot to eat again while playing on your computer?”

Su Tang chuckled guiltily. He often fell into this pattern when gaming. Snacking while playing games or watching anime would fill him up so much he couldn’t eat proper meals. Luo Yuan had repeatedly scolded him until he’d cut down on snacking. But whenever Luo Yuan wasn’t watching, he’d slip back into old habits.

“What do you want to eat?” Luo Yuan asked. “The chef’s already off duty, so I can’t make anything fancy. But fried rice and noodle soup are no problem.”

Su Tang immediately raised his hand. “I want fried rice with eggs!”

“Alright,” Luo Yuan smiled.

“Do we have sausages?” Su Tang asked.

“We do,” Luo Yuan replied.

“I want one too!” Su Tang exclaimed.

Luo Yuan smiled and agreed, getting up to head toward the kitchen. After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, intending to let Su Tang follow. When he turned back, he found Su Tang already clinging to him like a little tail, which made him chuckle.

Su Tang looked at him, tilting his head in confusion.

Luo Yuan walked back and took his hand. The warm temperature enveloping his palm felt so real.

He wasn’t dreaming.

Su Tang followed him into the kitchen, watching him cook like an affectionate pet circling around him.

As Luo Yuan fried the rice, the aroma of eggs wafted through the air, making their mouths water. Su Tang stared eagerly, clearly unable to wait. By the time Luo Yuan transferred the fried rice into a bowl, Su Tang had already scooped up a spoonful and stuffed it into his mouth.

“Careful, it’s hot,” Luo Yuan warned, somewhat helpless.

Su Tang’s mouth was still puffing as he shook his head with a smile, mumbled something about being fine.

After swallowing the bite, Su Tang’s eyes sparkled as he praised without reservation: “So good!”

Then he carried the bowl to the table and began eating with a satisfied expression.

Luo Yuan washed his hands and came out, wiping his hands dry with a paper towel before sitting down next to Su Tang to watch him eat.

Su Tang was hungry and focused on eating, not even looking up once, completely ignoring Luo Yuan as if his eyes were only for food.

Watching this, Luo Yuan felt inexplicably annoyed. His eyes darkened as he grabbed Su Tang’s chin, forcibly turning his face towards himself.

When Su Tang first fell into the bathtub and faced Luo Yuan for the first time without the game’s barrier, he had been panicked and awkward. But Luo Yuan’s subsequent attitude was too natural, as if they had known each other for a long time, making Su Tang unconsciously relax and act like he did in the game—daring to be spoiled and playful, not afraid at all.

Halfway through eating, Su Tang was suddenly interrupted. He looked at Luo Yuan, then at the bowl of fried rice, as if suddenly understanding something. Without saying a word, he scooped up a large spoonful of rice with a piece of golden, fragrant egg, and shoved it right up to Luo Yuan’s mouth.

Luo Yuan froze, looked at Su Tang, then opened his mouth and ate it.

After finishing their meal, Su Tang dutifully washed the dishes. With a full belly, he allowed Luo Yuan to lead him back to the bedroom. Though they’d just left this room earlier, Su Tang hadn’t properly examined it before. Now he wandered curiously around, peering here and there, but refrained from touching anything.

When he first fell into the bathtub, he’d summoned the System, asking why it had suddenly thrown him out—whether it no longer cared for him.

The System replied innocently, “Host, I told you about this before. When affection points reach the threshold, the dimensional barrier must be breached.”

Su Tang, bewildered, demanded, “When did you say that?”

The System sounded wronged. “Yesterday, when your affection points hit 990. But you were playing games—you acknowledged me with a grunt before shoving me away.”

Su Tang: “…” Alright then. At the end of the day, it was still his own fault.

Luo Yuan’s mansion was vast and opulent, but Su Tang still yearned for his modest little den. After touring the room, he approached the desk where Luo Yuan’s phone lay. Unable to resist, he poked at the screen, wondering if he could return to his game.

Luo Yuan saw this and, without thinking, strode over and took the phone. Frowning, he said, “There’s work data on here. I’ll have someone buy you a new phone tomorrow, just for playing.”

He didn’t want Su Tang to touch the phone, of course, not for this reason. He was afraid Su Tang would discover that dating simulation game and find out he was just a game character. If someone suddenly realized they were a paper person, that everything was fake, they’d probably collapse, right?

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Author’s Note:

Su Tang bristled: “You think I’m an idiot!”

Luo Yuan smiled indulgently.

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