10 p.m.
Li Ran gently closed the door to his son’s room.
After spending the evening together, he discovered a deeply disturbing issue.
His son was being bullied and physically punished at school!
A broken family and school abuse, layered with physical punishment—it was no wonder the boy’s already fragile mind had twisted even further.
Li Ran realized that although Li Ziyang still listened to him, his behavior when alone had become extremely strange.
He would run to the rooftop and play a game of "tightrope walking" with his imaginary friends.
Late at night, he would climb along the walls into the hallway, talking to himself and flailing wildly.
When bullied, he’d bury himself in the dirt until he couldn’t breathe...
And there were many such bizarre behaviors.
His classmates and teachers were all seriously problematic.
Li Ran had discovered all this through his son’s artwork.
In one painting about “home,” the parents were depicted as two terrifying monsters locked in brutal combat.
He couldn’t believe this was what a child saw in his heart.
Clearly, the cracks in his son’s soul were far deeper than the scars on his face.
"Why aren't you sleeping yet?"
In the living room, Li Ran found Su Bingyao sitting quietly in a lounge chair, gazing out the window at night.
"Waiting for you," Su Bingyao replied coldly.
Li Ran immediately understood. He pointed toward their son’s room and asked, “You heard all that just now?”
"Mhm," Su Bingyao said.
Li Ran moved closer, grinning shamelessly. “So that means... you agree to let me sleep in the room tonight?”
Su Bingyao slowly turned around, her clear, cold eyes locking onto his.
“You dare?”
The icy queen's voice slipped from her cherry-red lips.
Li Ran’s heart skipped a beat.
Trying to play it cool, images of a terrifying monster reflected in a pressure cooker flashed through his mind. “What’s there to be afraid of?”
He was scared as hell inside, but he couldn’t show it.
“Is that so?”
Su Bingyao leaned in, her flawless beauty just inches from his face.
Her breath was faintly fragrant and intoxicating, sending Li Ran’s heartbeat into overdrive.
She stared at him down, and a flicker of killing intent glinted in her frosty eyes. A cold voice escaped her lips:
“What’s the most disgusting thing a husband and wife could do?”
The sudden shift in topic left Li Ran stunned.
At the same time, he felt a chill spread through the air around him.
Why the hell would she ask that?
This was a total death trap of a question.
Is this even something a man can answer?
Could it be that the original version of him had done something that made her feel sick?
[Warning: She’s remembering all the pain you caused her—those memories are stabbing into her heart like countless knives.]
[Hint: She wants to kill you. Do NOT mention the past, or your death will be very, very ugly.]
[Hint: This question is beyond your level. Good luck.]
Li Ran: "..."
There’s not a single moment of peace in this damn house!
What is even happening right now?
Did I owe you two in a past life or something?
The original guy abused his wife, and now I’m stuck in a “win-my-wife-back-in-hell” scenario.
Women’s hearts are terrifying. Even my cheat system doesn’t work anymore.
The temperature in the living room dropped rapidly, as if they were inside a freezing cave.
He didn’t avoid Su Bingyao’s icy, piercing gaze.
But he could already imagine how miserable his life would be depending on how he answered.
Still, nothing’s impossible—he had to gamble.
As someone knowledgeable in everything from astronomy to daily trivia, who ranked #1 in Dragon Nation for emotional depth, he figured this question didn’t touch any actual taboo in marital life...
This question—can be solved!
Li Ran smirked. “Heh... woman, you really want to test your husband with this?”
He steadied himself, cleared his throat, and gazed at her with sincere, tender eyes:
“Bingyao, I think... the most disgusting thing a husband and wife can do…”
“…is hiding their gender!”
Su Bingyao blinked, puzzled. She repeated softly, “Hiding... gender…”
But then something clicked—
She burst out laughing, her body trembling with amusement.
The cold tension in the room vanished, like winter sun melting ice.
She laughed without restraint.
Su Bingyao laughed for a good while.
Years of repressed emotion unexpectedly found a place to escape in that moment.
After marriage, her life had plunged from heaven to hell. That crushing disappointment had once driven her to the brink of suicide.
But she couldn’t abandon her child. As a mother, she refused to let her son grow up in a toxic home.
Maybe… just maybe, things would get better if she held on.
She often told herself that.
But in the end, she got only chains of cruelty and betrayal.
All her resentment and humiliation had built up like a volcano, ready to erupt.
Tonight, she had truly wanted to kill.
She was ready to kill her ex-husband.
To wipe out the source of her pain once and for all.
But just as she was about to act, his words and actions completely surprised her.
Her ex-husband seemed like a different man.
He actually brought her warmth… and laughter.
[Model husband!]
[Crisis averted.]
Two lines of prompts floated above Su Bingyao’s head.
The chill in the room vanished like a retreating tide.
Li Ran lifted a cup from the coffee table and downed it in one gulp.
Even so, his heart was still racing.
Every question was a damn death trap, and not one was the same.
This game was in hard mode.
This life was impossible.
Su Bingyao’s smile was breathtakingly beautiful.
If this wasn’t a simulation, Li Ran really wished he could freeze that moment forever.
After a while,
Maybe from laughing too much,
She stood and walked toward the bedroom, leaving a faint, lingering fragrance in the air.
Li Ran curiously followed and saw her bedroom door slightly ajar.
He reached out to push it open—then hesitated.
Wait, what the hell are you thinking, Li Ran?
She’s a B-rank monster with 100 Eerie Power.
Share a bed with a monster?
Do you have a death wish?
He only had 10 Eerie Power, no weapon, no skills.
If it came down to a bed battle with Su Bingyao, his odds of survival were basically zero.
Even without danger, a cooldown-limited hero can never beat one with no cooldowns.
Just as Li Ran was backing off, he caught something in the corner of his eye—the door to his son’s room cracked open a little bit.
“This little bastard staying up just to see this?”
Li Ran was done.
He had no choice now. Not going in... wasn't an option anymore.
“Honey, I’m coming in~”
Li Ran shouted, pushed the door open, and closed it behind him.
Meanwhile, inside the other room,
The cracks in Li Ziyang’s head slowly began to heal as the door shut.
...
Li Ran had never imagined he’d get married, and certainly not now.
He used to secretly vow that if he ever did marry, their bedroom life would be anything but boring.
In bed, they’d push every limit, try everything, indulge freely, and enjoy it all.
Outside, they’d appear dignified, elegant, and noble.
Life was short—just a few decades. While still young, better to make the most of marriage life than regret it later with a crooked back.
But now, looking at Su Bingyao lying sideways on the bed, pretending to be asleep,
Li Ran—for the first time—felt the urge to abstain from marital bliss.
Su Bingyao was beautiful and sexy, like a rose sculpted from ice—stunning to behold.
But that rose had ice thorns.
Li Ran didn’t want to die so soon.
Even if he had made her laugh earlier, did that really mean she’d forgiven her “vile” ex-husband?
He knew better. This couldn’t be rushed.
Even if he desperately wanted to bloom with passion, he knew the difference between short-term pleasure and long-term peace.
By the bed, a futon and a blanket had been laid out on the tatami mat—clearly prepared by Su Bingyao.
Li Ran obediently lay down and went to sleep there.
A peaceful night passed.
Morning.
While mother and son were still asleep,
Li Ran got up early, made breakfast, and set it on the table.
He even left a sticky note for Su Bingyao:
> “I had to head out. I’ll cook dinner for my dear wife tonight (heart gesture).”
Su Bingyao opened the thermal container—inside was a steaming bowl of Eight-Treasure Porridge and a fried egg with a smiling face.
“So childish.”
She muttered, but couldn’t suppress the soft smile tugging at her lips.
...
Li Ran rode the elevator down.
Staying in that house a second longer felt like flirting with death.
So he slipped out first thing.
As he exited, a man and woman entered the elevator, arms around each other.
Just as the doors were about to close, Li Ran paused and glanced back at them.
The man held the petite girl tightly, his gaze predatory, his smile wild.
He was tall, wearing a black tank top that revealed muscular arms covered in sinister tattoos—his whole vibe screamed danger and gang life.
The girl, on the other hand, looked forced, smiling awkwardly, her body tense with resistance.
The elevator doors slowly closed.
Li Ran saw the girl’s pleading eyes!
The elevator ascended.
Li Ran’s expression changed drastically.
That girl.
He knew her!
(End of Chapter)