Chapter 1: Little Cloud House – The Mission

He smelled a thick, almost putrid floral scent.

It was acrid, with a weird, sickly sweet aftertaste that made him want to gag.

The smell grew stronger, and his mind started to drift into a hazy stupor.

It felt like someone was watching him, their gaze tracing over his face like a tentacle, meticulously outlining him from brow to eye. The stare sent a shiver down his spine, as if all the warmth had been sucked from his body by those eyes in the darkness.

Was he having a nightmare?

His eyeballs twitched restlessly beneath his eyelids, a thin sheen of sweat broke out on his pale face, and his slightly dry lips trembled.

His eyes snapped open, stepping from a dream into darkness. A strange buzzing sound filled his ears.

He let out a soft breath, then, with a slight sluggishness, Xin Xin turned his face. In the dark, he saw a small electric fan mechanically whirring, spinning for a bit, then getting stuck. The hot air that blew stirred the mosquito net into rolling waves.

Xin Xin’s eyes were blank.

Where was this?

In the gloom, Xin Xin’s vision was limited. He could only vaguely make out that he was in a dorm room, a very unfamiliar one, and he was sleeping on the bottom bunk.

“Creak—”

In the quiet dorm, the sudden sound made Xin Xin tense up. His eyes, now adjusted to the dark, saw a door not far away being pushed open.

It was the dorm’s bathroom door.

Someone walked out of the bathroom.

The person had a tall, slender build, and in the darkness, the outlines of their arm and leg muscles were faintly visible. Flip-flops made soft slapping sounds as they walked on the floor.

The “slap, slap” sounds grew closer.

Xin Xin instinctively held his breath. He instinctively closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

The footsteps stopped at his bed.

Xin Xin felt that gaze again.

The eyes rested on his face, neither cold nor warm. The small electric fan buzzed, Xin Xin’s heart pounded erratically, and his mind was a blank. He tried to control his breathing.

The shadow suddenly bent down and moved closer, catching Xin Xin off guard. He couldn’t help but let out a soft “Ah!” The moment he cried out, the shadow reached a hand into the mosquito net and covered his mouth directly.

The hand was warm and large, and incredibly strong. Xin Xin choked down a muffled breath, his eyes snapping open. In the darkness, through the mosquito net, he met a pair of eyes.

Those eyes were exceptionally bright, like cold stars. Looking into them sent a chill from the top of his head down to his soles.

He heard the other person’s voice, low and muffled, “Come out.”

Xin Xin’s face was hot and flushed. From an unknown fear, his ragged breaths puffed against the person’s palm.

The person pulled their hand back.

Xin Xin shivered, wiping his face. It was wet, possibly from his sweat or from being covered by that person’s hand.

The shadow turned and left, walking towards the dorm door.

Xin Xin watched as they opened the door. A sliver of light from outside seeped through the crack. The person had left the door ajar for him.

Xin Xin lay stiffly on the bed, silently counting to three. He sat up, about to get out of bed, when it felt like he’d been hit over the head with a blunt object. A rush of memories flooded his mind.

Qiao Wenguang, twenty years old, was a waiter who’d left his hometown to work in a restaurant. Monthly salary of 1,500 yuan. He’d been at Little Cloud House for less than a week, hadn’t seen a cent of his pay, and had already blown 2,000 yuan on in-game purchases, now owing it all back on Huabei.

Xin Xin: “…” What a talent for wage slavery.

Even though the memories were incredibly vivid, Xin Xin was sure they weren’t his own.

This body wasn’t his.

Immediately, several paragraphs of text appeared in his mind.

[Mission Objective: Little Cloud House is a thriving restaurant, but strange things have been happening recently. Front-of-house supervisor Cao Yanan, front-of-house waiter Xiang Chen, and kitchen chef Zhao Hongwei have all died mysteriously. This has caused a severe staff shortage. Please help Mr. Qin, the owner of Little Cloud House, uncover the truth behind these three employees’ deaths.]

[Mission Time: Seven days (On July 7th, at 7 PM, Mr. Qin will come for your answer. Fail to answer or answer incorrectly, and you’ll be stuck working for Mr. Qin for the rest of your life.) (In today’s job market, isn’t that a kind of reward in itself?)]

[Mission Reward: The mission itself is the reward. (Upon completing the mission, there will be an additional reward, provided you’re still alive to claim it.)]

These pieces of information flashed through Xin Xin’s mind in the blink of an eye. By the time he came to, they felt carved into his brain, clearer even than the memories that had been forcefully injected just moments before.

Xin Xin tried to ask questions in his mind, but there was no response, just those vivid and cold lines of text.

It was as if he’d entered some strange place.

Xin Xin glanced at the crack in the open door. In the dark, he felt around with his feet for his slippers and tiptoed toward the dorm door.

This was an eight-person dorm that wasn’t full. Initially, there were seven people, but a few days ago, two suddenly quit, leaving five. New staff hadn’t been hired yet. Tonight, the few people in the dorm had reshuffled their beds, using the top bunks for storage. That’s how Xin Xin ended up moving from a top bunk to a bottom one. He couldn’t quite tell who had called him out earlier.

The original owner of this body was a gaming addict, a homebody who spent all his time playing games when he wasn’t working. He barely paid attention to the people and things around him. After working for a few days, he hadn’t even remembered many of his colleagues’ names.

The three people mentioned in the mission—front-of-house supervisor Cao Yanan, front-of-house waiter Xiang Chen, and kitchen chef Zhao Hongwei—didn’t exist in this body’s memories at all.

Xin Xin couldn’t just sit there and wait for things to happen.

He did not want to work for the rest of his life!

Little Cloud House was a farm-style restaurant, and the staff dorms were located behind it, on the second floor of the warehouse. He could hear the vibrating hum of the refrigeration unit outside the cold room downstairs. Xin Xin pulled open the dorm door and caught a faint whiff of cigarette smoke.

The person who had called him out was leaning against the wall, head down, smoking. Hearing the movement, they glanced over. Xin Xin met those dark eyes and shivered again, feeling that the person’s eyes emanated coldness, definitely not someone to mess with.

The person saw Xin Xin and pressed their lips together, their mouth forming a harsh, downward line.

Xin Xin gripped the door, only his head poking out, his shoulders hunched inside. He didn’t dare look at the person much, ducking his head and swallowing hard, “Is something wrong?”

The person didn’t answer. Instead, they reached out, grabbed Xin Xin’s singlet, and yanked him straight out of the dorm. Xin Xin stumbled, his flip-flops slapping loudly in the corridor. He spun around like a top in the person’s hand, his back hitting the wall with a dull thud. Xin Xin grunted, lost his balance, and landed squarely on his backside.

Xin Xin looked up, feeling a bit disheveled.

A dim yellow light hung from the corridor ceiling. Its umbrella-shaped glow illuminated a face with a slightly dark complexion and sharp, defined features. The shadows on his cheeks had a faint bluish tint, and his stubble was cleanly shaven. He held a cigarette between his thin lips. “Tomorrow, move to my top bunk to sleep.”

Xin Xin: ? What was this guy on about? Bullying him right off the bat?

His gaze slowly dropped. He eyed the other person’s bare, muscular thighs with a hint of fear. Even without flexing, the lines were sculpted as if by knife and chisel. His peripheral vision caught a glimpse of his own skinny, homebody legs. He mumbled, “Why?”

The corridor light flickered suddenly. A pair of dark blue flip-flops approached. Xin Xin instinctively scooted his butt back, and a toe gently nudged his knee. “Stick insect.”

Xin Xin: “…” Like he wouldn’t stab this guy with one of his bones.

The other person offered no explanation, stubbed out the cigarette on the wall, and went back into the dorm.

Xin Xin: What rotten manners.

He stood up, steadying himself against the wall, and brushed off the dust from the back of his underwear.

There was no one else in the corridor. The light above seemed to be short-circuiting, flickering on and off. The stifling summer air, mixed with the smell of seafood, was truly something else.

Xin Xin belatedly realized that his surroundings felt rather eerie. He quickly pulled open the door and scurried back into the dorm.

The dorm was still pitch black. Xin Xin had just come from the lit corridor and couldn’t see a thing. He fumbled, pushing open the bathroom door. This bathroom was only for brushing teeth, washing up, and using the toilet; there was no shower. The exposed toilet stall emitted a strange odor, and the light was broken. Xin Xin, in the dark, cupped some water in his hand to rinse the dust off his legs, then dried himself. The whole process took no more than ten seconds.

One second more, and his heart would have exploded.

Xin Xin was a materialist who was terrified of ghosts.

Rationally, he believed there were no ghosts in this world. Emotionally, he was scared of the dark and ghosts, and could scare himself into a cold sweat just by imagining things.

Xin Xin quickly returned to his bed. With trembling hands, he felt around for his suitcase on the top bunk, remembering its location. He pulled out a pair of underwear, quickly stripped off his dirty ones, and, with shaking legs, pulled on the clean pair.

He felt as if a ghost was staring at his back.

Xin Xin pulled on his underwear and whooshed, dove into the mosquito net.

Ah, finally safe.

Xin Xin lay on his side, clutching his pounding heart, and gasped for air towards the small fan.

Then, his eyes, now adjusted to the darkness, met a familiar pair of eyes from the bottom bunk opposite him.

Xin Xin: “…”

Their eyes met, and the other person rolled over.

Xin Xin: “…” Peeping at someone changing underwear. Pervert.

So, that person had been sleeping right across from him.

Xin Xin glanced at the top bunk opposite.

A large suitcase.

Just entering this world and already being bullied into changing beds. He ground his teeth in indignation, wishing he could charge over and kick that person’s head like a soccer ball.

He wasn’t as scared anymore, though.

This body spent its days working as a waiter, standing from 10 AM to 10 PM. After 10 PM, he’d diligently grind games for several hours in the dorm. Working day and night for the capitalists, Xin Xin was out like a light the moment his head hit the pillow.

He didn’t have nightmares this time.

At 9 AM, his alarm rang. Xin Xin groggily opened his eyes and saw the large hole in the mosquito net above him. Finally, he understood why he was so itchy.

But he was so sleepy.

Too sleepy for even mosquitoes to bother him.

Xin Xin pulled a towel over his face and went back to sleep.

He didn’t wake up until the phone by his pillow vibrated frantically. Xin Xin squinted, grabbed his phone, and instantly sobered up.

“Some employees, disregarding rules and regulations, showing no discipline whatsoever, treating the restaurant like their own home—”

Xin Xin heard the boss’s scolding voice before he even entered the front hall. He braced himself and quietly slipped in from the side.

“I’m talking to you, Qiao Wenguang! The morning meeting is at 9:20, what time is it now?!”

Xin Xin immediately squeezed his butt cheeks together and stood at attention at the end of the third row.

Boss Qin had a plump face like a Maitreya Buddha, with well-maintained, fair skin, but he exuded no hint of a Buddha’s nature. He wasn’t smiling, nor was he benevolent; his expression was gloomy and serious. He held a fan, using it to punctuate his lecture to the staff.

He was very displeased with Xin Xin’s tardiness and roared, “Qiao Wenguang, you won’t be serving in the front hall today. Go to the back warehouse and move goods!”

Xin Xin could only respond with, “Okay, Boss.”

Boss Qin glared at him hatefully. Xin Xin saw a cold, hawk-like intensity in his eyes, as if sharp talons had grown from them, already latching onto Xin Xin, ready to chew and devour him at any moment.

Xin Xin thought of the mission in his mind and felt a chill run through him.

“Dismissed! Eat!”

With the boss’s command, the three rows of staff instantly dispersed. Xin Xin spotted the person who’d made him change beds yesterday in the first row. He was wearing a gray T-shirt and loose, light-colored jeans. Broad-shouldered and long-legged, he didn’t look as beefy in clothes as he had last night.

Perhaps Xin Xin’s scrutinizing gaze was too obvious, as the person in the line suddenly turned their head.

In broad daylight, Xin Xin felt like he’d run into a ghost. He shivered and took off running.

That person looked incredibly fierce, like they were about to eat him alive.

Could he be the culprit behind this series of murders?

After eating, the delivery truck hadn’t arrived yet. Xin Xin sat on a small stool in front of the cold room, pondering. He thought to himself that the most dangerous place is the safest, and often the least likely person is the killer. Maybe the first person he met in this world was the killer?

Xin Xin shook his head. It shouldn’t be that easy.

But he didn’t know any of the victims. How was he supposed to investigate? He needed to get on good terms with the people around him and try to gather some information. Time was limited; the case occurred at Little Cloud House, and he had to submit his findings to the boss of Little Cloud House in the end. He couldn’t leave Little Cloud House, so he could only investigate while working.

Xin Xin was wondering who he should start with when the truck arrived.

The truck driver, an unassuming middle-aged man, stepped out of the truck with a smile. “Why isn’t it Little Ge and the others today?”

Xin Xin answered honestly, “I was late for the meeting this morning, so the boss sent me to move goods.”

The driver chuckled, opening the back of the truck. “Well, you’re in for some hard work then.”

The driver handed boxes down from the truck, and Xin Xin unloaded them all onto the ground first. After the driver left, he would then carry them, box by box, into the adjacent cold room. The original owner was a physically weak homebody, and after just a few trips, Xin Xin was already feeling overwhelmed, his arms aching.

Thinking of Boss Qin’s grim face, Xin Xin gritted his teeth and continued to move. The fierce sunlight beat down on his head, making him dizzy.

Another heavy box landed on the ground. Xin Xin rubbed his aching lower back, wondering what sin he had committed to be dragged into this place.

He couldn’t remember.

Aside from Qiao Wenguang’s memories and the mission that had been forced into his mind, Xin Xin could only recall his name.

He kept moving boxes until the afternoon, with trucks arriving one after another and only him doing the work. Around 4 PM, when he went for his second meal, Xin Xin’s hands were trembling as he held his bowl. He felt like someone was watching him, but he was too tired to care. He wanted to rest for a bit, but Boss Qin appeared out of nowhere, circling him ominously. Xin Xin didn’t dare to rest and headed straight for the cold room in the back.

“Are those hairtail fish outside?”

Xin Xin leaned against a box, panting. He looked back. Someone was standing at the doorway, backlit, so Xin Xin couldn’t quite make out their face. “Just a moment, let me check.” He wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked towards the door.

As the distance between them shortened, Xin Xin began to see the other person’s face more clearly.

It was a young man with a square face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and regular features. He was frowning and looked a bit impatient.

Another unfamiliar face to Xin Xin.

“Hairtail fish…”

Xin Xin wiped the sweat from his chin, and his footsteps suddenly came to a stop.

“Hurry up,” the person urged. “The kitchen needs them.”

Xin Xin stood motionless in the cold room. He was looking down at the person’s feet.

It was almost 5 PM, and the sun outside was still fierce. The summer heat was blocked by the icy-cold room, which was filled with a chilling atmosphere. Xin Xin had been working for half a day, and his body was alternating between cold and hot, sweating profusely, the dampness sticking to him.

“What are you looking at?”

The other person’s voice suddenly softened.

Xin Xin slowly raised his face.

The square-faced person smiled at him, displaying a wide, toothy grin that appeared too white. “Is my bed comfortable?”

Xin Xin’s teeth chattered. He looked at the “person” in front of him who had no shadow at their feet, and slowly backed away step by step. The person continued to smile, but their smile was stiff, like a mask melting in the sunlight on their face.

Xin Xin retreated faster and faster. He stumbled backward, and as he did, he suddenly felt something was wrong.

Why wasn’t he coming in?

Could he not enter? Or did he not want to?

As the distance widened, Xin Xin began to lose sight of the person’s face again.

His heart pounded wildly, his breathing ragged, sweat pouring down. His aching, numb hand felt for a foam box nearby. The sweat in his palm seeped into the box, and its edges even felt a little warm.

No, this wasn’t right.

Xin Xin gritted his teeth, bowed his head, closed his eyes, and charged fiercely towards the door!

“Ahhhhhhh—”

Xin Xin ran forward with his eyes closed, his mind swarming with ghosts and monsters. All sorts of spirits were trying to grab him. In a rush of blood to his head, he thought that even if he died, he wouldn’t go down like a coward. He yelled loudly:

“You who forced me to change beds and bullied me, you’re dead—”

Xin Xin crashed headfirst into firm, yielding muscle. The warmth, the temperature of a living person, made him hug them tightly without a second thought.

“H-help me…”

“Who’s dead?”

A cold voice interrupted his plea. Xin Xin instantly opened his eyes and looked up. A pair of eyes, cold as the freezer itself, were staring at him.

Xin Xin: “…” If he said he wasn’t talking about him, would he believe him?

hi hi, so excited for this one, hope you guys will also love Xin Xin! >⩊<

I will start with this once I finished Rouchen’s and Yingjun’s story~

And tada~ for this novel, I will unlocked a chapter daily! (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) .ᐟ.ᐟ

Please look forward to it!! xoxo