[To climb into bed]

It was late at night when Sheng Jing returned home. The small courtyard was quiet, but the lights were on.

He paused at the doorway for a moment, took a deep breath, and then pushed the door open. He’d always felt that facing Tong Yu was a greater challenge than tackling the most difficult research at the institute.

“Master, you’re back.” Little Fatty, the household robot, quickly glided over, using its pincer-like mechanical arms to retrieve slippers for Sheng Jing.

Sheng Jing looked at the fluffy slippers and frowned: “These aren’t my slippers.”

“The other master bought them for you,” Little Fatty explained. “They’re a matching pair with what he’s wearing now.”

Sheng Jing stared at the slippers for a moment, but ultimately put them on. Tong Yu’s changes over the past week had been significant, and he didn’t want to start an argument with him about slippers the moment he got home.

After changing into slippers and entering the house, Sheng Jing immediately noticed changes in the room, the most striking being the almost entirely wall-to-wall off-white curtains.

The first-floor glass had an automatic light-adjusting function, which Tong Yu had specifically changed when they first married, saying that without curtains, the living room would appear more spacious and bright.

‘Did he suddenly change his mind?’

It wasn’t just the curtains; there were also many new green plants in the house. Large and small potted plants were placed on the coffee table, the dining table, and even in the corners of the rooms. Although they were just small additions and the overall layout hadn’t changed, for some reason, the entire house seemed transformed.

“Master, have you had dinner?” Little Fatty asked thoughtfully.

“No, get me something to eat.” He had decided to come back on short notice and hadn’t eaten dinner yet.

“Alright.” Little Fatty glided to the kitchen.

Sheng Jing was a bit tired and slumped onto the sofa, waiting for the household robot to bring nutrient fluid. But after waiting a while, he received not nutrient fluid, but a request from the household robot.

“Master, please move to the dining table to enjoy your dinner.”

‘I have to go to the dining table just to drink nutrient fluid? Is the program malfunctioning?’

Just as Sheng Jing was considering giving Comrade Little Fatty a “physical examination,” he saw a steaming plate of fried rice on the dining table.

“Just give me the nutrient fluid,” Sheng Jing said. He was hesitant to eat the fried rice, fearing Tong Yu had made it.

When he and Tong Yu first married, Tong Yu had started learning to make natural food, claiming he’d heard delicious food could soothe the spiritual sea and that he was willing to do anything for Sheng Jing. In reality, he only did all this to have something to bring up when making demands.

“For you, I learned to cook, even though I don’t like it.”

“Every time you say you’re coming home, I buy groceries in advance and cook you a huge feast, even though I normally just drink nutrient fluid myself.”

“Sheng Jing, you eat my food, drink the water I pour, and still give me a sour look.”

“I’ve done so much, can’t you see it?”

Because of these remarks, Sheng Jing developed a strong aversion to natural food. When he was at the research institute, he would always opt for nutrient fluid over eating at the cafeteria.

“Apologies, Master, there’s no nutrient fluid left at home. Even if you order now, it won’t arrive until after 8 AM tomorrow,” Little Fatty replied.

“I won’t eat. Put it away.” Even if he was starving, Sheng Jing would never give Tong Yu another chance to utter those words.

Unable to have dinner, Sheng Jing quickly went upstairs, planning to go to bed early. Reaching the second floor, he glimpsed light from the study, knowing Tong Yu must still be in the virtual world. Sheng Jing guessed Tong Yu hadn’t expected him to come home early, which was why he hadn’t logged off in advance to wait for him.

‘That’s good, too. If he doesn’t know, I get another night of peace.’

Sheng Jing changed direction and went to the guest room.

The guest room’s layout also had some subtle changes, like new items that weren’t there before, but after the extensive redecoration of the living room downstairs, he wasn’t surprised by this anymore. Since he had already showered at the research institute dorm before coming back, Sheng Jing didn’t bother washing up again and went straight to sleep.

An hour later, Tong Yu finally finished reviewing all of the original owner’s consultation records and, sweating profusely, took off his helmet.

‘That was terrifying.’

Tong Yu was inherently an optimistic person, but even he, as an observer, felt a chilling sense of dread and depression after watching those fifty-odd videos.

Feeling down, Comrade Tong Yu desperately needed a good night’s sleep to restore his mind and body. He emerged from the study, went to the bathroom for a shower, and then, clad only in his boxers, headed to the guest room. Before transmigrating, Tong Yu lived alone, and after transmigrating, he still lived alone. Accustomed to his freedom, he naturally had no habit of wearing pajamas. Already feeling sleepy, he didn’t even turn on the light when he entered the room. Relying on his sense of direction, he stumbled to the bed, letting himself fall onto it, then naturally grabbed a corner of the blanket and rolled towards the middle of the bed…

‘Hmm?? Why can’t I roll over?

It feels like something’s blocking me?’

Tong Yu, eyes still closed, reached out to touch…

Sheng Jing had already woken up when Tong Yu collapsed onto the bed. But Tong Yu’s next movements were too quick; before he could react, Tong Yu’s hand was already on him. After fumbling around on his chest, the hand continued to move upwards. Unable to endure it any longer, Sheng Jing reached out and seized the person’s hand.

‘Holy crap! It’s a person! A thief?!’

As a young man who loved sports and was physically robust, would he be afraid of a thief breaking into his house? No way! He was definitely going to apprehend them on the spot, give them a good beating, and then turn them over to the police station.

Tong Yu rolled over and lunged at the person, but unexpectedly, the person reacted even faster than he did. With a pull and a tug of the arm they had seized, Tong Yu cried out in pain, was flipped over, and found himself pinned beneath the “thief.”

“I’m telling you… Sheng Jing?!” Tong Yu was about to shout some harsh words when the lights in the room suddenly flickered on. Before him, a peerlessly handsome man in pajamas, with disheveled hair and a hint of anger on his face, was pinning him down.

Tong Yu’s brain froze for a full second before he realized this was his husband.

To be honest, if Sheng Jing hadn’t had such an unforgettable face, Tong Yu might not have even recognized this “bargain” husband whom he’d only met once and never even spoken to.

“Why are you in my bed?”

A flicker of sarcasm crossed Sheng Jing’s eyes: “This is my room.”

‘What the heck?’

Tong Yu was bewildered. Although this house was a small two-story building, it only had three rooms in total: the master bedroom, the guest bedroom, and the study.

His virtual helmet and other electronic devices were all in the study, so Tong Yu habitually stayed there during the day. As for the remaining rooms, the master bedroom and guest bedroom, he’d thought since the house was Sheng Jing’s, even though he was in the original owner’s body, he was still an outsider and shouldn’t sleep in the master bedroom. So, he chose the guest bedroom. Besides, when he moved in, he specifically checked, and the guest bedroom was impeccably clean, with nothing in it, clearly not often occupied.

‘How could this be Sheng Jing’s room?’

‘No, that’s right, this is Sheng Jing’s room, because the original owner had hogged the master bedroom, leaving Sheng Jing to sleep in the guest bedroom.’ He had learned this from the videos earlier that afternoon and had even decided to move back into the master bedroom, but he’d just instinctively walked in while half-asleep.

‘Wait, no, why is Sheng Jing even home?’

“Didn’t you say you’d be back tomorrow?” Tong Yu asked.

Sheng Jing: “Are you trying to tell me that you came to sleep in my room because you thought I wasn’t home?”

‘Yes, that’s exactly the truth!’ But in this situation, combined with the impression the original owner left on Sheng Jing, he probably wouldn’t believe it.

“Um… could you let go of me first?” Tong Yu poked Sheng Jing’s arm.

Sheng Jing snapped back to reality and realized that he was pinning Tong Yu to the bed in an extremely intimate position. He immediately sprang up like a grasshopper. And that wasn’t all; he even took three steps backward.

‘Hey, that’s really hurtful!’

Even though he knew Sheng Jing wasn’t targeting him, Tong Yu still felt very hurt.

Tong Yu sat up, about to speak, when Sheng Jing suddenly turned and stormed out: “Put some clothes on!”

Tong Yu looked down and realized he was only wearing a pair of boxers.

Holy crap, he really wasn’t trying to sleep his way in! But how to explain this? Should he say that if he wanted to sleep his way in, he wouldn’t be wearing boxers?

For a split second, Tong Yu wished he could just bash his head in.

Luckily, indecisiveness wasn’t Tong Yu’s style. He quickly adjusted his mood and changed into a presentable outfit, so presentable it looked like he was about to head out for work.

‘Given this, he surely won’t suspect I’m still trying to sleep my way in, right?’

Tong Yu emerged from the room and saw Sheng Jing downstairs drinking water. After some thought, he went down.

Just as he was pondering what to say, Little Fatty glided over: “Master, would you like a late-night snack?”

‘Late-night snack? Right! We can have one together.’

“Yes, yes, yes! Um… Brother Jing…” Tong Yu felt awkward saying it, but that’s what the original owner called him, so he had to bite the bullet. “Do you want something to eat?”

“No need!” Sheng Jing refused coldly.

Tong Yu froze, embarrassed.

“Master, Master Sheng Jing wants nutrient fluid. I’ve already ordered it; it will be delivered tomorrow morning at eight,” Little Fatty said helpfully.

“Oh, then get me something to eat.”

“Fried rice, perhaps?”

“Sure.”

Sheng Jing saw Tong Yu acting as if nothing had happened, and felt disgusted, but he didn’t want to bring it up himself, as it wasn’t a dignified matter for him either. He looked at Tong Yu and asked: “Did you instruct the household robot to stop purchasing nutrient fluid?”

He had set the household robot to procure nutrient fluid weekly, so the house should never run out. If it did, someone must have given the robot new instructions.

“Yes, that stuff tastes terrible, and its shelf life is short, so I stopped Little Fatty from buying it,” Tong Yu said apologetically. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you liked it. Next time you come back, I’ll make sure to stock up for you. Or maybe you can try the fried rice; it tastes much better than nutrient fluid.”

‘Sure enough, he’s still trying every possible way to get me to eat what he makes.’

“I told you, I…”

“Master, please enjoy your meal.” Little Fatty placed a familiar-looking plate of fried rice in front of Tong Yu.

From a distance before, Sheng Jing hadn’t paid much attention, but now that it was close, he noticed: ‘Why does this fried rice smell so fragrant?’

“Thank you.”

“You’re too kind, Master. It’s just what Little Fatty should do.”

Tong Yu smiled, picked up his spoon, and happily began to devour the rice.

The fried rice was already fragrant, and with Tong Yu acting like a food blogger, anyone would want to eat something, let alone Sheng Jing, who was already hungry.

“Grrrrr… ^[1] stomach rumbling sound”

Tong Yu looked up in surprise, then sincerely invited: “Want a bowl?”

“No need!” Sheng Jing felt ashamed internally and refused with a cold tone.

‘Wait, wasn’t I going to warn him? How did it turn into watching him eat?’