Living Room.

Luo Lin crawled up from the black leather sofa.

The sun was already high in the sky, yet he still felt drowsy.

Scattered across the floor were a bunch of bloody and grotesque props—souvenirs his friend You Qi had bought after an all-night murder mystery game.

Last night, You Qi insisted on playing, and not just any script, but a horror one. The constant ghostly screams had given Luo Lin a headache. After hours of deduction, they finally uncovered the culprit—who turned out to be a shuang’er (a term for an effeminate man). At that point, You Qi had started dramatically discussing whether someone like that would have an especially thrilling time during sex.

Thrilling, my ass.

Rolling his eyes, Luo Lin went to call the NPC from the escape room to review the game. But the moment he stepped inside, the NPC grabbed his shirt and, taking advantage of his distraction, slid a hand up to the inside of his thigh.

Through the rough fabric, the NPC’s palm rubbed against his skin in a way that left no room for misinterpretation.

In the dimly lit room, Luo Lin caught his wrist and pulled it to his lips, tugging the NPC closer in the process.

With a breath against his ear, Luo Lin whispered, “Baby, shouldn’t you check my background before climbing into my bed?”

The NPC’s free hand traced lazy circles on Luo Lin’s collarbone. “I already know. Young Master Luo, the famous special investigator—who doesn’t know you?”

“Then you should also know—” Luo Lin hooked a finger under his chin, trailing it down his neck, “—that I’m also a bottom. And believe me, I’m way sluttier than you in bed.”

Well… that was unexpected.

The NPC, however, wasn’t ready to give up yet. He teasingly tugged at the gap in Luo Lin’s shirt sleeve. “Why don’t you give it a try, Young Master Luo? You might be in for a surprise. I can do anything—you’ll be satisfied.”

Luo Lin scoffed, pushing him away as he straightened his clothes.

“I have nine words for you: Forcing a bottom to top? May lightning strike you.“

With that, he swung the door open and strode out, leaving the NPC dumbfounded in the small, dim room.

Thinking back, last night’s murder mystery really wasn’t much fun. The script was weak, the setting was dull, and the flirty NPC was even worse.

Luo Lin yawned. Just then, his phone rang at an inconvenient moment. He pressed it to his ear, the silver earring dangling from his lobe tapping lightly against the screen.

“Jie, what’s up?”

His voice was thick with sleep, making his sister on the other end frown. “It’s already this late, and you’re just waking up?”

“Pulled an all-nighter,” Luo Lin pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to wake himself up. “Just tell me what you need.”

“Oh, do you remember the Chu family? The ones who approached me about marriage?”

“Yeah? What about it?”

“Well… their young master doesn’t seem interested in me.”

“What kind of blind idiot wouldn’t be interested in my beautiful and radiant woman?”

“Mmm,” she chuckled, her voice lifting slightly. “Seems like he’s interested in you instead.”

Silence.

As if confirming whether he was still listening, his sister added, “Little brother, looks like the pressure is on you now.”

In that instant, a flood of classic romance tropes—forced marriage, mistaken identity, unexpected attraction—flashed through Luo Lin’s mind. Sure, same-sex marriage was widely accepted these days, but rejecting the sister and choosing the brother instead? What kind of messed-up logic was that?

“The hell? Are they brain-damaged?! What kind of nonsense is this? I’m not getting married!” On the other end, there was a sudden commotion, likely from Luo Lin falling off the sofa in outrage. “I’m going over there right now to set them straight!”

Meanwhile, his sister, Luo Jing, who was thoroughly enjoying the drama, hung up the phone and moved to the stairwell, quietly eavesdropping on the conversation in the living room below.

Seated on the left sofa, dressed in a crisp suit, was the man they called their father. Opposite him sat a well-dressed couple—the husband in a tie and suit, the wife elegant and composed in a moon-white ensemble.

These were the uncle and aunt of the Chu family, who had come all the way to the Luo family’s estate to discuss an engagement between their children.

The discussion had gone back and forth, and the marriage arrangement was beginning to take shape.

In Luo Jing’s social circle, most people her age had already had their marriages arranged by their families. She had long since grown accustomed to these kinds of discussions. Once, she had hoped for romance in marriage, but as she grew older, the reality of love seemed more exhausting than fulfilling. She had to constantly guard against hidden motives, endure heartbreak and frustration. A strategic marriage was safer, more convenient. She had grown too tired to resist and simply let her father decide.

But Luo Lin… he was never one to bow to such arrangements.

He was reckless, unrestrained, and—above all—he absolutely despised their father.

The reason was simple:

Luo Lin was an illegitimate child.

Luo Lin was raised outside until high school before being brought back to the Luo family. Less than a week after returning, he was already causing a fuss about running away. He would rather earn money by helping others with their homework or taking part-time jobs than spend the pocket money his father gave him. After graduating high school, he didn’t go to college and instead joined the Special Investigation Bureau. For the first three months, his entire salary went toward repaying the tuition and dormitory fees from that year—principal and interest included, without taking a single cent for himself.

If not for his stubborn grandmother holding onto the household registration book and refusing to let Luo Lin remove his name, he would probably have cut ties with the Luo family long ago.

And yet, his father still had the audacity to arrange his marriage without permission.

Did he really think Luo Lin’s temper was something to be ignored?

Luo Zhengxing, his father, sat on the sofa. Upon hearing that the marriage arrangement had changed from his daughter to his son, he took a deep breath and asked, “Mr. Chu, may I ask, has your house’s roof beams been reinforced?”

“How many bodyguards do you usually keep by your side, Mr. Chu?”

“Do you happen to have an impenetrable panic room?”

The Chu family’s uncle and aunt sitting across from him exchanged bewildered looks, utterly confused about what Luo Zhengxing was getting at.

Weren’t they here to discuss a marriage proposal, not a war? Why was he bringing up panic rooms?

“To be honest, we actually preferred your eldest daughter, but Chu Chen insisted that if he was going to be engaged, it could only be to your second son. You know what that child is like—he’s someone we can neither provoke nor dare to offend.”

Luo Jing, who had been eavesdropping, let out a sigh. As if Luo Lin was someone they could afford to provoke either.

Just as she was thinking this, a series of sharp, ear-piercing barks came from outside the mansion. Each bark was louder than the last, making it clear that there was definitely more than one dog outside.

“Young Master! Young Master!”

The grand iron gate swung open.

Luo Lin walked through the garden toward the mansion, holding the leashes of three Huskies in one hand, wearing sunglasses and a trench coat, looking every bit like a force to be reckoned with.

Spotting his father seated in the living room, Luo Lin raised his voice and commanded his dogs,

“Zhao Yi, Pan Yi, Lao Yi—go greet Grandpa!”

The three Huskies immediately lunged toward the living room. If not for Luo Lin holding onto their leashes, they would have likely torn the sofa apart by now.

Madam Chu, upon seeing the three Huskies, was already scared out of her wits, frantically hiding behind her husband. “Why do you have three Huskies in your house?!”

“Oh, you must be Madam Chu,” Luo Lin greeted casually. “Hello, I’m Luo Lin. I heard your nephew wants to get engaged to me?”

He stepped forward, extending a hand to shake hers, but before he could get close, Madam Chu let out a sharp scream.

“Stay away from me!”

Luo Lin pulled back his hand and took a couple of steps back, adjusting the distance between himself and his dogs.

As a Special Investigator, his muscle strength was six times that of an ordinary human, so handling three Huskies was no problem.

“Madam, these are my sons. Since we’re going to be family, you can’t be afraid of them, can you?”

At his command, the three Huskies sat down obediently, looking deceptively well-behaved—if only their drool wasn’t pooling on the floor.

Luo Zhengxing cleared his throat to ease the tension. “Luo Lin, why did you bring dogs back? We’re here to discuss a joyous occasion today. This is your Uncle Chu and Aunt Chu. We were just talking about your engagement. Their son, Chu Chen, is interested in you. You remember Chu Chen, don’t you? Your high school classmate? If you’re interested, you two can meet. If not—”

At the mention of Chu Chen’s name, Luo Lin froze.

A chilling memory surged through him, wiping the playful smile from his face.

“Interested? Of course, I’m interested.” Luo Lin crouched down, scratching his dogs’ heads with a sharp glint in his eyes. “I have an old score to settle with him.”

His voice carried an unmistakable edge, and the atmosphere instantly turned tense.

Anyone with a brain could tell that Luo Lin and Chu Chen had either a grudge or a vendetta between them.

And not a small one either—the kind that could easily warrant a three-million-dollar bounty on the black market.

Madam Chu took a deep breath to calm herself. “I think we should call this off. Your second son is simply too much to handle. He even brought three Huskies to the meeting—our Chu Chen can’t afford to mess with him.”

Seeing that they were backing out, Luo Lin quickly added fuel to the fire.

“Oh, don’t say that. Sure, I might be a bit unruly, but doesn’t that just prove how healthy I am?”

He handed the leashes to the butler, instructing him to take his “sons” for a walk, then plopped down on the sofa, casually crossing one leg over the other while toying with his expensive sunglasses.

“I guarantee I can give your Chu Chen three kids in one go—doing my part to support the national birth policy.”

“You—”

A man, having kids?!

“And what’s wrong with Huskies? They’re adorable! Sure, they eat a lot, but they’re dumb as hell!”

Madam Chu was so furious she nearly lost her breath.

“Get out! I’ve never seen such an outrageous junior! Get out of my sight!”

“Oh, my apologies. This is the Luo household, not the Chu household. The door’s that way—I won’t be seeing you out.” Luo Lin lazily glanced at the entrance before adding, “Oh, and be sure to let Chu Chen know—if he wants to get engaged, he should come and propose in person. If he’s planning any tricks, I’ll be more than happy to play along.”

Luo Zhengxing, seeing the situation spiral out of control, immediately scolded, “Luo Lin! Look at yourself! Do you even know what respect for your elders means?!”

Luo Lin never cared much for etiquette, especially when it came to his father. Just hearing his voice gave him a headache, so he outright ignored him. Instead, he turned back to the Chu family and called out,

“Don’t think for a second that I’m agreeing to this engagement because of some family alliance. Chu Chen and I have been at odds for years. If I’m marrying him, it’s only so I can climb the ranks, inherit his wealth, and become a stunning, carefree widow after he kicks the bucket.”

“Our Chu Chen would rather die than marry you!”

“That’s for the best.”

Satisfied with the outcome, Luo Lin kicked open the front door and strode out with his three Huskies in tow.