Delicate, Yet Shamelessly Freeloading [Quick Transmigration] Chapter 48

Chapter 48: The Blind Widower in the Infinite Game (15)

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“…”

 

Clearly, Chu Jingting had been completely stunned by Shui Que’s threat. The air in the cabin was silent for a long time.

 

So long that Shui Que curled his toes in awkwardness and, fuming, kicked Chu Jingting again: “…Let go.”

 

What was the point of still holding onto his foot?

 

Chu Jingting’s expression remained cold and emotionless. No matter how hard or soft Shui Que kicked him, he didn’t let go. His gaze, chilly and unwavering, landed on Shui Que’s lips, where a faint redness bloomed at the tip of his tongue as he spoke.

 

He didn’t even notice it himself, but his Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily, and his eyes darkened with a strange gleam.

 

The hand that had been bracing against the bed now moved to grip Shui Que’s face.

 

Chu Jingting’s expression didn’t change. “Spit.”

 

Shui Que’s pupils dilated.

 

Seeing his stunned reaction, Chu Jingting’s voice turned colder. “Weren’t you going to spit on me?”

 

Shui Que’s face was so small that one of Chu Jingting’s hands could easily grip both cheeks, his thumb and forefinger hovering right above those pouting lips.

 

With a slight press of the thumb, Shui Que’s cheeks and lips were squished together, revealing a sliver of pale teeth and a bit of wetness along the inside of his lower lip.

 

For no good reason, Chu Jingting’s fingertips began to feel hot.

He leaned in, closing the distance between their faces.

 

“Go on. Spit.” It was a cold, command-like statement.

 

Shui Que was dumbfounded. He had never met anyone who would actually make such a request.

 

【Really loving this line from netizens nowadays: Huh?】


【Bro, are you for real?】


【Damn, Dog Chu, are you seriously waiting for Shui Shui to purse his lips so you can just dive in and drink the water straight from the source?】


【What?? Free hydration service?? Chu Jingting looking like he’s just walked ten days through a desert—he’s not gonna stop until he drains every last drop from baby’s mouth, huh?】

 

Shui Que’s ears turned red. He was just mouthing off—he couldn’t actually do something that uncivilized.

 

So he bit down hard on the tiger’s mouth* above Chu Jingting’s thumb.
Note: refers to the webbed area between the thumb and index finger.

 

The bite broke the skin, and blood quickly welled up.

 

Chu Jingting withdrew his hand and straightened his waist, naturally letting go of Shui Que’s ankle in the process.

 

Once he stood upright, his tall and upright figure was like a cypress in the dead of winter—chilly and unapproachable. It was hard to imagine this same man had just been gripping a young boy’s face, demanding he spit on him.

 

“Oh.” Chu Jingting wiped the bite wound on his hand with a tissue, where the blood and Shui Que’s saliva had mixed. He sneered, “So you didn’t dare to spit after all.”

 

His tone was ambiguous—was it sarcasm? Mockery? Or something else?

 

Shui Que pressed his lips together. Outside the ship’s small round window, seagulls called in the distance. His seasickness had worsened; his face drained of color and turned pale. In a muffled voice, he said, “I feel awful… Can’t you just behave a little?”

 

Chu Jingting didn’t respond.

 

But Shui Que heard the sound of him leaving the room.

 

…Huh? Did he just bully him into leaving?

 

Fine, if he had guts, let him sleep on the deck tonight—don’t come back to the room.

 

He muttered bitterly to himself.

 

Not long after, the round wooden doorknob turned with a soft click.

 

A tall shadow walked back into view. Something was brought to Shui Que’s lips.

 

“Open your mouth. Eat.”

 

Shui Que’s thick eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings folding.

 

What if—what if Chu Jingting finally had enough and was planning to poison him?

 

Chu Jingting instantly guessed what he was thinking and looked even more annoyed. “It’s seasickness medicine.”

 

“Oh…”

 

He’d misjudged him with the mindset of a cannon fodder supporting role suspecting the male lead.

 

Shui Que mumbled a response, opened his mouth, and with a flick of his tongue, took the two pills in.

 

Chu Jingting only caught a brief glimpse of the crimson inside his mouth before pausing. Then he remembered the cup of water he held in his other hand and brought it to Shui Que’s lips.

 

On the other side of the cabin, Xie Huahuang—worried—came over. He politely knocked on the door resting against the wall and asked, “Has he taken the medicine? Is Shui Que very seasick? I still have some leftover meds—I’ll bring them over.”

 

It seemed Chu Jingting had gone to borrow medicine from him earlier.

 

Xie Huahuang entered, sat on the edge of the bed, and pressed his hand to Shui Que’s forehead. “Mm, still okay. No fever.”

 

“Before we entered the S-rank instance, Xie Qian asked me to look after you when I had the time. He’s actually a distant relative of mine. But even without that, we’re teammates. Helping each other is only right. If you need anything, just let me know.”

 

Xie Huahuang didn’t notice at all that the moment he mentioned that name, the room’s atmosphere dropped to freezing. Chu Jingting’s stare was like needles in Shui Que’s back.

 

“Mm-hmm.”

 

Shui Que frowned, his lowered eyelids making him look pitiful as he sipped the water slowly from the cup in his hands.

 

He had swallowed too hastily, and the bitter taste of the medicine lingered on his tongue.

 

Was it really that upsetting just to hear that name?

 

Chu Jingting’s pupils were pitch-black as he watched Shui Que’s shifting expressions without blinking.

 

He had originally planned to send this person—who had humiliated him repeatedly—to reunite with the late Xie Qian shortly after this instance began.

 

That had been his exact reason for choosing this instance.

 

Then why… why hadn’t he done it yet?

 

Chu Jingting questioned himself.

 

Shui Que, after taking the medicine, began to feel drowsy—perhaps a side effect. Once Xie Huahuang left, he ignored Chu Jingting and kicked off his socks before curling up under the covers and falling asleep.

 

The room filled with soft, even breathing.

 

Chu Jingting walked over to the bedside with slow, deliberate steps. It was midsummer. The ceiling fan in the cabin creaked as it spun, but his fingertips remained unnaturally cold.

 

He rested them on Shui Que’s exposed neck.

 

The skin was warm, and under his fingers, he could feel the steady pulse.

 

Chu Jingting looked down from above, scrutinizing him.

 

No vigilance at all.

 

He was weak too. Honestly, there was no need for Chu Jingting to lift a finger—once a player like this lost their backing, there was no way they could survive an A-rank instance.

 

If Shui Que hadn’t latched onto someone from the very first instance, Chu Jingting doubted he would’ve even made it past F-rank.

 

So really, there was no need to waste his own energy.

 

Chu Jingting silently withdrew his hand from the vulnerable spot.

 

Without a word, he spread a bamboo mat on the floor, brought over a pillow and blanket from the supply room, and laid them on it.

 

He didn’t have much luggage. Being somewhat obsessive-compulsive, he lined up his cup, toothpaste, and toothbrush neatly by the sink in the cabin’s bathroom.

 

The rest of the room was filled with Shui Que’s suitcase.

 

Without comment, Chu Jingting took out the toiletries and arranged them properly in the bathroom. He also refolded all the clothes inside.

 

【…I seriously thought Chu Jingting was about to lay hands on my baby just now. I was about to storm his livestream and curse him out!】


【Dog Chu, explain yourself. Are you trying to do a “chasing wife from the crematorium” arc?】


【The ultimate prideful simp, mad because his wife told him not to dirty the bed—so he pulls a long face, acts all cold, sleeps on the floor, and silently folds his underwear with a blank expression. Bro, I seriously can’t with you anymore… (facepalm)】

 

＊

 

Shui Que slept straight through to late afternoon.

 

Sunlight from the setting sun streamed through the little round window.

 

As soon as he opened his eyes, he was startled by the shadow standing by his bed.

 

“Time to eat,” Chu Jingting asked. “You coming?”

 

Though it felt a bit self-indulgent to think this way, Shui Que honestly believed from his tone that Chu Jingting had been waiting beside him the entire time, just to take him to eat.

 

Knock knock.

 

Someone knocked on the door.

 

Yuan Yu pushed it open, holding a plate in his hands. As he turned to nudge the door shut with his foot, he took extra care not to spill the food on the plate. “I got your favorite eggplant and tofu from the dining hall, Shui Que.”

 

He brought back food for two because Shui Que had still been asleep earlier. Yuan Yu had intended to bring the meal back to the room so they could eat together.

 

Shui Que leaned against the headboard and said, “Thanks.”

 

He took the meal Yuan Yu handed him, only then remembering that someone else in the room had been waiting to go to the dining hall together with him earlier.

 

Now he didn’t know whether to keep holding the bowl or put it down—it was awkward either way.

 

Chu Jingting said coldly, “Whatever,” and turned to leave, slamming the cabin door so hard it echoed thunderously. The sailor’s cap hanging on the hook behind the door even fell off.

 

Yuan Yu didn’t comment on the situation; he simply rehung the cap.

 

“The food’s all made in bulk by the ship’s cook,” he said, pulling over a small bench to sit by the bed. “It probably doesn’t taste as good as it does at home. When we get back, I’ll cook something better for you.”

 

The tofu was the dried kind, suitable for long voyages, but it still tasted decent.

 

Shui Que quietly dug into the rice.

 

【Hang in there, Host! We’re already at 71% story progress!】

 

Actually, the progress had already reached 69% when Chu Jingting was making the bed, but since Shui Que was sleeping at the time, System 77 hadn’t bothered to notify him. Just now the story had advanced again, so it finally gave the update.

 

Shui Que absentmindedly picked up a piece of eggplant with his chopsticks.

 

Usually, in this world, his storyline revolved around bullying the male lead, occasionally sabotaging him too.

 

So the main metric used to track story progress relied heavily on the male lead’s psychological responses.

 

Had he just pissed off Chu Jingting again?

 

What had he even done?

 

Shui Que tried to recall.

 

Could it really count as bullying just because he didn’t go to the dining hall with the male lead?

 

It felt like Chu Jingting had suddenly become emotionally fragile. With that in mind, Shui Que decided to strike while the iron was hot. Over the next few days, he wouldn’t even need the system to issue tasks—he’d draw from his vast experience in the last world to come up with new ways to annoy Chu Jingting.

 

For instance, he deliberately drank a large glass of water before bed, so he’d wake up at midnight. Then, pretending not to see, he would step on the male lead who was sleeping on a mat next to the bed and “accidentally” wake him up to escort him to the bathroom at the end of the hallway. Another time, knowing Chu Jingting couldn’t handle spicy food, he added an excessive amount of wasabi to his meal in the dining room.

 

Shui Que believed he had a certain talent for tormenting people.

 

Though it wasn’t as extreme as in the first storyline, mostly because Xie Qian was no longer around, and alone, he was no match for Chu Jingting. He was afraid if he pushed too far, Chu Jingting would toss him off the deck to feed the sharks.

 

After all, his character was supposed to die in a chase scene, devoured by the boss. The chase hadn’t even begun yet; he couldn’t afford to let the male lead end him prematurely.

 

The New Thousand Smoke departed from the fishing port on Thousand Smoke Island and set course for the largest port on the eastern coast of neighboring Country S—Chibai Port.

 

Country L and Country S weren’t too far apart. From the southern end of Country L to Chibai Port on the east coast of Country S, the round trip took no more than twenty days.

 

That was factoring in the four or five days waiting in queue to dock.

 

Excluding the wait time along the canal crowded with sampans, it only took eight days to travel from Thousand Smoke Island to Chibai Port.

 

Once the cargo ship docked, the unloading was done by dockworkers using A-frame cranes. Meanwhile, the captain had to meet with customs at the bonded warehouse and complete paperwork through trade agency connections.

 

Everyone else had free time to disembark and explore.

 

The area around the port was mostly warehouses, but further inland there were a few apartments and restaurants.

 

Around the corner stood a tavern with a distinctively S-country vibe. The windows had decorative panels, and when you pushed open the door, it set off the soft chime of windbells.

 

The air was thick with the scent of malt, hops, and orange marmalade.

 

Shui Que sat quietly at his table, waiting.

 

Yuan Yu had to accompany the captain, so the only ones wandering about were the rest of the crew and idle players like himself.

 

Most people crowded around the bar to order drinks, with many opting for the tavern’s most famous rum. The customers were mostly sailors from the docks, and alcohol served as their emotional buffer against the hardship of seafaring life.

 

Chu Jingting didn’t drink, but luckily the tavern offered other beverages.

 

He naturally skimmed the drink menu and ordered a matcha smoothie for Shui Que.

 

But the moment he placed the order, he paused.

 

Chu Jingting frowned.

 

Why was he constantly thinking about Shui Que?

 

The guy was clearly trying to mess with him.

 

In every literary work, the one trope Chu Jingting despised most was falling in love with your enemy.

 

It was fake. Disgusting.

 

While waiting for the smoothie, he noticed that the drink seemed particularly popular with local female students.

 

They were queued near the end of the counter, and although Chu Jingting hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, his keen hearing picked up their conversation when he caught them talking about someone sitting near the window in the corner.

 

It was Shui Que.

 

They were talking about Shui Que?

 

“Right? Doesn’t he look exactly like the protagonist from that essay in the latest issue of Modern Love?” a brunette whispered to her friend.

 

Chu Jingting frowned even deeper. His hearing was sharp enough that once he tuned in, he could make out everything they said.

 

If Guan Yizhou or Ah Chun were here, they would’ve quickly recognized that the girls were talking about a magazine that had circulated among the youth back on Thousand Smoke Island.

 

Her friend nodded in agreement. “Totally. So pretty, and he looks really young, but there’s this widowed aura about him. He completely fits the image of a protagonist who was forcibly taken by an enemy but remains devoted to a deceased husband, grieving to the point of despair.”

 

They were saying a lot.

 

Chu Jingting, disconnected from modern trends, couldn’t fully grasp current artistic styles.

 

He walked toward Shui Que’s corner with the matcha smoothie in hand.

 

Shui Que was staring down at the little tentacle poking out from under the table. He had no idea how the sea creature had followed him here. If it suddenly expanded and hurt bystanders, that would be a disaster.

 

He could only hope that Xie Qian, who was more rational, would take control of the creature’s body.

 

With that in mind, Shui Que looked down at the floor beneath his feet and murmured unconsciously, “Xie Qian…”

 

The tentacle vanished.

 

Chu Jingting hadn’t seen what happened. All he saw was Shui Que sitting in the corner, eyes lowered, still calling out the name of a dead man.

 

Did he love him that much? Couldn’t let go?

 

The matcha smoothie in Chu Jingting’s hand was so cold it was giving off white mist.

 

Shui Que noticed something off about Chu Jingting. From the moment they left Chibai Port and began their return voyage, Chu Jingting barely spoke a word—less than ten sentences total.

 

Had he bullied the male lead to the point of causing psychological trauma?

 

Shui Que grew uneasy.

 

Especially since after that little outing and smoothie run, the storyline had suddenly jumped to 79%—even though he hadn’t done anything. He couldn’t tell what exactly had triggered Chu Jingting.

 

Anyway, just 1% more and he’d reach the target.

 

Shui Que decided to ease up. Once he achieved the death ending, the story progress would definitely be enough.

 

He’d just resolved to go easy on Chu Jingting…

 

And then Chu Jingting lost his mind first.

 

Shui Que woke up in the middle of the night and nearly screamed from the weight pressing down on his thigh.

 

“What are you doing awake in the middle of the night…?”

 

Because it was Chu Jingting, Shui Que instinctively wanted to kick him.

 

He forgot Chu Jingting had been emotionally unstable the past few days.

 

A large hand grabbed Shui Que’s knee and easily forced it open to the sides.

 

Chu Jingting stared at him with the intensity of a predator locking onto prey. Since Shui Que couldn’t see, he had no idea what was going on with Chu Jingting.

 

“Let go. Get off…” Shui Que mumbled in protest. “Didn’t I tell you not to get on the bed?”

 

The next second, his pupils widened in shock.

 

It was wet—Chu Jingting was licking his thigh.

 

Well, not just licking—he was biting into the flesh of his thigh.

 

Shui Que genuinely thought Chu Jingting’s mental breakdown had reached the point where he had turned into a cannibal, choosing to start with the plumpest part of his body.

 

He was terrified Chu Jingting would bite off a chunk of his thigh. His voice cracked as he cried, “Get away!”

 

Chu Jingting sat up—but only to gently wipe the corner of Shui Que’s eye.

 

There was a little bit of moisture there.

 

He thought to himself—he had wanted to get revenge on Shui Que.

 

Suddenly, the cabin door banged loudly—

 

Li Jianshan’s voice came from outside: “Chu Jingting, Shui Que! Wake up! We found the Thousand Smoke!”

 

[Damn it, who the hell cares about that busted ship—what about my revenge-porn drama featuring the widower getting ravished by his enemy.avi?!]

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Huge shoutout to @candycorns2 on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.

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