Chapter 142.1 The Horror Club
The woman did things abruptly. After saying she wanted to gather viewers for Wen Shi, she quickly produced an unusual-looking small bell.
Wen Shi stopped her, “Let’s attract them when it’s necessary. Having too many people around would complicate things.”
Without a clear plan, introducing too many monsters all at once was also a problem.
“Sure.”
The woman had a touch of coyness in her speech, resembling a somewhat spoiled young girl from a well-off family. But her deep and mysterious demeanor made people cautious.
“If you need something, just ask directly, no need to overthink it.” Compared to other family members, not only did the woman seem to know more, the game even gave her the freedom to speak her mind. “As long as you can think independently, you can borrow the strength of others.”
In front of the elder, Wen Shi obediently nodded with a shy expression.
The woman introduced herself further, “I’m called A’Yu, but you don’t need to remember that. After all, you’re going to call me Mom.”
While talking, she wiped her face in the rain. “I’ve lucked out with such a big son this time…”
Wen Shi’s temple twitched.
He couldn’t figure out what determined the relationships between his parallel-world selves.
Just dividing by age wasn’t enough. The young one was a demon with longer lifespan but called him Big Brother, and the woman, despite her youthful appearance, was positioned as a mother figure.
What was most unbelievable was that there had not been any clashes among these family relations.
“Come in quickly.” In the blink of an eye, A’Yu was already standing under the eaves. “Don’t freeze out here.”
Wen Shi’s question in his eyes hadn’t cleared yet, but seeing the woman had no intention of explaining, he had to focus on the main matters.
Before entering, he briefly introduced A’Yu to the family relationships and mentioned they were currently in a story. Staying alive and making the story interesting were the priorities. The latter wasn’t explicitly required by the game, but Wen Shi, considering “The Horror Club’s” background, believed that making the story intriguing would benefit them later.
A’Yu nodded. “Our audience consists of monsters, demons and ghosts, so let’s craft a story that’s too deeply unsettling to think about.”
Hearing old internet slang, Wen Shi looked at A’Yu in surprise.
“I’ve dealt with all sorts of monsters and know a lot,” A’Yu suddenly leaned in closer to him, “I’m good at telling these kinds of stories, like… you already have many parallel-world family members, right?”
Wen Shi nodded.
A’Yu’s face was full of meaning. “Do you think there might be a real one among them? Like, you actually have a blood relation, and he’s just using the parallel world excuse to be with you.”
At first, Wen Shi didn’t catch on, but after two seconds, he got goosebumps all over his body.
A’Yu laughed, tiptoed, and patted his head, “Just kidding.”
“……”
As soon as they entered the house, a maid approached and informed him that the room was ready. She didn’t show any surprise at the arrival of another unfamiliar woman. When Master Lin was in his forties, he used to bring home different women every day. It was only in the past couple of years that he suddenly calmed down.
“Help me prepare another guest room, preferably closer to my room.”
Wen Shi followed the maid upstairs.
Passing by one partially open room, the maid spoke, “The little master said he’s used to sleeping alone. I’ve cleared a room next to yours for him.”
Through the crack in the door, Wen Shi’s gaze met with Pei Hongxin’s. He playfully tugged at the corner of his mouth. Was he really that afraid of him?
Indeed, as one got older, they tend to lose some of their vigor. Ten years ago, Pei Hongxin would have closely watched his every move, even if it meant taking risks.
Noticing Wen Shi’s unfriendly look towards Pei Hongxin, A’Yu lightly made a slashing gesture at her throat.
Wen Shi nodded subtly but pointed at himself, indicating he was ready to handle this matter personally.
The second floor had no shortage of rooms, and conveniently, there was an empty guest room right across from Wen Shi’s for A’Yu to stay in.
“Master said dinner’s at seven.” The guest room was already clean. The maid swiftly dusted it off and then stood outside Wen Shi’s door.
Wen Shi: “I got it.”
At ten minutes to six, everyone who had returned today, except Master Lin himself, sat at the long table. Outside the window, the wind and rain raged, making it no different from nighttime even though it was not yet seven.
The crystal chandelier on the ceiling was at its brightest. A’Yu’s presence attracted quite a few curious glances.
The eldest son, Lin Guang, squinted, “Is this… our younger sibling?”
“No,” Wen Shi had a blank expression. “My godmother.”
Pei Hongxin reflexively felt a chill, and as expected, in the next moment, Wen Shi said, “Aren’t you going to pay your respects to your grandmother?”
Pei Hongxin sat still in his seat, looking at Wen Shi with a very cold gaze.
Others secretly thought that the grudge between these two must be significant from their past.
Footsteps at the staircase disrupted the commotion.
The first thing Master Lin did as he descended the stairs was to slam the newspaper down in front of Wen Shi and said, “Look at the mess you’ve caused!”
Wen Shi opened it up and found himself portrayed as a typical troublemaker, with accusations of academic fraud, drunk driving, and even a rumored murder. It went from criticizing him from head to toe to concluding that the Lin family’s prosperity wouldn’t last three generations.
Lin Helan, who personally delivered the newspaper to Master Lin in the afternoon, calmly affirmed Wen Shi’s guilt while also acting as a mediator, “He’s always been mischievous, Dad, just forgive him this once.”
Master Lin kept scolding all the way until dinner was served.
A’Yu sat in an inconspicuous spot, twirling a gemstone ring on her finger and thinking that it might be time for this old man to pass away.
As the one being scolded, Wen Shi showed no signs of anger and appeared very filial. He said, “You eat first, scold me after you finish.”
Master Lin, sitting at the head of the table, finally changed the topic before starting to eat, “Life is unpredictable, so I actually made a will a long time ago, but recently, I’ve been thinking about making some changes. Let’s not dwell on that. At the very least, I want to leave most of my wealth to the most dutiful child.”
The youngest son, Lin Tianci, teared up, “Dad, don’t say such gloomy things. With your health, you’ll definitely live to be a hundred.”
Parents tend to be more affetionate to their child born in their late years. Indeed, the name “Tianci” showed Master Lin’s favoritism. However, today, he didn’t follow along with his youngest son’s sentiment but instead had a strange glint in his eyes.
[T/N: tian ci = heaven sent]
“Filial piety isn’t just about words. Those who truly have it can go to the study and see how it’s done in the books.”
During the meal, everyone ate mechanically, not savoring the food.
Master Lin kept saying he wasn’t feeling well, but the table was full of meat and fish dishes.
After the meal, they exchanged pleasantries and hurriedly rushed to the study.
With the mission at the forefront, some people didn’t even bother pretending.
Only Master Lin remained seated, watching the group rush upstairs. He picked up his chopsticks again and chewed on a piece of meat fiercely, as if holding a grudge against someone.
The study.
Master Lin’s usual study was temporarily abandoned. Everyone preferred to start by checking out a relatively safe place. Wen Shi had been here in the afternoon and was curious about the purpose of the books.
The first book related to filial piety was picked up by Lin Tianci. When Wen Shi noticed his expression wasn’t quite right, he also grabbed a book about bizarre folk stories of filial devotion.
The opening story involves a man who, in order to cure his parents’ illness, cuts off his own flesh to use as a medicinal guide. There were plenty of strange stories like this, and every time they read one, a notification sound would pop up.
“Congratulations, you triggered the ‘Cutting Flesh as Medicinal Guide’ subplot. Completing this quest will increase Master Lin’s favorability by 20 points.”
“Congratulations, you triggered the ‘Blood Ties’ subplot. Completing this quest will increase Master Lin’s favorability by 25 points.”
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