DCHHLT Chapter 9

For the first time, Chu Junshan displayed a look of stark astonishment in front of Liang Xingyuan.

He had imagined countless ways this situation might play out, but this was the one scenario he had never anticipated.

Just now, Liang Xingyuan’s words seemed to imply… that he liked him.

Yes, that he liked him.

And so he wanted to court him.

Chu Junshan knit his brows tightly. Before he could speak, Liang Xingyuan, who had been reading his expression closely, asked softly, “Mr. Chu, do you still have some misgivings?”

He could tell that after expressing his feelings, Chu Junshan didn’t seem as happy as he had envisioned.

Could it be… that he didn’t like him back?

But then what was that kiss for…

If he truly didn’t like him…

Liang Xingyuan let out a soft sigh.

He liked the human before him and was willing to offer everything to protect what Chu Junshan wanted. He didn’t want to be pushy or cause an embarrassing situation for either of them, so he took the initiative to step back: “If you feel this is moving too fast, Mr. Chu, we can take some more time to get to know each other. Or do you think bringing this up so suddenly was a bit too abrupt?”

“No.”

Liang Xingyuan’s dimmed eyes lit up at that single word.

He heard Chu Junshan’s familiar, cool voice say: “I was just thinking that in your mind, we weren’t already together before this.”

Liang Xingyuan: “!!!”

Why does he always say such sweet things in such a cold tone—

Inside his body, Liang Xingyuan’s tentacles were doing a wild happy dance, yet he barely managed to maintain his gentle, elegant facade in front of Chu Junshan. Overcome with disbelief, he lifted his head slightly, his eyes glittering like bright stars.

Chu Junshan thought that they were already together before this.

This realization caused pink bubbles to fizz up in every corner of Liang Xingyuan’s body, each tiny burst releasing a wave of pure happiness.

Meanwhile, Chu Junshan, sitting beside him, did not have these happy images running through his head.

The hand gripping his dinner knife was forced to lift as the slender blade slid smoothly out of sight up his sleeve, going completely unnoticed by Liang Xingyuan.

Every single rose in that vibrant, passionate bouquet was extraordinarily fresh, exuding a rich fragrance that involuntarily refreshed the mind.

Scenes were now flashing through Chu Junshan’s mind—details he had previously overlooked, or moments he had completely misunderstood.

Liang Xingyuan’s odd behavior during this period wasn’t meant to devour him, nor did he have any intention of harming others.

He simply… wanted to court him?

The thought was somewhat comical and absurd. But now that it had become reality, Chu Junshan had no choice but to believe it.

To believe that a monster could be head over heels in love with him, attending to his every need with care and affection.

Ever since Chu Junshan could remember as a child, his parents’ upbringing had never involved encouragement or praise, let alone such an abundance of care.

The first time he had ever experienced this was, shockingly, from a monster that, just like him, had come out of the Infinite Game.

Not only did this monster understand the manners and rules of human society, molding himself into a persona strikingly similar to a real human, but he was also a monster possessing a kindness and purity that most people in the world could never match.

His warmth, gentleness, and modesty had not been an act after all.

Recalling all those past moments, Chu Junshan suddenly felt a slight headache.

The reason behind this massive information gap might not have been that he was too slow-witted, but rather another, far more significant factor—

In his eyes, Liang Xingyuan was truly an old-fashioned, dull monster.

He would always open and close the car door for him, walk ahead with an umbrella when it rained, and prepare delicious meals for him every day. Yet his hugs were strictly limited to simple physical contact. He didn’t even dare to use his tongue when they kissed. Then, there were the tentacles.

In all this time, aside from that fleeting glimpse of a tentacle under the tea table in the cafe when they first met, Chu Junshan hadn’t seen even a shadow of one.

Liang Xingyuan was simply far too good at concealing his extraordinary nature. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone all these years without his colleagues and friends noticing anything amiss.

Chu Junshan picked up the bouquet of red roses, set it on the tea table nearby, and began trimming the stems.

Liang Xingyuan hovered and paced around him for several rounds before finally leaving with Yaoyaoling.

He genuinely needed to cool down right now. Perhaps running a few laps outside would help mask his wildly thumping heart.

He also wanted to buy something that Chu Junshan couldn’t find out about.

Chu Junshan paid him no mind. Soon, the sound of the front door clicking shut echoed into the room.

After arranging a full vase of red roses, he turned and went into the study.

When Jiang Chun groggily picked up Chu Junshan’s call, he was still tucked under his blanket.

He glanced at the clock. It was just past eight. He gritted his teeth as he answered: “Chuchu, you’d better have an extremely urgent reason for calling me, or I’m going to be mad…”

“I suppose you could call it that,” Chu Junshan replied flatly.

Jiang Chun froze. He remembered that whether back when giving orders in the Infinite Game or later in the real world, when Chu Junshan said something was urgent, it was genuinely urgent. He never exaggerated.

Anything he called a “very important urgent matter” had to be extremely important.

Realizing this, Jiang Chun deftly pulled on his pants and jacket, rushing toward the door with phone in hand: “Do you need me to come over? Where are you…”

“No need,” Chu Junshan replied calmly. “You can answer even while lying in bed.”

“Huh?” Jiang Chun frowned, unable to think of what urgent matter could be answered while comfortably lying in bed. “Chuchu, what do you want to ask?”

Chu Junshan said unhurriedly, “I recall that back when we were over there, you led extermination squads a few times, didn’t you?”

Chu Junshan’s voice carried a subtle, unsettling tone alongside the faint crackle of static, giving Jiang Chun goosebumps. Not knowing why Chu Junshan was bringing this up, he answered somewhat nervously, “Yeah, yeah, that’s right… Chuchu, what’s going on? You’re making me a little nervous.”

“It’s nothing,” Chu Junshan said. “Do you still have the bait recipe for luring monsters?”

His voice was as cool and clear as ever, like crushed ice striking jade: “Specifically, the tentacle type.”

…

Half an hour later, Jiang Chun, looking utterly bewildered with life, transcribed a list for Chu Junshan, even promising to hunt down any other potentially useful items shortly.

Before Chu Junshan hung up, he finally plucked up the courage to ask the question he had always wanted to ask but never dared to: “Chuchu, why do you suddenly need this? Did… something happen?”

“No,” Chu Junshan answered crisply. Having achieved his goal, his tone grew remarkably relaxed. “I just suddenly became very interested in this species.”

Hanging up the call with Jiang Chun, he took his laptop and headed toward the tea room. The moment he stepped out of the study, his eyes fell upon the large bouquet of vibrant, passionate roses resting on the dining table.

In his imagination, a monster’s love should be entirely devoid of restraint.

They were fierce and aggressive, unburdened by human morality. Once they designated a mate for life, they would entwine themselves tightly around their beloved, never to part.

And every single one of these traits matched Chu Junshan’s expectations for an ideal partner.

The love he desired was not tolerance, nor courtesy, nor mutual respect. It was a suffocating, airtight entanglement.

A destructive, fierce love. He wanted it to last for eternity.

When on earth would Liang Xingyuan finally lay bare his heavily suppressed true nature before him alone, unleashing a love as surging and passionate as these roses?

Chu Junshan quietly gazed at the bouquet of roses for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle and turned away.

As a former apex predator in the Infinite Game, he naturally had all the patience in the world to wait for that rose, exclusively his own, to come into full bloom.

–

After leaving home, Liang Xingyuan took Yaoyaoling for a couple of laps around the neighborhood first. He ran until Yaoyaoling, who “needed to lose weight”, was practically dead to the world and ready to collapse on the spot. Instead of going straight home, however, he detoured to an old bookstore two streets away.

Ever since arriving in this world, Liang Xingyuan’s interest in books had been hardly second to his interest in humans.

Often, the things he didn’t understand could be answered in practical reference books. Right now, Liang Xingyuan had a brand-new dilemma.

When it came to human romance, Liang Xingyuan had no experience whatsoever.

He had simply relied on his meager pool of experience to analyze Chu Junshan’s moves. And while he had gotten every single analysis wrong, the silver lining was that the outcome turned out well anyway, meaning there was still time for him to make up for it.

He didn’t want to be a clueless block of wood in a relationship. Perhaps the bookstore held books specializing in these exact matters for him to read.

With an eager, studious mindset, Liang Xingyuan paced among five or six tall bookshelves for a while, but failed to find the books he was looking for.

Left with no alternative, he could only seek help from the bookstore owner—a white-haired, glasses-wearing man who looked rather wise.

After hearing Liang Xingyuan’s request, the owner led him to a bookshelf that looked long-neglected and rarely visited, turning back to glance at him every few steps along the way.

Sure enough, here Liang Xingyuan found the books he was searching for.

When he brought the books up to pay, the owner, who had just helped him, adjusted his glasses and asked in disbelief, “Young man, are you sure you want those books?”

Liang Xingyuan raised an eyebrow. “Hmm? Is something wrong?”

“No problem at all, it’s just…” The owner sized Liang Xingyuan up twice before putting it tactfully, “I feel they’re not quite suitable for someone of your age to read.”

Hearing this, Liang Xingyuan looked down at the stack of books piled in his hands.

《How to Become a Beloved Good Man in Three Sentences》, 《What Should a Man in Love Be Like?》, 《Crash Course to Becoming an Irresistible Heartthrob》…

The owner didn’t even dare glance at the titles of the remaining books below them.

These were books published decades ago. Toxic chicken soup tailored specifically for arrogant, condescending middle-aged men in their forties.

No matter how one looked at it, they were a complete mismatch for someone of Liang Xingyuan’s age.

The bookstore owner secretly shook his head, sighing softly to himself.

This guy looks pretty smart, but to think he’s actually a fool.

Yet, the gentle, handsome young man before him appeared thoroughly cheerful. He paid and stepped out of the shop under the owner’s hesitant gaze: “It’s fine, I know what I’m doing. I’ll take these. Thank you, sir.”

Holding the books in his left arm and leading the dog with his right, he didn’t head straight home. Instead, he found a secluded pavilion in the residential complex and eagerly set about absorbing the essence of the books.

As a genuine monster endowed with eight brains, Liang Xingyuan had always been lightning-fast at absorbing and digesting knowledge.

These few books were mere child’s play to him.

However, Yaoyaoling, having completely drained its energy, endured for as long as it could before finally wailing uncontrollably near lunchtime, venting its hungry outrage at Liang Xingyuan with its angriest barks.

Liang Xingyuan had already finished most of them, with only the final book remaining. He hesitated, but Yaoyaoling looked as though it would starve to death right then and there if they didn’t leave immediately.

He let out a sigh, quietly gathering the books he had finished, bundling them with a cable tie, and dropping them into the book donation box at the entrance of the complex. The last unfinished book was tucked safely inside his jacket.

I’ll finish reading it tonight, Liang Xingyuan thought.

Steeped in an entire morning of romance psychology, he felt as though he was now terrifyingly competent!

This way, he could provide Chu Junshan with a relationship experience packed with maximum emotional value!

Liang Xingyuan’s mood brightened considerably, making even the howling Yaoyaoling look a little more pleasant to his eyes.

Stepping up to his front door, he spotted Chu Junshan’s shoes placed outside—

He hadn’t left yet!

Was he going to have lunch with him?

Recalling the romance wisdom he had just absorbed, Liang Xingyuan eagerly stepped inside. Seeing Chu Junshan working in the tea room, he instinctively softened his footsteps.

Putting the book’s techniques into practice, he softly called Chu Junshan by his intimate pet name: “Chuchu, eating lunch so late… were you missing me?”

Chu Junshan: “?”

He knit his brows, completely ignoring Liang Xingyuan’s cheesy line. “Where were you?”

Liang Xingyuan: “I went for a walk…”

“A walk, huh? Good,” Chu Junshan’s cool voice rang out. “I thought you’d stepped out without taking your brain with you.”

Liang Xingyuan: “!”

Chu Junshan seemed to be upset!

So the methods in that stupid guide were a complete scam after all!

Sensing this keenly, Liang Xingyuan was just about to step forward to explain. But because he took too wide a stride, the little unfinished book slipped out from his jacket, landing right at Chu Junshan’s feet.

Liang Xingyuan froze on the spot, silently petrified.

Yet Chu Junshan’s punishment for him was far from over.

Glancing coolly at Liang Xingyuan, who stood stiff as a board, Chu Junshan’s eyes landed on the little book as he read the title aloud: “《Psychology of Love: Win Your Lover’s Heart in Three Steps》.”

“Liang Xingyuan, are you studying this?” Realization dawning, Chu Junshan narrowed his eyes slightly, a leisurely smile gracing his lips. “Rather than reading stuff like this, Teacher Liang, why don’t you just ask me directly? Who knows—”

He raised a hand, resting his pleasantly cool fingertips against Liang Xingyuan’s forearm where his sleeves were rolled up. His voice trailed up playfully at the end as those stunning eyes looked up at him: “I might even teach you.in.person.”

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