When he was eight years old, during Lu Yuan’s birthday banquet, illegitimate sons were not allowed to enter. Lu Huan only squatted outside the dark courtyard wall on a heap of frozen straw, receiving a few small rewards along with the servants.

The snow was falling heavily that day. His hands were red from the cold, swollen like carrots.

When he returned from the main residence, he happened to see Fourth Aunt sewing a pair of boots for Lu Yuan.

Fourth Aunt was one of the very few in the household who showed Lu Huan even a little kindness. But she herself could barely protect her own position—most of the time she could only serve and flatter the main wife, bending herself to survive.

She was wrapped in a thick cloak, sitting in the lakeside pavilion, sewing the boots in her lap stitch by stitch.

From afar, the eight-year-old Lu Huan couldn’t help but fix his gaze on that pair of boots.

He saw Fourth Aunt carefully use three fine pieces of leather to cover the sole, the front, and the heel, and then, with red thread, embroider a golden sparrow right at the center of the vamp. Afterward, she used golden feather thread, begged from the Princess Consort of Prince Ning’s residence, to tie into the sparrow’s feathers, making the boots look incomparably exquisite.

Those boots were lined with animal fur, and the soles were thick—it was clear they would be warm.

Lu Huan was still small then. Watching eagerly, he unconsciously curled his numb toes inside the straw sandals on his feet.

But the servant behind him grew impatient, gave him a shove, and urged him to move along.

Lu Huan stumbled forward, yet still couldn’t help glancing back toward the pavilion.

He saw Fourth Aunt pick up another pair of shoes.

Her embroidery was excellent. After finishing the boots for Lu Yuan, she had some leather left over, and the Princess Consort of Prince Ning had allowed her to use those scraps to make a pair of embroidered shoes for her unborn child.

At that moment, her expression was no longer tense or cautious for fear of making a mistake, but filled with gentleness and motherly affection.

She hoped the child in her belly would be a girl, so she embroidered the shoes small and delicate, as though already picturing her child wearing them, growing up year after year.

Lu Yuan, as the legitimate son of Prince Ning’s household, had everything from birth and would not care for that pair of golden-sparrow boots.

And though Fourth Aunt’s daughter would also be an illegitimate child, her life would at least be simple but sheltered—after all, she would have her mother’s protection.

But Lu Huan—he had never once received a pair of boots.

Naturally, there had never been such a person, waiting for him to grow up year after year.

───♡───

Now, he stared at the heavy pair of boots that had inexplicably appeared in his hands. His dark eyes dimmed, his fingers unconsciously tightening.

The rough, worn texture of the leather pressed against his fingertips, stirring in him an indescribable feeling.

Yet soon after, he released his grip, coldly throwing the boots back onto the floor. His expression hardened as he swept his gaze across the entire room.

The doors and windows hadn’t been touched, so how had that person entered his room?

Who was it, and what were they trying to do?

Lu Huan felt a vigilance he had never known before. His eyes were like those of a fierce young wolf whose den had been disturbed, filled with suspicion and unease. He recalled that steaming dish of meicai kourou from a few days ago, appearing just as suddenly. It must have been done by the same person, but what was their intent?

Of course, Lu Huan would never believe that someone was secretly helping him out of goodwill.

In this world, there was no such thing as firewood offered to warm one’s snowbound night—no kindness without reason. But schemes, bullying, and deceit—those were in endless supply.

Was this another trap?

Instinctively, Lu Huan’s hand went to the dagger he always carried on him.

But as he stood inside the room, it was utterly silent.

Outside, only the sound of snow falling heavily could be heard; inside, only the faint crackle of the charcoal fire.

There was no one else here—only him.

Even after a moment, Lu Huan didn’t relax. His brows were furrowed tight, his face still dark and tense.

He looked around once more at the unfamiliar objects now in his room. For the time being, he couldn’t figure out who had entered or what their purpose was. So he could only remain still—watch and wait, responding to change with calm.

With that thought, Lu Huan’s expression stayed cold as he tossed the pair of boots into the wardrobe, turned, and stepped out the door. Before the sun fully set, he went to fetch water and light a fire.

───♡───

Outside the screen, however, Su Xi was completely baffled by his reaction.

Earlier, when she sent him hot food, he had been extremely wary, checking if it was poisoned—that she could understand.

But now she’d spent money to decorate his room, and he still looked unhappy? What, did he think the table, the chair, and the boots were poisoned too?

He even threw the boots she sent him straight into the wardrobe corner?!

Excuse me—those cost seven gold coins, okay?

You can’t even take another look at them?

Can’t you just stomp around in the snow with them for a bit and say, “Thank you, generous benefactor”?

What kind of temper did this game give its protagonist anyway?

Su Xi really couldn’t understand. Just as she was about to switch the camera angle to see where her little game character was heading—he’d gone out again, apparently—she saw him return, carrying a wooden bucket steaming with hot water.

He came in with a calm face, kicked the wooden door shut with his heel, set the bucket down, and placed a cloth beside it.

Then he untied the light-colored strip of cloth holding up his hair; the long black strands cascaded down like a waterfall.

And then he started to—

Wait.

He started to take off his clothes???

Su Xi: “?”

Hold on—what, the game characters take baths too??

Even though the little guy on the screen was just a chibi-style cartoon character, he was still a male youth.

Realizing that, Su Xi’s face inexplicably flushed red.

But before she could react further, the screen suddenly went black—

Su Xi: “???”

“What are you doing?” Su Xi almost slammed her hand on the table, frantically pressing the unlock button. The phone lit up, but the game interface stayed dark.

Then the system popped up a message:

> “The protagonist’s bath scene is a pay-to-view feature. Please spend 1000 gold coins to unlock.”

Su Xi: “……”

Are you kidding me? You tell me that now, after I’ve already gotten ready?

Expressionless, she said, “It costs money? Forget it, then.”

System: “……”

The screen stayed black for a full half hour.

Su Xi had no idea why her game character took so long to bathe.

Don’t ask—he’s just a clean freak.

She waited for a while, but when the screen still didn’t light up, she took the chance to wash up herself.

While brushing her teeth, she thought maybe it was time to check out of the hospital.

Her leg was fractured, yes, but already set and fixed. With crutches, she could hop around just fine. Staying hospitalized this long really didn’t make sense.

Falling behind in school was minor, but the cost was killing her.

By the time she finished washing and came back, the game screen had finally lit up again.

Judging by the in-game clock, it was already the middle of the night.

Su Xi thought the little game character must already be asleep and was about to close the game—but then she froze slightly.

The candlelight in the room had gone out. Only a bit of moonlight reflected from the snow outside filtered through the window.

The little character lay on the bed, eyes closed, his dark lashes casting bluish shadows against his pale skin.

Yet his left hand, resting against the wall, was tightly clutching something.

If not for this viewing angle, Su Xi would never have noticed how tense and alert his whole body was.

What was he holding—?

Su Xi tried rotating the camera, zooming in on his left hand.

It was… a dagger.

“What’s wrong with him?” Su Xi murmured in surprise. She observed him for more than ten minutes, yet he kept gripping that dagger, never falling asleep.

He stayed on guard the entire night, as though ready to defend himself against someone suddenly breaking into his room.

Su Xi looked at him, then at the new table, chairs, and brazier in the room.

Suddenly, realization dawned—

Did her little game character think that a thief had snuck in and that the things she’d given him were part of some trap to harm him?!

Well… honestly, if her own house suddenly had a bunch of new furniture appear out of nowhere, she’d probably be scared enough to call the police too.

But still—

Wasn’t this just a game?

Should a game character even have such thoughts?

Shouldn’t he just automatically use any new items without question?

Once again, Su Xi was stunned by how lifelike and human the protagonist’s thinking was—so vivid it almost had flesh and blood.

She dazedly stared for a while and could only conclude: the game developers were absolute geniuses.

But since her “Zai Zai” was already this wary of every gift she sent, if she kept sending more, he would probably grow even more resistant.

Su Xi thought for a moment, then tapped on the kettle, wondering if it was possible to use spilled water to trace words on the floor—to write something like “I mean no harm.”

The system replied:

> “You don’t have enough points. Communication through this method is currently unavailable.”

It was actually possible to communicate that way?! Su Xi perked up immediately.

“How many points do I need?” she asked.

“At least 100 points,” the system said.

A cold bucket of water instantly doused her excitement. “Great. That’ll take forever.”

Abandoning the idea for now, Su Xi helped her little game character close the doors and windows properly, made sure no wind was seeping in, then exited the game and logged off.

Before sleeping, she took out the lottery ticket she had just bought.

It turned out to be one that would be drawn in exactly three days.

Although she didn’t believe a single word of the system’s nonsense about “koi luck” and “good fortune,” she still didn’t throw the ticket away. Instead, she carefully tucked it into a book.

In any case, she would know the truth in three days.

And within those three days, she needed to raise her points to at least ten.

───♡───

After a night’s sleep, Su Xi woke up and, still half-dazed, reached for her phone—the first thing she did was open the game.

The moment she entered, she saw two servants in the woodshed courtyard saying that the back kitchen was short on water and urging her game character to fetch some.

It was afternoon in the game. The snow had stopped, but the ground was still frozen and slick.

The little character seemed to have just returned from some errand—his clothes were thin, the wind tugging at them, yet a fine sheen of sweat still glistened on his pale forehead.

He cast a cold glance at the two servants without saying much, then picked up two wooden buckets and walked toward the well.

He turned, and Su Xi saw the two servants’ faces split into malicious smiles. Her gut told her that Lu Wenxiu that dog bastard had only kept quiet for a few days to set people on her little game character again.

Just then, a message suddenly popped up on the interface:

【Prompt: Entering main storyline mission — Gain the favor of the Old Madam of Prince Ning’s residence. Please prepare your strategy immediately.】

Su Xi: “Fuck?! So sudden.”

【Mission Reward: 50 gold coins and 6 points.】

Holy shit so much?!

Su Xi’s eyes landed on the $ sign and she snapped instantly awake.

She wiped her face, hopped off the bed on one foot, phone in one hand, toothbrush in the other, and asked the system excitedly, “Where’s he carrying the buckets to?”

System: “To the well pool.”

Su Xi swallowed, mumbled, “Quick, quick, help me unlock the map around the well.”

A section of the map lit up immediately.

Luckily she had saved some points earlier and hadn’t spent them unlocking random corners, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to follow him today.

The screen switched to the well area. It showed a well dug where a stream runs down on the west side of Prince Ning’s residence; fetching water from the well and carrying it to the back kitchen wasn’t far, but—at this moment—there were piles upon piles of water buckets stacked there.

Countless, making one’s scalp prickle.

Lu Wenxiu, having lost face last time, had his gut full of anger. This time he didn’t bother with framing and false accusations—he simply chose deliberate harassment.

Two servants had dragged a rattan chair to the stream; he sat astride it with brazen arrogance, and beside him was a little girl of about three or four—the illegitimate daughter of Fourth Aunt.

The little girl’s eyes were wide with terror; she wanted to cry but dared not, and she had already wet her pants.

From afar, Lu Huan walked over and coldly threw down the water bucket.

Lu Wenxiu knew Fourth Aunt usually treated Lu Huan with some care. Lu Huan would not let Fourth Aunt’s only remaining daughter die, so today he had specially arranged for Fourth Aunt to be sent away and brought her daughter here.

He looked at Lu Huan with glee and said, “If you don’t carry all these one hundred buckets of water today, I’ll push Fourth Sister in. In this freezing winter—fall into the icy water—who knows, maybe she’ll catch a serious chill or something.”