The Trap of Curiosity

Peng Biao’s hands were very steady, and his strength was immense. During the process of hoisting Ye Shengge onto his neck and settling him into a straddle, there wasn’t a single bump. The sense of security was absolute.

Though it was Ye Shengge’s first time riding on someone’s shoulders, and he was a little scared, his curiosity won out. He slowly opened the eyes he had squeezed shut in fright, tightly gripping Peng Biao’s powerful arms which were supporting his legs. He leaned his body slightly forward, terrified of losing his balance and falling off.

As Peng Biao carried him out into the yard, preparing to run, Ye Shengge spoke up again, repeating what he’d said earlier: “If you get tired, you have to tell me.”

That way, he could hop down immediately to prevent the big guy from being crushed, which would inevitably hinder the completion of the dungeon’s main mission.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m strong.” Peng Biao’s smile was radiant and a bit goofy. He fully believed his sweetheart’s words were a sign of genuine concern for his well-being.

Ye Shengge nodded. He figured that if the man truly reached his limit, he would say so, so he just let him be.

However, he waited and waited, but Peng Biao never spoke a word of complaint.

Peng Biao’s stamina was truly terrifying. Even with a grown youth perched on his neck, it didn’t hinder his performance in the slightest. After several laps around the yard, he wasn’t even winded, let alone “crushed.”

Finally, Ye Shengge felt at ease, allowing the big dummy to carry him through various exercises.

When Peng Biao completed fifty weighted push-ups in a row and still had the energy to keep going, Ye Shengge—sitting suspended on his shoulders—couldn’t help but praise him: “You’re really amazing.”

This compliment was sincere, without a drop of exaggeration.

Ye Shengge truly meant it. Just how much natural talent did one need to be able to mess around for so long and still have the strength to carry a person home on their shoulders? It was the kind of strength that a “fitness weakling” like Ye Shengge couldn’t even fathom.

Even after Peng Biao went to take a shower, Ye Shengge remained in a state of high excitement. Although the big dummy always placed him in high spots, the experience this morning had been delightful. He even found himself looking forward to the next workout.

Next time, he could sit on those shoulders again and experience “high-lifts” and “neck-rides” that were even more fun than amusement park rides.

[What did I miss? Why is our beautiful wifey looking so absent-minded as soon as I log in?]

[The person above clearly missed this morning’s stream. Let me fill you in. According to the big guy, his weights were ‘broken,’ so wifey was used as a human weight. He ran with wifey on his neck and even did fifty push-ups with wifey on his back.]

[WTF! Fifty! This… this is too fierce! And he’s so big. Seeing him with wifey is like Beauty and the Beast. If he actually tried to do something bad, wifey wouldn’t even be able to resist.]

[Now that you mention it, I’m worried too. Waaaah, wifey, watch out for that guy. He’s definitely not as simple as he looks.]

[Exactly! When this stinky dog first met wifey, he couldn’t even form a sentence. Why is he suddenly so smooth? Something’s fishy.]

Reading these comments, Ye Shengge felt like everyone was treating him like a fool. He frowned slightly with displeasure, pursing his petal-pink lips. He spoke up softly, defending himself seriously: “I know all that, but don’t worry. He wouldn’t dare do anything bad to me.”

Setting aside the “Young Heavenly Master” setting in the dungeon plot, ever since the big dummy had asked him those embarrassing questions and said such unspeakable things with a straight face, he had realized this man was not what he seemed. Even if he wasn’t as temperamental as the plot described, he certainly wasn’t as simple or honest as his appearance suggested.

However, it didn’t matter much. The big guy could control his emotions. Even when his feelings fluctuated and he said things Ye Shengge disliked, he knew when to stop. He never went too far and would even approach Ye Shengge cautiously to apologize afterward.

How could someone like that do anything against his will?

[Wifey is too innocent. ‘Doing something bad’ isn’t what you think it is. We aren’t talking about the same thing at all!]

[Sigh, I can’t help but chime in. Everyone is worried that the big guy has impure intentions and will force you to do this and that.]

Ye Shengge’s face grew redder and redder. He raised his voice, his tone serious: “Stop saying things like that. He’s a straight guy. A bone-deep, 100% straight man. He doesn’t like men.”

[Wait, the big guy is straight?]

[Silly wifey, tell us, how do you know?]

[Wifey, open your eyes! His desire is practically leaking out of his pores. He’s dying to kick the childhood friend aside and become your loyal puppy. How is that straight?]

Ye Shengge refused to back down. He argued logically: “He told me himself! He’s saving up all his money to ‘get a wife’!”

Getting a wife meant marrying a soft, fragrant girl. A guy like him, who had no chest and no… well, he did have a bottom, and a very perky one at that, but it still had nothing to do with being a wife for a guy who couldn’t do anything helpful. Who would bring a “little ancestor” home who was nothing but beautiful trouble? That’s just asking for a difficult life.

The swindler NPC in the plot had said the Young Heavenly Master hated trouble most of all. Under these circumstances, the fact that the big guy was willing to help him for the sake of his childhood friend was already good enough. As for having impure thoughts about him…

Actually, if it were possible, Ye Shengge almost wished it were true.

Thinking selfishly, if the Heavenly Master liked him, it would mean he had a permanent trump card against the Puppet Bosses—a card that would never betray him. It was much safer than a verbal promise of help.

But Ye Shengge only thought this in his head; he wasn’t selfish enough to actually seduce the man. Deceiving someone’s feelings for security was too wicked and easily backfired. He only had to look at the Puppet Bosses to see that. He had tried to stabilize them one by one, but things had gone wrong before he could even start. Even so, he’d established “friendly” relations with two of them, and those two had nearly torn his house down. If he added more… it wasn’t just a matter of the ship sinking; he wouldn’t even have a place to live.

Just as Ye Shengge was spiraling into these terrifying thoughts, Peng Biao stepped out of the shower.

“What’s bone-deep?” Peng Biao asked curiously while drying his hair. He had just caught his sweetheart muttering to himself on the sofa.

Ye Shengge’s eyes lit up. Regarding sexual orientation, asking the person involved was the most reliable method. He cleared his throat, sat up straight, and asked: “Are you a bone-deep, 100% straight man?”

Taken completely off guard, Peng Biao nearly missed a step and tumbled down the stairs. Only his quick reflexes prevented a bloody accident.

“Why are you suddenly asking that?” he asked nervously after regaining his balance.

Peng Biao knew his sweetheart was easily embarrassed. If the boy knew he liked him, they wouldn’t be able to interact as naturally as they did now; the boy might even start avoiding him. That was the last thing Peng Biao wanted.

Since his sweetheart was dense regarding romance and hadn’t noticed his feelings, Peng Biao planned to use the “slow-boiling frog” approach. He wanted the youth to get used to his presence and become dependent on his care before revealing his heart.

But now, the dense youth was suddenly asking if he was straight. Had he been too obvious?

Panic flared in Peng Biao’s chest. He was terrified the youth would distance himself.

“Just tell me if you are or not,” Ye Shengge urged, his beautiful eyes full of curiosity.

Peng Biao fell silent, his face slowly turning red. He didn’t know how to answer this trap of a question. He didn’t want to lie to the boy. After a long internal struggle, he gave a tiny shake of his head.

“I knew you were—wait.” Ye Shengge started to speak, then stopped abruptly.

Did he just shake his head?

Shaking his head meant… he wasn’t a bone-deep straight man?

Ye Shengge let out a very forced, dry laugh. “It’s okay if you aren’t 100% straight. I don’t mind that, as long as you aren’t interested in me.”

This was a direct probe into Peng Biao’s attitude. If the big guy were smart, he would follow the lead and say he wasn’t interested, letting the topic die forever.

Yet, for some reason, the big guy seemed possessed. Instead of following the lead, he walked over with a red face and knelt before Ye Shengge, looking up at him with an earnest expression.

“But… I think I am interested in you.”

Ye Shengge: “???” Ye Shengge: “!!!”

He stared wide-eyed at the big dummy kneeling before him. “Are you joking?”

At this point, Peng Biao decided to summon his courage. He said seriously to the boy he held in his heart: “I like you. I like you very, very much.”

Suddenly receiving a confession, Ye Shengge froze. He let out a dry “oh,” his hands gripping the hem of his shirt tightly, not knowing what to say.

The first step was always the hardest. Now that the first sentence was out, the rest came easier. Peng Biao became more fluent, throwing his pride to the wind. To get the youth to agree, he even offered himself up as a tool for revenge.

“Don’t reject me so quickly. I know the one you like is Wen Jinshi, but he’s left you alone in the country for all these years. Don’t you want to get back at him?”

Ye Shengge hadn’t expected this. He fell even deeper into silence.

In the original plot, the Dollmaker had stayed with the puppets partly to make his childhood friend jealous. But Wen Jinshi knew everything and acted like he hadn’t noticed, which made the Dollmaker feel like a child who couldn’t get his parents’ attention no matter how hard he acted out.

Now, the big dummy was proposing this. Even if he wanted to refuse, his mission to maintain the character setting wouldn’t allow it…

Ye Shengge wanted to cry. He felt like a fool for poking the windowpane himself. Why on earth did he have to go and ask about someone’s orientation? Now he’d set himself on fire.

“Agree to be with me, okay? I can help you get revenge on Wen Jinshi and make him regret it.” Peng Biao’s emotional intelligence reached its peak when it came to digging a hole for his rival.

Ye Shengge couldn’t find a reason to refuse, but he didn’t want to agree to such a mean plan. He was frantically trying to think of a way out when—

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang, breaking the awkward tension. A familiar, gentle voice called out: “Peng Biao, are you home?”