Caught in the act

It's common knowledge that playing Covenant is physically demanding.

After a while, your arms and wrists inevitably start aching.

This is especially true for delicate angels with little strength—they tire out quickly and need frequent breaks.

"Darling... maybe we should take another break?"

Gu Luo couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as he watched Luo Shuning—his dedicated substitute player—working hard to rank up his account.

His account was at the highest tier in Covenant, and for an average player, clearing it would take at least half an hour.

"It's fine..."

Luo Shuning kept her face slightly turned away, her gaze drifting aimlessly, avoiding the glaring computer screen.

For a moment, silence settled between them.

After what felt like forever, Gu Luo reached out and gently stroked Luo Shuning's silky hair, hesitantly saying, "Darling, um... could you maybe reposition your character like yesterday...?"

Luo Shuning, whose in-game avatar was perpetually standing sideways, blinked her large, dewy eyes in confusion.

But then, as if realizing something, she gave Gu Luo a suspicious look and softly asked, "Sweetheart... what are you up to?"

"Ahem..."

Gu Luo cleared his throat, growing even more sheepish. "Well... could we do it like yesterday again? But this time, I promise I won’t go for the instant headshot—just body shots..."

He quickly added, "Cough... but if you don’t want to, it’s fine... I was just throwing it out there..."

Anyone who’s experienced instant headshots in Covenant knows how addictive they can be.

There’s an indescribable thrill to it—like ruling the world as an all-powerful king.

"......"

Luo Shuning gave him a complicated look before asking in a strange tone, "Sweetheart... does this... make you happier?"

"Uh... well... yeah, you could say that."

Gu Luo wanted to dig a hole and bury himself out of sheer embarrassment. He really was pushing his luck.

Here this angel was, grinding his account for him, and he had the audacity to make such a shameless request.

But he just couldn’t help the little thoughts bubbling up in his mind—or his big mouth.

Hearing this, Luo Shuning bit her lower lip, like a wronged heroine in a wuxia drama, and reluctantly repositioned her character back to yesterday’s headshot line. Mumbling, she said,

"...Fine, you can go for the instant headshot. But... just this once..."

Since she was already rewarding him by playing Covenant together, his happiness was the priority.

Besides... it wasn’t like this was her first time getting instantly headshot anyway.

"Of course, of course! Just this once!"

Gu Luo was overjoyed and immediately agreed.

Angels really were angels—their hearts were always so soft.

Just a little nudge, and they’d give in.

Now, if it were a little devil... well, he wouldn’t even have to ask.

More importantly, instant headshots were like wearing women’s clothing—there was no such thing as "just once."

When a girl says "just this once," what she really means is: "If you sweet-talk me and make me happy, I’ll let you have your way."

Most girls put on a show of reluctance.

Only a complete idiot would take "just this once" at face value.

Time passed unnoticed.

Just as the two were fully immersed in the heated grind of ranking up in Covenant, a sudden knock came at the door.

What followed was a cold, unmistakably furious female voice.

"Shu He?"

Luo Shuning’s face instantly paled in shock.

Gu Luo, too, nearly jumped out of his skin.

............

"Ahem..."

"Ahem..."

"......"

Outside the door.

Hearing the violent coughing, Luo Liang’s expression darkened, her brows furrowing.

Beside her, Gu Feng’s face also changed, and he quickly patted Luo Liang’s back in an attempt to soothe her.

Good grief.

What in the world were they doing in there to be coughing like that?

The moment they stepped inside, they spotted two pairs of shoes by the entrance—one of them unmistakably men’s.

Clearly, their daughter had brought a boy home.

And since the only one in the family currently dating was their precious Luo Shuhe...

Not bad, kid.

That’s my son for you.

Gu Feng’s thoughts were still racing when a flustered, sweet voice called out from inside:

"Mom... I... I’m taking a shower..."

Except—that was unmistakably Luo Shuning’s voice.

Huh?!

He froze.

What was going on? Had Shuning gotten a boyfriend too?

And brought him straight home?!

Luo Liang, equally caught off guard, turned ice-cold, her entire aura radiating danger.

If it had been Shu He and Gu Luo inside, she might’ve turned a blind eye.

But if it was someone else...

She raised her hand to knock again, ready to demand answers, but Gu Feng stopped her, whispering in her ear:

"Don’t... A-Liang, calm down... girls are sensitive about these things..."

Then, raising his voice casually, he called out, "Oh, Shuning’s back? Your mom and I just came to grab a file. Heard some noise and got curious. Don’t mind us—keep doing your thing. We’re heading back to the office now."

With that, he shot Luo Liang a meaningful look, half-coaxing, half-dragging her away.

This wasn’t the time for an interrogation.

No need to mortify their daughter further.

Still, as they passed the shoes, Luo Liang couldn’t resist kicking the unfamiliar pair in frustration.

Gu Feng, playing along, stomped on them a few times for good measure—a comically devoted husband.

Then, in his gentlest tone, he soothed,

"Alright, alright, don’t be mad. We’ll talk to Shuning properly later."

Luo Liang took a deep breath before storming out, clearly too furious to stay another second.

She never would’ve imagined her mature, responsible eldest daughter would... at this age...

Gu Feng hurried after her, wrapping an arm around her waist and continuing his soft-spoken reassurances.

The two walked out of the neighborhood and into a small nearby park, settling in a pavilion.

"Come on, you know our girl. Any guy Shuning likes must be exceptional. Kids these days are all like this..." Gu Feng massaged Luo Liang’s shoulders as he spoke.

But Luo Liang remained silent, her expression frosty, her breathing still uneven.

"I know you’re worried Shuning might get hurt, but we should trust her judgment, right? Leave this to me—I’ll handle it."

Gu Feng thought to himself that this matter definitely couldn’t be left to Luo Liang to handle. As an uncle, it wasn’t appropriate for him to intervene directly, but he could still ask his sweetheart Shu He to inquire about it.

The two sisters looked exactly alike, making it easier to discuss such matters.

“Mm.”

After a long while, Luo Liang, who had finally processed everything, let out a soft “Mm” before closing her eyes and leaning lightly against Gu Feng’s shoulder. In a quiet voice, she said:

“Ah Feng, I’m really not fit to be their mother. I don’t deserve it.”

“If I hadn’t met you again, I might have been even worse.”

“In the end, I have no right...”

Hearing this, Gu Feng couldn’t help but recall the past, his heart aching. He held her tightly and said, “There, there, it’s all in the past now. You’ve done great, Ah Liang.”

“What happened back then wasn’t your fault, really.”

“Shuning, Shu He, and Shuling have always loved you.”

Listening to these comforting words, Luo Liang fell silent for a moment before taking Gu Feng’s hand and whispering:

“Thank you.”

“Do we need to say ‘thank you’ between us?” Gu Feng chuckled, squeezing her slightly cold hand in return. Then, he looked up at the fiery red sky and sighed wistfully:

“Ah Liang, if only I could have been by your side sooner... You’ve suffered so much all these years...”

“Don’t worry, our family will always be happy. I promise you that.”

............

A long silence followed.

Gu Luo and Luo Shuning didn’t dare move a muscle.

For a moment, they were too afraid to step out.

They were terrified that Luo Liang and Gu Feng might still be nearby.

After what felt like an eternity, Luo Shuning finally couldn’t take it anymore and rushed to the sink to brush her teeth and rinse her mouth, her face burning so red it looked like it might drip blood.

Seeing this, Gu Luo was utterly mortified.

This... this was just bad timing, wasn’t it?

Was this what they called “the perfect storm”?

Compared to this, getting headshot in a game seemed trivial...

And who would’ve thought that even signing a contract would get them caught by his cheap old man and Auntie Luo?

So embarrassing.

Absolutely humiliating.

At least, though, both of them already knew about his relationship with Shuning.

So there was no need to worry about that.

The real question was how he’d face Auntie Luo next time...

Another ten minutes passed before Gu Luo cracked the door open slightly, straining his ears to listen for any movement in the living room.

Only after triple-checking that the house was truly empty did he pull Luo Shuning along and dash at top speed back to her bedroom, locking the door behind them.

However, the moment they entered the room, Luo Shuning buried herself under the blankets like an ostrich, clearly too ashamed to show her face.

It was safe to say these past two days had been nothing but trauma.

Who would’ve thought that getting headshot in-game would be the least of their worries?

Gu Luo didn’t immediately try to comfort her. Instead, he sat on the other side of the bed, giving his little angel the space she needed to calm down.

After all, he had thick skin, but the poor girl was delicate.

Just putting himself in her shoes made him realize how utterly mortified she must be...

............

............