Chereads / Rule-based Creepypasta: My Family is Not Normal / Chapter 3 - The Critical Red Hairpin

Chapter 3 - The Critical Red Hairpin

Hearing the system's voice in his mind, Zhou Bai saw the seventh rule on the new piece of paper turn red.

[There is an error in this rule.]

Indeed, this rule seemed somewhat illogical. Zhou Bai had his doubts when he first read it. But if someone wearing a green hat did come to deliver a package, what should he do? Ignore them? Zhou Bai shook his head, unsure of his guess. He placed the paper and the original notebook together, sat at the desk, and began to ponder deeply.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a knock on the study door interrupted his thoughts. Zhou Bai checked his phone: 11:35 PM. It was still safe to open the door. He put away the notebook and stood up to open the door.

Standing outside was his wife, dressed in a silk slip dress with her curly hair cascading down, exuding a seductive charm.

"Honey, I made some sweet soup for you. Please try it," she said.

Compared to the earlier interaction in the bathroom, this subtle allure had an even stronger impact on Zhou Bai's senses. Sigh, why did he have to face such a scenario right away? Heaven was indeed cruel to a single man.

The live stream viewers' hearts were in their throats upon seeing the wife's arrival.

—"Don't share a room! Don't share a room! Zhou Bai, repeat this rule three times in your head."

—"This temptress is trying to harm our Zhou Bai."

—"Don't drink it. Don't drink anything she gives you."

"Alright, bring it in," Zhou Bai said.

Hearing this, his wife immediately smiled, but the viewers were on the verge of losing their minds.

—"Zhou Bai, are you crazy?"

—"Zhou Bai, if you want to die, don't drag all of us down with you."

—"Zhou Bai, wake up!"

His wife placed the sweet soup on the desk but remained standing, showing no intention of leaving. Zhou Bai looked at her, then at the sweet soup, and sighed inwardly. He picked up the bowl and took a sip. His wife watched him intently, observing any changes in his expression. Zhou Bai drank a mouthful. Contrary to the viewers' expectations, he did not die.

"It's good," Zhou Bai said, seeing the expectant look in his wife's eyes.

She immediately smiled, her face blushing. "Honey, can you come back to the bedroom tonight?"

Hearing this, Zhou Bai's mind immediately raised a red flag. Refusing her would damage their relationship, violating the rules. Agreeing would also violate the rules since they couldn't share a room. Either way, it seemed like a death sentence. Zhou Bai's mind raced, searching for another solution.

Suddenly, he remembered the baby clothes in the drawer. A thought flashed through his mind. With no other options, he decided to gamble. Drawing from all the movies and novels he'd seen, he tried to look as affectionate as possible.

"Honey, I'm doing this for your health. I don't mind sleeping poorly," he said.

To his surprise, his wife looked moved by his words. It seemed he had guessed correctly—they must have had an unborn child.

"Honey, I'm... it's okay," she said.

"No, you may not care about your health, but I do," Zhou Bai insisted.

His wife had no further arguments, and she left the study around midnight. Zhou Bai remembered Rule A, the fourth rule: [After midnight, lock the study door and do not open it for anyone]. He quickly closed and locked the door. Turning around, he saw a woman in a red dress standing outside the window. Zhou Bai's heart skipped a beat.

Rule B, the sixth rule: [If you see a figure standing outside the window, just turn off the lights immediately]. Zhou Bai quickly turned off the light. The room went dark, but the system's voice echoed in his mind.

[Detected an increase in affection from your wife by +20. You have gained an additional chance to identify an error.]

The voice had barely finished when Zhou Bai received a prompt: Rule B, the sixth rule, is incorrect. Shocked, Zhou Bai hurriedly turned the light back on. In the sudden illumination, he saw a pale face with a gaping mouth, almost ready to bite him. The creature roared angrily at the light and quickly retreated outside.

The live stream viewers were drenched in cold sweat.

—"So close! That was terrifying!"

—"Oh my god, I almost cried!"

—"The sixth rule is wrong? Zhou Bai's reaction was so quick!"

As the clock struck midnight, many countries faced disasters. In the Ah San Country, Kapil drank the sweet soup handed to him by his wife, who wore a red hairpin, and collapsed, never to wake up again. The Ah San Country faced the horrors of the supernatural. That night, its citizens locked their doors but couldn't escape the sound of crying babies. The police were overwhelmed by numerous cases of wives murdering their husbands.

In the Kimchi Country's live stream, Nam Myung-gi also received sweet soup from his wife, who wore a red hairpin. However, unlike Kapil, he sternly refused. He survived, and the viewers cheered.

—"Nam Myung-gi escaped another crisis!"

—"Long live Nam Myung-gi! He's amazing!"

—"Our great Kimchi Country will rule the world!"

—"Go, Nam Myung-gi! Soon the whole world will be ours!"

Nam Myung-gi felt proud after refusing his wife, but neither he nor the viewers knew that his wife's expression had turned even more sinister as she walked out.