C4 Eye of Horus

I was about to use the app to look up the meaning of an icon when I noticed my phone seemed to have frozen. No matter how much I pressed, I couldn't exit out. As I was preparing to restart it, a number 10 suddenly appeared in the top right corner of the previously static screen. It quickly counted down to 9, then 8. What would happen when it hit zero? It wouldn't actually explode, would it? I couldn't stop the numbers from ticking down. 3, 2, and with no time left to hesitate, I randomly pressed an icon with my thumb, and the countdown halted. That's when I realized my thumb was resting on a triangular eye.

The countdown vanished, and a new interface opened with that same pattern as the background. Text appeared explaining the Eye of Horus: an omnipotent eye, the God of the Sky whose left eye became the sun and his right eye the moon, seeing all things.

What kind of game was this? Why couldn't I exit the interface? This app was too aggressive. How could I uninstall it? Driven by curiosity, I clicked the 'Continue' button in the bottom right corner.

A new message appeared:

"Fortunate challenger, welcome. As a newcomer, you can experience one-thousandth of the Eye of Horus' power for free."

Below were two options: 'Agree' and 'Reject'.

Omniscient and omnipotent? That's the stuff of gods, isn't it? The game's creator must be full of hot air, bragging without any consequence. And one-thousandth of the power? That's their safety net, so they can claim it's just a tiny fraction if it doesn't work. How sly.

I clicked 'Agree', and the interface disappeared, returning me to the desktop. When I tried to open the Rings App again, it wouldn't launch. I waited quietly for a few seconds, but nothing happened. Zhou Pu suddenly felt foolish, realizing he'd been played by some rogue software. He had been so anxious earlier, and now he felt like a complete fool.

Fumbling in the dark with my phone's flashlight, I searched for the ring but couldn't find it. Had it slipped into the sofa's crevices? I didn't dare to make too much noise, not wanting to wake the person sleeping in the bed. I'd have to wait until daylight to continue my search.

He spent the night tossing and turning, barely able to close his eyes. Every time he drifted off, he'd be jolted awake by something hitting him. "Can't handle it? Come on, hit me! Go ahead, commit domestic violence. You unhappy? Let's get a divorce!" Her taunting voice echoed in his ears.

In the pitch-black room, Zhou Pu rubbed the sore spot on his chest where the object had struck. Feeling around his blanket, he discovered a glass cup. Thankfully, the blanket had cushioned the blow, or he might have been seriously hurt. And it was a good thing the cup was empty—otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to sleep at all. Yun'er's temper was getting out of hand; first, it was a pillow, now she was escalating to hard objects. What next—a chair?

Zhou Pu had no intention of striking back; he found the idea of hitting a woman beneath him. However, the thought of divorce did cross his mind. Clearly, she had no fondness for him. Despite her beauty, he wasn't about to grovel; if she looked down on him, the feeling was mutual.

After a sleepless night, with dark circles under his eyes, dawn finally arrived. He got up and meticulously searched the sofa several times, yet the ring was nowhere to be found. He was about to check underneath when a voice from the bed stopped him.

"Get out, I'm changing my clothes," Yun'er said, devoid of any warmth.

On their wedding night, they hadn't shared a bed, let alone slept together. Now, he couldn't even be in the room while she changed. Zhou Pu inhaled deeply, holding back any response, and quietly exited.

"What a wimp. Are you even a man?" Her scornful voice followed him.

Zhou Pu hesitated at the door, then turned to face Yun'er. Her hair was tousled from sleep, giving her a carefree look. Without makeup, her natural beauty shone through, making her appear even more pure and approachable. When Zhou Pu turned to stare at her, Yun'er didn't flinch; instead, her smile widened with triumph.

"And what if I stay?" Zhou Pu challenged, releasing the doorknob and facing her squarely. As her husband, he had every right to look at her. He stood his ground, arms crossed, ready for whatever came next. That is until Yun'er, clad in her pajamas, reached for a bottle of red wine on the nightstand, threatening to throw it. Zhou Pu didn't wait to find out, quickly retreating and closing the door behind him.

"Tsk, what a wimp," came the jeering once more.

Being a wimp was one thing, but a wine bottle to the head could be deadly. His life was precious, so he dashed into the restroom. The countertop was cluttered with a variety of foreign cosmetics, shower gels, shampoos, and facial cleansers—many of which he didn't recognize. He had prepared two sets of toiletries, one for each of them, identical in every way. He randomly picked one, opened it, and was about to brush his teeth when that haughty voice echoed again: "I've never seen such a coward. Could he actually not be a man? That would be perfect. If that's the case, we could just get a divorce. Maybe we should check? Perhaps try to seduce him?"

They were mocking him as if he were a eunuch. Wasn't that going too far? No one should curse like that, especially not at their own husband, even if only in name. It was downright malicious. It's one thing to think it, but to say it out loud? Insults weren't meant to be heard. Anger surged within him, and he tossed his toothbrush aside, flung the door open, and barged in.

"How do you plan to check if..." His words trailed off mid-sentence.

Yun'er was fastening her bra with both hands behind her back, dressed in suit pants. Their eyes locked, both frozen in surprise. Thankfully, Zhou Pu's reflexes were sharp; he stepped back and quickly shut the door.

He let out a breath and silently commended his own quick thinking. That girl was dangerously sharp, and her figure was just as lethal.

As he resumed brushing his teeth, a sudden pain shot through his foot. Turning his head, he saw Yun'er glaring at him with an icy expression, her eyes narrowed. "Hasn't anyone taught you to knock before entering a room? Don't you have any sense of decorum?"

"You didn't either..." Zhou Pu retorted, glancing at the wide-open bathroom door. His response was met with a sharper pain as Yun'er jabbed his foot with the heel of her high shoe.

It was a clear case of double standards—officials could start fires, but citizens couldn't even light a lamp. Zhou Pu tried to push her away, only to receive a swift kick to the calf. Watching her storm off, he massaged his now-swollen foot. It was just a quick look; he hadn't seen anything. Was there really a need for such force?

During his inaugural meal with her family, Zhou Pu was visibly tense. Lin Yijing presided over the table from the central southern seat, flanked by his father-in-law and mother-in-law. Alongside them were his second uncle, Rui Qianyu; third uncle; second aunt, Zhou Tong; third aunt; and two male cousins, as well as a female cousin.