The clock in the Imperial City struck midnight, announcing the arrival of Christmas.
The lights around them dimmed, and a spotlight suddenly focused on the small stage at the back of the tavern, and the resident band struck up an energetic guitar riff and powerful drumbeats.
The midnight show had begun.
The tavern’s resident band had some popularity on social media, and many guests came specifically for them.
Rock music brought a tearing magic, and with the rhythm of the drums and the lights, people’s thoughts were stripped away, rationality drawn out, and their souls focused on the trembling guitar strings and the drumsticks rising and falling with flecks of sweat.
In the dim light scattered with dancing spots, no one paid attention to the booth near the glass window.
Wei Zhuo began to think that coming tonight had not been a good choice.
Very few sentinels liked the overwhelming sound waves of rock music. Their overly enhanced senses made it hard to enjoy the intense pounding of the drums.
The midnight show at this tavern catered more to ordinary people.
They sat on the edge of the tavern.
This area wasn’t in a bustling part of town. As the night deepened, the silhouettes on the street beyond the glass became more and more sparse.
The rock music tore at Wei Zhuo’s mental perception, on the left was the flashing glare of warm lights, on the right the cold hues of streetlights and accumulated snow.
A weight settled across his legs that was hard to ignore.
The down jacket casually draped over the back of the seat next to him slipped off silently.
Wei Zhuo’s gaze landed on the collar of Xin Hexue’s sweater.
It was a half high collar, which didn’t hide the slightly protruding Adam’s apple on the fair neck.
The basic beige sweater simply outlined his thin and slender frame.
Wei Zhuo heard Xin Hexue ask, “Do you want to record it?” His voice wasn’t loud, even too soft beneath the music.
But every sentinel in the booth heard it.
As if responding to the music, Alexander gave a trembling little gasp, “Y-yes…”
Xin Hexue said softly, “Alright then.”
Wei Zhuo caught sight of a sentinel across from them turning on a camera.
He didn’t know what he and Xin Hexue looked like right now.
The card for the Ace of Hearts was held between the guide’s index and middle fingers.
A hand rested on Wei Zhuo’s shoulder.
Wei Zhuo’s breath stagnated for a moment.
The guide calmly accepted the punishment from the king’s game, as if completely unaware that the sentinel he was straddling had gone stiff as steel, and his expression was subconsciously cold due to the chaotic heartbeat.
The sentinel had superior and elegant features inherited from an aristocratic family, but his expression was stern and unapproachable.
Wei Zhuo had always known that Xin Hexue’s eyelashes were long.
But this was the first time he had seen them up close like this.
The scene showed up in their companion’s camera. Perhaps due to some secret emotion, the hand holding the camera trembled slightly the whole time, causing the footage to shake.
A car’s headlights swept across the street, and shadows shifted along the wall.
The two figures drew closer.
“You…” The camera finally focused on the two people who were pressed together, and all the ambiguous background melted away like butter.
A little closer, and even the small mole at the corner of Xin Hexue’s eye could be captured in sharp detail.
Wei Zhuo saw his eyelashes flutter, and their gazes tangled together.
“…Do you like me?”
Hearing this question, Wei Zhuo subconsciously parted his lips, and the thin lips moved.
But suddenly, a harsh car horn blared from outside the glass window…two cars had nearly rear-ended each other.
The sirens outside and the noisy music inside the tavern drowned out the Nine of Hearts’ answer.
At this moment, a tall figure stepped into the camera frame.
He Botian blocked the camera with his hand with an impatient look, “Thirty seconds. That’s enough, right?”
It was rare to see such irritation or agitation on this sentinel’s face.
He Botian was nothing like Wei Zhuo. He was well-known for his good temper and because of his cheerful and straightforward personality, he was popular among his fellow sentinels.
Seeing him like this, the others were momentarily stunned.
Xin Hexue calmly returned to his seat.
Alexander suddenly asked nervously, “Just now… did Wei say something?”
Xin Hexue raised his eyes, glancing at Wei Zhuo with mild surprise, “Did you say something?”
The sentinel who had just accepted the punishment from the king’s game abruptly stood up.
He was still wearing the Joint Military Academy uniform, exuding a sense of oppressive pressure.
“…Boring.” Wei Zhuo said coldly. “Delete the video.”
He stepped over and brushed past the sentinel recording and left the booth.
After this round, even though the game continued, the atmosphere in the booth never quite recovered.
Wei Zhuo was the lone-wolf type to begin with, so his mid-game exit didn’t strike anyone as odd.
They had already been surprised enough when he agreed to join the game in the first place.
So, Wei Zhuo quit midway, perhaps because the game had gone too far. After all, the Wei family was known for its strict upbringing in the Imperial City. It was understandable he couldn’t accept this kind of prank.
What really made the atmosphere weird was He Botian, who sat silently drinking from the moment he returned to his seat.
A sentinel beside him nudged Alexander with an elbow and whispered, “What’s up with you tonight? We don’t usually play punishments like that. At most we call our dads and sing ‘There Is Only Mom In The World’, right?”
Or say “enjoy your meal” to guests entering the bathroom.
Although disgusting, it was not crossing the line into that kind of ambiguity.
Of course, all the sentinels present had straight-guy tendencies, if the punishment had involved any other two people here, it would’ve still been disgusting enough to make them retch.
But it just had to be Xin Hexue and Wei Zhuo.
Alexander looked embarrassed. “I was just thinking… since He Botian and Xin Hexue had a fight earlier, I wanted to help them break the ice…”
Even if the two of them weren’t picked, it definitely shouldn’t have been Xin Hexue and Wei Zhuo.
The three of them were even roommates…
Alexander realized he had really messed up.
A companion beside him, always ready to stir up trouble, secretly gave him a thumbs-up.
He Botian sat there, drinking one glass after another, not saying a word.
He had a good alcohol tolerance so there were no signs of drunkenness. On the contrary, the image he had just seen became even clearer in his mind.
Which only made him more depressed.
A young man came over from another side of the booth, holding a freshly mixed drink. He stared straight at Xin Hexue, his tone shy. “Uh… we’re playing truth or dare. Can I buy you a drink?”
Xin Hexue had been quietly sitting there the whole time. As if only just realizing the question was for him, he looked up.
The young man had just raised a smile, extending the glass, when He Botian snatched it away.
He tilted his head back, and his Adam’s apple moved distinctly.
Then he handed back the empty glass and said in a stern tone. “I drank it for him. You can go now.”
Xin Hexue frowned. As He Botian sat back down, he said in a low voice, “Next time, don’t drink something from a stranger.”
In a place with such a mixed crowd, you shouldn’t just casually take drinks from strangers.
He thought it was common sense everyone knew.
As a result, He Botian had downed it so quickly he hadn’t even had time to react.
In any case, if He Botian got drunk, Xin Hexue wasn’t going to drag a drunk idiot back.
Cold wind whistled through the street.
Xin Hexue was used to going to bed early, but this rare night out with companions until two or three in the morning left him surprisingly wide awake.
They said their goodbyes at the tavern entrance.
Alexander and the others were all locals in the Imperial City and would be spending the Christmas holiday at home.
It was the same for Wei Zhuo, who had left early. He was going back to the Wei family.
But Xin Hexue wasn’t planning to return to the White Tower, so the only place he and He Botian could go was their school dorm.
On the way back, the drunk idiot suddenly hugged a streetlight pole and wailed, “Don’t leave me, don’t be with him…”
Xin Hexue: “…”
Passersby hurrying home glanced over, then silently detoured away from them.
……So embarrassing.
Xin Hexue pulled up the hood of his light blue down jacket and zipped it all the way up.
He lowered his head and walked forward, with just the tip of his nose exposed, now tinged pink from the cold wind.
He walked a good distance.
But the sentinel still hadn’t caught up.
Xin Hexue pursed his lips together.
He turned around. He Botian was still hugging the streetlight and wailing, like an unlucky man whose wife had just run off with the neighbor.
He had no choice but to go back.
He didn’t want to see headlines tomorrow saying a sentinel had passed out drunk on the street and tragically died of hypothermia.
Xin Hexue grabbed the two drawstrings of He Botian’s hoodie.
He dragged the person along as he walked ahead with his head down.
Their footprints crisscrossed and scattered in the snow.
……
The warm indoor heating dispelled the chill of the night outside.
As soon as Xin Hexue unzipped his down jacket, he was attacked by the Sentinel.
He Botian stood with his back to the light, his tall figure casting a shadow over him. His palm slammed against the door behind Xin Hexue with a loud bang.
‘What kind of drunken madness is this?’ Xin Hexue frowned, his expression showing a hint of disdain.
It was precisely that hint of disdain that provoked the Sentinel standing opposite.
He Botian’s lips drooped slightly. He didn’t know if it was a psychological effect, but there seemed to be a bitter taste in his mouth.
Fueled by the alcohol, he leaned forward in a daze and recklessly kissed Xin Hexue.
The kiss, carrying the scorching body heat of a Sentinel, landed on Xin Hexue’s earlobe, jawline, and the corner of his lips.
His skin that was hungry for touch was overly sensitive to even this level of contact.
A tingling sensation spread along with the ambiguity.
Xin Hexue pushed He Botian away.
Even though his lower back had gone a bit weak from the skin contact, Xin Hexue still spoke calmly, “You’re drunk.”
“Don’t be with Wei Zhuo…” He Botian didn’t seem to know whether he was drunk or awake, and asked in a pleading tone, “Okay?”
He didn’t hear Xin Hexue respond.
He Botian started holding onto him tightly, muttering incoherently, “Xin Hexue… Ah Xue… baby…”
‘What kind of messy nonsense was this?’
Xin Hexue was about to push him away.
But something warm and wet slid down from the collar of his sweater, slipping against the skin of his neck.
He Botian’s voice was dry and hoarse as he choked out, “Baby, I know I’m not good enough for you. I don’t have the Wei family’s background. I didn’t receive the kind of education he had. I don’t even understand the serious literature or philosophy you guys talk about. I don’t understand any of it.”
“Every time I hear you talk about those things, I feel like a hopeless illiterate. I speak incoherently, but I just want to talk to you, baby…”
He wished he could rip his beating red heart out and place it in front of Xin Hexue to prove his love.
“I’m begging you, don’t say yes to him. Don’t go with him. Don’t be with him…”
“Don’t abandon me. I’ll treat you well, better than anyone ever could…”
Wet, salty, and bitter kisses were exchanged between them.
Everything was mixed with a faint smell of alcohol, or maybe it was just the high temperature from the heater that made everything feel dizzying.
No one knew how much time had passed, and their pressed lips finally separated.
Xin Hexue leaned his head back against the door panel and exhaled slowly. His originally light-colored lips were covered with moisture, and the color was particularly vivid from the deep kiss.
He took off his white gloves, grabbed He Botian’s collar, forced him to lower his head, and locked eyes with him.
Xin Hexue said to the anxious dog, word by word: “I didn’t say I was going to abandon you.”
Abandoning a domesticated dog violated the Temporary Regulations on Pet Protection in the Imperial Safe Zone.
“Besides,” Xin Hexue frowned, “when did I say I wanted to be with Wei Zhuo?”
Before, when He Botian was in a somewhat tangled and twisted state, he thought that this person had signed some “Treaty Prohibiting Chasing the Ex-fiancé of a Good Brother” with Wei Zhuo.
Alright, maybe that was one reason, but from He Botian’s confession just now, another more significant reason he hesitated to act seemed to be… inferiority complex?
Xin Hexue couldn’t quite understand this mindset, but he still comforted him, “You’re great.”
He Botian: “You really think I’m great?”
Xin Hexue used the gentle attitude he had learned in the mandatory Guide courses to soothe the Sentinel’s unease.
But maybe he praised too much.
He Botian blurted out clumsily, “Then will you be with me?”
Xin Hexue answered calmly, “Mm.”
He Botian was overwhelmed with joy.
By the time he came back to his senses, the drunken Sentinel had already pushed him into the room.
He Botian pinned him against the door and kissed him, his large hand supporting his buttocks, forcing Xin Hexue to wrap his legs around his waist.
Chaotic gasps filled the air, and their scorching breaths intertwined.
The Sentinel had undergone years of training and frequent missions in the Folded Zone. His broad palms were rough, and even without applying force, rubbing against the Guide’s slender back felt like an intensely stimulating torture for someone with skin hunger.
Xin Hexue’s down jacket had fallen to the floor, and his sweater had been pushed up in the struggle.
A large expanse of luminous white skin on his chest was rubbed red by the Sentinel’s hands.
His skin was soft and delicate, and his nipples were rubbed by the rough calluses from He Botian’s palms. Xin Hexue couldn’t stand it at all, and a whimper escaped from his throat.
The tops of his feet tensed, and the arches showed a taut curve.
When he collapsed onto the bed, Xin Hexue’s sweater hung down, tightly covering the skin of his upper body.
Her fair and supple legs were exposed to the air, completely unobstructed.
There didn’t seem to be a single part of his body that wasn’t snow-white, all the way to the base of his thighs, where it turned tender pink.
He Botian’s eyes stared at him intently, intense and scorching, as if they could melt Xin Hexue.
Xin Hexue turned his head uncomfortably. “Have you never seen it before?”
He Botian felt a rush of heat surge through his nasal cavity. He subconsciously went to cover it, fortunately avoiding the embarrassment of a nosebleed.
“N-no, I’ve never seen it before,” He Botian admitted honestly, then casually added to Xin Hexue, “Mine is black.”
Thank you, he didn’t want to see it at all.
Xin Hexue simply closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and commented coldly, “Well, that’s ugly.
He Botian burrowed over like a brown bear, as if he wanted to stick to Xin Hexue and never be separated. “Baby… yours is so pretty…”
Xin Hexue was almost toppled over by his move and barely managed to prop himself up with his elbow.
Only then did he realize what was wrong with He Botian.
It seemed there was something added to that drink the stranger handed over.
He Botian’s body temperature was even higher than usual.
His other good brother was pressing right against the base of Xin Hexue’s thigh.
That brother was over-nourished, and was too well developed.
When he stood up, Xin Hexue felt that this was definitely a height he couldn’t accept.
He Botian lowered his head, rubbing his brown-haired head against Xin Hexue’s neck again and again. “Is it okay?”
Xin Hexue even suspected He Botian was the one with skin hunger.
It was a sweaty, humid night.
By the time he was completely burrowed down onto the bed, Xin Hexue was already feeling a little light headed.
“No…” he let out a muffled groan, instinctively rejecting.
The intense feeling of being penetrated surged inside him. Xin Hexue leaned back and shook his head desperately. Sweat soaked his bangs, and the whole person looked like he was fished out of the water.
Even though the work beforehand had gone on for a long time, it was still clearly hard to go any further.
He felt uncomfortable, and He Botian felt uncomfortable too.
The nonstop kisses fell on Xin Hexue like raindrops. He Botian leaned down and murmured hoarsely, “Baby, there’s still half left…”
‘Still… still half?!’
Xin Hexue reached out to touch it in a daze.
He Botian watched as the slender, fair fingers touched the ferocious object.
It brought him an intense visual shock.
After confirming it was true, Xin Hexue shook his head in despair. “No, it will break…”
He Botian felt a buzzing in his mind as he listened to him speak.
Then a turbid mess spilled between the moist pink.
Xin Hexue slowly blinked.
He Botian buried his head, stiffened his neck, and asked in a hoarse voice, “Can I have one more chance?”
………
Xin Hexue woke up in the sticky, messy environment.
What came into view was still layers upon layers of green vines.
Almost as a conditioned reflex, Xin Hexue trembled. He realized he was in a bathtub.
Hot water slowly began to overflow.
Xin Hexue saw the shriveled vines in the corner that had already finished secreting their mucus.
The vines that had bysliced open and drained “blood” to feed Xin Hexue had already withered and yellowed, piled up in the corner like trash.
Xin Hexue: [What time is it now?]
K: [December 23rd, 12:3:08 p.m.]
One, two, three, four… Xin Hexue’s brain hadn’t recovered fully yet, it was like a paste, and he reacted a beat slower as he counted.
Seven days…
He must…he must kill He Botian!
