When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 237: Three Months

Chapter 237: Three Months

Meanwhile, inside the internet cafe.

Gu Luoxin paced back and forth in front of the private room. He bit his nails, his eyes frequently darted to the dim corridor leading to the back door. The longer he looked, the more he felt like the corridor resembled the gaping maw of a beast ready to swallow him whole. It unnerved him so much that he kept gnawing on his thumb nail until it bled, but he did not seem to realize it for how distraught he was.

He really wanted to cry but had no tears. Earlier, fearing that Shen Nianzu might misunderstand their relationship, he had rushed after them with the intention of making things clear. When he arrived, he found the door slightly ajar, enabling him to catch a brief glimpse of the situation outside. He desperately prayed that he had not arrived too late and Shen Nianzu had not already pummeled his dog to the ground.

Alas, who could have guessed that as soon as he peered through the crack, he would see both of them in an ambiguous position?!

Shen Nianzu had the man pinned against the wall, utterly under his mercy. This... this was clearly not a fighting scene, but a lovers’ spat!

Gu Luoxin’s cheeks blushed a brilliant shade of crimson. For fear that he would witness something he shouldn’t, something that could potentially result in him being silenced forever, he instantly squeezed his eyes shut and backed away. He took it a step further and conscientiously closed the door for them! Not only that, whenever someone approached and wished to walk through, he would block their paths and lie that the back door was undergoing repairs and could not be used for the time being!

Since then, almost half an hour had slipped by, but neither of the two men had returned yet.

It couldn’t be... they... they couldn’t have gotten it on in that narrow alley, right?

As an ultimate fanboy of BL manhwas, Gu Luoxin knew that certain concealed yet semi-public spots could hold an allure of their own and generate a different sense of exhilaration for a heated rendezvous. And that alley, desolate and secretive, was a top candidate for such a thrilling scenario! Even if it was Shen Nianzu, who exuded an aristocratic air of pride and elegance akin to a snowy Persian cat, would not be able to resist such a temptation!

He was considering whether he had to risk his life to intervene when a subtle movement entered his peripheral vision. Lifting his head, his tear-glazed eyes brightened up at the sight of the two men he had been waiting for. They had finally returned!

Gu Luoxin unconsciously raised his hand to beckon them over, but then the memory of Shen Nianzu’s cold and furious expression flashed through his mind, causing him to recoil in hesitation. Oh no, he forgot that he had corrupted the Big Boss’ dog! However, upon closer inspection, Shen Nianzu... did not seem to be as angry as he expected? Puzzled, Gu Luoxin waited until they drew near before he called out gingerly, "Boss..."

Shen Nianzu glanced into the private room where the half-eaten food had been cleared away. He asked, "How many hours did you rent this room for?"

Gu Luoxin stammered. "T–Three hours..."

With a hum, Shen Nianzu checked the time and saw that there was roughly an hour left. "I haven’t been to an internet cafe before. Might as well take a look around." He started to step into the room, only to recall something to say. "That’s right, you don’t need to lend any more materials to him." Though his tone was light and casual, the hint of warning in his purple eyes could not be concealed.

Gu Luoxin stood up straighter and almost saluted by reflex. "Yes, Sir! Don’t worry, I have learned my lesson!" Even if he had the gall of a leopard, he still did not dare to discuss manhwas with Jin Jiuchi anymore!

"Good."

Upon hearing that one word, Gu Luoxin was immediately beside himself with joy. Did it mean Shen Nianzu had forgiven him? Oh yeah, he managed to survive through this life-threatening ordeal! Kudos to you, Xinxin! Wait, that’s not right, this must be because Jin Jiuchi had done an excellent job in coaxing the Big Boss!

Gu Luoxin turned to Jin Jiuchi with a huge smile on his face, fully intending to praise him for a well done job, but then his attention was snagged by the conspicuous fingerprints around Jin Jiuchi’s neck. The sight was akin to a lightning bolt on top of Gu Luoxin’s head, leaving him stunned and speechless.

Within a span of mere seconds, myriads of complicated emotions flashed through his face before settling on deep sympathy. Sighing, he went to pat Jin Jiuchi’s shoulder, "You have worked hard, brother."

Jin Jiuchi: 0.0

Have I?

The three of them crammed into the private room, turning the originally spacious area into a rather confined space. This time, Gu Luoxin sensibly kept his distance from Jin Jiuchi, no longer wanting to step on any accidental landmines.

"Boss, are you feeling better now?" Gu Luoxin asked with a tinge of concern. "I heard from Assistant Qing last night that your fever was close to forty degrees Celsius. Is it really okay for you to be discharged?"

"Forty?" Stunned, Jin Jiuchi leaned forward and pressed his forehead to Shen Nianzu’s, concentrating on measuring the temperature himself. He hummed, "A little warm, but not that hot. Do you still feel unwell, Nian’er? Should we go back to the hospital?"

Shen Nianzu lowered his lashes and allowed Jin Jiuchi to fuss over him, and he only pushed the man away when he came too close, almost smothering him with the heat. "I’m okay," he reassured. "Don’t underestimate the healing ability of a veteran player. I probably felt a little worse yesterday because I moved around too much." He met Gu Luoxin’s gaze with composure, without any hint of awkwardness even after being caught lying outright to Jin Jiuchi about the definition of ’couple’. As long as he did not acknowledge the embarrassment, then embarrassment could not catch up to him— as simple as that.

In fact, Gu Luoxin had thrown this matter to the back of his mind because he believed that it was a kink between the two. He patted his chest in relief, "Good, that’s good. I was so worried when you were suddenly admitted to the hospital."

"Okay, now that we’re done with the small talk, shall we get to the business?" Shen Nianzu’s demeanor shifted into seriousness. "We haven’t had the chance to check our rewards since we returned to the real world, so let’s do it now. Moreover, there’s something I need to tell you."

Under the two’s inquisitive gaze, Shen Nianzu retrieved his phone and opened the Nightmare App, informing them, "I received the ticket for the next Cycle last night."

Curiosity piqued, Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin craned their necks to peer into the screen. They were met with the sight of a ticket that had become too familiar to them, displaying the date and destination—

"Chrono Junction Express?" Jin Jiuchi read the location out loud, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Why does it sound so weird?"

"Oh my God, look at the date!" Gu Luoxin exclaimed in shock.

"That’s right," Shen Nianzu confirmed. "The date on the ticket is in October, which means we have three months to prepare ourselves. This will be an extremely challenging mid-level Cycle. Moreover, this Cycle is very important to me because I will receive my personal task from the Nightmare here. If I succeed, I will advance to be an Elite player. But if I fail... then only death awaits me."

He turned to Gu Luoxin, his gaze penetrating, "I can’t guarantee that I will be able to cover you when the time comes, so you have a choice to make. Are you willing to come with us, or do you prefer to challenge another simpler and easier mid-level Cycle?"