When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 242: Summer Exhibition

Chapter 242: Summer Exhibition

As soon as the question settled in the air, Lucius instantly jumped onto the table and turned its head away, expressing its firm refusal to enter the bathroom. It was only then that Gu Luoxin recalled that cats were supposed to hate water. He couldn’t help but chuckle when he noticed how similar Lucius was to its owner.

Gu Luoxin did not insist further. "Okay, no bathroom tour for you, then. I will just wipe your paws here." Still topless, he strolled over to the wardrobe and rummaged around for a small towel he usually used when he exercised once in a blue moon. "Aha, found it!"

After dampening the towel with warm water in the bathroom, he returned and pulled a chair over to the table. He took a seat and offered a hand to the black cat, whose expression had taken a somewhat distant look by now. "Let’s clean your paws first, shall we?"

Gu Luoxin leaned over and gently took the cat’s little paw in his hand, scrubbing the dirt and grime off the fleshy pink pads one by one. His lips were set into thin lines and his brows furrowed in concentration— hell, he was not even this serious when taking an exam! Looking at him like this, Lucius couldn’t resist nuzzling against his cheek, eliciting a ticklish giggle from the young man.

Gu Luoxin rubbed his face back and forth against the heavenly fluff, his heart felt so full to the point of bursting over. He gathered the feline into his arms and squealed, "Aww, look at how affectionate you are. Who’s the best kitty in this world? You are!"

One human and one cat were having a blast for the next ten minutes as they cuddled with each other. Afterwards, Gu Luoxin went to take a shower, washing away the perspiration from the previous day. Due to the fever, he hadn’t gotten the chance to take a bath since returning to the real world, but now recalling the days he spent soaked in sea water, he took extra care to scrub himself twice until he was clean and smooth from head to toe.

Emerging from the bathroom, his cheeks were tinged in a flush, his eyes bright and dewy, and droplets of water clung to his wet hair. They descended along his skin, leaving a glistening trail behind. And most importantly, he was clad only in a pair of baggy sweatpants as he disliked putting on a shirt so soon when his body was still damp with water.

"Huh?" With a towel draped around his shoulders, he looked around to find that Lucius had settled on the windowsill with its gaze fixed outside the window. Curious, Gu Luoxin walked over and peered outside to see what it was looking at. However, he found nothing notable that could command such attention from the black cat. He asked in confusion, "What is it? Did you spot a bird or something, Little Ancestor?"

Lucius’ long tail swung back and forth as it responded with a meow, though it kept its gaze locked outside. The young man was fresh out of the shower and his entire body was still radiating heat, carrying with him the sweet scent of body wash. As a result, Lucius pressed even closer to the glass, only to realize that the reflection of Gu Luoxin’s form was now visible there.

After being frozen for two seconds, it quietly averted its gaze away.

Gu Luoxin, who remained oblivious that the black cat was painstakingly trying to preserve his modesty, soon gave up after finding nothing interesting outside the window. Maybe it was the cat’s preferences that differed from those of humans? With that thought in mind, he retrieved a hair dryer from his drawer and began to blow his hair dry. After that, he finally deigned to put on a shirt to cover his bare upper body.

Lucius hopped down from the windowsill and walked toward the door, pointing its paw toward it. "Meow~"

"Hmm? You want to go outside?"

Lucius nodded solemnly and let out another meow. Its expression seemed to say, ’I have seen more than enough. Now let me out.’

Gu Luoxin simply couldn’t get enough of how adorable it was. He cupped his cheeks and gazed at it lovingly for two seconds before recalling something important. "Oh, oh, wait a minute!" He pulled out his phone, crouched down before Lucius and pleaded, "Can we take a few photos together? I have been wanting to do this for a while in the Cycle. Pleaseee?" he widened his eyes and batted his long lashes in a gesture of appeal.

Being the recipient of such hopeful eyes, Lucius paused briefly before resigning to its fate, "...meow."

Gu Luoxin’s eyes instantly sparkled like a swirling galaxy of stars. "Yes!" He wasted no time to open the camera app on his phone and scooped the cat into his arm, making it so that their cheeks were mushed together. He lifted the phone and grinned, "Say cheese!"

In the end, their departure was delayed for another ten minutes as Gu Luoxin couldn’t settle for just one photo. When they finally left the room, he had a medium-sized sling bag hanging over his shoulder with the zipper left open. The inside of the bag was occupied by a dark fluff, with only a pair of bright emerald eyes blinking once in a while.

Gu Luoxin placed his finger on his lips, and after receiving a slow blink from Lucius, he stepped out of the dormitory building. The journey went without a hitch and he finally carried the cat in his arms once they were outside. "Where do you want to go, Little Ancestor?"

Lucius settled comfortably on the crook of his arms and stretched out a paw in a certain direction.

"There?" Gu Luoxin couldn’t resist giving its soft fleshy paw a few extra squeezes. "Okay, here we go!"

With Lucius guiding the way, Gu Luoxin ventured into an unfamiliar part of the college he had never explored before. As a freshman, he had mostly stuck to his own department and had no time to wander around. With the addition of the Nightmare Cycle in his life, did he even have the heart to do some exploring? He was busy staying alive, okay?!

Now though, he lifted his gaze to take in the sight of the massive six-story building. "This is... the Department of Sculpture?" He looked down at Lucius to make sure that this was really the location they were heading. "Are you certain?"

Once again, Lucius stretched out a paw toward the door, silently urging him to enter.

Gu Luoxin felt a bit timid at the notion of entering an unfamiliar territory that was not his major, but under Lucius’ insistence, he had no choice but to brace himself and walk in. However, it turned out that he had nothing to fear because the corridor was bustling with people who walked around in a group of two or three. It was unusually crowded.

"What’s going on? Is there an event here?" He looked around, genuinely puzzled.

A senior girl who happened to overhear his question, paused in her tracks and offered a friendly response, "Are you new here? We’re currently holding a summer exhibition in Hall 3. Admission is free for students from our college. If you’re interested, just keep walking straight and turn left. Oh and by the way, your cat is so cute!" She squealed and reached out a hand, intending to pet Lucius. However, the black cat swiftly evaded her touch and buried its face into the crook of Gu Luoxin’s arm, showing her the butt.

Gu Luoxin laughed sheepishly, "Sorry, it’s a little shy..."

"No worries, no worries!" She laughed and bid them goodbye before walking away in a hurry, seemingly busy with something else.

"A summer exhibition, huh?" Intrigued, Gu Luoxin followed the crowd and headed to the location the senior had mentioned.

He arrived shortly after and saw that a line had formed in front of the glass doors, consisting of both students and visitors from outside. He picked up a brochure and learned that this was the final project of senior students before their graduation. He had always appreciated art, and thus he couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation rising within him. How would those sculptures look, he wondered? They must be impressive!

Eventually, it was Gu Luoxin’s turn to enter the hall. Alas, he was denied entry at the gate.

"Apologies, but we don’t allow animals inside," the staff member explained with an apologetic smile. "Perhaps you could leave your cat with someone and come back?"

"Ah, I see..." Gu Luoxin tugged on his bangs awkwardly as he exchanged glances with Lucius. Of course, he should have thought of this beforehand. No matter how well-behaved Lucius was, it was too risky to allow animals in an exhibition space that could potentially disrupt the event. Gu Luoxin released a sigh. Forget it, he had only come here because of Lucius, and missing the exhibition was not a big deal. Compared to that, how could he ever leave this little ancestor to fend for itself?

"Then, I—" he was about to excuse himself when his attention was drawn to a familiar figure passing by inside the exhibition hall.

That familiar aura, the curly brown hair and emerald eyes...

"G–Great God!" Gu Luoxin blurted out without even thinking.

Up ahead, Noir paused and turned his gaze towards the gate. His eyes swept over the crowd before stopping on Gu Luoxin.

Gu Luoxin had to catch his breath when he finally had a clear view of the man’s face. Holy shiiit— was he a fallen angel? He must be, otherwise how could he be so gorgeous?! Though the face before him bore little similarities to the one he had interacted with during those five days within the Cycle, somehow Gu Luoxin could recognize him at a glance. Perhaps it was because of his aloof and detached aura that resembled a cat, or perhaps it was another reason that he himself was not privy to.

Whatever it was, Gu Luoxin couldn’t afford to delve deeper into the reason right now because he was utterly and hopelessly— captivated.

The man before him was dressed in a simple black shirt, ripped jeans and white sneakers – typical attire for college students – yet for some reason, he looked as if he could effortlessly grace a fashion runway at any given moment. His hair was a mess of curls that hung over his forehead, but instead of disheveled, they gave him an artistic air, and the black piercings adorning both sides of his ears only added to his mysterious charm.

Some people really do look like they have come straight out of a manhwa, Gu Luoxin found himself thinking.

Amidst the bustling crowd, those emerald eyes fell upon him, as bright and dazzling as the ones in his memory – or perhaps even more so. His heart took an irregular rhythm as if dancing to an unfamiliar tune. Would Noir recognize him? Wait a moment, he was holding Lucius in his arms right now. Even if Noir did not recognize him, he would surely know his own cat!

Suppressing his excitement, he almost hopped in place to draw Noir’s attention, waving energetically without realizing that he had made himself the center of attention. He called out in an unabashedly loud voice, "Great God, Great God, it’s me, Xinxin!"

In response, a complex array of emotions seemed to flash through Noir’s eyes. Gu Luoxin’s heart swelled with hope, only for it to be abruptly shattered as Noir’s expression cooled. Without so much as a backward glance, the man decisively turned on his heel and walked away.

"Wha—" Gu Luoxin’s eyes were wide in shock and disbelief. W–What the hell? Noir had clearly recognized him, so why was he being ignored?!