When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 245: Celebratory Dinner

Chapter 245: Celebratory Dinner

"Thank you so much for today, Great God!" Gu Luoxin bowed deeply at Noir to express his sincere gratitude.

He had lost track of time again as he appreciated every inch of Noir’s sculpture, and by the time he snapped back to his senses, more than half an hour had slipped away. And Noir had accompanied him throughout without so much as a word of complaint! His delight over their first encounter notwithstanding, he felt guilty for taking so much of the man’s time, especially when he could be considered as the star of the exhibition. Thus, he quickly made an excuse and intended to leave the hall as soon as possible. Who could have guessed that Noir would tag along with him?

Gu Luoxin straightened up, and when their gazes met, he couldn’t help but avert his gaze away for how hot his cheeks were burning. He could not tell whether the pounding in his heart was due to witnessing such a masterpiece, or being in the presence of its creator. The longer he knew Noir, the more his admiration seemed to deepen. After all, Noir was tall, gorgeous, powerful, mysterious and on top of that, extremely talented...

En, if he did not count the sadistic inclinations he had shown in the Cycle, Noir was the epitome of perfection from every angle.

"Y–You..." Gu Luoxin stammered out. "You don’t need to go inside?" If Noir continued to linger around him like this, he was really going to become a fanboy ahhh!!

"Too many people," Noir deadpanned. "Too many eyes." He raked his fingers through his curls, seemingly annoyed by how it kept falling over his forehead, but it did not take long for them to return to the original position for how soft and fluffy they were. In the end, the action only made his hair appear even messier and somehow, sexier too.

Gu Luoxin’s fingers involuntarily twitched. How did it feel to run his fingers through that hair, he wondered? Would it be as soft as Lucius’ fur, or perhaps even softer? Gu Luoxin was flabbergasted when he realized the direction his thoughts had turned to, and he almost slapped himself only to pause in the nick of time. He did not want to be labeled as a weirdo, especially not in front of Noir! Even then, he continued to berate himself mercilessly. How dare you... how dare you even entertain such an absurd idea?! This is the Great God Noir! You almost committed blasphemy against him!

Shifting his gaze away from Noir’s hair, Gu Luoxin focused on the spot just over the man’s shoulder and let out a laugh which he hoped did not sound too hysterical, "Y–You’re right, the exhibition seems to be a huge success..."

He was not saying it only to flatter Noir. It was close to noon now, but the streams of visitors seemed endless. While people might have initially come to catch a glimpse of the gorgeous mixed-race senior from the Department of Sculpture, it was evident that they were now drawn by the genuinely impressive artworks. It made him happy to know that lots of people appreciated them despite their relatively young age and soon-to-graduate status. However, he also noticed that people would always snuck a few glances at Noir whenever they passed by. Despite doing nothing at all, his mere presence seemed to command attention. Place him in the exhibition hall, and he could effortlessly become one of the artworks...

No, what the hell are you thinking again, Xinxin?! He shook his head, flustered at how quickly his mind began to wander when it came to Noir. He did not even notice that the man’s emerald eyes were fixed on him, quietly taking in every shift and flicker of his expression. In an attempt to distract himself, Gu Luoxin checked the time and noted that it was near lunchtime. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself to ask, "If... If you’re not busy, would you like to—"

"Hold on!"

Gu Luoxin’s heart almost jumped out of his throat as a sudden shout cut him off mid-sentence. He spun around in shock to find the senior from before rushing towards them with Lucius held in her arms. Her expression was filled with anger and dissatisfaction as she glared at Noir, "You’re planning to slip away again, aren’t you? Not allowed! You must stay until the end today for the closing ceremony!"

Noir clicked his tongue in annoyance, but she brushed off his reaction and turned to Gu Luoxin with a bright smile, handing Lucius back to him who immediately burrowed itself into his arms like a lost child who had found its parent, meowing aggrievedly. "Here is your cat. Did you enjoy our exhibition?"

Gu Luoxin did not even have the chance to explain that Lucius was not his cat, when he was abruptly distracted by the latter half of her sentence. His eyes immediately lit up as he replied with enthusiasm, "I enjoyed it very much! Every piece looks so stunning and breathtaking. It’s an amazing exhibition!"

She laughed out loud, satisfied, "Good, good. It was truly worth it for me to pull an all-nighter over these past few weeks!"

"Oh!" Gu Luoxin suddenly recalled something important which he had forgotten to do before. He cradled Lucius in one arm and offered a hand to her, "S–Senior Jiejie, I forgot to introduce myself earlier! I am Gu Luoxin, a freshman from the Musical Theater department. It’s nice to make your acquaintance, and thank you again for the help earlier!"

She shook his hand firmly and grinned, "Hi, I’m Yin Jinjing, the event coordinator for this exhibition. Nice to meet you too. Why didn’t I know that Noir has such a cute junior?"

Gu Luoxin felt like he had seen this name somewhere, when realization hit him a second later. Yin Jinjing... wasn’t this the same person who had created the captivating glass sculpture near the entrance?! Gu Luoxin told her as much, praising her until she couldn’t contain the grin on her face, before her last sentence finally sank into his mind.

C–Cute junior? Did she just refer to him as Noir’s cute junior?!

Gu Luoxin blushed and stammered, "I–I am not..." he cast a glance at Noir, who looked bored as hell. He opened his mouth in a huge yawn, tears squeezing out of the corner of his eyes.

It was then that Gu Luoxin recalled how this person had challenged the Cycle with him, meaning that he should be just as tired, if not worse off. However, not only did Noir appear the same as usual, he could even participate in an exhibition! If there was a scale measuring the level of respect Gu Luoxin had for him, then it would have burst out of the highest threshold by now. As expected of the Great God!

"Aha!" Yin Jinjing suddenly clapped as if a brilliant idea had popped into her mind. "How about joining us for the celebratory dinner tonight, Junior Gu? There will be lots of delicious food and good company. If you are still around and haven’t gone home for summer vacation, you should come with us! Noir will be there too, won’t he?"

Noir scrunched up his brows in disapproval. He clearly wanted to refuse, but Yin Jinjing’s smile turned sharp as she reminded him,

"Who’s the one who promised to stay until the end on the last day in exchange for skipping the first few days, huh? Have you forgotten our deal? Are you going to go back on your words?"

The annoyance in Noir’s expression intensified, though he relented in the end with a grumble, "Fine."

Gu Luoxin was amazed upon witnessing their interaction. Senior Yin Jinjing was so badass to talk to Noir in such a domineering tone! However, he also knew that this was because the first impression Noir gave him in the Cycle was too strong, subconsciously making him think that the man was supposed to be placed on a high pedestal. He couldn’t help but wonder, if they had met in college first, would he have looked at Noir in a different way?

"Great!" Yin Jinjing turned to Gu Luoxin with a bright smile. "So how is it? Are you in?"

Sensing the hope and anticipation in those kind eyes, Gu Luoxin couldn’t bring himself to refuse outright, but the mere notion of mingling with a group of unfamiliar strangers unsettled him too. He could only reason weakly, "But I’m not a student from this department..."

Yin Jinjing waved off his concern immediately. "No problem! You are Noir’s junior, so that makes you my junior too! Plus, there will be people from various departments at the dinner. Who knows, you might even meet the students from your major there. Or if you’re worried, just stick to Noir! What do you say? You don’t mind bringing along this cute junior of yours, right?" The last question was directed to Noir, who shifted his gaze to Gu Luoxin, scrutinizing.

Gu Luoxin swallowed nervously under the weight of those emerald orbs. Oh my God, they looked so beautiful that he couldn’t bring himself to stare at them directly! Moreover, why was Noir looking at him for so long? Could he be thinking of an excuse to refuse, by any chance? The more Gu Luoxin thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Noir did not strike him as someone who enjoyed socializing, and somehow Gu Luoxin had a slight feeling that his presence might not be entirely welcomed...

But then, in the next second, Noir’s voice broke the silence, "Fine."

Gu Luoxin snapped his gaze up in shock. He... He actually agreed?!

Yin Jinjing was on cloud nine upon hearing that. "Perfect! Let’s meet up in front of the building at eight! Don’t forget to come, Junior Gu!"