When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 250: Have A Taste?

Chapter 250: Have A Taste?

Shen Nianzu ended up purchasing all the clothes because they suited Jin Jiuchi so damn much— even more than he’d expected it to be. The man already had a wild and roguish aura to begin with, and now dressed in formal attire, he emanated the aura of a refined yet dangerous gentleman, the kind which mothers would warn their daughters about.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing. Never once did Shen Nianzu expect that he would find the living and breathing example of it.

He swore that someday, he would take Jin Jiuchi to a high-class banquet to show him off, to let everyone admire what an alluring specimen he was and bemoaned about the fact that they could only gaze at him from afar. Though he still had no idea how Jin Jiuchi would fare against those vain and hypocritical people...

Walking out of the boutique, Jin Jiuchi’s attention was seized by an ice cream truck parked on the side of the street where many children was lining up, and he couldn’t help but be curious, "Nian’er, what is that?"

Shen Nianzu followed his line of sight. "Ice cream," he replied, only to be struck by a sudden thought. "Wait, have you tried it before?"

Jin Jiuchi tilted his head curiously, "No...?"

Sure enough! Shen Nianzu was never one to indulge in sweets – he had a figure to maintain and his face would get all weird and blotchy the day after snacking – and thus he seldom stocked ice cream at the villa. The most he’d had was coke, and Jin Jiuchi couldn’t stop obsessing over it once he tried it for the first time. This silly husky had been staying with him all this while, so of course he had never tried ice cream before!

Looking at the man’s confused yet curious eyes, Shen Nianzu felt a rare moment of soft-heartedness, and he proposed, "Let’s go. I will take you to eat."

"Okay!" Jin Jiuchi immediately brightened up upon hearing the word ’eat’ and he ended up dragging Shen Nianzu there by their interlocked hands. Joining the line behind a group of children, they made for an eye-catching duo with their striking appearance and age. One bear child, upon sensing the looming presence behind him, turned around and his jaws instantly hung agape as he took in Shen Nianzu’s cascade of silver hair, shimmering like a starlit waterfall in the sunlight.

"Wow... a princess!"

His exclamation drew the attention of others in the vicinity and they quickly gathered around Shen Nianzu, their eyes wide in awe and admiration. "Woah, it’s really a princess! She’s so beautiful!"

"Princess Jiejie! Princess Jiejie!"

Seeing that one of the bold children almost had his hand on Shen Nianzu, Jin Jiuchi acted swiftly and scooped the jade doll into the circle of his protective arms, giving the child a stern glare. "Not allowed to touch! And by the way, he’s not Princess Jiejie!"

The child looked puzzled, "Then... what is she?"

Jin Jiuchi harrumphed and answered proudly, "Of course, he is Princess Gege!"

"Wow..." The children’s eyes lit up in renewed excitement. "Princess Gege!" One of them turned to Jin Jiuchi and asked, "If he is Princess Gege, then are you Prince Gege?"

"Do you still need to—oof!" Jin Jiuchi responded with his chin tipped high, only for Shen Nianzu to jab his side with an elbow. He let out a surprised yelp and faced the jade doll with a wounded look. "But Nian’er, they are asking me a question!"

Shen Nianzu wished he could whack this foolish husky on the head. He forced out his words through gritted teeth, "If they ask you a question, must you answer?"

Jin Jiuchi looked at him in genuine confusion. "Of course. Or else?" He couldn’t understand why Shen Nianzu was getting angry. Naturally, he had to answer if someone asked him a question, right? Wasn’t it common sense?

Shen Nianzu was about to teach this husky not to be so naïve and gullible when a little girl, with her front tooth missing, beat him to it. She stared up at the towering Jin Jiuchi and piped in innocently, "But Gege, you don’t look like a prince at all!"

Jin Jiuchi’s attention was instantly diverted, and he sputtered out in shock, affronted. "H–How am I not like a prince?"

The other children chimed in one after another,

"You don’t dress like one!"

"Your hair is all messy!"

"You have this scary look on your eyes! Wuwuwu, mommy says only villains have this kind of look!"

Shen Nianzu: "..." Children sure are honest.

He pressed his knuckles to his lips to stifle a chuckle, especially as Jin Jiuchi began to argue with them. Other than his size, he could truly pass off as one of the bear children. He demanded in disbelief, "S–Scary?!" He pulled the corner of his lips up. Rather than a smile, it looked more like he was baring his teeth. "Look again! Ain’t I very charming and handsome?!"

Jin Jiuchi was already tall to begin with. Even Shen Nianzu had to tilt his head slightly to meet his eyes, let alone the children. To them, Jin Jiuchi was no different than a giant that almost blocked the sun. When the said giant flashed them a menacing grin, they immediately scattered away like a flock of startled birds, screaming on top of their lungs. "Ahhh!!"

"Wha—" Jin Jiuchi’s smile dropped and he turned to Shen Nianzu for answers, "Am I that scary? No, it’s not possible! I am this nice and friendly, so how can they run away at the sight of me? They are the rude ones, aren’t they? Nian’er?!"

The corner of Shen Nianzu’s lips quivered in an attempt to suppress the smile. Looking at the dejected husky with his ears and tails drooping, Shen Nianzu couldn’t resist reaching out to pat his head, a mirthful twinkles in his pale purple eyes, "Yes, yes, you’re not scary at all. You are the perfect Prince Gege."

With Shen Nianzu’s affirmation and the gentle stroke on his head, Jin Jiuchi was coaxed until he forgot what he was angry about. He took Shen Nianzu’s wrist in his grasp and lowered his head with a blissful look on his face, "Nian’er, more!"

"Yes, yes." In a rare good mood, Shen Nianzu decided to indulge in Jin Jiuchi’s whims and raised both hands to ruffle the man’s hair, messing it up further. "Satisfied now?"

The two remained in a lovey dovey mood until their turn finally arrived. The vendor uncle asked, "What flavors would you like, Sirs?" At first, he marveled at how good-looking the two men were, until he inadvertently caught sight of the bruises around Jin Jiuchi’s neck and the obvious teeth mark on Shen Nianzu’s neck that couldn’t be hidden by clothing. His smile immediately faltered, and he let out an internal sigh. Youngsters these days...

Jin Jiuchi was practically salivating as he stared at the array of colorful ice creams. They looked so beautiful and tempting that he couldn’t tear his gaze off it. He swallowed and exclaimed, "Nian’er, I want them all!"

But Shen Nianzu had already made his decision and would not accept any other suggestions. "One chocolate cone, please."

Jin Jiuchi: QAQ

Shen Nianzu raised his head just in time to catch the peculiar expression flitting across the vendor uncle’s face, and a question mark emerged from his head. Why did this person seem to be looking at him strangely?

It was not until the two of them walked away, with Jin Jiuchi blissfully enjoying his chocolate ice cream, that realization hit Shen Nianzu like a ton of bricks. His hand shot up to his neck to where the bite mark was, and flush arose on his cheekbones. "Damn it..." he cursed softly under his breath. How could he have forgotten about this?!

"Hmm?" Jin Jiuchi, who was immersed in the euphoria of tasting ice cream for the first time, did not catch his words. "Did you say something, Nian’er?"

As he looked at the happy and ignorant culprit, Shen Nianzu felt an inexplicable anger rising in his chest. It was all this damned husky’s fault, always biting him here and there as he pleased! Shen Nianzu fumed with a cold expression, and when they reached the car, he deadpanned, "Eating in the car is not allowed. You’d better finish it quickly or I will leave you here."

"...!" Shocked, Jin Jiuchi opened his mouth wider and took a huge bite of the icy chocolate ice cream, shivering when the intense chill surged to his brain. In his haste, a portion of the ice cream ended up dribbling onto his fingers and without a second thought, he swooped down and lapped it clean with his tongue. Sensing a heated gaze his way, Jin Jiuchi raised his eyelids and caught Shen Nianzu staring at him. What was he looking at—oh!

Jin Jiuchi offered his half-eaten ice cream and asked generously, "Do you want to have a taste, Nian’er?" It was only with Shen Nianzu that he would share his food. If it was any other person, then don’t even think about it!

But Shen Nianzu’s attention was fixated on his lean and powerful fingers, focusing on the glistening trail his tongue had just traced. Once again, he recalled the lesson he was supposed to give Jin Jiuchi and he involuntarily gulped. A taste? Yes, he’d very much like to try it...

Keeping the calmest tone he could muster, he remarked, "No, just eat it yourself. Didn’t you say that you can’t wait to learn when we were at the boutique earlier? So why are you dilly-dallying now?"