When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 257: Never Be Less

Chapter 257: Never Be Less

Shen Nianzu froze, having not expected this kind of sentence coming from Jin Jiuchi, but the man continued,

"I am aware of it, but... I guess I sort of forgot about it because I have always been with you. But your parents..." he pulled down his blanket a bit, revealing a pair of sad silver eyes. "Nian’er, I’ve read that it’s important for a child to be filial to their parents so... will you begin to despise me? Will you think I’m weird and can’t wait to get as far away from me as possible?"

For a split second, a sense of déjà vu washed over him and he felt as if he had heard this sentence somewhere in the past. However, the impact of those silver eyes were too powerful – the orbs seemed to glisten with unshed tears – obliterating every single thought in his mind until what remained was a painful twinge within the chambers of his heart. The way Jin Jiuchi gazed at him now was akin to a child who had lost his way amidst the crowd, hoping that he would be able to point out the way home for him.

Shen Nianzu’s heart softened and he shifted slightly to stroke the silly husky’s hair. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" He let out a quiet snort. "I have known since day one that you’re a weirdo. Do I still need my parents to tell me that?"

Jin Jiuchi pouted, and his eyes turned even sadder, his lashes damp with tears.

Shen Nianzu got the urge to laugh for how dramatic he was. "Didn’t you hear what I told my parents?"

"No..." he mumbled. "I didn’t want to hear you say that you’re settling for less. That... is not a good thing, right?"

Does he even know what it means by that? Shen Nianzu thought, somewhat helpless. Rather than responding, he tugged at Jin Jiuchi’s blanket, but the man was adamant on wrapping himself into a burrito. Helpless, Shen Nianzu persuaded him gently, "Come on, open up a little. I’m cold too, won’t you share your blanket with me?"

Only then did Jin Jiuchi begrudgingly release his grip and Shen Nianzu spared no time to slide inside. He sighed at how warm and toasty it was beneath the blanket. Plus, Jin Jiuchi’s body was constantly generating heat, making the air even hotter than it already was. Seeing the beads of sweat on Jin Jiuchi’s forehead, Shen Nianzu felt amused and distressed in equal measure. Why did he wrap himself inside the blanket for so long? Did he want to suffocate himself to death?

"So?" Jin Jiuchi prodded him gently, curious to know the answer to his earlier query.

Sighing, Shen Nianzu decided to be honest with him. Furthermore, he had already prepared to be heard by Jin Jiuchi when he confessed to his parents, so the embarrassment he felt right now was no longer so intense. This silly husky looked like he would not be able to recover from the heartbreak he had suffered today if he was not coaxed properly. "I told them that I didn’t settle for less." He gazed into Jin Jiuchi’s eyes and stated seriously. "For me, you are and will never be ’less’. Yes, you’re weird, but so what? In this world, there are tons of weirdos who might be worse than you, but..." he cleared his throat and averted his eyes slightly, pink dusting his cheeks. His voice became smaller as he murmured, "Only you are able to move my heart."

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, he was literally confessing his feelings here! If this did not do the trick to console Jin Jiuchi, then Shen Nianzu would just chuck him to the bottom of the sea and get it over with! But wait, why didn’t Jin Jiuchi say anything? What was with this feeling of déjà vu?

Unable to endure it any longer, Shen Nianzu peered up at him through his lashes, only to find the man... tinkering with his phone?

Disbelief was etched onto Shen Nianzu’s features. Seriously? Here he was digging his whole heart out, but the man dared to play with his phone?! A surge of anger shot up to the top of his head, but before he could transform into a fire-breathing dragon, out of nowhere, he heard a very familiar voice saying a very familiar line,

"For me, you are and will never be ’less’. Yes, you’re weird, but...

Shen Nianzu’s jaw hung open as he heard his own voice echoing through the speakerphone. He sputtered out in utter disbelief, "Y–Y–You... You recorded that?!" More importantly, when and from whom had Jin Jiuchi learned to do this?!

Jin Jiuchi turned to him with a familiar mischievous grin on his lips, his eyes twinkling with mirth and delight. Gone was his melancholic and dejected aura from earlier, replaced by a playful vibrancy. "I have a hunch that Nian’er was going to say something awesome, and look, ain’t I spot on? Hehehe, I’m going to listen to this every night before I sleep." He declared with a gleeful conviction, and Shen Nianzu’s anger finally reached the peak. If this was a cartoon, lava would be bursting out of the top of his head, complete with the steam billowing from his ears.

Heartbreak, my ass! To think that he’d been so worried that this damned husky would skip dinner. He should have known that Jin Jiuchi would never let himself be wronged! He was a sly and cunning dog through and through!

"Jin! Jiu! Chi! You dare!" Shen Nianzu ground out each word, almost in a growl. "Delete that for me! Now!!"

Sitting up in bed, he seized the man’s collar, ready to teach him a lesson he would not forget, but Jin Jiuchi abruptly tossed the phone aside and rolled onto him, effectively pinning him to the mattress. Shen Nianzu gasped in shock when the world spun on its axis in front of him and the next thing he knew, he was looking up at the ceiling with Jin Jiuchi looming over him like a massive and overheated blanket.

"Nian’er, Nian’er..." he cooed softly, nuzzling his face into Shen Nianzu’s neck, the happiness in his tone evident.

Shen Nianzu, on the other hand, was so furious that he saw red. "Let go of me!" He kicked and flailed his limbs around, sending the blanket cascading to the floor in a messy heap. But Jin Jiuchi remained unyielding and motionless above him like a solid mountain. What a waste of his heartache! If he did not teach this damned husky a lesson, then his surname was not Shen! He yanked on Jin Jiuchi’s shirt with all of his strength, trying to get him to let go. "I will count to three. One, tw—mph!" His eyes widened as his lips were suddenly covered.

However, he forcibly turned his head away and glared menacingly. "You—!" Did Jin Jiuchi think that a simple kiss was enough to solve everything?! Sorry to disappoint him, but no!

Jin Jiuchi was still grinning as if oblivious to the seething jade doll beneath him, who was seconds away from twisting him into a hotdog. "To be honest, I don’t really care if they find me weird," he said out of the blue, causing Shen Nianzu’s tirade to pause momentarily. "I have always known. I know that I’m different from you, from them, from everyone else in this world. But..."

He stretched out a hand to tuck a strand of Shen Nianzu’s hair behind his ear with a touch so gentle it belied his earlier antics. "I don’t know why, but it seems like I care about what Nian’er thinks of me? I care so much that... I didn’t even dare to hear your answer back then. But now that I do, suddenly all of them don’t matter to me anymore." He flashed a brilliant grin and leaned in to plant a gentle peck on Shen Nianzu’s lips.

"As long as Nian’er is fine with me, then everything is okay."