When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 295: Do You Remember?

Chapter 295: Do You Remember?

Panic surged in Gu Luoxin’s chest. The distant part of his mind knew that Shen Nianzu’s decision was reasonable – given their master-dog relationship, he must have wanted to enjoy the hot spring together with Jin Jiuchi – but that logical part of his was completely overshadowed by the fluster he was feeling right now. Why? Why must he be together with Noir? Why couldn’t the three of them soak in the hot spring together for team bonding? Why wasn’t Jin Jiuchi the one left with Noir?! Weren’t the two of them good buddies?!

When he imagined the scene of him entering the hot spring pool with the emerald-eyed man...

No, this was impossible! He would not be able to survive this! Xiao Shen, this is murder ah! You’re going to kill me at this rate!!

He widened his eyes and blinked repeatedly, trying to send a distress signal. Alas, Shen Nianzu did not even spare him a glance and focused on Noir instead, as though asking for his opinion.

Gu Luoxin could feel his heart tightening in the mixture of anxiety and anticipation. If it was Noir, he would surely refuse, wouldn’t he? That’s right, Gu Luoxin simply could not think of any reason why he would want to—

"Alright."

Gu Luoxin froze, his heart skipping a beat before it proceeded to drum in a frenzy. Slowly, very very slowly, he turned his neck to face Noir, his expression full of disbelief and bewilderment. He must have misheard, right? How could it be possible for Noir to agree after... after the warning he had given that day? Alas, just as Gu Luoxin nearly convinced himself that he was having a momentary auditory hallucination, he watched Noir’s lips moved and his deep voice flowed out smoothly,

"Go ahead. I will go in with him later."

Say what?!!

Gu Luoxin’s breathing ceased abruptly. He could hardly believe his ears. Could it be that he was still dreaming, and when he woke up, he would still find himself on the train? Tremblingly, he reached out to pinch his thigh, sucking in a breath at the sharp pain that jolted through his body.

Holy shit, this was really not a dream?! Then what possessed Noir to agree with Shen Nianzu’s ridiculous arrangement?! Had he been replaced by a nightmare creature somehow?!

Until the end, the two of them conversed among themselves. Not even once had they given Gu Luoxin a glance. As though his opinion did not matter. As though his life and death was none of their business. Despite Gu Luoxin’s desperate attempts to send out an SOS signal, Shen Nianzu remained oblivious and strolled away with a satisfied smile, leaving him to wallow in the pool of his own misery.

Xiao Shen, you’re really going to kill me!!

Following Shen Nianzu’s departure toward the inner area where the pool was, the atmosphere instantly plunged to the freezing point, so cold that Gu Luoxin felt as though he had turned into a human popsicle. He dared not make a noise, nor did he have the courage to even glance at Noir.

Noir, on the other hand, seemed unruffled and directly plopped himself down on the ground, making himself at ease. He looked so cool and composed that Gu Luoxin felt ridiculous for getting so worked up on his own. Come to think of it, the one who should be uncomfortable with this current arrangement was Noir, right? After all, he was the one who had strictly told Gu Luoxin to stay away! Fine then, Gu Luoxin would do him a favor and make himself scarce!

Feeling aggrieved for no apparent reason, he turned around decisively, intending to find himself a place to curl up and sulk until his two teammates were done with their bath. However, before he could take more than one step, Noir’s voice resounded behind him,

"Where are you going?"

Gu Luoxin instantly froze on his tracks as if bound by a powerful spell.

"Sit," Noir instructed. Though his tone was light, somehow it possessed a bewitching power and the next thing Gu Luoxin knew, he had his butt on the ground with his legs drawn up to his chest, sitting across the emerald-eyed man with a few meters of distance between them.

Gu Luoxin was utterly stupefied when he comprehended what he had done. Had his body grown a will on its own? How come it could move without him realizing?! Also what... what gave Noir the right to order him around?! Who did he think Gu Luoxin was? Someone who would obediently meow, jump and sit if he gave the word?!

...oh no, he was truly that kind of person! Why did he have to be such a pushover wahh!! QAQ

Gu Luoxin was internally going through his nth mental breakdown for the day, when Noir broke the silence, "Do you remember?"

That question abruptly dragged Gu Luoxin back to the present, though he couldn’t understand what Noir was talking about. His confusion must have shown on his face because Noir repeated the question after a full second of silence.

"Do you still remember everything that happened when you got drunk that day?"

Gu Luoxin: !!!

Double attack!

He was already feeling miserable to begin with, so why would Noir bring up his darkest history all of a sudden?! He did not even need to raise his head to sense Noir’s penetrating gaze on him. Earlier, he had been somewhat disappointed when Noir blatantly ignored him, but now that he had gotten the man’s attention all to himself, he felt so exceedingly antsy and jittery like ants on a frying pan. Biting down on his bottom lip, he gave a timid nod.

"Really?" Noir pressed further, as though he could not quite believe the simple gesture. "Even everything you told me, and my response after that?"

Triple attack!

Gu Luoxin clutched his chest, feeling as if he was going to vomit a mouthful of blood from sheer frustration. Why did Noir have to ask this question? To mock his stupidity? To give him a warning once again? But he had not even done anything else since that day! The more Gu Luoxin thought about it, the more wronged he felt. His nose began to turn sour, and the rims of his eyes reddened with tears. "I–I do!" He blurted out, his voice somewhat nasally and tinged with bitterness. "I remember everything, so what?!"

Even if he was a mouse, he would still bite and attack if he was driven into a corner, okay?!

Gu Luoxin had already acknowledged his mistake and swore that he would not touch a drop of alcohol again for the rest of his life, so why couldn’t they simply pretend as if that day did not exist? Why did Noir have to be so mean?!

He felt so aggrieved that he could burst into tears right here and now, but he sternly told himself that he shouldn’t give Noir the satisfaction to see how affected he was. He must hold his tears back no matter what. But then, amidst his whirlwind of emotional upheaval, Noir’s voice reached his ears, slightly muffled due to the loud downpour outside.

"It’s good that you remember everything," he said calmly. "Or else you would be confused if I were to apologize out of nowhere."

What?

Gu Luoxin snapped his head up in shock, the tears that had pooled in his eyes finally spilling over from the sudden movement. Yet he did not even realize it for he found himself sucked by the magnetic pull of Noir’s emerald eyes. It seemed like since they crossed paths again in the train, this was the first time Gu Luoxin had properly met his eyes.

"What... did you just say?" Gu Luoxin asked, his voice quivering. He feared that he had misheard due to how loud the rain was. However, he soon realized that it did not matter at all, because Noir’s voice could always cut through all the noises to pierce into his ears with perfect clarity.

"I’m sorry." Noir pressed his lips into thin lines, and this time he was the first to avert his gaze under Gu Luoxin’s dumbfounded stare. "I shouldn’t have been so rude back then. It’s my fault."

The man’s voice was low-pitched and mellow, and he had always spoken in an unhurried tone that made every word crystal clear. Amidst the deaf winter symphony of the downpour, it carried a subtle gentleness, a tone he had never used before. Gu Luoxin’s hand had been clutching his chest the whole time, and thus he perceived it vividly – the sound that resonated through every inch of his body, almost rivaling the rain itself.

It was the sound of his thundering heartbeat.