When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 337: Can’t Grow Up

Chapter 337: Can’t Grow Up

Cw: food horror

***

Horror washed over Shen Nianzu as he watched the officer open the plastic bag, revealing what seemed to be the carcass of an animal.

It was difficult to tell what kind of animal it was when all that remained was a grotesque lump of raw meat, and for the love of God, why was it still twitching once in a while? And why did it smell so rotten?

Shen Nianzu’s revulsion intensified when he caught a glint of greed in the children’s eyes. They tried to conceal it, of course, not wanting to give the officer the satisfaction of holding the upper hand. However, after knowing Jin Jiuchi for quite some time, Shen Nianzu could sense their overwhelming hunger for the meat, if the bobbing motion of their throats were anything to go by.

What. The. Hell.

All this time... had they been surviving on this kind of food? Such disgusting and inedible food that shouldn’t even be given to animals?

Unfazed by Shen Nianzu’s reaction, the officer proceeded to unlock the handcuffs restraining the twins to the bed. And the moment the cuffs fell away, the two children immediately lunged for the raw meat, tearing into it with the ferocity of starving creatures. Crimson blood splattered all over their small angelic faces, their tiny hands and their clothes, yet they paid it no heed, too consumed with the food that entered their bottomless stomachs.

There was just something animalistic and primal about the way their sharp little teeth sank into the raw flesh bigger than their own bodies, the way little growls emanating from the depth of their throats, and the way they licked the blood off their fingers as though they couldn’t get enough...

All the while, Shen Nianzu could only gape at the grotesque spectacle before him, his complexion ashen. His heart trembled, though he could pinpoint exactly what he was feeling for how complex they were.

Although he had come to accept Jin Jiuchi as a nightmare creature, deep down he kept treating the man as a human being – an equal. And it was not until now that he was forced to acknowledge the fundamental differences between them.

Their views, their upbringing, and even their diets – everything was worlds apart. For that, they could never truly be equals.

Does it really matter? A small voice within him whispered.

From the moment Jin Jiuchi had taken his hand and decisively drove the knife to his own throat to help them complete the hidden task, from the moment Jin Jiuchi had hugged him close even as he took on the appearance of a cursed creature, from the moment Shen Nianzu had decided to kiss him, to bare his true feelings for him— perhaps he had been prepared to accept everything about Jin Jiuchi.

It was just a little... shocking, to be reminded of the harsh reality that there was still so, so much he had to learn about Jin Jiuchi.

Still, it did not mean he was pleased with the treatment the twins received in this place. He glared at the officer, his anger seeping through his words, "Do you have to treat them like this?" He couldn’t hold himself back from defending them, regardless of the risks and consequences that might befall him. "Like... like they deserve no respect or dignity whatsoever?!"

"Respect and dignity?" The officer’s response was filled with incredulity as he scoffed. "They’re nothing more than two little beasts who can’t even grow up properly. Useless creatures. And you still expect us to treat them with decency?"

What?

Shen Nianzu was taken aback, unable to believe what he had just heard. What did this man say Jin Jiuchi was? Little beasts who couldn’t grow up properly? Useless creatures? Where did that even come from?

Alas, the officer did not look as though he intended to linger any longer. Upon seeing that the twins had finished their meal, he let out a disdainful harrumph and walked out of the room, locking it behind him for good measure.

Silence descended upon the narrow space, only broken by the sound of the two dumplings smacking their lips in dissatisfaction and the rustling of their clothes.

"I’m still hungry..." the silver-haired Jin Jiuchi murmured pitifully as he rubbed his stomach, earning him a solemn nod from the other. Then as though recalling something, the two of them whipped their heads back to Shen Nianzu and exclaimed in panic,

"Oh no, we forgot to leave some for Nian’er!"

They stared at the bloody floor beneath their feet where not even a piece of raw meat remained, crestfallen. Shen Nianzu swallowed past the dryness on his throat and forced out a smile. "It’s okay," he said, a slight quiver in his tone. "I’m not hungry."

To be exact, it was nothing short of a miracle if he could stomach food after the grotesque feeding time he had witnessed.

The two dumplings stared at him quietly as though trying to see through his façade. And honestly? It was quite unnerving, given how their faces and clothes were still smeared with blood. Their expressions were hard to decipher, and just as Shen Nianzu was about to break the silence because he couldn’t take the pressure any longer, the black-haired Jin Jiuchi exclaimed softly,

"Ah, that’s right." His voice was quiet, as though he had come to a conclusion. "I forgot Nian’er is a human."

Silver-haired Jin Jiuchi blinked, his mind a little slow to progress. But then his lips started to wobble, his little fists trembling as he clenched his bloodied kimono. Tears welled up in his eyes as he peered up at Shen Nianzu. "Nian’er, are you afraid of us now? Do you also think that we’re weird, and can’t wait to get away from us as far as possible?"

If Shen Nianzu could free his hand, he would have pinched his brows right now. What was with this sense of déjà vu? Why did he feel like he had gone through something like this before? More importantly, how was he supposed to convince the two dumplings that he had and would never be afraid of them?

For God’s sake, what he experienced was nothing more than culture shock!

Imagine having to accept that your boyfriend was a glutton who could devour more than fifty pounds of raw meat within seconds, on top of being inhuman at that!

Alas, they couldn’t have understood no matter how he tried to explain it, right? Biting back a sigh, Shen Nianzu replied with a helpless tone, "I am not. Really, I’m not afraid of you, and I won’t avoid you, so wipe those tears from your eyes. Besides..."

He narrowed his eyes at them, doubt rising in his heart. "What did that man mean by you can’t grow up properly? Exactly how old are you now?"

Silver-haired Jin Jiuchi shrugged with a disgruntled expression. "Exactly what he meant by that. It’s because we were born as two halves, so we are fated to stay like this forever, right, Brother?" He nudged his twin with an elbow, earning him a grunt of acknowledgement.

Shen Nianzu was dumbfounded when he heard that. It’s not true, he wanted to say. In the future, they would grow up into a tall and dashing man that towered over ninety percent of the population in the country. But when that time came, they would have already merged into one person. No, that’s not right either because Jin Jiuchi was still missing half of himself in the Nightmare Cycle...

"Besides, is there any point in keeping track of our age?" He continued. "We lost count a very, very long time ago..."

Black-haired Jin Jiuchi piped in, "Last time we counted, it was one hundred and fifty-eight."

"Right, right, that’s the number!"

"W–hat?!" Shen Nianzu almost choked on his saliva. "How old did you just say you are?!"

.

.

Mini theater

SN: Help, I have been treating them like babies but they turn out to be little immortals.