When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 390: Something Way Better

Chapter 390: Something Way Better

Alarm bells rang in Shen Nianzu’s mind when he felt Jin Jiuchi’s kisses trailing lower and lower. Before his body and mind could betray him like shamelessly getting a boner or letting himself get swept into Jin Jiuchi’s rhythm, he swiftly grabbed Jin Jiuchi’s hair and yanked his head away.

"No," he hissed firmly. "Not here."

"Nian’er..." Jin Jiuchi gave him puppy dog eyes and jutted his bottom lip into a sullen pout. Shen Nianzu had no idea where he’d learned to put such a pitiful expression from, when he was literally devouring Shen Nianzu with his intense gaze alone. His voice carried a bewitching lull as he teased, "But you like it, don’t you?"

Shen Nianzu bit down on the inside of his cheek and told himself not to waver. Still a little breathless, he said, "Later. I have something planned for us after this and..." his cream colored lashes fluttered delicately as he whispered beside Jin Jiuchi’s ear in an almost sultry tone. "...I will give you something way better. I promise."

Jin Jiuchi’s eyes gleamed with a dangerous intensity. "Something... way better?" The way he spoke those words and his possessive hold around Shen Nianzu’s waist made it seem like he was going to pounce at any second. Shen Nianzu almost regretted throwing that bait out, but fortunately Jin Jiuchi decided to keep himself still, despite the tension in his body. "Promise?"

Shen Nianzu let out a sigh of relief, "...Promise."

Jin Jiuchi offered his pinky finger and told him with all seriousness, "No take-backsies, okay? Or I will make Nian’er compensate me twice."

Ignoring the underlying threat beneath his tone, Shen Nianzu hooked their pinky fingers together. Only after making sure that Jin Jiuchi would behave did he release his grip and smooth down the messy hair with his fingers. He began to speak after gathering his thoughts, "Xinxin and Grandpa found out about you and oh, Noir might also be harboring some suspicion about your identity. Setting aside Noir for now, Xinxin seemed to accept the fact more readily than I expected. And fortunately, Grandpa doesn’t seem to hold any malicious intention towards you. All in all, this is the best outcome I could have asked for."

"But why," Jin Jiuchi asked after observing his expression carefully, "does Nian’er look unhappy about it?"

Shen Nianzu patted his cheek. Was he that obvious? Sighing helplessly, he gazed into Jin Jiuchi’s heterochromia eyes and brushed his fingers across his left eyelid, tracing the shape of that beautiful golden iris in midair. "It’s a silly reason..." he pursed his lips. "Now that we’ve reached this point, I suddenly realized that I... don’t want other people to know more about you. Sure, the more information we gather, the more beneficial it will be for us in the long run. But seeing them show interest in you too... it irks me. A lot. I want everything about you to belong to me and only me alone. I’m so selfish, huh?"

He played with Jin Jiuchi’s earlobe with his fingers, feeling a tad relieved now that he had voiced his suppressed emotions out loud.

It was only with Jin Jiuchi that Shen Nianzu could speak freely of his controlling and possessive tendencies, without fearing that the man would be overwhelmed and run away because of it. Instead, it seemed to rile the man up, by the way his heterochromia eyes promptly darkened.

"Nian’er..." the endearment was spoken with a hint of growl, as the arm around Shen Nianzu’s waist tightened. Shen Nianzu could feel the scorching temperature of the man’s palm on his hips that seemed to penetrate the silk robe he was wearing. "You told me not to touch you, but you’re not making it easier for me. Do you know how unfair it is?"

Shen Nianzu’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting such a reaction. He was just expressing his honest and genuine feelings, but... oh God, it truly sounded as if he was trying to seduce Jin Jiuchi, didn’t it?!

In a bid to escape from his current predicament, he ducked his head and buried his face into the crook of Jin Jiuchi’s neck. "L–Let’s sleep!" He stuttered. "I was completely exhausted today, and uh, we still have a long day ahead of us tomorrow!"

Shen Nianzu was not lying when he said that. He indeed felt drained, both physically and mentally. After all, he had personally driven for hours to reach here, and engaging in a conversation with Grandpa turned out to be more taxing than he’d expected.

Cocooned in Jin Jiuchi’s heated embrace, his body seemed to have recognized its safe haven as he began to feel sleepiness dragging behind his eyelids. He heard Jin Jiuchi chuckle softly above him. The man seemed to say something after that, but his voice reached Shen Nianzu’s ear as if distorted by a layer of water.

Soon, Shen Nianzu succumbed to the lull of sleep that was beckoning him, his breathing evened out.

***

Shen Nianzu awoke to the symphony of birdsong, the cool caress of the morning air, and the gentle warmth of sunlight that hit his face. Groggily, he cracked his eyes open and was greeted by the sight of Jin Jiuchi’s peacefully sleeping face.

In an instant, he became wide awake.

He had no idea whether it was one of Jin Jiuchi’s many fetishes, but these days, the man seemed to relish in being the first one to wake up every morning just to stare at Shen Nianzu’s sleeping face like a creep. Shen Nianzu had become so used to being greeted by the man’s mischievous grin and flurry of kisses the first thing he opened his eyes in the morning that it became such a marvel to catch Jin Jiuchi’s sleeping face. He couldn’t help but allow his gaze to linger a bit longer on the man’s gorgeous visage, mesmerized.

Devoid of that teasing smirk and deviously twinkling eyes, Shen Nianzu had to admit that his boyfriend was such an... eye candy.

He clearly looked far better than ninety-nine percent of the human population in this world, so why must he act so annoying all day?

Grumbling inwardly, Shen Nianzu couldn’t resist pinching his nose in mild frustration. Yet Jin Jiuchi, this infuriatingly handsome bastard, continued to sleep soundly as though he needed no air to breathe. He might not wake up even if Shen Nianzu were to set his eyebrows on fire.

With an amused huff, Shen Nianzu let go and gingerly slipped out of Jin Jiuchi’s arms, careful not to rouse him awake. Alas, his lack of presence must have bothered the man because his eyelids twitched as he blindly reached out to Shen Nianzu, murmuring sleepily, "Nian’er...?"

A surge of fondness swelled in Shen Nianzu’s chest. Grabbing a pillow, he offered it to Jin Jiuchi and chuckled when he watched the man cling onto it with zeal, smacking his lips in satisfaction.

Shen Nianzu leaned in and planted a tender kiss on the tip of the man’s nose, murmuring, "Sleep tight."

He gathered the robe tighter around himself and slipped into the bathroom to freshen up. After changing into a clean set of clothes, he exited the room and stretched his waist, humming in bliss at the fresh air.

There were no signs of movements from next door, so he reckoned that Gu Luoxin must still be fast asleep.

Looking around, Shen Nianzu’s feet padded across the wooden floor until he unknowingly wandered to the viewing area where they conversed yesterday. Shen Nianzu had only intended to enjoy the captivating scenery for a while, when his keen senses detected the abnormal shift of air around him.

Intrigued, he looked right and left before peering down, spotting the familiar silhouette of Song Yunshi practicing his moves beside the stream. With his legs slightly parted in a basic stance, he moved his hands gracefully and fluidly. He clearly had no weapon in hand, yet the air around him seemed to dance and shift in tandem with each practiced move, to the point where Shen Nianzu could feel it from where he was standing.

How did he do that...?

Curiosity piqued, Shen Nianzu couldn’t resist observing a bit longer. His stare must be getting more intense than normal, for Song Yunshi turned to his direction as though sensing the scrutiny.

When their eyes met in midair, Song Yunshi waved at him with a smile and mouthed an invitation through the rushing sound of the waterfall, "Care to join me?"

Without a second thought, Shen Nianzu nodded in agreement.