When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 394: Always Crying

Chapter 394: Always Crying

Gu Luoxin had everything planned out inside his mind, only to be slapped by the harsh reality when he recalled that— he did not have Noir’s phone number!

"Oh no..." Gu Luoxin paled, sweat rolling down his back. Did it mean he had to invite the man in person? As he did not know Noir’s schedule, his only option was to wait in front of his department building or ask around. Just the mere thought of it was already enough to make his cheeks burn. Snap out of it, Gu Luoxin! What’s wrong with extending the invitation in person? That was a polite gesture, and it’s not like he was asking Noir out on a... d–d–date!

"We’ve arrived," Shen Nianzu parked his car smoothly on the street across the college and glanced at Gu Luoxin through the rearview mirror. "Don’t forget to ask him, so I know how many rooms I need to book, okay? Otherwise you will be placed in the same room as him."

"Hey, didn’t they already share a room on that cruise ship?" Jin Jiuchi chimed in with a devilish snicker. "They managed just fine, didn’t they?"

"Ah," Shen Nianzu nodded thoughtfully, "you’re right."

Gu Luoxin almost jumped up in anger and strangled Jin Jiuchi with the seatbelt, and the only thing stopping him was the fact that Shen Nianzu was present. Nonetheless, it did not stop him from giving Jin Jiuchi a death glare. The Cycle was the Cycle, and the real world was the real world— how could they ever be compared? In the Cycle, they were focused on survival first and foremost, so sharing a room with Noir did not bother him at all, but now...

"I will get back to you soon, Xiao Shen," Gu Luoxin emphasized each word through gritted teeth, but then his entire person became wilted once he imagined the ordeal he had to go through. In a last-ditch attempt, he cast a pleading look at Shen Nianzu, "Can’t we just invite him through the Nightmare App? It should be okay, right? I mean, I don’t even know if I could meet him on campus..." his voice grew smaller and smaller toward the end, losing momentum.

He knew that he was just making excuses, and Noir had also apologized for his rudeness back in the Cycle, but... but... argh, Gu Luoxin didn’t know! He didn’t know either why he was so nervous to meet Noir in the real world!

Alas, his miserable plea was only met with Shen Nianzu’s deadpan answer. "No."

And then, Gu Luoxin found himself unceremoniously kicked out of the car.

"Keep me updated," was the last thing Shen Nianzu said before he rolled up the window and drove away from that place, leaving Gu Luoxin flabbergasted while coughing on the exhaust fumes. With no other choice, he could only straighten his shoulders and walk into the campus ground, all the while lamenting his tragic fate.

"Why is my Boss so cruel?" he bemoaned.

Upon reaching his dormitory room, he tossed his bag onto the table, paced back and forth for a while, before deciding that— screw it all, he would just grit his teeth and get this over with! Grabbing his phone and wallet, he exited the room again, determined to seek out Noir.

It was Sunday evening, though. Would Noir be on campus? No, did he even live in the dormitory? As far as Gu Luoxin could tell, he seemed like the person who would prefer renting a house outside...

Lost in his own thoughts, Gu Luoxin jumped when a loud voice called out to him, "Yo, Xinxin!" An arm draped heavily over his shoulder. "Where have you been? You were not in your room yesterday when I knocked. Lend me your notes for the class tomorrow, will ya?"

"Scram!" Gu Luoxin threw the arm off him with a loud harrumph. "Who told you to skip class over and over again? I’ll report you to Auntie if you get a D in the midterm later!"

"No, no, anyone but my Mom—!"

The ugly man wailing right now was none other than Gu Luoxin’s bestest friend and good buddy, Shang Hao. They had known each other since junior high and somehow ended up in the same class throughout senior high. Even the college they aimed for was the same. Unlike Gu Luoxin who chose Musical Theater, Shang Hao got into Film and Television Production. Some of their classes happened to align with each other, so they still kept in touch until now.

"It will indeed be a little hard to bear, but I think that’s the best action we can take to protect them, no?"

The memory sprung up to the forefront of Gu Luoxin’s mind, causing his expression to falter. But Shang Hao failed to notice it as he asked while wiggling his brows, "So where did you go this weekend? Huh? Last time, you also took a few days off to go on a vacation, didn’t you? Tsk, you didn’t even tell me anything before going off on your own. Don’t tell me... did you hook up with a chick?!"

"C–Chick, what chick?!" Gu Luoxin raised his leg to kick Shang Hao’s butt, but the man yelped and dodged him playfully.

"Or else?! Don’t lie to me. I know all of your friends, and you weren’t even with them!"

"I... I..." Gu Luoxin’s heart was in turmoil as he faced his best friend. Song Yunshi’s words echoed in his mind again and again, and coupled with his wild imagination, he could instantly imagine Shang Hao getting dragged into the Nightmare Cycle. This guy was a lazybum who wouldn’t even stand if he could sit, so how could he ever win in a fight against the nightmare creatures? All the tragic deaths Gu Luoxin had witnessed in the previous Cycle flashed before his eyes, but now those obscure features were replaced with a face he knew all too well— Shang Hao’s face. Gu Luoxin was so frightened that the rims of his eyes reddened.

Shang Hao’s teasing expression froze upon noticing Gu Luoxin’s reddened eyes. Hovering around, he stammered, "W–What is it? I’m just kidding, okay?!"

Gu Luoxin parted his trembling lips, yet no words came out. What was he even supposed to say? That they should keep a distance from the time being? But if Shang Hao were to demand a reason, what kind of excuse could he provide, when he couldn’t even speak of the Nightmare Cycle?

’You’d better stay away from me if you don’t want to die’? Yeah, Shang Hao would most likely drag him to a mental hospital at the first chance he got.

"What’s wrong with you?!" Shang Hao demanded in a fluster. "Were you bullied? Did you get scolded by your professor? Or did you get someone’s daughter pregnant?!"

The last accusation was so absurd that Gu Luoxin felt like he could breathe out fire right then and there. "Haohao," he called out sweetly instead.

"W–What? What is it?" Shang Hao quickly retreated and put up his arms in a defensive stance in case Gu Luoxin decided to resort to violence. But in the end, what he received was—

"I don’t want to see your ugly face for now!" Gu Luoxin pulled down the skin beneath his eye and stuck out his tongue, sneering, "Stuuupid!"

"W–Wha—"

Without giving a chance for the other person to react, Gu Luoxin swiftly turned and sprinted away from that place. He disregarded the strange looks from passersby and ran with all of his might, until the harsh wind blew his moist eyes dry.

Without him realizing, his feet had carried him to the Sculpture Department Building. Unable to enter in such a messy state, he allowed his feet to guide him to the park beside the building and plopped himself down on the first available bench he spotted. Although his physique was now strong enough to cover this little distance without breaking a sweat, Gu Luoxin’s breathing was still ragged and uneven, for he felt like he couldn’t breathe all of a sudden.

Why? Why must he push people away from his life? His circle was actually very small— he only had his paternal uncle as family, and a few handful people he could call friends.

But in the end, he had to isolate himself from them too?

He was timid by nature. He had a lot of things he was afraid of— creepy bugs, dark corners, being called out to answer questions in front of the class, and above all... he feared being alone the most. It reminded him of the loneliness that engulfed him when his parents had just passed away, before his paternal uncle came to take him away. It also reminded him of the empty house he always returned to, the almost suffocating silence that seemed to choke the air out of his lungs. It was this exact fear that pushed him to stay in the college dormitory.

And now, just the mere thought of returning to that same loneliness again...

Gu Luoxin buried his face into his hands, his slender shoulders shaking.

He lost track of time in that depressed state, until all of a sudden, he sensed a presence approaching, and a pair of clean sneakers entered his line of sight.

A familiar deep and magnetic voice echoed beside his ears, laced with a sigh. "Why are you always crying everytime I find you?"