When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 395: Out Of Expectations

Chapter 395: Out Of Expectations

Gu Luoxin’s heart almost leaped out of his throat when he heard that voice. With a gasp, he raised his head sharply to find Noir’s tall figure looming over him. Bathed in the soft hues of the evening sun, his features appeared blurry, making it seem as if he was surrounded in a golden halo.

In the abyss of Gu Luoxin’s world, he was akin to a striking ray of light that illuminated every nook and cranny. So bright, dazzling, and impossible to look away from.

Why... did this man always appear just when he was on the verge of falling into despair?

A vivid ache gripped Gu Luoxin’s heart as if he had been struck by an arrow. His face crumpled as a stinging sensation burned his eyes. At that moment, instead of a pair of bone wings, he seemed to see white fluffy wings sprouting out of Noir’s back. Why did the Nightmare bestow him the skill card ’reaper’? This man was clearly an angel.

"G–Great God..." Gu Luoxin choked out, ready to spill out all the grievances in his heart.

But his melancholic moment was abruptly shattered when Noir took a step backward. Away from the direct angle of light, Gu Luoxin could finally discern his expression and he looked mildly... disgusted? "Wipe away your tears and snots," he stated mercilessly. "Or people would take you as a lost child."

The burgeoning warmth in Gu Luoxin’s heart chilled down in an instant, just like the first sprout in spring that was nipped in the bud before it could fully bloom. If this were a scene in a manhwa, then the vibrant flowers blooming around them would have withered all at once. Gu Luoxin’s touched expression flattened as he sucked in his snots and tears— no, that’s not right. He was not even crying, so where did they come from?!

Leaping to his feet, Gu Luoxin hurried to defend his innocence, "W–Who says that I’m crying?!"

Noir, however, merely raised a nonchalant brow at him as if saying ’me?’

Angel, my ass! Gu Luoxin gnashed his teeth angrily. In the face of Noir’s blatant mockery, everything that had saddened him before seemed inconsequential, and all he wanted was to scratch this person’s face.

He must have been deluded in that fleeting moment, thinking that this man resembled an angel. Hadn’t he learned his lesson after spending a few days together in the ’Gravity Shift’? This man was a devil through and through. A cold-blooded and sadistic devil who relished in other people’s misfortunes!

Snap out of it, Gu Luoxin! Do not be bedazzled by his beauty! Even Lucifer used to be an angel!

Noir studied him for a while, and upon seeing Gu Luoxin lost in his own thoughts, he wordlessly turned and walked away.

"W–Wait!" Snapping back to his senses, Gu Luoxin scrambled to chase after him. He had to jog lightly so as to cover the increasing distance between them. Oh God, why must you be so unfair to give him such long legs?! "Wait for me, Gre— no, I mean, Senior[1]!" Gu Luoxin abruptly changed his word upon realizing that they had attracted some attention from passersby. He had humiliated himself enough during the summer exhibition when he called out for Noir right in the middle of the crowd; no way in hell would Gu Luoxin repeat the same mistake!

Noir did not stop, but he did slow down his pace so that Gu Luoxin could catch up to him. "What?" he asked curtly.

Gu Luoxin almost got distracted once again by the way Noir’s soft brown curls fluttered along with the breeze, but he discreetly pinched his own arm and used the sharp pain to ground himself to reality. "Senior, I have something to ask you!" he blurted out.

"Speak, then."

"Uh..." Gu Luoxin scanned his surroundings.

At this hour, students had already filled the campus grounds – those who lived in the dormitory and those engaged in group activities. Although no one seemed to be paying attention to them, he couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. What if Noir’s classmates were nearby? If they heard Gu Luoxin asking him out... argh, Gu Luoxin did not even want to entertain such a scenario! But if he did not speak soon, Noir would surely ditch him behind, and then he had to go through the whole process of seeking the man out all over again! Next time, he might not be so lucky to meet Noir before he could begin his search!

This was a golden opportunity presented to him by God, how could he let it slip away so easily?

And so, Gu Luoxin did the one thing he would surely agonize over when he lay in bed tonight— he tugged on Noir’s sleeve and implored softly, "C–Can we move somewhere more private? Please..."

Oh, the lengths he had to go to fulfill his Boss’ demand!

Fortunately, before the weight of his action could fully dawn on him, Noir halted on his tracks and leveled him with a flat stare. Feeling strangely flustered under the scrutiny of those beautiful emerald eyes, Gu Luoxin averted his gaze and blurted the first thing that came to mind, "I will not take long. It will only be five— no, three minutes! I won’t waste your time, Senior. I promise! There’s really something I have to ask!"

Silence settled over them for two whole seconds. Just as Gu Luoxin was about to break into cold sweat and make a run out of there and possibly smother himself with a pillow so that he could die from suffocation, Noir finally opened his mouth, "Fine, follow me."

Gu Luoxin let go of the breath he was holding, relief flooding his heart.

Together, they walked for quite a distance until they reached the back of the building. When Gu Luoxin saw that there was no one around, he no longer beat around the bush and got straight to the point, "Uh, would you like to go to the beach next weekend?"

Only after the words left his mouth did Gu Luoxin realize how ambiguous it sounded. Face reddening, he was quick to explain, "N–No, don’t get me wrong. I’m not asking you out on a date, and it won’t just be the two of us! Xiao Shen and Da Shen will also be there, and Xiao Shen asked me to... invite you..." the more he said, the more his confidence waned. Had he rambled too much? What if, instead of an explanation, it sounded more like he was searching for an excuse?

Argh, Gu Luoxin, why are you so foolish?! You’re going to embarrass yourself at this rate!

Clearing his throat, he raised his chin and put on a brave front, "That’s the gist. I’m here to ask you if you’re interested in coming. Of course, there is no pressure. Feel free to—"

"The three of you are a team," Noir interrupted him mid-sentence. "Why would you invite me?"

Gu Luoxin blinked and tugged on his bangs sheepishly. "Well, you’ve been a great help to us in the Cycles, and you have also saved my life a few times. So just take this as a token of gratitude. How about it?"

In lieu of an answer, Noir asked, "What’s in it for me?"

Gu Luoxin gave him a look as if he was not right in the head. And maybe he was, because what was up with that obvious question? Baffled, Gu Luoxin recounted with his fingers, "You get a free vacation, free food, free accomodation, free transportation— and most importantly, we can have lots of fun! You have nothing to lose by going!"

"Hmm..." Noir let out a contemplative hum.

Refuse, refuse... come on, just say no! Gu Luoxin prayed fervently inside his heart. Say that you’re not interested, and then I can make my way out of here and we will not see each other again!

Alas, as if the devil had heard his desperate wish, what unfolded next was completely out of his expectations. "Fine."

Gu Luoxin let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, I will tell Xiao Shen that you won’t be— wait, what did you just say?!" He raised his head sharply, shell-shocked and utterly discombobulated.

Did he just say... yes?!

Noir arched his perfect brow, and the corner of his lips twitched into the barest of smiles at the sight of Gu Luoxin’s foolish expression. "What’s with the surprise? Didn’t you say that I have nothing to lose by going?"

Gu Luoxin: "..."

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Mini theater

Xinxin: me and my big mouth ahhh!! QAQ

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[1] Gu Luoxin is using shī xiōng (师兄) to refer to Noir. Now I kinda wished this was set in korea, so he could call Noir ’sunbae’ normally and ’sunbae-nim’ (spoken in a saccharine tone) if he wanted something lolol