When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 423: Shocking Pink

Chapter 423: Shocking Pink

Cycle 5: Glass Slipper Town

***

It was quite difficult to associate such a passionate and romantic tale with the horrors of the Nightmare Cycle. Yet it was also because of this uncertainty that the future appeared a little daunting.

"Wait, wait a second," Jin Jiuchi raised his protest. "Your story is not logical. How does the prince find her with only a glass slipper? Why can’t he recognize her face or scent? What if he gets her mixed up with someone else, like... the size of my feet and Noir’s are the same! So surely, there must be another person with the same foot size as Cinderella, right?"

The sudden mention of that name caught Gu Luoxin off guard, causing his heart to skip a beat. That’s right, he had forgotten to tell his teammates that Noir would also tag along with them!

"When do you even find time to compare feet with him?" Shen Nianzu asked, somewhat exasperated. But then he quickly shook his head, saying, "No, forget it. I don’t want to know. Don’t you know that it’s the essence of fairy tales? There must be some kind of magic spell imbued into the glass slipper, making it so that the only person who can wear it is Cinderella."

"Right, right!" Gu Luoxin nodded and gave Shen Nianzu a thumbs-up. "Exactly, Boss. That’s how it is! But speaking of Great God Noir..."

Clearing his throat, he squeezed his eyes shut and spilled all the beans in one breath, relaying Noir’s plan to join them. "He told me he wants to come along, and I... I have also sent the screenshot of the ticket to him. It’s okay, right...?" He peered up at them through his lashes, a touch of nervousness in his expression.

Shen Nianzu and Jin Jiuchi’s first reaction was to look at each other with an identical expression on their faces, seemingly as if a whole stretch of conversation was unfolding between their eye contact. The situation would have looked oddly comical if only the person they were gossiping about was not Gu Luoxin – right in front of his face at that!

"Um, guys...?" he called out tentatively.

"Oho~" Jin Jiuchi turned to him with a mischievous grin. "Why didn’t I know that you two have gotten so close?"

Gu Luoxin immediately jumped like a cat whose tail was being stepped on, his face turning a vivid shade of red. "W–Why should I share everything with you?! And no, we’re not close, so don’t speak nonsense!"

"Sure, sure," Jin Jiuchi spread his hands, still with that infuriating smirk on his face. He looked so annoying that Gu Luoxin almost slammed the burning grill on his face.

Oh God, why did Jin Jiuchi have to make it sound like... like something was going on between him and Noir? There was nothing at all – nothing! It was all Gu Luoxin who admired and respected him, while Noir... well, Gu Luoxin had no idea what was running in his mind but one thing for sure, it wasn’t like that!

Shen Nianzu cleared his throat and directed a stern gaze toward them, stopping them before a fight could occur. His expression was serious as he chided Gu Luoxin, "If you knew he’s going, why didn’t you invite him here? We could have discussed it together."

Gu Luoxin shrank his neck guiltily. How was he supposed to tell that he had run out of any mental capacity to communicate with Noir for the day? "I..." mind spinning, he conjured up an excuse on the spot. "I’m not sure if he can make it. After all, he’s a senior, so he must be busy taking care of his graduation..."

After saying that, he mentally patted his own back. Good job, Xinxin! That excuse was very clever and reasonable!

Fortunately, Shen Nianzu seemed to buy that excuse as he mercifully set the matter aside, but not without instructing Gu Luoxin, "Then you should fill him in on our discussions tonight. Even though he’s not a part of our team, there’s no harm in cooperating with each other."

Gu Luoxin: "..."

There goes his plan to limit his interaction with Noir in the real world.

Swallowing the silent tears flooding his heart, Gu Luoxin could only nod and comply, "...Of course, leave it to me."

Over the next two months, their meetings were sporadic, fitting into the gaps between Gu Luoxin’s classes, midterms, and the production rehearsals.

At the same time, Shen Nianzu did his own research and managed to dig out quite a few different and darker versions of Cinderella, such as how her stepsisters would cut their own feet to fit into the glass slipper, or how the fairy godmother was actually an evil witch who bestowed a curse on the glass slipper so that whoever wore it would turn into a cold-blooded murderer, slaughtering a number of people in the royal ball.

They couldn’t help but feel a sense of reassurance after discovering the grim and twisted variations, as it aligned more with the Nightmare’s style.

Sometimes, when Gu Luoxin was too occupied with his schedules, they would only communicate through voice and video calls.

Yet every single time, not once had Noir participated in their discussions. He appeared to be even busier than Gu Luoxin.

The night after returning from the BBQ stall, Gu Luoxin had contemplated long and hard about how he should convey the information to Noir. Communicating through phone calls was not an option for the sake of his mental health and sanity, so in the end he opted to create a series of files for Noir, making it seem like he was delivering a report.

Noir’s responses were brief, alternating between just a single period or a concise ’thanks’. Sometimes, it would only take him minutes to reply, but more often than not, it would only come after a few days. This further reinforced Gu Luoxin’s decision not to contact him directly, as he wouldn’t want to become a bother to the other person.

Time slipped away like a flutter of pages blown by wind, and without them realizing, winter silently descended upon the city and the date of their departure soon arrived. It was set on a Friday morning a week before Christmas, at ten o’clock in the morning.

As Gu Luoxin had to take part in a mini quiz in his class which he couldn’t afford to skip, the trio couldn’t leave together like they had done twice before. Instead, they agreed to meet up on the bus.

Exiting the classroom, Gu Luoxin turned to the bathroom to wash his face a bit before making his way out of the building. He deliberately chose a deserted sidewalk, and shortly after, he vividly sensed the air shifting around him. It was as if he had stepped through an invisible portal, and the distant sounds of people and nature all faded away, making it seem as if he was the only one left in the world.

It’s okay, don’t be afraid, he chanted in his heart over and over like a mantra.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Luoxin allowed the cold air to fill his lungs and numb his throat. He clenched his fists to suppress the rising tension in his heart. As he walked, the surroundings remained eerily quiet until a bus materialized in the distance.

The sight brought him to an abrupt halt, his jaws dropping in a mixture of shock and bewilderment. "Holy shit..."

In stark contrast to the pitch-black bus of the Chrono Junction Express, this time, the color of the bus was... shocking pink. It was parked comfortably on the side road, standing out like a sore thumb amidst two large tree trunks.

How to describe it?

It was so bright and striking that Gu Luoxin’s teeth ached just by looking at it.