When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 482: Dinner With Noir

Chapter 482: Dinner With Noir

Gu Luoxin instinctively muttered an ’ouch’ as he locked his phone, instant regret flooding his heart.

He knew it... he shouldn’t have been so presumptuous to assume that they could become buddy-buddy with each other after going through several Cycles together. He was nothing but a mere mortal, while the other person was a Great God! Oh, how he wished he could go back to five minutes ago and chopped off the fingers which had typed the brazen messages!

Crying inwardly, Gu Luoxin was ready to wallow in his own misery and become a gloomy mushroom all day, when his phone buzzed once more. Not only once, but twice!

C–Could it be Senior? Did he have something more to say?

Gu Luoxin held his breath sharply as he kept the phone at an arm’s length, peeking at the screen with one eye closed.

[Senior]: patting doggo’s head.jpg

[Senior]: Later

Gu Luoxin’s eyes widened. L–Later? How much later did he mean by that? Five minutes? Five hours? Five days, five weeks, or five years?! More importantly, what was up with that cute sticker? Since when did Noir become a person who would send stickers in chats?! Gu Luoxin tried to picture the man choosing a cute sticker with his perpetual deadpan face, and he abruptly slapped a hand over his mouth, hiccuping.

The classmate seated beside him, upon noticing his sudden movement, leaned over and asked in concern, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No..." Gu Luoxin sniffled, his voice coming out muffled. "I’m just so happy to be alive."

Classmate: ?

After taking a screenshot of the sticker, Gu Luoxin replied with an upbeat ’Okay!’ Regardless of whether it was five days, five weeks, or five months, he would be a good doggo and wait!

However...

He certainly did not expect to receive another message so soon from the emerald-eyed man, just as he finished taking a shower in the dorm room after the last evening class! Gu Luoxin’s jaws dropped as he did a double-take to ensure that he didn’t get the wrong person, and almost immediately, he tossed his damp towel to the bed in lieu of grabbing the phone with both hands.

[Senior]: Are you free now?

Yes, yes, yes! Even if he wasn’t, he would still make time, as long as the man needed! With shaky fingers, Gu Luoxin typed out,

[Gu Luoxin]: Yed

[Gu Luoxin]: I mean, yes! Sure, I’m free!

He grimaced internally at the foolish typo, but he wasn’t even given the chance to prepare his heart when another message came in.

[Senior]: Then come to my department building and bring dinner

Gu Luoxin let out a muffled shriek akin to a boiling kettle as he skipped around the room, holding his phone high as though it was a prized trophy.

A dinner! A dinner together with Noir! Who could have guessed that he would be spending time with the man again so quickly after returning from the Cycle? And oh God, this time they were no longer in the company of Shen Nianzu and Jin Jiuchi!

"Calm down, heart," Gu Luoxin clutched his chest while taking in exaggerated gulps of air, trying to settle his jumping nerves to no avail. But he told himself not to be carried away. He must be careful lest he make a joke out of himself again!

Responding to Noir’s message with an ’OK’, Gu Luoxin hastily put on some clothes, grabbed his phone, wallet, and coat. He didn’t even bother drying his hair before rushing out of the door, his steps as light and floaty as though he was dreaming.

It wasn’t until he left the dormitory and welcomed the chilly air that embraced his warm skin that he recalled something important – he had forgotten to ask Noir what he wanted to eat!

"Stupid, fool, idiot!" While chiding himself over and over again, Gu Luoxin sent yet another message.

[Gu Luoxin]: Senior, what do you feel like eating?

He waited for one minute... two minutes... and even after five minutes passed, there was still no response from Noir.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Gu Luoxin’s features. Was he busy? Well, considering how he was still in his building at this hour, he must be preoccupied with something. Gu Luoxin would most likely be a bother if he were to call the man now.

Nodding to himself, Gu Luoxin began to jog toward the street food near the college he often frequented, while attempting to recall the food Noir had chosen to eat in the Cycles.

Around twenty minutes later, he stood before the Sculpture Department’s building, slightly out of breath as he had run all the way here.

In spite of that, Gu Luoxin was amazed to find that he didn’t feel the slightest bit of exhaustion, not only because of his anticipation to see Noir, but also because he was now aware of the extent of his enhanced physique. At this rate, he wouldn’t even collapse even if he had to run a few laps around the campus!

Taking a deep breath, Gu Luoxin gathered his resolve and took his first step into the building. As he strolled through the hallway, he blended seamlessly with the throng of students meandering around, and everything seemed to be going smoothly, except for the fact that he had once again overlooked a crucial error – he had no idea where Noir was!

How was he supposed to find the man in this large building?!

For God’s sake, he hadn’t even met Noir and he had already messed up twice! And this time, it was no longer a problem he could solve by himself. If he delayed any longer, the food might become cold soon! Slapping his own forehead, Gu Luoxin bit down on his frustration and conceded defeat, acknowledging that he was left with no choice but to give Noir a call.

But before he could reach for his phone, a surprised voice called out to him,

"Hey, you are... Noir’s junior, aren’t you?"

Raising his head, Gu Luoxin spotted a familiar woman walking over to him with a friendly smile on her face. It took him a while to recall that she was the same person who had offered to bring him into the exhibition hall last time, and also the one who had invited him to the celebration party. If his memory served him right, her name was...

"Senior Yin Jinjing?" Gu Luoxin called out tentatively, and the woman’s smile widened.

"Oh my, so you still remember my name! And you are..."

"Gu Luoxin," he said with a smile. "It’s nice to see you again, Senior. I didn’t get the chance to thank you properly for inviting me last time."

"Haha, don’t sweat it!" Yin Jinjing waved her hand in a carefree manner. Her gaze then fell upon the plastic bag in Gu Luoxin’s hand, and she took a guess, "Are you here for Noir?"

"I–I am," Gu Luoxin tugged on his bangs nervously. "Do you happen to know where he is, Jiejie?"

"You’ve asked the right person," she winked, giving his shoulder a reassuring pat. "The deadline for the national competition is approaching soon, so you will definitely be able to find him on the fifth floor. Just take the elevator next to the stairs, and if you get lost, you can grab someone and ask them where Noir’s working room is. I would have brought you there myself if I— oh, look at me. I forgot that my friend has been waiting. See you again, Junior Gu!"

"Thank you for your help, Senior!" Gu Luoxin called out as she hurried away, relieved that he didn’t have to resort to giving Noir a call. Now he knew where to search for the man!

Stepping into the elevator, Gu Luoxin pressed the button for the fifth floor and mumbled to himself, "A national competition, huh?" He counted with his fingers and realized that the fourth year’s graduation ceremony was just around the corner after the new year, at the beginning of spring. The sudden thought caused his heart to sink lightly.

After Noir graduated, did it mean they could no longer see each other and meet up like this?