When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 484: Very Angry

Chapter 484: Very Angry

With nowhere to escape, Gu Luoxin could only duck his head, praying that Noir wouldn’t notice him being weirdly emotional on his own. Then again, he could have sworn that their eyes met in that split second! Oh God, why couldn’t reality have a pause button to allow him to catch his breath?!

"What are you waiting for?" Yin Jinjing chuckled, clearly amused to see him being so awkward. Unaware that the person before her was on the verge of mental breakdown, she ushered Gu Luoxin into the room and waved at Noir, "Have fun and don’t forget to take a break!"

With that, she closed the door behind her and walked away, leaving Gu Luoxin and Noir alone in the studio.

An awkward tension hung in the air, or perhaps it was just Gu Luoxin’s imagination talking because Noir seemed as calm and composed as ever. He descended the ladder with ease and placed his tools on the nearby table before removing his gloves, saying in a slightly hoarse voice, "Sorry to make you come all the way here. Did you get lost?" He glanced at his phone and only then did he realize that he had a message from Gu Luoxin. "Ah, I had it on silent. My bad."

"N–No, it’s very okay!" Gu Luoxin replied, his voice tinged with nervousness as he approached the table to set down the plastic bag. "It’s my fault... I didn’t know you were busy and I still asked for your time. I’m so sorry, Senior..."

To dispel the awkwardness he felt, Gu Luoxin kept his hands busy by unpacking the contents of the plastic bag. "I wasn’t sure what you’d like to eat, so I kinda bought a little bit of everything..." he chuckled sheepishly. "We have BBQ skewers, rice cakes, vermicelli with chili sauce, fried rice and..." he made the mistake of looking up at that moment, only to lock eyes with Noir whose gaze was fixated on him since God-knows-when. There was just something so deep, yet so quiet and intense in those beautiful emerald orbs that made Gu Luoxin’s heart stop for a few seconds.

In an instant, Gu Luoxin forgot everything he wanted to say and his mind turned a total blank. "W–Why are you looking at me like that...?" He asked foolishly, just like the fool he was.

"No reason," Noir replied with an even tone. "Just realized that it’s been a while since I’ve seen your face."

Gu Luoxin: "...!"

H–His face?!

Ah, that’s right, he had been a mouse during the entire Cycle, and their busy schedules had kept them from meeting each other a few months before that. But oh God... could he take it as Noir was m-missing him?! Okay, maybe not a lot, but even a little bit would be enough to send his heart aflutter!

Wait a moment, had he applied any skincare before leaving? Oh no, he hadn’t! And the cold air tended to dry out his skin! Damn it, if he had known that Noir would be staring at his face, he would have taken the time to apply some moisturizer! And what about his hair? He had run all the way here, so it must have looked like an utter mess!

Blushing furiously from head to toe, Gu Luoxin discreetly ran his fingers through his short hair in an attempt to smooth it out.

As he did, Noir nonchalantly dragged a chair over and took a seat, grabbing a skewer. He ate without a care as though he hadn’t almost turned Gu Luoxin’s insides into mush with only one mere sentence. Tentatively, Gu Luoxin dragged another chair and settled across from the man, cupping his cheeks with both hands. He couldn’t suppress a giddy smile as he watched the man devour the food with gusto, still clad in the apron.

It felt oddly... domestic, somehow.

Noir didn’t even need to spare him a glance, and he was happy enough just to be in the same space as the man, breathing in the same air.

"Senior..." he called out without thinking, only to panic when he realized that he didn’t actually have anything worthwhile to say. In fact, he had long forgotten his original purpose for coming here, which was to inquire more about the Joker skill card. And thus when Noir raised his gaze and arched a questioning brow at him, Gu Luoxin’s eyes darted around before settling on the giant kingkong in the inner room. "Uh, that..."

Noir finished off the skewers and helped himself to the fried rice. "What about it?" he asked casually.

Gu Luoxin pursed his lips, feeling a little aggrieved and frustrated. Geez, this man was truly set on making him say it out loud, wasn’t he? Fiddling with the hem of his long sleeves, he hemmed and hawed for a while before releasing an indignant huff.

Well, if that’s what Noir wanted, then so be it – two could play this game!

"That’s... me and my kingkong... right?" He asked carefully, his cheeks flushed with warmth. He kept his eyes trained on the table, as the weight of Noir’s gaze upon him was just too heavy for him to take. "I heard Senior Yin Jinjing saying that... you’re inspired."

"Mn, that’s true," Noir confirmed.

Gu Luoxin’s fingers curled, his voice growing smaller and smaller. "You’re inspired by... me?" his last word barely rose above a whisper, laced with a thick sense of disbelief because how could he, this sloppy and crude player who only knew how to fight using his fists, be the one to inspire such an amazing sculptor like Noir?

Two full seconds passed in silence, and when he still received no response from Noir, Gu Luoxin mustered the courage to glance up, only to find that Noir was gazing at the rough sculpture, allowing Gu Luoxin to marvel at his exquisite side profile and razor-sharp jawline. There was a distant look in his eyes, as though he was reliving a memory in his mind. "When I saw you throw yourself at that nightmare creature, it’s the first time I’ve ever felt so..."

He trailed off, prompting Gu Luoxin to urge softly, "So...?"

Noir turned back to him, fixing him with a smoldering gaze. "...irked."

That one response was so unexpected that Gu Luoxin felt his jaws dropping, his eyes widening in shock. "W–Why?" he stammered, utterly flabbergasted. Wait, was that why Noir’s words seemed particularly sharp and curt when they talked after the battle was over?!

"I don’t know either," Noir shrugged indifferently. "Why don’t you tell me why?"

Gu Luoxin’s shock intensified. What kind of question was that?! How was he supposed to know why Noir was angry? It’s not like he was a mind reader! Senior Yin Jinjing was right – you could never guess what’s running in a genius’ mind! Gu Luoxin felt a little— scratch that, he felt extremely aggrieved at being the recipient of Noir’s anger, when he didn’t even know what he had done wrong.

He could feel the sting of tears threatening to spill from the corners of his eyes, and he gripped the edge of the table so hard that his knuckles turned white. "A–Are... are you still angry?"

"Mn," Noir nodded as he brought another spoonful of fried rice into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "Very."

Gu Luoxin: "..."

But you don’t look angry at all, though?!