When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 552: Make a Bet

Chapter 552: Make a Bet

After a series of thrilling twists and turns, Jin Jiuchi ended up reaping the main reward just as he wished.

He remained in an ecstatic mood all the way until they were escorted outside the forest with helicopters and gathered in the previous location once more. Seeing him like this, Shen Nianzu couldn’t help but caution, "Don’t be too happy. We still have no idea what kind of ticket you’ve got. If the one in your stomach is a silver ticket, you will have no more tears to cry."

But the point he wanted to convey was utterly lost to Jin Jiuchi, who was over the moon. "Don’t worry, Nian’er!" he thumped his chest proudly. "I still have a lot of tears to cry!"

Shen Nianzu: "..." Is that your only concern?

"Besides..." Jin Jiuchi leaned in with a shit-eating grin plastered across his face, his heterochromatic eyes gleaming with brazen confidence. His voice dropped into a low whisper only the two of them could hear, thick with a crippling sense of mystery, "Do you not trust me, Nian’er? I can tell my ticket is worth more than a mere silver."

In such proximity, Shen Nianzu could sense the faint vibration from Jin Jiuchi’s chest as he spoke and the gentle brush of warm exhale grazing his ear. The spacious area was gradually filled with noisy chatter and loud buzz of discussion as more and more players filed in, yet all Shen Nianzu could hear was Jin Jiuchi’s low, mirthful and slightly husky voice penetrating his eardrums, sending a tingling sensation across his scalp.

Something must have gone wrong with his brain, Shen Nianzu suspected. Why else did he feel like Jin Jiuchi’s self-assured tone and cocky smirk look kinda... hot?

No! This was all because he was too tired after running around for the whole night. Yes, that must be the case!

Feeling his ears burn hot, Shen Nianzu adopted a disgusted look as he vehemently pushed Jin Jiuchi’s face away. "D-Don’t get so close— you stink!" Jin Jiuchi hadn’t been willing to release him even when they boarded the helicopter, always insisting on carrying him around everywhere, thus the most Shen Nianzu could do was push the man’s face away, but Jin Jiuchi swiftly bounced back once more, his expression incredulous.

"I stink?? You said I stink???" he repeated in disbelief before hugging Shen Nianzu closer and rubbing his face all over the jade doll’s shoulders. "Then, take this!"

"You— stop it!!"

While the two of them were playing around in their own bubbles, Gu Luoxin stood on the side with a blank expression as though half of his soul had been sucked away. It was unknown where his mind had wandered off to. He had remained in the same position since Noir walked away on his own, citing how he loathed noisy crowds and his social battery was almost dead.

Since the man had put it like that, how could Gu Luoxin continue to chase after him?

...Not that he had the courage to, especially after what had transpired between them earlier.

Within the next fifteen minutes, all the remaining players had assembled, and Shen Nianzu couldn’t help but take note of the dwindling numbers.

Before they entered the forest, the area had been packed, making the atmosphere extremely lively and boisterous, but now it looked... sparse. Perhaps it had something to do with the listless energy in the air; nearly everyone had a worn-out fatigue look on their faces and preferred to keep to themselves. They were drained both physically and mentally having to flee from the nightmare creatures and the Red Zones the whole night, all the while staying alert so that they wouldn’t be dragged into the damn elimination game.

Only a rare few still appeared energetic – excited, even – with the prime example being the man who was still chattering nonstop beside his ears.

"Shall we make a bet, Nian’er? You choose the silver ticket, and I’ll take the chance with the platinum and golden ticket."

Upon hearing that, Shen Nianzu couldn’t help but scoff in derision. "You? Betting with me? What would you even be able to bet on?"

Shen Nianzu wasn’t being arrogant when he said that. It was a known fact that Jin Jiuchi had been freeloading in his villa, wearing the clothes he purchased, and eating three big hearty meals each day – sometimes even more – using his money. If he had been a normal human, he would have become the perfect example of a parasitic scourge who could only live off others without giving any contribution to society!

Even Shen Nianzu’s parents had mistaken him as a gigolo!

Thinking up to this point, he reviewed Jin Jiuchi’s words once more and belatedly caught something amiss. "Hold on, why are you taking both the platinum and golden ticket?" he pinched the man’s cheeks, his pale purple eyes narrowing in a mixture of anger and amusement. "Wouldn’t your winning chances be 66% while mine is only 33%? Hmm?"

"Whaaat?" Jin Jiuchi’s voice became garbled due to Shen Nianzu’s pincer claws kneading his cheeks, yet it did not stop him from throwing out a challenge with an obnoxious wiggle of his brows. And the most infuriating thing was how he still looked fairly charming like this— a dangerous yet irresistible kind of charm you’d only find in bad boys who were trying to entice you to do bad things.

"Are you afraid you will lose, Nian’er?" he arched a provoking brow. "Besides, we’re talking about the platinum and golden tickets here. The two of them combined only amounts to four throughout the whole forest. Four! Can it be compared to the silver ones?" Jin Jiuchi shook his head and clicked his tongue in exasperation.

And much to Shen Nianzu’s chagrin, the man’s words made perfect sense, so much that he couldn’t come up with a reasonable retort.

What a cunning guy! he fumed inwardly.

Usually, Jin Jiuchi gave off the impression that he was an easy-going, simple-minded and almost silly guy, but what people did not know that when it came to the things he had set his mind on, he would instantly become shrewd, wagging his glib tongue with such skill and poise that others would be unwittingly dragged into his game!

Shen Nianzu was no exception to this. Coincidentally, what he liked the most was proving his opponent wrong— it was better if he could beat them in their own game!

He couldn’t tell whether Jin Jiuchi was a natural in this, or he had simply grasped Shen Nianzu’s psychology very well, but Shen Nianzu had to admit, albeit begrudgingly, that his fighting spirit had indeed been triggered by the man’s eloquent words.

He threw his head back and laughed, anger flaring in his chest. "Afraid of losing? Me? Haha! Bring it on, then. Who’s afraid of whom?" he chortled. "Let me hear it first. What will you do if you lose?"

The grin that slowly spread across Jin Jiuchi’s face the next second was just like a cat who got the cream, or a devil who had successfully lured in a prey using his charm. It was a sly grin overflowing with evil and wicked intentions. Alas, it was unfortunate that Shen Nianzu, the little sweet naïve lamb, did not have the slightest idea that he had just delivered himself into the sacrificial altar.

"If I lose," he leaned in, his voice a low and lulling whisper, "I will do whatever you ask me to for the whole day..."

Shen Nianzu had no idea why he swallowed his saliva. "Whatever?" he asked to confirm. This sounded quite tempting for a control-freak like him, especially considering how Jin Jiuchi had been so rebellious recently. Shen Nianzu supposed it was time to teach this misbehaving husky another lesson. And what better timing to do this when the man had his hands and legs tied up?

The image of Jin Jiuchi under his feet, weakly pleading for mercy while being utterly helpless against whatever he had in store for him, flashed through Shen Nianzu’s mind in vivid clarity, sparking a fire deep inside him. He could feel his pulse quicken in anticipation.

Damn, he thought. This man sure knows how to get me going.

"Uh-huh, whatever. It’s your call," Jin Jiuchi continued to appeal, drawing the other person deeper and deeper into his scheme. "But if I win..." his mouth was nearly glued to Shen Nianzu’s ear at this point, wickedly relaying the last few words in an intimate whisper, causing the jade doll’s eyes to widen in a mixture of shock and disbelief.

A suspicious flush arose on his fair cheeks as he glared daggers at Jin Jiuchi. "You—!"

"It’s a deal!" Jin Jiuchi announced cheerfully, leaving no room for Shen Nianzu to back down.

Just then, the fake Santa Claus’ laughter reverberated in the air, cutting off their conversation.

It was time for the reveal.