Chapter 17

Chapter 17

After several "beeps", the call connected.

Ming Fei Yu's complexion sank to its nadir.

"Hello!" Xie Zhigui couldn't wait as he stood up to speak.

"Zhigui! Is that you, Zhigui?" The friend on the other end was brimming with excitement.

"It's me."

Without waiting for Xie Zhigui to continue, his friend immediately pressed, "Where are you right now?!"

"I'm at..."

"Xie Zhigui!!!"

Just as he was about to reveal his location, Zheng Hao's shouting from the other end of the line made his head spin.

This guy always had the worst timing for interruptions.

"Have you been injured at all, Zhi Gui?"

"Are you feeling hungry?"

"Is it cold where you are?"

"Are you alone? Is Ming Fei Yu with you?!"

Faced with a barrage of questions like rapid-fire, Xie Zhi Gui could hardly find a moment to interject.

He pressed his forehead and sighed with extreme frustration: "Zheng Hao, just wait a moment, please give the phone back to Old Yang, I have an urgent matter to discuss."

"I also have something urgent to tell you!" Zheng Hao's emotions were inexplicably agitated.

"Is Ming Fei really with you or not?!"

"He's here, what's the issue?" Xie Zhi Gui replied impatiently.

"Listen to me very carefully, Xie Zhi Gui! You need to leave that guy right now, immediately! He's very dangerous!"

“……”

Xie Zhi Gui, on speakerphone, glanced over at Ming Fei Yu, who was cautiously lifting the blanket to check on his broken leg. After a quick look, he immediately covered it back up, his face contorted in pain, suggesting the pain had flared up again.

"Is he a danger?"

"What's dangerous about him?"

"Alright, alright, alright."

Xie Zhi Gui responded to Zheng Hao dismissively; he didn't want to waste more time talking to this person, and his tone lacked its previous warmth: "I’ll say it one more time, let Old Yang take the call! Hurry up!"

"No, you have to believe me, Zhi Gui!" Zheng Hao's voice trembled with nervousness as if he were speaking of a terrifying monster: "Ming Fei Yu is simply inhuman! He is..."

Before he could finish, a swift and eerie red gleam flashed in Ming Fei Yu's eyes.

Suddenly, a "pop" sounded from inside the phone, as if something had burst within.

With his keen hearing, Xie Zhi Gui quickly moved the phone away and covered his still-buzzing ears in alarm, only to see that the phone screen had gone black.

"Damn it!"

Xie Zhi Gui fiddled with the phone anxiously for a while, tapping and pressing, but the device was unresponsive, apparently completely ruined.

The only means of communication with the outside world had been cut off.

It was all Zheng Hao's fault for his unnecessary blabber; otherwise, Xie Zhi Gui would have already informed his companions about their trapped situation — always more harm than good.

"Bastard!"

Overwhelmed with irritation, Xie Zhi Gui slammed the phone down on the table with a snap, then plopped down, propping his head up gloomily and massaging his temples with his thumbs.

Ming Fei Yu watched his profile silently, waiting for him to calm down before asking, "How did it go?"

Xie Zhi Gui reopened his eyes, his composure regained, half-annoyed and half-resigned at the sight of the broken phone: "No way around it, the phone’s broken."

"It probably broke when it fell."

"Maybe."

Ming Fei Yu made a sympathetic face: "That’s really unfortunate."

"What do you plan to do next?"

Xie Zhi Gui fell silent again, eventually letting out a sigh, murmuring with a headache, "We'll just have to take it one step at a time."

At least they had shelter from the wind and rain here, some dry food in the backpack, and there were some vegetables and fruits planted in the yard; short-term survival shouldn't be an issue.

The biggest concern was Ming Fei Yu’s fractured leg.

With that thought, he stood up again, rummaged through his bag, and pulled out an item, expressionless, then turned and walked outside.

Ming Fei Yu quickly called after him: "Where are you going now?!"

Xie Zhi Gui turned around, showing him the lighter wrapped in cling film: "I'm going to boil some water to clean your wound, don’t want it to get infected and worsen."

Without waiting to see Ming Fei Yu's reaction, he walked out the door with an air of nonchalance.

Ming Fei Yu’s hand, which had been clutching the blanket tightly, finally relaxed, and after a moment, he digested the significance of Xie Zhi Gui’s words.

"He won't leave now."

Through the window, he gazed at Xie Zhi Gui bustling about in the courtyard, with the tangerine sunset casting half the valley in a resplendent glow behind him, the day’s clamor slowly sinking with the light behind the mountains.

Xie Zhi Gui’s hairband had slipped off, his long hair scattering in the wind like dandelion seeds, caught in the golden light of the evening sun. He had to set down the firewood, awkwardly retying his hair in haste.

He was still quite unskilled at tying his hair, lacking a hair tie, with no one to assist him. He twined and unwound his hair vexedly, failing to fashion anything presentable. After several attempts, he managed a passable high ponytail, tucking the remaining stray hairs behind his ears as a makeshift solution.

But each time he bowed his head, the stray hairs slipped out from behind his ears again, tickling his cheeks. He pursed his lips, tucking the hairs back without losing his temper, stuck in this endless cycle, silently wrestling with his hair.

Ming Fei Yu could tell at a glance that Xie Zhi Gui's compulsion was acting up again—suffering in silence, stubbornly not making a sound, stubbornly at odds with whom, exactly, was unclear. His awkward, sometimes endearing, sometimes troublesome mannerisms were hard to overlook.

He remembered some amusing anecdotes and chuckled softly to himself, the sound carried lightly to Xie Zhi Gui's ears on the gentle breeze.

————

Three days flashed by, and Xie Zhi Gui had ventured out daily in search of a path, but each time he returned empty-handed.

Ming Fei Yu had expected him to come back disheartened, and upon his return, he would ask nothing, only reaching out with a smile, beckoning him closer.

"What for?" Xie Zhi Gui asked, suspicious.

Ming Fei Yu, in a rare tender voice, said, "Your hair's come loose, come here, let me tie it up for you."

Xie Zhi Gui felt his own hair, which was loosely and messily tied—it never stayed put, especially after being tousled by the branches in the dense woods, looking quite disheveled.

But he was stubborn, "Thanks, I can tie it myself."

Ming Fei Yu just smiled, not pointing out the obvious, and continued, "I used to tie his hair before. Don't worry, I won't let it come undone with just a gust of wind."

“……”

Feeling a bit mocked...

Xie Zhi Gui thought this 'he' must be referring to his little lover; he hesitated.

Ming Fei Yu looked at him with a smile, one devoid of any chaos or lewd intentions, a clarity in his gaze that was more bewitching than any enchanting, glamorous eyes could ever be.

At least, Xie Zhi Gui would believe it, momentarily.

"Even the most cunning of demons must have their moments of pure goodness."

"Besides, this hair is so wildly untamed, it's nearly exhausted my patience."

"Come here."

In that moment, as if someone else had taken control of his body, Xie Zhi Gui found himself walking over, sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to him.

Ming Fei Yu first set aside the ribbon, then his cool, slender fingers weaved through Xie's hair, causing a ticklish sensation. It was unclear whether the itchiness was from Ming’s fingers grazing his skin or his breath on the back of Xie's neck.

"Is it just me, or is he too close?"

For some reason, Xie Zhi Gui's heartbeat accelerated, the blue veins on his neck standing out due to the tension, the blood visibly pulsing within.

Then he heard Ming Fei Yu chuckle briefly: "Don't be nervous, it's just tying up hair."

That comment only made Xie feel more confined.

Just as he was about to say something to regain his composure, he heard Ming Fei Yu from behind him: "There, done."

That's it?

Xie Zhi Gui immediately stood up, going over to the mirror to inspect the job from all angles. He had to admit, the ponytail Ming Fei Yu had tied was indeed neater than any he managed himself; his own attempts always left strands falling out here or there, messy like a small bride ravaged by rough hands.

Through the mirror, their eyes met. Ming Fei Yu confidently arched an eyebrow, seemingly expecting praise.

Xie Zhi Gui averted his gaze uncomfortably, vowing silently that once out of the Misty Mountains, he’d find a barber to rid himself of this troublesome hair, swearing off long locks for life.

Yet, gratitude was still due: "Thank you."

Ming Fei Yu: "No need for such formality."

Curiosity got the better of Xie Zhi Gui, and he asked, "Did you often tie it for him?"

Ming Fei Yu's expression shifted subtly, he leaned his arms against the bedpost and was silent for several breaths, as if past memories resurfaced in the depths of his dark eyes.

"Not often."

"It was always me who tied it, ever since his hair grew long."

Ming Fei Yu's gaze softened again as it fell upon Xie Zhi Gui's long hair, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint smile.

Xie Zhigui observed him through the mirror.

He wondered if Ming Feiyu was actually looking through him at someone else.

So, probing, he asked, "He wouldn't be tied up, either?"

"He knows a bit, but his skills are on par with yours, which makes it... difficult to describe in a single word. You should understand."

"..." Xie Zhigui felt affronted.

Then he heard Ming Feiyu hum a laugh, seemingly amused.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Do you realize how much you resemble him right now?"

Xie Zhigui glanced at his reflection in the mirror, puzzled. "In what way?"

Ming Feiyu pointed towards the corner of his eye, "Right here, the eyes."

What about the eyes?

"When he's displeased, he won't say it outright, but his gaze will drift downward, the corners of his eyes will droop, and he'll stare blankly at his feet. I never understood what was so interesting down there."

"It's as if I've annoyed a cat with a bad temper, which simply sulks with its head down, not sparing me a glance. If I try to pull it away, I might even get swiped with a claw, and it takes a good while to coax it into looking at me again."

After hearing this, Xie Zhigui swiftly glanced a few times in the mirror without a change in expression, silently comparing in his mind.

Like a cat?

Where does it show any feline trait?

But after all the comparing, he still felt he wasn't the least bit like a cat.

Ming Feiyu definitely had it wrong.

"So, you're saying he has quite the temper."

"It's alright."

Ming Feiyu: "When he first arrived, he wasn't so temperamental; that behavior was cultivated later on."

Xie Zhigui glanced at him, knowing full well who had spoiled him just by thinking with his toes.

However, the thought of Ming Feiyu also being put in his place brought a sense of equilibrium to his mind, and he thought without an ounce of sympathy: Serves you right.

"Does he often lose his temper with you?"

As soon as he asked, he wished he could take back his words. Why had he spoken so much to Ming Feiyu today?

Moreover, why was he inquiring about someone else's private matters? What right did he have to ask? It was impolite and indiscreet.

Xie Zhigui felt as though he had become a stranger to himself.

Was the person in the mirror still him?

What exactly was going on? ...

Fortunately, Ming Feiyu didn't mind and seemed happy to discuss his little lover with him, dredging up entertaining anecdotes from his memories.

"Actually, most of the time in the past, he was very dependent on me, quite obedient."

Ming Feiyu sighed unconsciously as he said this: "Only at certain times, when he really couldn't take it anymore, would he lash out at me."

"Like when I would tie his hair in the morning, he wouldn't be fully awake yet, and he'd lean on me in a daze, needing support to keep from falling. If I wanted to kiss him, he would half-close his eyes and willingly respond, murmuring and chirping like a kitten, so sweet and well-behaved."

As the sunset slowly sank into the horizon, Ming Feiyu's words flowed slowly and tenderly, a soft glow on his eerily cold face, each word enunciated with clear tenderness. Those were undoubtedly moments of blissful sweetness, the kind that could ensnare the heart.

Xie Zhigui could sense those beautiful, tender moments from Ming Feiyu's expressions and tone.

But soon, Ming Feiyu's voice took a sharp turn, and he shook his head with a wry smile.

"At that time, he acted too well-behaved, as if his eyes held only me, making me not want to do or think about anything else, just to play with him all day long.

After fixing his hair in the morning, I couldn't resist holding him and going back to bed for a nap, but the neatly tied hair would become undone in no time, necessitating retying. After so many times, it would irritate him, and he would kick at me discontentedly with his foot."

Ming Feiyu touched his leg as if reminiscing: "His health isn't the best, but his kicks, I must say, are quite painful."

Xie Zhigui: "..."

"Why share these things?"

Why did Ming Feiyu feel the need to recount their past so openly to him, a stranger? Having never been in love himself, he didn't know what to say, couldn't pick up the thread of Ming's tale, nor could he simply walk out to hide.

All he could do was bow his head, feigning nonchalance while wiping the mirror, fearing that looking up would meet Ming Feiyu's gaze.

Prolonged silence is a killer.

And Ming Feiyu was, incidentally, looking right at him.

He held his breath for so long in silence, his ears reddening, before he managed to blurt out a trite comment.

"You two seemed to have had a good relationship."

Ming Feiyu: "Of course it was good before."

He then let out a cold laugh, "Even a false good is still good."

Xie Zhigui found this statement odd, yet couldn't pinpoint exactly what was amiss.

"False?"

"You humans are all liars."

"What do you mean?" Xie Zhigui asked hesitantly: "He, deceived you?"

"He almost got me killed."

Xie Zhigui was even more astonished, "Weren't you, deeply in love?"

"Yes, that's why later I wanted so badly to kill that little deceiver!" Every word soaked with bone-deep hatred.

"Perhaps, he had his reasons?"

"Reasons?"

Xie Zhigui didn't catch the mocking coldness in Ming Feiyu's smile; in the blink of an eye, all tenderness and intimacy were swept away by a storm-like ferocity, as if they had never crossed Ming Feiyu’s eyes or heart.

A heart wounded by betrayal, even after a long time, still throbs with old pain.

Especially when he saw Xie Zhigui turn into an ostrich burying its head to evade, always doing so whenever indecision struck, avoiding him, not daring to look at him, torturing with indifference!

The more he dwelled on the past, the more profound his hatred became for each and every event.

Ming Feiyu’s eyes were sinister as he clenched his teeth with loathing, wishing he could pounce and shatter Xie Zhigui into pieces to swallow him whole, at least then, during his cries of pain, during his discomfort, he wouldn’t be expressionless.

Alas, Xie Zhigui, lost in thought, was blissfully unaware of the impending danger.

Outside, the last ray of sunset had vanished, and a vast darkness enveloped the world.

The hour of the predator had arrived.

Xie Zhigui didn’t realize Ming Feiyu was angry, only suddenly feeling a chill down his spine.