Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Six

"Speak up!"

Ming Fei Yu's words burst forth from between clenched teeth, a ghastly and terrifying voice echoing through the hollow rain-drenched night: "Why did you run?"

"I-I didn't mean to run..."

"Then why did you come out here?"

The grip on his neck was tightening; the one holding him was now angry and sorrowful, as if in the next second his spine would emit a crisp snapping sound.

Xie Zhi Gui laboriously pieced together a few fragmented words from the blankness of his mind: "Rabbit, today, not fed."

Even he found his own excuse absurd.

But Ming Fei Yu seemed not intent on exposing him, inflicting a punitive pinch before softening his grip, and said tersely, "Fine."

"Come back. I'll feed the rabbit. It's still raining, and you could easily fall ill if you go out."

Having been granted a moment to catch his breath, Xie Zhi Gui inhaled the fresh air in great gulps, his heart pounding uncontrollably as if he had just skirted the gates of hell.

Ming Fei Yu released his hand, instead taking hold of Xie Zhi Gui's wrist, intending to lead him back. With a gentle tug, Xie Zhi Gui remained unmoved, as if rooted to the spot.

He frowned and said, "Come back, it's cold outside."

This sentence, seemingly tender and full of concern, allowed Xie Zhi Gui to clearly feel the underlying assertive attitude that brooked no opposition.

If he dared not to return...

No, there was no 'if.'

He turned his stiff body, and Ming Fei Yu reached out to wipe off a few drops of rain on his shoulder, then lifted his face, rubbing his frozen, somewhat stiff cheeks with a pained expression, creating a fleeting blush on his pale face.

Seeing him like this agitated Ming Fei Yu, who spoke with a mix of reproach and tenderness, "Don't run around in such cold, rainy weather. The rabbit hasn't starved yet, look what you've done to yourself, frozen like this?"

Xie Zhi Gui hung his head, as if rendered mute.

But as long as he was obedient, Ming Fei Yu would be the most considerate lover.

"Go inside first," Ming Fei Yu coaxed him gently, "I'll make you a warm bowl of soup to help you sleep well."

Xie Zhi Gui remained unresponsive, and after watching him for a moment, Ming Fei Yu, seemingly at the end of his patience, took him by the hand and led him away.

He moved like a marionette, steps mechanical and controlled by strings, following Ming Fei Yu with a silent expression. Yet, as one foot crossed the threshold, he quickly lifted his eyelids, casting a glance to the side.

The rain, fluttering down like fluff, nearly soaked through all the open space under the eaves, except for one spot where the outline of a figure was visible, slightly drier and a more grey-brown than the rest.

From the start, Ming Fei Yu hadn’t left; he had been standing there, lying in wait like a hunter for his rabbit, leaning against the cold wooden planks, allowing the rain to splash against his face, half hoping for the best as he listened intently to the sounds inside.

Until the silence was broken by the sudden rush of fleeing footsteps inside, Ming Fei Yu found himself breathless, abandoned once again.

The home he had meticulously maintained crumbled before his eyes, leaving no shelter from the storms of the world that would henceforth assault him mercilessly.

The rain was truly cold, blurring everything before him to a grey and colorless haze.

But the cold in his heart was sharper.

He never truly believed the little trickster would obediently wait for his return, yet he couldn’t help but test the waters.

The final outcome utterly extinguished his hopes.

For a moment, he thought cynically to himself: This is what comes of a soft heart—having one's sincerity trampled upon over and over!

Not snapping Xie Zhi Gui’s neck on the spot was a mercy, the result of countless mental preparations he had made for himself.

Each time he thought, next time, he would just kill him.

But there were always more 'next times,' far too many.

No sooner had they returned inside than Xie Zhi Gui tried to break free from his hold. Ming Fei Yu's anger flared anew, and, ignoring Xie Zhi Gui’s cry of surprise, he clamped one hand over both of Xie Zhi Gui’s, pinning them to his back, while the other hand pressed down on the nape of his neck to keep him still.

Then, he buried his head into that wound once more, his alabaster teeth exposed again.

But before he could exert any force, Xie Zhi Gui began to cry out in despair.

“Why—why are you crying again?!”

The pitiful and fearful sobbing threw him into a state of annoyed confusion.

Ming Fei Yu hadn't even begun to feel angry about the countless times Xie Zhi Gui had deceived him, yet it was Xie Zhi Gui who first wallowed in self-pity.

Xie Zhi Gui rarely cried. When he did, his tears were not gentle clouds but frost on a blade—melting into cold, sharp slivers of ice mixed with the scent of blood and rust.

Yet Ming Fei Yu found a bitter sweetness in this very thing.

The person in his arms was being difficult, and his mood for further action dissipated.

Ming Fei Yu sighed, turned Xie Zhi Gui's face towards him, and stared into his eyes. The face he had soothed with great effort was now crying a storm, provoking both his anger and distress.

"Please stop crying, will you?"

Ming Fei Yu relented, tenderly kissing away the tear at the corner of Xie Zhi Gui's eye.

With emotions running high, Xie Zhi Gui’s bloodshot eyes glared at him, his speech broken and slurred, "Go away… just, just go!..."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Concerned that his arms might be uncomfortable, Ming Fei Yu released Xie Zhi Gui's hands, instead wrapping his arms around his shoulders, resting his forehead against Xie Zhi Gui's, feeling the latter's feverish temperature.

"Don't be scared. If you're obedient and don’t deceive me, I won’t bite. We'll find another way to make you comfortable."

Xie Zhi Gui seemed to tremble at that, wanting to flee but immobilized by Ming Fei Yu's grip on his shoulder, also fearful of provoking him again.

Their foreheads touching, sharing body heat, such intimate expressions of affection between lovers, was for Xie Zhi Gui an ordeal in its own right.

He was not the beloved; he was just a stand-in wearing the lover’s face, unwilling to accept the tenderness and passion Ming Fei Yu intended for another, nor wanting to bear the brunt of misdirected anger.

Why should he, an inconsequential person, be dragged into their saga of love and hate, their life-and-death struggle, to become mere collateral?

What had he done to deserve this?!

As he calmed down a bit, he cautiously lifted his eyelids and saw Ming Fei Yu with closed eyes, his brow showing a focus and devotion, as if he held a treasured possession he had once lost and found again.

But this very thing terrified Xie Zhi Gui; he didn’t want to be a monster’s treasure, to bear the consequences of its occasional loss of control.

He wanted to survive, to leave this place, so he had been biding his time with Ming Fei Yu, but it seemed that this trembling peace might be coming to an end.

Ming Fei Yu would certainly not stop at the few bites he took today; a hungry wolf would never settle for nibbling cabbage leaves. He was only playing harmless, a pretense of innocence, to avoid scaring away his prey. Once he had cajoled his prey sufficiently, he would surely bare his fangs, and when that time came, the bites would not be limited to the neck.

Xie Zhi Gui felt terrible, as if he were drowning at sea, trapped by a situation with no good escape.

He couldn't stay here any longer; Ming Fei Yu might lose his sanity at any moment, and futile resistance might only provoke a more severe retaliation.

He might die, devoured by this monster, becoming nothing more than a sumptuous meal.

To escape, he would need to muster the resolve to risk everything, otherwise...

He silently moved his hands behind his back, unnoticed by Ming Fei Yu; from his sleeve, he drew a knife, wiped the sweat from his palm, and gripped it tightly within his hand, a small reassurance of security.

Then, he took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for a decisive moment.

"Ming Fei Yu."

Ming Fei Yu immediately opened his eyes, gazing greedily into his, "What is it?"

Whether it was anger or fear, those eyes were extremely beautiful; he was madly fond of them.

"I'd like to have that soup you made last time."

"Which one?"

"The sweet one."

"How much sugar should I add?"

"It's up to you."

"Alright."

Ming Fei Yu moved away from his forehead but didn't immediately remove his hand from his shoulder, perhaps wary from Xie Zhi Gui's earlier attempt to escape.

He brushed aside the messy fringe on Xie Zhi Gui's forehead, gazing deeply at him: "I'll go make it for you, but don't think about running away."

Xie Zhi Gui nodded, his face showing weariness: "I won't run, I'm tired."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Ming Feiyu fixed his gaze on his eyes, and as time slipped away, the smile at the corners of his mouth seemed to slowly fade.

He narrowed his eyes and asked with a bewitching, deep voice, "Would you deceive me?"

Xie Zhigui immediately responded, "I would not."

Ming Feiyu ruffled his hair, which had just been tidied, causing it to fall loosely again; his smile was faint, unsettling Xie Zhigui at his core.

"Bring out what you've hidden for me to see."

It was as if a bomb exploded right by his ear! Xie Zhigui's heart leapt into his throat in an instant!

How could Ming Feiyu know, when he had clearly had his eyes closed just before...

He feigned composure and met Ming Feiyu's gaze.

"What?"

"The hand you have behind your back, you've hidden something there, haven't you?"

The smile had long since vanished from Ming Feiyu's face; he spoke deliberately, his low voice hissing like a venomous snake, releasing an intangible oppression that forced beads of sweat to form on Xie Zhigui's forehead.

"Be good, let me see what it is."