Chapter 159: Come Find Me

Chapter 159: Come Find Me

People are drawn to the thrill of the unknown, the anonymity that a screen provides, where no one knows your true identity. The chains and rules of society vanish, leaving only the swelling desires of the night, like champagne bubbles overflowing, popping one after another.

Xing Yuan didn't turn on his camera, allowing him to gaze unreservedly at the scene on the other side of the screen, while they remained oblivious to the black mist swirling around him and the snake-like tail—a common trait among wanderers.

It was... quite unfair indeed.

The corner of Xing Yuan's lips curled up slightly as the tip of his mist-formed tail flicked in delight. But when he saw the man on the screen, swathed from head to toe, his good mood evaporated instantly.

Xing Yuan let out a cold laugh. "Are you afraid of thieves?"

Lu Yan was all seriousness. "No, I'm wary of hooligans."

He had been wearing a loose white nightshirt but now had switched to a black jacket, zipped all the way up to cover his neck completely. It was clear who he was guarding against.

Xing Yuan narrowed his eyes upon seeing this. He had paid a century's worth of time, not to watch Lu Yan prance about in clothes on the other side. He flicked his cigarette ashes casually and spoke indifferently. "I'll give you two choices. One, unzip it."

Lu Yan asked with interest. "And the second?"

Xing Yuan never took a loss. "Refund me the time."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan chuckled. How could money already in hand be returned? There was no such principle in the world. His slender, bony fingers toyed with the zipper, as if pondering something. This nonchalant action ignited a smoldering fire in Xing Yuan's eyes.

He was always a hand enthusiast, and now, with those flawless hands waving before him, it was akin to a dog seeing a bone.

"…Alright."

After a long moment, Lu Yan finally relented, pulling down the jacket's zipper. Xing Yuan then realized that Lu Yan wore nothing underneath. The black jacket contrasted against his pale skin, the muscles neither too weak nor overly muscular, broad shoulders tapering into a narrow waist. Through the screen, he could vaguely see wounds scattered across his body, adding a touch of bloody allure.

Eight abs, truly.

And not only were his hands beautiful, his voice was pleasant, and his body young and vibrant.

Dazed by the charm, Xing Yuan felt slightly dizzy. After a few seconds, he regained his composure, resting his chin on his hand without a word. Then, he asked in a tone devoid of emotion, "How did you get injured?"

Lu Yan made up an excuse casually. "This morning, I went downstairs to buy something and was unexpectedly rushed by a wanderer. Fortunately, I dodged quickly, so there's nothing serious."

The injuries were superficial, not looking too severe.

Xing Yuan's gaze drifted downward, landing on the man's slightly protruding Adam's apple. Suddenly, he was curious about what the man looked like. Uncharacteristically, he said, "Move your face down a bit."

He heard the other party chuckle lowly. "You want to see my face?"

Caught off guard, Xing Yuan felt somewhat embarrassed and uncomfortable. "I just want to see your chin."

A poor excuse.

Lu Yan zipped up his jacket. "That won't do. I sell my skills, not my body."

Xing Yuan thought to himself that it might be a bit late to say that after everything had been seen. No wonder Luoyang liked to find handsome young men; youthful and beautiful bodies could indeed heal all. Even his foul mood today had improved significantly.

Xing Yuan's bony fingertips caressed the mouse unhurriedly. His half of the screen remained dark. "Aren't you curious about what I look like?"

Lu Yan seemed indifferent. "You can look however you want."

Xing Yuan frowned. "Why?"

Shouldn't the other party be curious about his appearance, just as he was about them? Unaware that he had already unknowingly engaged in a virtual encounter with Lu Yan, Xing Yuan felt that the person on the other side of the screen wasn't very interested in him. This left him feeling subtly...

Unhappy.

Lu Yan was all seriousness. "In our line of work, we can't pick our customers."

Xing Yuan found this statement even more grating, letting out a derisive laugh. "Your line of work? What line of work is that?"

Lu Yan replied, "Chat companion."

Xing Yuan's tone was icy as he posed a question he had never considered. "So, does that mean if I don't hire you in the future, you'll continue to find other customers?"

That was unlikely. Xing Yuan was difficult enough to please; Lu Yan probably wouldn't seek a second customer. Others likely wouldn't be as generous as Xing Yuan. Why endure the hardship?

Lu Yan must have been suppressing laughter. Xing Yuan noticed his shoulders shaking slightly. "I won't look for anyone else, just you."

Xing Yuan felt this sounded insincere, his mood caught between subtle satisfaction and dissatisfaction. "Why?"

Lu Yan replied, "You've made me realize how tough it is in this industry. Once this job is done, I plan to switch careers."

A vein pulsed on Xing Yuan's forehead, his tone dangerous. "What do you mean? Am I that hard to please?"

Lu Yan shook his long index finger at the screen, indicating disagreement. His voice held amusement. "It's not a problem that you're hard to please. What matters is finding someone willing to cater to you."

So what if he was hard to please? Xing Yuan wouldn't change, so it was more important to find someone willing to serve him. This sentence seemed to hint at something, but upon closer listening, no traces could be detected, like ripples dissipating in water.

Xing Yuan's emotions rose and fell, seemingly entirely under Lu Yan's control. He carried his computer into the room, allowing himself to fall onto the bed. The black tail formed from mist flicked on the light gray silk sheets, reminiscent of a cold-blooded reptile, ancient and mythological, controlling desire and decadence, inherently venomous.

Ah... would the other party scream in terror if they saw him like this?

A dark excitement flashed through Xing Yuan's eyes. He propped himself up to look at the screen. Although Lu Yan had put his jacket back on, his figure was still appealing. "Do you live alone now?"

Lu Yan subconsciously wanted to nod but changed his answer at the last moment. "No, I have a younger brother."

At the same time, he felt subtly uneasy, instinctively scanning his surroundings. He felt he had forgotten something, but before Lu Yan could recall it, the next moment, he was startled back to attention by the voice from the other side of the screen:

"You should come to Sky City when you have the chance."

Lu Yan instinctively looked up. "What???"

Xing Yuan repeated patiently, "I'm asking you to come to Sky City when you have the chance."

Lu Yan's mind raced at lightning speed, feeling that his intelligence was somewhat lacking at this moment: "Why go to Sky City?"

Xing Yuan remained silent, his eyes slightly squinted as he scrutinized Lu Yan through the screen, unsure of what he was thinking. After a pause of about several seconds, he finally asked with profound meaning, "Don't you want to live in Sky City?"

Xing Yuan detested trouble more than anything in his life, but there was no denying one thing: if these two wanted to permanently reside in Sky City, all it would take for him was a word.

Recently, Devil City had been in turmoil, and Lu Yan was getting injured every other day; perhaps next time, he might die at home without anyone knowing.

After some thought, Xing Yuan finally made a decision, frowning as he said, "Set a time to come to Sky City, bring your identification documents, and get your residency permits for you and your brother."

Now, Lu Yan was truly bewildered—what was the person on the other end up to? Regaining his composure, he politely declined, "No need, the cost of living in Sky City is very high; I may not be suitable to live there."

Xing Yuan's eyebrows arched slightly, surprised that Lu Yan would refuse. After all, in this utterly reversed situation, even a beggar in Sky City was three times better off than a pauper in Devil City. Now that the Red Sun had unleashed a rampage of wanderers, Sky City's entry passes had skyrocketed from a century's worth of time points to five centuries, and the authorities weren't even guaranteed to issue them. Was Lu Yan really that stupid or just pretending?

Xing Yuan asked with an unclear intention, "Are you sure?"

Sure, sure, sure!

Lu Yan dared not approach Xing Yuan; that would be a recipe for instant disaster, being recognized in no time: "Yes, I'm doing fine right now. Anyway, the Red Sun will disappear in a few days."

Xing Yuan: "I'll help you get two residency permits."

He referred to residency permits, not entry passes. Entry passes required exchanging a century's worth of time points, while residency permits had no restrictions, allowing unconditional permanent residence in Sky City. They were incredibly difficult to obtain, with only a few hundred issued each year. Money alone couldn't secure them without connections.

Lu Yan hesitated, "But..."

Xing Yuan said casually, "Also, I'll find an official job for your brother."

Xing Yuan calculated and found that bringing Lu Yan and his brother over wasn't as troublesome as he initially imagined. Money was trivial; the most important thing was peace of mind—a job and a house would suffice.

Lu Yan was somewhat swayed, "But..."

Xing Yuan furrowed his brows, his patience completely exhausted after all, he had extended kindness only a handful of times in his life: "But what? There's also an apartment, enough for the two of you to live in Sky City."

Instantly, Lu Yan sat upright, his voice low and earnest, "Dad, when is a good time for me to meet you?!"

Xing Yuan: "..."

Xing Yuan stubbed out his cigarette, frowning, "What did you call me?"

Only then did Lu Yan realize that he had accidentally slipped up in his excitement, calmly saying, "Sugar Daddy, did I get it wrong?"

Xing Yuan sneered, "I have no interest in being someone's father."

Lu Yan: "Then what should I call you?"

Xing Yuan didn't want to reveal his real name, so he simply used his social media ID to evade the question, spitting out a word with profound meaning: "Phantom."

It meant ghost or specter.

This name actually carried a suggestive undertone. If Lu Yan had pondered for a moment back then, he might have noticed something amiss. But there were no regrets in this world, and in his eyes, Phantom was no longer a ghost but—God!!!

Lu Yan and Xing Yuan chatted until late into the night before ending the video call. The first thing he wanted to do was share the good news with Lu Xiaozhao, but after searching the entire house, he couldn't find him.

"Lu Xiaozhao! Where are you? Get out here, or I'll beat you..."

Before Lu Yan could finish speaking, he suddenly realized something and rushed from the living room to the bedroom. Peering under the bed, he saw Lu Xiaozhao bound by an ability-powered net, wriggling on the ground like a caterpillar, unable to make a sound with something stuffed in his mouth.

This poor soul!!

Lu Yan quickly pulled him out from underneath, "You idiot, why didn't you make a sound?!"

If you couldn't speak, you could still bang your head against the wall.

"Wah wah wah! Wah wah!! Wah!"

Lu Xiaozhao seemed to have returned to normal, his originally blood-red pupils now a normal black, and his lower body, which resembled black mist, had transformed back into legs. He glared at Lu Yan with intense emotion, as if ready to fight him, but unfortunately, his mouth was gagged, making it impossible to hear what he was yelling.

Lu Yan swiftly removed the tape from Lu Xiaozhao's face and dug a towel out of his mouth. Gently patting the swollen cheek he had slapped, his brows furrowed, his voice filled with concern, "How are you? Can you still talk?"

"Lu Yan!! I'll fight you to the death!!!!"

These were Lu Xiaozhao's first words after opening his mouth, followed by a direct lunge to punch him.

"You damn bastard! You left me tied under the bed, undressed to make a video call and flirt with others, and slapped me seven or eight times. I [beep] you [beep]!!!"

Clearly enraged, Lu Xiaozhao's curses were so filthy they needed to be censored. Lu Yan didn't dodge, allowing the other party's amateurish martial arts skills to land a few hits. Feeling it was enough, he flipped the person onto the ground.

"Behave!"

With one hand, Lu Yan pressed Lu Xiaozhao down onto the ground. His expression was that of a rogue ruffian: "Don't you know why I tied you up? Why did I undress and make a video call with others? Wasn't it to earn money to support the family? What are you angry about? Slapping you was light; if others knew you were a wanderer, they'd directly capture you and send you to the patrol team to be shot dead. You wouldn't even have a place to lie under the bed!"

Mentioning the word "wanderer," Lu Xiaozhao's arrogance visibly diminished, his head lowered in silence.

Lu Yan frowned tightly, "Tell me, how did you become a wanderer?"

Lu Xiaozhao stammered, "I... I don't know either. When I woke up, I was like that. Except for the first few hours, I was actually conscious afterward; I just couldn't speak."

Lu Yan thought to himself that this was indeed a hopeless case. Other wanderers wreaked havoc everywhere, yet Lu Xiaozhao, upon becoming a wanderer, couldn't even speak. He asked a crucial question, "Will you suddenly turn back again?"

Lu Xiaozhao shook his head vigorously, "No, Brother. It was my first awakening, and due to the influence of the Red Sun, I lost control. Now, I can control myself."

Everyone in the world had secrets. Lu Xiaozhao's vague explanation might be because he genuinely couldn't clarify, or perhaps for other reasons. But it didn't change the fact that they were brothers.

Lu Yan slowly exhaled, feeling his temples throb. After all, having a wanderer suddenly appear in the household was indeed distressing: "As long as you can control yourself, that's fine. Stay at home these few days; I have something to attend to in Sky City."

Lu Xiaozhao had heard everything while hiding under the bed earlier. Surprised, he exclaimed, "Brother, you're not really going to meet up in person, are you? Calm down. In our line of work, we must never reveal ourselves. The other party is powerful; what if it's an old man who wants to take advantage of you? Wouldn't you suffer a huge loss? Forget about giving you an apartment, even ten wouldn't be enough!"

In truth, not only Lu Xiaozhao but also Xing Yuan shared this concern.

Indeed, he did like Lu Yan's hands and figure, but after all, he hadn't seen his face, right? What if the other party turned out to be an ugly monster who couldn't withstand the light of day, and he had given away both time and a room? Wouldn't that be a huge loss?

But that wasn't even the main concern. The biggest fear was that the other person wouldn't meet his taste, and then, just like that little lover BoBo in Luoyang, stick to him like chewing gum, impossible to shake off.

So on the day they agreed to meet in person, Xing Yuan stood before the full-length mirror, feeling unusually stumped for the first time. His brows furrowed as he felt that he must have been bewitched by the other's abs that night, otherwise, how could he have done something as foolish as agreeing to a face-to-face meeting?

He and Lu Yan had agreed to meet at three in the afternoon in a restaurant inside Sky City, both wearing light-colored clothes and carrying a rose.

Xing Yuan pondered for a moment, feeling it wasn't safe enough. In the end, he changed out of his well-tailored casual suit and into a black uniform for combat, typical of an ability user, before heading out.

First, he would hide in the shadows and observe the situation.

The residents of Cloud Road had already evacuated yesterday. The authorities brought in heavy weapons to deal with the wanderers, barely managing to hold their ground. The ability teams were divided into two batches working on alternate days, so during the afternoon break, Xing Yuan and the others from Luoyang were taking a nap in the restaurant.

It just so happened to be the same restaurant where he had agreed to meet Lu Yan.

Thus, while everyone else was playing cards and chatting, only Xing Yuan sat by the window, distracted throughout. He would glance at his watch from time to time, then look downstairs, appearing particularly out of sorts.

Yan Feng gave him a curious look. "What's wrong with you today? You're restless."

As if there were nails growing out of the chair.

Before Xing Yuan could open his mouth in response, Luoyang beside him stifled a laugh. "What do you think? Afraid of a 'light death' in a face-to-face meeting, that's what. A couple of days ago, he got the head of the political department, Director Liu, to make an exception and issue two permanent residence permits. It made the guy cry and whine, going straight to the General Court to complain. Tsk, if this ends up being a 'light death', you'll lose big time."

Luoyang always had his ear to the ground. Somehow, he had caught sight of one of Xing Yuan's messages to Lu Yan and immediately guessed the whole story. Today, he had specially arranged a dinner party, inviting a few friends over to watch the spectacle, since opportunities to see Xing Yuan in such a situation were rare.

Yan Feng was momentarily stunned. "Face-to-face meeting? For real?"

Luoyang: "More real than gold!"

Xing Yuan's gaze was cold and sharp like a sword. "If you don't speak, no one will take you for a mute!"

He'd sew this guy's mouth shut sooner or later!

Luoyang flipped the intricately patterned gold-edged playing cards in his hand. "Listen to your buddy's advice. Don't go down there later. Just stand upstairs and watch. These days, online scams are rampant. Fifty-year-old uncles pretending to be young men, sixty-year-old aunties pretending to be lolis, anything can happen. If it turns out to be a 'light death', you won't even have a place to cry."

Xing Yuan was already anxious, and Luoyang's words only made him more so, his brows knitted tightly:

A fifty-year-old uncle pretending to be a young man? Impossible, right? Who has an uncle with such a good figure?!