Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Aaaah—!"

Lin Xingshu shrieked, violently tearing himself from Xie Guan’s grasp and landing a kick squarely on his shoulder.

Caught off guard, Xie Guan stumbled backward, falling. A moment of stunned silence, then he scrambled forward, reaching to cup Lin Xingshu’s face—only for Lin Xingshu to slap his hand away the next second, shrinking back into the corner, eyes wide with terror.

The flickering light cast grotesque shadows across Xie Guan’s face. As Lin Xingshu stared, his heart hammered against his ribs, threatening to burst from his chest. Extreme fear choked him, leaving him utterly voiceless.

At this moment, a tall, naked man knelt on the bed, his obsidian eyes fixed on Lin Xingshu, brimming with undisguised, chilling desire.

But that face… it wasn’t Xie Guan’s. It was a stranger’s, one he had never seen before.

The man’s features were unsettling—his facial traits seemed borrowed fragments from different faces, yet combined into something utterly ordinary, like a tarnished pearl. His complexion was unnaturally pale, almost grayish, and his hair hung lank and greasy, long overdue for a cut, with messy black strands partially obscuring his eyes. Yet those black pits of eyes still devoured Lin Xingshu through the gaps.

No… not entirely unfamiliar. That face… he felt like he had seen it somewhere before…

"Ah Shu, what’s wrong?"

"I’m Xie Guan. Ah Shu, don’t you recognize me?"

The man spoke, his mouth stretching into an unctuous grin on his stiff, pallid face as he reached out, attempting to draw closer.

Lin Xingshu’s pupils contracted sharply. With a shriek, he flattened himself against the wall, a long-forgotten memory suddenly flashing through his mind. Trembling, he looked up and rasped out a scream:

"It’s you! You’re that pervert!"

He remembered now—it was him! That pervert!

Too much time had passed, and he had nearly forgotten the man’s face. But those lecherous, oil-slick eyes had never left his nightmares. He still remembered… what that pervert had done to him. They were so close now that he could even feel the chilling aura radiating from the man’s body.

Lin Xingshu’s body convulsed violently. An arctic terror climbed from his soles, as if death's cloak had wrapped around him. He could barely breathe.

But just moments ago, the person with him had been Xie Guan! He had spent every day with Xie Guan—there was no way he could have mistaken him. How had he suddenly turned into this pervert!?

"Ah Shu, what are you talking about? I’m Xie Guan. Don’t you like me anymore?"

The man spoke softly, edging forward like a stalking predator, his hand tentatively outstretched. In response, Lin Xingshu snatched the vase from the bedside table, white-knuckling it as he aimed it at the man.

"Stay back! Don’t come any closer, or I won’t hold back!"

In the dimly lit room, the guttering light showed the man's smile curdling. He straightened slightly—his looming bulk seemed to swallow the room whole.

"What are you doing?!"

The man said nothing. Instead, he suddenly raised a hand to his cheek and began tearing at something. In the silence, an organic, wet tearing sound filled the air, like something cracking apart.

Lin Xingshu’s gaze locked onto the man’s face. With horror, he noticed the skin around the man’s mouth splitting apart bit by bit, mirroring the Jorogumo's horrific maw.

Yet the man seemed impervious to pain. Slowly, his mouth stretched open—wider and wider, the corners nearly reaching his ears. His facial features twisted grotesquely, as if forcibly pushed to the back of his skull. His mandibles unhinged, his teeth sharpening into fangs, and a flickering red tongue became faintly visible...

Lin Xingshu’s mind went blank. The thing before him… no, this could no longer be called human.

This was a monster.

He wanted to run, but sheer terror paralyzed him. His limbs felt icy and leaden, impossible to lift. The air in his chest thinned, his breaths turning ragged. He slumped weakly into the corner, bereft of even breath to scream.

The man, with his mouth full of fangs, slowly approached him, a twisted grin spreading across his face as his icy palm pressed against Ah Shu's cheek.

"Don't be afraid, Ah Shu. I would never hurt you. Now, I want to be with you in my true form."

"I promise, the real me will bring you even greater pleasure."

"Nooo! Get the hell away from me!"

*Slap!*

The man let out a pained, muffled groan as a sharp slap echoed through the room, his head snapping to the side from the force.

The next moment, Lin Xingshu bolted upright, screaming, his breathing ragged, his body drenched in sweat and trembling uncontrollably.

Bleary-eyed, he looked around, only to find darkness surrounding him, the silence complete. It had all been a dream...

His pounding heart gradually steadied as he exhaled deeply, sinking back against the headboard. His hand instinctively reached for the space beside him—only to grasp at emptiness.

Where was Xie Guan?

Lin Xingshu froze, then checked his phone. It was already 3 a.m.

He pulled on a shirt and moved to leave the room, but as he reached the door, he heard faint rustling sounds.

Muffled by the door, the sounds were indistinct.

Through the narrow gap, he could barely make out the dim glow of the living room lights. Frowning, his hand settled on the doorknob, and he turned it gently, easing the door open a crack.

When he saw what was happening in the living room, Lin Xingshu sucked in a sharp breath. The rustling abruptly stopped. His heart lurched, and he clapped a hand over his mouth, flattening himself against the door in panic.

Xie Guan was awake in the middle of the night—instead, he was eating something in front of the fridge... and what he was eating looked like raw meat.

But now Lin Xingshu wasn’t so sure anymore, even doubting whether he had seen it correctly. What kind of person eats raw meat?

Lin Xingshu's frown deepened, and he found himself biting his nails as he recalled the scene he had just witnessed.

At the time, he had only opened the door a tiny crack, so he couldn’t see clearly.

Xie Guan had been crouched in front of the fridge, his back turned, head lowered as if eating something. Faintly, Lin Xingshu could see Xie Guan holding something red in his hands, and the living room was filled with the coppery tang of blood.

He had wanted to look closer, but Xie Guan seemed to sense something and suddenly stopped moving. Terrified of being caught, Lin Xingshu had no choice but to retreat.

His unease deepened. Reason told him he shouldn’t keep spying, but curiosity killed the cat—in the end, he couldn’t resist his overwhelming curiosity and carefully cracked the door open again.

In the living room, only the light from the fridge was on.

Xie Guan was crouched in front of it, head bowed, hands clutching something as he devoured it. The wet, crunching sound echoed through the room, and as he moved, liquid dripped from the food in his hands onto the floor.

Lin Xingshu’s eyes widened, and he immediately slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle a scream.

It was blood—the liquid dripping from the food was blood!

The crunching sound continued to reverberate in his ears. Lin Xingshu froze for only a second before realizing—that sound—wasn’t it the sound of chewing bones?

Xie Guan really was eating raw meat!

Suddenly, Xie Guan stopped moving. He whipped his head around, and their eyes locked. Those pitch-black eyes were utterly cold, like a wild beast’s. Lin Xingshu’s heart lurched, and he quickly shrank back behind the door.

Please, let Xie Guan not have seen him...

The door was barely ajar, and it was so dark around—Xie Guan definitely couldn’t have seen him… Right, it’s fine. It’s just eating raw meat. Don’t people abroad eat raw meat all the time?

Worst case, he could just ask Xie Guan about it tomorrow morning. No big deal…

Lin Xingshu kept comforting himself in his mind, but his body still trembled uncontrollably. A chill crept up from his feet, and he shakily crawled back into bed, cocooning himself tightly in the blankets.

He tried to force himself to sleep, but that nightmare from earlier and the image of Xie Guan devouring raw flesh lingered in his mind. Though it was March already, he couldn’t get warm.

Xie Guan still hadn’t returned. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but eventually, exhaustion overcame him, and he fell into a fitful sleep.

But his rest was far from peaceful. Half-asleep, he felt someone lie down beside him, pulling him tightly into their embrace.

An icy chest pressed against his back, and hot breath fanned his ear, accompanied by the coppery stench of blood.

*

“Ah Shu, Ah Shu…”

Someone was calling him. Lin Xingshu frowned, trying to open his eyes, but his eyelids weighed a ton.

“It’s noon. Rise and shine. Lunch is almost ready.”

Xie Guan’s icy hand rested on his forehead. Lin Xingshu had been half-asleep, but the memory of last night’s events suddenly flashed through his mind, snapping him fully awake. His eyes snapped open, meeting Xie Guan’s pitch-black gaze.

“You’re awake? Come on, get up and wash up.”

Xie Guan smiled, his gorgeous eyes crinkling into crescents.

In his comfy clothes with an apron around his neck, he looked the picture of a doting househusband, a stark contrast to the figure who had been feasting on raw meat the night before. It was as if nothing had happened.

Lin Xingshu stiffened for a moment before forcing a weak smile and mumbling in response. Xie Guan patted his head, humming a tune as he returned to the kitchen.

By the time Lin Xingshu finished washing up, Xie Guan had already prepared the meal. Seeing him enter, Xie Guan grinned and grabbed his hand.

“I’ve been away these past few days. Have you been eating well? I made a lot of your favorites… Ah Shu, why do you look so pale?”

“Ah, do I?”

Through the reflection in the glass, Lin Xingshu caught sight of his own face—deathly pale, lips bloodless, dark circles under his eyes. He did look terrible.

Xie Guan went to cup his cheek, but Lin Xingshu jerked back on instinct. Xie Guan’s hand hung in the air for a moment before he curled his fingers and slowly withdrew it.

An uncomfortable silence stretched between them. Lin Xingshu wanted to say something, but the words died in his throat. It was Xie Guan who broke the tension first.

“Ah Shu, did something upset you?”

A cold touch brushed the back of his hand. Lin Xingshu looked up to see Xie Guan studying him with concern, his voice gentle.

“Tell me. We’re together. Whatever it is, we’ll face it together.”

Right. They were together. There shouldn’t be anything they couldn’t talk about.

Lin Xingshu clenched his jaw, last night’s image burned behind his eyes. His hands, resting on his knees, clenched into fists without him realizing.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to react like that earlier… It’s just…”

He took a deep breath and met Xie Guan’s eyes directly. “Last night, I heard noises in the living room. I opened the door and saw you crouched in front of the fridge, eating—God—raw meat.”

His voice trembled slightly. “Blood was dripping on the floor. I saw it clearly. You even turned and looked at me—your face was covered in blood, and you were chewing raw meat…”

Just recalling Xie Guan’s appearance last night sent his heart racing.

“I don’t actually mind it. A lot of people abroad eat raw meat too. If it’s your dietary habit, you don’t have to hide it—”

“Ah Shu, what are you talking about?”

Xie Guan cut in before he finished. Lin Xingshu froze, lifting his head to stare at him.

Xie Guan was looking back, his dark eyes blank of all emotion. Then, suddenly, he tilted his head and smiled, his eyes dancing with amusement.

“I don’t eat raw meat. And last night, I was sleeping right beside you the whole time. I never went to the living room.”

He denied it.

Lin Xingshu gaped at him. “Why are you lying? I saw it with my own eyes!”

No way he imagined that. He had even smelled the blood on Xie Guan last night!

Xie Guan heaved a sigh. “Ah Shu, must’ve been a nightmare. I really didn’t do any of that.”

“No!”

Lin Xingshu suddenly remembered something and quickly pulled out his phone. Before Xie Guan had left for his business trip, he had installed a surveillance camera in the living room, saying he was worried about leaving Lin Xingshu alone. Now, he could just check the footage from last night!

Heart pounding, Lin Xingshu pulled up the app and scrubbed through the recording from around 3 a.m.

As time passed, his smile slipped, replaced by dawning horror.

From 3 a.m. to 6 a.m., the living room remained completely empty.

“Ah Shu, you must’ve been half-asleep.”

Xie Guan closed the distance with a smile, sitting beside him and slung an arm around his neck. He nuzzled against Lin Xingshu’s ear like some lovesick puppy, his fingers trailing down his neck teasingly, circling his collarbone.

“Ah Shu, I went too hard on you last night. Maybe that’s why you couldn’t tell dreams from reality. Let me help you relax later, okay?”

“I—”

Before he could respond, the whisper of fabric on skin filled the air. Xie Guan slowly knelt beneath the dining table, spreading his legs apart.

That perfect face nuzzling his knee, dark eyes gazing up at him intently. Xie Guan rubbed his cheek against Lin Xingshu’s thigh like some starved animal, his restless hands already slipping beneath the loose fabric of his sleep pants.

Lin Xingshu knew what Xie Guan was about to do. He always did this.

Whenever they were together, Xie Guan acted like a beast, often unable to control his urges regardless of the setting.

……

Dazed, Lin Xingshu slumped over the table, obscene wet sounds in his ears. Yet, his mind remained fixated on what he had seen last night. He knew—knew down to his bones—he hadn’t imagined it. He knew the difference between dreams and reality.

What the hell was happening…?

*“The Xie Guan by your side right now isn’t the real Xie Guan. He’s a monster—one that can mimic human appearances. You can call him a ‘pseudohuman.’”*

Zhong Cheng’s warning echoed in his head. Lin Xingshu gradually snapped out of his haze, a terrifying idea took root.

He looked down at Xie Guan, who was diligently working under the table. Sensing his gaze, Xie Guan lifted his head, his dark eyes curved into crescents as he flashed a sickeningly sweet smile before redoubling his efforts.

Pleasure swallowed him again, and he slumped weakly against the chair, eyes glazed over. Yet, his mind grew sharper.

He remembered—he hadn’t actually deleted Zhong Cheng’s contact information.

Perhaps… it was time to meet with Zhong Cheng.