Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Dusk.

“Xiao Lin, Xiao Lin.”

The voice beside him jolted Lin Xingshu back to reality. He quickly responded, but his colleague scrutinized him, dissatisfaction etched on his face. “What’s wrong with you today? You’ve been so absent-minded.”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just didn’t sleep well…”

Lin Xingshu offered a vague excuse, his gaze unconsciously drifting toward Xie Guan’s office.

Through the transparent glass door, he saw Xie Guan sitting at his desk, those inky eyes fixed on him through the glass. Their eyes met, and a cold shiver raced down his spine. He quickly lowered his gaze.

In the past, he had never paid much attention to Xie Guan at work. Occasionally, their eyes would meet by chance, and he had always thought it was a sign of their unspoken bond. But today, it made him uneasy.

Xie Guan was always watching him.

Whether at the office or at home, he was perpetually under Xie Guan’s watchful eye.

Feigning normalcy, he forced himself to focus on his work, but the feeling of being watched lingered, making him too afraid to look up.

“Vrrrt—”

His phone vibrated. He glanced down, and his pulse spiked.

It was Zhong Cheng. Zhong Cheng had accepted his friend request.

Originally, he had wanted to call Zhong Cheng, but after thinking it over, he realized there was never a good time to talk.

Whether at work or after hours, Xie Guan was always glued to him. They were like Siamese twins, inseparable at all times.

And lately, Xie Guan seemed to have grown even more sensitive, as if he had noticed something.

Every time his phone buzzed, Xie Guan would smile and ask who it was. Phone calls were out of the question—even work-related matters were subjected to relentless grilling.

When Xie Guan interrogated him, his face was always adorned with a gentle smile, his inky eyes crinkling into crescents. But there was no warmth in those eyes—just a waxen, lifeless smile.

Like a store dummy.

This Xie Guan seeded a nameless dread in him. He began rejecting Xie Guan’s advances, his mind too preoccupied with a single question to feel any desire.

“Hello, Lin Xingshu.”

Zhong Cheng had messaged him first. Lin Xingshu’s stomach lurched, but he forced himself to steady his fingers as he typed a reply.

“Is this Zhong Cheng? There’s something I need to ask you.”

Zhong Cheng replied quickly: “I know what you want to ask. Not something for texts. Let’s meet tonight at 7. Here’s the address.”

Zhong Cheng sent him a location—an apartment complex.

7 p.m....

Lin Xingshu’s eyes darted. That was usually when he and Xie Guan had dinner at home. If he suddenly said he had plans, Xie Guan would undoubtedly drag him through an inquisition—or worse, insist on coming along.

What excuse could he use...?

After a moment of thought, he messaged Xie Guan: “Babe, my parents are visiting today, so I can’t have dinner with you.”

The reply came almost instantly:

“Aw... Can’t I tag along, Ah Shu?”

Of course Xie Guan would want to join. Lin Xingshu lowered his eyes, thinking, then replied:

“You know my parents are divorced. They’re bringing their new families this time, so it’s a bit weird... It’s just a quick bite to eat, half an hour at most. I’ll be back soon.”

This time, Xie Guan didn’t respond immediately. Lin Xingshu fidgeted, his anxiety mounting as he stared at Xie Guan’s profile picture. Unconsciously, his palms grew damp with sweat.

“Vrrrt—”

His phone vibrated again. Lin Xingshu’s gut twisted, and when he read Xie Guan’s reply, his body went cold, shaking like a leaf.

“Really now?”

“Is it really because it’s awkward, or do you just not want them to see me?”

“Or maybe... you’re not even meeting your parents at all?”

Lin Xingshu’s throat went dry. At the same time, the feeling of being watched intensified. Despite forcing himself not to look up, he couldn’t help but glance toward Xie Guan’s office.

Sure enough, Xie Guan was staring at him through the glass. When their eyes met, Xie Guan smiled—sugar-sweet, his eyes curving into crescents.

Lin Xingshu’s face stiffened. After a pause, he pasted on a smile in return.

He didn’t realize how ghastly and stiff it looked.

His phone buzzed again—another message from Xie Guan.

“I’m only yanking your chain, Ah Shu ^＿^”

“I trust you. You’re crazy about me—you wouldn’t lie to me, right?”

Lin Xingshu’s breath came in shallow hitches, ice creeping down his spine. His fingers trembled as he typed a reply.

“Of course. You’re paranoid. I love you. I’d never lie to you.”

Xie Guan... wasn’t onto him... right?

Lin Xingshu tried to reassure himself, but he failed to notice Xie Guan’s gimlet gaze through the glass door.

Xie Guan’s gaze was fixed on their message thread. When he saw Lin Xingshu’s loving “Babe,” he huffed a joyless laugh—though his eyes remained cold. He traced his lips with a thumb, then suddenly bit down hard on his knuckle.

Ah Shu never called him “Babe.”

He was lying. He wasn’t meeting his parents. Who was he really seeing?

Had he found someone else? No—impossible. They were together every day. He had checked Ah Shu’s phone—no suspicious contacts. But what if...?

What if some goddamn homewrecker had lured him away...?

Jealousy curdled in his gut. Unconsciously, his teeth sank deeper into his knuckle, drawing blood, but he didn’t even notice. His eyes remained locked on Lin Xingshu’s back, filled with vitriol and want.

No. He couldn’t allow this. He refused to believe anyone could be better than him. He had to do something—wheedle, beg, grovel—anything. He would make sure Ah Shu knew who the only one for him was.

*

At exactly 7 p.m., Lin Xingshu arrived at the address Zhong Cheng had sent him.

Down the block, he spotted Zhong Cheng standing under a streetlamp near the apartment building’s entrance, a cigarette dangling between his teeth. When Zhong Cheng saw him, he flicked the cig away and jerked his chin up.

“You came? Let’s move.”

Lin Xingshu’s gaze swept over him but he didn’t respond, his eyes fixed on the sword at Zhong Cheng’s waist. Understanding his thoughts, Zhong Cheng wordlessly unbuckled the blade and handed it to him.

“I know you don’t trust me. Take this. If I have any funny business in mind, this will be your means of self-defense.”

Holding the weathered sword, Lin Xingshu couldn’t help but ask, “You always carry this blade when we meet. Does it hold some special meaning?”

“Heh...”

Zhong Cheng turned back, a faint smile on his face.

“This... is the best damn monster-slaying weapon there is.”

Lin Xingshu’s pulse quickened, and he quickly lowered his eyes. He fell silent, following Zhong Cheng to his residence.

The overhead light flickered intermittently as Lin Xingshu glanced around. Zhong Cheng lived in a bare-bones apartment with nothing inside.

“Come with me. You’re about... to learn everything.”

Zhong Cheng gave a thin smile. Lin Xingshu instinctively tightened his grip on the saber at his waist—he was prepared. If Zhong Cheng harbored ill intent, he wouldn’t pull punches.

“Creak—”

Right before his eyes, Zhong Cheng slowly pushed open the bedroom door.

Inside, pitch blackness. Lin Xingshu instinctively reached for the light switch, but Zhong Cheng quickly stopped him. “Don’t turn it on yet. He’ll wake up. His body hasn’t fully recovered—he needs more rest!”

“What exactly is this?” Ever since stepping into this room, Lin Xingshu felt a weird, crawling unease. Zhong Cheng didn’t answer his question, instead carefully turning on his phone’s flashlight and angling the light at the bed.

“Now, you can see for yourself.”

Lin Xingshu frowned, following the dim light. When he saw the situation on the bed, his eyes widened abruptly, his face instantly turned horrified. He staggered uncontrollably, barely steadying himself by bracing against the wall. “He... he is...” Lin Xingshu stammered.

Lin Xingshu tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat. His body began trembling uncontrollably.

Zhong Cheng watched Lin Xingshu’s reaction quietly and gave a low chuckle. “As you can see, you already know the answer.”

Zhong Cheng’s gaze fell on the man lying on the bed, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

“He is your real boyfriend—Xie Guan.”

In an instant, Lin Xingshu felt as if struck by lightning, his mind blank, his legs too weak to stand.

Following his line of sight, a thin man lay quietly on the bed, his eyes closed, his face pale. The small mole beneath his eye accentuated his otherworldly beauty, like a sleeping beauty lying there in silence.

His skin was covered in bruises, with barely an untouched spot, as if savaged by a beast.

That face—it was indeed his boyfriend, Xie Guan.

“How... how is this possible...?”

Zhong Cheng scoffed. “How is it not possible? This is all the handiwork of that Pseudohuman. He injured Xie Guan, stole his identity, and I barely managed to wrest Xie Guan back from him with my life on the line.”

“Pseudohuman...”

“That Xie Guan by your side is a monster, whose whole trick is mimicking others’ appearances. I suspect... before Xie Guan, he probably tried approaching you wearing someone else’s face.”

Lin Xingshu jolted, as if recalling something. His expression gradually darkened horribly.

No wonder...

No wonder Li Yun, who had long since resigned, suddenly showed up like a lunatic professing love, and Xu Yuan, who had never even liked him, suddenly became head over heels for him...

If it was really as Zhong Cheng said... could that stalker who had been following him from the beginning also be him...?

Lin Xingshu grew increasingly horrified the more he thought about it. His fear of that stalker had long been ingrained in his bones—just the thought of that creepy, leering stare made him shudder.

But now Zhong Cheng was telling him that his gentle, attentive boyfriend, who had doted on him hand and foot, was actually some kind of monster... and even the stalker he feared was just him in disguise...

Lin Xingshu trembled as he braced himself against the wall, his thoughts scrambled, his gaze vacant. He shook his head, babbling over and over:

“No... that’s impossible...”

“I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it—!”

He clutched his head, his eyes filled with agony.

How was he supposed to accept this...?

His boyfriend had been so good to him, always putting him first, so tender with him, giving him the care and affection he had never received in his childhood. How could he believe his boyfriend was a monster?!

“It’s staring you in the face. If you don’t believe me, then go and see what he really is yourself.”

Lin Xingshu froze for a moment before lifting his head to look at Zhong Cheng.

“Why?”

“What?” Zhong Cheng frowned, confused.

“Who the fuck are you?! Why are you telling me all this?! And how do you even know these things?!”

Lin Xingshu wheezing, his voice hoarse as he demanded of Zhong Cheng. Zhong Cheng chuckled lightly. “At this point, I might as well tell you.”

“My name is Zhong Cheng. I work for the Special Creatures Containment Division. Our mission is to contain all non-human species.”

“Originally, I only needed to capture him. But since he harmed Xie Guan, a human, the organization has issued an order—he’s got to die. Lin Xingshu, the opportunity is in your hands now. Kill that monster and make things right again.”

......

Lin Xingshu didn’t know how he made it back to the apartment. He stood numbly in front of the door, the dagger’s weight in his coat pocket growing heavier, his heartbeat accelerating.

He took a deep breath, quickly tucked the knife back into his pocket, then let out a shaky breath and opened the door.

The moment the door swung open, he was abruptly yanked into an icy embrace.

“Ah Shu...”

Before Lin Xingshu could respond, Xie Guan leaned down, a kiss that stole his breath. Lin Xingshu could barely breathe, instinctively trying to push him away, but Xie Guan suddenly grabbed his thighs and lifted him off the ground.

His back slammed against the cold wall as Lin Xingshu helplessly hooked his arms around Xie Guan’s neck. Xie Guan sniffed at his neck like a beast, even flicking his tongue to lick his skin.

“Xie Guan, stop... stop it...”

“Ah Shu, I missed you... It’s been forever since we last... Can we... today...?”

As he spoke, Xie Guan’s hand slid under his shirt. Lin Xingshu suddenly remembered the knife hidden in his pocket and went rigid with panic. With a burst of strength he didn’t know he had, he threw Xie Guan off.

Xie Guan hadn’t expected the push and was caught off guard, falling hard onto the floor. His elbow hit the ground with a painful thud, and he let out a pained grunt.

Lin Xingshu froze in place, completely stunned. Yet when he met Xie Guan’s eyes—filled with confusion and hurt—his heart twisted painfully against his will.

“You... pushed me?” Xie Guan’s voice trembled as he gaped at Lin Xingshu, stunned.

For a moment, Lin Xingshu froze, guilt flickering in his eyes. He bit his lip. “I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to. Here, let me help you...”

He reached out, but Xie Guan avoided his touch. Raising his dark eyes, Xie Guan looked up at him—tears shimmering in the light, the rims of his eyes flushed red, his lips quivering.

“Ah Shu, did I do something wrong?”

“Why are you rejecting me? It’s been ages since we... Even when we sleep together, you won’t hold me anymore... Have you... stopped liking me?”

“I...”

Lin Xingshu didn’t know how to respond. He had never been good at lying. His gaze faltered, lips parting hesitantly. “No, don’t think like that... The floor’s cold—come on, get up.”

“You’re lying! You never used to be like this...”

Lin Xingshu pressed his lips together, at a loss for words. He reached out again, trying to help Xie Guan up, but Xie Guan suddenly seized his hand. Bowing his head, Xie Guan pressed desperate, feather-light kisses to his palm, then nuzzled into it like a needy, pleading puppy.

“Don’t leave me... please.”

Seeing Xie Guan like this, Lin Xingshu’s heart trembled again, aching with a sorrow he couldn’t name.

As Xie Guan wished, he slowly wrapped his arms around him. A cold wetness seeped into his neck—he thought Xie Guan was licking him again and nearly pushed him away—but the next moment, the wetness trailed down his shoulder and back, soaking into his clothes.

Xie Guan... was crying.

“Xie Guan?”

Lin Xingshu gently pulled back, only to find Xie Guan’s face streaked with tears. Those dark eyes fixed on him, overflowing with a love so fierce it terrified him.

Noticing Lin Xingshu’s gaze, Xie Guan suddenly smiled. He took Lin Xingshu’s hand and pressed it against his bare skin, his eyes begging.

“Ah Shu, touch me... Please, just touch me? I’ve picked up so many new tricks... I’ll please you, I promise. Don’t push me away...”