Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The bathroom was flooded with harsh white light.

Water gushed noisily from the faucet, glittering droplets splashing everywhere.

He Xu braced himself against the sink, his eyes and nose flushed red, water still glistening on the corners of his lips. He'd vomited up every last drop of the alcohol he had consumed earlier.

He lifted his head, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

His eyes were damp, tears from the violent heaving. Beneath the fragile appearance, however, was pure hatred in his eyes.

That damned monster—if it weren’t for it, why couldn't he hold down even a sip of alcohol?!

His fingers, gripping the edge of the sink, slowly tightened into fists, veins bulging on the back of his hands, revealing his rage.

His chest heaved violently a few times before He Xu clenched his jaw and pulled out the folding knife he always carried with him.

This was a tactical-grade alloy blade he had specially acquired—capable of piercing through even a centimeter-thick steel plate. If that monster dared show itself again, he would make sure it died!

Banging the knife on the sink with a sharp crack, He Xu darkly shoved it back into his pocket, then bent down to rinse his mouth with water.

The rushing water masked the faint rustling sounds behind him.

The bathroom door closed softly, and an enormous shadow loomed silently from behind him.

Spitting out the water, He Xu wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and was about to return to the private room when he inadvertently glanced up—his pupils abruptly constricted!

Behind him, a colossal monster had appeared without warning.

Its body was pitch-black, covered in dark, swirling patterns. Dozens of thick tentacles squirmed around it like eels, resembling a giant octopus blown up to monstrous size. Six eyes, arranged vertically in pairs, fixed him with a stare from its massive face.

Monster!

He Xu’s muscles tensed instantly, adrenaline spiked through him. His hand shot into his pocket, groping for the folding knife.

But the monster was faster. The moment his fingers brushed the knife, several tentacles shot forward like whips, wrapping tightly around him.

From his shoulders to his waist, down to his ankles—every part of him was ensnared by the thick tentacles. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t break free.

"Get off! Let me go!" He Xu roared, thrashing violently while darting frantic looks at the stall doors, hoping someone would hear the commotion and come to his aid—or at least distract the monster long enough for him to draw his knife.

But to his despair, the stalls remained silent. The entire bathroom seemed empty except for him.

Just his fucking luck!

No—this monster must have deliberately waited until he was alone to ambush him!

Cold dread pooled in He Xu’s gut. He struggled even harder, but the more he twisted, the tighter the restraints became. More and more tentacles coiled around him, crushing him until his bones creaked.

Zhang Yu instinctively tightened his grip.

Though he could mimic human form, he was not human at all—his tolerance for alcohol was extremely low, and he still hadn't sobered up.

In the hallway, he had followed the familiar scent, unconsciously reverting to his true form along the way. Using his mimicry to blend into the surroundings, and with the surveillance cameras somehow missing him under the system’s interference, he had made his way unimpeded to the bathroom.

Crawling up to He Xu, Zhang Yu clumsily propped himself up with his tentacles, staring dizzily at the human before him. A fragrance only he could detect thickened the air, seeping into his senses.

The host… was calling to him… needed… soothing…

Fragmented thoughts flitted through his drunken mind. Acting on instinct, Zhang Yu extended a tentacle, pulling the human closer, driven to satisfy the craving.

But the body beneath his grasp struggled violently. Still drunk, Zhang Yu instinctively constricted, the familiar scenario confusing him into thinking he was hunting.

A strong prey refusing to submit, trying to escape—no… must not let it get away…

Unconsciously, he squeezed harder, intending to crush the struggling prey in his grasp. Choked grunts hit his ears, and the scent in the air abruptly shifted, spiked with pain.

No… wrong… not prey…

The colossal octopus-like monster's eyes glazed over, its massive face looming closer to the weakening creature in its grasp. Its taut tentacles loosened slightly.

It was…

He Xu wheezed for breath, crushed under the immense pressure. His organs felt compressed, his bones groaning under the pressure.

The constriction around his chest made breathing nearly impossible. No matter how desperately he gasped, suffocation crept in relentlessly.

His face flushed crimson, then rapidly turned ashen. His vision tunneled, flickering like static.

The sensation of impending death flooded his mind—until, suddenly, the crushing force around him eased slightly. A surge of survival instinct gave him one last burst of strength. He yanked out the folding knife, flicked it open, and stabbed blindly beside him!

Zhang Yu’s pupils contracted sharply. White-hot pain exploded across his face, bright red blood dripping to the floor before turning transparent.

An ear-splitting shriek tore from his maw, the faint traces of clarity in his mind scattering completely.

In a fit of rage, he crushed down with renewed force, intent on crushing the defiant prey.

The human let out a strangled cry, the knife slipping from his grip. The stench of terror hit him.

Prey… no… not prey… is… isn’t…

His sensory organs picked up signals from the host, instinctively urging him to loosen his grip. Yet the pain on his face drove him to squeeze tighter. The conflicting impulses clashed in his mind, leaving only one thought behind.

Disobedient… needs… discipline…

A tentacle shoved into the human’s mouth. The oozing black monstrosity, clutching its prey, oozed out of the bathroom and into a dark, open private room nearby.

Bang!

Amidst smothered thrashing and the sound of fabric tearing, the door crashed shut, locking away the nightmare within.

……

The clock in the lobby ticked relentlessly, its minute hand circling again and again. Waves of guests came and went, until finally, the place fell silent.

A janitor pushed a cleaning cart down the hallway, tidying each room one by one. When he reached the private room near the bathroom at the far end, he pushed the door—then paused in confusion.

"Huh? Why won’t this open?" He jiggled the handle.

Click, click. The lock turned smoothly. "Works fine…"

Muttering to himself, he pushed again, but the door wouldn't give an inch, as if something heavy was blocking it from the inside.

Had he been able to see through the door, he would have been terrified to see a massive octopus-like creature inside, its thick tentacles wrapped around a human, slithering over every inch. The enormous bulk of the monster pressed against the door, leaving no gap—making it impossible to open.

But he couldn’t see any of that. So he simply sighed, "Weird. Must be jammed… I’ll call maintenance tomorrow."

With that, he pushed his cart along, and the lights in the hallway winked out.

Everything plunged into darkness and silence.

...

After an unknown amount of time, the tightly shut door of the VIP room opened from the inside. A massive black octopus covered in dark patterns, its eyes swirling drunkenly, staggered out, its tentacles flailing aimlessly as it wriggled toward the bathroom.

Water... it needed water...

Following the scent of moisture, Zhang Yu crawled into the bathroom and face-planted into the basin. His twisted tentacles clumsily fumbled with the faucet, and the icy water jolted him awake, finally clearing his booze-fogged mind.

He shook his head, and the blurry, swaying world before him gradually stabilized.

The octopus patted his chest with lingering fear.

That was terrifying. I’m never drinking again.

Just a tiny bit had made him lose consciousness. If this had happened in the ocean...

Zhang Yu shuddered and shoved his head back into the basin, letting the water wash over him as he tried to recall what had happened.

What had he done again?

He vaguely remembered leaving the VIP room to look for He Xu, heading to the bathroom, and then...

A series of chaotic images flashed through his mind. When he finally pieced together his actions, Zhang Yu: "..."

Oh no. Did He Xu die?!

The frantic octopus rushed back to the VIP room and saw the human lying motionless on the floor. His stomach dropped, and he hurried over, pressing his large face against the human's smooth chest to listen carefully.

Beneath the skin, the racing but steady thump of a heartbeat echoed.

Thank god, still alive.

The octopus sighed in relief and stood back up, but when his six eyes accidentally caught sight of He Xu's current state, he guiltily averted his gaze for a moment before reluctantly looking back.

The human had none of his usual bossy attitude now. His eyes, which always glared at Zhang Yu, were tightly shut, their corners reddened, his face streaked with tears, and his lips bitten until they bled.

Looking further down, his neck was covered in dense clusters of hickeys, along with a deep, bruised choke mark—something Zhang Yu had unintentionally done while blackout drunk.

Back then, He Xu had struggled violently, his body twisting, toes curling, desperately trying to escape.

Driven by instinct, Zhang Yu had wanted to replenish his energy and refused to let him go, but the struggling prey had also triggered his hunting instincts, making him subconsciously want to kill. So he had coiled around He Xu's neck, attempting to strangle him.

By the time he came to a few seconds later, the damage was already done. Fortunately, it looked worse than it actually was—he hadn’t actually hurt him badly.

Beyond that, the human's body was covered in overlapping circular marks and bruises, with his waist and abdomen being the most wrecked parts.

Zhang Yu covered his face with a tentacle, his six eyes darting around guiltily.

He didn’t mean to...

The liquid secreted by his tentacles contained paralyzing venom that could numb nerves, relax muscles, and dull pain—though the side effect was intensifying the other party's sensations of pleasure.

After all, it was for reproduction. Everything was naturally geared toward facilitating that.

During the entire process, he remembered secreting a lot unconsciously. In theory, it shouldn’t have caused He Xu any real harm, but seeing the human’s actual condition now, he wasn’t so sure.

Especially since he also recalled just how much force he had used.

Every time he tightened his tentacles, He Xu’s face had twisted in pain—especially when his trembling from the pain triggered reactions in other tentacles, making him shake even more violently.

And the more He Xu trembled, the worse it got. The worse it got, the more his scent signals reflected his distress back to Zhang Yu, driving the already irrational octopus to instinctively want to provide even more energy.

A feedback loop from hell that ultimately led to this—

The man’s once smooth, toned abdomen was now swollen high, as if he were ready to pop.

Packed with eggs.

And because octopuses in nature were warm-water creatures that preferred warm, moist environments—though Zhang Yu wasn’t a true octopus, he had picked up some of these habits—his unconscious tentacles had instinctively sought out the most suitable spots.

His memories of the event were fuzzy, but he vaguely recalled how He Xu’s leg muscles had trembled violently, his abdomen strained taut as he resisted with everything he had.

But his strength was no match for Zhang Yu’s. His ankles had been wrenched open, leaving him with no choice but to arch his neck, shaking his head helplessly as tears streamed down, his cries raw and ragged.

Staring at the human’s bloated stomach, Zhang Yu suddenly remembered something. He lifted a tentacle, then put the one he’d used last time back down, scrutinizing the remaining ones before finally picking one after much internal struggle.

If he didn’t help, the nutrients would go to waste, and they’d have to do this all over again.

His stored eggs were running low. Though he could replenish them a few more times, letting them drain away like this was unacceptable.

But this time, the sheer volume of nutrients made the task difficult, and the one being "helped" wasn’t making it any easier.

As if sensing the change, He Xu shuddered, his face twisting in fear, lips parting as he let out a hoarse, trembling whimper: "N-no... stop..."

Stop? Not an option. Every drop was precious nutrients—wasting it would be a waste.

Zhang Yu patted the human’s firm, cut chest reassuringly and continued his efforts.

Then, at some unknown trigger, He Xu’s body suddenly tensed, his neck arching sharply as his lips trembled, releasing a gagged whimper of overwhelmed surrender.

All done!

Zhang Yu withdrew his now slightly shortened tentacle with satisfaction, wiping the mess onto He Xu’s chest.

The golden skin shined once more. Zhang Yu pressed his face against it, rolling happily over his favorite spot.

Hell yeah~ So comfy~

After soaking up the heat for a while, he finally released the still-shaking human and ambled out of the room.

His skin was still a bit dry—time for another soak.

Amid the sound of running water, the giant octopus squeezed several tentacles into the small basin, happily soaking under the stream while pulling out his phone to watch a drama.

On the screen, a man screamed heart-wrenchingly in the rain: "I like you! I love you! I’ll give you anything, do anything for you! Please, just look at me one more time!"

The woman turned her back, feigning coldness, though her voice trembled slightly: "But I don’t like you anymore. All I want now is to become the greatest chef and fulfill my father’s legacy. Just go."

"No! I love you!"

"I don’t love you..."

Zhang Yu fast-forwarded impatiently, skipping to the parts of the woman cooking, drooling over the delicious-looking dishes on display.

Ugh, like? Love? As if. Food’s way better, mmm, tasty~

Not long after Zhang Yu left, the other occupant in the private room gradually came to.

He Xu slowly opened his eyes to pitch black.

His head was foggy, and for a moment, he couldn’t tell where he was. His body felt utterly exhausted, and he figured he'd just woken up disoriented in the middle of the night, about to close his eyes and drift back to sleep.

But the next instant, a sudden stab of pain from deep inside jolted him awake, dragging with it the memories of what had happened earlier.

"!!!"

He Xu abruptly sat up, trying to rise from the floor, but halfway through, he slumped back down.

What should've been an easy movement before now felt impossibly difficult.

A weird, swollen feeling surged in his lower abdomen, and He Xu couldn’t suppress a groan, his face contorting in pain.

The hell?!

His trembling hand pressed against his stomach, and the moment he felt the dreaded bulge, his face twisted in revulsion.

Disgust, fear, loathing, rejection, despair—a whirlwind of emotions flashed across his face, leaving him deathly pale. His fingers dug into his abdomen, nails biting into his flesh.

Again… these things!

A wave of nausea overwhelmed him. He knelt on the floor, heaving violently, but after several attempts, nothing came up—only a few strings of spit clung to his lips.

Between spasms in his throat, he vaguely recalled that before the monster had caught him, he had already emptied his stomach.

The pain behind him continued to throb, each tremor causing the clutch of eggs inside him to shift slightly, their presence impossibly vivid. Amidst this, He Xu suddenly realized something—

He didn’t feel hungry.

He had only drunk some beer earlier in the evening, all of which he’d vomited up. Then, after being captured and tormented by that monster for so long, he was now so wiped he could hardly twitch—yet he didn’t feel hungry at all.

Was it because the eggs inside him were too many, too deep, crowding his stomach, squashing it flat?

Later, He Xu would think it was messed up how his brain had even gone there.

In that situation, why wasn’t he thinking about escaping? Why was he even concerned about whether he was hungry or not??

But upon further reflection, it made sense.

At the time, he had been too wrecked—so wrecked that even moving a finger was difficult. His entire body ached, his limbs weak, his mind barely online.

On the other hand, the shock he had just endured was too overwhelming. His emotions had been in a state of constant overload for so long that now, all that remained was numbness.

The monster had rocked him to his foundation.

The struggle in the bathroom had completely blown his assumptions to hell about that creature.

Before this, he had always believed that with enough preparation, he could flip the script and kill the monster.

But only tonight did he realize how wrong he had been—how dead wrong.

During their previous two encounters, though the monster had been strong, He Xu had still managed to struggle free at first. As long as he wasn’t forced to swallow that strange, sweet fluid, he could rip through the tentacles binding him and break free.

That was why he had been confident enough to plan killing it with a knife.

But now he knew—the monster simply hadn’t been serious before. When it truly wanted to restrain him, He Xu realized he didn't stand a goddamn chance.

Having his knife taken away, being choked until he saw stars… none of that was the most terrifying part. What truly horrified him was his total fucking helplessness.

The muscles he had built through blood and sweat, the strength he had always taken pride in—the very power that had won him every fight, that had allowed him to put anyone who crossed him on their ass—was worthless against the monster.

He had always assumed it was the forced ingestion of that gunk that weakened his limbs, making him vulnerable to the monster’s control. But in truth, it was simply because the creature hadn’t been using its full strength.

When the monster truly wanted to pin him down, every ounce of his strength was torn apart like wet paper. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t even lift a finger.

Complete rout.

What followed was a nonstop nightmare of pain and violation.

Perhaps his attempted counterattack with the knife had provoked the monster, because this time, it was ten times more vicious than before—so much so that He Xu was sure it would finish him a dozen times.

He had believed he was being torn apart, had been certain he would die.

But he hadn’t.

Yet that wasn’t any fucking better.

Gallon after gallon of that crap pumped into him, the excruciating pain gradually morphing into something even more unbearable—oxygen deprivation, his throat constricted, again and again pushed to the white-hot crest of pleasure through the pain.

The extremes of near-death and ecstasy assaulted his body simultaneously, breaking his mind into pieces.

All his senses had tangled into chaos, trapped in endless, crashing waves with no way out—like a short-circuited toy, circuits frying left and right, every function pushed beyond its limits, contradictory commands jumbled together until everything collapsed.

Even now, those scrambled senses hadn’t fully recovered.

Pain seemed permanently intertwined with another sensation—even just digging his nails into his palm sent involuntary tremors through his body.

Never in his life had he felt so broken, so powerless.

Fear, panic, agony, resentment—countless negative emotions curdled into a toxic black tar, clogging his chest, suffocating him.

Yet beneath that suffocating mire, needle-thin strands of cold rage seeped through.

He was used to speaking with his fists—might made right.

He was used to solving problems on his own. Even now, at this point, he hadn’t considered asking anyone for help.

Since childhood, plenty of people had bullied him, but whoever messed with him got beaten up in return—even if he couldn’t win, he'd make damn sure they remembered him!

No one had ever stood by his side.

His parents had long been just going through the motions, maintaining the facade of marriage while each had their own lovers and children. Aside from providing money, they couldn't be bothered with him.

He Xu thought this was fine. He didn’t need anyone to care for him—it worked better for him this way. When teachers demanded to see his parents, neither would show up. He could beat up whoever he wanted without any busybody in his business.

Both sides had assets set aside for him anyway, the agreements already signed. As long as the money kept coming, it didn’t matter.

This time was no different.

That monster wasn’t human. Its strength was on a completely different level—no matter how hard he fought, he couldn’t win against it…

If cold steel didn’t work, then he’d switch to something else…

If he didn’t kill that monster, he didn't deserve the name He…

He Xu was half-kneeling on the ground, his mind torn between wild excitement—imagining the future scene of killing that tentacle monster—and crushing exhaustion, his thoughts tangled into a chaotic mess, too muddled to think straight.

So when the sound from outside the door reached him, his sluggish brain took a moment to process the information before finally registering it.

A slick, squelching sound, like something crawling...

The moment he realized what it was, He Xu froze completely, even his breath instinctively stopping. Only his heartbeat pounded violently, like a war drum, threatening to leap out of his throat.

His eyes widened, fixed unblinkingly on the door, which had been pushed open just a crack.

The hallway lights were all off, only the emergency exit sign casting a ghostly green light through the narrow gap.

The thing outside seemed to have noticed something too, suddenly falling silent.

A silent stalemate settled, neither side making the first move.

Outside, Zhang Yu’s tentacle hovered mid-air, frozen in place.

He Xu was already awake? So soon?

But then again, it made sense—he’d planted so many eggs in him, and even helped seal them in tight.

Zhang Yu glanced at the tentacle he’d used to push the door, the same one that had broken off a small piece earlier to plug up the eggs.

He healed fast. After just half an hour, new flesh was already sprouting at the severed end, and in another two or three hours, it'd be good as new.

As for the wound on his face from the knife stab, it had already closed up during their coupling.

Quietly, the hovering tentacle coiled back, and his hulking form compacted silently. Zhang Yu stealthily morphed back into his smaller, more convenient human form, tiptoeing backward to retreat.

He didn’t want to reveal himself yet. Better to put some distance between them before He Xu noticed him!

Creeping like a burglar, he slowly lifted one foot, then carefully set it down. But before he could take more than two steps, a voice suddenly called out from inside the room.

"Zhang Yu?"

The voice carried a hint of doubt, but more than that, an inexplicable conviction.

Zhang Yu’s raised foot froze mid-air. Shit. Busted...

Reluctantly, he pulled his foot back, took two steps backward, and pushed the door open, meeting the wary stare of the person inside. Flatly, he let out a quiet, "Yeah."

Only after taking two steps inside did it suddenly occur to him—wait, how did He Xu know it was him??

Hesitantly, he whispered, "How did you know... it was me outside?"

Did he already know his identity?

He Xu didn’t answer. His dark eyes bore into him, the initial panic on his face fading, replaced by a darkening expression.

He hadn’t actually known who was outside. At first, he’d even thought it might be the tentacle monster. But when the thing outside moved, he caught a glimpse of a distinctly human shape in the sliver of light—torso, limbs—and realized it was a person.

In that moment, for some inexplicable reason, he thought of the curly-haired boy he’d met in the hallway last Friday night, and the name tumbled out before he could stop it.

But he hadn’t expected it to actually be Zhang Yu.

God damn it. Of all people—Zhang Yu again.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice raw and tight. "You saw it all, didn't you?"

"Huh?" Zhang Yu blinked in surprise.

"How much did you see?" He Xu demanded.

"What?" Zhang Yu feigned confusion. What had he seen?

But He Xu suddenly erupted.

"Stop playing dumb!" He slammed a fist onto the floor, snarling, "You’re still here because you saw it, didn’t you? Saw that monster do...to me!"

He didn’t finish the sentence, just clenched his jaw, breathing hard. After a moment, he rasped, "You've known all along, haven't you?"

"That night last Friday, at the arcade, you saw it too, didn’t you? Otherwise, why would you be there? That bullshit about sleeping till closing time—you were lying! You stayed because you saw that monster!"

His words tumbled out faster, a jumble of fury and scorn. "What do you want? To threaten me? Money? Or is this some kind of revenge? How many people have you told?"

Zhang Yu: "..."

Zhang Yu gradually understood.

Ohhh—so He Xu hadn’t realized!

His mood instantly lightened. Zhang Yu cheerfully tossed his curls and clarified, "I didn’t tell anyone—"

He Xu snapped coldly. "Really? So I should thank you, then? What do you want?"

*I want you pregnant.*

Zhang Yu didn’t even blink. "I don’t want anything."

He Xu’s mouth twisted into a sneer, as if hearing something absurd. "Don’t tell me you’re trying to say that after seeing *that* kind of monster, instead of running away, you stayed, hung around me, and even took care of me out of the goodness of your heart? Some kind of saintly goodwill?"

He Xu let out a cold laugh. "Do I look stupid to you?"

His glare pinned Zhang Yu, his expression darkening. "Out with it! What’s your real motive for sticking around me?"

Zhang Yu hesitated. Though He Xu hadn’t realized *he* was the so-called "monster," he seemed convinced Zhang Yu had ulterior motives and refused to believe anything he said.

After a moment’s thought, Zhang Yu decided to go along with He Xu’s earlier accusations, weaving truth with lies:

"I *did* see you being dragged into this room by a monster. And last Friday, uh...I caught a glimpse too. But that’s all I know, and I haven’t told anyone. I’m not trying to blackmail you. The reason I stayed is because… because…"

He faltered.

*Because why?* Fear? But fear should’ve made him run. What other reason could make his staying here seem less suspicious?

Across from him, He Xu’s impatience was visibly growing. "Because why?"

"Because, because…"

Zhang Yu stalled, then suddenly remembered a scene from the TV show earlier. His eyes lit up, and the words tumbled out: "'Cause I like you!"

He Xu: "..."

After a beat of silence, he let out a furious laugh, a vein throbbing at his temple. "Now you're really fucking with me, aren’t you?!"

"'It's true,' Zhang Yu said, widening his puppy-dog eyes, trying to appear sincere."

Recalling the drama he’d watched, he began improvising: "I like you. From the first time I saw you at school, I’ve liked you…"

From the first moment he saw He Xu, he knew He Xu was his target.

"You beat me up, but I still really like you. And you only hit me because I spilled water on you—it was my fault..."

Even though He Xu had beaten him up, it hadn't hurt, and besides, he had also gotten him pregnant.

"You have such a tall, strong build—just my type. Even though you’re always so fierce and never smile, you look badass when you fight..."

He Xu had a great figure and was crazy flexible. When the tentacles wrapped him up, he could stretch wide open. Though he never smiled, he cried easily.

"And your muscles are so ripped. I never build any myself—I really envy you..."

He Xu’s muscles were incredibly elastic, especially those two firm pecs—they felt amazing...

As Zhang Yu spoke, his eyes kept wandering lower. And that perky one—he couldn’t resist giving it a suck every time. Too bad He Xu would always arch his back and squirm before long, making him cinch the tentacles tighter to keep it from slipping away.

"......"

He Xu’s expression had frozen solid.

Listening to the person at the door ramble on, gushing over every inch of him, he felt a chill crawl up his spine, goosebumps rising uncontrollably. It didn’t feel like he was being praised—it felt like he was being tasted all over.

For a moment, he even had the illusion that the person opposite him was staring right at him, cutting through the dark with a predator’s gaze, locking onto him firmly.

He instinctively took a step back, only to see red the moment he realized what he’d done.

Angry that Zhang Yu dared to set his sights on him, and even angrier that he’d actually been scared for a second.

"Fucking freak! Get the hell away from me! I don’t like you!" he snarled, patting around on the floor for his clothes to put on.

Zhang Yu was still wondering what "gay" meant when he saw He Xu feeling around as if searching for something. Trying to help, he stepped forward. "Are you looking for something? Should I turn on the light—"

"Don’t come near me!" He Xu hissed.

Zhang Yu froze mid-step.

"Don’t turn on the light! Stay the hell away!" He Xu panted, crouched awkwardly on the floor, muscles tense as he glared at the shadowy figure by the door.

The room was pitch-black, and the dim light from outside barely illuminated Zhang Yu’s silhouette at the entrance. He Xu, deeper inside the booth, was even harder to see.

But he still didn’t want the other man anywhere near him.

He had never felt so humiliated before, and he didn’t want anyone—especially not Zhang Yu, who had just spouted all that disgusting nonsense—to see him like this, with a belly stuffed full by that monster. Fuck!

"Okay." Zhang Yu didn’t move an inch, watching as He Xu struggled to move. His gaze lingered on the rounded belly.

Had some eggs melted yet? But it still looked so full... Had he stuffed in too many?

He Xu fumbled blindly in the dark, wrapping himself in his clothes.

The darkness was his best cover.

When that tentacle monster had dragged him into this room, it had ripped off his jacket and torn his shirt, leaving only his pants somewhat intact.

He pulled on the pants but ran into trouble when trying to fasten them.

They were sweatpants with an elastic waistband, but even elastic had its limits. His waist had expanded significantly, and the pants got stuck at his hips, refusing to go any higher.

After several failed attempts, he lost patience. He Xu yanked them up violently—

And immediately regretted it.

The pants were on, but stretched to their limit, squeezing tightly around his waist just below his navel. The eggs inside were pressed together, shifting and rolling, unavoidably rubbing against certain spots.

He Xu’s breath hitched, legs nearly giving out again.

He still had enough sense to remember someone was watching. Clenching his jaw so hard it ached, he stifled any sound, but the veins on the back of his hand stood out starkly as he gripped the waistband, his breathing ragged and uneven.