Chapter 147

Chapter 147

Chen Zui watched Le Ziyou, who had actively sought him out. The skin on his chin was scraped and still flecked with fine grains of sand. His head swayed slightly, lips subtly puckered as he searched for Chen Zui’s lips, a look of appeasement on his face.

For now, Le Ziyou could only think of this one way to please Chen Zui. Among their interactions, this was what Chen Zui had done to him the most. But suddenly, the Chen Zui he was holding vanished.

Le Ziyou’s pupils dilated as he stared at his empty hands.

“Chen Zui?”

He looked around anxiously. Noticing the chair beside him had shifted back, he quickly reached out and felt around. His fingers brushed against something—it felt like Chen Zui’s leg.

*At least he hasn’t left.*

Le Ziyou gripped Chen Zui’s leg tightly, refusing to let go.

Chen Zui’s gaze fell on the bandage wrapped around Le Ziyou’s wrist. He had heard from Ao Tian how Le Ziyou had fed him his own blood.

It took Le Ziyou a moment to realize that Chen Zui was subtly refusing to absorb his yang energy. The thought immediately occurred to him: *If a child refuses to eat, it’s probably because they’ve already sneaked a meal.*

Unconsciously, his grip on Chen Zui’s hand tightened.

He wanted to ask, his lips parting slightly, but he knew now wasn’t the right time. After all, they still had a bunch of unresolved issues between them.

With great difficulty, Le Ziyou swallowed down his questions.

If he stayed silent, the room would grow deathly quiet.

Ao Tian: “When we appeared at the Wei family’s place, his favorability toward you was 34%. Now it’s 40%.”

Before all of this happened, Le Ziyou’s favorability toward Chen Zui had been 10%.

Ao Tian: *Typical—you only realize your true feelings after you’ve lost something.*

Le Ziyou had been staring at the chair, but in the oppressive silence, his head gradually drooped. “That day, I went to the mall to buy some things. On my way out, I ran into Liao Ziqi—the Taoist priest who gave me the Sky Thunder Pestle. He’s in the hospital now. He said I was surrounded by ghostly energy and handed the pestle to me.”

Le Ziyou suddenly brought this up randomly.

“Tomorrow, I’ll go to the hospital to see him. I’ll tell him you’ve already been destroyed by the Sky Thunder Pestle. That way, even after he’s discharged, he won’t come hunting for you again.”

“Also, the ghost who captured me today was called Xu Shuhuai. I don't know if you've taken care of him by now. Earlier, something suddenly appeared in my mind claiming it was a ‘system.’ It said that Xu Shuhuai and I were supposed to be partners, but the system disappeared almost immediately.”

“I don’t like Xu Shuhuai. I'd never even met him before this.”

Chen Zui, sitting on the chair, lit a cigarette and glanced toward under the bed.

Le Ziyou wondered if there was anything else he needed to tell Chen Zui. He looked up and added, “Oh, that system also mentioned that you’ve been branded an S-level threat by their Transmigration Bureau.”

Chen Zui was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t thought it would come to this. After all, this world was his first mission, and he hadn’t even succeeded yet. How had he already been labeled an S-level dangerous criminal?

*Just how useless is this Bureau?*

Ao Tian: “Wow~ S-level! So awesome! So badass! You’re a big celebrity now!”

Chen Zui suspected that this so-called S-level dangerous criminal designation might just be the Transmigration Bureau’s way of scaring Le Ziyou.

Le Ziyou couldn’t think of anything else he needed to confess. As for all his scams and lies, Chen Zui already knew about them, and those matters didn't involve Chen Zui anyway.

He looked up at the chair. “How’s your recovery going? Was the blood helpful? Do you need to drink more?”

As he spoke, he raised his hand, ready to offer more blood for Chen Zui again.

His hand was pressed down.

Le Ziyou stared toward where Chen Zui sat, his expression urgent. His worry was genuine, and so was his desire to make amends.

He desperately wanted to do something—anything—that Chen Zui needed or would accept. But it was too difficult. Chen Zui was a ghost, after all. Even the most basic material things humans could offer were meaningless to him.

*What could a ghost possibly want?*

Ao Tian: “What do you think?”

Chen Zui: “He's my assignment.”

This had never changed for Chen Zui. Otherwise, why would he have approached Le Ziyou? He had come with a purpose, and that was what mattered most.

Being skilled in combat and accurate with a gun weren’t the standards of an excellent mercenary. An excellent mercenary was measured by their success rate.

And without a doubt, Chen Zui was well-known in the business as an outstanding mercenary.

Chen Zui: “Do you know about the ‘abandoned cat effect’?”

Ao Tian immediately looked it up and soon found the answer: “But how did you know he would react like this?”

Chen Zui’s jet-black eyes watched Le Ziyou emotionlessly, clearly seeing his worry, unease, anxiety, helplessness, regret, and guilt.

“I didn’t know.”

“If he had shown no regret or guilt, if his attitude had been cold—”

“He wouldn't have gotten the ‘abandoned cat effect’.”

Ao Tian understood. If that had been the case, what awaited Le Ziyou would likely have been no different from the forced romance fate he faced in the original story.

Except, Chen Zui wouldn’t be the one doing the forcing.

Even if Chen Zui couldn’t break the rules to force things on Le Ziyou, he had plenty of other ways to make his life miserable.

Le Ziyou’s feelings for Chen Zui and his small amount of conscience had, in a way, saved him.

Ao Tian: “Initially, when you said you weren’t hurt, I thought you were just toughing it out.”

But now it seemed that, although the severe injury had taken him by surprise, Chen Zui truly hadn’t been hurt. Instead, he had quickly changed his approach.

*Is this what they mean by ‘everything happens for a reason’? With this kind of mindset, Chen Zui is destined to succeed in anything he does. I should learn from him.*

Ao Tian: “What about that compliment you gave him before you left?”

Chen Zui didn’t answer Ao Tian’s question. Instead, his lips curved into a slow smile. His emotionless eyes reflected Le Ziyou’s desperate, helpless face.

Completely helpless, Le Ziyou—abandoned without a word by Chen Zui, panicked at being unable to find him, and worn down by Chen Zui’s prolonged silence—finally spoke in a helpless, surrendering tone.

“Chen Zui.”

“What can I do to make it up to you?”

“Can you tell me?”

Like someone drowning, Le Ziyou looked pleadingly in Chen Zui’s direction.

Chen Zui took the cigarette from between his lips and slowly blew smoke toward Le Ziyou.

Finally, he spoke.

"Let me fuck you."

That single sentence sucked the last bit of warmth from the room.

Le Ziyou stared blankly in the direction of the voice, a dazed look on his face.

What?

"What?"

He didn’t hear Chen Zui’s voice again—the silence conveying Chen Zui’s dominant intent.

You heard me clearly.

You know what I mean.

I won’t change my mind.

I’m only giving you this one option.

So I won’t repeat it.

Le Ziyou had no choice but to recall what Chen Zui had just said. He was shocked, but on second thought, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

After all, the two of them had done plenty of steamy things before, always under Chen Zui’s lead.

Chen Zui had even used his own fingers…

Actually, Chen Zui’s intentions had always been pretty clear.

He wanted Le Ziyou to love him, and he wanted to sleep with him—in short, he wanted all of him.

As Le Ziyou mulled it over, a part of him felt a flicker of joy at Chen Zui’s demand. Did this mean Chen Zui hadn’t completely given up on him? Did it mean Chen Zui actually liked him?

Conflicting thoughts warred within Le Ziyou.

The idea of being with a ghost made his skin crawl—it was just too strange.

Besides, he’d never imagined himself in the submissive role. In fact, Le Ziyou had never really thought about relationships or dating at all. He was too busy trying to earn a living, too busy making ends meet for him and his grandmother.

"I…"

"Let me think about it."

He didn’t dare give a definitive answer, afraid that Chen Zui might disappear right then.

After saying this, Le Ziyou fell silent too. The room grew so quiet that only the cold air seemed to stir. Hours passed, and eventually, Le Ziyou’s stomach growled.

Outside, the sky had darkened.

Le Ziyou didn’t dare remove his hand from Chen Zui’s leg, afraid that Chen Zui might disappear the next second. He wasn’t a real Taoist priest—he had no special skills. If Chen Zui didn’t seek him out, he’d have no way to find him.

"Where have you been all these days?"

There was no response from Chen Zui. Of course—Le Ziyou had said he wanted to make it up to him, but when Chen Zui made his demand, Le Ziyou hadn’t agreed. It was only natural for Chen Zui to be displeased and ignore him.

Late at night, the lights in the building across the way went out one by one.

Le Ziyou’s eyelids grew heavy. The moment he closed them, his head drooped uncontrollably, dipping so low that he almost lost his balance. He jolted awake, straightening up abruptly.

His blinking eyes suddenly froze. He squeezed the hand that had been resting on Chen Zui’s leg for so long it had gone numb.

He felt nothing.

"Chen Zui?"

Panicked, Le Ziyou felt around the chair but could no longer sense Chen Zui’s presence. In an instant, all drowsiness vanished. He looked around, frantic and disoriented.

"Chen Zui, are you here?"

Silence.

Ever since he’d hurt Chen Zui, the only response he ever got was silence.

That silence was suffocating.

Le Ziyou searched every corner of the room before rushing outside. "Chen Zui! Chen Zui, where are you? Don’t go!"

By the time he ran out of the elevator, he was so consumed with regret he wanted to slap himself. If he had agreed, would Chen Zui have stayed?

He’d had the chance.

A chance to keep Chen Zui with him.

So what if it meant sleeping with him? So what if Chen Zui was a ghost? Chen Zui was better than anyone else Le Ziyou knew.

Le Ziyou wandered around in a panic, shouting his name.

Just as he neared the entrance of the complex, a sudden cold gust of wind swept past. He turned and saw Chen Zui battling another ghost between two apartment buildings.

Both figures were somewhat blurred.

Without hesitation, Le Ziyou ran toward them, his eyes fixed firmly on Chen Zui, who was wielding an umbrella. Chen Zui seemed to be in good condition—Le Ziyou still remembered how he’d looked when he found him in the warehouse.

He never wanted to see Chen Zui like that again.

Chen Zui struck the male ghost with his umbrella, scattering its form. The moment he steadied himself, Le Ziyou rushed over and wrapped him in a bear hug.

"I agree."

"Fuck me."

Ao Tian: "Perfect."

Chen Zui’s expression remained unchanged. "The ghost you conjured was pretty perfect too."

—

Le Ziyou was showering in the bathroom. The wound on his ankle had been treated and covered with a waterproof patch.

Water from the showerhead poured loudly over his head. Le Ziyou slathered on body wash, making sure he smelled good and clean before getting out. He didn’t want to waste time, worried Chen Zui might vanish again.

His eyes immediately locked onto Chen Zui. He approached nervously.

"I’m ready."

Chen Zui caught the scent coming from Le Ziyou—the cheap products he bought, whether shampoo or body wash, emitted a low-quality, artificial fruit scent.

Like the smell of something overripe and about to rot.

Chen Zui grabbed his arm and threw him onto the bed.

Le Ziyou’s heart pounded, his body instinctively wanting to escape the situation he was about to face. He drew his legs up, retreating to the edge of the wall, hardly daring to breathe as he stared at Chen Zui.

He saw Chen Zui’s hand reach for his belt.

Then, Chen Zui vanished from view. Panicked, he lunged toward where he'd been.

“Chen Zui?”

His lunging body was caught. He felt Chen Zui’s hand press against his shoulder, pushing him back bit by bit until he was leaning against the wall again.

Le Ziyou widened his eyes, straining to see Chen Zui.

Chen Zui saw his expression clearly—even the red veins in his eyes from the strain. He slowly shifted his knee forward.

Le Ziyou’s pale legs lay at his waist, separated only by his trench coat, suit, and shirt.

Chen Zui gazed at the scene.

*

Even though they were about to do something passionate, the atmosphere was chillingly cold. Since Le Ziyou couldn’t see Chen Zui at all, he had no idea what Chen Zui was doing or where he would touch him next. Every time he was touched, he couldn’t help but flinch.

This feeling was truly strange.

In a moment, Chen Zui would probably lean in to absorb his yang energy, right?

Chen Zui enjoyed this.

And normally, there should be some kind of foreplay. Nothing could be more fitting than this.

He opened his mouth, waiting.

—

—

*

Suddenly, he was pressed against.

The coldness made the delicate little thing shrink inward, as if ashamed to be seen.

Le Ziyou’s pupils widened in realization—he knew what it was.

Without any warning, were they getting straight to the point?

Le Ziyou grew frightened and reached out to grab Chen Zui. “Chen Zui…”

Chen Zui glanced up at him, then pulled back. Le Ziyou’s hand grabbed at nothing, and he froze. Just as he thought Chen Zui had left again—

The coldness returned.

Le Ziyou breathed a sigh of relief. Even the fear he had felt moments ago vanished, replaced by a hope that this coldness would never leave him.

—

—

Chen Zui was a silent predator.

He didn’t take his prey by force. Instead, he advanced his weapon bit by bit, breaching the prey’s defenses step by step. Each penetration went deeper than the last.

The prey’s defenses gradually crumbled, forced to accept his weapon. Even if it tried to clench down, to prevent the weapon from achieving complete victory, it could only succumb, driven entirely by the weapon’s momentum.

Chen Zui fixed his gaze on the prize and made the final thrust.

He drove the weapon deep into the prey’s body. The prey convulsed spasmodically, as if trying to crush the weapon—a final, desperate defense, but utterly futile.

Chen Zui controlled the icy instrument, continuing his assault. He wanted the prey completely defeated, with no room for resistance. He wanted the prey’s body to retain the impression of his weapon, a mark of his conquest.

Expressionless, Chen Zui continued his assault. The prey was already powerless, able only to feel the weapon’s coldness—penetrating him again and again, freezing everything, yet beneath that cold, a surge of heat began to rise.

Chen Zui never showed mercy to his prey.

—

Le Ziyou’s gaze was glazed over, seeing nothing.

The sensation was overwhelming.

Why wouldn’t he let himself see?

He reached out, trying to feel more of Chen Zui’s presence, to hear him speak in that cold voice.

His hand trembled; he was about to climax…

Suddenly.

It stopped.

Le Ziyou’s hand grasped empty air, and his body, like a cloud about to float away, sank back down.

The sensation was intolerable.

Le Ziyou blinked, bewildered, unsure what had happened. Then he felt the coldness, now heated by his own warmth, leave him.

Abruptly.

Without any hesitation.

For a moment, Le Ziyou couldn’t comprehend.

“Chen Zui?”

He saw the chair move. Had Chen Zui returned to the chair?

Why?

He knew Chen Zui hadn’t finished what he started…

Chen Zui lit a cigarette, watching Le Ziyou’s confused expression.

Ao Tian: “You’re incredible!”

Earlier, Chen Zui had asked if simply doing the deed meant the task was accomplished.

The rules indeed stated so.

But he hadn't thought Chen Zui would actually do it. Under such circumstances, he could pull back so cleanly. Although he was a ghost, his feelings were normal.

Ao Tian: "Doesn't it bother you?"

Chen Zui blew out smoke: "Not really."

As he spoke, he quickly calmed down, then tidied up.

Chen Zui didn't have strong desires in this regard. Before, he had felt an unexplained attraction to Le Ziyou—his life energy actually smelled really good—and he was willing to let himself enjoy it, seeing it as both flirtation and a means to advance the mission.

But now…

He stared at Le Ziyou and flicked his cigarette.

Le Ziyou, feeling uncomfortable and unsatisfied, asked uncertainly: "Are we stopping?"

Chen Zui: "Yeah."

Hearing Chen Zui’s voice again, and such a disappointing answer, Le Ziyou looked in the direction of the chair, able to picture Chen Zui’s expression.

His hand clenched slowly, countless thoughts surfacing, making his expression get more and more upset.

"I’m going to shower."

Le Ziyou practically fled to the bathroom, standing there lost in thought under the showerhead.

Why did he stop just like that?

Did he not like it?

Did it not feel good?

Was my performance disappointing?

Lost interest?

Tried it and found it bland, utterly uninteresting?

Le Ziyou pressed his lips tightly together, his eyes starting to redden.

Chen Zui didn't even bother to kiss him or absorb his yang energy.

Lost in self-doubt, Le Ziyou felt a hard-to-express feeling of humiliation.

Tears mixed with the water streaming down from above, falling together.

He slowly sank down.

His sobs were hidden beneath the sound of rushing water.

Chen Zui.

He must hate him after all.

Even though he felt so awful, Le Ziyou didn’t dare stay in the bathroom too long.

After coming out, he made a beeline for the chair, touched Chen Zui’s hand, and only then felt relieved.

Chen Zui looked at his red eyes and pulled his hand back: "Go to sleep."

Le Ziyou stared at Chen Zui for a moment. The Chen Zui from before might have scared him, but he never felt so cold toward him. There was a sense of letdown, but he’d brought it on himself.

"Okay, good night."

Weighed down with worries, Le Ziyou lay down. Even after the lights were off, he kept his eyes open, staring at the chair even though he couldn’t see anything.

Ao Tian: "Favorability 50%."

A normal increase. Willing, unforced intimacy with someone—or rather, a ghost—who had 40% favorability. Even if it wasn’t fully satisfying, there was no fallout, so an increase was to be expected.

Le Ziyou felt a chill sweep over him, and his eyelids were forced shut.

Later that night, unable to sleep, Le Ziyou secretly opened his eyes and looked toward the chair.

Carefully, he sat up and reached out his hand.

Though the room’s temperature told him Chen Zui was probably still there, he couldn’t relax.

Because he felt that now, Chen Zui might truly abandon him at any moment.

Maybe if he were in danger, Chen Zui would still save him, but beyond that, there seemed to be nothing else.

It seemed like he no longer wanted his love.

Le Ziyou touched Chen Zui, and his anxious heart settled back into place, though he felt conflicting emotions. The first love of his 25 years—was sour.

Staring at the person he couldn’t see, he slowly got out of bed, estimated Chen Zui’s posture, and gradually sat on his lap, curling into his embrace.

Like a kitten cautiously seeking its place on its owner.

Le Ziyou found Chen Zui’s hand and placed it on his waist, letting him hold him.

He had held him before.

Le Ziyou closed his aching eyes, and as he fell asleep in Chen Zui’s arms, a tear fell.

Chen Zui watched everything.

He wiped away Le Ziyou’s tear with his index finger. How strange—he actually felt a little unwilling to let go.

—

The first thing Le Ziyou did upon waking was reach for Chen Zui. When he touched him, he smiled.

Chen Zui had stayed with him all night.

He thought of a lighter way to start the conversation.

"Morning."

"Can you eat?"

"No."

Le Ziyou sounded a bit regretful: "If I burn offerings for you, can you eat them?"

Chen Zui: …

Did he really have to eat that meal?

Le Ziyou was heading to the hospital today to talk to Liao Ziqi about Chen Zui, but he didn’t dare take Chen Zui with him. Although Liao Ziqi was less mobile these days, he still had many powerful magical items at his disposal.

Still, the thought of being separated from Chen Zui made him uneasy.

"Will you still be here when I get back?"

Le Ziyou didn’t get a response, but the hand he was holding onto—Chen Zui’s hand—didn’t disappear.

He continued on his own, "I’ll be back soon."

Le Ziyou hesitantly let go of Chen Zui’s hand, looking back at every step as he headed toward the door.

"Then I’m off."

It was as if he were talking to himself. Le Ziyou gazed wistfully in the direction of the chair for a moment before leaving, feeling dejected.

Chen Zui dragged Xu Shuhuai out from under the bed. Xu Shuhuai glared at him angrily—he'd heard everything clearly last night, after all!

Chen Zui said, "Let’s go out for a walk."

Xu Shuhuai: Treating him like a dog?

—

Le Ziyou arrived at the hospital, this time bringing something with him. After exchanging greetings, he cut straight to the chase.

"That ghost that was haunting me is dead. It really came back for me, but I burned it with the things you gave me."

Liao Ziqi stared intently at his face.

The ghost qi was even stronger than before—had another ghost latched onto him?

"But why is your ghost qi even stronger now? How about this—I’ll ask my brother to bring over a protection charm for you..."

"No need, no need. I’m fine. I have things to do, so I won’t disturb you any longer. Goodbye."

Le Ziyou made a hasty exit, then went to visit his grandmother. She was resting, so he stayed for a while before taking a taxi home.

A new flower shop had opened downstairs.

Seeing the flower shop, Le Ziyou thought that he should also give Chen Zui a gift.

Words alone weren't enough—as long as he treated Chen Zui well, someday it would pay off!

After taking Xu Shuhuai for a walk, Chen Zui shoved him back under the bed.

When he heard the door open.

Le Ziyou came in, his face flushed pink: "Chen Zui, I bought flowers for you."

Chen Zui’s gaze fell on the paper funeral flowers in his hand.