Chapter 17 The Man in Black

Chapter 17: The Man in Black

Cheng Ge clutched his chest, gasping for air, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, nearly soaking his hair.

His two roommates in the dorm, seeing his state, knew right away—he must've had a nightmare.

Still, they understood, knowing anyone would be scared after such an ordeal.

They quickly poured him a glass of water and handed it to Cheng Ge. "Brother Cheng, don't worry. We'll report this to the authorities soon. Once we catch that bastard, we'll make sure he pays."

Cheng Ge was still shaken by the dream. He took the water, took a sip, and barely pulled himself together.

"I'm fine, just need a minute to calm down."

Not long after Cheng Ge got up, a constable showed up. After checking out the scene, he started questioning Cheng Ge about what happened.

With many people around, Cheng Ge was prideful, so he'd never admit he might've been molested by a guy.

He just glossed over the details, downplaying the incident, and the guy didn't push it.

After confirming nothing was missing, the constable gave a few warnings and got ready to head back and report.

Honestly, Cheng Ge didn't have high hopes. It's not like the modern world with cameras everywhere.

Plus, it was pitch black last night, and he only saw a silhouette.

Unless they caught the guy red-handed, finding him would be nearly impossible.

This whole thing left Cheng Ge totally deflated, he couldn't even eat.

After his shift ended in the afternoon, he made up an excuse and took leave to go out.

He wandered the streets for a while, then sneaked over to a blacksmith's shop. He looked around to make sure no one he knew was nearby, then spoke up.

"Hey uncle, can you forge stuff here?"

The blacksmith looked up at Cheng Ge, then went back to work, his bare arms glistening with sweat as he swung his hammer.

"What do you want made?"

Cheng Ge rubbed his hands together awkwardly and whispered, "I want to forge an iron pair of underwear. Can you do it?"

The guy looked him up and down with a weird look on his face. "Iron underwear? Never heard of it! Don't waste my time if you've got nothing serious."

Cheng Ge wasn't giving up. He carefully described the shape and purpose of the underwear.

"Get lost..." Predictably, Cheng Ge got kicked out of the shop.

"Ugh..." Cheng Ge sat on the edge of a stone step, munching on a candied hawthorn skewer.

The wind blew, and the white gauze of his veiled hat got stained with some sugar.

Cheng Ge got even more annoyed. He yanked the damn thing off and tossed it aside, then shoved the whole skewer into his mouth and started chomping away.

A few passersby glanced his way, and Cheng Ge scowled.

"What are you looking at! Keep staring, and I'll gouge your eyes out!"

The people flinched and quickly averted their gaze, clearly intimidated by Cheng Ge.

Cheng Ge bared his teeth at them, then turned to buy a few more flatbreads.

He sat down and devoured them ferociously, his eating habits utterly savage.

"Once I eat myself into a three-hundred-pound fatso, let's see if you dead gays still have those dirty thoughts. I'll sit on you and crush you!"

He muttered angrily while stuffing his face, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's.

"Clink..." A few copper coins landed at his feet.

With both hands full of flatbread, he looked up.

All he saw was the back of a man in black robes. Judging by his build and attire, he seemed to be in his thirties.

Behind him followed a man, slightly hunched, with a respectful expression.

The man had his hands clasped behind his back, a jade thumb ring on his finger that clearly screamed wealth. He walked with a measured, dignified stride.

One glance told Cheng Ge this was a kind-hearted rich man. Without a second thought, he bent down and picked up the coins.

He carefully tucked them into his chest, thinking he could buy two big meat buns to take back later.

Cheng Ge stuffed everything into his stomach, patted his belly, and his expression immediately fell.

What kind of constitution did this original body have, to be so bottomless?

He had eaten so much, yet felt nothing. Couldn't his stomach at least bulge a little?

Cheng Ge felt like those copper coins had been wasted. Feeding himself was worse than feeding a dog!

Thinking back to what Zhou Ming had written, Cheng Ge grew even more irritated. What a mess! Was he really going to end up with a man?

"Zhou Ming, you bastard, if I ever see you again..." Cheng Ge cursed under his breath, growing angrier.

But lately, his physical condition had improved a bit. Maybe he could step up his training. If he ran into a pervert, he might at least put up a fight.

"Mu Yu, what are you doing here?"

Cheng Ge looked up and, damn it, saw Zhang Qingheng's disgusting, swollen face again. The flatbread he had just eaten nearly came back up.

"None of your damn business?" He didn't spare any courtesy. Since they had already fallen out yesterday, there was no point in pretending to be friendly.

Zhang Qingheng's face instantly darkened, barely keeping his composure. His fists clenched inside his sleeves.

"Mu Yu, why must you be so harsh? We are fellow students.

Besides, 'a graceful lady is a gentleman's pursuit.' I merely admire you and wish to grow closer. What wrong is there in that?"

Even though he had fooled around with that maid last night, seeing Cheng Ge again still made his heart itch.

A counterfeit was just a counterfeit—how could it compare to the real thing? In the end, it was only self-deception.

Cheng Ge wasn't about to waste time on this idiot. Seeing the sky darken, he knew the Great Zhou had a curfew at night, so he had to get back quickly.

With that thought, he picked up his veiled hat from the ground and stood up to return to the official dormitory.

But Zhang Qingheng quickened his pace to catch up, reaching out to grab Cheng Ge's arm.

Cheng Ge sidestepped swiftly, glaring angrily, his eyes filled with warning. "Fuck off!"

Zhang Qinghang's eyes darkened, a flicker of malice passing through them. He immediately shot a meaningful glance at a few lackeys nearby.

There were fewer pedestrians on the street, and they were all hurrying along. Cheng Ge couldn't help but quicken his pace.

As he passed through an alley entrance, several figures suddenly rushed toward him.

Cheng Ge instinctively darted to the side, but the lackeys immediately closed in, forcing him into a dead-end alley.

Zhang Qinghang stepped out from behind the crowd, a smug, cold smile on his face. "Cheng Muyu, you can't run today. Come back with me quietly, and maybe I'll treat you better."

Hearing Zhang Qinghang's words, Cheng Ge nearly gagged. He looked at the other man as if staring at a piece of shit. "What the hell do you want?"

Zhang Qinghang advanced step by step toward Cheng Ge, his gaze never leaving him.

Cheng Ge leaned against the wall, already backed into a corner with no way out.