091 remained silent. It found it difficult to explain the complex and conflicted inner journey of Lu Shiyue to Yu Jiu.
It was a typical display of a pure-hearted virgin falling in love.
The red-haired man standing before Yu Jiu hung his head, his usual arrogance and impatience completely vanished. At this moment, Lu Shiyue looked like a tamed dog, his posture submissive as he was led by his master.
It was as if he had been possessed.
Yu Jiu was merely surprised for a moment before quickly recovering. What did the personality change of a major character have to do with a minor cannon fodder like him? He was not the protagonist; he didn’t need to worry about the mood of his subordinates.
Thinking this, Yu Jiu relaxed his wrist, letting Lu Shiyue circle it, and obediently followed behind the man.
His overly long black hair covered his delicate contours, revealing only his fluttering, dense, long eyelashes and his small, rounded nose tip, which had turned slightly red from the cold air. His full, red lips were slightly parted, and the breath he exhaled condensed into a small puff of water vapor.
Despite it being early autumn, a strange winter chill had risen around Dragon Breath Lake. Yu Jiu was afraid of the cold; he felt icy all over, save for the wrist Lu Shiyue held. The man’s palm was searingly hot, as if a fire were burning within him; his body temperature was unusually high.
Seeking out the heat source, Yu Jiu leaned against Lu Shiyue’s back.
Noticing the sudden pressure of softness behind him, carrying that familiar, rich, sweet fragrance that wound around his back and drifted into his nostrils, Lu Shiyue paused.
It was an unimaginably soft sensation. It was the same feeling he had experienced that day in the mountain cave when Yu Jiu had leaned against him.
To say he didn’t miss it would be a lie. Every time Lu Shiyue looked down at his palms, he recalled the sight of the little mute sitting in them. The soft, delicate, snow-white skin had brushed against his hand; even after they separated in a panic, the lingering scent had remained. Sometimes, like a pervert, he would inexplicably lower his head to sniff the places Yu Jiu had brushed against.
Feeling the shallow breathing behind him, Lu Shiyue could even sense the tremor of Yu Jiu’s hair. It left him feeling distracted and constantly cursing himself. For someone he had never previously cared for, someone he should never have dared to covet, he had developed dirty, unspeakable thoughts.
Hoo.
Lu Shiyue exhaled a long breath. Once Ning Jue returned, everything would get back on track. The little mute would continue his sweet relationship with Ning Jue, and he would continue to be Ning Jue’s capable teammate; the two of them would have no further interactions.
However, he was not reconciled to that.
Yu Jiu was startled by Lu Shiyue’s sudden stop. He hurriedly halted his steps, nearly crashing into the man’s broad shoulders. Lu Shiyue’s shoulder muscles were firm; crashing into them would surely hurt, and then his nose and forehead would turn red and fill with tears. He would probably be mocked again.
He must have noticed me leaning in, Yu Jiu thought. After all, in Lu Shiyue’s eyes, any of Yu Jiu’s actions were interpreted as malicious or an attempt to seduce men.
So stingy.
Yu Jiu rubbed his forehead. The chill on his fingertips made him shiver, and he blew small breaths to warm them. I just wanted to lean on you for warmth. Why react so strongly?
Small-minded. Even if I were truly seducing men, I wouldn’t choose someone like Lu Shiyue, who always makes me unhappy.
“Captain Lu, long time no see. You are…”
A familiar voice rang out, its tone light and rising, laced with an ambiguous smile.
Yu Jiu looked up to find the magician leaning over in an exaggerated gesture, passing Lu Shiyue to look down at him. The first half of the sentence was merely a polite formality; the latter part was the true objective: to probe the person standing behind Lu Shiyue.
Gu Xun squinted, his expression unreadable. He had changed into a pair of black gloves and a black tailcoat, his hair tied back. The lazy temperament from before had vanished completely; he looked like a proper player now, his demeanor both relaxed and sharp. His fox-like eyes narrowed, his gaze long and slender, wrapping Yu Jiu in an intense feeling of being watched.
Yu Jiu averted his eyes, looking to the side to minimize his presence as much as possible. With Lu Shiyue there, Gu Xun’s focus shouldn’t be on him. Even now, with the game progress more than halfway complete, Yu Jiu still couldn’t figure out what the magician, whose motives were as unpredictable as his movements, truly wanted. His small-animal-like intuition warned him not to have too much contact with Gu Xun.
Gu Xun took in every bit of Yu Jiu’s exclusionary and resistant body language. He looked like a pitiful little rabbit shrinking into a corner to avoid being caught by humans, his beautiful green eyes full of caution and vigilance. The smile in his eyes deepened. Gu Xun leisurely straightened his posture, meeting Lu Shiyue’s furious gaze.
Lu Shiyue frowned as the lingering ghost entangled them again. He desperately wanted to resolve the magician right here and now. The grinning man standing beside Yu Jiu was an eyesore. But Gu Xun had yet to reveal his abilities or his trump card; he could use substitution items right under Lu Shiyue’s nose without a sound, meaning his strength could not be underestimated.
Truly troublesome.
“Do you have business?”
His tone was sharp. Yu Jiu looked at Lu Shiyue in surprise; the red-haired man could not hide his impatience, his eyes filled with malice as he spoke bluntly to the magician. Lu Shiyue was venting his fire on Gu Xun. Yu Jiu silently pitied Gu Xun for a second; why did the magician have to strike up a conversation just when Lu Shiyue was angry?
“091, are there conflicts between Lu Shiyue and Gu Xun in the original story?”
Why was it that every time they met, the air was thick with gunpowder? Even someone as slow-witted as Yu Jiu could sense their incompatibility.
“I don’t think so…” 091 frantically scanned the plot. The Sharp Knife vice-captain and the friend-or-foe magician rarely interacted; they occasionally had routine collaborations, like being temporary teammates in an instance, but other interactions were essentially zero. There was no obvious feud.
Watching Lu Shiyue take a defensive posture, looking like a manic man terrified that someone might steal his wife, 091 held back what it wanted to say. It was afraid of scaring Yu Jiu. The accidents from the baby’s first mission were already too many; if it told him the protagonist was fighting over him, he would definitely be scared to tears.
“Captain Lu, can’t I offer a greeting even if I have no business?”
Gu Xun feigned a devastated tone, though his gaze lingered on Yu Jiu.
“If you have no business, get lost.”
Lu Shiyue spoke with disgust. He did not want any threatening male creatures appearing before Yu Jiu, especially someone like the magician, whose ill intentions were obvious at a glance.
“How cold. But I didn’t come to see you.”
Gu Xun’s tone dropped for an instant before soaring with excitement the next second. “Xiao Jiu, I know you see me.”
Caught off guard by being named, Yu Jiu, who had been chatting happily with 091, looked like a student caught daydreaming and instinctively poked his head out from behind Lu Shiyue. His green eyes were filled with confusion, slightly widened, revealing the depth of his clear pupils. He hadn’t reacted yet, not understanding why he had been called out so suddenly.
Staring at Yu Jiu’s soft cheeks, his black hair clinging to his snow-white neck and his hair ends fluttering, Gu Xun felt an unprovoked sensation of itchiness. He ground his back molars, smiling like a fox that had successfully stolen a meal.
“Xiao Jiu, come here quickly. I have something for you.”
Gu Xun extended his arm and waved, his smile warm and sincere.
Didn’t he just say hello to Lu Shiyue? How did the focus turn back to him so quickly?
Yu Jiu felt a bit annoyed, but he quickly calmed down. There was no need to be angry with someone who had nothing to do with him. Without hesitation or delay, he walked out from behind Lu Shiyue.
His delicate brows furrowed and then relaxed; his expressions were written all over his face, making his thoughts easy to read. Gu Xun’s smile deepened. He looked forward to the moment the weak, helpless canary would fly into his cage.
Yu Jiu only wanted to get it over with so he could continue being an inconsequential cannon fodder. As he walked past Lu Shiyue, he was suddenly grabbed.
A temperature a few degrees warmer than his own, rough fingertips, and a powerful palm clamped tightly onto his wrist.
Pain flared. Yu Jiu instinctively tried to break free, but unexpectedly, the more he struggled, the tighter Lu Shiyue pressed. Lu Shiyue hung his head, his lowered hair hiding the dark storm brewing in his eyes. He was furious; the burgeoning anger and jealousy reached their peak the moment Yu Jiu walked toward Gu Xun.
His wrist hurt. Yu Jiu’s skin was delicate, and Lu Shiyue’s pressure instantly left a vivid red circle on the tender skin. The red mark branded onto his snow-white wrist held a beauty reminiscent of torture.
Lu Shiyue saw that patch of red and pulled his hand away as if burned. Regret and heartache overwhelmed him; no matter how angry he was, those flames should not be vented on Yu Jiu.
He jerked his head up, his lips moving as if to apologize, but he met Yu Jiu’s reddening eyes.
His rounded green eyes were filled with crystalline tears. With a mere blink, the tears would fall from the corners of his eyes; his eyelashes were also damp, sticking together in clusters, and the corners of his eyes were stained with a beautiful, intoxicating red. It looked as if he were in pain, and his cheeks were flushed pink.
Lu Shiyue only then remembered that Yu Jiu’s skin was delicate, carefully cared for, and spoiled; he couldn’t endure the slightest pain, and a light touch would leave a mark.
He had sprained his ankle, been frightened, and now tears were hanging on his long lashes.
How pitiful.
Why is Lu Shiyue like this, taking the opportunity to retaliate by pinching my hand?
No matter how good-tempered Yu Jiu was, he couldn’t help being a little angry. What a terrible person. Sarcasm is one thing, but he even acts in the dark.
Seeing the host about to shed tears, 091 hurriedly comforted him: “Baby, don’t pay any attention to him. Treat him like an NPC, finish the mission, and that’s it. There’s no need to take it to heart.”
Yu Jiu sniffled, nodding with a soft, nasal whimper, feeling aggrieved.
A pair of hands lifted his wrist; through the glove, he couldn’t feel the temperature. The magician lowered his head, a smile playing on his lips. Taking advantage of Yu Jiu’s distraction, he lifted his hand. Long hair scattered from his temples and brushed against Yu Jiu’s neck, causing an itch, and he turned his head to avoid it.
“Xiao Jiu, don’t move around.”
A bracelet was buckled onto the injury on his wrist. It felt cool, the pain vanished instantly, and the obvious red marks dissipated for the most part, gradually returning to normal.
The silver bracelet was the same material as the one Lu Shiyue had put on his wrist. His accessories were all silver and made of the same material for some unknown reason.
It was as if they were competing in secret.
“Xiao Jiu, you must wear it well.”
Gu Xun instructed him with a smile, “It took me a great deal of effort to obtain this healing item.”
Several items that were worth a fortune outside the game and would cause people to fight over them were hung on Yu Jiu like accessories. He had no concept of the value of these things; he just nodded, his attention captured by the light hidden within the bracelet.
Lu Shiyue witnessed everything that transpired. He wanted to stop it, but he watched, frozen, as the two interacted with such intimacy. Gu Xun moved gently, as if treating the little mute with the utmost care, and Yu Jiu did not resist, letting his wrist be held by the other man in an obedient manner.
The words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat; he couldn’t say a single one. Those words swallowed themselves back into his stomach, and his fingers curled into a fist so tight he was about to draw blood.
He walked forward uncontrollably.