The podium was in chaos. Below, the audience members screamed in terror as they witnessed the horrific transformation of Shen Yuhuai. Bai Xinjian ignored it all, appearing entirely unaware of the confusion in the distance as he walked slowly toward the backstage lounge where Gu Yue was.
After falling from his horse, Gu Yue had been helped into the lounge by several colleagues and medical staff for rest and bandaging. His wounds had been treated, and after sitting in the room to recover for a while, he felt much better.
The room was more of a changing room than a lounge. It contained storage lockers and benches for people to rest. The soundproofing was excellent, and sitting inside with the door closed allowed one to temporarily shut out the clamor outside.
Jiang Sui and the other riders from the friendship race seemed to have gone outside to wait for the awards ceremony. Jiang Sui had achieved outstanding results in both the amateur and friendship races: first place in the amateur and second in the friendship. Gu Yue regretted not performing better in front of Jiang Sui. However, accidents happened often on the racecourse, and as long as no one was seriously hurt, the results were secondary.
While waiting for the wound-healing ointment to take effect, Gu Yue thought about other matters. Strangely, even though he had already decided to distance himself from Bai Yu and choose Jiang Sui, he felt empty, as if something was wrong. He already knew that continuing to entangle himself with this married neighbor would lead to ruin if exposed, and Jiang Sui would never be with him then.
Wake up, Gu Yue told himself. No matter how you look at it, Bai Yu is not a good choice for me.
The lounge door opened with a slight sound. Gu Yue turned his head and was shocked to see it was Bai Yu. A fleeting sense of awkwardness flashed across Gu Yue’s face. He had been thinking about this person just moments ago, and now here he was. Gu Yue turned his face slightly, wondering how to avoid him. Should he find an excuse to leave?
Just as Gu Yue was about to stand up, he saw Bai Xinjian walk in with a concerned expression.
“Captain Gu,” Bai Xinjian asked anxiously, “I saw you had an accident on the track and seemed to be injured. How are you now? Are you all right?”
Gu Yue smiled awkwardly. “I am fine.”
“That is a relief,” Bai Xinjian sighed. “You nearly scared me to death.”
An awkward and ambiguous atmosphere swirled between them, leaving Gu Yue feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles. After much deliberation, Gu Yue made up his mind to speak. “Bai Yu, the incident at the gas station the other day was truly an accident for both of us. You saw that my parents arrived; they have always liked Jiang Sui and want to play matchmaker. My heart has always been with him, and you know you already have a family.”
“No,” tears quickly filled Bai Xinjian’s eyes. “Why did you not tell me this sooner, Captain Gu? Why wait until now?” He stepped forward and grabbed Gu Yue’s hand.
Bai Xinjian lowered his voice. “I admit I approached you with a purpose at first, but…” He lowered his eyes, a flicker of disappointment crossing them, before biting his lip. “Captain Gu, I understand you. In truth, I do not care who is in your heart.”
After a long pause, he stubbornly looked up at Gu Yue. “Sometimes, being with my husband makes me feel suppressed and sad. But being with you is different.” He forced a smile. “I feel only boundless lightness and happiness. I know you have someone else in your heart and will eventually marry Mr. Jiang.”
He turned his head away, biting his lip as if making a final decision. “But I do not mind. I am willing to stay by your side silently, as a lover who can never be seen in the light.” With that, Bai Xinjian stepped forward and hooked his arms around Gu Yue’s neck.
“Quick, 0048,” Bai Xinjian said internally.
“Oh, coming!”
0048 finally reacted, inputting the image of the two of them kissing into Gu Yue’s mind while marveling. “Jianjian, you are truly amazing. If circumstances allowed, I would give you an Oscar.”
Once the timing was right, Bai Xinjian pulled a key from his pocket and stuffed it into the pocket of Gu Yue’s riding gear. He stepped back, his eyes and face reddening. “Tonight, Shen Yuhuai will certainly be taken away by the Alliance and will not come home. Aside from the servants, I will be the only one at home. Captain Gu, no matter how late it is, I am willing to wait for you.”
Bai Xinjian lowered his head, wiped away non-existent tears from the corner of his eye with his hand, forced a smile at Gu Yue, and turned to leave the lounge.
Outside, the world was in turmoil. Inside the small lounge, there was only a faint serenity and intimacy. Gu Yue stood still, his head lowered, as dark blue light suddenly gathered in his right eye. From a small cluster, the light grew increasingly intense, flickering and surging until it shattered the restraints, brewing into a violent storm within his pupils.
“He likes me.”
“He likes me.”
Gu Yue muttered to himself, his voice shifting from his usual clear tone to a hoarse, deep growl. “Great, he said he is happy to be with me. He said he would wait for me at home tonight.”
“Shut up! You are Gu Yue, not a monster!” Gu Yue’s expression shifted instantly, his voice changing to another register.
“Gu Yue cannot love Bai Yu, but the monster can!”
“Coward! The monster only has eyes for Bai Yu! The monster will break the chains! Break all chains and eat Bai Yu!”
“Eat him! Eat! Eat!”
“No! Do not hurt him! Shut up!” Another voice chimed in.
Gu Yue’s expression turned ferocious, and the veins on his neck bulged. He seemed to be arguing with himself. If anyone had passed by the lounge then, they would have been terrified by his appearance. After a while, Gu Yue returned to calm, his expression normalizing, and he stood up to leave the lounge as if nothing had happened.
However, because the wound-healing ointment on his leg had not fully taken effect, the wound at his knee split open and bled once he started walking. Yet, he seemed completely unable to feel the pain, striding toward the racecourse.
[Jianjian, I have detected that the monster’s pollutant levels have broken through the critical threshold,] 0048 said in Bai Xinjian’s mind. [We are close to success now. Shen Yuhuai has been detained by the Alliance, but his instability levels are too high; it is very likely he will break out tonight. The equipment in the Alliance’s classified ward cannot hold him.]
[You are truly amazing!] Bai Xinjian said excitedly. [Just as I said at the beginning, we bypassed many side plots and are heading straight for the main theme!]
[Soon, the monster will reach Level V high-risk status!]
[I thought the difficulty of this story world was about how to conquer the monster, but for you, it is not a problem at all! Jianjian, it is a pity you did not become an actor in your past life!]
0048 began to look forward to the future: [Once the mission in this world is complete, you can shed your intern status and become a full-fledged employee!]
That night, Bai Xinjian finished showering, dried his hair, and stepped out of the bathroom. He pretended to prepare for bed, pulled back the covers, and lay down by the bedside. The fluffy, soft pillow smelled of sunlight mixed with the faint scent of roses.
This pillow… did Claude help sun it today?
Bai Xinjian suddenly realized this. It seemed that whenever Claude had free time lately, he would help sun the pillows and quilts in his bedroom in the backyard. The backyard and the front garden were his territory, and if he were always busy tending to the flowers and ignoring everything else, he would be complained about by Su Qin. Over the last few days, he had become much more diligent than before.
Bai Xinjian began to count the traces of the monster in this story: Claude, Shen Yuhuai, Gu Yue, and the mysterious Unfortunate Ones. Could the monster be everywhere? Bai Xinjian began to wonder: would He come tonight? In whose form would He appear? Bai Xinjian felt a faint sense of anticipation.
Tap, tap. Soft footsteps sounded outside the corridor. Bai Xinjian opened his arms, hugged the pillow, and closed his eyes, a light smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. The bedroom door was pushed open. The footsteps became soundless. The fragrance of roses drew near. The scent grew increasingly rich. Bai Xinjian also smelled a faint, earthy scent of grass. It was Claude.
A hand reached over, helping to tuck the quilt that had slipped from Bai Xinjian’s shoulder, pulling it up gently.
“Why?”
“He is mine!”
“He is mine!”
Bai Xinjian heard the other’s mutterings. The voice grew louder: “Cannot let them eat him first.”
“One bite… so fragrant…” Claude leaned closer to Bai Xinjian, bowing his body. Warm breath sprayed against the side of Bai Xinjian’s neck. Bai Xinjian reached out, accurately pressing against the other’s lips in the darkness.
“Shh,” Bai Xinjian opened his eyes, looking directly into the dark blue pupil. “You cannot eat me; I am waiting for someone else.”
“Who? Who are you waiting for?” Claude backed away from Bai Xinjian’s side and began to pace the bedroom anxiously. He was completely unlike his usual self, clearly on the verge of losing control.
“I am waiting for someone who can truly eat me.”
As soon as Bai Xinjian finished speaking, the sound of the door being pushed open rang out again. This time, the footsteps were not light, carrying the metallic click of boot heels. Judging by the footsteps, Bai Xinjian concluded it must be Gu Yue.
In the dead silence, Gu Yue slowly approached him.
“Eat, eat.”
Bai Xinjian heard Gu Yue growl hoarsely in a tone he had never used before.
“Get out!” Claude roared in the room.
Click. The bedside lamp was switched on by Bai Xinjian. The sudden warm yellow light stung the pupils of both monsters, and both dark blue right eyes squinted simultaneously.
“Captain Gu,” Bai Xinjian smiled, sitting up from the edge of the bed. “You are here.”