Zhou Jin’s actions were entirely subconscious.
When the wet, warm sensation reached his fingertips, he froze completely. His mind went blank, and he was unable to understand what this sudden moisture could be. He even instinctively rubbed his finger against it again, trying to confirm it was not an illusion. It was sticky. Could it be blood?
Zhou Jin’s brow furrowed. Had this idiot accidentally injured himself somewhere?
“Whimper.”
Just as Zhou Jin thought this, Lin Min, who was on his back, let out an extremely suppressed, tearful whimper. His soft body shuddered violently. The arms loosely draped around Zhou Jin’s neck suddenly tightened. His legs also clamped shut involuntarily, and his entire body became as tense as a fully drawn bow.
Zhou Jin quickly squatted down to set him on the floor, driven by a panic he did not even recognize.
The little widower’s eyes were half closed, and his snowy, dazed face pressed against Zhou Jin’s palm. Damp strands of hair tickled his hand, causing a strange itch to bloom in both his palm and his heart.
Fu Chenyuan and Wei Chi, who had been watching Lin Min closely, hurried over immediately.
Zhou Jin cradled the little widower in his arms and pressed the back of his hand against the man’s flushed cheek. “Can you hear me? Is your leg injured? I think I felt blood just now.”
He raised his hand to look, but his tanned skin was clear; the moisture had been rubbed off somewhere.
“Injured?” Fu Chenyuan stepped over and knelt.
His expression was still gentle, but his sharp, handsome features held a touch of earnestness. He instinctively reached out to grasp the snowy, slender ankle. Only when he felt the soft texture did he react. He expected a surge of disgust from his germaphobia, and his body tensed in preparation.
However, the sensation in his palm was like holding a piece of white jade, warm to the touch, delicate, and smooth. It was not as intolerable as he had imagined. Yet Fu Chenyuan seemed to sense that discomfort anyway. He knit his brows, which was a rare occurrence, wanting to let go, but the current situation clearly took priority.
Fu Chenyuan’s eyes darkened. His college major had been clinical medicine. Although he had shifted toward running the company later, he had not forgotten how to provide emergency treatment for wounds. He gripped the calf, intending to check if the beautiful husband’s thigh was injured, but the man was flushed and refused to cooperate.
Fu Chenyuan felt a flicker of surprise. The snowy calf struggled in his grasp, and the soft flesh trembled. Seeing the red marks, he thought he was hurting the man. He was about to withdraw his hand when he was suddenly pinned by the soft, white flesh between the knees, unable to move.
“Ugh.” Lin Min finally reacted. The electric stimulation in his body had not faded. Feeling the large hands trying to lift his leg for an inspection, he frantically scrambled backward in fear. Xie Mingyuan had left marks there. He did not dare move recklessly.
Thinking of this, Lin Min hurriedly pulled his legs back and clamped his knees shut, terrified of being discovered. “I am fine. I am just a bit hot. What you felt earlier must have been sweat.”
He stammered out a lie in his dazed state. He strictly remembered the promise to his husband, even though his lower abdomen was beginning to ache.
“Sweat? Why is your sweat fragrant?” Zhou Jin instinctively raised his hand to sniff it. Realizing what he had done, he quickly knit his brows and irritably withdrew his hand.
Hearing his words, Lin Min felt even more ashamed. How could he? How could he smell that?
The more he tried to retreat, the more the strange sensation Zhou Jin felt from the touch was replaced by inexplicable irritation and worry. He could not stand this secretive behavior, especially when it involved physical safety.
“We are all men. Why be so coy?” Zhou Jin’s tone held a trace of urgency he did not recognize. He reached out and directly grabbed Lin Min’s slender ankle. “Let me see. How can you leave a wound untreated?”
“No! I am really fine!” Lin Min shrunk back in alarm. That snowy calf struggled in Zhou Jin’s palm, the soft flesh quivering and leaving behind light red marks. Especially with so many people around, he was so scared his muscles were shaking.
Zhou Jin stared suspiciously at the little widower’s expression. He felt something was wrong. But seeing how the man resisted his touch, he pressed his lips together irritably. Did he dislike him that much? He did not get angry when the man was smelling him just now.
He was not Lin Min’s dog. He was not about to grovel after being rejected. Yet seeing that resistance, an undefinable spark of anger ignited within him.
A mix of worry and the annoyance of being pushed away made Zhou Jin’s movements firmer. He leaned forward, pulling the snowy ankle apart despite the little widower’s trembling, wanting to see if the thigh was injured. But then he froze in place.
How could someone be pink there?
Zhou Jin felt his fingertips were damp, but it clearly was not the sweat the little widower claimed, nor was it the blood he had guessed. Although he had zero experience with such matters, he was not completely ignorant. He simply had never thought in that direction. Now, an absurd guess that made his whole body burn crashed into his mind.
Zhou Jin’s ears turned blood red instantly, and the heat spread to his neck and the side of his face. As if scorched, he nearly lost his grip on the slippery flesh behind the little widower’s knee.
He had actually done that while on his back. Were his clothes wet now? Did he like him that much?
This realization brought Zhou Jin to a halt. An inexplicable emotion swept through him, and his body temperature climbed. He felt as if he could not look away. He subconsciously tightened his fingers.
Tear stains were still wet on Lin Min’s snowy cheeks, and a pink flush bloomed around his eyes and face. He tried desperately to close his legs, but those hands were like iron pincers, holding him tightly so that his weak struggle seemed like an invitation. He could not even tell how many hands were on him.
Lin Min could feel the gazes on him. The intense shame made his abdomen twitch. “Let go, please.”
The temperature seemed to be dropping again. A cold, ethereal gaze landed on him, sweeping over his unnaturally flushed cheeks and his straining legs. Xie Mingyuan was back. Lin Min’s dazed mind suddenly realized it.
He struggled with all his might, but it was useless. His husband’s icy hand was already on his abdomen, trending further downward right in front of the players. Xie Mingyuan was truly angry this time. The cold hand pinched his chin, and his husband’s low, malicious voice reached his ear.
“Does Baby like being watched that much?”
“Since you like them so much, I will kill them and cut off their heads. Then I will let them all watch while I make Baby cry from being taken, okay?”
The ghost’s icy breath fanned his ear. The chill became excessive, and beneath his curled lashes, Lin Min’s pearl like pupils rolled upward slightly. He could barely contain his saliva.
Hearing that the players were to be killed, Lin Min forced himself to reach out with his snowy fingertips to grab his husband’s hand. But this time, the husband, now a malicious ghost, was exceptionally cruel. Lin Min’s fingers touched nothing. To the surrounding players, it looked as though the beautiful husband was reaching out for a hug. He was obediently letting his husband bully him.
Watching this, even Fu Chenyuan, who usually found such things disgusting, narrowed his eyes. He felt that suffocating sensation of being enveloped by softness again. A damp touch brushed across the bridge of his nose and his thin lips. He felt treated like a tool. Though it should have been a humiliation, at this moment, it felt strangely different.
Despite being a young wife for years, he was still so sensitive to touch. Once this thought took root, it coiled around Fu Chenyuan’s mind like a vine. He should have looked away immediately, but his gaze remained locked on that snowy abdomen. He failed to notice the dense sound of footsteps approaching until they were close.
Lin Min knew nothing of this. His hearing was sharper than most, and he also heard the strange sounds. Remembering his husband’s words, he bit his tongue, trying to wake himself up. His legs shook as he struggled harder in his husband’s arms. But as the footsteps grew louder, he heard no movement from the players.
Had they already abandoned him and run?
Lin Min began to shiver. He caught the fishy scent of the sea in the air and understood quickly. The things closing in on them in a swarm were the monsters he and Zhou Jin had encountered in the room. He remembered how terrifying those things were.
The fear cleared his head slightly. Judging by the footsteps, there were many more than before. Xie Mingyuan really intended to kill them. To stay in character, even if the players had run, he had to play the part of the selfless martyr. It did not matter if he died; staying behind would stall Xie Mingyuan. The players could not die, or his mission would fail.
And so, the players saw it.
The beautiful husband whimpered, and his eyes were out of focus. Even though his ghostly husband had made his tongue so soft he could barely speak, he still tried to warn them.
“Run, quickly, something is coming.” Lin Min tried to suppress his embarrassing whimpers, closing his eyes in fear. He hoped it would not hurt too much when Xie Mingyuan killed him.
Just as he thought this, a man’s hot hand gripped his snowy wrist. Before he could react, his head bumped into a man’s suit collar. He looked up dazed, and his soft, white cheek was marked by a faint red indent from an exquisite brooch.
Lin Min caught the scent of the cologne. It was Fu Chenyuan. The player had not abandoned him?
Lin Min was held in the man’s arms, and the slight bumping confirmed his rescue. But soon he could not think of that, as Xie Mingyuan clearly did not intend to let them live. Even if he could not see, he could guess from the footsteps coming from all directions. The situation was grim.
“Mr. Fu, put me down. I heard Mr. Zhou say these things follow the scent.” Lin Min did not know what scent he carried. “It is too dangerous for you to take me.”
Back then, the monsters had found them even when they hid. Carrying him would only hinder their movement. As Lin Min’s worried words fell, he felt the hand on his lower back tighten for a second, though it was so fast it felt like an illusion.
For the first time, Fu Chenyuan did not respond immediately. He knew what the right choice was, but looking at the little widower’s damp lashes, his logic crumbled. The chaotic footsteps grew closer. Without Lin Min, they could kill these monsters even if they took some injuries. But the body in his arms was too weak.
Before the creatures could catch up, Fu Chenyuan set the husband on the ground. But he did not leave him. Instead, he stripped off his own jacket and swapped it with the one the little widower wore, which was soaked in fragrance.
They were still in the villa. On both sides of the hallway were neatly arranged doors. After ensuring there was no scent, Fu Chenyuan opened a door and pushed the little widower inside. His tone was still gentle. “Go inside, lock the door, and hide in the closet. Do not make a sound. We will be back soon.”
The closet and the door would block the scent. He had Lin Min’s jacket; if those things wanted to chase, they would chase them first.
Lin Min, still confused, heard the door close from the outside. Did the player save me? Should they not have used me as cannon fodder? He slid down against the cold door. His heart hammered in his chest.
Lin Min heard the mindless monsters being easily led away by the players. Silence returned to the hallway. He wanted to go help, but considering his own abilities, he decided not to be a burden. Eventually, he slowly locked the door and groped his way into the closet, just as Fu Chenyuan had instructed.
A strong, fishy smell of the sea entered his nostrils. Zhou Jin knit his brows and kicked one away, feeling these things were more troublesome than he remembered. Though not the deadliest, their senses were sharp, they were poisonous, and they moved in packs like piranhas. No matter how careful he was, he had been nicked.
But that was not what was bothering him. Faced with anyone other than the little widower, Zhou Jin still carried an air of disdain. He glanced irritably at Fu Chenyuan. “I did not know you were so kindhearted, playing the savior hero.”
Zhou Jin had wanted to save the man too, but Fu Chenyuan had been a step faster. Thinking of this, he killed two more monsters in a vent of frustration.
Fu Chenyuan loved cleanliness. Seeing his clothes nearly splattered with blood, his brow furrowed, and his habitual smile vanished. “Is protecting a vital clue non playable character not a consensus among all players? Do you care about him so much? Is it not because of this?”
Fu Chenyuan was also slightly injured. There were too many monsters released by the boss. He did not bother maintaining his gentle mask.
“I, I am obviously doing it because of that. Why else would a straight man like me care about him?” Zhou Jin stammered, and his tone held a trace of awkwardness he did not notice. He did not want to argue with Fu Chenyuan, so he vented his strange restlessness on the monsters.
But as the monsters dwindled, Zhou Jin suddenly noticed something wrong. An inexplicable heat arrived fast and fierce, spreading from his wounds to his whole body like a wildfire. His blood seemed to heat and boil, assaulting his logic. He tried to stay conscious and looked down. He saw blue scales, identical to the monsters, suddenly appearing on the back of his hand.
Zhou Jin’s handsome face looked even more wicked and cold in the shadows because of the scales. He stared at the two players among the corpses who had also noticed the anomaly and were staring at their own arms. He realized he was not the only one infected.
A faint, sweet scent floated in the air. Before his logic completely collapsed, Zhou Jin suddenly remembered why he hated these monsters most. It was not just because their toxin could briefly turn a player into one of them, but because of the beast like mating period of these creatures. Until they were completely satisfied, they would forever chase after a beloved female in heat.
Silence returned to the room. Lin Min curled up in the narrow closet, and his beautiful face was damp with sweat. His long black hair was soaked and clung to the side of his pale, delicate face. He was still worried about the players’ safety. But Lin Min knew that even if he went out, he could not help; he would only cause trouble.
The little widower curled into a small ball, leaning his hot cheek gently against his knee. His fingers subconsciously toyed with the cuff of the suit jacket he was wearing. This was Fu Chenyuan’s jacket, and on him, it was large enough to cover the tops of his thighs. It gave him a weak sense of security, but he felt more worry for the players.
Just as Lin Min was drifting off, he suddenly heard a faint sound of footsteps. Then the door was knocked. Lin Min was startled and about to hide deeper when he heard a familiar, strangely raspy voice.
“Open the door. It is me, Zhou Jin. It is safe outside. I am back. You smell so good. I can smell it even through the door.”