Brows furrowed, Wei Xin scrolled through the chatter in the group chat, glaring at phrases like “baby” and “wife,” and even felt a sudden urge to report the entire group.
Absolute chaos.
He couldn’t fathom what was wrong with these people, using such terms to address a guy wasn’t that bizarre?
However.
Wei Xin’s mind conjured up that face once more, along with the image of the boy quietly clutching his cocktail glass and sitting alone on the sofa.
If it was Cen Jin, he supposed he could accept it.
Naturally, he spotted those malicious comments as well. Tapping on the avatars and personal profiles of those users one by one, he skimmed through their history before dumping them all straight into his blocklist.
That gesture proved entirely pointless. After blacklisting a few, he realized his behavior was far too childish, so he abandoned the trolls and resumed scrolling down through the message logs.
When Wei Xin’s eyes landed on that specific photo, his fingers gave an involuntary twitch.
An obnoxious hand was gripping Cen Jin’s chin with rough force, forcing the boy to tilt his face upward. His crystalline pupils were swimming with moisture, his eye sockets pooling with tears that threatened to spill over yet stubbornly refused to fall.
The person restraining Cen Jin stood uncomfortably close, a dark-skinned nose pressing directly against Cen Jin’s cheek to leave a slight, indented depression in the pale flesh.
Against that contrasting skin tone, Cen Jin appeared intensely fragile, resembling a fledgling bird with its neck trapped in a chokehold, even his expression of forced compliance radiating utter innocence.
Double-tapping to zoom in on the image, Wei Xin dragged the focus straight to Cen Jin’s lips.
Perhaps startled by the man’s abrupt movement, Cen Jin’s lips were drained of color, while the tender flesh within gleamed a bruised, brilliant red, the tiny tip of his pink tongue peeking out just a fraction.
Wei Xin bit down on the inner lining of his cheek, letting his gaze linger a beat too long over that splash of vivid red.
Moments later, he long-pressed the image and tapped save.
It wasn’t for any ulterior motive, of course. He merely felt the photograph was exceptionally well-composed.
Yeah, just like that.
Inside the classroom, the two heads seated right in front of Wei Xin remained stubbornly ducked, refusing to lift an inch.
Once morning classes concluded, Talon sauntered over to Wei Xin’s desk, slinging an arm around his shoulder. “Why didn’t any of you reply to my messages?”
“Didn’t you tell me not to send boring garbage? Could it be that you guys got too absorbed reading it?”
“It was genuinely boring.” Wei Xin averted his gaze, hastily rising to his feet before Talon could catch onto his unnatural tension, dodging away from the arm and offering a curt addendum: “Totally mediocre.”
Talon curled his lip. “Fine, fine, mediocre if you say so.” Sauntering toward the classroom door, Talon waved back at Mann and Wei Xin left inside. “I’m heading out, don’t wait up for me.”
Mann stopped him in his tracks. “Where are you going?”
Talon arched a single eyebrow. “Going to do something boring.” A few paces out, he moonwalked back, grabbing the doorframe as he warned, “Don’t bother me, alright?”
Hesitating, Mann glanced over at Wei Xin, who stood expressionless, leaning against the edge of his desk. “Should we follow him?”
“Why bother keeping tabs on him? Let’s go grab lunch.”
Sighing in defeat, Mann conceded, “Alright.”
Mann glanced back toward the doorway once more, but Talon had already vanished. Judging by Talon’s expression, Mann could practically guess what mischief he was off to stir up.
Ever since last night, Talon had been acting thoroughly unhinged, flooding Mann’s DMs with non-stop messages and gossip about Cen Jin well into the dead of night.
Mann could easily tell that Talon had fallen hard for Cen Jin.
Truth be told, as Talon’s brother-in-arms, Mann actually wanted to tag along and watch the show.
Just pure, innocent spectating, of course definitely not to sabotage Talon’s romantic pursuits.
Cen Jin walked toward the school gates, his mind entirely consumed by thoughts of that mysterious glass jar, leaving him completely oblivious to the world outside the campus perimeter.
Ethan had apparently been lingering there for quite some time. A flashy red-and-black motorcycle sat parked beside him, and with a helmet tucked under one arm, he craned his neck to scan the interior of the school grounds.
Just as Cen Jin raised his head, he locked eyes with Ethan the very person he had unilaterally dumped.
His steps stuttered to a halt before he abruptly spun around and bolted to hide behind a decorative fountain.
Through the splashing streams of water, he could vaguely make out Ethan’s figure, though Ethan would have to look quite closely to spot him through the spray.
At that exact moment, a hand dropped heavily onto Cen Jin’s shoulder, anchoring him in place.
He heard a low mutter from behind: “How is he this skinny? It’s all just bones.”
Unfamiliar with the voice, Cen Jin figured he must be dealing with a total stranger.
Before he could react, the stranger gave his shoulder a casual squeeze, causing Cen Jin to hunch up defensively. Just as he tried to wriggle away, the person behind him suddenly threw his head back and hollered toward the school gates at the top of his lungs:
“Ethan! Your little boyfriend is right over here!”
His voice carried immense volume, drawing the startled gazes not only of students streaming out of campus, but even parents waiting outside the gates.
Heat rushed violently to Cen Jin’s face, making him wish he could vanish into thin air. Yet the boy anticipated his retreat, instantly clamping a hand around Cen Jin’s arm.
“Don’t run off, Ethan’s looking for you.”
Cen Jin was well aware that Ethan was looking for him which precisely explained why he needed to run.
The second he shook off the boy’s grip and turned his head, he saw Ethan already striding toward him with long, determined steps.
Ethan’s towering stature and aggressive stride radiated an overwhelming wave of intimidation.
Ethan was clearly seething over the unilateral breakup, marching over now to settle scores.
“You need to find someone to feed on today, how about we go”
“No way!”
Cen Jin blurted his internal protest out loud, instantly clamping both hands over his mouth as his face drained to a stark, ghostly white.
In a matter of seconds, Ethan closed the distance and stood right before him. The boy who had ratted him out had vanished without a trace, while a small crowd of onlookers began gathering nearby. Still, intimidated by Ethan’s notoriously volatile aura and imposing build, nobody dared crowd too close.
Cen Jin could still feel the stinging weight of those curious eyes pinned to his back, and he loathed being put on display.
It felt precisely like being treated like a circus animal.
Ethan extended a hand toward him, prompting Cen Jin to involuntarily snap his eyes shut and shuffle backward a small step.
“What’s out of the question?” Ethan had caught what Cen Jin muttered just now, and seeing the boy’s terrified reaction only fueled his irritation. “What are you dodging for?”
With a swift grab, Ethan yanked Cen Jin’s hands away from his mouth, yet he didn’t let go, keeping both of Cen Jin’s wrists locked firmly in his grip.
Ethan felt noticeably more aggressive and overbearing than he had moments before when he was brushed off.
“I said we’re broken up” Cen Jin frowned, his voice laced with clear resentment over Ethan’s relentless harassment.
Ethan hauled Cen Jin’s wrists forward, pulling him straight into his personal space.
Stumbling forward, Cen Jin was caught by the shoulders as Ethan steadied him.
A massive shadow fell over him from above, accompanied by a low, rumbling voice that vibrated directly against his forehead:
“I never agreed to it.”
“Do I need your permission?” Cen Jin’s defiance faltered, his tone dropping into a timid squeak.
They stood chest-to-chest, close enough for Cen Jin to clearly spot his own reflection in Ethan’s pitch-black eyes.
Furious, Ethan’s breathing grew ragged and shallow, yet the words that slipped past his lips were:
“Give me another chance. Tell me whatever I’m doing wrong, and I’ll fix it.”
Cen Jin stared in absolute shock. He never expected this guy to share his own fickle, scumbag tendencies, yet possess such stubborn persistence.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, I just don’t like dark skin” Cen Jin’s voice tapered off into a guilty mumble, his courage failing him entirely as he dropped his chin to stare at the ground the second Ethan’s expression darkened.
“You!”
Ethan’s sudden roar made Cen Jin wince, his entire body shuddering from the vibration.
Pausing, Ethan forced his tone to soften into something resembling compromise. “Just come with me first, you can decide whether to break up with me later.”
“What do you want?”
Cen Jin wanted nothing to do with him; he needed to rush back and check on his glass jar.
“Go with him.”
Cen Jin hesitated.
Yet the thought of biting into Ethan made him shudder the skin looked far too thick and leathery, making him worry he’d chip a tooth before breaking the surface.
What if I wreck my fangs? Then I won’t be able to feed on anyone else.
“It won’t happen.”
While Cen Jin stood frozen in hesitation, Ethan suddenly hauled him forward with a sharp yank.
With his wrist aching from the grip, Cen Jin was dragged straight against Ethan’s chest.
Instinctively squeezing his eyes shut, Cen Jin braced for impact as his face collided with the scorching heat of the boy’s torso.
Gasps rippled through the surrounding onlookers, and the next second, a pair of hands gripped Cen Jin’s shoulders, forcefully yanking him away from Ethan’s embrace.
Stumbling backward several paces, Cen Jin bumped flush against a solid figure behind him. Strong arms wrapped securely around his waist from behind, pulling him snug against a comforting chest.
A schoolbag pressed flat against Cen Jin’s spine, nearly crushed by the embrace.
Dazed, Cen Jin craned his neck backward to look, meeting Talon’s familiar, smiling face.
For reasons unknown, a profound wave of relief washed over Cen Jin.
“He already said he wasn’t interested.” Resting his chin right on top of Cen Jin’s head, Talon rubbed against his hair with flagrant provocation right in front of Ethan.
Ethan scowled at Talon, his gaze shifting to evaluate Cen Jin, who showed zero resistance to Talon’s intimate gesture. Hesitating for a beat, Ethan drew a deep breath as if steeling himself for an impossible ordeal, and solemnly declared:
“If Cen Jin wants it, the three of us can date together.”