Qi Dengzui had only mentioned it casually, and although it stirred Guan Si’s unease, he didn’t press the matter.
Even if he suspected Guan Si’s origins, this was still someone he’d spent so much time with feelings were bound to exist. He hoped Guan Si would tell him voluntarily, not be forced to speak.
Qi Dengzui’s voice was faint. “Alright, we’re done talking. I’m heading back to the dorm to rest.”
Each student’s dormitory was a private space. Without an invitation from the owner or knowledge of the secret phrase, no one could enter another’s dorm it was the supernatural academy’s way of protecting its examinees.
The academy was fairly generous to its students. The interior of a dorm could shift according to one’s thoughts, transforming into whatever form one desired, saving a lot of trouble with decoration.
When Qi Dengzui first entered his dorm, the entire room was blank no furniture whatsoever, just white walls and a wooden door, windows without even glass panes. It was as bare as could be.
He gave the room’s layout a brief once-over, closed his eyes, and focused his mind. In an instant, the lighting shifted from cool tones to warm, and all kinds of furniture materialized in full simple yet refined.
Since leaving the examination hall, Qi Dengzui was no longer wearing the patient’s gown from the test. Instead, he wore the casual clothes he’d had on as an enforcer before coming to the supernatural academy.
He unbuttoned his shirt while mentally instructing Guan Si, “I’m going to take a shower. You get some sleep.”
Guan Si’s gaze landed on Qi Dengzui’s reflection in the mirror.
Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and collarbones with sharp, elegant hollows, enhanced by the warm light, they carried a hint of intimacy.
Qi Dengzui raised an eyebrow, his gaze cold as he stripped off his clothes. His fair skin gave no impression of frailty; rather, his aggressive aura made him all the more alluring and imposing.
Guan Si’s mind went blank. A tiny sprout stood straight up, crystal clear, like a green plant touched by morning dew. He whispered, “Okay, Brother Qi.”
Ten minutes later.
Guan Si walked out of the bathroom with a red face, feeling like his heart was about to collapse.
This damned body.
Why did it have to switch again at a time like this?!
Right in front of the door was the full-length mirror Qi Dengzui had just used. Guan Si didn’t dare look at it, shuffling past with his eyes darting away.
When his peripheral vision accidentally caught sight of Qi Dengzui’s long, powerful legs, Guan Si felt a surge of heat rush through him. The little green sprout in his sea of consciousness spun upright, whirling as fast as a propeller.
“Why so shy? Afraid to look?” Qi Dengzui’s voice was lazy and seductive, enough to make Guan Si’s bones go weak. “We’re both men. Just walk over naturally.”
“Ah.” Guan Si responded blankly, a flush creeping up his neck. He shuffled for what felt like ages until he finally reached the bedroom, yanked up the blanket, and buried himself completely under it. “B-Brother Qi, what do we do now?”
Qi Dengzui chuckled and flicked the green sprout on his head. “Close your eyes and sleep.”
Guan Si’s ears burned. He obediently said, “Okay.”
He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the body beside him, trying to suppress the restlessness in his heart and fall asleep.
A while later.
Guan Si couldn’t help but nuzzle against the little blue flower on Qi Dengzui’s head. “Brother Qi, I can’t sleep.”
Qi Dengzui kept his eyes closed. In his sea of consciousness, a beam of light formed out of nowhere, gently wrapping around the little white sphere. Guan Si’s tender sprout drooped softly against his head in comfort.
A deep, pleasant voice pierced through his soul.
“Sleep now, Guan Si.”
The moment the words fell, Guan Si felt a gentle breeze brush through his heart. Drowsiness struck suddenly, enveloping his entire consciousness and dragging him into a dream.
…
“Drip, drop, drip, drop”
The sound of a clock ticking was clearly audible, like a countdown, ringing second by second.
In the dream, Guan Si leaned against a massive, rusted vermilion iron door, his voice trembling. “Brother Qi, are you there?”
On the other side of the door, Qi Dengzui’s voice was faint. “I’m here.”
“Drip, drop”
The countdown continued.
Guan Si couldn’t help but ask again, “Brother Qi, are you there?”
“I’m here.”
“Brother Qi, are you asleep?”
“No.”
…
“Brother Qi?”
“Mhm…”
His heartbeat quickened. Guan Si buried his head deep in the crook of his arm. “Brother Qi, are you there?”
“Brother Qi?”
“Brother Qi.”
No answer. The silence around him was terrifying.
“Drip”
“Drop”
The ticking came to a halt, and the scene plunged into darkness.
“Brother Qi!”
Guan Si felt as if ice water had been dumped over him, his whole body going cold. His eyes flew open as he jolted awake.
…
Xie Buyu opened his eyes, a still pool of calm in his gaze.
“You’ve already recognized him, haven’t you?”
“Mhm.” Xie Buyu’s voice was utterly flat.
Lian Zhuo said, “Why do you care so much about Qi Dengzui? What exactly is he.”
“He is my opponent. I want him to die at my hands, not anywhere else.” Xie Buyu pinched his chin with one hand, his voice flat. “You are merely one of my lotus flowers. Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. Understood?”
Lian Zhuo lowered his eyes and said, “I understand.”
Xie Buyu flicked his horsetail whisk. “You may go.”
Lian Zhuo felt a pang of disappointment, nodded, and walked halfway before suddenly turning back. “Master… if nothing unexpected happens in the next exam, Qi Dengzui and the others might go to the ‘Day and Night Campus’ exam site.”
“I know.” Xie Buyu closed his eyes and said, “Lian Zhuo, I’m doing this for your own good. Don’t go out of your way for things you shouldn’t know, or it will only harm you.”
Lian Zhuo was silent for a moment, then said, “I understand, Master. I’ll take my leave now.”
Xie Buyu said, “Good.” He closed his eyes again.
Early the next morning, Qi Dengzui switched over, finally easing Guan Si’s awkwardness.
He had changed into a simple black suit, with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his high-bridged nose, exuding an air of refined villainy.
The moment he arrived at the paranormal academy’s bar, the little gays around him started whistling at him, winking and shouting, “Ooh! Handsome, wanna hook up?”
Guan Si, looking through Qi Dengzui’s eyes at this scene, was so furious that the stems on his head stiffened a few degrees. “Brother Qi, why are they so wanton, only thinking about that kind of thing, with no sense of decency or shame?”
Qi Dengzui walked past a group of little bottoms in his leather shoes, his voice short and forceful, drawing another wave of cheers so much so that he didn’t notice someone had snapped a photo of him and posted it to the paranormal academy’s forum.
The post had barely gone up before it garnered several replies.
〈Post: Damn, you guys know what? A handsome guy just showed up at E-Bar, so alpha. Has anyone hooked up with him? Share the tea ［Image 1］［Image 2］［Image 3］〉
〈! So hot so hot so hot so hot, looks like he’d be great in bed.〉
〈Above… okay, honestly, I agree.〉
〈Sorry, stumbled into the bottom circle, but he’s genuinely kinda good-looking.〉
〈Alright, I declare this my new top-tier crush. Three minutes, I want all the info on this man.〉
〈Isn’t this the handsome guy from the underground arena that day? So even he’s gay.〉
〈Waiting for contact info.〉
Pei Su’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Qi Dengzui. “Qi, you look sharp today in that outfit, way better taste than He Zhu.”
He Zhu sat nearby in silence, shooting Pei Su an indescribable look.
A male waiter came over to pour drinks, his collar wide open, lips red and teeth white, staring intently at the three of them.
Qi Dengzui glanced over and said, “You picked this place so it’d be convenient for you to handle business later?”
Pei Su took the drink the waiter handed him, downed it in one gulp, and said to Qi Dengzui, “You get me, as always. Guess we’re cut from the same cloth.”
Qi Dengzui hadn’t delved into that kind of content and didn’t grasp whether Pei Su’s “same cloth” meant they were both gay, or both tops who made bottoms go weak in the knees.
He asked, “What’s your next exam?”
Pei Su mused, “Seems like some kind of warehouse. Anyway, it sounds like a boring exam. Probably won’t have much plot likely a game-type exam.”
Paranormal academy exams generally fell into a few major categories, the most common being plot-type and game-type. “Escape from the Asylum” was a typical plot-type exam, where the whole test revolved around exploring the narrative. If you got lucky and triggered special hidden plotlines, it could greatly reduce the difficulty.
Game-type exams, on the other hand, were usually logic-based skill challenges, with no special hidden plots to ease the difficulty, pure hardcore deduction and logical analysis to break through.
He Zhu glanced sideways at Pei Su and suddenly let out a cold laugh. “What a coincidence, mine’s a warehouse too.”
Pei Su hooked his hand around the waiter’s, refusing to back down. “Then I’ll be counting on Brother He’s continued care. Pleasure working together.”
Qi Dengzui watched their verbal sparring and said, “Mine’s ‘Day and Night Campus.’ Seems like a campus scenario, different exam site from yours. Not sure yet if it’s plot-type or game-type.”
Pei Su said, “Campus scenarios are usually supernatural-themed, but the type is uncertain. You can wait for the exam topic to be announced at the end of the month like the one released for the asylum exam, it’ll provide a lot of info. You can prepare and train in advance based on that.”
“Yeah.” Qi Dengzui stood up. “Done talking? I’ll head out then.”
Pei Su raised a hand. “Hey! Why leave so soon? Stick around and have some fun?”
He shoved He Zhu, who was about to get up, back down with one hand, his smile unchanged. “Don’t be a stranger, Brother He. Join us too the folks here really know how to have a good time. I guarantee you’ll enjoy it.”
“N-No, thanks!”
Guan Si switched over in an instant. Before he could even recover from the aftereffects of the personality shift, his mouth was already speaking on its own.
He Zhu’s mouth twitched, while Pei Su’s grip on his shoulder tightened even more.
Guan Si said, “Brother Qi still has matters to attend to, so we’ll be going now.”
Pei Su called out, “Hey, the little beauty’s online? Don’t leave yet.”
Guan Si ignored him, fleeing with Qi Dengzui’s drunk body in tow, his retreating figure extremely flustered.
Qi Dengzui let out a soft laugh in his sea of consciousness and asked him, “That scared of them?”
Guan Si’s voice was muffled: “No, I’m just afraid of Brother Qi…”
The bar was filled with all kinds of clamorous noise, and the tail end of Guan Si’s words fell into the chaotic din, so Qi Dengzui didn’t catch what he said.
At the end of the month, Qi Dengzui finally faced his second exam. “Day and Night Campus.”