After recuperating enough to earn his strength, Xiu Lin opened his eyes. The first thing that registered in his senses was the scent of food.
The hungry young man immediately turned his head on the table beside the small bed and noticed a bowl of porridge, a glass of milk, a bottle of water, and some side dishes.
It didn't look good in his eyes, but he was too hungry to care about the looks of it. The first thing he grabbed was the bottled water and had a few sips first while looking around the room. It was empty just how it has always been. After satisfying his thirst, he took the bowl of warm porridge and leaned his back on the wall of his bed. He ate a few spoons and blankly stared into space.
'We should escape. The food tasted bad.' he said in his mind, eating another spoonful of the food.
[Sure host! How do you want to escape?]
'A cool escape.'
[How?] 1204 asked again.
'I don't know. Still thinking about it.'
Halfway through the meal, Xiu Lin felt that the week of no food didn't do anything. He already felt full just after drinking and eating half a bowl.
'This shit doesn't taste any good. I want some custard cake. Or kebab or something.' he felt like his craving is out again. Although hungry, he didn't feel good about eating porridge. And even if he was eating snacks in the system space, the material body still needed supplements.
[You can buy as many when you get out of here, host.]
'I know.'
The young man placed the bowl back on the table and went straight to the bathroom to pee for a minute, after that he flushed the toilet and washed his hands.
When he came back, another color added up to the blank empty, and white room. A person stood at the door staring back at him. His heart suddenly started racing fast... not because he was nervous, but because it was the normal reaction of the original body towards this man, leaving Xiu Lin to bear this stupid heart.
Looking at the person, and the already intense feeling in his heart, an idea suddenly popped out of Xiu Lin's mind. At the same time, he wanted to laugh at the thought but decided to go with his plan.
"Xun-- ah no." Xiu Lin backed a little near the bathroom door and gave him a smiling look. It was a light smile but was forced. "It's not your name, it's rude of me to call you that," he said indifferently.
Mo Xunian felt like his heart was punched when he heard the young man say that coldly. He walked toward the bed and placed the first aid on the table and looked at the half-finished bowl of porridge. He felt guilt again. "Come here, I'll change your bandages." he tried to calmly say, hinting a gentleness in his tone.
Xiu Lin didn't move and simply looked at him. Mo Xunian looked at him and saw that the was a complicated look in the young man's eyes as if the person in front of him was an animal that suddenly spoke human or an alien that got out of his spaceship. He couldn't blame him. Xiu Lin already suffered because of him, how could he think that the young man would be happy to see even his hair?
He watched as Xiu Lin opened his mouth, hesitated, closed his mouth again, and finally spoke. "You can leave. I'll do it myself." the young man said. In his tone, there was a suppressed emotion making the tone tremble. As if he was about to cry.
When Xunian noticed the slight vibration, he grabbed the kit again and made his way towards him only to stop when he saw a sudden drop of tears fall on the young man's eyes then more tears followed almost as if the dam had overflowed and released a great amount of water. Immediately, he staggered back again while the older raced towards the bathroom that was about to close.
"Hawk, turn Lin's monitors off," he ordered. In almost an unbelievable feat of speed, the door that was about to close a few inches more stopped. Xunian's strength overpowered Xiu Lin's weak state to keep the door open. The slight push from the door behind Xiu Lin made him stagger back and fall into the tiled floors, but he backed away more, reaching the end of the wall.
After successfully getting in, Xunian closed the door behind him and looked at the bangles on Xiu Lin's wrist slowly losing their neon light color indicating that his colleague had turned it off. The young man quickly buried his face towards his knees and hugged his legs, his body becoming smaller and vulnerable that looking at it can make anyone's heartache.
That's exactly what Viper is feeling now. He slowly approached him and tried to reach out but stopped himself. He didn't want to scare him more.
"What did I do wrong?" his weak croaked voice asked. A sob followed soon after.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Xunian said.
"Xunian, you're too much. Have I ever treated you badly?" He sobbed. "Why are you so cruel? At least don't show yourself so I could stop hoping that you'll genuinely care about me."
"Xiu Lin..." Viper was shocked. The boy loved him even after what he said and done. He knelt in front of the youth, his heart was pounding and his mood gradually rose but there was also a hint of guilt. He still loves him.
"Don't call my name."
"Lin."
Mo Xunian never called him intimately. Most of the time, it was only his full name. But the old Xiu Lin was happy enough to even notice the indifference. The boy lifted his head and showed his beautiful, delicate and pitiful appearance. "I said, don't call my name--"
Before the young man could finish his sentence, he was suddenly silenced by a kiss. Xunian never kissed him on the lips before nor took the initiative to kiss him on the cheeks. Now and then, it was only Xiu Lin who stole kisses on the man's cheeks and smiled with satisfaction as if he had won the prize. So right now, it's normal to see the youth react so shocked. But upon drowning in deep realization, he tried to push Mo Xunian away by the shoulder, only for his hands to be caught and pinned on the tiled walls atop his head and his head stuck, unable to escape the deep kiss.
He tried to protest, only to sound like he was moaning. A soft coquettish sound could excite anyone even the most abstinent man named Mo Xian. Xunian exerted more intensive force and pried open the young man's mouth, slipping his tongue in, entangling it with the slimy tongue of the other. The ambiguous sound emerged through the four corners of the bathroom and the atmosphere became hotter and hotter.
'He's a bastard! a pervert! aaaaahhhhhh!' Xiu Lin cried in his mind as he complained.
[Host, doesn't this mean that he likes you?]
'No! I shouldn't like him! He's an ass. I'll date someone else!'
[Eh, I thought you were acting to achieve this effect?]
'No, I was acting so he could loosen his guard, just coax me and get me to steal the key!'
[But the result is the same.]
'How can I steal the key when he's pinning me like this?'
The system decided not to respond.
The sound of sucking and panting echoed in the four corners of the bathroom, being in an enclosed space, the sound was even more enhanced. As soon as Xunian released the kiss, the boy was already deep red, there are still remnants of tears in his misty and confused eyes while glaring at the man as he was breathing heavily. His ears were also red making the impression that he looked drunk. This look hovering in front of Mo Xunian was very tempting, making him swallow soundly. He wanted to completely devour it.
"You... you--"
His mouth was conquered again. If dog man Viper knew how amazing it is to kiss his little lover, he would have done it long ago. But now isn't exactly the right time to do more. After kissing the confused young man, they both looked at each other. Xiu Lin no longer spoke in fear that he would be kissed again, but both his hands were still pinned above him, captive in one of Xunian's big palms. He looked really cute right now, it makes anyone wants to pinch his soft red cheeks.
The boy could only weakly struggle, but due to injuries and hunger, his strength was like a child's, and all attempts became futile. "Don't move too much, your wound will open again." Mo Xunian's other hand, reached out to touch the side of his eyes, wiping away the beads of tears that hung there.
Xiu Lin looked away embarrassed, trying so hard to struggle from Xunian's lock that had been pinning both his wrist.
"Lin." The older called out gently.
Xiu Lin looked back at him with a pitiful frown. "Why are you doing this to me?! Why are you so cruel?!" He asked as new tears threaten to escape his beautiful eyes. "I told you, I will never say anything! Even if there are lingering feelings. Even if you try and try, I will not tell you anything!"
Mo Xunian was distressed. He wanted to tell Xiu Lin that it was alright. That he didn't need to say anything anymore, that he will protect him now and forever.
"Just..." Xiu Lin's weak voice trembled. "Just kill me."
Hearing this weak pleading, his heart throbbed painfully again. "I told you, I won't let you die." Mo Xunian seriously assured again.
"Then what? You'll deceive me again like in the past?" fat tears finally escaped his eyes again. His hands became weak as he looked down on his lap. "I'm already hurt enough. What you're doing to me is worst... worst than dying."
Mo Xunian let his wrists go and grabbed his shoulder into an embrace. The young man's stiff shoulders were trembling as he sobbed in his arms. There were weak punches from Xiu Lin. It was like being hit with cotton that Xunian didn't feel anything at all.
"Lin I'm sorry. It's my fault you went through this. Don't worry, I'll protect you in the future." He apologized, again and again, assuring the youth that it won't happen again.
After an eventful drama in the bathroom, the sound gradually became quiet. Maybe because he was still recuperating from his wounds and new injuries, Xiu Lin quickly fell asleep in Mo Xunian's arms. His melancholic expression slowly softened and turned into that of an angel asleep on the clouds. But also because he cried so hard that he had a newfound sickness welcoming him. He had a fever.
The man carried the smaller figure in his arms and walked out of the bathroom, appearing in the surveillance. He brought the young man back to the bed and touched the sleeping youth's forehead. It's estimated to be about 38°c.
"What happened?" A voice in his communicator spoke. Hawk turned off the monitoring from Xiu Lin and turned them on again. The light on the young man's wrist lit up.
He held his ear, pressed a button on the communicator, and spoke. "Get me Phoenix. Xiu Lin is having a fever." He responded.
"Okay~"
Taking the reply, Mo Xunian returned to the bathroom to get a water basin and his handkerchief to wipe the youth's forehead.
While looking at the young man, he pursed his lips and vowed. In this life, he will never let this young man be wronged again. He didn't want to see him look so miserable because of him or anyone again. He will love him greatly, just like how this boy did.
'Damn. I thought I wouldn't be able to get anything from Mo Xunian. He didn't have a key.' Xiu Lin collapsed on the system space and spoke with relief.
[What did the host get?] 1204 asked curiously.
'Well... I got his knife.'
[Wow host! You did it without him noticing?! You're amazing!]
'I know right? Ah, what to do with this excellence of mine.'
[Host, your head is growing again.] The system reminded.
'Whatever. By the way, do you have any more snacks?'
[I recently brought sunflower seeds. Would you like some, host?]
'Yes.'
Suddenly, a pack of paper bags containing said sunflower seeds fell into his head. Xiu Lin took one and cracked open the seed and ate the smaller core inside. The milky taste devoured his tongue as he chewed a few and swallowed them, a smile slowly escaping his seductive lips. He seemed to be thinking of something sinister.
The system watched his innocent host suddenly becoming twisted and shook his imaginary head. Just decades ago, in Xiu Lin's first world, he was an innocent hard-working teen who acquiesce to the system. Now he's so rebellious, scheming, and evil! Is this what they call growth? After being enlightened, you turn into such a wise devil?