DCHHLT Chapter 15

Chu Junshan’s words hung hollowly in the air, startling Liang Xingyuan badly.

He tightened the fingers hanging at his sides and furrowed his brows slightly, as though he did not understand at all what Chu Junshan was talking about.

Only Liang Xingyuan himself knew what he was thinking. 

…Why would Chu Junshan suddenly ask such a question?

Could it be that, without him knowing, Chu Junshan had already discovered his tentacles?!

Although this possibility was unlikely, it was not entirely impossible!

At this thought, cold sweat broke out all over Liang Xingyuan as he quickly recalled every little detail of the past few days.

Could it have been that time outside the bathroom? Or was it when Chu Junshan was unable to sleep at night and accidentally saw those disobedient tentacles?

No… It couldn’t have been that. 

He had always been very careful to protect the privacy of his tentacles. Most of the time, he did not even let those restless tentacles out, let alone allow Chu Junshan to discover them.

Liang Xingyuan knew full well how cautious he was. He raised one eyebrow slightly, eliminating these possibilities one by one, until in the end, all that remained was a tangled, inky-black mystery. 

He pressed his lips together, forcing his gaze away from the other man’s clear, beautiful eyes. He gave a light cough and said softly, “This… I don’t really have any special feelings.” 

He stared intently into Chu Junshan’s eyes, as if he wanted to detect even the slightest expression in those beautiful eyes that fell outside the realm of “ordinary”.

Unfortunately, Liang Xingyuan failed.

Chu Junshan’s question seemed to have been asked casually. He did not dwell on the answer Liang Xingyuan had given. He merely smiled faintly and changed the subject. “I see. I think most people would be unable to accept such a special preference. Of course, there’s nothing shameful about liking tentacles.”

He turned his head and happened to meet the cautious, appraising look that Liang Xingyuan had yet to withdraw. Suddenly, he smiled with genuine sincerity, his long, thick eyelashes fluttering lightly twice. “It’s perfectly normal if you don’t like it.”

While Liang Xingyuan was still unsure of how to answer, Chu Junshan picked up the neatly organized documents from the small table beside him. He opened a few and glanced through them before praising, “They’re organized very well. Thank you.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly, leaned the small of his back against the tatami, and tilted his head back a little. Like someone rewarding his pet, he tapped his plump, pale pink lips with his porcelain-white fingertips. Those clear, limpid eyes stared straight at him. “Want a kiss?”

Two minutes later, Liang Xingyuan tilted his head back, and their pressed-together lips finally parted.

Chu Junshan’s scent and sweetness still lingered at the tip of his nose, refusing to dissipate for a long time. That fresh, sweet fragrance seemed to possess a certain addictive, numbing quality.

Only after a long while did Liang Xingyuan emerge from his daze and realize that, in the end, Chu Junshan still hadn’t answered the question he had asked.

In the end, Liang Xingyuan was the only one in the car on the drive home.

After Chu Junshan walked back with him to the entrance of the restaurant they had originally been at, he handed the documents over to Liang Xingyuan and said that he still had some matters to take care of, telling him to head back first.

What he had to take care of was, in fact, a secret to Liang Xingyuan.

Half an hour earlier, when they were still at Chu Junshan’s former home, Chu Junshan had received a message from Jiang Chun.

The message he sent was very simple, containing only three words: 【Found him.】

Chu Junshan replied with an “Okay”, gave him a time, and prepared to go pick it up by himself.

What he had asked Jiang Chun to find was nothing else but some drugs—or rather, bait—specifically used for luring and trapping monsters.

Chu Junshan hailed a taxi and, following the directions he remembered, went straight to the entrance of the studio.

Even though it was a studio jointly established and funded by him and Jiang Chun, Chu Junshan rarely came here in person.

The reason was simple. Even though several years had passed since he left the Infinite Game, Chu Junshan still seemed unable to adapt to the rhythm of normal society.

The two years he had spent in the infinite game seemed to have altered and mutated certain genes within his body, turning him into something that was neither human nor monster.

He couldn’t handle high-intensity socializing and communication, while the requirement of having to go out and commute every day was particularly unfriendly to those lingering aftereffects.

For the sake of social stability and order, Jiang Chun had made the executive decision that Chu Junshan only needed to work from home.

Chu Junshan walked up to the imposing office building and raised his head slightly, looking at the high-rise before him.

All things considered, this was his first time coming here this year.

He took the elevator upstairs. Before he could even walk inside, he saw Jiang Chun waiting at the entrance.

“Chuchu!! You’re finally here?! What happened? What happened?!” Jiang Chun looked extremely nervous. Even the documents in his hand trembled lightly along with the rise and fall of his voice. “Why did you suddenly ask me for that thing? You nearly scared me to death!”

After meeting up with them for a meal, Jiang Chun had returned to the studio to organize some documents. He was still wearing the white dress shirt exclusive to the working class, diligently staying at his workstation with his head bowed, willing to toil like an ox for the people.

However, Chu Junshan apparently had no intention of letting him peacefully enjoy his old age. He had sent him a message, casually asking him for monster bait.

These things were not uncommon in the Infinite Game. Jiang Chun, especially, knew something about them, having once been a member of the Monster Patrol Team himself.

They could attract those ravenous monsters and awaken the deepest instincts hidden within them. Only when facing particularly troublesome high-level monsters would the team members consider resorting to this method.

But Chu Junshan… why did he want this?

Could it be that danger had already appeared in this world? That they were lurking somewhere out of sight, silently waiting for the right opportunity, preparing to wipe out all the humans in this world in one fell swoop?!

One by one, countless terrible speculations sprang into Jiang Chun’s mind, nearly drowning him whole.

Because of this, he had spent the entire afternoon on edge. Although he had no idea what Chu Junshan wanted these things for, he had still obediently gathered the raw materials needed to make the bait and waited for Chu Junshan to arrive.

Yet at this very moment, Chu Junshan, standing before him, looked completely calm and unruffled, without a single unnecessary expression on his face. It was a stark contrast to Jiang Chun, who was practically frantic enough to jump.

He was so anxious that, for the moment, he forgot that the person before him had been an existence even more terrifying than monsters back in the Infinite Game. Reaching out, he grabbed Chu Junshan by the sleeve and shook it vigorously. “Tell me already, tell me! Why are you staying silent?!”

“…Wait.” Chu Junshan stepped slightly to the side and back, slipping out of Jiang Chun’s hold. His gaze passed over Jiang Chun’s pleading eyes and landed on the desk behind him. Under Jiang Chun’s watchful gaze, he picked up a box sitting on top of it. “Is this it?”

Jiang Chun answered instinctively, “Mm, yes… Wait!”

His eyes widened. “Don’t leave. Tell me what’s going on before you go, okay?”

Jiang Chun’s voice grew weaker and weaker. By the time he reached the final “okay”, it even carried a hint of humble pleading.

“…You don’t have to be like this.” Chu Junshan stopped in his tracks. “There hasn’t been any danger recently.”

Jiang Chun let out an “Ah”, clearly still somewhat unconvinced. “Then why do you need this…?”

“For entertainment.” Chu Junshan answered airily. Noticing that Jiang Chun still didn’t seem to believe him, he turned his head. Jiang Chun’s worried face was fully reflected in those clear, crystalline eyes.

“Don’t worry.” It was rare for there to be a note of reassurance in Chu Junshan’s voice, and his tone carried far more warmth than usual. “No monster can pose any threat to me. Chunchun, don’t you believe me?”

Jiang Chun opened his mouth, wanting to say something in rebuttal, but then realized that he couldn’t say a single word.

After all… everything Chu Junshan had said was true.

Whether in the Infinite Game or in normal human society, he had no opponents.

In everyone’s eyes, Chu Junshan had been born a god sent to restrain monsters.

There was no monster that could escape from Chu Junshan’s grasp.

Jiang Chun took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his uneasily pounding heart, trying to make it stop being so tense. He spoke with some difficulty, “Okay… I believe you. Chu Junshan, promise me that if anything happens, you’ll tell me. We’ll always be friends who stand together, right?”

Chu Junshan had already walked out of the studio.

He stopped, glanced back at him, and suddenly revealed a faint yet sincere smile. “I know. I promise you, if I encounter any danger, I’ll tell you.”

Jiang Chun followed him to the elevator. Only after watching Chu Junshan’s figure disappear behind the two elevator doors as they slowly closed did he sigh and slowly walk back to the studio.

If that promise had come from anyone else, Jiang Chun would certainly have thought they were making grand boasts they could never fulfill.

But when such arrogant words came from Chu Junshan, Jiang Chun chose, no matter what happened, to stay by his side—

Just as he had done countless times after Chu Junshan was betrayed back in the Infinite Game.

At five in the afternoon, Chu Junshan returned home.

When he pushed open the door, the first thing he saw was the folders that had already been neatly organized.

Liang Xingyuan had brought his files back and sorted them into categories according to the numbers on the folders. They were now arranged so neatly that the sight was quite pleasing to the eye.

He suddenly thought that if this monster had come to this world from the very beginning and, by some stroke of coincidence, had not become a kindergarten teacher, he would probably have been quite suited to being a professional home organizer.

Judging from this alone, Liang Xingyuan even seemed to possess more human warmth than he did.

Chu Junshan shook his head and chuckled softly, tossing all those thoughts out of his mind.

He placed the box he had brought back from Jiang Chun into a drawer. When he turned his head and looked around, however, he unexpectedly noticed something strange—

Compared with an ordinary day, the house seemed unusually quiet today.

There was neither Yaoyaoling rushing over to pounce on him nor Liang Xingyuan coming to greet him.

Chu Junshan lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze falling on the tidy floor—

They should be at home.

So, where were they now?

Chu Junshan hung his coat on the coat rack, turned around, and headed toward the terrace.

The temperature had been slowly rising lately. The sun, not yet fully set, still hung slantwise in the sky, casting a golden glow across the horizon. A gentle breeze stirred, and the leaves and petals of the flowers and plants on the terrace, which had been tended to exceptionally well, swayed softly in the wind as if dancing lightly.

He stopped at the terrace door and raised his head, only to see Liang Xingyuan crouching in front of Yaoyaoling with his back to him.

The tall man was slightly bent over. One hand held Yaoyaoling’s head in place, while his other hand was bizarrely clasped with one of Yaoyaoling’s front paws. The scene looked very much like some kind of ritual sacrifice.

“…Can I hold your hand?

“Thank you.

“Your hand is so small, so white, so soft…

Yaoyaoling: “…”

It spotted Chu Junshan’s arrival with a look of utter despair. At once, its two dog eyes lit up with a golden gleam. Letting out a sorrowful “Awoo”, it quickly broke free from Liang Xingyuan’s restraint and plunged headfirst into Chu Junshan’s arms.

Liang Xingyuan froze for a moment. Then he turned his head and looked in the direction Yaoyaoling had fled. Within his line of sight appeared a pair of long, slender calves clad in soft, fluffy slippers.

Slowly, he raised his head, his gaze traveling upward. Finally, when his eyes met Chu Junshan’s, he seemed as though he had been scalded and quickly looked away.

“What are you doing?” Chu Junshan bent down slightly, his long fingers sinking into Yaoyaoling’s abundant fur as he stroked through its coat again and again, soothing its wounded feelings. “Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were abusing the dog.”

“…I wasn’t.” Liang Xingyuan fell silent for a moment, then stood up and awkwardly told the truth. “I was practicing holding hands.”

Whenever his brain issued the command “hold hands”, he could never quite overcome those tentacles that were eager to spring into action.

But Liang Xingyuan truly wanted to interlace his fingers with Chu Junshan’s, so he could only use Yaoyaoling as practice: “Because, when I’m facing you… I’m always very nervous. I’m worried I won’t do it well.”

Chu Junshan lowered his eyes. His long, thick eyelashes drew together and trembled softly with the rise and fall of his breathing. His breaths slowed. At that moment, it seemed as though his heartbeat had silently come to a standstill: “Why?”

Liang Xingyuan found his eyes and looked at him with such courage and sincerity. It was less like giving him an answer than making a vow that would never change: “Because I like you so much. So I can’t bear to let you miss out on even the slightest part of the experience of being in a relationship with me.”

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