Chapter 100: Don’t Leave
Dressing Chu Yang proved far more agonizing than Jiang Jue had anticipated.
Having soaked in the cool water for so long, Chu Yang’s skin was tinged with a delicate, rosy flush, smooth and pale as polished white jade.
His legs were long and lean, though faint purplish bruises dotted his knees—likely from minor bumps and scrapes while fighting zombies earlier in the day. Seeing them, Jiang Jue’s brows knit together in quiet concern.
His fingers inevitably grazed Chu Yang’s warm flesh. Every fleeting brush sent a sharp tingle running through his nerves, heating the tips of his ears until they burned.
Holding his breath, Jiang Jue moved with slightly clumsy yet hasty efficiency. He pulled the bear-patterned boxers up the youth’s legs, then quickly guided him into a loose white T-shirt and gray athletic shorts.
By the time he finished, a fine sheen of sweat had broken out across Jiang Jue’s own forehead, and his shirt clung damply to his back from the sheer tension.
Drawing the duvet up, he carefully covered Chu Yang’s midsection.
Jiang Jue remained standing by the bedside, looking down at the utterly defenseless face resting on the pillow.
Chu Yang’s hair was still slightly damp, with a few soft, dark strands plastered against his smooth brow.
Jiang Jue raised a hand, his fingers hovering in mid-air to brush the stray locks away, but stopped himself abruptly halfway.
His gaze drifted downward to Chu Yang’s slightly parted lips.
That soft, pale pink hue exerted a magnetic pull, making something deep inside his chest ache with an unbearable itch.
A long-suppressed impulse churned within him, threatening to shatter his ironclad self-control.
He wanted to lean down. He wanted to touch him. He wanted to…
Jiang Jue squeezed his eyes shut, drawing a deep, steadying breath to force the improper thoughts back into the dark corners of his mind.
Right then, Chu Yang furrowed his brow in his sleep, as though trapped in an unsettling dream.
A slender hand slid out from beneath the blanket, grasping blindly in the air as if searching for an anchor.
“Don’t go…” he mumbled in a sleepy haze, his voice soft and laced with petty grievance. “My abs… don’t leave me…”
Jiang Jue froze in surprise before realizing the boy was simply talking in his sleep. A faint, amused warmth flickered across his dark eyes.
Before the smile could fully form, Chu Yang’s wandering hand clamped firmly around his wrist.
The grip wasn’t overwhelming, but it was remarkably stubborn, refusing to let go.
“Don’t leave…” Chu Yang murmured once more, his eyes shut tight, thoroughly lost in slumber.
Jiang Jue looked down at the clean, rounded fingertips wrapped around his wrist.
Looking back at Chu Yang’s restless, sleeping face, Jiang Jue felt a tender ache blossom in his chest, so soft it almost hurt.
After a quiet pause, he slowly sat down along the edge of the mattress. Raising his free hand, he gently brushed the damp bangs away from Chu Yang’s forehead.
“Alright, I’m not leaving,” he murmured, his voice dropping into a low, husky whisper filled with an unspoken, tender indulgence. “I won’t leave.”
As if hearing the promise, Chu Yang’s furrowed brow smoothed out. His tight grip around Jiang Jue’s wrist loosened slightly, though his fingers remained linked in place.
Curling onto his side to face Jiang Jue, the youth’s breathing settled into a long, rhythmic pattern once more, a faint, contented smile gracing the corners of his lips.
Jiang Jue remained seated in the quiet room, letting Chu Yang hold his wrist as his thumb gently stroked the warm, soft skin beneath his fingers.
In the suite next door.
Su Mubai pushed the door open and stepped inside. Little Yu immediately sat up in bed, looking at him with bright, alert eyes. “Brother Little Bai, you’re back? Sister Jiang Lin already warmed up some water for you. She said you should take a proper bath and get some rest.”
“Did you take a bath yet, Little Yu?” Su Mubai asked gently, stepping over to the bedside and ruffling the boy’s soft hair.
“I did!” Little Yu nodded eagerly.
“Good. Go to sleep early; we have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow,” Su Mubai instructed.
Little Yu gave an obedient nod and slid beneath the covers. Within minutes, the steady, rhythmic sound of deep breathing filled the room—the boy had already drifted off to sleep.
Only then did Su Mubai head into the bathroom. He took a refreshing cold shower in the deep tub, washing away the layers of dust and exhaustion accumulated throughout the day.
After slipping into clean clothes, he returned to the bedroom. Instead of lying down, he reached into his inner pocket and retrieved the two crystal cores—the deep emerald stone Chu Yang had given him tonight, and the smaller one harvested from the mutant tree earlier. He laid them side by side on his open palm.
The one from today’s hunt was noticeably darker in color and considerably larger, pulsing with dense, surging energy.
In comparison, the core from the mutant tree was much smaller, radiating a softer, gentler luminescence.
Taking a deep breath, Su Mubai cast aside his lingering hesitation. Clasping both stones firmly between his palms, he closed his eyes and began drawing their raw energy into his meridians.
At first, the power entered like a gentle, soothing stream, flowing smoothly through his limbs and soothing his tired muscles.
Suddenly, the energy from the larger emerald core surged wildly out of control, like a massive river bursting its banks, crashing violently against his internal pathways!
“Ugh—!”
A muffled groan tore from Su Mubai’s throat as the color drained completely from his face, leaving him deathly pale.
Veins bulged along his temples, and thick beads of cold sweat broke out across his forehead, rolling down his cheeks in heavy drops.
An agonizing pain detonated deep within his core, feeling as though every muscle, bone, and tendon in his body was being forcibly ripped apart and stitched back together.
He bit his lower lip hard enough to draw the metallic tang of blood. His body curled inward uncontrollably, yet his white-knuckled grip refused to release the two vibrating stones.
Amidst the blinding agony, he sensed something extraordinary. Right alongside his tranquil, gentle healing energy, a completely distinct, raw force was aggressively taking root, sprouting and clawing its way upward like a stubborn seed bursting through hard soil!
Little Yu was jolted awake by the strained groans beside him. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Su Mubai curled tightly on the mattress, drenched in cold sweat, his face ghastly pale as violent spasms wracked his frame.
Terror instantly banished every trace of sleepiness. Little Yu threw himself onto the bed, frantically shaking Su Mubai’s shoulder: “Brother Little Bai! Wake up! Please don’t scare me…”
Su Mubai was incapable of answering. His consciousness was drowning in a turbulent vortex of pain, only dimly aware of someone shaking him and a distant, anxious voice calling his name.
Tears welled in Little Yu’s eyes from sheer panic. Knowing he couldn’t handle this alone, the boy spun around and sprinted for the door.
Rushing into the hallway, he hammered frantically on the door to Chu Yang and Jiang Jue’s suite: “Brother Chu Yang! Brother Jiang Jue! Wake up! Something’s wrong with Brother Little Bai!”
Without waiting, he darted across the hall and pounded wildly on Lin Xiao’s door: “Brother Lin Xiao! Open up, quick! Something happened to Brother Little Bai!”
In the room next door, Jiang Jue had only just closed his eyes, while Chu Yang was fast asleep.
The frantic pounding and panicked cries shattered the dead silence of the night. Both men snapped to full alertness simultaneously.
Chu Yang bolted upright, his drowsiness evaporating instantly. “That’s Little Yu! What’s wrong?!”
Jiang Jue reacted with practiced speed, catching Chu Yang’s arm as he slid off the bed. “Stay calm. I’ll go check.”
He moved briskly toward the door.
At the exact same moment, Lin Xiao’s door across the hall was yanked open with a crash.
Lin Xiao had clearly just tumbled out of bed; his hair was a messy nest, but his sharp eyes were wide and alert. “What happened?!”
Little Yu pointed frantically toward his open room, his voice breaking: “Brother Little Bai… he’s… he’s shaking violently and sweating all over… I can’t wake him up!”
Jiang Jue and Lin Xiao exchanged a grim glance, striding into Su Mubai’s room in tandem.
Chu Yang was right on their heels.
Bursting inside, the three men found Su Mubai collapsed on the mattress, slipping in and out of consciousness. His body shuddered with violent tremors, his clothes and sheets completely soaked with cold sweat, his face as pale as a corpse.
