Chapter 22
Ye Xiyao woke up from the heat.
He was naturally sensitive to the cold and rarely turned on the air conditioner, even in summer. This was the first time he had dreamt of falling into a pool of lava, his drowsy state interrupted by the heat, leaving him gasping for breath.
When he opened his eyes, Ye Xiyao’s mind went blank for a few seconds.
He realized he was being held tightly by Xing Xu. Xing Xu’s arm, as thick as his thigh, wrapped around him, while his bulging muscles pressed down on him like a mountain. What made Ye Xiyao feel the most stifled were Xing Xu’s legs, coiling around him like a snake with incredible strength.
Ye Xiyao was always calm in critical situations. Even though his mind was in turmoil, externally, he remained composed—or perhaps he was just too shocked to react.
He tried to recall what had happened. Why was Xing Xu sleeping with him? Why had the “corpse” that should have been lying on the floor disappeared?
Ye Xiyao’s memory was fragmented as he tried to piece it together.
He remembered a stranger appearing in his house the night before. When Ye Xiyao first saw the man, he was surprised, even shocked, but not afraid. He had long expected that the person stalking him would eventually reveal themselves; he just didn’t expect it to happen this way.
Initially, Ye Xiyao didn’t intend to resort to violence. Instead, he tried to warn the intruder, planning to scare him off before calling the police.
He even reminded the person, “If you don’t leave now, you might die here, because I can’t fully control my power yet.”
But it was clear the man took Ye Xiyao’s words as mere bluster and lunged at him.
Just like the time Ye Xiyao accidentally knocked the head off that demon, last night, with similar carelessness, he shattered every bone in the man’s body.
The man didn’t even have a chance to scream before collapsing to the ground, not a drop of blood spilling, but his internal organs were wrecked by the magic.
Ye Xiyao was terrified at the time, thinking he had killed someone.
Although he had tried to restrain himself, the man was only human, not a demon, and couldn’t withstand any attack infused with magic.
He began imagining the police knocking on his door the next day, discovering the “corpse,” arresting him, and eventually sentencing him to death.
Ye Xiyao, in a panic, pulled out his phone, unsure whether to call the police or an ambulance first.
It was at that moment that he heard a noise at the door.
Ye Xiyao’s first thought was: The police have come to execute me.
He hid under the covers…
What happened after that?
“You’re awake, why didn’t you wake me?”
Xing Xu suddenly opened his eyes, groggily looking at Ye Xiyao in his arms.
Ye Xiyao’s thoughts were interrupted, and his eyelashes trembled.
Xing Xu propped himself up, looking down at Ye Xiyao’s expression, and asked, “What are you thinking about? You’ve been rolling your eyes for a while.”
“I…”
Ye Xiyao’s mind was in chaos, and he didn’t know what to say.
Xing Xu teased, “What, woke up and now plan to pretend you don’t remember what happened last night?”
Ye Xiyao was startled, unable to explain, “I really…” can’t remember!
But Xing Xu interrupted him, poking his cheek with a mocking smile, “You don’t think about the consequences when you do something, and then you deny it afterward. Is that your usual trick? Trying to avoid responsibility?”
“…No, no.”
Ye Xiyao knew he couldn’t brush this off, so he wriggled out of Xing Xu’s arms, kneeling on the bed. After glancing at the clean floor, he had a guess in mind and said earnestly, “I’m really sorry.”
Xing Xu raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling a bit curious and wanting to hear Ye Xiyao’s explanation for last night’s enthusiasm.
Then he heard Ye Xiyao say, “I know that no matter what I say, it won’t change anything. What’s done is done, and wrong is wrong. I can’t make any excuses for my actions. I’m willing to turn myself in.”
A question mark slowly formed in Xing Xu’s mind: “?”
Ye Xiyao suddenly knelt at the edge of the bed, his butt sticking up as he rummaged for something. Xing Xu sat up, silently watching, trying to understand what Ye Xiyao was doing.
A few minutes later, Ye Xiyao pulled out a small wallet from between the bed frames, opened it, took out two bank cards, and handed them to Xing Xu.
“This card is the one I use for daily expenses. I checked the balance two days ago, and there’s about three thousand left. The other card holds my savings. Over the years, I’ve worked a lot of part-time jobs, and no matter how much or little I earned, I’d deposit something every month. There should be around fifty thousand in there.”
Ye Xiyao had come to terms with it—there was almost no way out of this killing.
If that person was really dead, the police would surely arrest him. But if the person wasn’t dead, they would likely tell the police about Ye Xiyao’s strange powers. At that point, the police would take him in for investigation, and it wouldn’t be long before they discovered that Ye Xiyao was a succubus.
Either way, his peaceful life would be gone forever.
Sorrow welled up in Ye Xiyao’s heart, and tears shimmered in his eyes as he spoke his final words to Xing Xu: “The password to my bank card is XX0910.”
Xing Xu raised a hand to stop him, “Wait a minute.”
Ye Xiyao shoved the small wallet into Xing Xu’s arms, growing anxious: “There’s no time to wait, Xing Xu! First, tell me… where did you hide the body? I’ll find it myself and then turn myself in to the police. I can’t drag you into this.”
Xing Xu: “…”
To say the least, Xing Xu nearly blacked out after hearing this.
Ye Xiyao continued giving instructions for his “afterlife.” He pulled out some cash from under the third layer of bedsheets, wiped his tears, and handed it to Xing Xu: “This was supposed to be my meal money for next week, but I won’t need it anymore. I’m going to prison.”
Xing Xu looked at Ye Xiyao, who appeared both serious and pitiful, and suddenly asked, “Ye Xiyao, why didn’t you run if you killed someone? You could have escaped.”
“I killed someone, how could I run?” Ye Xiyao disagreed, “That person was wrong to stalk me, but he should have been punished by the law. I accidentally killed him, and I’m wrong for that, so I should be punished too.”
Xing Xu fell silent.
He watched Ye Xiyao for a long time, trying to find any trace of pretense in his eyes, but there was none.
Ye Xiyao seemed genuinely terrified, but he had also accepted the possibility that he might go to prison or even be executed.
“Is it worth dying for a perverted stalker?” Xing Xu asked. He’d met many law-abiding humans, but a law-abiding demon was a first.
“I don’t know if it’s worth it or not, but if they sentence me to death, then so be it. I’ll accept whatever comes.”
There was a certain dignity in Ye Xiyao’s tears. “Ever since I can remember, no one ever taught me how to survive in this world. I learned by watching the people around me. I imitated how they acted and how they lived. So, I understand that this world has its own rules. It’s not a matter of worth. I’ve always tried my best to follow this world’s rules because it makes me feel like I belong… it sounds strange, doesn’t it, haha.”
Ye Xiyao laughed a little, as if he really believed this was his last conversation. He spoke less cautiously and felt an urge to open up to Xing Xu.
But in the end, he held back, half-jokingly adding, “Sometimes I don’t even know where I belong, like no one wants me. Whether I stay here or go somewhere else doesn’t make much difference. Death for me is just like moving to another place. And maybe… I’ll get lucky in my next life.”
Though in his heart, he wondered if the divine punishment he bore would affect his reincarnation.
After hearing Ye Xiyao’s words, Xing Xu suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace, squeezing him so hard that Ye Xiyao almost couldn’t breathe.
Even though he had managed to get Ye Xiyao to speak, Xing Xu didn’t feel any satisfaction—his heart was heavy instead. “You talk so confidently, so why are you crying?”
“I’m afraid of pain…” Ye Xiyao’s forehead rested against Xing Xu’s shoulder, his voice muffled. “Xing Xu, does it hurt when you get executed by firing squad?”
The arms holding him tightened even more.
Xing Xu replied in a hoarse voice, “You won’t be executed. Don’t be afraid.”
Ye Xiyao nodded. “Mm, I don’t think I’ll be executed either. He was wrong first, I just overreacted in self-defense. But I’ll probably be in prison for a long time, right?”
“He didn’t die. The police took him away last night,” Xing Xu said. “Ye Xiyao, you didn’t do anything wrong, so you won’t be going to prison or getting executed.”
Ye Xiyao breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the person wasn’t dead, but soon anxiety crept back in.
He feared that once the man woke up, he’d expose Ye Xiyao’s magical powers. There was no way humans would accept a succubus roaming among them. Ye Xiyao might even be killed by an exorcist, which was far more terrifying than being shot!
Xing Xu seemed to read his thoughts and suddenly said, “Don’t worry about the investigation. The police won’t fully believe someone like him. Just stay home and rest. In a little while, I’ll arrange for you to move somewhere safer.”
“Really?” Ye Xiyao clearly only absorbed the first part of what was said, “The police won’t fully believe what he says, right?”
“Yeah, at the very least, they’ll determine if his testimony has any falsehoods,” Xing Xu replied. “A lot of people, trying to escape punishment, talk nonsense—some even claim they were possessed by ghosts. Do you think the police are that gullible?”
Ye Xiyao’s eyes finally brightened, as if he saw a glimmer of hope. He grabbed onto Xing Xu’s arm, suddenly cheerful: “Yes, yes! They’ll talk nonsense! There are no ghosts in this world!”
Seeing his smile, Xing Xu couldn’t help but smile too. “That’s right, there are no ghosts.”
“I really won’t go to prison or be executed?” Ye Xiyao was excited but still hesitant, not daring to celebrate too soon.
“I promise you, nothing will happen,” Xing Xu said as he cupped Ye Xiyao’s face, gently wiping away a stray tear. He felt a pang of regret for not telling Ye Xiyao this sooner, letting him suffer in fear. “I’m sorry, I should have told you earlier.”
Ye Xiyao, feeling a surge of relief as if he had been brought back from the brink of death, didn’t even listen to Xing Xu’s apology, nor did he notice the tenderness and heartache in Xing Xu’s eyes. He sprang up, bouncing on the bed with pure joy.
“Yay! I’m alive for another day!” Ye Xiyao jumped half a meter high, nearly hitting the ceiling light.
Xing Xu watched him and reached out to steady him, “Careful.”
The single bed was spacious enough for Ye Xiyao alone, but with Xing Xu added, it felt cramped and crowded. As Ye Xiyao bounced around, he nearly stepped on Xing Xu. He tried to avoid it, but it was too late. His leg bent, and he was about to lose balance and fall off the bed.
Xing Xu quickly grabbed Ye Xiyao’s ankle and, with a gentle pull, brought him down onto his body.
“Ah!” Ye Xiyao panicked. “Did I hurt you? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Xing Xu, with his broad and sturdy frame, barely felt the impact. Ye Xiyao was light, and even if he jumped on him a few more times, it wouldn’t have bothered him.
After making sure Xing Xu wasn’t hurt, Ye Xiyao didn’t get up. Instead, he stayed in that position, hugging Xing Xu and expressing his relief, “Thank goodness, Xing Xu… It’s really so great. I almost thought my life was over.”
“Yeah.” Xing Xu’s expression was a little awkward as he supported Ye Xiyao’s waist, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. “Don’t think about anything else. I’ll take care of everything.”
Ye Xiyao truly felt at peace, lying on top of Xing Xu and taking a deep breath of relief. Then, he propped himself up and said, “Now that I’m awake, I’ll go make…”
Mid-sentence, he suddenly felt something hard and hot pressing against his lower back. Instinctively, he thought it was the remote or a phone wedged between them. Just as he was about to look down, Xing Xu flipped him over, pinning him onto the bed.
Xing Xu’s breathing was heavy, hot against the back of Ye Xiyao’s neck. “Don’t move, baby. Stay still for a bit…”
Ye Xiyao froze, his mind racing in circles, unable to process what was happening.
He really wanted to ask Xing Xu to stop calling him that.
When people in his livestream called him that, it was just words on a screen, so he didn’t feel embarrassed. But with Xing Xu’s voice so close to his ear, low, hoarse, and gentle, it made his ears tingle.
In the end, he didn’t protest, only whispering, “What’s wrong with you, Xing Xu? Are you feeling uncomfortable?”
“Yeah.” Xing Xu, unable to control his restlessness, pressed his hips against the small of Ye Xiyao’s back, swallowing down his restrained desire.
He had been holding it in all night, intending to demand an explanation from Ye Xiyao once he woke up, but Ye Xiyao seemed to have forgotten everything completely.
Xing Xu had wanted to hold back, but it was early morning, and his body refused to settle down.
Ye Xiyao hesitated for two seconds before realizing what was happening. “You… you…”
“I won’t do anything.” Xing Xu, sensing Ye Xiyao’s tension, rubbed the back of his neck soothingly. “Just let me hold you for a bit, just for a while. I’ll calm down.”
