Is a Succubus Considered a Demon? – CH35

Chapter 35

In early September, the night in Lucheng City still hadn’t cooled down from the oppressive heat.  

Xing Xu couldn’t fall asleep.  

Ye Xiyao’s body was like a little heater, and Xing Xu was already feeling restless. Even after a half-hour cold shower, the heat still hadn’t subsided. Under such circumstances, with the two of them sleeping on the same bed, it felt like lighting a match could set everything ablaze.  

Meanwhile, Ye Xiyao was completely unaware.  

It wasn’t because he was oblivious; rather, it was because his tendency to be afraid of the cold and enjoy warmth was already well-established. Even during the day when it was over thirty degrees, he refused to turn on the air conditioner, let alone at night when the temperature wasn’t that high. For him, this was the most comfortable time.  

Seeing that Ye Xiyao was sleeping soundly, Xing Xu didn’t bring it up. Ye Xiyao had never slept with anyone before, so naturally, he wouldn’t think to turn on the air conditioner.  

Who knows how long it had been—Ye Xiyao was sound asleep on one side, while Xing Xu, eyes shut, was still wide awake.  

Finally, Xing Xu opened his eyes.  

He gave up on sleep, lying on his side, propping his head up with one hand, just staring at Ye Xiyao.  

Ye Xiyao’s skin was fair, his eyelashes long, and his face was smaller than Xing Xu’s palm. He was adorable during the day, and his sleeping face was just as well-behaved.  

The more Xing Xu looked, the more awake he became, and the more awake he was, the more he couldn’t stop looking.  

He played with a small lock of Ye Xiyao’s hair for a while, remembering what Yang Xiangchi had said after examining Ye Xiyao’s hair:  

—“His hair’s been dyed, which slightly affected the analysis. But luckily, you brought other samples, and comparing them revealed even more issues.”  

Dyed?  

Xing Xu moved in closer, brushing aside layers of soft hair, and sure enough, he spotted a tiny segment of different color.  

An intense curiosity and strong interest immediately surged. Xing Xu stared at it for a long time, eventually confirming that Ye Xiyao’s natural hair color was a never-before-seen silver.  

Generally speaking, the so-called silver hair that people dye in salons tends to look like plain white hair, rarely achieving that metallic sheen, and over time, it loses its luster, appearing even duller.  

But Ye Xiyao’s hair color was unusual—it was obvious that even if you’d never seen such a shade, you’d instinctively know it wasn’t ordinary white. It hid among the artificially dyed black strands, standing out while still blending seamlessly with the black. Yet, the moment Xing Xu noticed it, it was impossible to mistake its difference from the black.  

It wasn’t just a color—it was more like a light falling on the ends of his hair. No matter how much Xing Xu observed, he couldn’t think of the right words to describe it. His curiosity only grew. What would Ye Xiyao look like if he didn’t dye his hair black, revealing his natural color?  

Would it be like moonlight spilling over him, highlighting his already pale, delicate skin as if it were glowing? Though honestly, he already seemed to be glowing now.  

Xing Xu unconsciously smiled, gently smoothing the stray hairs on Ye Xiyao’s forehead.  

But soon, his smile faded. Xing Xu dismissed the idea he had just entertained.  

Ye Xiyao would never allow his natural hair to grow out freely.  

He had been so cautious all along, going out of his way to hide anything suspicious about himself, just to blend in with the human world. He feared being different from humans, scared that his differences would be discovered.  

Because he knew that if his true identity were exposed, humans would inevitably fear him and avoid him.  

Xing Xu understood this all too well.  

That afternoon, the sample results confirmed that Ye Xiyao was indeed different from other demons. He wasn’t using magic to disguise himself as human and blend into the crowd, waiting for a moment to strike.  

He was living in this world in his true form, openly and honestly.  

Not only was he not terrifying, but he appeared more humane than most humans.  

Yet, even this result didn’t fully alleviate people’s wariness toward demons.  

The Safety Bureau didn’t dare confront Ye Xiyao directly.  

The reason was simple. Negotiating with a powerful demon carries immense risk. If humans lose, the cost would be catastrophic.  

Ye Xiyao, as a demon, could make countless mistakes. But for humans, one wrong gamble could lead to complete ruin—rivers of blood, widespread destruction.  

They couldn’t risk the lives of all humanity on the gamble of a demon’s “humanity.”  

And this reluctance to gamble was most clearly reflected in…  

After explaining everything clearly, he would personally take Ye Xiyao to the Safety Bureau… No, straight to the government, to tell all of humanity that although Ye Xiyao is a demon, he is a harmless one to humans.

He had lived in human society before, and he will continue to do so in the future.  

As long as Ye Xiyao doesn’t harm humans, then humans shouldn’t even think about harming him.  

Anyone not convinced?  

They could always take it up with that guy named Xing Xu.  

He had plenty of ways to make them comply.

—

The next day, when Xing Xu woke up, Ye Xiyao was no longer in bed.  

On the bedside table was a note, written in Ye Xiyao’s neat and elegant handwriting:  

[The alarm went off three times, but it didn’t wake you. I’ll let you off this time. I’ve gone to work first. There’s porridge on the table ^v^]

“…”  

Xing Xu glanced at his phone with a blank expression.  

Great.  

It was noon.  

He had indeed slept in long enough.  

But…  

Who could blame him, after staying up until five in the morning playing with Ye Xiyao’s hair?

Xing Xu carefully stored the note away, a small smile creeping onto his face.  

An hour later, he drove to the office, quickly heading upstairs.  

Xing Xu was an impatient person—once he made a decision, he didn’t like to delay.  

He had already decided to have a heart-to-heart today, and today it would be.  

As soon as he saw Ye Xiyao, he would pull him into the car and drive somewhere quiet, where they could talk things through.  

Why somewhere quiet?  

Strictly speaking, it was to avoid collateral damage if the demon got angry and lashed out.  

But honestly, Xing Xu already knew the answer—he wasn’t really afraid of that.  

He just wanted some alone time with Ye Xiyao.

Something felt off about the atmosphere on the eighth floor that day.  

Xing Xu didn’t notice at first, because to him, no one mattered except Ye Xiyao.  

But after searching for ten minutes and finding no sign of Ye Xiyao—and with his calls going unanswered—he realized something was wrong.  

He stopped Qiao Linchuan to ask.

“Huh? You want me to go to your office? Oh…” Qiao Linchuan seemed unusually slow to respond, his expression somber and sad—in fact, several others had the same look.  

Oddly, when Xing Xu asked where Ye Xiyao was, Qiao Linchuan seemed even more confused than him:  

“You’re asking me? Didn’t you know?”  

Xing Xu: “Me?”  

Qiao Linchuan: “Yeah, when we got back from the hospital, he said he’d call you.”  

Xing Xu’s expression immediately darkened:  

“Explain clearly, what happened? Why were you at the hospital, and exactly what did he say?”  

Qiao Linchuan then explained:  

“Here’s the thing. At noon, a few of us went to the hospital to pick up Wen Jisheng from discharge… Oh, you haven’t met Wen Jisheng yet. Before you came, he was one of our colleagues, but on the day you and Xiaobao joined the company, he happened to take sick leave and hasn’t been back since. His illness has been on and off. A few days ago, the doctor said he was healthy and couldn’t find anything wrong, so they were discharging him. But today, when we went to get him, the doctor suddenly said he… might not make it. His organs are failing or something… Anyway, instead of being discharged, he’s now in the ICU. He’s in a deep coma.”  

Xing Xu impatiently interrupted, “Get to the point—where is Ye Xiyao?”

“He came with us.” Qiao Linchuan, sensing something was wrong, sped up his explanation. “We couldn’t go inside to be with Wen Jisheng, so we just looked at him through the window. There wasn’t much we could do, so we were about to leave. But after Ye Xiyao saw Wen Jisheng, he said he wasn’t feeling well. Maybe Wen’s condition scared him? We asked if he wanted to get checked out at the hospital, and he agreed. I originally wanted to stay with him, but he said he’d called you and that you were coming to meet him at the hospital soon. I figured since you were going, it wasn’t necessary for me to stay, so the rest of us came back.”  

Hearing this, Xing Xu couldn’t hold back any longer. He stood up, continuing to call Ye Xiyao, who still wasn’t answering, while pressing for more details:  

“You’re saying he felt unwell after seeing Wen Jisheng?”

“Right.” Qiao Linchuan dared not miss a single detail. “His reaction was really intense at the time, and all of us noticed it. You should’ve seen it — his face went completely pale, and his body was trembling. It definitely wasn’t an act… Did he forget to call you and tell you he was at the hospital for a checkup?”

Impossible.

Xing Xu knew all too well that Ye Xiyao would never go for a checkup.

“Which hospital?”

There was still no answer on the phone. Xing Xu put his phone away and hurriedly stepped out.

Qiao Linchuan gave him the address and tried to follow, but Xing Xu stopped him.

“Can’t get in touch?” Qiao Linchuan, who had already spent the whole afternoon in a slump over the news of Wen Jisheng’s impending death, now broke out in a cold sweat. The possibility of something happening to Ye Xiyao left him flustered, and he anxiously asked Xing Xu, “…I’ll go with you. I was the one who left him there, and if something happens, I’m responsible too. Maybe I can help.”

Xing Xu glanced back at him.

That one look left Qiao Linchuan frozen in fear.

“He won’t be in danger.” Xing Xu left with just those words.

Qiao Linchuan swallowed his nervousness.

For some reason, at that moment, he really believed Ye Xiyao would be fine.

But the person who almost caused Ye Xiyao trouble might not be so lucky.

—

This wasn’t Ye Xiyao’s first encounter with a demon.

A demon that possessed a human body — this was the third one he had come across recently.

The first time was when he ran into one on a nighttime walk home, and the second was a brief encounter on the subway.

But compared to the last two, this situation was much worse for Ye Xiyao.

Demons, after all, couldn’t form a physical body. When they possessed humans, they temporarily couldn’t harm the people around them.

But the demon inside Wen Jisheng had already begun to take physical form.

No, to be precise, when Ye Xiyao saw it, it was in the process of materializing. The entire ICU was engulfed in darkness — though only Ye Xiyao could see it.

Any demon that possesses another’s body has its powers significantly reduced. But once it gains its own physical form, its strength increases exponentially.

Simply put, once a demon takes form, it becomes a true, full-fledged devil.

And the birth of a new devil always brings endless death and destruction.

At that moment, if the devil in the ICU decided to attack humans, it would drain the life force of every living thing in its line of sight in less than a millisecond.

The image of that scene drained the color from Ye Xiyao’s face.

Logically, he wasn’t a savior, much less an exorcist. At most, he was an outsider, trying to minimize his presence and find a way to coexist in this world.

But in that instant, the only thing he could think of was one thing: he couldn’t let the devil kill anyone.

When Qiao Linchuan and the others were leaving, Ye Xiyao had used the excuse of staying behind for a checkup.

Of course, that wasn’t the real reason.

He was there to stop the demon from fully forming.

No one had ever taught Ye Xiyao what to do, but he figured it would be similar to how he had dealt with the last two demons.

In short, he would need to use just enough magic to neutralize the demon’s power.

If the demon was weak, he would release a small amount of magic. If the demon was strong, he would release more.

And to his slight embarrassment, Ye Xiyao had just recently borrowed some extra power from Xing Xu.

At the time, he thought that eliminating this demon wouldn’t be a problem.

But he underestimated it.

When Ye Xiyao slipped into the hospital room, there was no one around. He planned to deal with the demon quickly, but who could have guessed that this demon was like a bottomless pit — no amount of magic seemed enough to suppress its presence.

This demon was far stronger than the one that had caused a dozen disappearances!

Ye Xiyao suspected it had devoured the souls of hundreds of people. It could have taken form long ago but had chosen not to, likely to preserve its magic. That way, it could unleash immense destruction once it finally did.

He lingered in that thick black mist, entangled with it for what seemed like ages. He had no idea how much magic he ultimately expended before finally forcing the half-materialized demon back into Wen Jisheng’s body.

But cutting the weed without removing the root would only leave trouble for later. Wen Jisheng’s condition was already dire, and he couldn’t hold on with a demon continuing to drain him. So, Ye Xiyao decided to eliminate the demon entirely.

“Why go to such lengths?”

The demon, using Wen Jisheng’s voice, spoke softly into Ye Xiyao’s ear with a tone of pity. “If you kill me, you’ll have to use up your own power. Is sacrificing yourself for humans really worth it? Stop and listen to me… Dear child, we should feed together, savoring these fresh and delicious souls. Isn’t that better?”

Ye Xiyao bit his lip hard, his pupils slightly dilating as he began to lose focus.

He was steadily consuming his own power, but he had no idea how much magic his body actually held. It was like walking a tightrope through hell, a self-inflicted ordeal.

“Don’t be soft on humans. They are merely our food. Child, we are the same.”

“No,” Ye Xiyao’s pupils began to tremble unnaturally, rapidly shifting between blood red and bright gold. Relying on instinct, he refuted the demon, “We are not the same.”

“Why?”

“I have no kindred.”

“How can that be? You and I are the same. Our blood and souls are different from humans. Why save them when you could save me…”

“NO!” Ye Xiyao suddenly erupted with a surge of powerful magic. With a deafening roar, the room seemed to ignite with a heat of thousands of degrees — though it was clearly an illusion, a hallucination born from his internal struggle that only scorched his own soul. “I am different from you. I’ve lived with humans for twenty years!”

“How naive.” The demon burst into mocking laughter. “I’ve possessed countless humans over hundreds of years, much longer than you’ve been in this world. I understand the rules of society, the complexities of the human heart. The humans I’ve disguised myself as even fooled exorcists. But the moment I show my true face, who would treat me as one of them?”

Ye Xiyao’s hand trembled slightly.

Sensing his hesitation, the demon pressed on, “You’re probably thinking now, ‘I’m not like you, I’ve never killed anyone,’ aren’t you? Poor child, you must realize that human fear of us isn’t easily dispelled. They only trust what they can control, and you and I — our power surpasses theirs. To them, we can only be enemies.”

Ye Xiyao suddenly loosened his grip.

But it wasn’t because of the demon’s words.

It was because he had suddenly caught a “scent.”

Yes, that familiar, empty hunger surged back, and the people coming and going in the hospital all became sources of that scent. Some had faint aromas, while others were more intense. The scent of those near death was even tinged with decay.

Ye Xiyao took a startled step back.

He couldn’t afford to use any more magic. If he did, he might destroy the demon, but he himself could become the most dangerous presence in the hospital!

The only fortunate thing was that this demon wouldn’t have the chance to fully materialize for the next hundred years. Now that it had retreated into Wen Jisheng’s body, at least for the short term, it wouldn’t harm anyone else.

Ye Xiyao could still kill it, but the more magic he used, the stronger the surrounding scents became, making their influence on him grow.

What he feared was…

He wouldn’t be able to resist his succubus instincts.

He didn’t want to expose that side of himself in front of others.

At that moment, the door to the hospital room was suddenly pushed open. A nurse entered, her face filled with alarm as she stared at Ye Xiyao. “How did you get in here? You’re not allowed in this room without permission! Get out now!”

Ye Xiyao suddenly covered his mouth and nose, his gaze flickering rapidly between “Wen Jisheng” and the nurse, before ultimately choosing to run out of the room.

The scents were too strong. The various souls, each with its own unique flavor and strength, were testing his self-control.

It was unbearable!

He bolted out of the hospital, no longer able to focus on when the demon might possess another person.

For Ye Xiyao, the fact that he could still control himself enough not to harm humans was a feat in itself.

He didn’t dare go to the company, heading straight home instead.

Not long after Ye Xiyao left, another person entered the ICU where Wen Jisheng lay.

The nurse, seething with anger and about to scold the newcomer, was stopped in her tracks by Xing Xu’s words: “Police business. This room is now under lockdown.”

He actually pulled out his credentials.

It was a patrol officer ID that Luo Yiji had specifically issued to him. Before, Xing Xu thought he’d never have a chance to use it, but today it came in handy.

“I’ll… I’ll go get the director!” The nurse, trembling as she confirmed the ID, hurried out.

Xing Xu locked the door, drew the curtains, and slowly walked toward “Wen Jisheng.”

“One leaves, and another comes, but you look like just a human,” the demon showed an amused expression. “A soul this strong and yet no other demons have taken notice? You must have some skills. You…”

“Where is he?” Xing Xu, not in the mood for talk, pressed his hand on the demon’s head, yanking it from the bed and slamming it to the ground, his fingers slowly tightening.

“… Ooh, such a violent human. You’re even more like a demon than that little one just now,” the demon laughed, “but you can only harm this body, not me.”

“Where is he?” Xing Xu repeated without acknowledging its taunt.

The demon opened its mouth but said nothing.

In the next moment, it turned into black mist and tried to enter Xing Xu’s palm. “What a fine vessel, such a fine soul. Since no other demon wants you, I’ll gladly—ha ha—ahh!! You’re an exorcist?! No, the Demon Slaying Formation, you… you’re the inheritor of the Demon Slaying Formation! Damn it!”

The air seemed to solidify. As soon as it collided with Xing Xu’s palm, it transformed into a vortex leading to a dead end. The demon had trapped itself in the Demon Slaying Formation, too late to escape.

Realizing brute force wouldn’t save it, the demon desperately shouted, “Once the formation’s totem appears in your palm, it means the backlash has already begun! Are you willing to perish with me?! Haha, if you’re willing to sacrifice yourself for the likes of me, then come on!”

Xing Xu’s pupils faintly reddened — a sign of the formation’s backlash.

Indeed, as the demon said, the appearance of the formation’s totem meant the backlash had started. But what it didn’t know was that the backlash had already spread to Xing Xu’s face some time ago.

It thought its words would scare him, unaware that Xing Xu was someone who had already walked back from the gates of hell. His real concern wasn’t the backlash but Ye Xiyao’s safety.

In fact, not finding Ye Xiyao in the hospital room had been a relief to him.

At least there wasn’t a familiar corpse on the floor.

But not being able to find him still made Xing Xu anxious.

He figured he wouldn’t get any useful information from this demon.

After a moment’s thought, he pulled out his phone with his free hand and opened a hidden icon — a live feed from the undamaged wobbling doll still in Ye Xiyao’s home.

As soon as Ye Xiyao appeared on the screen, Xing Xu thought, *Thank goodness. Thank goodness.*

Even though his eyes felt like they were on the verge of exploding with pain and the formation’s backlash brought a bone-deep agony, seeing Ye Xiyao turn on the living room light made Xing Xu smile.

Nothing mattered more than the fact that Ye Xiyao was still alive.

To hell with the Demon Slaying Formation.

Without a second thought, Xing Xu opened the formation’s core and mercilessly suppressed all the remaining demonic energy. Amid the demon’s piercing screams and repeated cries of “You’re both mad” and “I’ll see you in hell,” Xing Xu wiped the demon out.

Two minutes later, the hospital room looked as if a tornado had ripped through it, left in complete disarray.

Although Ye Xiyao had already helped reduce some of the demonic energy — through a kiss — this particular demon was still formidable.

Suppressing it caused more backlash than when Xing Xu had killed three demons in Han Zhou not long ago.

As he was preparing to leave, officers from the Security Bureau arrived just in time. One of them, concerned, asked, “Your eyes… are you okay?”

Xing Xu knew it was probably due to the Demon Slaying Formation that his body was experiencing some changes. But he didn’t have time to worry about the formation right now. Glancing briefly at the ceiling, he gave a simple instruction: “There’s surveillance in this room. Pull the footage and send it to me, but make sure the hospital doesn’t keep a copy.”

The officers, well aware of Xing Xu’s status, fully complied with his orders. “Understood.”

–

The room was very quiet.

Ye Xiyao couldn’t even hear his own heartbeat or breathing.

He had thought he would be panicked, but instead, he felt an unusual calm. He even sat up and began flipping through his calendar, one page after another.

This weekend was his birthday—22 years old, his 22nd year living in human society. 

A lot had happened this year. 

He graduated, found a job he really liked, and went from being an unnoticed “invisible person” to everyone affectionately calling him “Little Treasure.” 

He had made a friend. 

A very important friend.

Ye Xiyao once thought that he might have truly become human, that he was the “same” as everyone around him. 

When the demon had said those words, he hadn’t taken them seriously. But now, alone, Ye Xiyao suddenly realized how right it had been. He had never been the same as them. 

But he was sure of one thing—he wasn’t a demon either.

In the end, Ye Xiyao felt like he wasn’t anything. 

He had thought that growing up in human society meant he belonged here. But that was only because he had hidden his true self so well.

What if Xing Xu found out he was a demon? What if everyone knew he was a demon?

They wouldn’t smile at him anymore. They’d be afraid of him, avoid him, and try every possible way to get rid of him.

In the end, Ye Xiyao would still end up living alone.

He closed the calendar, placed it neatly to one side, and curled up under his blanket, lost in thought.

Ye Xiyao wasn’t sure how much power he had used this time, but judging by his intense hunger, it must have been a lot—a lot more than usual…

He felt empty.

He wondered if he might die.

Suddenly, Ye Xiyao’s mind started to wander.

He wasn’t sure if he could die, but in this moment, it seemed like death might be better. Because he was too hungry, too hollow, too much in pain.

Too lonely.

When the doorbell rang, Ye Xiyao was on the verge of biting his fingers until they bled.

“Open the door.”

Xing Xu’s voice called out.

Ye Xiyao was so nervous that he didn’t notice how strange Xing Xu’s voice sounded—like it had been scorched by fire after days of high fever, or as if he had swallowed sand, each word dry and rasping.

Only a few words filled his mind: What do I do? What now?

Xing Xu had called him countless times, but Ye Xiyao hadn’t answered. Now, he was at his door, clearly determined to see him face-to-face.

It was impossible to completely ignore him, but Ye Xiyao couldn’t come up with an excuse to brush him off.

“Ye Xiyao, open the door.” Xing Xu’s tone turned harsh. For the first time, he spoke to Ye Xiyao this way. “I’m going to count to three. If you don’t open the door, I’ll come in myself.”

Come in himself? 

How would he do that?

This door was brand new, thick and sturdy, firmly set in place. There was no way he could kick it down.

Ye Xiyao pressed his lips together, pretending he wasn’t home, thinking he could get away with it.

Two minutes later, he heard the sound of the smart lock clicking open.

Ye Xiyao: “?!”

Why did Xing Xu have the password to his house?!

Once the door opened, there was no way to keep pretending. Ye Xiyao suppressed the intense hunger gnawing at his soul, adjusted his expression, and acted like he had just woken up, poking his head out from under the blanket.

“Why… are you here?”

His voice trembled.

Because with every step Xing Xu took toward him, that overwhelming, irresistible scent invaded his body and soul.

Xing Xu approached in silence.

Ye Xiyao thought, It’s over, it’s over—did that demon tell Xing Xu about who I really am?!

Something felt off…

Xing Xu was human. If he knew Ye Xiyao was a demon, he should be avoiding him—so why would he come looking for him?

Ye Xiyao had no idea how to respond. His mind was racing, but hunger had clouded his thoughts, making it impossible to think clearly.

As Xing Xu approached the bed, Ye Xiyao, at a loss, pulled the blanket over himself, trying to hide. He even pretended to sound sharp, saying, “Get out. You’re trespassing.”

But he never expected Xing Xu to easily pull the blanket away. Caught completely off guard, Ye Xiyao found himself locking eyes with Xing Xu.

Ye Xiyao stared at him in panic.

Blood-red eyes stared back. Xing Xu leaned down and wrapped his arms tightly around him. Ye Xiyao instinctively pressed his hands against Xing Xu’s chest, but before he could push him away, he heard Xing Xu’s hoarse voice pleading, “Don’t push me away… Please don’t.”

Ye Xiyao’s heart softened, but this wasn’t the time for hugging.

Xing Xu getting close to him was like walking straight into the jaws of a demon—he could consume him at any moment.

Ye Xiyao didn’t want to hurt anyone.

He especially didn’t want to hurt Xing Xu.

He struggled with all his strength, holding his breath to resist the intoxicating scent coming from Xing Xu’s soul.

But holding his breath was useless. The scent invaded his blood, overwhelming him. He couldn’t bear it. Even as he tried to push Xing Xu away, part of him wanted to draw closer.

Ye Xiyao had never hated the existence that created him more than he did now.

Why make him live and suffer like this?

Why give him a soul that longed for love, but a body incapable of receiving it?

Caught in his inner conflict and despair, Ye Xiyao lashed out, “Get away… Get away from me. Xing Xu, stay away from me. I hate you…!”

But Xing Xu only held him tighter. “I won’t go. I know you don’t hate me, and you don’t hate hugging or kissing me… Ye Xiyao, just tell me what you want. I’ll give it to you—everything.”

“No… I don’t want anything.” Ye Xiyao shook his head, nearly breaking down. “I don’t want anything. Just go, please…”

Did Xing Xu even know what he was saying?

No, he couldn’t.

Maybe he thought Ye Xiyao was just sick and was trying to comfort him.

He didn’t know that Ye Xiyao could actually kill him!

“Don’t cry… baby, don’t cry,” Xing Xu whispered, wiping away Ye Xiyao’s streaming tears and kissing his cheek softly. “Do you know, every time you cry, I just want to bully you more—to make you cry harder. But I’m afraid you’ll get mad, afraid you’ll hate me. So I hold back. Even when I can’t stand it, I hold back. But seeing you cry, I can’t hold back anymore.”

Ye Xiyao cried even harder. It was something beyond his control.

He felt Xing Xu’s hands unbuttoning his shirt, rough palms trailing over his sensitive skin. His whole body trembled. The blanket that had been covering him slid uselessly to his ankles, and as he struggled, it twisted into a knot.

Maybe it was instinct, maybe it was divine punishment, or maybe Xing Xu just knew exactly where he was most vulnerable. Whatever the reason…

Under Xing Xu’s soothing touch, Ye Xiyao finally let go, giving up the struggle.

Or maybe, he had never truly struggled in Xing Xu’s arms at all.

“Baby, you can push me away as hard as you want,” Xing Xu murmured, lowering his head to kiss Ye Xiyao’s trembling lashes.

“But even if you push me away, I’ll hold you again. I’ll kiss your eyes, your face, your lips, every part of you. You can kick me, slap me, do whatever you want. But as long as you don’t kill me, I’ll keep coming back to hold you again.”