Eaten Ch.77.1

Chapter 77.1: Monster

“When I was little, every time my mom came home after finishing a mission, she would take me out for ice cream.”

Xie Chongyi sat cross-legged on the bed, holding the ice cream in his hands. His usually aloof and unapproachable brows and eyes softened under the warm glow of the bedside lamp.

“Was it also matcha flavored?” Wu Heng asked curiously.

“No.”

“Then what flavor was it?”

“Does it matter?”

“You’re the one who brought it up.”

“Is the point the ice cream?”

“Oh. And how little were you?”

“I forgot.”

“But you still remember the ice cream.”

“It’s because of you that I remembered the ice cream from my childhood.”

Xie Yi was very busy. Not only did she say so herself—everyone around her said the same. Her superiors, her teachers, and even her husband. Her husband was also very busy.

But for someone like Xie Yi, once she had a child, she would take responsibility no matter what. So she tried her best to arrange at least one family gathering of the three of them every month, even if sometimes that gathering lasted less than ten minutes.

Wu Heng tapped his fingers on the armrest of the sofa. “You miss your mom.”

“I’m fine. We rarely saw each other to begin with, so now I don’t really feel much,” Xie Chongyi said calmly.

“Back in the village, on the night Teacher Ying awakened his ability,” Wu Heng reminded him, “you were holding me and crying, saying your mom didn’t love you because she wouldn’t buy you the T-shirt you wanted.”

Xie Chongyi snapped apart the bamboo chopsticks. He wasn’t embarrassed at all about crying over his mother; instead, he raised a brow. “Don’t you have things you long for but can’t have?”

His question made Wu Heng’s eyes flicker. He thought about it seriously and suddenly realized that his memories from before the Dragon Boat Festival in elementary school were blurry.

He clearly used to remember some things—he even remembered the difference in how he felt toward Wu Zhi and Wu Shiming, and toward Zeng Like.

But now he could only recall some things from after the Dragon Boat Festival.

He cared not for pain, nor for death. He felt no despairing longing for death, yet he harbored no desire to flee either.

During a period in his fourteenth or fifteenth year, Lin Mengzhi became obsessed with m*st*rbation, and he was equally obsessed with inviting Wu Heng to join him.

Wu Heng discovered that even when he rubbed his wrists until they ached like Lin Mengzhi did, he couldn’t experience the “tingling sensation that made his scalp numb” that Lin Mengzhi described.

From that point on, he vaguely sensed that he might be different from many people—just different, not special.

Because Wu Heng still shared similarities with many others. For instance, like them, he didn’t know what he truly wanted.

Wu Heng hadn’t arrived at an answer. His gaze drifted and found Xie Chongyi already scooping ice cream into his mouth.

The other looked perfectly normal.

“Is it good?”

“Not bad.”

Wu Heng leaned closer, trying to read the other’s micro-expressions.

Because it was also possible he was forcing himself to say it was good when it tasted awful.

In the dim, yellowish light, the distance between them closed as Wu Heng drew nearer. He’d been intently studying Xie Chongyi, but the moment they were close, the faintly sweet yet slightly bitter scent emanating from Xie Chongyi instantly scattered most of Wu Heng’s rationality. His eyes flashed crimson.

His gaze held a hint of almost imperceptible lust.

In that moment, Wu Heng recalled the question he hadn’t been able to answer earlier.

What he craved yet could never possess was Xie Chongyi.

“Finished looking?” Xie Chongyi mumbled indistinctly, not even glancing at Wu Heng as he shoveled spoonfuls of ice cream into his mouth.

As the icy treat slid down his throat, he tossed the spoon into the bowl, flinging both toward the nightstand. Wu Heng’s body reacted before his mind could register the danger, jerking backward.

In the blink of an eye, as Wu Heng retreated, Xie Chongyi’s hand had already seized his wrist. Dragged forward, Wu Heng stumbled and fell onto Xie Chongyi.

“I want to kiss you,” Xie Chongyi declared, pressing his palm against the top of Wu Heng’s head.

Wu Heng looked up in surprise. “I’m not hungry right now.”

Xie Chongyi thought Wu Heng was a thankless bastard. After all the cuddling and kissing, he’d never once taken money from the guy.

He looked down at Wu Heng’s flustered expression. The guy was clearly faking it—his face was all act, but his eyes were filled with excited curiosity.

Xie Chongyi pressed his thumb against Wu Heng’s soft lower lip. “But I am hungry.”

Just as Wu Heng was about to retort that Xie Chongyi had just finished a huge ice cream, scorching breath washed over him. The heat was far more intense than before. His lips were caught off guard and bitten. Whether it was the force of the kiss or deliberate intent, his teeth collided, releasing a sweet, metallic taste.

The blood tasted sweet. Wu Heng licked it with his tongue, only to meet Xie Chongyi’s tongue thrusting into his mouth. In that instant, a faint, tingling current surged through both their bodies simultaneously.

Wu Heng placed his hands on Xie Chongyi’s waist. Supported, he straddled Xie Chongyi’s legs, his knees spread as he knelt on either side of Xie Chongyi’s body.

Xie Chongyi cupped Wu Heng’s face with both hands, tilting his head back to kiss him tenderly yet insistently.

Wu Heng rarely resisted or refused, as long as it felt good.

Xie Chongyi had learned this lesson well last time.

So today, he restrained himself considerably. Even as he treated Wu Heng with water-like tenderness, his mind already conjured several images of Wu Heng lying back in bed, dazed and gasping for breath.

Now was not the time, Xie Chongyi knew.

So when Wu Heng took the lead, Xie Chongyi shifted to a half-active, half-responsive mode. He opened his mouth willingly when Wu Heng’s tongue swept between his teeth, and when Wu Heng merely circled his lips before pulling away, Xie Chongyi hooked him back, their wet, sticky bodies tangling together.

Wu Heng kissed with satisfaction and was kissed with satisfaction. His chest and waist pressed tightly against Xie Chongyi’s. Even when Xie Chongyi’s hands, which had been cradling his face, shifted to knead his lower back, Wu Heng didn’t react.

A muffled moan escaped between Wu Heng’s teeth as Xie Chongyi pressed his other palm beneath the boy’s lower abdomen. “Want to play?”

The youth lowered his eyes and kissed Xie Chongyi’s nose. “Play.”

Wu Heng sat down on Xie Chongyi’s lap. A bead of sweat glistened on his forehead, finally adding a hint of vitality to his pale, lifeless face.

He had no concept of serving others. Though they were both players in this game, only one was actually participating.

Xie Chongyi noticed Wu Heng wore sweatpants with a drawstring today. Finding no zipper, he grew impatient and simply yanked the waistband down.

Both their pants had been altered by Ruan Silian and Shen Ping’an, except Wu Heng’s. Xie Chongyi wondered where Wu Heng got so many perfectly fitted, brand-new clothes—though he understood modern humans had their secrets, even if he wasn’t entirely pleased about it.

Wu Heng was well aware his pants had been pulled down. Leaning against Xie Chongyi’s shoulder, he glanced lazily over his shoulder. “Playing from behind today?”

His tone carried his characteristic coolness, tinged with a slight hoarseness at that moment.

Xie Chongyi’s eyes darkened abruptly.

But he wasn’t that boundary-less.

Still, since the other had brought it up, Xie Chongyi didn’t intend to ruin the mood.

His fingertips traced horizontally along Wu Heng’s buttocks. Wu Heng’s back stiffened, his entire body outwardly signaling discomfort.

Xie Chongyi didn’t stop. He pressed his index and middle fingers together and slid them between the two halves. Wu Heng’s expression changed, his back arching like a cat suddenly bursting with aggression.

Before Wu Heng could react, Xie Chongyi withdrew his hand with satisfaction. He held the two fingers up between their gazes, letting Wu Heng see the glistening droplets on his fingertips. “Why are you still wet?”

Wu Heng wasn’t sure what this meant. He swallowed hard, his throat parched and dry. His gaze drifted downward, and he reached out.

Anticipating his intent, Xie Chongyi seized his wrist. “I’m not.”

“How did you know?” Wu Heng, adhering to the principle that fair play requires reciprocity, intended to continue his earlier action.

“I’m a 1.” Xie Chongyi leaned close to Wu Heng’s eyes. “Do you know what a 1 is?”

Seeing Wu Heng blink, Xie Chongyi volunteered, “I’m gay. I like guys.” After speaking, he placed Wu Heng’s palm over his erection.

Wu Heng had no experience with this.

“You think I do this with just anyone?” Xie Chongyi’s expression was half-smile, half-teasing.

Wu Heng tried to recall, “Mengzhi does it even with his phone.”

Hearing this, Xie Chongyi’s smile grew brighter, his almond-shaped eyes crinkling sweetly. “You do this with Lin Mengzhi too?”

“No, he told me.”

Only then did Xie Chongyi’s smile fade slightly.

“I only do this with guys.” He tilted his face up, his lips brushing against Wu Heng’s jawline. “You’re not? You’re already wet.”

Wu Heng didn’t see any inherent connection between the two. “I don’t have to be.”

He didn’t know his own sexual orientation. His only childhood friend, Lin Mengzhi, preferred long-haired, long-legged, sexy vixens. In his environment, topics about sexual orientation hadn’t yet surfaced.

Neither boys nor girls had ever stirred his heart, spiritually or physically.

Xie Chongyi didn’t argue with Wu Heng anymore. He didn’t even bother to guide him.

He watched Wu Heng, lost in thought. Wu Heng’s demeanor was perpetually gloomy and melancholic. To those unfamiliar with him, he might even appear docile at this moment, like a mossy plant thriving in a damp, warm environment.

But Xie Chongyi knew him well—at least half as well as he should.

If Wu Heng was damp moss, it was undoubtedly moss growing on animal carcasses.

“Still playing?” Xie Chongyi poked Wu Heng’s cheek and gestured downward. “If we don’t play, we’ll be going down soon.”

Wu Heng straightened up. “Play.”

“Front or back?”

“…Front.”

Xie Chongyi’s technique had improved significantly compared to previous times.

Scorching heat and coolness pressed together. Wu Heng disliked showing emotion outwardly, burying his face in the crook of Xie Chongyi’s neck. Xie Chongyi’s body was hot and fragrant.

After liquid seeped out, the sound of water also came from his hands.

“Class Monitor, let’s sleep together tonight,” Wu Heng said haltingly.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Pay me, and I’ll sleep with you.”

Wu Heng remained silent, his fingers tracing Xie Chongyi’s abdominal muscles without a word.

Xie Chongyi suddenly pressed his fingers against Wu Heng’s exit, eyes reddened. “I recall you saved quite a few energy cores?”

This was undeniable. Of the energy cores Lin Mengzhi had found, aside from the neutral and fire-attributed ones Xie Chongyi needed himself, the rest had been handed over to Wu Heng. X and Wu Zhi, meanwhile, had dumped everything they could get their hands on into Wu Heng’s possession first. With three laborers at his disposal, Wu Heng couldn’t possibly be short of money.

Blocked from release, Wu Heng felt uncomfortable, his own eyes reddening. But his eyes were wet, pleading as he looked at Xie Chongyi.

Xie Chongyi wasn’t swayed by this. He held the other close, but his other fingers hadn’t stopped teasing, forcing tears to spill down Wu Heng’s cheeks. His calves and lower abdomen spasmed uncontrollably.

Wu Heng could only say, “I need my money to buy ice cream.”

“…” Xie Chongyi hadn’t expected to be less desirable than ice cream.

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