Chapter 4

In the living room, Qin Guan sat with his legs crossed, flipping through a magazine with loud, rustling pages. His mind was clearly not on the book; he kept glancing at the tightly shut bedroom door, feeling very displeased.

What could they possibly need to say behind his back, with the door closed? Surely they weren’t doing something unspeakable in there?

Jiang Xiao couldn’t see right now. Wasn’t he just waiting to be bullied?

The other person remained as still as a sculpture, head bowed over a hardcover book, his posture unmoving.

Qin Guan knew this guy.

He was the heartthrob of the Photography Department, and had come to the dorm a few times to see Jiang Xiao. Back when Qin Guan had just found out Jiang Xiao was gay, he was overly suspicious of any man around him. There was a period when he suspected Bo Xiting was Jiang Xiao’s new boyfriend.

New was the key word. Though Jiang Xiao never specified who his boyfriends were, he had mentioned having a whole string of them, none ever lasting long.

This had utterly shocked a pure, straight man like Qin Guan. He never imagined encountering someone who could be so openly, brazenly a player. During that time, he avoided Jiang Xiao like the plague. Eventually, Jiang Xiao sensed Qin Guan’s subtle distancing, and their relationship drifted further apart.

But Qin Guan never imagined a day would come when he’d actually envy Bo Xiting.

He was just Jiang Xiao’s ordinary roommate.

Not even a friend.

And this Bo Xiting wasn’t even that good-looking, just a pretty boy. What did Jiang Xiao see in him?

A guy like himself was what you’d call a real man.

Qin Guan cleared his throat and spoke: “Are you Jiang Xiao’s ex-boyfriend?”

Bo Xiting acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

“How did you manage to date him?” Qin Guan asked. He tried to apply the online dating advice he’d read to Jiang Xiao, but nothing seemed right. Two men going to a park, a cinema, a restaurant… and sending roses?

He shuddered at the thought.

Long fingers turned another page. Bo Xiting finally looked up, his eyes clearly conveying three words: Are you sick?

Qin Guan was thick-skinned and impervious, wearing an expression eager for gossip.

“I have no relationship with him,” Bo Xiting said coldly.

“Then why are you here?” Qin Guan asked, surprised. “For a free meal?”

“To watch him make a fool of himself,” Bo Xiting replied.

Qin Guan was baffled. What the hell was this guy’s problem? Was he some kind of anti-fan?

After sitting a while longer, Qin Guan had reached his limit. No matter what needed to be said, you couldn’t just leave your guests hanging like this! He stood, turned, and was about to push open the bedroom door when he heard a soft beep. A keycard touched the lock, and the main suite door swung open.

“Thank you for your trouble,” the newcomer nodded to the butler carrying his luggage, casually tipping a generous sum. After the man left, he picked up his bag and walked in.

Every invitation Jiang Xiao sent out included a keycard for this room. Everyone had one—except for Qin Guan, who had crashed the party. If he got locked out, he’d have to wait for someone else to let him in.

This stranger’s arrival once again shattered the quiet. In the dead of winter, he wore only a pure white poet’s shirt with an open collar. He was tall and slender, the collar and cuffs adorned with ornate, luxurious lace. Crisply tailored dress trousers fell perfectly to his ankles, and black leather shoes stepped across the patterned wool carpet.

He looked like an elegant prince who had wandered into the wrong venue, meant for a royal banquet. He made the entire room seem to glow, his style clashing starkly with the other two present.

Even Bo Xiting deigned to glance over at him.

Under any other circumstances, someone like him would already be drawing screams. He was, after all, a prince with a quarter European royal bloodline and the corresponding inheritance rights. Talented and brilliant, he rarely appeared in public at school, making encounters with him extremely rare.

His fan club could circle the globe.

Ying Weizhu set his keycard on the cabinet and scanned the room. “Just a few people? Where’s Jiang Xiao?”

So he hadn’t walked into the wrong place.

Dressed like that in the dead of winter…

For a moment, Qin Guan didn’t know whether to curse the pretentiousness or consider whether he himself needed a wardrobe change. He silently pointed toward the bedroom.

Ying Weizhu didn’t hesitate. He didn’t even knock, simply pushing the door open with practiced ease—

The moment his golden eyes saw the scene inside, they suddenly turned very dark.

“Am I interrupting something?” he asked with a smile.

Half an hour earlier.

“…Qin Guan told you that?” Wen Xu had no interest in what sounded like a childish ghost story, but Jiang Xiao seemed genuinely frightened. His brow furrowed slightly, but his tone was gentle as he coaxed him. “He was just trying to scare you.”

“I don’t think he’d mention something like that for no reason.” Jiang Xiao murmured. “I’m a little scared…”

“Scared of what? That a ghost will visit you in the middle of the night?” Wen Xu chuckled, his amber eyes warming with tenderness. “Don’t be afraid. If a ghost comes, it’ll have to kill me first.”

“I’ll protect you.”

That sounded suspiciously like a death flag.

Wen Xu patiently soothed Jiang Xiao for a long while, explaining that he had already checked before coming; nothing like that had ever happened here.

This place had always been a retreat for the elite. If such an incident had truly occurred, how could it still be operating?

Wen Xu was always meticulous. Although Jiang Xiao had booked the place, he still prepared extensively, even pre-arranging the dinner menu so Jiang Xiao wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.

“If you’re still scared… just kiss me.”

Wen Xu effortlessly steered the topic back, a true genius of twisted logic.

“How can you… still be thinking about that right now?” Jiang Xiao choked out.

Wasn’t a normal person supposed to offer comfort and reassurance? What kind of solution was a kiss?

Wen Xu paused, as if scrutinizing him.

“Xiaoxiao, you always used to initiate.”

“When we went on dates to watch horror movies, you’d say one kiss would take the fear away.”

Jiang Xiao’s throat felt parched, as if it were about to catch fire. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he managed a single, strangled “Oh.”

So, his past self… was quite something, huh.

Wen Xu was still watching him, perhaps wondering why Jiang Xiao seemed like a different person.

Jiang Xiao asked internally: “System, if I don’t kiss him, will it be judged as OOC?”

System: “Being suspected of acting out of character will increase the Death Probability.”

Kiss him and become a homosexual, or don’t kiss him and become a restless spirit.

Jiang Xiao was truly baffled. Was it his destiny to face this trial, to be forced into being gay?

Luckily, his blindness could serve as an excuse.

Jiang Xiao reached out, grabbing Wen Xu’s arm. His shirt was smooth fabric, easily wrinkled by the slightest touch of fingers.

But he couldn’t care about that now.

“Don’t move,” he said seriously.

Jiang Xiao estimated the distance and tilted his face up to kiss him. If his judgment was right, he could “accidentally” brush against the cheek.

That could still be considered a kiss.

His lips did indeed graze soft skin. Jiang Xiao hadn’t kissed anyone since he was three years old, and the sensation felt a bit strange. He was about to say something when a hand suddenly pressed against the back of his neck. Warm breath was suddenly right there—

Oh no! Jiang Xiao’s mind went blank. He hadn’t expected Wen Xu to ignore his command. But pushing him away now wouldn’t be wise, and yet he really, really didn’t want to kiss a man he’d never even seen before.

What should he do?

Truth be told, Wen Xu had been holding back for a long time.

After the car accident, Jiang Xiao spent months in the hospital. Now he was finally discharged, but his behavior seemed resistant.

Had he finally grown tired of him?

Jiang Xiao was always like this by nature—fickle, loving the new and loathing the old, constantly flirting. Who knew when it would end? Wen Xu knew Jiang Xiao’s promises were just poison, yet he still rushed in like a moth to a flame.

And now, it seemed, that day had finally come.

To be a friend, or a lover? Jiang Xiao had given him the choice.

Be a friend, and it’s for a lifetime.

Be a lover… where was the forever?

Did Jiang Xiao think he couldn’t see? He didn’t want to kiss him, only held back by lingering sentiment.

The people outside were still eyeing him covetously. Who knew who Jiang Xiao would set his sights on next?

This kiss, laden with indescribable bitterness and melancholy, was about to land on Jiang Xiao’s lips when the door was suddenly pushed open.

And so, the kiss ended abruptly.

Wen Xu was right; the door was closed, but it wasn’t locked. Anyone entering could see exactly what they were doing.

He just hadn’t expected the intruder to be such a surprise.

Wen Xu had only intended to make the others back off, not to actually give them a show. He had no strange kinks.

From the doorway, it looked exactly like a couple intimately cuddling to kiss. Ying Weizhu stood with the light behind him, his face shrouded in a dense fog, yet his voice even held a hint of laughter:

“Jiang Xiao, is he your new boyfriend?”

Jiang Xiao actually hadn’t noticed the door opening. His attention was entirely focused on fending off Wen Xu. Only when he heard an unfamiliar voice did he finally snap back to reality.

A new character had appeared.

[Ying Weizhu, a brilliant Fine Arts Student]

[An Ornate Romanticism painter, renowned for his European dreamlike and bewitchingly alluring style]

[Recently embroiled in a plagiarism scandal]

[Hidden Identity: Your Second Boyfriend]

After the standard introduction, Jiang Xiao’s vision suddenly flashed crimson.

A progress bar appeared before his eyes, a menacing shadow of blood-red that looked terrifying.

[Death Probability ↑]

The progress bar slowly rose from 10%. The crimson area steadily expanded, finally stopping at a quarter of the way.

At 25%.

Friendly Reminder:

Tonight, you have a one-in-four chance of becoming the victim.

There was even a smiley face drawn at the bottom.