Chapter 10: The Special One
“A-choo!“
Just as Duan Ke brought the fragrant, grilled squid leg to his lips, a sudden sour sensation flooded the tip of his nose. He quickly turned his head, covered his face, and let out a very light sneeze.
Just as he turned his small face back, that uncomfortable sourness returned. Caught off guard, Duan Ke quickly turned his head again, a bit wretchedly: “A-choo!“
“What’s wrong, Little Ke? Did you catch a cold?”
Beside him, Li Zheng, holding Oden, looked worried and handed over a tissue. “Is your body still not fully recovered? Should I go to the hospital with you again?”
Duan Ke took the tissue and wiped his round nose until it was red. The mist in his eyes from sneezing made them look wet and very obedient.
“No, I’m fully recovered. Mmh… maybe someone is thinking about me?”
Li Zheng observed Duan Ke’s face uneasily again, confirming he wasn’t uncomfortable before relaxing and continuing to walk with Duan Ke.
Some time ago, Duan Ke had suddenly fainted frequently. His usually pretty, rosy face had been so pale it had no color at all. He also suddenly proposed moving out, scaring his roommates quite a bit.
Li Zheng cared desperately, taking Duan Ke to several hospitals in his spare time, insisting that this kind of illness absolutely couldn’t be ignored. Even when Duan Ke politely refused, he insisted on helping.
Several doctors said they couldn’t find the cause. Li Zheng had been worried about accidents until he saw Duan Ke at school after class just now and found him lively again. Only then did he relax and invite Duan Ke to the snack stall to buy food.
Now that they were half-full, Li Zheng insisted on walking him home, so they walked toward Duan Ke’s apartment together to digest their food.
“Any trouble adapting to not being in the dorm recently? Are you used to living alone?”
Li Zheng took a bite of a meatball, looked down at Duan Ke, and smiled. “How about moving back when the rent expires this month? With you gone this period, I… cough, we all are a bit unaccustomed to it. We miss you.”
Duan Ke took a small bite of the grilled squid, sticking out his tongue at the spiciness.
“Probably not. I might have to live outside for a while longer. We can still keep in touch even if I live outside.”
Li Zheng widened his eyes, finding it strange.
Duan Ke had lived in the same dorm with them for two years, and they had always gotten along well. Why was he suddenly determined to move out?
The dorm facilities were pretty good too, right? It couldn’t be that he suddenly wasn’t used to living there.
He looked down at his incredibly good-tempered roommate. He wanted to ask more, but saw Duan Ke putting the last bite of squid into his mouth, chewing with it tucked in one cheek.
He ate with relish, yet not sloppily; instead, he looked very cute, like a golden hamster hoarding food in its mouth.
Clearly doing nothing, yet inexplicably alluring, making one feel he was cute.
Wanting to be close, wanting to monopolize his gaze—as if he had some talent for enchantment.
Li Zheng looked at the top of Duan Ke’s fluffy golden-brown hair. His hand hanging by his leg moved slightly, but ultimately, he endured and didn’t place it there.
He bumped Duan Ke with his broad shoulder, smiling tentatively, “Then if I come over often to disturb you in the future… our Little Ke won’t mind, right?”
“Why would I?” Duan Ke blinked. “You guys can come anytime; I welcome you.”
You guys.
Li Zheng’s heart sank.
He suddenly remembered when he first met Duan Ke, his first impression wasn’t good. He thought Duan Ke was like a delicate little young master spoiled by his family, who had never stepped out the front door.
He didn’t know how to make a bed, didn’t know how to use the water dispenser, and couldn’t even use chopsticks skillfully. He simply didn’t seem like an adult human, possessing zero common sense.
But after spending some time together, Li Zheng discovered Duan Ke was just a bit dazed, but his personality was actually very soft.
Like a small mushroom, growing quietly in his own corner of the dorm. He never spoke up actively, but would respond obediently to anyone who talked to him. If he bought snacks, he would silently place some on every roommate’s desk.
Like a little sprite detached from humanity, or the quietest, most well-behaved lazy cat in the school.
He would accept anyone’s feeding and extend his paws to be squeezed, but when the humans left, forgetting them was just a matter of an instant. No one was special to him.
Noticing Li Zheng wasn’t eating anymore and kept staring at him, Duan Ke turned his head and asked innocently, “What’s wrong?”
Li Zheng snapped back to reality and smiled. “Oh, nothing.”
Duan Ke lacked emotional common sense and couldn’t see through others’ thoughts at all; he needed to be taught slowly.
Li Zheng wasn’t in a rush. After all, there was plenty of time to slowly interact with Duan Ke and teach him what “special” meant.
They walked a bit further and arrived at the entrance of Duan Ke’s building.
“Brother Li Zheng, just drop me downstairs. You should go home quickly; it’s getting dark.”
“Sending you up won’t take much time. Didn’t our Little Ke just say he welcomes me?”
Duan Ke couldn’t out-talk him, so he could only let Li Zheng follow him up.
Stepping out of the elevator, Duan Ke almost tripped over layers of cardboard boxes. He looked left and right blankly, surprised. “Why are there so many boxes and bubble wrap?”
“Someone must be moving.” Li Zheng stepped out of the elevator behind him, pushing the boxes aside to clear a path for Duan Ke. “Strange, do tenants change so frequently in this building? It seems to be the unit opposite yours.”
Opposite?
Duan Ke looked up. The door to the unit opposite his was ajar. Sounds of moving things came from inside—audible but not disturbing.
Inexplicably… there’s a very fragrant scent.
Duan Ke’s nose twitched, his eyes full of surprise.
It can’t be that coincidental, right??
But his incredulous guess was quickly confirmed. Qin Huai walked out from the door wearing black loungewear. He was also wearing a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, which diluted his sharp aura a bit.
Seeing Duan Ke, Qin Huai raised an eyebrow as if surprised. “Why are you back so late?”
Duan Ke trotted over da-da-da, looking at Qin Huai with bright eyes, pleasantly surprised. “Did you happen to move in opposite me? That’s too coincidental!”
“It is quite coincidental.” Qin Huai opened the door a bit wider, adopting a posture inviting people in, and said indifferently, “The company transferred my post nearby, and this room happened to be vacant.”
Duan Ke didn’t show it on his face, but inside he was excited enough to run three laps on the spot.
The layout of this apartment was special; the windows of the two master bedrooms faced each other. You could see the neighbor through the glass.
If Qin Huai moves here, doesn’t that mean I can fall asleep smelling the world’s most delicious food even when not feeding?
Duan Ke dared not imagine how soundly he would sleep.
And this way, their weekly feeding would be much more convenient. The joy on Duan Ke’s face was too straightforward and undisguised; he didn’t notice the extremely gloomy stare coming from behind him at all.
Li Zheng’s face was frighteningly dark.
He stared tightly at Duan Ke’s back, which looked ready to hug the man, then shifted his gaze to the neighbor who had appeared inexplicably.
Why does Duan Ke act like he’s super familiar with him? Where did he pop out from?
Soon, the man in black noticed him. He looked over indifferently and casually. Or perhaps he had noticed the person following Duan Ke long ago, but his gaze was entirely on the boy in his circle, leaving no room to look elsewhere.
Feeling that man’s gaze, Li Zheng inexplicably felt an oppressive sensation that made breathing difficult.
Clearly, there was no expression on the face, yet it made one feel the pressure of being stared at by a ferocious beast. Cold, unfriendly, like declaring territory and drawing boundaries.
One of the man’s hands had unknowingly hovered loosely around Duan Ke’s waist. Although there was no touch, it was indeed an aura of total control that outsiders could see at a glance.
And Duan Ke was completely unaware, still wearing a look of total trust, muttering to the man like a kitten welcoming its keeper home from work.
Li Zheng: …
So someone is special, it’s just not me.
“Little Ke, I still have something to do, so I’ll go first. I’ll come play with you next time.”
Hearing this, Duan Ke suddenly remembered a roommate was still following him. He secretly annoyed himself for accidentally showing a lack of human common sense again.
Li Zheng sounds so down. Is it because I was only looking at Qin Huai and gave him the cold shoulder?
Duan Ke turned back to follow him and said a proper goodbye to Li Zheng at the elevator entrance, feeling a bit lighter in his heart. He returned to his door and saw Qin Huai leaning somewhat lazily against the doorframe.
Just now Duan Ke hadn’t sensed it carefully, but now he smelled it. Qin Huai’s home not only had the scent Qin Huai carried himself but also a particularly fragrant smell of stir-fry.
“Just eating snacks won’t make you full, right?”
Duan Ke looked at Qin Huai a bit dazedly, hearing the man invite him: “Want to have dinner with your new neighbor?”
Qin Huai wore a black pure cotton short-sleeved shirt. The collar was lower than the uniform he usually wore, revealing well-defined collarbones, diluting that aura of abstinence and alienation.
The silver-rimmed glasses on his high nose bridge didn’t make him look like a flower on a high peak; instead, they gave him a touch of gentleness and doting.
Duan Ke watched and watched, unable to hold back, and swallowed a small mouthful of saliva very imperceptibly.
As a succubus, looking at such a human… eating rice will be much more fragrant.
Even if human food isn’t something a succubus must consume.
It was always Duan Ke who charmed others, but for some reason, he suddenly felt dizzy too. Before he could react, he heard himself answer: “Okay.”
[Author’s Note] How could it be just eating rice!! We also have to eat people!! Duan Ke: My food is really so good; not only does he let me eat him, but he also cooks for me. [Eating Melon] Qin Huai: Wasn’t in vain that I spent nearly half an hour choosing clothes. Wifey really eats this up. [Pity]
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