Chapter 130: The Alter Ego Says He Loves Me (19)
Without the heavy quilt to mask it, a disgusting stench of blood and rot immediately filled the nostrils of the three men.
“Crap,” Lin Chuan cursed, covering his nose and mouth.
If he had sat down just now, he probably would have thrown up his dinner on the spot.
The three of them looked at each other. Xiao Yinnian blinked. “How are we supposed to sleep?”
Xiao Ji looked at Xiao Yinnian and said deliberately, “You sleep with Lin Chuan. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
Xiao Yinnian didn’t even think before rejecting the idea. “No way.”
Lin Chuan looked at Xiao Ji, then at Xiao Yinnian. “Can’t we just change rooms?”
Xiao Yinnian looked out the door. “Based on the previous teacups and cutlery, the rooms are likely assigned according to the number of people. It’s probably too late to change rooms now.”
To be honest, if Lin Chuan had picked this room, Xiao Yinnian would have cursed at him and asked what kind of junk he’d spent so much effort choosing.
But since Xiao Ji had picked it, Xiao Yinnian subconsciously felt there should be some other trick to it.
He only reached out and pinched Xiao Ji’s waist, teasing, “Didn’t you say you’d pick the best of the bunch? How did you end up picking a dead rat?”
Xiao Ji naturally grabbed Xiao Yinnian’s hand and stuffed it into his own jacket pocket. “Whether it’s the ‘best’ or not, we’ll know tonight.”
Xiao Yinnian’s hand was very warm.
The cold touch of Xiao Ji’s palm made that strange, numbing sensation from earlier flood his heart again.
He looked down at their interlaced hands inside Xiao Ji’s pocket, pulled his hand free, and then grabbed Xiao Ji’s hand back, whispering, “Your hands are so cold. Do you have a cold womb?”
Xiao Ji shot him a glance. “If you aren’t cold, I won’t be cold.”
Lin Chuan stood to the side watching the two of them interact. He felt something was off, like there was some inexplicable sweetness.
But then he remembered they were technically the same person, and it didn’t seem so strange anymore.
He found a moment to interrupt their exchange, pointed at the dead rat, and asked Xiao Ji, “What do we do with this? Throw it out?”
Just as he finished speaking, a scream suddenly erupted from the room next door.
Then, a female voice could be heard cursing faintly, “Do you want to die? Who’s so twisted! Hiding this thing in here!”
Hearing this, Xiao Yinnian looked at Xiao Ji. “Go take a look.”
The three of them left their room and went next door. They saw a woman standing by the bed, pinching her nose with a look of utter disgust.
Her roommate’s expression didn’t look much better either.
“Did something happen?” Lin Chuan asked proactively.
He was young and had a friendly face, making it easy to gain people’s trust in such situations.
The woman glanced at Lin Chuan and pointed at her bedding, clearly furious and complaining, “So unlucky. Some jerk stuffed a dead rat in here. How is anyone supposed to sleep like this?”
Xiao Ji’s trio looked at each other but said nothing.
Chang-ge’s group also showed up. He squeezed past Xiao Yinnian and stood by the door, frowning as he sniffed the air. “With a smell this bad, you’d better throw it out. Encountering something so unlucky on the first day is a bad omen.”
The woman was also a member of Chang-ge’s team. Hearing him speak, she immediately used the quilt to wrap up the dead rat and carried the bundle, bedsheets and all, out of the room.
Just as she reached the door, her roommate—who hadn’t said a word until then—suddenly shouted, “Ling-zi, wait.”
The woman turned back, her brows knit together. “What?”
The man looked hesitant. “Maybe you shouldn’t throw it out. What if…”
“If I don’t throw it out, are you going to sleep with it? Chang-ge said to do it, so why are you being so annoying?” Ling-zi interrupted him impatiently.
She felt her roommate had something wrong with his head. He couldn’t help with anything, yet he insisted on going against Chang-ge.
After speaking, she glared at the man and carried the bundle of bedding with the rat corpse downstairs.
Xiao Ji watched Ling-zi’s retreating back and suddenly spoke. “Chang-ge.”
Chang-ge was stunned, seemingly surprised that Xiao Ji would talk to him.
He put on a friendly smile and looked at Xiao Ji. “What is it, brother?”
Xiao Ji turned back and looked into Chang-ge’s eyes. “Are there similar issues in the rooms of your other companions?”
Chang-ge met Xiao Ji’s gaze and shook his head. “We just moved in, and only Ling-zi had this problem. She must just be unlucky.”
He paused, then asked, “What about you guys? Anything abnormal in your room?”
Xiao Ji denied it. “No, that’s why I’m asking.”
Chang-ge nodded understandingly, then smiled at Xiao Ji. “Then I wish you good luck. If you need my help with anything, feel free to come find me. I’m just a warm-hearted person.”
Xiao Ji nodded. “Thanks.”
The three returned to their room and closed the door. Lin Chuan looked at the dead rat on the bed again, feeling even more lost.
“I hate missions like this that give zero hints. Whatever you do, the consequences are unknown.”
Xiao Ji was as calm as ever. “Leave it. We’ll adapt to whatever happens.”
Since one bed had a dead rat on it, the three decided to squeeze onto the other bed for the time being.
Lin Chuan was sensible and took the innermost spot against the wall, trying to take up as little space as possible.
Xiao Yinnian slept in the middle, and Xiao Ji closed the bed curtains and lay on the outside.
An oil lamp burned by the head of the bed. Not long after night fell, it flickered and went out on its own.
Xiao Yinnian wasn’t sleepy. He lay with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling. Being squeezed in the middle, he felt he had nowhere to put his hands and feet.
Darkness and silence always make a person’s senses sharper.
After Xiao Yinnian heard Lin Chuan’s breathing turn steady, his attention uncontrollably focused on Xiao Ji.
He asked Xiao Ji, “Do you think anything will happen tonight?”
Sensing the anxiety in Xiao Yinnian’s voice, Xiao Ji reached out and pulled Xiao Yinnian into his arms. He pressed Xiao Yinnian’s face against his neck and said with a hint of tiredness, “I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”
Xiao Yinnian’s entire body stiffened. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He felt that two grown men hugging was somewhat strange, but he couldn’t bring himself to push Xiao Ji away.
The smell of that dead rat was bad enough.
But the scent on Xiao Ji was very pleasant.
With Xiao Ji holding him like this, the scent was soft and fragrant, making Xiao Yinnian’s heart feel much more grounded.
So, after a moment of hesitation, he also reached out and hugged Xiao Ji back, even rubbing his nose against Xiao Ji’s neck before closing his eyes.
Xiao Yinnian didn’t know when he fell asleep.
He only knew he seemed to be woken by the sound of faint, pitter-patter footsteps.
In his daze, he thought it was Xiao Ji. Just as he was about to mutter a question, an ice-cold hand covered his mouth and nose.
Xiao Yinnian was instantly wide awake. Opening his eyes, he saw a small figure standing outside the thin gauze bed curtains.
His Adam’s apple moved. He reached out and felt Xiao Ji’s firm, warm abdominal muscles, and the sudden fear in his heart was faintly suppressed.
Not long after, he saw the small, dark shadow move closer to the bed. Its entire face seemed to be pressed against the gauze curtain, and a childish voice whispered in Xiao Yinnian’s ear:
“Did you throw away my toy?”
Translator’s Note: “Cold womb” (gōng hán) is a traditional Chinese medicine term usually referring to women’s health issues, but here it’s used as a joke because Xiao Ji’s hands are so cold. Also, poor Lin Chuan being a third wheel even when they’re technically the same person!
Recommended Reads
![The League’s Hei Yueguang Has Fought His Way Back [E-sports]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/hei-214x300.jpg)