ICAWZ Chapter 176

The light in the bedroom was dim and desolate. Sanya’s eyes still carried a lingering crimson hue, as if fearing that You Que might seize something from him. Beneath the surface, there was a hint of near-neurotic suspicion and unease. His fingertips had turned pale, gripping so tightly he nearly fractured You Que’s wrist.

Frowning, You Que pried Sanya’s hand away, his voice heavy with confusion. “What exactly happened to you? Why did Fei Wen and the others suddenly lock you in the room? And the wounds on your back…”

“Crash—!”

Before You Que could finish speaking, he was abruptly shoved aside by Sanya, caught completely off guard. The latter lost his balance in the process and rolled off the bed, landing in an embarrassingly disheveled state.

“Didn’t you hear me tell you to get out?!”

The floor was littered with shards of the shattered vase, but Sanya seemed oblivious to the pain. With great difficulty, he dragged himself backward from where he had fallen, his back pressing tightly against the cabinet. Cold sweat trickled down his pale cheeks, and every breath was suffused with the faint pheromone scent of a male zerg.

This scent teased both Sanya’s desire and his rationality.

Yet his body was wracked with pain.

It was as if a dull knife was slowly slicing through the flesh and bones of his back—digging deep, grinding, mangling. The agony was unforgettable, worse than death itself. His body trembled uncontrollably under the torment.

It hurt so much…

Sanya thought he had almost forgotten that feeling. After all, this small town was so ordinary, so remote—remote enough to leave behind that filthy past, remote enough for him to believe he could become just a normal female zerg, living out the rest of his life in plain, unremarkable peace.

But it turned out he couldn’t.

You Que saw that Sanya’s palm had been cut by the shards of the vase. He stepped forward swiftly and grabbed Sanya’s wrist. The latter struggled violently but was soon overpowered, his arms pinned behind his back and pressed against the edge of the bed.

Sanya’s body was bare. Yet, as You Que forced him against the bed’s edge, what concerned him most was not his nakedness but the scars on his back that could not be revealed. His face was pressed into the bedding, veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes red as he struggled and snarled, “Don’t touch me! Do you believe I won’t kill you?!”

Sanya’s clenched jaw trembled as if he might actually bite a chunk of flesh off You Que.

It had taken You Que considerable effort to subdue Sanya. His brows furrowed deeply, and his expression, half-hidden in the interplay of light and shadow, was grim and somber. “What the hell happened?! Did Fei Wen and the others do something to you?!”

As he spoke, something seemed to cross his mind. Freeing one hand, he brushed aside the long hair covering Sanya’s back, only to reveal two uneven scars on his shoulder blades. They crisscrossed each other, grotesque and jagged, impossible to ignore.

Sanya’s entire body froze. Then he began struggling even more violently, his eyes red with fury and humiliation—humiliation that felt like being stripped bare, laid bare for the world to see.

“Let go! You Que!”

“Don’t look! Believe me, I’ll gouge your eyes out if you do!”

You Que had always thought Sanya was, at most, just a bad-tempered female zerg. He hadn’t expected him to be this fierce. Frowning, he grabbed a blanket from the side and haphazardly wrapped it around Sanya. Worried that Sanya’s outburst might attract Fei Wen and the others, he quickly clamped a hand over Sanya’s mouth and whispered, “Shh, don’t make a sound. I snuck in here.”

But Sanya didn’t listen. His eyes red with fury, he bit down on the edge of You Que’s hand. Before long, the sharp taste of blood filled the air.

“Ugh.”

You Que let out a muffled groan, cold sweat breaking out across his back from the pain. He tightened the blanket around Sanya and did his best to calm the agitated female. Leaning close to Sanya’s ear, he murmured in a low voice, “Alright, I won’t look. Don’t be afraid, I won’t look.”

Perhaps it was the warmth of the blanket that finally gave Sanya a sliver of security. The metallic tang of blood spread between his lips and teeth, and the pheromones hidden within it once again threw his hard-won composure into chaos.

Heat, emptiness, pain, exhaustion.

Sanya released You Que’s hand from his bite. A streak of blood stained his pale lips. Weakly, he closed his eyes and hoarsely repeated, “Don’t touch me… don’t touch me…”

Back when Sanya served in the military, he had been injured during a mission. He had lain half-naked on the operating table, powerless to resist. The doctors had taken cold blades and mercilessly cut open his back, tearing away the wings that had once been a part of him—connected by blood and flesh.

A butterfly without wings is nothing more than an ugly insect crawling in the dirt; an eagle with its wings broken has no fate but death.

Sanya didn’t know how much longer he could endure. Unconsciously, he curled into himself, his voice trembling with despair as he muttered, “Just kill me… kill me…”

You Que froze at those words. Slowly, he reached out to brush aside the stray strands of hair covering Sanya’s face, only to see that Sanya had bitten his lower lip raw, leaving it streaked with blood. Frowning, You Que gripped Sanya’s jaw, unable to understand what this fragile female had gone through. With no other choice, he tightened the disheveled blanket around Sanya and carefully carried him back to the bed.

The scent of You Que’s pheromones was faint—so faint that one wouldn’t notice it unless standing close. It smelled like ebony soaked in rainwater, with a touch of dampness and bitterness, faintly mingling with the barely detectable aroma of tobacco. It was a quiet, cold scent, lonelier and more desolate than a winter’s night.

Yet his embrace was warm. The heat seeped through his shirt, pressing directly against Sanya’s skin, as though it had the power to melt away every layer of frost.

You Que bent down to place Sanya on the bed, then grabbed a pillow to prop under his head. As his gaze unintentionally swept over Sanya’s hand, he noticed it was covered in blood from the cuts caused by the vase shards. Without a word, he turned and headed to the nearby bathroom.

Inside, You Que found a clean towel on the sink. He soaked it in warm water, wrung it out, and was about to leave when something caught his eye. Draped over the edge of the bathtub was a shirt that looked strangely familiar. Picking it up for a closer look, he realized it was the one he had spilled alcohol on the last time they met.

Hadn’t Sanya said he’d already thrown it away? Why was it here?

You Que frowned, turning the shirt over and inspecting it carefully, as if trying to confirm something. It was indeed the shirt he had worn back then, down to the frayed threads on the cuff. But for some reason, it was crumpled and wrinkled, looking like it had been through some rough treatment.

But clearly, now was not the time to ponder such questions.

Unable to understand the reason, You Que reluctantly tossed the shirt back to its place and carried the towel out of the bathroom. Returning to the bedside, he lowered his gaze and gently wiped the bloodstains from the palm of Sanya’s hand. He was already thinking about how to inquire with Fei Wen about Sanya’s condition, unaware that the female on the bed had opened his eyes at some point.

Sanya seemed to have regained some consciousness, though his eyes were still hauntingly bloodshot. Slowly, he turned his head and glanced toward the bedside, only to find You Que quietly cleaning the wounds on his palm. His fingers tightened silently, leaving a patch of dark red bloodstains on the pure white towel.

You Que froze for a moment upon seeing this. He knew that Sanya must have regained consciousness. His voice, unexpectedly calm and steady, asked, “Have you calmed down?”

At those words, an inexplicable surge of anger rose within Sanya, even though it was an anger without cause, unreasonable and petty.

He hated that You Que hadn’t left earlier.

He hated that the other had seen things he shouldn’t have seen.

It was his naked body, his scars, and the true face beneath this beautiful exterior…

Some things, once exposed, can never be hidden again.

Sanya struggled to sit up from the bed, his face pale and gloomy. Without warning, he reached out and grabbed You Que’s throat, coldly spitting out a single sentence: “Anyone who has seen the scars on my back must die. Do you believe I’ll kill you right now?”

His hand trembled, and it was unclear whether it was from the pain or from his reluctance to actually go through with it.

You Que, clearly not intimidated, responded with a question of his own: “Why?”

He paused, then added, “Is it because those scars are ugly?”

Clearly, You Que’s words had hit a raw nerve with Sanya. As soon as the words left his mouth, the pressure on his throat suddenly tightened, making it hard for him to breathe.

Sanya felt that the words coming from You Que stung more sharply than if anyone else had said them. His gaze turned dark and venomous as he gritted his teeth and asked, “Say that again?!”

So it really was because of that.

You Que understood something in that moment, but instead of backing down, he gripped Sanya’s wrist and slowly pried his fingers away from his neck. “You’ve already heard me clearly. Why do you want me to say it again?”

Sanya had been injected with anesthetic, so his strength was no match for You Que’s. His fingers were roughly pulled away, leaving behind streaks of blood.

Sanya stared at You Que’s indifferent face, a sudden, inexplicable sense of disappointment rising within him. It spread through him like ripples, gradually widening and deepening. He silently clenched his fingers, so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh. He wanted to say something, but then decided there was no need.

“…Just leave.”

After a long, oppressive silence, he hoarsely uttered those two words, his face contorted in pure frustration.

But You Que didn’t leave. Instead, he flipped the towel over, sat down beside the bed, and forcefully wiped away the cold sweat and blood from Sanya’s face. The female struggled desperately, but You Que gripped his wrist tightly and pulled him into an embrace, admonishing him in a low voice, “Don’t move!”

You Que’s tone was serious, and at his command, Sanya instinctively froze for a moment.

You Que had never comforted anyone, nor had he ever been comforted by anyone. Seeing Sanya’s change in expression, he belatedly realized that his careless question had touched on something painful for the other. He paused for a moment before continuing, “You think it’s ugly, but I never said it was ugly.”

Sanya froze again.

You Que wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to hold Sanya like this. After all, their relationship had always been ambiguous, never crossing certain lines. But in that moment, he couldn’t think of any better way to comfort him than by holding him.

He tightened his embrace around Sanya, recalling how the female had just asked for death and to kill someone. Furrowing his brow, he asked, “Has someone been bullying you?”

His voice was low and calm, just as usual, but upon closer listening, it was clear that there was concern and care beneath it.

Sanya blinked back the sting in his eyes, not saying a word. Instead, he slowly buried his face into You Que’s shoulder, gripping the fabric of his shirt tightly.

Seeing that Sanya didn’t answer, You Que asked again, “Is it Fei Wen and the others?”

Sanya closed his eyes and shook his head, still silent.

You Que lightly patted Sanya’s back through the blanket, thinking about how the scars had already scabbed over and seemed to be quite old. They should have nothing to do with what had happened today. However, when he saw them earlier, he had been so surprised that he had instinctively overlooked this detail. “Then why did they lock you in the room?”

At these words, Sanya finally opened his eyes. His voice was hoarse as he uttered a few words, “My psychic energy went out of control…”

This time, it was You Que who was stunned.

Although he had been living with the Zerg world for a while, he still didn’t know much about their species. It was only after hearing this that he remembered that females have periods of psychic instability, and if it flares up, they could lose control and hurt others. Fei Wen and the others must have locked the door because of this.

You Que instinctively released Sanya. “Are you alright? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

Sanya saw the unmasked concern in You Que’s eyes, and for a moment, his blood surged uncontrollably, more intensely and realistically than ever before, as though it were clamoring for something. His cold fingertips slowly slid down You Que’s muscular arm, eventually wrapping around his waist. In a swift motion, he flipped the male onto the bed, pinning him down.

Sanya’s body was still weak and frail, but it did not affect his sensitivity to the male’s pheromones. He buried his head in You Que’s neck, his silver-gray hair cascading down, winding around their fingers like a snake.

“No need to go to the hospital…”

Sanya’s voice was hoarse and low, laced with dangerous toxicity.

“You being here is enough…”

 

 

 

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