Chapter 20: Red Mole

At 6 p.m., Ming Ci returned home.

Upon entering, he first turned on his computer, canceled the scheduled email, and deleted the DJ. Then he tore up the piece of paper filled with words and flushed it down the toilet. After that, he logged into the railway app on his phone and purchased a high-speed train ticket to Nanzhou.

With everything settled, a peaceful new life was just around the corner.

However, as he closed his eyes and lay on the bed, he couldn’t sleep all night. In a daze, he seemed to hear familiar whispers. Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide, but there was only silence in the darkness.

Ming Ci didn’t know when he fell asleep. When he woke up, it was dark outside, with lightning and thunder, and pouring rain.

Feeling groggy, it took him a while to slowly sit up, looking down at the burn on his finger.

A small patch of red skin, burning with searing pain.

He stared blankly at it for a few minutes, and then, as if compelled by some unseen force, he called out softly, “Xiao Hong?”

The two words fell lightly, but there was no response for a long time, only the sound of the rain in the dim room.

The monster was already dead, completely burned to ashes.

Everything was over, don’t think about it anymore, don’t think about it, don’t think about it… pretend it never happened, completely forget about it… start a normal life again.

Ming Ci got out of bed and walked straight to the bathroom, took off his pajamas, and turned on the shower.

The icy cold water poured down, drenching his warm body. He shivered, and his groggy mind began to clear up.

After a while, when the water stopped, Ming Ci walked to the sink.

In the mirror, his wet upper body reflected, pale skin soaked in water, shimmering with a faint glow.

The unsettling crimson was gone, his body was clean, and from now on, he no longer had to live in fear.

To have escaped unscathed, how wonderful.

Ming Ci smirked slightly, his bloodshot eyes staring at the mirror, forcing out a forced smile.

·

The day after the monster disappeared.

In the kitchen.

Before placing the pot on the stove, Ming Ci first turned on the gas stove. The azure flames burned, heating up the air in the room.

His black pupils reflected the flickering flames, and in the gradually approaching heat, he reached out his finger to touch the flame.

The sensation of burning seemed to disappear until the fingertip was clearly burnt, and he sluggishly withdrew his hand.

“It hurts so much… Ming Ci, it’s so painful from the burns… Ming Ci, don’t play with fire anymore…”

The familiar voice echoed faintly in his mind, like a wisp of smoke rising from the ashes deep within his heart after a fire had burned out.

The burning sensation surged to its peak in an instant, every nerve trembling, every cell screaming.

Ming Ci staggered back a step, his back against the wall, barely supporting himself.

He cradled his burned fingers, breathing heavily, a faint voice trembling from his lips.

“It hurts so much…”

·

The third day after the disappearance of the monster.

4:00 p.m., Nan Prefecture High-speed Railway Station.

Ming Ci walked out of the station with his suitcase, the hot air hitting him in the face, crowds of people nearby bustling, and traffic flowing in the distance.

He was swept along by the crowd, lifting his feet towards the subway entrance, and after a while, boarded the subway bound for Nan Prefecture University Station.

These two days were the registration days, and there were quite a few university students with luggage on this subway.

Young faces filled with excitement and joy, looking around, occasionally making eye contact and couldn’t help but strike up a conversation.

“What department are you in? I’m in Civil Engineering!”

“I’m in Business Administration. I looked at the map in the freshman guide, and our two colleges are very close…”

A girl standing near Ming Ci hummed a tune while playing on her phone, her fingertips moving quickly on the screen. After finishing a game, she lifted her face and scanned around, her gaze falling on Ming Ci.

“Hi.”

She greeted with a smile, her eyes shining brightly as she looked at him. “Fellow student, are you also a freshman? Which college are you in?”

The girl’s blouse was brightly colored, as red as blood. When Ming Ci raised his eyes, the blood red entered his sight, and his body trembled uncontrollably for a moment.

“Fellow student?”

Ming Ci snapped out of it, meeting her gaze and answering quietly, “Physics Department.”

“Wow, isn’t that a coincidence!” The girl took a few steps closer, dragging her suitcase. “I’m also in the Physics Department.”

Ming Ci rarely had close contact with girls and subconsciously moved aside.

Unaware, the girl approached with a smile on her face and asked, “Are you joining the freshman class group? I’m in it, which one is you?”

As she spoke, she opened the class group, checked more group members, and turned her phone screen towards Ming Ci. “Look, I’m Wei Yuheng. What’s your name?”

Ming Ci looked away, silent for a few seconds before replying, “Ming Ci.”

“Ming Ci—let me see, found it, is this cat with the tabby cat avatar you?”

Wei Yuheng’s personality was obviously very cheerful and very outgoing. After finding Ming Ci’s account, she added him to her contacts.

“Add as a friend.” She looked relaxed, raised her eyebrows, and said, “I also have a cat, let’s exchange cat-raising experiences in the future. By the way, do you play Emperor’s Glory? Want to play together when you’re free?”

Ming Ci’s eyelashes drooped, his gaze falling loosely on the ground, his tone calm and gentle, “Sorry, I don’t raise cats, and I don’t play games.”

“Huh?” Wei Yuheng was somewhat surprised, paused, and tentatively asked, “You look really pale, aren’t you feeling well? Low blood sugar?”

“I brought cola, here, drinking some soda will make you feel better.”

She took out a bottle of cola from her backpack and handed it to him.

The crimson bead bracelet suddenly caught his eye, and Ming Ci’s whole body stiffened, his pupils slightly constricted.

The barely perceptible moment of discomposure passed in an instant, and he quickly regained his composure, shaking his head. “No need, I’m fine.”

“Okay.”

Wei Yuheng withdrew her hand, the beads sliding on her wrist.

With one more stop to Nanzhou University, she looked around listlessly, her gaze involuntarily returning to Ming Ci.

She unabashedly stared at the side of Ming Ci’s neck until he asked somewhat uncomfortably, “What’s wrong?”

“Here,” Wei Yuheng pointed to the back of her own neck, “there’s a very red mole, it looks nice. Can I take a picture of it?”

Red mole.

The moment these two words landed, Ming Ci’s breath stopped.

The girl’s conversation beside him, the noisy laughter around him, the humming roar of the subway… all the noisy background sounds seemed to be separated by deep water, all incomprehensible.

Only the heartbeat was particularly loud, beating one after another, clearly audible from his chest.

“I was just asking casually, forget it if it’s not okay. Ming Ci?”

“Nanzhou University Station has arrived. Passengers getting off the train, please use the right doors…”

“Ming Ci? We’ve arrived at the station!”

Seeing him standing still, Wei Yuheng reached out and patted his shoulder.

Like a drowning person suddenly surfacing, Ming Ci took a deep breath and then covered his neck with his hand, hastily stepping out of the car door.

He walked against the flow of people all the way to the end of the platform and into the restroom.

Closing the door of the stall, Ming Ci took out his phone, opened the front camera, and took a picture of his neck.

In the photo, on the smooth and fair skin, there was a scarlet and round mole.

His fingertips trembled as he pressed against the crimson mole on his neck, his voice dry and hoarse: “Is it you?”

“Is it you… Xiao Hong?”

There was no response for a long time.

The sensation of his fingertips touching the mole felt perfectly normal.

It seemed like just an ordinary mole, a part of his skin, rather than a strange parasitic disguise.

“…”

Ming Ci slowly lowered his palm.

The monster had already disappeared, burned to death by his own hands.

He clearly knew this, so why was he still so flustered? Why was he always so suspicious? Why couldn’t he forget? Why did he keep thinking about it?

Ming Ci stared at the pale white wall, forcefully suppressing those bloody memories back into the depths of his mind.

It wasn’t until his rapid heartbeat returned to normal, and his emotions completely cooled down, that he reached out to open the stall door and walked out expressionlessly.

The light from the ceiling spilled down, shining on his fair and smooth skin, and the crimson mole gently slid.

Unconsciously, the mole crossed his neck and disappeared into the collar at the back, swiftly descending along his spine, ultimately stopping in the middle of his slender waist.

It silently elongated, like an extremely thin red thread, extending to both sides, finally converging at his abdomen, quietly encircling his waist.

Ming Ci didn’t realize that there was a thin red line circling his waist. He grabbed his suitcase and left the subway station unhurriedly.

The square for new student registration was bustling with activity, not only students but also parents. There were crowds in front of the tents of various colleges.

Ming Ci walked through the crowd and stopped near the tent of the Department of Physics, looking at the whiteboard covered with black words, listing the various procedures that must be completed on the first day of registration.

Inside the tent, a senior responsible for guiding new students caught sight of him and quickly waved, calling out, “Classmate, classmate! You’re a new student in our Department of Physics, right? Come over here to sign in first!”

Ming Ci walked over and bent down to sign. When he looked at the roster, he saw Wei Yuheng’s name.

After signing, filling out forms, and collecting items, he could go to the dormitory assigned in advance.

From the square to the dormitory area was only over 400 meters. There were many signs along the way, and Ming Ci easily found his dormitory building, taking the elevator to the sixth floor.

The door of Room 606 was wide open. He looked inside and saw four beds, only one of which had a roommate who was busy tidying up his things.

Ming Ci knocked on the door lightly, and the movements of the male student inside stopped as he raised his head.

The boy had a pleasing baby face, with clear eyebrows and eyes, and two dimples on his cheeks. He looked non-threatening and seemed easy to get along with.

“Are you from 606?” He looked Ming Ci up and down with a hearty smile. “I’m Miao Nianchun from Bed 1. Which bed are you?”

Ming Ci carried his suitcase and walked in, saying succinctly, “Bed 2, excuse me.”

“Bed 2, huh.”

Miao Nianchun stood up, kicked the messy luggage to the side, and cleared a path.

There was a list on the wall corresponding to the beds in the dormitory. He had looked at it as soon as he came in, remembering the names of several roommates clearly.

The guy in front of him, fair and slender, was named Ming Ci.

He didn’t look bad, even from a straight guy’s perspective, he had a standout appearance. He didn’t look like a male student from the science and engineering department, but more like someone from an arts or film and television major.

Thinking of this, Miao Nianchun asked with a smile: “Ming Ci, where are you from?”

Before the other party could answer, he introduced himself: “I’m from Jinghe. I ranked twelfth in the province’s entrance exam. Alas, I didn’t do well in English, and Chinese also held me back. How about you?”

Although Ming Ci was introverted, his emotional intelligence was not low. He could tell that Miao Nianchun didn’t sound regretful at all. On the contrary, there was a somewhat concealed sense of pride.

He lowered his head to pack his things, and replied calmly with three words: “From Shanbei.”

“Uh, then what?”

Ming Ci pulled out an alcohol wipe to clean the table, not lifting his head. “What then?”

Miao Nianchun leaned against the wardrobe, staring at his profile without blinking. “So, what’s your rank in Shanbei Province?”

Ming Ci seemed to not hear, continuing to wipe the table by himself.

“We’re going to be roommates from now on. There’s nothing wrong with talking, right?”

Miao Nianchun paused, pointing to the two beds opposite. “Bed 3 is Qin Shuyi, and Bed 4 is Tang Yu. They haven’t arrived yet, but I’ve heard of them before. Qin Shuyi won the first prize in the national physics competition and went abroad to participate in the global competition. He’s a guaranteed admission student. Tang Yu was the top scorer in Lanchuan Province. I’ve seen news about him online. They’re both amazing.”

Ming Ci ignored him, bending down to open his large suitcase and taking out several sets of summer clothes, placing them in his wardrobe.

The smile on Miao Nianchun’s face faded, his tone becoming somewhat stiff. “Don’t mind me, I’m just curious.”

Ming Ci turned his face, lifting his eyelids to look at him calmly. “I haven’t won any awards, nor am I the top scorer. I’m just an ordinary college entrance examinee, admitted through the normal process. There’s nothing worth mentioning.”

As their eyes met for a moment, Miao Nianchun inexplicably shivered.

The evening sunlight streamed through the sliding glass doors of the balcony, casting onto the floor where Ming Ci stood. His knees and below were bathed in a golden-red warmth, while his upper body appeared somewhat dim against the backlight.

His skin was like night snow, and his pitch-black eyes exceptionally deep.

Miao Nianchun froze for a moment, subconsciously avoiding Ming Ci’s gaze and awkwardly chuckling a few times.

With a click, he turned on the light and glanced at his phone screen again.

“It’s already six o’clock. My parents are staying at a nearby hotel and invited me to dinner. We’ll chat later.”

After saying this, he hurried out of the dormitory, only to find his back covered in cold sweat.

Ming Ci watched Miao Nianchun’s figure disappear, walked to the door, gently closed it, and then surveyed the entire dormitory.

There were four beds with desks and wardrobes, an ensuite bathroom with a shower, a balcony of about six square meters, and the room was equipped with air conditioning and an electric fan.

The conditions were pretty good, meeting his expectations for a university dormitory.

After packing up his things and making his bed, it was almost seven o’clock.

Although it was time for dinner, he didn’t have much appetite. Feeling tired, he just wanted to take a shower and rest on the bed for a while.

The bathroom was laid out with separate wet and dry areas, separated by frosted sliding doors. The outside had a sink and toilet, while the inside had a shower cubicle with an electric water heater.

Ming Ci stood in front of the sink, pinching the hem of his clothes as he was about to take off his shirt, when suddenly the red line around his waist retracted abruptly, turning into a mole that silently lurked in the middle of his lower back.

After undressing, Ming Ci habitually glanced at his chest and then peeled off the adhesive bandage on his left index finger.

The deep red burn was exposed to the air. The small piece of skin had peeled off due to the burn, revealing the lightly yellowish flesh oozing blood.

This was the normal condition after a human was injured. There was no monster parasitizing the wound. It would take several days for this burn to scab over, and after healing, it would leave a visible scar.

Ming Ci stared fixedly at the burn, as if he were enchanted. He slowly raised his left hand, placed his fingertip against his lips, and bit down on the unhealed wound.

The salty and bitter taste spread between his lips and teeth, accompanied by a strong pain.

He snapped out of it as if from a dream, abruptly letting go of his left hand and immediately turning on the tap, bending down to drink water and rinse his mouth.

Ming Ci took several sips of water in succession, and the bloody taste on his lips and tongue gradually faded away, disappearing.

“…”

He took a deep breath, lifting his head from the sink, the mirror reflecting a damp, reddish face.

The wound on his index finger had deepened, fresh blood slowly oozing out, dripping onto the porcelain-white countertop, leaving a small, chilling pool of blood.

Ming Ci stood up straight, glanced at the bloodstain, not immediately cleaning it up, but instead walked directly into the shower cubicle, closing the frosted glass door tightly.

In the narrow bathroom, steam filled the air.

Ten minutes later, he finished showering, put on his pajamas, and then walked out on his own, seemingly forgetting about the bloodstain on the tiled countertop.

The dormitory lights were off, the floor-to-ceiling curtains tightly closed, and the room was dark and silent.

Ming Ci lay on the bed, closing his eyes, his hands flat on either side of his body.

He applied a new adhesive bandage to his left index finger, but the wound hadn’t stopped bleeding. The fresh blood gradually soaked through the bandage, oozing out from the edges.

The bloody flesh, with its savory, sweet taste, full of temptation, was what it needed most now.

Moreover, this was the blood from the host, truly a supreme nourishment for the body.

Ming Ci had already fallen into a deep sleep, his breathing light and steady.

The red mole silently slid onto his left hand, elongating and stretching out fine tentacles, catching the droplets of blood about to fall from his fingertips.

Like drops of water falling into a hot pan, tasting Ming Ci’s flavor once again, its insatiable appetite boiled up in an instant.

The uncontrollable instinctual desire, so intense and urgent, made it almost unable to think, only greedily absorbing his blood.

On the brink of losing control, it wished it could swallow him whole.

But as it gazed upon his sleeping face, an indescribable emotion surged within its soul, barely suppressing its surging instinctual appetite.

“Ming Ci… you lied to me…”

In the darkness, distorted words flowed into Ming Ci’s ears.

“No farewells… we’ll never part…” It entwined him tightly. “From now on, even death cannot separate us.”

---

Ten o’clock at night.

The sound of footsteps approached from afar, stopping outside the door, followed by a soft click as the door was opened.

“Huh? No one here?”

Miao Nianchun stood at the door, seeing the dormitory shrouded in darkness and hearing no sound, thinking that Ming Ci had gone out.

He turned on the light, and inadvertently saw Ming Ci sitting on the high bed, immediately startled.

“Wow!” His whole body bristled with goosebumps, his tone not too good. “You scared me, Ming Ci, why didn’t you say anything?”

Ming Ci had just awakened from his sleep, his consciousness still not quite clear. He sluggishly turned his head to the side, staring at Miao Nianchun, his eyes like those of a stranger. After a while, he muttered softly, “Sorry.”

Miao Nianchun breathed a sigh of relief, closed the door behind him, and casually asked, “It’s only ten o’clock, why are you going to bed so early?”

Ming Ci didn’t answer, but instead lowered his head, staring at his left hand.

It didn’t hurt at all, the wound on his finger.

He clenched his teeth lightly, immediately pulling off the adhesive bandage from his index finger.

The fingertip was intact, clean and spotless, with no scar at all.

Ming Ci widened his eyes, immediately getting off the bed and rushing to the bathroom.

Under the bright light, he saw that the porcelain-white countertop was immaculate, without a trace of bloodstains.

At that moment, his breathing stagnated, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

TN:

You, this chapter made me sick! I literally got nauseous during the finger part!