When Yu Sen coughed up blood, his mind was blank. The theater’s auditorium lights shone brightly, illuminating his outstretched hand. His pale, slender fingers were stained with dark red blood, like white porcelain dipped in red ink. He tried to make a sound, but only a hoarse rasp came out, followed by another mouthful of blood as he coughed violently.

“Cough, cough, cough—!!! Cough, cough…”

“Yu Sen!”

“Yu Ge!”

He bent over, clutching his stomach tightly, his body trembling, his thin back arched, and Si Xuanyang hugged him in a panic.

“Why are you coughing up blood!?”

The expression on Si Xuanyang’s face cracked uncontrollably. He couldn’t understand why the person who was quietly holding his hand just a moment ago now seemed as fragile as a piece of thin paper, as if a little more force could tear him apart.

“Yu Sen, don’t scare me like this…” Si Xuanyang’s voice trembled as he held Yu Sen’s waist, trying to pull him into his embrace. Yet, he didn’t dare use too much force, fearing he might shatter him into pieces with the slightest pressure.

The halo of light in front of his eyes gradually faded, and Yu Sen felt a sudden chill on his forehead. It wasn’t until he touched it with the back of his hand that he realized it was drenched in cold sweat.

His stomach felt like it was being scorched by flames, burning painfully, but the urge to vomit blood had gradually subsided. He sighed softly, nuzzling against Si Xuanyang’s cheek, which was very close to his own, and said hoarsely, “It’s nothing, don’t worry. It’s just that this stomach of mine is even more temperamental than you are—slightly displeased, and it starts spewing fire. I’ll be fine after some rest.”

Hearing his soft and weak tone, Si Xuanyang’s heart felt as if it had been crumpled into a ball of paper and tossed into the water, wavering between pain and sorrow, unsure of what to say.

He tightened his grip on Yu Sen’s hand, his fingertips touching the sticky blood. The piercing red felt like countless needles pricking his heart, causing a delicate ache. “…I’m sorry…”

The sudden apology made Yu Sen pause slightly. He turned his head to glance at Si Xuanyang, whose eyes were bloodshot, lips trembling slightly as he desperately suppressed some emotion. His gaze toward Yu Sen was filled with guilt and pain.

Yu Sen knew why Si Xuanyang felt the need to apologize. Without the endless stream of traditional medicine, his stomach condition might not have worsened to this degree.

But he also knew that without those medicinal soups, his injuries wouldn’t have healed so quickly.

This alarming illness was an unavoidable accident and pain for him, but for Si Xuanyang, it might feel more like a heart-wrenching shadow and nightmare, with the resulting trauma accompanying him for a long time.

Especially since, in Si Xuanyang’s eyes, this scene seemed to be his own doing.

Yu Sen didn’t want him to think this way, but he also knew that with Si Xuanyang’s temperament, trying to comfort him now would only backfire.

After the initial intense pain subsided, the stomachache eased slightly. Yu Sen curled his lips into a small smile. “Is the hot-headed young master getting emotional again? I’m too weak to comfort you right now. How about a free kiss to recharge?”

As he spoke, he leaned his cheek closer.

Si Xuanyang chuckled helplessly, gently wiping the blood from Yu Sen’s lips with his thumb. The regret and anger in his eyes slowly sank deep within, and his lips lightly brushed against Yu Sen’s pale cheek, finding the soft flesh so tempting that he wanted to bite it.

“What? It’s free this time, but will there be a charge in the future?”

“Yeah, one small diamond per kiss. You’re rich anyway.” Yu Sen propped his feet on the chair, curling his body, which made the stomach pain more bearable, but it was a bit cramped. He shifted position, resting his chin on Si Xuanyang’s shoulder, and glanced at the corpse being surrounded by people nearby.

Apparently, being stabbed to death by a rose branch was quite intriguing, and some daring individuals were attempting to unbutton the victim’s clothes to examine the wound.

Si Xuanyang shifted his body down a bit to make Yu Sen more comfortable while continuing to wipe the blood from his palms. Observing Yu Sen’s expression and guessing that the pain had eased somewhat, he finally relaxed a bit. “Alright, let’s go home and sign the contract. I’ll pay you through the end of the year—1,000 kisses, non-refundable.”

Yu Sen was just waving off Si Nan and Luo Yu, telling them not to guard him and to check on the unfortunate soul instead. Hearing this, he froze for a moment.

Tilting his head, he calculated—summer was ending, and autumn was beginning, with just over a hundred days until the end of the year. A thousand kisses, which meant at least ten kisses a day?

And no refunds, so the service couldn’t be terminated!

Is he crazy!? Won’t his lips turn into sausages!?

Or was he talking about kissing all over the body?

That would be too much! Kissing like that could be dangerous. What if he got so lost in the moment that he lost the upper hand?

Imagining the scene, Yu Sen’s expression shifted dramatically, finally settling into a complex emotion as he looked at Si Xuanyang and slowly uttered two words: “…You schemer.”

“…” Si Xuanyang raised an eyebrow, immediately seeing through his thoughts. “Looks like the pain’s gone—you have the energy to think about dirty stuff now.”

Damn, that was spot on! No wonder he’s a man who can immediately pull out a thousand diamonds! Yu Sen pouted, feeling that with his weakened body, he might not be a match for Si Xuanyang. Better to recognize the situation and soften up for now.

“…It hurts, it hurts—like giving birth.”

Si Xuanyang looked at his drooping lashes and pitifully downturned lips, knowing full well he was probably faking it, but still couldn’t help tightening his grip on Yu Sen’s cold fingertips. “You sound so convincing—could it be that you’ve actually given birth?”

“!!!”

Yu Sen’s heart jolted as he raised his eyelids to give him a wary look. “Of course not! I can’t have children. Even if I got fucked, I still couldn’t, so stop thinking about it.”

Si Xuanyang was torn between laughing and crying, his face flushing slightly. “What are you even saying? Is that what I meant!? Alright, alright… I’ll be the one to give birth, I’ll give birth. Just stop wasting energy on such nonsense! How’s your stomach? Should I go backstage and get you something to eat?”

You’ll give birth? Yu Sen gave him a suspicious glare, then turned to look at the “death scene” that seemed worlds apart from them. Following the flow of the conversation, he skillfully changed the subject, “Let’s wait and see how things turn out over there first.”

“You can guess, right? The rose branch pierced straight into the heart.” Si Xuanyang gently pressed his palm against Yu Sen’s stomach. “How are you feeling now? Coughing up blood is probably a sign of gastric bleeding.”

“It feels like before—nothing serious. Maybe gastric bleeding in this place is like a spasm or something. The more you throw up blood, the more you get used to it.” Yu Sen waved his hand indifferently.

Si Xuanyang’s heart clenched suddenly, and he glared at him. “Don’t jinx it!”

After a while, the crowd began to disperse. Si Nan and Luo Yu also returned, confirming that the situation was pretty much as Si Xuanyang had anticipated. The rose branch had softened, but its base had completely embedded itself into the heart, becoming as deadly as a dagger.

Yu Sen looked at the pool of blood on the ground, then thought of the stage design and squinted his eyes.

—Perhaps the fresh red roses they obtained could replace the withered roses on stage and become the tool to kill the Red Shoes dancer.

^[1]Author’s Note: Although this is a paranormal story, it’s impossible for there to be any childbirth, hahahaha~ PS: I might have focused too much on the emotional drama in this story. If … Continue reading