Chapter 22: Honest

The response completely hit his expectations.

Ming Ci felt as if his heart had been struck by something soft, a sour warmth slowly spreading throughout his limbs and bones.

He knew he was done for, actually developing feelings for the monster.

But how could there be such a monster?

Terrifying and ruthless, lacking in empathy, prioritizing survival instinct as a parasitic alien species, yet in a life-threatening moment, it let the host escape alone.

If it really died, what difference would it make to the host, whether it lived or died?

Ming Ci couldn’t control his thoughts; his heart became incredibly soft.

However, the swelling and pain in his throat reminded him of the atrocities committed by the monster.

His eyes slightly heated up, the black pupils staring fixedly at the monster, asking, “So, now? Do you hate me?”

The monster lay on him, gazing at his gradually moistening eyes. “Hate?”

Humans had too many emotional words that it couldn’t understand or distinguish.

It didn’t comprehend what hate felt like. At this moment, it just wanted to know one thing.

“Ming Ci, why don’t you like me? Why do you want to burn me alive?”

It asked again.

Ming Ci closed his eyes, the thin eyelids tinged with a faint redness, his voice low and calm. “Xiao Hong, I am human, and you are a monster. From the food chain perspective, I am your prey. No matter how you treat me, I am powerless to resist. For humans, your appearance and nature are terrifying, making me feel very afraid. So I don’t like you, so I want you dead.”

“Terrifying?”

The monster didn’t understand what was so terrifying about itself. Clearly, it was the various deeds of humans that were more terrifying.

“Yes, I’m scared of you. All along, I’ve felt you were a terrifying monster, and when the day comes that you no longer need the host, you will kill me.”

Ming Ci laughed self-deprecatingly, continuing, “I thought burning you to ashes would end everything, and I could start a peaceful life again.”

“I could never kill you!”

Its tone changed, urgent and anxious. “I’m not scary at all! I’ve always been good. Why are you afraid of me?”

Ming Ci opened his eyes gently. “But a few hours ago, you nearly killed me.”

“I… I won’t do that again!” The monster said, almost pleadingly, “Don’t be afraid of me, don’t hate me.”

Ming Ci’s heart was blocked by the sour softness, unsure of what to say for a moment. After a while, he muttered to himself, “You still don’t understand anything.”

The monster urgently said, “Teach me, I’ll listen! Ming Ci, teach me, help me understand those things I don’t understand, okay?”

It wanted to know what it should do to gain his affection and dispel his thoughts of abandoning it.

Truly stubborn and naive, a foolish monster that didn’t understand the wickedness of human hearts.

Ming Ci thought so, but he didn’t know how soft his expression had become, his eyes bright and shining.

The morning breeze swept through the woods, branches rustling.

The sun had risen, casting dappled shadows as the branches swayed. A beam of sunlight fell on his face, Ming Ci squinted, pushing it gently, “I agree, get up.”

The monster was appeased, obediently shrinking into a red mole, nestling in the wound on his ankle.

A moment later, Ming Ci emerged from the dense forest and climbed down the steep slope. Just as his feet touched the cement ground, a loud shout came from afar, “Hey! What are you doing?”

Ming Ci turned his head and saw a scenic area administrator walking briskly towards him, pointing at him angrily, “Didn’t you see the big warning sign? Danger, no climbing!”

“A few steps forward is the gate, it opens at half past five. Why not take the proper mountain path instead of climbing the wild route?”

Ming Ci lowered his head. “Sorry.”

The administrator stopped in front of him, sternly saying, “This forest is so dangerous, so steep; one slip and it could be disastrous! If you faint, no one would even notice! And do you know there are snakes on the mountain?”

Ming Ci remained silent, nodding repeatedly, appearing as if he were being taught a lesson.

Seeing his cooperative attitude, the administrator’s tone softened slightly. “This is a free scenic area, no need for tickets. If you want to climb the mountain, take the well-maintained mountain path. Don’t wander through the woods. Don’t do this again next time, okay?”

“Don’t be afraid, Ming Ci, you don’t have to listen to him,” whispered the monster, “I’ll protect you. You can go wherever you want; the woods are not dangerous at all.”

Ming Ci lowered his brows and nodded gently, obediently leaving the administrator’s sight.

Living in a college dormitory now, it was difficult for him to find a secluded place without surveillance where he could release the monster’s original form. This forest was the only choice.

He behaved meekly and obediently, but in reality, he had already planned the next time to come back.

When Ming Ci returned to the dormitory, Miao Nianchun was still asleep.

The air conditioner had been on all night, making the room chilly. Miao Nianchun was lying on the bed, wrapped in a plush blanket, with poor sleeping posture, one leg hanging off the bed.

Ming Ci slowed his steps, quietly passing by, returning to his own spot and placing his backpack on the desk.

His clothes were stained with mud from the forest. Ming Ci took out a white T-shirt and blue pants from the wardrobe, changing into clean clothes quietly.

Then, he stood barefoot on the chair, bent slightly, and touched the scabbed scratch on his fingertip, sliding it silently upward, signaling for the red mole to move and hide under his clothes.

At that moment, the sound of the rolling wheel approached, and the door, which had been closed two minutes ago, was opened again.

Ming Ci put his foot down, straightened up, and turned to look. He saw a tall guy wearing black-framed glasses dragging a suitcase, standing at the door and looking at him.

Their eyes met, and a faint smile appeared on the clearly outlined face of the guy. “Ming Ci, it’s really you.”

Ming Ci had no impression of this person, his expression calm and indifferent.

The guy lifted his leg and walked in, stopping at the position of bed number 3, placing the heavy suitcase down.

“Last time, there wasn’t enough time for self-introduction. Fortunately, we meet again.” He walked up to Ming Ci, extending his hand. “My name is Qin Shuyi.”

Ming Ci didn’t like physical contact with others. Instead of shaking hands with him, he looked up at the unfamiliar face, showing a puzzled expression.

“Don’t you remember?” Qin Shuyi took off his glasses, leaning in closer. “Take another look, do you find anything familiar?”

The warm breath was clearly audible, and Ming Ci subconsciously avoided it a bit.

However, Qin Shuyi had no sense of boundaries, staring straight at his profile, asking softly, “Really, no impression?”

Before Ming Ci could speak, the monster inexplicably became angry. “Ming Ci, I hate this human. I hate his eyes and his voice.”

This anger arose strangely; Qin Shuyi hadn’t done anything to harm Ming Ci, but the monster didn’t understand why it felt such strong dislike for this human.

It wanted to gouge out his eyes, melt his face, so he couldn’t look at Ming Ci so closely anymore.

Ming Ci didn’t know the terrifying thoughts the monster was having. He soothingly touched it through his clothes.

“Sorry, I don’t remember.”

His voice was cold and hoarse. He casually picked up a book, using the corner to push Qin Shuyi’s shoulder, pushing him out. “Excuse me, I need to go out.”

Qin Shuyi heard Ming Ci’s abnormal tone and, while moving aside, asked, “What happened to your voice?”

His tone made it seem like they were familiar with each other. Ming Ci slightly furrowed his brows, ignoring him, and walked out on his own.

“Ming Ci!” Qin Shuyi followed him out quickly, closing the door behind him.

He walked beside Ming Ci, speaking as they walked, “You really don’t remember me? We met two years ago in Fenghua City during the finals of the Eight Provinces Tournament. Does it ring a bell?”

The two walked all the way to the end of the corridor. Ming Ci stopped in front of the elevator and replied blandly, “Sorry, no recollection.”

Two years ago, he did go to Fenghua City to participate in a physics competition, but the day before the finals, he had an accident. When he woke up the next day, the exams were already over, and he hadn’t even gone to the exam venue.

As the elevator door opened, Ming Ci walked in, followed closely by Qin Shuyi, who quickly reached out and pressed the button for the first floor.

“It was the day before the finals, September 20th, in the library of Fenghua University. You were reading the translated version of ‘Lectures on String Theory,’ and I asked if I could borrow it. Then we started talking.”

At this point, Qin Shuyi smiled. “We spent the whole afternoon debating the hypotheses of string theory, neither of us able to convince the other. Around six in the evening, you suddenly had to leave, and you left your notebook on the table.”

Ming Ci’s brow twitched, lifting his eyes to look at him.

“The cover of that notebook had the words ‘Ming Ci’ written on it,” Qin Shuyi paused before continuing, “The next day when I signed in at the exam venue, I saw your name on the list of candidates for the finals. Unfortunately, you didn’t show up until the exams were over.”

Ming Ci stared at his face, seemingly trying to determine whether what he said was true.

At this point, the elevator descended to the first floor, and the metal doors slid open. Ming Ci lowered his eyelashes and stepped out.

In his memory, he did lose a notebook in the library of Fenghua University that day, but he had no impression of the person in front of him. He vaguely remembered spending the whole day alone, reading.

If what Qin Shuyi said was true, and they had argued about string theory for several hours, he should have remembered it vividly. It was impossible to forget completely after just two years.

He suspected Qin Shuyi was fabricating stories, but couldn’t think of a reason for him to lie.

“May I ask why you withdrew from the competition that day?” Qin Shuyi paused for a second, his voice lowering, “Was it because I spoke too harshly during our argument, and it affected you?”

The monster felt a sudden aversion and hatred towards him and couldn’t help but say to Ming Ci, “I hate his eyes, his gaze is annoying, and his voice is irritating. Ming Ci, don’t pay attention to him, let him go far away!”

Ming Ci sighed briefly, finally stopping.

He stood on the steps, looking down at Qin Shuyi. “You’re overthinking.”

With more words, his throat hurt, so he kept it concise, “Firstly, I don’t remember meeting you before, and I didn’t discuss string theory with anyone that day. Secondly, I withdrew from the competition because of an accident, nothing to do with anyone else.”

Qin Shuyi furrowed his brows, not believing that Ming Ci had no impression of him at all.

“Alright, whether you remember or not, I do. I saw ‘Ming Ci’ in the Physics Department’s freshman group chat and guessed it was you, so I sent you a friend request.”

Ming Ci pursed his lips, making an ambiguous sound.

Qin Shuyi fell silent for a moment before saying, “I brought your notebook with me. Although you may not need it now, I’ll return it to you later.”

Ming Ci thought to himself: Qin Shuyi probably found his notebook, saw his name on the attendance list at the exam venue, discovered he was his roommate yesterday, and started making up stories based on a series of coincidences.

The logic seemed reasonable.

Qin Shuyi took a step forward, looking at him closely. “Sorry, I flipped through your notebook. Can I ask why you didn’t participate in competitions afterward?”

Ming Ci was getting a bit impatient, especially since the monster was whispering to him, its tone not quite right, seemingly abnormally resentful towards Qin Shuyi, which made Ming Ci find this person annoying too.

“It shouldn’t concern you,” he replied coldly, turning around and walking up the steps, crossing the flower bed, and crossing the intersection with the green light.

Qin Shuyi stood still, silently watching his back.

After receiving the military training uniform, Ming Ci wandered around the vast campus until noon, before slowly returning to the dormitory after lunch.

Pushing the door open, the room was empty and quiet.

He walked into the room and saw an old notebook with a brown cover on his desk, with the words “Ming Ci” written in the bottom right corner.

Ming Ci’s heart skipped a beat, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

In fact, he didn’t have any profound impression of this notebook. During his three years of high school, he had written so many notebooks, and this one was just one of the ordinary ones.

After losing it, he didn’t care much and quickly forgot about it.

But strangely, seeing it again now, he felt an indescribable sadness.

Ming Ci picked up the notebook dazedly, flipping through the pages one by one. On them were his previous physics notes. With the passage of time, the paper had turned yellow, and the ink had faded slightly.

“Ming Ci.”

The red mark slid to his fingertips, touching the edge of the paper, spreading slowly like a drop of crimson ink.

“Can I eat this notebook?”

Ming Ci snapped back to reality, immediately curling his fingers and dragging the crimson back from the paper. “You want to eat paper?”

“Um… I want to swallow it,” the monster whispered.

Why would it suddenly want to eat paper? Ming Ci hadn’t noticed its interest in paper before.

Ming Ci was a little surprised, inevitably thinking of cats and dogs eating tissues and plastic bags, starting to worry that the monster might have this bad habit too.

He lowered his gaze to the crimson on his fingertips, recalling its greedy appearance every time it bled, and asked softly, “Xiao Hong, why do you want to eat paper? Is it because I haven’t given you enough, so you’ve been starving, and because you’re too hungry, you can’t help but eat things indiscriminately?”

The desire never ceased, the monster never had enough to eat.

But its reason for wanting to swallow this notebook wasn’t hunger; it was because it felt extremely uncomfortable and particularly disliked it as soon as it saw this thing.

This feeling of disgust was similar to the feeling of seeing that human. If Ming Ci hadn’t forbidden it to kill humans, it would have torn Qin Shuyi apart, swallowed him whole, and dissolved him completely clean.

In the few seconds of silence from the monster, Ming Ci recalled the previous two times when he tried to cut his skin with a knife, both of which were stopped by it in time.

It clearly lusted after his blood, yet it didn’t want him to self-harm again.

Just ingesting a small amount of bodily fluid couldn’t possibly satisfy its needs, so that’s why it lost control like that in the woods last night.

In fact, it was very obedient, always suppressing its species’ instincts to avoid harming him.

Thinking of this, Ming Ci softened completely and said almost tenderly, “Don’t eat things indiscriminately. I’ll feed you properly from now on.”

The monster paused.

It didn’t care about the first half of what Ming Ci said at all, its focus entirely on the four words “feed you properly.”

“But Ming Ci will get hurt, will feel pain, will become weak.”

The monster had gained a clearer understanding of human fragility, hence its unease.

“I can refrain from drinking blood, just don’t hurt yourself.”

Ming Ci gazed at it tenderly, replying, “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

As long as there’s a long enough interval, occasional blood extraction should be fine.

If it’s not enough, there’s bodily fluid… It seems to really enjoy ingesting saliva. Is it because of the high content of live cells? Or does it require specific enzymes?

Forget it, human science can’t be used to speculate its dietary habits.

Ming Ci pondered for a moment, casually placing the old notebook back on the table, then lifted his left hand to touch his own lips.

His index finger gently slipped between his lips, tracing over the moist surface of his tongue. After collecting some saliva, he used this moist finger to touch the crimson on his right hand.

For the first time, he voluntarily fed saliva to the monster. He felt a bit embarrassed, his cheeks slightly flushed, still trying to maintain his composure. “Here you go.”

“Ming Ci.”

The monster became exceptionally excited, instantly wrapping its mouth around his index finger and licking it clean.

“I really like it, I’m so happy, extremely happy.”

As it spoke, its body transformed into the shape of a palm, interlocking fingers intimately with his left hand, holding hands tightly together.

Ming Ci averted his gaze, looking at the snowy white wall, and suddenly asked, “Do you know what this gesture of holding hands means to humans?”