Chapter 4

Could this bread be poisoned?

Bai Wei held the bread, feeling stuck in a dilemma. Finally, he lifted the bread and sweetly smiled at Lu Sen. “Honey, you eat first.”

“Darling, you eat first, then I’ll eat.”

Was it because his smile just now wasn’t sweet enough, not pitiful enough?

Bai Wei changed his approach. He put on the most pitiful expression of his life, looking at Lu Sen. “Honey, why do you want me to eat first?”

He felt a chill run through him as he spoke—mainly because he disgusted himself.

Lu Sen’s reply was even more firm, almost making Bai Wei faint: “Darling, I want to eat what’s left over from you.”

Bai Wei felt like he was about to pass out.

He observed Lu Sen, trying to figure out if the other was acting or being sincere. Either way, he was certain that Lu Sen didn’t have good intentions. But if Lu Sen was trying to poison him and ended up poisoning himself instead, it could be a better outcome.

A thought crossed his mind. Bai Wei placed the bread on the plate and dragged his chair over to sit beside Lu Sen.

Lu Sen looked at him in confusion.

…Is this part of human life? Bai Wei wondered.

Bai Wei steeled his resolve. He sat next to Lu Sen, wiped his hands with a napkin, then tilted his head back and reached out to embrace Lu Sen’s head, bringing his lips close to his.

It was a kiss from Bai Wei, carrying the scent of milk and bread. Lu Sen slowly widened his eyes.

This was the first time Lu Sen had tasted Bai Wei’s lips. They had brushed lips before, but it was always just a fleeting touch, part of Lu Sen playing the role of Bai Wei’s “fiancé” or “husband.” Lu Sen never knew Bai Wei’s lips were so soft, like jelly, and though he wasn’t wearing lipstick, they were pink and moist. After drinking milk, they even became shiny. Lu Sen tentatively bit down, and sure enough, they were soft, with Bai Wei’s unique fragrance. He didn’t know if Bai Wei’s tongue and teeth were also as soft. He really wanted to try.

How far was this person going to go? Before Lu Sen could go any deeper, Bai Wei swatted away Lu Sen’s hand that was about to hold the back of his head. He was already enveloped in Lu Sen’s breath; he didn’t need to be pulled in any further. The sudden overwhelming, possessive aura from Lu Sen made him feel even worse.

The goal had been achieved, and Lu Sen had already opened his mouth. With quick reflexes, he escaped and shoved the bread from the plate into Lu Sen’s mouth.

One hand slapped Lu Sen’s cheek, and the other hand moved faster to cover his mouth, forcing him to swallow the bread.

Bai Wei didn’t know why, but he felt very good. This time, the smile he showed was even genuine. “Honey, I told you to eat first.”

Perhaps it was because he had won, the words “honey” came out willingly.

The handsome man had his face squeezed by him, yet his eyes did not blink as he stared at him. Bai Wei did not let go and coldly waited for him to finish eating the bread.

The proud and reserved look returned to Bai Wei’s face. It didn’t matter—if he had overreacted, he could just tell Lu Sen that this was just a joke. Bai Wei said, “Lu Sen, the food you made me eat, you should finish it yourself.”

He had no idea that his expression would arouse such a feeling of conquest.

It seemed Lu Sen had finished the bread. Bai Wei let go of his hand. At that moment, he suddenly realized that he had actually placed his hand directly on Lu Sen’s mouth—a thing that he, with his obsessive cleanliness, would never do. Just as he was about to pull his hand back, the palm was licked by something cool.

Then, it was bitten.

Bai Wei: …

“Honey,” Lu Sen said, biting his hand, his eyes like a cold-blooded animal filled with possessiveness, “Your hand is as soft as your lips.”

Bai Wei took two steps back, but he didn’t manage to escape—Lu Sen reached out, grabbed the back of his neck, and pinned him to his chest. He had never known Lu Sen was this strong, and Lu Sen’s size was bigger than his, making it impossible for him to resist. He made protesting sounds, only to be drowned by Lu Sen’s kiss. They started on the chair and then moved to the sofa.

He must be trying to poison me—!

That was the thought floating in Bai Wei’s head.

Lu Sen finally finished eating, truly savoring the bread, and at last, he felt the difference between Bai Wei’s lips, jelly, and the bread. But Bai Wei was almost suffocating.

“I forgot,” Lu Sen said, kneeling on the sofa, pressing his chin, “You need to breathe.”

Bai Wei stared at him, his eyes reddened, tears glistening. He knew that if the bread had been poisoned, he would already be beyond saving, and would be heading to hell with Lu Sen.

So the bread probably wasn’t poisoned? What was Lu Sen really trying to do?

The question echoed in his oxygen-deprived mind. It was the first time Lu Sen saw Bai Wei like this—dazed and bullied. He thought it was cute, and then mounted him for another round of kissing.

It wasn’t until the two separated completely, their lips and tongues aching, that Bai Wei finally had an idea.

Was Lu Sen just trying to eat the remaining food?

Was Lu Sen trying to kiss him?

Was Lu Sen…

His mouth was burning. Bai Wei desperately gasped for air. Lu Sen always had the scent of the sea and forest on him, and it lingered in his mouth. But Bai Wei nervously checked the aftertaste in his mouth, fearing the smell of rotting corpses.

He would always remember how Lu Sen had been hit by a stray bullet—buried—dead in the coffin—in Naples. He had seen Lu Sen’s half-rotten head, his pale, closed-eyed face, and his body wrapped in a body bag. He couldn’t forget, couldn’t mistake that scene. The resurrected Lu Sen was kissing him… deeply kissing him…

And he even…

“How strange,” Lu Sen said, “Hugging you, I have a strange feeling.”

They were too close, and Bai Wei had felt it too. He nervously looked down at Lu Sen’s position.

What terrifying dimensions… No, that was a dead man’s thing…

Suddenly, a memory from Black Harbor City surged into his mind.

Lu Sen also looked at the same spot. His expression was filled with research and curiosity. “What reaction is this? What does it mean?”

Bai Wei clamped his legs together. The sudden wave of fear overwhelmed him, and trembling, he said, “Let me go…”

Lu Sen looked at him again. His thorough gaze seemed to see through every inch of Bai Wei’s skin. “Are you afraid of me? Why?”

But the strong, invasive aura around him remained. It was like a large predator chasing its prey, and Bai Wei was certain that, at this moment, the deep gray eyes saw him as their next meal. Suddenly, a powerful fight-or-flight instinct surged in him. He exerted force with his arm and shoved Lu Sen away.

Lu Sen was caught off guard and toppled backward. Bai Wei scrambled and rolled to the other side of the sofa. At that moment, he heard a sharp, clear sound.

“Thud.”

It was the sound of a skull colliding with the floor—a strong, resounding knock. Anyone could tell from experience that the thing had definitely broken.

Bai Wei froze at that moment.

He looked at the man lying motionless on the floor, as still as a mountain, and the excitement faded from his face, replaced by a cold, indifferent expression. At that moment, his heart felt empty, like a traveler lost in a vast snowfield, about to freeze to death, only to suddenly spot a small hut to escape the blizzard. But the hut had no charcoal and no people inside.

But this was his plan all along. So he quickly calmed down.

He walked to Lu Sen’s side, like a pale silhouette. Bai Wei crouched down to check Lu Sen’s pulse and breath.

There was no pulse, and no breath.

Finally, the first obstacle in his life had disappeared.

He no longer had to explain or cover up his marriage.

He felt dazed, but there was also a faint excitement. He gazed at Lu Sen—his husband’s lifeless body. The dark carpet was stained with blood flowing from Lu Sen’s head, and it all formed a perfect death scene. At that moment, this scene, related to death, became the most satisfying and joyful part of Bai Wei’s marriage.

“I have this cold-blooded instinct, just like how birds have to sing.”

Bai Wei repeated a line from a poetry collection.

He sat beside Lu Sen for a while. During these ten minutes, he was recalling the diagnosis given to him by the psychologist. Whether it was a psychological disorder, sexual perversion, sexual frigidity, or personality disorder, it all meant that he would never live like a normal person.

And now, he had finally fulfilled the judgments that others had made about him. He no longer needed to go to the square and pretend to be a normal person.

His nature and the malice planted in his heart by life had now finally sprouted, blooming into black flowers. From then on, he had taken the first step away from heaven. He could do anything without hesitation.

Bai Wei lowered his gaze, and to the sleeping Lu Sen, who could no longer leave his side or interfere with his life, he uttered a sentence.

“You are the second, my dear.”

Bai Wei looked out the window. It was a weekday, and the supermarket owner neighbor on the left wasn’t home. The elderly couple of the accountant-judges on the right weren’t on their usual path out of the neighborhood, so no one would notice what was happening in their entire townhouse. He would take care of the scene and Lu Sen, then drive away from Snow Mountain Town, forgetting Lu Sen just as he had forgotten everything in Black Harbor City. But before that, he had to dispose of the poison hidden behind the flower rack in the backyard.

Bai Wei ran to the backyard, which was surrounded by a tall wall and fence. In the backyard, there was a small wooden house, a glass room, two lounge chairs, a few trees, and a pile of flower racks. Various flowers and potted plants were haphazardly stacked here. Their family’s disregard for gardening had even caused the neighboring supermarket owner to complain several times because he thought their neglect would affect the community’s property values. But now, this made it the perfect place to hide things.

Especially the flower rack in the shadow, under the ivy.

Yesterday evening, Bai Wei had disguised the unused drugs as flower fertilizer and hidden them under this flower rack. But this morning, the sunlight had illuminated this area. Bai Wei vaguely noticed something hidden behind the flower rack. Upon closer inspection, he found the entrance to a cellar.

A cellar?

The purchase of this house had been entirely controlled by Lu Sen. At the time, Bai Wei had just been captured by Lu Sen from South City. He had been groggy every day and filled with resentment toward his father, so he didn’t care about the house. Now he vaguely remembered the realtor saying that this house had a large backyard, which not only had a small wooden house, a glass room, and a pavilion, but also a cellar. Bai Wei wasn’t into gardening, and that’s why, in just six months, Lu Sen had turned the once neat backyard into such a cluttered place where nothing could be found.

But now it seemed that the cellar had been deliberately hidden here by Lu Sen. Who would deliberately use a flower rack to cover it?

As Bai Wei reached to grab the “fertilizer,” he heard a voice from behind him: “Bai Wei.”

The voice made him tremble.

He couldn’t turn around. His husband, who had just been lying on the ground, his breath and pulse stopped, was now standing behind him, calling him by his full name. Soon, Lu Sen spoke again: “My dear, what are you doing here?”

“Are you looking for something?”