WTNL Chapter 731

Chapter 731: Epilogue (2)

First Awakening

[Part 1]

The cotton curtains hung loosely, not pulled too tightly, blocking out the bright morning light outside and leaving only a hidden, dim, and quiet corner.

This place seemed like a corner forgotten by the entire world.

Wu Zhu silently opened his eyes.
He lowered his gaze, looking at Wen Jianyan who was sleeping soundly beside him.

He was still fast asleep.

Through the irregular gaps in the fabric, the still-faint sunlight seeped in, and bright specks of dust danced in the light.
Instead of its usual state, his hair was now completely disorganized, wildly sticking up everywhere, refusing to be tamed just like the person himself, scattered haphazardly across the pillow.
But to the touch, it felt incredibly soft, like ice-cold water or pliable silver.

His head was tilted, sleeping deeply, clearly exhausted. From his jawline to his neck, it drew a very long, incredibly graceful curve. Beneath the thin skin behind his ear, faint blue veins were visible.
His body rose and fell evenly, emitting soft, deep sounds of breathing.

Sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains and quietly landed on the side of his face, casting a bright white line of light across his unguarded skin. It traveled down past his neck, collarbone, and chest, illuminating the fine peach fuzz into a very pale gold.

“…”
Wu Zhu gazed at him intently, without blinking, as if he never wanted to look away.

The long dark hair was like a pitch-black river, intertwining with the silver-white ends, inseparable from one another.

His gaze landed on Wen Jianyan’s shoulder.
After just one night, the bite marks had already faded.
No matter how red, vivid, and beautiful they were when marked, as time passed, they would always fade away very, very quickly. It had only been a few hours, and now only a pale pink mark remained. Most likely, it wouldn’t be long before it completely disappeared, leaving behind only a patch of flawless, soft white.

Wu Zhu suddenly felt a slight itch in his teeth.
He really wanted to press his teeth into it once more, grinding and biting down, tightening his jaw, to suck that soon-to-disappear pinkness back up from beneath the skin, letting it leap back onto the pristine white canvas in the most vivid, luscious way.

Wicked thoughts swirled in his mind, but he hesitated to put them into action.
It felt as if two forces in his chest were pulling in completely opposite directions, heavily tugging at the heart that hadn’t been back in his chest cavity for long. Although he wasn’t as chaotic as when he was sliced into pieces, Wu Zhu still didn’t really like to use his brain. Compared to someone like Wen Jianyan, who would repeatedly weigh every action and meticulously consider every aspect, he was a thorough beast, always acting on intuition and instinct. So this time, he was still too lazy to deeply ponder the origins of these two impulses. He simply allowed himself to remain motionless, maintaining a precarious stillness amidst the fierce vortex.

Wu Zhu was still watching him.

Unlike his usual flamboyant style, Wen Jianyan was very well-behaved and quiet when he slept.
Perhaps due to his childhood experiences, he always habitually curled up. He took up very little space when sleeping, as if only by doing this could he adapt to the cramped surroundings. Even though he had grown up, this habit hadn’t improved much.

He curled up, resembling a large, coiled cat.
The shallow sound of his breathing melted into the depths of the sunlight.

Unsure whether the morning light outside the curtains was too bright, or if Wu Zhu’s gaze on him was too present, he let out a soft “ng” and turned his head.

Wen Jianyan’s eyelids parted a narrow crack. His pupils underneath pooled with a layer of mist. His gaze was dazed and unfocused, as if searching for something.
His still sleep-laden line of sight swept over Wu Zhu.
He recognized him, and his expression instantly became peaceful.

Immediately after, he rolled over, his head pressing heavily onto Wu Zhu’s arm. That fluffy, messy, and soft sensation completely rushed over all at once.
His body pressed up without any hesitation. His bare skin clung to him, warm and soft, burrowing right into his embrace.

“…………” Wu Zhu’s body stiffened. His lean, strong upper body tensed, the contracted muscle lines sharply defined like a fully drawn bow.

He maintained this somewhat awkward posture, tucking his chin and looking down, taking a peek into his arms.

At some point, the other had already closed his eyes, falling into a sound sleep once again.
The fluffy crown of his head tickled Wu Zhu’s shoulder. The grassy scent of the body wash was steamed by his body heat into a warm fragrance, completely enveloping him.
His curled-up limbs had unfurled at some point, pressing heavily onto his body.

Wu Zhu closed his eyes and let out a shallow breath.
The arm being pressed down moved carefully. In a manner that tried not to disturb the other, he cautiously pulled him closer into his embrace.
He lowered his head, sniffed the scent in the other’s hair, and also closed his eyes, allowing himself to steep in the same drowsy, warm sleepiness.

In this moment, he suddenly realized what exactly that force from earlier—the one fighting his actions and tugging at his heart—was.

It was…
A desire for this instant to last forever.

__

[Part 2]

When Wen Jianyan opened his eyes, it was still dark all around.

What time is it now?
Hard to tell.

He seemed to have had a very long dream.
He couldn’t remember the specific details clearly, but Wen Jianyan didn’t really care.
From the moment he opened his eyes, that dreamscape had already dissipated, leaving no trace like morning mist beneath the sunlight.

Feeling a considerable weight on his waist, Wen Jianyan looked to his side.
Wu Zhu was lying beside him, asleep.

Half of his face was buried in the soft pillow. His low brow ridge was softened by the darkness. He didn’t look as oppressive and aggressive as when he was awake; instead, he seemed like some sort of large sleeping animal, carrying a bit of carefree innocence.
However, the lines of his sturdy, robust arms and shoulders hadn’t lost much of their intimidation. The daunting silhouette clearly disappeared into the shadows, like undulating mountain ranges.

For a moment, Wen Jianyan was suddenly somewhat stunned.

Head resting against head, feet touching feet, breaths mingling, hairs intertwined.
Too unguarded, too intimately close.

He rarely slept very deeply. When he was young, it was because he had no way to; after growing up, it was because he couldn’t afford to.
The unknown, danger, and chaos surrounded him. Even when falling asleep, he would always leave a fraction of his subconscious keeping watch outside.

Fear slept with him on the pillow; he fell asleep, but it did not.

But now, not only had he truly done so.
He had even slept very well.

Wen Jianyan stretched his legs under the warm, thin quilt. The fabric, still carrying the scent of sunlight, rubbed against his skin, making a rustling sound.
The surroundings were safe and dim. Because he had slept for so long, the muscles and bones in his entire body felt lazy.

There were still things to do today. After all, it hadn’t been long since he returned to reality, and Qi Qian’s side was waiting to be rebuilt… Oh right, Chen Mo messaged last night saying there were quite a few things he needed help with… maybe he should go check it out this afternoon…

He reached for Wu Zhu’s forearm resting on his waist, preparing to pull it off. But the moment his fingers touched it, he keenly sensed the skin beneath subtly and nervously contract for a second.

“…” Wen Jianyan abruptly raised his eyes, looking at Wu Zhu lying beside him.
The other party looked no different from just now, appearing to be in a very deep sleep.

Oh? It hasn’t even been that long, and you’ve already learned to play mind games?
He curled his lips, revealing a mischievous smile.

The hand resting on Wu Zhu’s forearm didn’t move away. Instead, it explored all the way up along the lines of the bones and veins. Sometimes he stroked with the warm, soft pads of his fingers; sometimes he lightly scraped with his neatly trimmed nails. Keeping him at arm’s length, almost teasingly.
The muscles beneath his fingers grew increasingly tense. To the touch, they didn’t feel like bone and flesh, but rather like fine steel and rock.

But the instigator acted as if he hadn’t noticed at all. His fingers slid up along the dark golden patterns on his skin all the way to the shoulder, then wandered to the chest, absentmindedly tracing the hideous scar over the heart that could never disappear.

Suddenly, the touch vanished without any warning.

Wu Zhu kept his eyes closed, unmoving like a mountain. His shoulders and body were still nervously tensed, yet he waited for a long time without receiving the next touch.

…Is he not going to touch anymore?
He was extremely disappointed.

Rustle. The sound of fabric rubbing came from the darkness.
The next second, a toasty warmth hit his face. Warm lips pressed precisely against the scar, the tip of a tongue licking it lingeringly.

Unsurprisingly, Wen Jianyan was pressed down into the pillow.
Looking at the dark golden eyes above, he laughed so hard his whole body shook. “What, not pretending anymore?”

Wu Zhu gritted his teeth and kissed him. The force with which he leaned down was fierce, as if he wouldn’t rest until he had crushed him deeply into the bed.
But Wen Jianyan acted as if he had anticipated this all along. He directly backhanded a palm over his mouth, his expression cold and his tone ruthless, “Don’t even think about it.”

He asked, “When did you wake up?”

Wu Zhu’s arms propped up on either side of him. His pitch-black long hair draped down like a canopy. His voice came muffled from beneath Wen Jianyan’s palm: “…When you opened your eyes.”

“Then why were you pretending to sleep?”
Wen Jianyan found it odd.
“Couldn’t you just wake up together with me?”

Wu Zhu lowered his eyes, his lips pressing against Wen Jianyan’s palm. His expression was inexplicably a bit listless: “You have to go out later.”
He had seen the message Chen Mo sent yesterday.

“Lying here with you makes me happy.”
“I don’t want it to end.”

“…”
Lying on the pillow, Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes, thoughtfully sizing up the person above him. After several whole seconds passed, he slowly and deliberately released his hand.

“Just want to lie here with me…”
He curled his lips and, almost wickedly, bent his knee, pressing it upwards.
“And do nothing else?”

Wu Zhu’s eyes abruptly shot up. At the bottom of his dark golden eyes flickered an alarming look, the kind a predator only gets when it smells blood.

“Chen Mo can manage fine without me,” Wen Jianyan lazily raised his arms, hooking them around his neck. “Besides, do you really think I’m some hardworking, diligent, and striving good guild president?”

Indulging in a place of tender affection doing nothing, neglecting proper duties, and leaving serious matters to more capable and qualified people to do…

That is what someone like him ought to do.

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