THH: Chapter 01 - Li Chaoxi
⋞Li Chaoxi- Xi Ge, can you hear me?⋟
The walkie-talkie crackled with static, followed by a voice tinged with a local accent.
⋞If you come across any odd strangers on the mountain who offer you food, whatever you do, don't eat it, okay?⋟
Laughter erupted from the same channel, mingling with more static as the volume spiked unbearably loud. Chaoxi had no choice but to pull the old police vehicle over to the side of the road and give the walkie-talkie a firm thump.
⋞I don't... don't want to have to go up the mountain to search for you.⋟
"A Fu, please don't use the police channel for casual chat," Chaoxi said, picking up the walkie-talkie.
The noise inside the car finally quieted down. He sat there, gazing at the overcast sky and the faint drizzle, taking a deep breath before exhaling slowly. Before officially heading up the mountain and cutting himself off from the world, he got out of the car and visited the last convenience store he saw, buying a cup of coffee before returning to the vehicle.
But it seemed his colleagues weren't about to let him off that easily. He had only taken a few sips of his coffee when his phone screen lit up, followed by a group call. The group had apparently been chatting for a while already, with unread messages piling up into the hundreds.
Chaoxi thought it over for a moment. The long mountain road ahead would leave him completely alone. The chilly, rainy weather and the buildup of carbon dioxide in the car were making him drowsy, and the coffee didn't seem to be helping much. With a sigh, he opened the group call and switched it to speakerphone.
The old police car continued its journey along the wet mountain road.
⋞..A former colleague of mine also served at a remote mountain police station for a while. He said the deeper you go into the mountains, the weirder things get," A Fu continued in the group, with other colleagues chiming in agreement.⋟
Chaoxi wasn't particularly inclined to believe in supernatural tales. He glanced at the time, only concerned with how much longer it would take to reach his destination. About two or three more hours.
⋞People always go missing suddenly, and no matter how hard you search, you can't find them. Then you have to go to temples, praying and asking the gods for answers.⋟ A Fu went on.
⋞A distant relative of mine experienced something like that. Their family went on a group trip to the mountains. They were all walking on the same path, but just after turning a corner, the mother walking ahead suddenly vanished.⋟ another colleague added dramatically.
⋞Just like that, she disappeared?⋟ A Fu asked, sounding like a radio show host.
⋞In just a few seconds.⋟ the colleague replied. ⋞They searched everywhere but couldn't find her. They called her name, but there was no response.⋟
⋞That's terrible. I've heard that you shouldn't casually call out someone's full name in the mountains - it makes it easier for certain things to notice you.⋟ A Fu interjected, then quickly pressed. ⋞What happened after that?⋟
⋞When they couldn't find her no matter what, they called the police and asked for a search and rescue team. They searched for three days but found nothing, even though the mountain path wasn't particularly long.⋟
⋞And then? Did they ever find her?⋟ A Fu asked.
Chaoxi took a sip of his coffee, listening quietly. The car wound its way along the mountain road, and he had to keep his attention on the driving conditions.
⋞Later, they went to pray and ask the gods for guidance. Every time they asked if she could be saved, the answer was no. Finally, they changed their approach and asked if they could at least find her body. And that time... for the first time, they got a positive answer.⋟
The signal grew intermittent as Chaoxi's car drove deeper into the mountains. The area seemed utterly deserted, with not even a jogger or cyclist in sight.
But then again, who would come to the mountains on a rainy day?
⋞-Later on...⋟ Chaoxi was confirming he hadn't taken the wrong road when the signal suddenly returned, and people in the group chat continued talking: ⋞It's so strange, the person who couldn't be found no matter how hard they searched for three days suddenly turned up. Do you know how weird that is? They'd already combed the area thoroughly, but they found him right beside the mountain path they'd searched not long before - such a big guy! Just hanging there, and no one noticed.⋟
⋞Sadly, no. And the most regrettable part is that when they found him, his body wasn't even stiff yet.⋟
⋞Ah, just missed him, huh? Must be really frustrating not being able to save him.⋟
Chaoxi felt a bit dazed. The shadows of the trees by the roadside looked like human figures, but he knew he was mistaken.
⋞Hey! Don't talk about these things with Chaoxi...⋟ a female colleague's voice came through, filled with caution.
⋞Ah, sorry, Xi Ge, I didn't notice... I didn't mean it that way.⋟ A Fu's tone was full of apology.
Chaoxi tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He shook his head, making his voice sound casual: "I'm not overthinking it. Don't worry about me. Keep going, or I'll fall asleep soon. I woke up really early today."
It went quiet on the other end of the phone for a while until the story continued.
⋞Alright, anyway, that's not even the scariest part. The scariest part is that later, when they performed an autopsy, they found the victim's stomach, esophagus, and mouth were all stuffed with dirt and earthworms. He died from being overfilled.⋟
Another stretch of silence followed, with no one speaking for a long time until A Fu broke it: "Died from being filled with dirt?"
⋞Yeah, it's like someone had been feeding him this stuff all these days, and when he finally died and it wasn't fun anymore, they just casually tossed him onto a tree. But that tree is so tall, it's hard for even one person to climb.⋟
⋞He was probably placed up there like a doll. So creepy... That's why I say deep mountains are terrifying, filled with things unknown to humans." A Fu said, "Xi Ge, you should be careful. You're so handsome - don't get kidnapped.⋟
Laughter erupted in the group chat, some of it particularly sharp, and even the phone signal started to falter.
"What does that have to do with looks?" Chaoxi replied with a helpless laugh.
⋞It's like he's going to climb the Bermuda Triangle or something... you...⋟
⋞Places with no-- no signal are--⋟
A clear male voice suddenly emerged. Chaoxi glanced at his phone.
Who was calling him? Chaoxi looked at his phone - the screen was black. He vaguely thought it was that person calling him, because only that person called him that way, but it couldn't be him.
⋞Damn! Dusk Village isn't some impossibly remote place, there should still be some signal, right? Uh... if you try hard enough, maybe? Look for nearby base stations...⋟ a colleague's voice returned.
"It's fine, I brought a bunch of books I never had time to read before," Chaoxi laughed, realizing he'd just been overthinking it.
⋞Who even reads physical... physical books these days? Play the game console we gave you... play, play... you're already acting like an old man, don't get completely assimilated by the elderly folks in the village after you settle there, thinking about retiring and living out your days there, huh.⋟ A Fu said.
Another round of laughter followed.
"No worries, I'll come back to see you all soon when I have time off." Chaoxi smiled, his coffee finished at some point - had he been driving for this long? "Or you could come up to visit me? Dusk Village police station is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., right on schedule."
⋞Ha, ha... sure-- we'll-- we'll charter a tour bus--⋟
The car fell into complete silence, with no further sound.
Chaoxi glanced at his phone, guessing the car had officially entered an area with no signal. Perhaps later, on some mountain road section, his colleagues' voices would reappear.
He looked at the winding mountain peaks along the road, the fog growing denser, a vast expanse of white. He hoped to reach the village before visibility disappeared entirely.
The car twisted and turned along the road for a while longer, but his colleagues' voices never returned. Even the radio couldn't pick up any station signals. The sound of rain and the rhythmic swish of the windshield wipers became the only noises inside the car.
The destination still felt far away - he shouldn't have taken this long.
Chaoxi stopped the car to check his location and reset the in-car navigation, but it kept displaying error messages. He sighed; old police cars had these drawbacks. Maybe he really would get stranded on the mountain and have to wait, embarrassed, for his colleagues to rescue him.
Chaoxi chuckled self-deprecatingly and tapped the navigation screen. Instantly, the screen returned to normal.
⋞Resuming navigation. Destination...⋟
Chaoxi breathed a sigh of relief and was about to release the brake when he heard the navigation clearly call out his name:
Goosebumps crawled up Chaoxi's neck, his mind momentarily unable to process what had just happened. Maybe it was just a boring prank by his colleagues. Ever since that incident, they had tried everything to distract him.
But would they go this far with a joke?
Chaoxi looked up blankly. Ahead on the deserted road, a figure had appeared out of nowhere. The car's headlights pierced through the fine drizzle, illuminating the person.
The man stood in the middle of the road, facing away from the car. His head hung low, tilted to one side, shoulders slumped, and his feet unnaturally poised on tiptoes. The rain had soaked his uniform - a police uniform identical to Chaoxi's.
Chaoxi froze, the car's air conditioning suddenly feeling too cold. Though the man's back was turned, an image of a swollen face flashed through Chaoxi's mind.
The radio crackled to life again, calling out his nickname - the nickname only that person used.
Chaoxi's throat felt constricted. His heart raced, his limbs stiffened, and he gently released the brake. The police car slid forward. The headlights shone through the misty drizzle onto the figure. In height and build, it resembled someone Chaoxi knew.
But in the blink of an eye, the figure distanced itself from the police car again. Even as Chaoxi stepped on the accelerator to catch up, the person remained far ahead, head bowed, just out of reach.
〝Too late, Xi Ge.〞 A Fu's voice came coldly from the phone.
〝His face is already swollen, it's too late.〞 Other colleagues' voices chimed in.
Chaoxi did not respond, merely pressing down hard on the accelerator, but no matter how fast he drove, that person always maintained a certain distance from him. He clasped his hands together, anxiously honking the horn - once, twice, three times - hoping for some response from the other, but the person remained silent.
Suddenly, Chaoxi slammed on the brakes, and the figure actually began to float upward, like a toy doll being lifted from the ground by an invisible hand.
"Rì Huī!" Chaoxi began shouting the other's name from inside the car, tears streaming down his face before he even realized it.
The walkie-talkie and phone simultaneously emitted voices, continuously calling out Chaoxi's name.
Chaoxi watched as the familiar figure kept floating higher, like a balloon, unsure where it was headed.
"Rì Huī!" Chaoxi continued shouting toward the sky, terrified that the other would keep rising, only to eventually burst like a balloon, then lie on a cold operating table, stiff and pale, face covered with a white cloth, body cut open.
Chaoxi stared at the sky. The rain had stopped at some point, and an orange-red light appeared on the horizon - not as beautiful as a sunset, but more like some apocalyptic scene.
The body shrank into a tiny dot. Chaoxi kept shouting the other's name until the thing he feared most happened.
A loud explosion erupted in Chaoxi's mind. He tightly shut his eyes as something from the sky rained down, splattering all over his face...
He opened his eyes, staring at the old, stained ceiling. The electric fan beside him spun noisily, blowing out a somewhat chilly breeze.
Sitting up from the bed, his heart still pounding violently in his chest, Chaoxi surveyed the simple dormitory room before him until he wiped his face.
His face felt sticky, covered in the dried traces of tears.
Chaoxi sat dazed on the bed for a while before his thoughts truly returned to reality. He glanced at the time, got up, and walked into the small bathroom to wash up, cleaning away all the tear stains from his face.
After a cold shower to refresh himself, Chaoxi changed into his uniform, leisurely brewed himself a cup of coffee, and toasted a few slices of bread.
Sipping the fragrant coffee, Chaoxi pulled open the curtains of the balcony's sliding glass door, hoping to bask in the sun and chase away the cold dampness clinging to him. Unfortunately, the outside was just as gray and chilly as the room, the sun trapped behind thick clouds, invisible.
Chaoxi sighed and took another sip of coffee, which tasted somewhat watery.
This was his third day serving as a stationed police officer at the police station in Dusk Village. Moving from the city to such a remote mountain village, there were still many things he found hard to adjust to, especially the weather up here.
Long before arriving, Chaoxi had heard that Dusk Village's weather was quite unique - due to the angle of the sun's rays or something similar, the sunsets here were particularly red and beautiful, hence the name.
Unfortunately, the weather since his arrival this week had been rather poor, with frequent overcast skies or rain in the mountains. He hadn't yet seen Dusk Village on a truly clear day.
"If it weren't for the location being so remote, it would probably become a tourist attraction." Chaoxi remembered A Fu saying that to him.
Taking another sip of coffee, Chaoxi placed his hands on his hips and looked out the window. The gloomy sky showed a strange pale purple hue, not at all like morning. The vegetable fields planted by the villagers, however, were lush and green.
Although the journey was long, Chaoxi's arrival at Dusk Village went more smoothly than he had imagined. It was almost a miracle that he managed to find the place without even using navigation.
Chaoxi only remembered the endless road and listening to too many ghost stories and rural legends from A Fu and his colleagues along the way, which had already given him nightmares for several nights about failing to arrive.
In his dreams, he kept repeating the journey of the day he arrived, but unlike reality, he could never reach Dusk Village, and that person's figure would always appear on the road...
Chaoxi pressed his temples and smiled self-deprecatingly. When he looked up again, a figure suddenly appearing in the middle of the fields startled him so much that he nearly spilled the coffee in his hand.
A few drops of coffee splashed onto his uniform. Before Chaoxi could wipe them off, the figure in the field began waving at him in a friendly manner, forcing him to smile and wave back.
Too many nightmares had made him start scaring himself.
Looking at the friendly old woman in the field wearing a conical hat and a scarf, holding a hoe and waving at him, Chaoxi's smile became unbearably awkward - especially as the old woman kept waving at him relentlessly.
Pulling the curtains shut and finishing his coffee, Chaoxi headed out.
Dusk Village was a small village with a low population density, consisting of only about seventy people.
Chaoxi rode his bicycle along the uneven road, surrounded by vast, interconnected fields, with the occasional elderly person diligently working in the farmland.
He wondered what they were planting.
Chaoxi greeted every elderly person he saw. They all looked very old, their faces wrinkled. Though their smiles were kind and their skin was tanned, their spirits seemed lively, but their bodies appeared thin and frail.
The way they swung their hoes looked somewhat strenuous. Chaoxi wondered where their children had gone - were they struggling alone in the big city?
There were no young people in Dusk Village, not even any vibrant signs of life. It was indeed a very peaceful place, almost too peaceful.
Chaoxi looked up at the sky, which still glowed with a strange purple hue, with no sun in sight. The vast sky and surrounding woods reminded him of the figure in his dream, being grabbed and lifted, floating toward the sky, and then...
Chaoxi's bicycle slipped on the uneven road, and he tumbled into the field.
Brushing the dirt off his clothes, Chaoxi leaned against the wall of the police station, where his bicycle's wheel was twisted and crooked.
Even though there wasn't anything particularly urgent to do, things hadn't been going smoothly since he started working just a few days ago.
Chaoxi sighed, spinning in his office chair, which emitted an unpleasant creaking sound. He suddenly noticed that the ceiling of the police station looked exactly like the one in his dormitory, with several yellowish water stains.
Dusk Village was more humid than he had imagined. Even though it was the tail end of summer, it turned cold and damp after noon, with mist hanging in the air. This was quite different from what everyone had described. He didn't know if it was because they were afraid he would back out at the last minute, but his superior had clearly described it as a picturesque little village when introducing the place.
Unlike the noisy city police station, where calls for help rang almost constantly and there were always miscellaneous tasks to handle, Chaoxi's third day of work remained idle and boring.
In a peaceful little village full of elderly people, it was truly difficult for anything major to happen.
On the first and second days, Chaoxi had already gone through almost all the materials in the police station.
The paper records were old, wrinkled from dampness, with the handwriting on them blurred and difficult to decipher.
Perhaps he should conduct a census to properly get to know the people here.
Pondering what he could do, Chaoxi propped his chin on his hand and stared at the telephone on the desk. It was even a retro rotary-dial model, and he doubted whether it still worked.
Just as he was about to pick up the receiver, someone interrupted him.
Standing at the door was an elderly couple, both short and small in stature. They smiled kindly and looked very much alike, their faces wrinkled. If not for the context, one might have mistaken them for siblings. They held a basket of eggs.
"Village Chief Huang." Chaoxi quickly stood up and nodded in greeting.
Village Chief Huang was the first person to receive Chaoxi when he arrived in the village. He and his wife were always inseparable, like a pair of twins.
"Getting used to things here?" Village Chief Huang asked with a smile. His teeth were yellow, and when he squinted, his eyes were almost invisible. He carried the scent of soil.
"Ah, not bad. It's just that with the sudden change of environment, I haven't been sleeping well at night," Chaoxi answered honestly.
"Having nightmares?" Village Chief Huang asked. His slightly opened eyes, with cloudy pupils pointing in different directions, lacked focus.
That startled Chaoxi slightly, but he quickly forced a smile - it would be impolite otherwise.
"Just a few dreams, that's all."
"You'll sleep well once you get used to it," Village Chief Huang said, squinting his eyes again with a smile. When he smiled, everything seemed so normal again. "By the way, this basket of eggs is for you."
"Chief, you're too kind..." Chaoxi tried to decline, but the village chief's wife firmly handed the basket of eggs to him. It was heavy, and he had no idea how many eggs were inside.
"Not at all. Our chickens have laid so many eggs. If you don't help eat them, they'll just go bad. So, do us a favor and have some?"
Chaoxi stared helplessly at the eggs before him. He really shouldn't accept such things, but refusing would seem unkind. From the very first day he arrived, the village chief and his wife had been giving him rice, eggs, cabbage, and the like, always in large quantities. He hadn't even had a chance to go down the mountain to a store.
In the end, Chaoxi had no choice but to accept it reluctantly.
"Do you know how to cook them?" the village chief's wife asked warmly with a smile. "Do you need my help?"
"No, no, thank you. I can cook them myself," Chaoxi said, declining the idea of letting a woman in her seventies cook for him - such a decadent act.
Chaoxi nodded vigorously. Village Chief Huang and his wife stared at him and laughed heartily. To the people of Dusk Village, smiling and giving seemed like virtues that should be supplied in unlimited quantities. The only drawback was that they didn't know when to stop.
Chaoxi smiled along until his face ached. He explained to himself that perhaps his arrival was something fresh for the elderly. They might not have seen someone as young as their own children or even grandchildren in a long time.
Thinking this, Chaoxi couldn't help but feel a bit sad for the elderly of Dusk Village.
"Hiss..." The sharp pain in his knee made Chaoxi frown. He set the egg on the desk and looked down, only to notice that besides the mud stains on his uniform trousers, there were also dark red bloodstains he hadn't noticed before. A deep red patch had soaked through the fabric at his knee.
"Sorry, I tripped on the way here..." Chaoxi looked up, but Village Chief Huang and his wife remained with their heads bowed, their expressions blank yet intently focused on the bloodstain on his knee.
Chaoxi shifted uncomfortably and patted his knee. When the elderly couple weren't smiling, their wrinkled faces appeared vacant, as if nothing was going on inside their heads.
"No, no, you should go see a doctor!" Village Chief Huang suddenly lifted his head, his face once again breaking into that beaming smile.
"Yes, yes, wasn't it said that you haven't been sleeping well at night? You should also go see the doctor for a check-up while you're at it," the village chief's wife chimed in.
Chaoxi's mind was a bit muddled; he hadn't known there was a village doctor here. His knee really did hurt, and he wasn't sure how badly it was scraped. With the village chief and his wife strongly recommending it, he found it hard to refuse their enthusiasm and finally agreed.
If there was a village doctor, he should go and get acquainted, just in case something happened in the future.
"Great, great. Such a healthy body should be well taken care of," the village chief's wife said, reaching out with her thin, veiny hand to pat his stomach.
Unaccustomed to the warmth of rural people, Chaoxi tensed his abdomen uncomfortably but kept a polite smile on his face.
"Eggs are very nutritious, remember to eat them," the village chief and his wife reminded him before he left.
Looking at the basket of eggs on the table, Chaoxi scratched his head in frustration. It seemed he'd be eating eggs for several days in a row. A sharp pain shot through his knee again, and he glanced down - the bloodstain seemed to have spread further.
He patted his pant leg, but the mud stains wouldn't come off no matter how hard he tried.
Chaoxi hadn't even noticed that Dusk Village had a small clinic, located right near the dormitory and the police station.
The small clinic had white walls and a charming red roof, with green vines climbing outside, looking clean and cozy. But precisely because of this, it stood out starkly among the row of damp, grayish-green low houses in Dusk Village.
For some reason, that creature popped into Chaoxi's mind. The small clinic looked just like the lantern on a lanternfish's head - beautiful and radiant, glowing amidst a sea of plain appearances, luring people into a trap.
Shaking his head, Chaoxi realized he'd been overthinking a lot since arriving in Dusk Village. He pushed open the clinic door, and inside, the windows were bright and the room spotless, as if even the lighting was particularly brilliant.
"Is anyone here?" Chaoxi knocked.
A man in a doctor's coat emerged from inside at the sound. He walked leisurely with his hands in his pockets, and his entire face lit up when he saw Chaoxi.
Surprisingly, the village doctor wasn't the elderly, wrinkled, hunched-back old man Chaoxi had imagined. The man was tall, quite young, and had an exceptionally handsome face.
"How rare. It's been a long time since I've seen a young person with such delicate skin," the doctor said, flashing a row of white teeth. Chaoxi noticed the name "Shen Hui" embroidered on his coat.
The young doctor's hair was light in color and looked very soft. Holding a cotton swab, he bent down to disinfect the wound with great care and gentleness, as if cleaning something precious.
For some reason, Chaoxi was reminded of that person - even the doctor's name made him think of him.
"This might hurt a bit," Shen Hui said.
"It's fine. Someone who's afraid of pain can't be a police officer," Chaoxi replied.
"Or do you prefer it a little more painful, Officer?"
"No..." Chaoxi's face felt a bit warm, and the pain in his knee made him tense up. He watched as the doctor covered the wound with gauze and wrapped it tightly - almost too meticulously.
"All done. Please be careful when riding your bicycle in the future. Don't look around too much - the roads here aren't as smooth as in the big city," Shen Hui said, looking up at Chaoxi with a smile.
Chaoxi had to admit that this doctor was really good-looking, just like his small clinic - clean and beautiful.
"Your eyes..." Chaoxi stared, captivated. "They're purple."
In this small village full of elderly people, encountering such a young doctor was already quite remarkable.
Shen Hui smiled warmly and explained simply, "It's a genetic trait from a few generations back."
"Were your grandparents foreigners? So you're not originally from Dusk Village?" Chaoxi was full of curiosity but felt he might be coming on too strong.
It couldn't be helped - meeting someone his own age in a remote mountain village like Dusk Village was as thrilling as finding a rare treasure. Chaoxi had thought his only future social activities would be playing Gomoku with the village elders and listening to their old stories.
He hoped the doctor didn't find him strange.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Shen Hui, the village doctor. Yes, some ancestor of mine was likely a foreigner, and I'm not originally from Dusk Village, but I've been here for a while now," Shen Hui said, his gaze fixed on Chaoxi. "Mr. Li Chaoxi."
"Of course. It's rare for someone new to come to the village - your arrival was like a superstar event..." Shen Hui swayed in his swivel chair, his playful demeanor reminding Chaoxi of that person who always made others feel relaxed and at ease. The doctor tapped Chaoxi's chest with a finger. "Plus, your name is written right here."
Chaoxi looked down - his uniform did indeed have his name embroidered on it. He instinctively covered it, his ears growing warm.
"Sorry, I didn't expect to find such a young doctor here. It's quite surprising."
"To serve the elderly in these remote areas, just like you, right?"
That was true. Chaoxi rubbed his neck, though he had been assigned here by his superiors, not solely out of a desire to serve.
"So, how are you settling in?" Shen Hui changed the subject.
"It's alright, though it's a bit different from what I imagined..."
Shen Hui's attitude was very easygoing, and Chaoxi had a good first impression of him.
"I thought it would be more... sunny and dry?" Chaoxi shrugged.
Shen Hui stared at him, his eyes like glass, resembling the color of the sky - unnaturally beautiful.
"It's been cloudy and rainy these past few days, that's why. Dusk Village is often like this during this season," Shen Hui said, removing his gloves with a smile. "Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow."
The doctor lightly patted Chaoxi's thigh twice - a gesture that felt a bit too intimate, perhaps influenced by Dusk Village's customs, Chaoxi thought. He stared at the neatly bandaged knee, his lower back tingling slightly from the touch.
Chaoxi hoped he didn't look as red as a boiled shrimp.
"Alright, you did great, little Chaoxi," Shen Hui said in a childlike tone, taking a lollipop from a glass jar on the table and handing it to Chaoxi. "Next time you ride your bike, remember to watch the road, okay? Take good care of such a healthy body."
Chaoxi felt too embarrassed to refuse and accepted the candy.
"Thank you. As for the consultation fee..."
"Oh, don't worry about it. Consider it helping a friend," Shen Hui waved his hand dismissively.
Chaoxi hadn't expected to make friends with someone his age here. He had prepared himself for a life without social interactions...
"Thank you," Chaoxi said, feeling rather pleased. He pulled down his pant leg, not quite ready to leave yet. "By the way, I was wondering if you have any sleep-aiding medicine?"
"Just call me Shen Hui." Shen Hui gave Chaoxi a rather charming smile before asking, "Having trouble sleeping lately?"
"Probably just adjusting to the new environment. I've been having a lot of nightmares."
Chaoxi looked up to find Shen Hui gazing at him intently, as if trying to see right through him.
"That won't do," Shen Hui said with an air of seriousness, casually handing Chaoxi a few packets of medicine. "A healthy body needs sufficient sleep."
The people of Dusk Village seemed to place great importance on physical health. This wasn't the first time Chaoxi had heard them say something like this. He found it somewhat amusing - perhaps this was the secret to the villagers' longevity.
"This isn't sleeping pills," Chaoxi remarked, looking at the packets in his hand. They looked more like herbs, traditional medicine. He joked, "I thought you were a Western doctor."
"I'm a bit of everything here." Shen Hui patted Chaoxi's thigh again, his fingers lightly brushing over it. "Besides, this is a type of herbal medicine unique to Dusk Village. Brew it with some hot water and drink it. I guarantee it's more effective than sleeping pills. Trust me, you'll sleep soundly tonight."
The doctor's playful wink made Chaoxi's face flush with warmth. He wasn't sure what he was doing - finding a friend his own age in this aging village was already a stroke of luck. He didn't want to ruin this budding friendship over unnecessary misunderstandings.
Chaoxi smiled sheepishly and tucked the medicine packets into his pocket.
"Well, I should get back to work," Chaoxi said, almost reluctantly.
"Alright, feel free to come by again when you have time," Shen Hui offered cheerfully, his youthful energy making him stand out too brightly, too uniquely in Dusk Village. "Or I could come find you. We're friends now, right? As the only two young people in this village."
Chaoxi forcefully suppressed the little spark in his heart. He had always been good at hiding things, and equally good at snuffing them out.
For dinner, Chaoxi ate the eggs, rice, and vegetables the village chief had given him - quite a hearty meal, with plenty more left in the fridge. In just a few days, Chaoxi had fully experienced what it meant to be "fed by the elders." He had a feeling he'd gain weight, and his colleagues might not even recognize him when he returned to the city.
His phone still had no signal. After dinner, Chaoxi passed the time by reading a book he'd brought with him. Nights in Dusk Village were quiet, without even the sound of barking dogs.
The book wasn't particularly interesting, so Chaoxi stopped halfway through. With nothing else to do, lying in bed, he thought of Shen Hui. He dug out the lollipop Shen Hui had given him, popped it into his mouth, and opened the window to gaze at the stars and get some fresh air.
Unfortunately, the sky remained shrouded in mist, with only that strange deep purple hue.
Leaning on his cheek, Chaoxi daydreamed, sucking on the lollipop and wondering what work he should do tomorrow. If he went to see that doctor again, would he find it annoying? As he pondered, something moving in the pitch-black fields caught the corner of his eye.
At first, he thought it might be some kind of animal, but the black shadow creature was upright and kept repeating the same motion - it was waving at him.
A prickling chill crawled up Chaoxi's spine. The figure was short and stout, with a strange, zongzi-like shape on its head. He recognized it as the elderly woman who had waved at him that morning. Startled, he stumbled backward, the lollipop in his mouth falling out the window and rolling into the dark grass.
Chaoxi trembled as he climbed to his feet. When he cautiously peered out the window again, the fields lay in perfect stillness - no old woman waving her hand.
After triple-checking, a relieved Chaoxi buried his face in his hands.
Of course it couldn’t be real.
It was eight in the evening - the old woman from this morning wouldn’t still be waving at his window, would she?
“Idiot, scaring yourself,” Chaoxi muttered. He glanced once more at the tranquil rice paddies, swallowed hard, then reached out to close the window and draw the curtains. He buried himself back in that uninteresting book until the night grew deeper.
Before bed, Chaoxi followed Shen Hui’s advice and brewed tea with the herbs he’d given. He didn’t ask what kind of herbs they were, but the drink wasn’t unpleasant - it tasted like herbal tea, though with a faint earthy aftertaste… much like the people here.
After downing it in one go, Chaoxi brushed his teeth and went to bed. He curled up under the blanket, and whether it was due to Shen Hui’s herbs or not, even though he’d gone to bed much earlier than usual, he fell asleep quickly.
That night, Chaoxi did not dream again of endlessly driving up the mountain, listening to his colleagues’ intermittent chatter and jokes over the walkie-talkie, and finally encountering the “balloon.”
Instead, his dream that night was brief. Chaoxi dreamed of a distinct black shadow creature standing on a distant hilltop, smiling and waving at him incessantly.
In the dream, he felt no sense of alarm. Chaoxi waved back at the figure, but in less than a second, the black shadow creature appeared right before him. A massive black hand reached out and brushed against his stomach.
Chaoxi was awakened by sunlight.
He stretched lazily, his hair sticking up in all directions as if someone had tousled it.
Just as Shen Hui had said, after drinking the herbal packet he’d given, Chaoxi had slept soundly through the night - no endless mountain roads, no constant static from the walkie-talkie, no balloon… For the first time since arriving in the village, Chaoxi had slept well.
Satisfied, he stretched again, but a chilly sensation made him look down. His shirt had somehow ridden up, leaving his abdomen bare and exposed.
Chaoxi froze, touching his cold stomach. It felt slightly sticky. Frowning in confusion, he rubbed his palm and fingertips. He didn’t remember getting anything on himself before bed - could he have drooled onto his stomach in his sleep?
A cool breeze from the window caught his attention. He turned to look outside. The sky was unusually bright, and the curtains fluttered gently - but hadn’t he firmly closed the window last night?
Chaoxi got up and walked to the window in disbelief. The old woman wasn’t there today, not standing in the fields waving at him.
Shen Hui seemed almost prophetic - the morning sun was dazzling, a clear and sunny day, though deep purple clouds still lingered at the horizon, as if the sun shone only over the dormitory.
Chaoxi murmured, only then realizing his stomach was still exposed.
He had no idea what had gotten on him during the night. As he pulled down his sleep shirt, he noticed an unnatural stiffness on the fabric, almost like it had been soaked in saliva or some other bodily fluid and then dried.
Unsettled, Chaoxi took off his sleep shirt, tossed it into the laundry basket, and headed for a shower. But as soon as he entered the bathroom, something felt off. He looked down - the pain from the scrapes he’d gotten from yesterday’s fall was completely gone, without a trace of discomfort.
He bent down and tore off the gauze stuck to his knee. The scrapes that had looked quite noticeable at the small clinic yesterday were now only faint pink marks, as if they had already passed the stage of healing and scabbing.
Chaoxi scratched his head in confusion.
Perhaps he hadn’t been as badly injured as he’d imagined.
Shaking his head, Chaoxi went into the bathroom to shower.
For breakfast, Chaoxi had simple fried eggs and rice porridge, along with pickled cucumbers sent over by the neighbor next door.
They were always giving him things - food they grew themselves or made at home.
With their wrinkled, thin, and bony hands, they would smile warmly and enthusiastically hand him these gifts.
It had almost become a daily routine, and Chaoxi found it hard to refuse, so he accepted them every time. The refrigerator was packed full of supplies. If this kept up, he might never have to go down the mountain and still never starve.
Chaoxi sighed, twirling the pen in his hand. He was in the process of recopying the population records of Dusk Village.
Unlike the busy urban police stations, in Dusk Village, there were no traffic accidents, no disputes between people, no theft, no robbery, not even lost cats or dogs...
It was so peaceful that Chaoxi occasionally felt as if... he were the only person in the village.
With just a few dozen elderly couples, once he finished recopying the old records, he would have to rack his brains to find something else to do. Chaoxi slumped over the desk, staring out the window, listening carefully to the sounds outside... but there was nothing.
Sometimes Chaoxi found it strange. Even though he received so many eggs every day, he never heard a single rooster crow in the morning. Where on earth were the villagers hiding their chickens?
Could it be that this village was hiding some unspeakable secret?
Chaoxi closed his eyes, and the voice, smile, and the motion of someone lightly tapping a pen against his head surfaced in his mind. If he told that person, they would probably laugh at him like this, right?
Chaoxi tried hard to recall that person’s appearance - their eyes, nose, and lips - but what gradually emerged in his mind was only a swollen, cyanotic face...
"Are you slacking off, Mr. Li Chaoxi?"
A gentle male voice startled Chaoxi, causing him to bolt upright from the desk and accidentally slam into the other person’s chin.
Chaoxi rubbed the back of his head, while the newcomer covered his handsome chin, tears welling in his eyes, looking utterly pitiful.
"Sorry, sorry!" Chaoxi quickly apologized, looking at the man before him who wore a white coat but had the physique and looks of a movie star.
Even with his chin embarrassingly reddened from the impact, Shen Hui still looked so handsome and vibrant that he seemed out of place in this old, small village.
"Are you okay?" Chaoxi stepped forward to check on him.
"How cruel, just a little joke and you attack me like that," Shen Hui looked up, his tone reproachful but his face wearing a mischievous smile.
What a likable person, Chaoxi thought. The tips of his fingers resting on Shen Hui’s back tingled with a strange sensation.
"I didn’t mean to, I was just startled."
"Didn’t sleep well again last night?"
"No, thanks to your medicine, I slept very well," Chaoxi said, noticing Shen Hui’s satisfied smile in response.
"By the way, what brings you here?"
"Nothing much, just bored, so I came to have lunch with you." As if knowing what he was thinking, Shen
Shen Hui smiled even sweeter, his purple eyes like colored glaze, like some kind of gemstone, like starlight, like...
[TN¹: Rì Huī [日辉] also translates to "Sunshine"]
"Sorry," Chaoxi snapped back to attention, feeling a bit disoriented. "Looking for me for lunch?"
"Yes, my friend." Shen Hui smiled meaningfully, shaking the lunch bag in his hand.
Chaoxi looked at the lunch box on the table. It was almost like the fake food displayed in a Japanese restaurant showcase - colorful and unbelievably beautiful.
Stir-fried carrots with eggs, pan-fried meat patties, spinach with sesame dressing, chilled tofu... all dishes Chaoxi loved. He frowned.
"What's wrong?" Shen Hui, sitting across from him, asked as he ate heartily.
"Have you been stalking and investigating me? These are all my favorite dishes." Chaoxi pretended to ask seriously but soon indulged in the meal, giving face.
"If I told you that besides saving people, I can also read faces, would you believe me?" Shen Hui laughed.
Chaoxi chuckled and shook his head, eating with relish, not even noticing that Shen Hui had already put down his bowl and chopsticks, staring at him motionlessly.
"You're really good at cooking, it's very tasty." Chaoxi praised, far better than the haphazard things he cooked up in the kitchen. "Such sweet words. It seems I'll have to bring you lunch every day from now on." Shen Hui laughed.
Chaoxi wasn't sure if he was joking. If it were true, having a lunch companion in the future wouldn't be bad.
"Eat more." Shen Hui then pushed his own dishes toward him.
Chaoxi was about to decline, but Shen Hui changed the subject: "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Hmm... any more nightmares? Or did you dream of anything?"
Chaoxi looked up. For some reason, he felt a hint of expectation in Shen Hui's tone. He thought back carefully; last night's dream was already a bit hazy.
"Can't really remember." Chaoxi shrugged but noticed Shen Hui's smile instantly vanished, just staring at him.
"What's wrong?" Chaoxi asked, puzzled, only to see Shen Hui lean his upper body closer.
When enveloped by the other's black shadow, Chaoxi froze. Suddenly, he couldn't move. Goosebumps inexplicably crept up the back of his neck, and that sticky sensation on his abdomen returned - hadn't he showered this morning? His heartbeat grew loud until Shen Hui's fingers touched his face, wiping a grain of rice from the corner of his mouth.
"Li Chaoxi," Shen Hui called his full name, the smile returning to his face. "You brought lunch."
Chaoxi watched as the doctor put the grain of rice from his fingertip into his mouth, licking it off with his tongue. A wet, sticky feeling spread downward, as if his own body had been licked.
No, what was he thinking? Chaoxi swallowed hard. Only when the chopsticks in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter could his body move again.
Shen Hui became Chaoxi's lunch partner.
Chaoxi felt a bit foolish about it, but secretly, he was happy about it because spending time with Shen Hui had become his only entertainment in Dusk Village.
In this remote little village where days passed with nothing to do, phone reception was poor, and the villagers were all elderly, having a friend of the same age was truly a rare and precious thing.
Moreover, Shen Hui was incredible. They had only known each other for a few days, yet Chaoxi felt as if they had been friends for years. They got along well, and their interests were similar.
"You'll turn me into a fat pig," Chaoxi mumbled through a mouthful of lunch.
Shen Hui had once again prepared a spread of Chaoxi's favorite dishes today - it was almost mystical how he always knew exactly what Chaoxi liked to eat.
"Getting a bit chubbier is good; you're too thin," Shen Hui said from the other end of the desk. He held the book Chaoxi had recommended to him, reading as he spoke.
Chaoxi and Shen Hui sometimes exchanged books to read, but the books Shen Hui recommended were often ones Chaoxi had already read and greatly enjoyed. Their tastes in book selection were astonishingly similar.
Discussing book content with Shen Hui was also a comfortable experience, as Shen Hui seemed to have read his mind - they frequently shared the same perspectives or opinions.
"Have you been assimilated by the village elders? Always feeding me like I'm your grandson."
"It's different. They feed you because they see you as a grandson. I feed you because I love you."
Shen Hui looked up from his book and winked at him, nearly making Chaoxi choke. Chaoxi lowered his head and stuffed food into his mouth without responding, unable to hide his reddening ears.
Shen Hui sometimes made these harmless jokes, which Chaoxi found quite troubling.
"Sleeping well lately?" After a moment of silence, Shen Hui finally set his book down.
"Pretty good, just still having strange dreams," Chaoxi said.
Since Shen Hui had given him the sleep-aiding medicine, Chaoxi had been sleeping better and better. Sometimes he could even sleep through the night without issue, though dreams still occurred. However, he no longer had the nightmare of wandering on the mountain. Instead, he began dreaming from time to time of a waving black shadow on the mountain beckoning to him.
"Another dream about the waving black shadow?"
"Yes... Did I tell you about it?"
"You did," Shen Hui said with a smile.
How strange - Chaoxi had no recollection of it, but since Shen Hui looked so certain, he felt too embarrassed to say otherwise. After all, they had been spending their days chatting together constantly lately. Maybe he really had mentioned it to Shen Hui?
"How adorable. Sounds like that thing in your dream probably likes you a lot."
"Adorable?" Hearing Shen Hui describe the black shadow as adorable, Chaoxi couldn't help but laugh, thinking he was joking.
If it were up to him, he would never use "adorable" to describe that thing.
At first, dreaming of the black shadow waving didn't evoke any particular feeling - it was just an unclear figure on the mountain greeting him in the dream. But recently, the shadow had been getting closer day by day. Sometimes in the dream, it would leap across a mountain peak, waving to him from a nearer mountaintop.
Chaoxi began to worry that one day he would dream of the black shadow standing right in front of him, allowing him to see its true form clearly.
"Right, maybe it's actually a cute big doggy like me?" Shen Hui interrupted Chaoxi's thoughts, mimicking dog paws with his hands, tilting his head, and sticking out his tongue playfully.
Amused by Shen Hui's antics, Chaoxi laughed again. He shook his head and changed the subject. "Let's not talk about this for now. How did you pass the time before I came here?"
"Why ask? Do you find the village boring?" Shen Hui inquired.
"It's not exactly boring... just nothing to do," Chaoxi said.
Having been here for several days, Chaoxi had done everything he could. He had even counted how many fields and houses were in Dusk Village and observed when the villagers would get up and what they would do.
The elders in Dusk Village were unbelievably simple and routine-driven, like a repeating film - everyone did the same things day after day.
Village Chief Huang and his wife would deliver basket after basket of food every morning at 7:30. An elderly couple working in the nearby fields would labor from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. At exactly 10 o'clock, the two elders living next door would go out to greet each other...
Right on the dot, just like the cuckoo bird in a cuckoo clock.
"You want something to do?" Shen Hui crossed his arms and leaned forward on the table. His eyes were an unusual, translucent purple under the light. "Isn't it best if nothing happens at a police station?"
Chaoxi couldn't help but mimic Shen Hui's posture, crossing his arms and leaning forward as well. He knew he shouldn't do this, but he wanted to get closer to the other man, as if bewitched by those purple eyes.
"It's just that time drags when you're bored. Having something to do is better than just staring into space."
Almost imperceptibly, their elbows were nearly touching.
Shen Hui's face was hidden behind his arms, but Chaoxi could tell from the slight curve of his eyes that Shen Hui was smiling at him.
Chaoxi's heart raced, and a strange, prickly, itchy pain bloomed in his abdomen.
"How sad. Are you still bored even with me here?" Shen Hui lightly poked Chaoxi with his fingertip, letting it slide gently down his arm.
Chaoxi jolted upright as if shocked.
The pain in his abdomen vanished. He widened his eyes, looking somewhat awkwardly at Shen Hui, who had also sat up straight, hoping Shen Hui didn't find his sudden movement rude.
Shen Hui simply watched him, expressionless and unreadable.
"That's not what I meant..." Chaoxi hurried to explain. "Of course I'm glad you're here. You're the reason this place isn't so boring."
Shen Hui fell silent for two seconds. Chaoxi thought he might be angry because of his earlier recoil, but then the doctor broke into a wide smile and placed his hand on Chaoxi's again.
"Li Chaoxi, you love me too, don't you?"
Seeing Shen Hui back to his usual playful self, Chaoxi unconsciously relaxed. He didn't understand why he sometimes felt afraid of this warm and friendly doctor.
"Cut it out. Back to my question - weren't you bored all alone before I came?"
"Well... I was bored. My daily work was just patching up the old villagers, keeping them running smoothly. But after a while, even that gets tiresome to watch."
Chaoxi laughed because Shen Hui made the villagers sound like toys or dolls.
"So I'm really glad you came." Shen Hui looked at Chaoxi, smiling with genuine sincerity.
Chaoxi sighed. "Thanks. You're such a smooth talker. You must have been really popular with girls before, right?"
Shen Hui shrugged, his confident, noncommittal expression making Chaoxi chuckle.
"You remind me of a friend I had a long time ago, you know?" Chaoxi suddenly said, looking at Shen Hui.
Chaoxi gazed at Shen Hui, the man before him overlapping with the face of that man deep in his memories.
He could almost hear that person's voice again, and see his bruised, swollen face... The alarm on Chaoxi's phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.
"I'll tell you another time. Lunch break is over; time to get back to work." Chaoxi pointed at his watch.
"Didn't you just say you had nothing to do?" Shen Hui rolled his eyes.
"Well, I am still getting paid." Chaoxi smiled, preparing to see his guest out. Before Shen Hui left, Chaoxi confirmed, "Same time for lunch tomorrow, then?"
Shen Hui turned back and rolled his eyes again.
"I cook for you every day, yet I don't even get a title. And what about my payment?" The tall man pretended to be pitiful, looking unexpectedly cute.
Amused, Chaoxi scratched his head and deliberately sighed loudly, "I have no money, so I can only sell my body and labor. Do you want it?"
Shen Hui looked at him, grinning widely, his eyes curved into arcs, and finally said, "Sure."
This time, the black shadow creature stood motionless on the opposite hilltop.
Chaoxi stared at the black shadow creature. Its limbs appeared stiff and somewhat disproportionate. Its arms were too long, and its legs stood apart, like a person half-squatting, but its head was longer and squarer than a typical human's, resembling some kind of animal.
Chaoxi looked around in confusion. He didn't know why he was in the mountains so late at night; he should go home. When he turned back to look at the black shadow creature on the hilltop, he realized it was also staring at him.
Chaoxi remained still, and so did the black shadow creature. Chaoxi slowly raised his hand, and the black shadow creature slowly raised its hand as well.
As if it were his shadow, the black shadow creature was mimicking his movements.
Chaoxi swallowed, and the thing mimicked a swallowing motion; he stepped forward, and it stepped forward too... But when Chaoxi took a big step back, the thing instead took a big step forward.
Goosebumps crawled up his spine in an instant. Chaoxi's hands and feet turned cold, and once fear spread, it was hard to calm down. For some reason, Chaoxi was terrified of the thing getting close to him, but when he tried to step back again, the black shadow creature took another huge step forward.
Chaoxi noticed that each of its steps seemed enormous - the towering mountains appeared like small hills to it. It moved forward with ease and liveliness, leaping in a way no human should.
Too scared to move, Chaoxi hoped the black shadow creature would mimic him and stop, and indeed, it did. Just as he was about to sigh in relief, he sensed the thing was laughing.
Its face was a blur of darkness, impossible to make out clearly, but Chaoxi just knew it was laughing. Its chest contracted, its shoulders shook, and the ground trembled with its movements.
Chaoxi whimpered in fear, trembling all over as he watched the thing run down the mountainside toward him, taking two steps at a time.
The closer the black shadow creature got, the larger it grew, but it was neither a bear nor a deer. It had already surpassed any enormous animal Chaoxi could imagine. Along the way, it clenched its fists, raised its hands high, and waved them at him incessantly, as if trying to show off something.
Chaoxi saw it was holding something in its hands - small, wearing a conical hat, like a toy or a person...
Tears welled up in his eyes from fear, and by the time Chaoxi regained his senses, he was already weeping uncontrollably, screaming hysterically at the black shadow creature that gradually enveloped the entire hilltop, "No! Don't come closer!"
The black shadow creature raised its hands high, looming over Chaoxi, and stopped moving amidst his screams. Chaoxi closed his eyes and collapsed to the ground, but when he opened them again, he was back in his dormitory.
Chaoxi blinked, staring in confusion at the damp ceiling, where the stains resembled the black shadow creature. A drop of water fell from the ceiling, landing on his eyelid.
Chaoxi wiped away the droplet. It smelled fishy and salty, and felt sticky on his fingers.
"Don't cry, Xiao Xi," a man's familiar voice whispered in his ear.
Chaoxi slowly turned his head. There was a man in the same quilt with him, lying on his side with his back facing Chaoxi. Looking at the man’s overly long black hair, casually tousled ends, and broad back, Chaoxi recognized whose silhouette it was at a glance.
“Don’t cry, Xiao Xi.” The man with his back to him repeated the words in a flat, emotionless voice, like a wind-up doll, the sound seeming to emanate from his chest.
Chaoxi stared at him but cried even harder, terrified that when the man turned around, he would hang his head, stick out his tongue, and blame him with that swollen, cyanotic face - why had he come so late?
“Please don’t…” Chaoxi pleaded with his eyes closed, but the man slowly turned around, facing him up close.
“Don’t cry, Xiao Xi.” The man said again.
Chaoxi trembled as he opened his eyes. Through his tears, it was Shen Hui who appeared, not that swollen, terrifying face.
“Shen Hui.” Chaoxi called his name.
Shen Hui smiled faintly, a smile that brought Chaoxi comfort. He let out a soft breath, and his stiff body relaxed.
“Don’t cry.” Shen Hui said, reaching out with both hands to cup Chaoxi’s face, gently wiping away his tears with his thumbs.
Chaoxi gazed at Shen Hui. The layer of purple in the man’s eyes was like the afterglow of a sunset. He sobbed twice and nodded in agreement.
Shen Hui smiled. Rumbling, as if a train were passing by, the bed trembled slightly.
Shen Hui leaned in closer, kissing Chaoxi’s forehead, the tip of his nose, and his cheek.
Chaoxi didn’t resist, not even when the other kissed his lips.
Shen Hui smelled like morning dew - damp yet refreshing, very different from the earthy, fishy scent that always lingered in Dusk Village. It was incredibly alluring.
“Open your mouth.” Shen Hui pressed his thumb lightly against Chaoxi’s chin to make him open his mouth, and Chaoxi complied.
Shen Hui’s tongue was warm, wet, and sticky, slowly and teasingly licking along the surface of his tongue, the roof of his mouth, and the inside of his oral cavity, gradually reaching deep into his throat.
“Mmm…” Chaoxi let out a pained moan, but his lower abdomen grew warm in response.
The short hair on the back of his head was gently tugged. Shen Hui’s large hands, smooth as snakes, slid along his back toward his waist, then his abdomen.
Chaoxi hardened, aching with a painful thirst.
“Ah… Shen…” He finally managed to lift his head to draw in air, allowing Shen Hui’s tongue to withdraw from his mouth.
Shen Hui laughed again, sucking on Chaoxi’s lips and the saliva he couldn’t retract, then licking and kissing his way up from Chaoxi’s chin. The slight pain stimulated Chaoxi, forcing him to spread his legs to accommodate Shen Hui’s entire body.
“Xiao Xi.” Shen Hui called his nickname between kisses.
“Shen Hui… wait…” Watching the man who was kissing his abdomen as if in worship, Chaoxi tried to slow down the out-of-control situation, but his limbs felt tightly bound by something, unable to move. Shen Hui lowered his head again, opening his mouth to take Chaoxi’s erect genitals inside.
Chaoxi’s arched body burned with heat. He watched as Shen Hui gently and erotically took his flushed, moist genitals in and out, his two large hands gripping Chaoxi’s buttocks tightly, roughly kneading them.
It made Chaoxi dizzy. He moaned and looked up at the ceiling, where a stain like a black shadow creature grew larger and more distinct. More droplets fell, dripping onto Chaoxi’s body.
“Shen, Shen Hui... slower, stop, stop...” Chaoxi cried out, lowering his head only to see Shen Hui lifting his buttocks, his genitals slipping from Shen Hui’s mouth, still shamelessly erect.
Shen Hui stared at him, eyes curved in a smile, his lips tormenting the base of the hardened shaft, even sucking on his taut scrotum.
Chaoxi didn’t answer. He watched as Shen Hui stuck out his crimson tongue, the tip sliding from the scrotum all the way down to the perineum, then toward the contracting anal cavity between his buttocks.
“Let me in, let me ejaculate, okay?” Shen Hui’s voice was low and cheerful. When he laughed, the entire dormitory began to rumble again.
Chaoxi still didn’t reply, until that wet tongue tip pressed bit by bit against his anal opening, slowly invading his body...
Wet fluid splashed onto Chaoxi’s abdomen. He gasped sharply, squeezing his eyes shut until they were struck by light, forcing him to open them and see what was happening.
Chaoxi looked at the same ceiling as before, now illuminated by daylight. The yellow stains had returned to scattered dots, no longer resembling terrifying black shadow creatures, and there was no other man in his bed.
This time, he was truly awake... Chaoxi turned his head toward the wide-open window beside him. The curtains fluttered as wind continuously poured in, chilling his abdomen.
Chaoxi looked down and only then noticed his pajamas had been pulled up to his chest again, and this time even his sleep pants and underwear hadn’t been spared, messily kicked to the foot of the bed.
Embarrassed, he sat up, about to rub his forehead in distress when he realized his palm and abdomen were coated in sticky, milky white fluid.
Chaoxi stared in confusion at his own body. His genitals lay limp and askew among the hair matted with semen, while his skin was dotted with small bluish-purple marks.
Springing from the bed, Chaoxi practically leaped as he rushed into the bathroom.