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墨書 Inktalez
Full and satisfied, the sweet and oily mixture always brings joy.
Song Bunan leaned back in his chair, holding a teacup as he exchanged glances with his beautiful aunt. The hunger had faded, lifting his spirits significantly. He even found himself pondering the true intentions behind her elaborate efforts to bring him here. From her demeanor, it was clear she had a request of him, and it was no trivial matter.
"You seem quite confident in what I make." The food box appeared to be an old item, its lacquered surface smooth and glossy, adorned with exquisite mother-of-pearl patterns. Song Bunan stared at it for a while until she took the plate away, then he shifted his gaze. Rubbing his full belly, he expressed that he never worried about such things.
"Since you went to such lengths to bring me here, you surely wouldn’t casually let me die. Besides, with such delicious food before me, I wouldn’t mind dying as a glutton." He stood up to stretch his body, unabashedly showing his interest in the surroundings. Peering through the door crack, he noticed that the people outside were completely unaffected by the commotion; each one strolled leisurely without a care.
As he observed, the woman behind him leaned closer, opening the door wide for him to see. Most of the people outside merely glanced at the noise before returning to their business; occasionally, someone would stop to take a look at him, only to walk away with a disappointed expression.
"Who do you want to ask about?" Song Bunan was familiar with that kind of gaze. Back at New Life Hospital, when someone had threatened him while capturing Xin Yi—or rather that Ghost Messenger—he had seen that same expression directed at Xin Yi. It was an unmasked desire for prey, like a tiger or leopard poised to pounce on its target.
The woman seemed delighted by his question and immediately urged Song Bunan to sit down again. She pulled out a new box from under the table. It was a jewelry box filled with photographs; she selected a few and handed them to him, each photo marked with a number.
"I heard from my sources that you like this type of boy, so Auntie has found some for you. Bunan, you’re a smart kid; since you guessed I wanted to ask about someone, you must know who that person is. So tell me, how about we trade one of these for him?"
Song Bunan was taken aback by her words. Although he could guess her intentions, hearing such bluntness from her lips was astonishing. What kind of person would request someone in this manner? He looked at his aunt's smiling face and composed himself before taking the photos to examine them.
Indeed, among them were two or three whose figures and faces were more appealing than Xin Yi’s; even those who looked much thinner had their own charm. Song Bunan acknowledged that this woman's taste was on point; it was just her reasoning that seemed lacking.
"May I ask why?" He tossed the photos back into the box and crossed his legs while rotating his stiff neck to relieve discomfort. Upon hearing his question, the woman revealed a hint of melancholy and spoke gently: "It’s because of my son. Poor child hasn’t had much happiness in life before becoming paralyzed. Out of all these one hundred or so candidates, he has taken a liking to this one called Xin Yi. I know it’s not easy to find someone who catches your eye, which is why I came to discuss this with you. If you're willing to trade, you can choose any of these young men; I assure you they are all strong and obedient. If you truly like that young man, we can transfer his soul into a better and younger body—it’s a win-win situation."
Song Bunan sincerely applauded her words in appreciation but understood that he must look quite ridiculous smiling so broadly; otherwise, she wouldn’t have suddenly changed her expression into one that seemed ready to devour him after seeing his reaction.
"First, let me correct a misunderstanding. My relationship with him has never been about 'love at first sight'; rather, it is built on mutual admiration as equals. As for the so-called strength and obedience, those qualities do not attract me at all. I'm not particularly clever, but I am stubborn. My feelings for him are everlasting; his soul and body, down to the last hair, belong to me—none can be missing. As for your son being interested, that’s none of my concern." Song Bunan caught the sudden surge of murderous intent in the other person's eyes and scoffed mockingly, "Why is Auntie getting so worked up?"
"It seems I've underestimated the love between you two," the woman said with a cold laugh as she drained her cup of cold tea. She stood up and moved closer to Song Bunan, her slender fingers gripping his shoulder as she leaned in to whisper, "Do you really know what’s going on right now?"
Unfazed, Song Bunan shifted into a more comfortable position while playing with his teacup and replied, "I’m quite clear about it. So, Auntie, are you planning to force your way through since negotiations have failed? From your tone, it seems you've already captured him."
The woman's warm breath brushed against his ear. Song Bunan restrained the impulse to snap her neck and turned to meet her gaze. "If my son had half your intelligence, he wouldn’t have turned into a useless person needing me to clean up after him. You invited me here for a reason; you must have some trump card. Now that Ghost Messenger isn't involved here and the Jiang Family has officially announced they won't pursue us anymore, what can you do all alone?"
"Why not agree?" The woman suddenly stepped away from him, a graceful smile returning to her face. "You two haven't known each other long; your feelings aren't that deep. There are plenty of good kids in the world; why hang yourself on this one tree? As someone who has been through it all, I understand what kids like you who prefer the same sex are thinking—it's just a craving for something new and exciting. You're so cute and clever; what kind of boyfriend do you want? Surely you can't be so hung up on him over some private matters. There are many better options out there; it's worth trying more."
Perhaps her calmness had provoked her more than she realized. Song Bunan rested his chin on his hand, watching as she tried to persuade him. Compared to her earlier threats, there was now an air of intimacy in her tone as if they were sharing secrets among friends. Following her lead, he pretended to hesitate before speaking up, "You know, I’ve indeed met many men—some exceptional ones too. But unfortunately for you, I really only like him. Your words don’t work on me; it would be better if you took me to see Xin Yi now; perhaps we can negotiate a better outcome together."
The woman's expression changed abruptly as she dropped her genteel demeanor and lunged at him with outstretched hands aiming for his neck. Her strength was greater than he expected; as he dodged, he felt the rush of wind from her strike. He used the momentum to flip himself toward the door and saw several dazed individuals in patient gowns waiting outside.
"What does it matter if you can fight? These people are perfectly engineered weapons; I don’t believe you can take on five at once," she said while wiping her hands with a handkerchief, her face devoid of any trace of earlier emotions. At that moment, her aura matched the white coat she wore—a sense that she could pull out a knife at any moment.
Song Bunan raised his hands in surrender and laughed lightly, claiming he wasn’t that capable; he had merely reacted instinctively before asking, "So what do you plan to do? Keep me here or let me meet Xin Yi?" He was gambling on something; if he guessed correctly, this unfavorable situation could be turned around.
The woman scoffed disdainfully and waved two of the individuals forward to restrain his arms behind his back and push him outside. She walked ahead with contempt dripping from her words: "Of course I want you both to die clearly; after all, your body is worthless—if you die, so be it—as long as it helps that boy forget about you and switch over to my son instead. Once you're both ghosts, then you can be together freely."
Song Bunan couldn't help but marvel inwardly at how cruelly she spoke when not being polite.
The scale beneath was far larger than that of New Life Hospital; various people bustled about busily while occasional screams echoed from rooms around corners—sounding like deranged beasts. The only similarity with the previous place was the dizzying array of signs along the path below.
Song Bunan felt dizzy as he navigated the winding paths, cursing the designer of this place a thousand times in his mind. When he finally reached an area where the surrounding light dimmed, he looked up and saw that it was unlike the previous places; it resembled a makeshift cave, with rough walls coated in layers of plaster and the ground covered in mud.
Before him stood a space that had been excavated, strikingly similar to an animal exhibit at a zoo. High transparent glass partitions allowed for an unobstructed view inside, making it easy to spot the target without needing to look closely.
Xin Yi was handcuffed behind a pillar, kneeling on the ground with his head bowed, obscuring his face. Blood dripped from his nose, and his rapid breathing clearly indicated he was enduring pain. Song Bunan noticed several darker stains on his clothes, likely blood seeping from wounds.
"I promised you two a little get-together before you die, so make sure to thank me," a woman said as she clapped her hands. A few people forcefully pushed Song Bunan into the enclosure. He stumbled and fell to the ground, meeting Xin Yi's gaze just as he opened his eyes.
The initially dazed expression transformed into one of fury as Xin Yi's eyes widened in anger. His bloodshot gaze shot towards the outside like that of an enraged lion.
The people outside didn’t perceive this as a threat; they merely sneered and walked away, warning Song Bunan not to attempt anything foolish. "This glass is military-grade ballistic glass," one of them taunted. "Not even a bomb can shatter it."
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