For the next few days, Liu Buli's mood was incredibly complex.
He felt as if he had made a wrong judgment from the very beginning.
He thought he had picked up a big dog.
In reality, he had brought home a wolf.
A wolf that intended to take his life.
A wolf wouldn't hide its true nature. Even if it had initially acted to gain his trust, once it achieved its desired situation, it would reveal its true, gray tail and, with a voice that was undeniably addictive, tell him an outcome that would lead to his eternal damnation if he followed through.
He had thought he had truly found his love.
But in the end, what the other party wanted wasn't his love, but only his life.
It was utterly tragic...
Liu Buli didn't know how to process this at the moment. From a normal person's perspective, he felt he should kick the wolf disguised as a big dog out of his home.
But seeing the other person's sorrowful expression, and hearing the undisguised tremor in his voice, the thought of expelling him was uncontrollably suppressed.
He even told himself that as long as the man didn't actively try to kill him, keeping him by his side and pretending to know nothing seemed like it would be fine.
Because of this, the days continued as usual.
Every day after work, he would rush back to his apartment as quickly as possible. And just like the first day, every time he returned home and opened the door, he was greeted by the man's smiling face and a prepared dinner.
When they avoided discussing life-and-death matters, the man was undoubtedly a perfect lover.
He would always stay quietly by Liu Buli's side, never refusing any request.
When they were close, the man would ask for permission to kiss him. If Liu Buli gave an affirmative answer, the man would cup his cheeks and press his lips against his.
The man's kisses were always filled with tenderness, at least that's how Liu Buli felt every time they kissed; he felt utterly cherished by this man.
But the more he thought this, the more confused he became.
If he cherished him so much, if he considered him the most precious treasure in the world, then why must the ultimate goal be his death?
Could everything the man was doing for him now just be an act?
But he was just an ordinary person, with little of value to offer. The man had never asked him about those matters. It seemed the only goal was his life, so if that was the case, why go through such a complicated charade?
This question had troubled Liu Buli for many days.
In the end, even if he was unwilling to believe it, he had realized that all the questions pointed to the conclusion that the world the man had described, which sounded like madness, was the absolute truth.
After they had discussed this topic on the first day, it seemed that Lu Wuming, seeing Liu Buli's resistance, never brought up similar matters again.
And if he didn't bring it up, Liu Buli naturally wouldn't either.
They continued in this state of limbo, until the next weekend arrived.
Since being with Lu Wuming, Liu Buli was no longer the workaholic he once was. Having informed his boss that he wouldn't be available on the weekend, Liu Buli confidently closed his eyes and slept until noon the next day in Lu Wuming's embrace.
He had already accepted this aspect of their relationship. Lu Wuming was right; his body did remember the other man. When Lu Wuming held him, he instinctively felt at ease, and his sleep quality was far better than when he was alone.
Since there was something more effective than calming tea, it would be against his principles to waste it. So, over time, he allowed the other man to hold him. Besides, he was accustomed to and enjoyed the man's physical affection, so he didn't see anything wrong with it.
When he opened his eyes again and saw Lu Wuming's face, the latter instinctively offered him a bright smile and greeted him, "Shizun, good morning."
"It's already noon, why are you saying good morning?"
Liu Buli picked up his phone to check the time and mumbled with a yawn.
Even though he knew it was noon, perhaps because it was so comfortable in the man's arms, he remained nestled against him, showing no inclination to get up.
But unlike him.
Seeing that he was awake, the man decided to get up.
After all, they had slept until noon, and it was almost time for Liu Buli to be hungry. As a good husband, he had to prepare lunch for Liu Buli before his stomach started rumbling.
He thought this, and he acted on it.
But seeing his intention to get up, Liu Buli reached out and stopped him.
He pulled him back into his arms, holding him close. He nuzzled against Lu Wuming's firm chest, just as he had when he first woke up.
Lu Wuming didn't know what he meant by this, but he could at least be sure that Liu Buli had no intention of further intimacy.
So, with a helpless smile, Lu Wuming reached out and gently ruffled Liu Buli's hair. With a low sigh, he said, "Shizun, please don't nuzzle me like this. I'll mistake it for seduction, and I won't know what to do."
Because if it was seduction, he would want to take things further. But if the other party had no such intentions, his advances would become forceful.
Lu Wuming didn't want that to happen, so he always maintained a distance from the other party at such times.
But he hadn't expected Liu Buli to be the one to cling to him this time.
Leaning into Lu Wuming's embrace, he let out a long sigh.
He murmured, "Wuming, actually, these past few days, I've been thinking about one thing."
Lu Wuming nodded.
Liu Buli took a deep breath and continued, "I'm thinking, can what you mean to me outweigh my own life?"