Chapter 65
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Fu Xuezhou poured out the soapy water from the plastic basin and turned to look at Cui Ansheng, “Finally here.”
Cui Ansheng walked in with a smile, picked up a towel from the side and began to scrub Cui Xiaobao’s back. Fu Xuezhou got up after washing the clothes and left the bathroom, closing the door behind them.
Ten minutes later, Cui Ansheng, who had scrubbed his brother’s back until it was almost peeling, came out to the balcony, walking over to Fu Xuezhou.
“Ah Zhou,” Cui Ansheng took out a cigarette and lit it, “You mentioned the Anomaly Resurgence thing to me on the internet before. Is the bone whip that Mr. Lou suddenly took out today the anomaly thing you were talking about?”
Fu Xuezhou nodded and shook his head again, saying lightly, “It’s an anomaly tool, not an anomaly.”
Cui Ansheng nodded understandingly, “Sure enough, this Mr. Lou is not a simple person.”
He lowered his head to light the cigarette, but as soon as it was lit, a slender and pale hand reached over next to him. Cui Ansheng followed the hand upward and met the expressionless handsome face of Fu Xuezhou.
“Do you want to smoke?” Cui Ansheng was surprised and handed him the cigarette, “I thought you didn’t smoke?”
Fu Xuezhou didn’t say anything, but glanced at the cigarette with a spark, then put it in his mouth.
The sunlight streamed into the balcony from outside the window, half of Fu Xuezhou’s body was in the sunlight, and half was in the shade. He leaned slightly backward against the balcony railing, his expression faint.
The spark flickered, and Fu Xuezhou’s well-defined fingers held the cigarette, exhaling a puff of white smoke.
His smoking posture was not unfamiliar, but not as skilled as an experienced smoker, yet exceptionally good-looking. Cui Ansheng looked at him with curiosity, suddenly feeling that Fu Xuezhou had matured a lot. It wasn’t the kind of maturity from his young appearance, but a maturity that came from deep within the soul.
In the past, Fu Xuezhou didn’t talk much and kept everything to himself, but he wasn’t like this now. Before, Cui Ansheng could see what was on his mind, but now he found himself unable to understand Fu Xuezhou anymore.
Fu Xuezhou’s eyelashes cast a shadow, and he smoked quietly, as if he was looking at the trees outside the balcony, or perhaps at the sparrows chirping on the trees. He was standing right in front of Cui Ansheng, but Cui Ansheng felt that there was still a long distance between them. Cui Ansheng sighed, half-jokingly, “Ah Zhou, if you have any difficulties, remember to tell me. Based on our relationship, I won’t even ask for an IOU if I lend you money.”
For Cui Ansheng, who loved money like his life, this sentence was his greatest sincerity.
Fu Xuezhou flicked the ash off his cigarette, “Take care of yourself and Xiaobao.”
“Sigh,” sighed Cui Ansheng, taking another puff of his cigarette, his brows furrowed with worry. “I’ve been considering having Xiaobao drop out of school. The world has become so dangerous, I dare not let Xiaobao leave my side. You know his mind, if he really encounters any Anomaly Resurgence, he’ll have no way out but death.”
Cui Ansheng opened up and complained with a bitter smile, “It’s so hard— I worked so hard to climb to this point, worked so hard to buy a house and open a shop to save money for Xiaobao’s future wife, but what’s the result? Just when we thought we were living in peace, something bizarre happened, and Xiaobao and I suddenly found ourselves at the bottom again.”
With just a simple sentence, Cui Ansheng’s eyes turned red. He took a deep breath, “Ah Zhou, why are there so many unfair things in this world? Do you think Xiaobao and I will awaken some kind of talent like you mentioned?”
“Maybe you will,” Fu Xuezhou said with the cigarette in his mouth, looking down, “Maybe you won’t.”
Cui Ansheng laughed and rubbed his face, “That’s like saying nothing at all. Well, I hope so. If we could really awaken some talent, Xiaobao and I would have a better chance at life. But if not, it’s okay. We still have you, right?”
Fu Xuezhou nodded.
“Let’s not talk about this,” Cui Ansheng shook his head and changed the topic, gossiping, “What’s the deal with that Mr. Lou?”
The smoke obscured Fu Xuezhou’s eyes, and he squinted slightly, saying without moving, “What about him?”
Cui Ansheng grinned like a fox, implying, “I can see that since you came here for boxing last night, your mood hasn’t been right. You’ve been making people feel scared. Instead of saying you’re here to make money, it seems like you’re here to vent. I was wondering who offended you. When I saw your attitude towards Mr. Lou, I knew it was related to him. Ah Zhou, I still understand you very well. Others may not see it, but I can see it. You’re very different when it comes to Mr. Lou.”
“Just like what you said earlier in front of everyone, ‘making love.’ ” Cui Ansheng winked, his face filled with a man’s knowing smile, “That’s not something you’d usually say.”
Fu Xuezhou calmly smoked his cigarette, neither refuting nor agreeing. When the cigarette burned down to the butt, he calmly said, “He’s a special person.”
Cui Ansheng’s eyes squinted as he laughed, teasingly repeating, “Oh, he’s a special person~ Ah Zhou, I didn’t expect you to have a taste for men.”
Fu Xuezhou gave him a cold glance, then threw the cigarette butt into the trash can and picked up a few darts from the iron box on the table.
There was a target hanging on the wall of the balcony, about three meters away from Fu Xuezhou. With a light flick of his hand, the dart quickly flew out and landed “bang” in the center of the target.
Watching him play, Cui Ansheng clapped his hands exaggeratedly, “Well done! It’s been a long time since I saw you play darts, and your accuracy is still impressive. Ah Zhou, seeing how capable you are, I feel relieved. Seriously, Ah Zhou, if Xiaobao and I ever encounter any trouble, you must remember to help us out. We’ll listen to your commands afterward. Whatever you say, we’ll do. The three of us must survive in this terrifying world.”
“Cui Ansheng,” Fu Xuezhou threw another dart, then suddenly spoke up, “In 287 worlds, you’ve betrayed me before.”
Cui Ansheng was taken aback. He didn’t understand the meaning of this sentence and thought Fu Xuezhou was joking. Surprised that Fu Xuezhou was still in the mood, he took a drag from his cigarette and stifled a laugh, “How many worlds have I not betrayed you then?”
Fu Xuezhou put down the dart, turned to look at Cui Ansheng, and said calmly, “Four times.”
Cui Ansheng, who had intended to laugh, suddenly felt his smile stiffen as he looked into Fu Xuezhou’s eyes. For some reason, he couldn’t laugh anymore.
His heart tightened for a moment, and he even subconsciously wanted to avoid Fu Xuezhou’s gaze.
After a pause, Fu Xuezhou said, “I hope in this world, you can make it five times.”
***
Back at home, Lou Yan directly locked himself in the bedroom, refusing to come out no matter who called.
Li Sanxin sent Lu Haixiu back to his room to accompany Little Yu, then pulled Duan Zege into the study, his face serious. “Duan Zege, let’s talk.”
Duan Zege lazily asked, “Talk about what?”
Li Sanxin crossed his hands on his knees, looking like a policeman interrogating a suspect, and asked in a deep voice, “Duan Zege, what did Fu Xuezhou mean when he talked to Lou Yan in the underground boxing arena?”
Duan Zege, sprawled in the chair, yawned and said, “I don’t know. You should ask Lou Yan about it.”
“You do know,” Li Sanxin stared straight at Duan Zege, “Lou Yan has told you, hasn’t he?”
Duan Zege raised his foot, “What are we having for lunch? Can we order some dishes? I want something spicy.”
Li Sanxin stood up abruptly, enunciating each word, “Duan Zege!”
Duan Zege’s playful actions came to a halt, and he calmly looked up at Li Sanxin, “Li Sanxin, you grew up with Lou Yan. Among all of us, you should understand him the most. If there’s something he doesn’t want to talk about, and you find out from me, do you think he’ll be happy? He’s already under a lot of stress today. Do you want me to add to his stress?”
Li Sanxin’s face went blank for a moment. He closed his eyes, then sat back down.
The man who always sat and stood with perfect posture, bordering on obsessive-compulsive disorder, now sat with a slouched back, emitting an aura of desolation. His voice was low and hoarse, “…Tell me, is Lou Yan in danger of his life?”
Duan Zege sat upright and said firmly, “Yes.”
Li Sanxin clenched his fists.
The veins on his neck protruded as he exerted all his strength to suppress the anger in his heart. “Just like what Fu Xuezhou said, the only way for him to survive is to do it with Fu Xuezhou?”
Duan Zegu’s eyes darkened. “Yes.”
Li Sanxin leaned back, biting his teeth hard, feeling a wave of powerlessness dragging him down like a tide. This tall and sturdy northern gentleman’s eyes reddened. “I understand.”
Duan Zegu sighed. “The reason why Lou Yan didn’t tell you is because it’s a difficult topic for him to broach. The only reason he told me is because of my abilities; he needs me to discern right from wrong for him. In short, Lou Yan’s intention was for no one to know, but he told me out of necessity. Li Sannin, you must believe that Lou Yan’s trust in you is unmatched by anyone, not even me and Lu Haoxiu can compare. Lou Yan cares for you deeply—of course, I’m talking about brotherly love.”
“…I understand,” Li Sanxin raised his hand to cover his face, his voice muffled as he spoke candidly to Duan Zege, “I know he trusts me a lot, and I trust him too. The bond between us, growing up together since childhood, is truly indescribable. I’m willing to die for him. But the things you and Fu Xuezhou know, the fact that they endanger his life, and I have no clue about it, I can’t help but worry.”
Li Sanxin continued slowly, “Yanzhi has changed a lot. Since the night of that Anomaly Resurgence, I knew he must have encountered something I don’t know about… I’m always worried that he might have been hurt when I couldn’t see. His enemies are strange, fanatical, and perverted, seeking to destroy the world… each one stronger and more dangerous than the last. Since he merged with the anomaly, one thing after another has happened, which has put me on edge. I’m especially afraid that one day I’ll suddenly hear news about him…”
The words “dead” were swallowed by Li Sanxin. He dared not speak them out loud.
Duan Zege shrugged lazily, “That’s really something we can’t overcome. We live in this world, and no one knows if they’ll live to see tomorrow, but everyone is striving to survive. You, Yanzhi, you need to believe in yourself more, love yourself more.”
The last sentence made Li Sanxin feel nauseous. He couldn’t help but shiver and, lowering his hand from his face, gave Duan Zege a strange look. He couldn’t find the words to express his feelings, “Duan Zege, how many cups of chicken soup have you had in one breath? That’s so nauseating.”
Duan Zege rolled his eyes.
Li Sanxin smiled, feeling slightly better. He stood up, “I’ll go to the kitchen and cook. We have to drag Yanzhi out for lunch. Since he has to do that thing with Fu Xuezhou to survive, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Li Sanxin’s eyes darkened, and he scoffed irritably, “But that guy’s attitude really pisses me off… if he won’t come willingly, should we tie him up and force Yanzhi onto him?”
Duan Zege rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “I doubt we can overpower him.”
Li Sanxin’s expression became grim, “We’ll have to find a way to bring him here. Although that guy speaks harshly, he looks decent and has a good figure. Yanzhi wouldn’t feel too bad about it. No, I d*mn well have to figure out how to handle this—what the h*ll is this?!”
Li Sanxin widened his eyes in shock, staring at the sudden appearance of a palm-sized black hole in front of him. Turning his head, he saw a similar black hole in front of Duan Zege.
Duan Zege jumped up suddenly, and the chair fell heavily to the ground as he looked at the black hole cautiously, his muscles tense, “I don’t know.”
In the next room, Lu Haixiu suddenly screamed, “Ah! There’s a black hole in front of me!”
As soon as the words fell, the black hole in front of him suddenly spewed out a pure black invitation.
Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get up to 5 more chapters of Monster Resurgence right away ! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
