TBWE Extra 5

He spoke of jealousy in a calm tone.

Chu Li’s heart trembled.

She couldn’t help but recall how Xi Chu, in the very beginning, had worn Huo Xiu’s skin without any psychological burden, playing his role.

And now He was speaking of jealousy.

Something deep in her heart quietly softened and caved in.

Chu Li took the initiative to embrace Him, their cheeks pressed together. “We are the same kind.”

The arms around her waist tightened, Xi Chu pressed her completely into His embrace, leaving not a single gap.

Thin lips kissed along Chu Li’s neck, sucking hard through the thin layer of skin, leaving a red mark.

He stared at it for a long while, the seething, twisted jealousy slowly retreating back into the darkness.

Just a dead person, He thought.

****

After final exams ended, Chu Li welcomed winter break. 

After a few days of wild playing with her day and night reversed, her biological clock was completely chaotic.

The curtains in her room were only half-drawn, the warm winter sunlight streaming in, illuminating the bedroom in a hazy glow.

Chu Li woke up groggily, moved her body, and found herself locked in a pair of arms.

One hand crossed through behind her neck, the other wrapped around her waist, her back against a chest with above-average temperature, as if lying in a solid cage.

Sensing the person in His arms had awakened, tentacles drilled into the warm bedding, intimately coiling around her calves, their tips splitting open with slits, wetly licking her skin.

Chu Li shrank from the ticklish sensation, asking hoarsely, “Mm, what time is it?”

The hand under her neck applied slight pressure, she was guided to turn around, meeting Xi Chu’s deep black eyes.

He didn’t need sleep, His face showed no trace of fatigue.

Warm lips covered hers, His voice muffled. “Eleven o’clock. Good afternoon, Li Li.”

The wet sensation crawled from her calves all the way up her thighs, even showing a trend of going higher.

A red thread promptly wrapped around it and dragged it away. Chu Li pressed against His chest, saying seriously, “Get up, we have tasks today.”

Outside the window, the sun hung high, sunlight penetrating the gray haze—rare good weather.

Also a suitable day for deep cleaning.

Chu Li had always maintained the habit of deep cleaning before the New Year.

The fabric sofa covers, sheets and bedding from all rooms, and the plush toys in the house all needed to be washed.

The washing machine and dryer hummed continuously.

The robot vacuum shuttled between tables and chairs, working diligently.

Chu Li was responsible for organizing the second-floor walk-in closet, Xi Chu was responsible for everywhere else.

The two worked separately in the winter afternoon.

In the walk-in closet, several red threads like the most nimble fingers reached deep into wardrobe crevices, wrapped around cleaning cloths and deftly wiped away dust. In the first-floor living room, several tentacles wrapped around wet cloths, flexibly wiping the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and every tabletop. Other tentacles identified idle items that needed clearing, piling them in the corner by the door.

Xi Chu wore a smoke-gray thin sweater, with matching colored pants below, the slightly open collar revealing cold white skin. This outfit was casual and homey, with glasses as decoration, softening the inhuman aura.

Tentacles busied themselves on the first floor while He changed the four-piece bedding set in the master bedroom, secretive viscous gazes sticking to the silhouette in the walk-in closet.

For the convenience of folding clothes, Chu Li had pinned up her long hair, rolled up her sweater sleeves, revealing smooth arms.

Clang!

A storage box from the top shelf of the wardrobe was accidentally knocked down, luxury gift bags inside scattering all over the floor.

Many gift boxes fell out of the gift bags.

One of them was deep blue velvet-faced, with gold-wrapped corners, exquisite and refined, rolling to Xi Chu’s feet.

He looked down slightly, staring at the thing that had suddenly intruded into His vision.

Chu Li was bewildered for a moment, then realized what was in that storage box, instantly thunderstruck.

“Wait a moment——”

Red threads flew out quickly along the ground, trying to roll the escaped gift box back.

A tentacle pressed down on the gift box like lightning and pried it open.

“Click.“

Inside the gift box lay a brilliant diamond bracelet.

Chu Li stiffened. That storage box had been idle for too long, even she had forgotten about it. Inside were old items Huo Xiu had given her.

And He had read his memories, so naturally He also knew who had given all these gift bags scattered on the floor.

The brilliant light completely ignited emotions that had been suppressed for too long.

The expression on Xi Chu’s face completely disappeared.

His handsome face was like a painted skin stretched over a human skeleton, as if some terrifying thing was about to break free from its shackles and surge out the next moment.

He stared coldly and silently at that box.

Chu Li’s heart jumped violently.

Xi Chu walked over step by step. His house slippers crushed over the blue velvet gift box, which made sounds of being squeezed beyond capacity, becoming a pile of dust unrecognizable from the original.

His tall figure was before her eyes in an instant, his toes pressing against hers as He continued forward. Chu Li was forced to retreat backward, step after step, until her back hit something cold.

“Bang!” It was the full-length mirror hanging on the wall.

Shadows writhed in the walk-in closet, nothing on the floor was spared, all crushed violently.

She pressed against His too-close chest, slowing her tone. “These things have been on the top shelf for a long time, I had forgotten about them. Later, together with the idle items, I’ll… mm!”

He violently tore off His glasses, scalding lips with punishing force pressed down hard, blocking the explanation that hadn’t yet been spoken.

Not quite like a kiss, more like barbaric plunder.

The tip of His tongue domineeringly pried open her lips and teeth, drove straight in, fiercely seizing her breath. Like a hungry large predator, wanting to devour her whole.

He gripped the back of Chu Li’s neck with one hand, the other clasped her wrist and pressed it back against the wall, trapping her firmly between the mirror and Himself.

Scalding in front, cold behind.

Chu Li gradually couldn’t catch her breath, pushing Him unbearably. “Xi Chu…”

Xi Chu gripped her jaw, swallowing the trembling voice into His belly.

Didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to hear a single word.

Only wanted these eyes to lose focus, only reflecting Him. Wanted this mouth to only make whimpering gasps.

Burning thirst and hunger took the upper hand.

Countless shadows surged explosively from behind Him, from wall corners, from gaps in tall cabinets. 

They were no longer the gentle appearance they had when quietly assisting with cleaning before, writhing hideously, swallowing the light sources on the ceiling, plunging the entire walk-in closet into dimness.

Rustling sounds of movement rose in the darkness.

Chu Li’s vision blurred, barely able to see those twisted writhing contours all surging over.

Slippery cold things wrapped around her ankles, wet and covered with fine scales on the surface, crawling up along the curve of her calves, each circle tighter than the last.

Another thicker tentacle replaced Xi Chu, locking her wrists and fixing them above her head.

One also wrapped around her waist, clinging to her skin through the thin sweater. Chu Li could even feel the fine structures on its surface wriggling, like tiny suckers lightly adhering, arousing strange tremors.

Physiological tears spilled out, one drop melting into the entangled lips and tongues.

Xi Chu’s movements paused, He straightened up extremely slowly, His gaze locked on the tearful eyes, His Adam’s apple rolling several times.

Rationality was barely pulled back.

“I’m sorry, Li Li.” He released the tentacle restraining Chu Li’s wrists.

After losing support, her legs went soft, she grabbed onto the clothing in front of Xi Chu’s chest, clearly feeling He was struggling to suppress His burning thirst.

Hunger and jealousy accumulated for so long were trapped within the human skin, unable to be soothed.

Chu Li looked up at the tense jaw line, and like that night before, gently embraced His neck.

“It’s okay.” She kissed the tense jaw line.

Xi Chu and the surging shadows froze simultaneously.

His Adam’s apple rolled again, He slowly lowered His eyes, discerning her expression.

They looked at each other for a moment.

The next moment, burning lips sealed hers again, no longer a plundering storm, but deeply, even more deeply exploring inward, the tip of His tongue stirring and licking every inch of soft flesh in the wet and warm mouth, rolling up the root of her tongue, forcing her to endure and respond.

Chu Li was forced to lift her head back, air rapidly decreasing, even her gasps were blocked deep in her throat.

More tentacles coiled up.

In the chaos, they seemed to knock over clothes in the wardrobe, tearing fragile fabric to shreds in their competing entanglement.

The walk-in closet was filled with Chu Li’s scent.

The tentacles greedily sucked up the fragrance, constantly coiling and licking.

Also knocked over was a jewelry box, jewels scattered all over the floor, a pearl necklace particularly eye-catching.

A thin platinum chain adorned with a plump, round pearl.

A tentacle curiously rolled it up, wrapping around that pearl.

Chu Li was kissed dizzy, her back pressed unreservedly against the ice-cold mirror surface, the same coldness not only on her back.

“Mm!” She arched her body backward as if stimulated, trying to shrink away.

Behind her there was nowhere to retreat. A leg forcefully pushed apart her closed knees, Xi Chu cradled the back of her neck, lips and tongues entangling even deeper.

Chu Li’s whole body trembled, her eyes widened, overflowing with more physiological tears, struggling hard.

“…Wait… no!”

He pulled back slightly, licking away the moisture on her lips, His voice low and hoarse. “Li Li, you just said it was okay.”

“I didn’t say it was okay to use…”

Xi Chu sealed her lips again.

Near evening, the winter sky gradually darkened, fine snow beginning to fall.

Snowflakes drifted down rustling, piling on the windowsill.

The heating inside was strong, warmth transferring through the glass window, melting most of the accumulated snow on the windowsill.

Snowmelt mixed with unmelted snow particles flowed down the windowsill, part of it seeping into the window interior.

Licked away competitively by the thirsty tentacles.

The pearl necklace on the floor was equally loved by the tentacles. The touch of the pearls was soft and smooth, fought over by them for possession.

Chu Li couldn’t endure it anymore, releasing red threads wanting to rescue her beloved necklace.

They coiled around the pearl unwilling to let go. The red threads wrapped around the pure black tentacles, creating a kind of vivid lasciviousness.

Gradually, red and black entwined together, indistinguishable from each other.

The snow fell heavier and heavier.

Chu Li’s entire body pressed against the mirror surface, the mirror no longer cold.

In the dim light, the slightly shaking mirror reflected the tall figure behind, and pitch-black pupils filled with surging greed.

Pale white fingers gripped the edge of the mirror, nails turning white.

Her breath fogged the mirror surface, condensing into a layer of mist. When too much accumulated, it turned into water droplets flowing down the mirror.

One hand wrapped around her waist, stopping the downward slide. The other hand interlocked fingers with hers, pressed against the mirror.

Chu Li’s vision was unfocused. She turned her head and bit down on His wrist, a whimper escaping from her lips.

“…Xi Chu!”

The mirror surface calmed. He stepped through puddles on the floor, moved closer a step, leaning by her ear. “Mm?”

“Get out…”

Get out of her walk-in closet.

Xi Chu released their interlocked hands, gripped her jaw and turned it back, kissing her once again.

The mirror surface shook accordingly.

He sighed, seeming to laugh, His voice rising against her lips.

“Li Li, but it seems it doesn’t want me to get out. What should we do?”