Chapter 437 – Palpitations from That World – Good, as expected of him (04)
Night fell, and the neon lights along the streets flickered on. The dazzling, indulgent city awaited people to begin their revelry.
Li Tefeng, dressed in a cool and stylish outfit, turned back to ask his three roommates if they wanted to go out together. “Hey, wanna go have some fun? Maybe we’ll even get lucky~”
The young man waggled his eyebrows and glanced around before settling his gaze on Wen Junnan. “Junnan, come with us. You won’t have to worry about girls not coming.”
Wen Junnan was the most eye-catching among them. Whenever they went out together, girls’ gazes would inevitably fall on him. Although they were really looking at Wen Junnan, his friends still ended up getting quite a few girls’ contact details. After all, befriending the friends of someone you liked was a good way to make yourself known in front of your crush.
In the past, Wen Junnan wouldn’t have minded going out with his roommates. But things were different now. Without a second thought, he refused, “I won’t go. I’m going to sleep. You guys have fun.”
Only then did they notice that Wen Junnan had already brushed his teeth, styled his hair with gel, and put on a brand-new outfit—yet instead of going out with them, he said he was going to sleep.
What kind of strange habit was that? They had never seen someone dress up just to go to sleep.
Once Wen Junnan made a decision, he rarely changed it. The three of them said a few more words, but when they saw him lying face-down on the desk with his eyes closed, muttering things like “Sleeping on the desk instead of the bed, how weird,” they stopped bothering him. Grabbing their keys and phones, they headed out. Without Wen Junnan, it was better—at least the girls’ attention wouldn’t all be taken by him. With their own charm, even if they couldn’t have girls flocking to them, they would at least be treated politely when approaching someone, and their success rate might even be higher.
The reason Wen Junnan chose to sleep on the desk was that, once he entered his dreams, he could find Bai Tang more quickly.
Tick-tock, tick-tock—the clock kept turning. In the quiet dormitory, each movement of the second hand sounded especially loud, like it was striking directly against one’s heart, making the heartbeat gradually synchronize with its rhythm.
Wen Junnan opened his eyes. There wasn’t a trace of sleepiness in his deep, captivating gaze.
He… had insomnia.
He had slept for several hours in the afternoon just to enter his dreams. The result of sleeping too much during the day was that he couldn’t fall asleep at night. Annoyed, Wen Junnan slammed his fist against the desk, causing the books on it to tremble.
“D*mn it.”
At this point, nothing he said could change the fact that he couldn’t sleep. After thinking for a moment, Wen Junnan took his keys and headed to the gym.
Physical exhaustion could help a person fall asleep faster. At the gym, Wen Junnan trained as if his life depended on it. Sweat rolled over his well-defined muscles, his powerful physique brimming with explosive strength, attracting the attention of many girls. Yet his cold, distant handsome face made it clear he wasn’t someone to approach lightly, so most could only watch him quietly from afar.
When Wen Junnan returned to the dorm, Li Tefeng and the others had just come back as well. “Junnan, you went out—”
Wen Junnan didn’t respond. With a dark expression, he took off his clothes, went into the bathroom, and took a quick, efficient shower. After coming out, he sprayed on some antiperspirant.
The trio of roommates who had been ignored—and then shown off to—fell silent. “…”
“It’s late. You guys should get some rest,” Wen Junnan finally spoke to them. He sat down on the chair, leaned forward onto the desk, and tried to fall asleep.
Perhaps he hadn’t exercised enough—Wen Junnan didn’t feel sleepy at all. He could clearly hear the sounds of everyone showering and chatting. It wasn’t until the other three turned off the lights and climbed into their bunks that Wen Junnan felt it—he was finally about to see Tang Tang.
When he opened his eyes again, the faint, unpleasant odor in the air told him he had already arrived in another space-time.
He stood up from the chair. Strangely, the three roommates who should have been sleeping peacefully in their beds were nowhere to be seen. The entire dormitory was empty except for him.
He quickly walked to the door. A damp breeze drifted through the corridor.
“Tang Tang, are you here?”
Yesterday, he had encountered the little squirrel in the hallway. He wasn’t sure if Tangtang had wandered off.
“Squeak, squeak—”
Not long after, a few faint sounds came from afar. Wen Junnan turned his head and saw a yellow-brown little squirrel running quickly toward him.
“A Nan~”
Just as the squirrel reached him, it transformed into a human. The boy leapt onto Wen Junnan, wrapping his legs around his waist. “I missed you so much. Did you miss me?”
Bai Tang’s undisguised affection delighted Wen Junnan. Even the restlessness that had plagued him all day finally settled. Supporting the boy’s hips so he wouldn’t fall, his expression softened with tenderness. “I did. I missed you very, very much.”
“I’ve been waiting for you for so long~”
The boy’s eyes sparkled, filled with light as he looked at Wen Junnan.
They were so close they could almost feel each other’s breath.
A faint ache rose in Wen Junnan’s chest as he asked, “Tang Tang, can I kiss you?”
Bai Tang tilted his head. “Of course.”
A treasure is a treasure because it is cherished. That was exactly how Wen Junnan felt now. He gently captured the boy’s soft lips, slowly savoring them, cherishing his beloved.
“Tang Tang…”
“Mmm…”
Though they had been together for a long time, at this moment they were like inexperienced lovers who didn’t even know how to breathe properly while kissing. When the kiss finally ended, both were left breathless. Still, Wen Junnan was reluctant to let Bai Tang go, holding him close and kissing him again and again.
“How can I take you out with me?” With just that one kiss, Wen Junnan had already confirmed his feelings—he liked Bai Tang. He liked this squirrel spirit. He wasn’t satisfied with only meeting him in dreams; it was too risky. What if one day he stopped dreaming? Then he would never see his Tang Tang again.
Bai Tang was still immersed in the intimacy with Wen Junnan, his mind a little hazy, not quite understanding what he meant.
Fortunately, Qiu’er stepped in at the right moment, knowing it had to help its master win over the squirrel. It reminded Bai Tang through their shared consciousness: “Tang Tang, the villain—you have to defeat the villain. When the villain dies, the power released at the moment of death can tear open a spatial rift, and that will allow you to reach the male lead’s space-time.”
Since it involved his beloved’s life, Bai Tang snapped to full alert and repeated everything he knew.
Wen Junnan fell into deep thought. If that was the case, then the key lay with the bandaged man in this world. The biggest problem was: as an ordinary person, how could he possibly fight someone with supernatural abilities? He would need to think this through carefully.
Bai Tang couldn’t stand seeing Wen Junnan frown, so he said, “Don’t worry. A Nan is even stronger than the bandaged man. Your power is far above his—you just haven’t learned how to use it yet.”
Bai Tang wasn’t lying. As the male lead of this world, if he was meant to oppose the villain, then there was no way he could be weak while the villain was strong. Aside from A Nan’s sealed power, he also possessed an ability in this world that could destroy supernatural powers. Everyone pulled into this place by Ning Sitong wasn’t ordinary—they all had abilities. It was just that in their original world, those abilities were restricted and couldn’t be used. Only in this parallel space-time could they be activated.
After living decades as normal people, they suddenly found themselves here, hunted by the bandaged man. Some died without ever realizing what made them special, while others were fortunate enough to discover their abilities—but before they could master them, they were found by the bandaged man and killed out of fear.
In any case, Wen Junnan would learn about this sooner or later. It was better to tell him now than let Ning Sithong guide him and create a bond between them.
“Tang Tang is amazing.” Wen Junnan didn’t hesitate to believe Bai Tang. “So, is Tang Tang’s ability turning into a little squirrel?”
Bai Tang shook his head. “You’ve got it backwards. My ability is turning into a human.” His true form was a squirrel, after all.
A squirrel that could turn into a human—put simply, that made him a spirit. So his first romance had turned out to be a relationship between a human and a spirit, crossing the boundary between species. Well… that made him pretty impressive too. As expected of him.
“Then Tang Tang’s master is…?”
“My master is the bandaged monster.”
The boy answered crisply, completely unashamed of his origins. His blunt honesty made Wen Junnan worry for him—he should at least hide it a little. Luckily, he had met him. If it were someone else, wouldn’t such an innocent Tang Tang be in great danger?
“The bandaged monster is ugly and smells awful. I don’t like him. A Nan, hurry up and defeat him—I don’t want to be locked in a cage.” His soft, plaintive voice was full of grievance. Bai Tang’s eyes shimmered with moisture, his small, pitiful, and helpless appearance making Wen Junnan’s heart ache.
“Alright, I’ll definitely find a way to defeat him as soon as possible.” Wen Junnan knew that defeating the ruler of a space-time wasn’t something simple. The fastest and easiest way would be to find his weakness—but to do that, he would have to get close to the bandaged monster. And Tang Tang… Wen Junnan looked at Bai Tang, more worried about his safety than anything else.
Sensing his thoughts, Bai Tang explained, “Don’t worry about me. I’m still the bandaged monster’s pet right now—he won’t do anything to me. At most, I’ll just go hungry and won’t get anything tasty to eat.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the boy’s stomach growled in perfect timing.
Wen Junnan ruffled his hair and took out a small bag of peeled chestnuts from his coat pocket.
“Ah, chestnuts, chestnuts!” Bai Tang’s eyes lit up with delight. He held the bag of chestnuts as if it were a treasure, which made Wen Junnan feel a pang of sadness.
It was just a bag of chestnuts… Tang Tang must have been hungry here for a long time.
“What do you want to eat? I’ll bring you more tomorrow.”
The two stayed hidden in the boys’ dormitory for quite a while. While Bai Tang was eating, Wen Junnan thought through many things. Sooner or later, they would have to leave the dorm. If they didn’t go out, they wouldn’t understand this place or find clues to defeat the bandaged monster. And if they stayed too long, the bandaged monster would eventually discover them—by then, they might not even know how to escape.
After Bai Tang finished eating, Wen Junnan shared his thoughts. Bai Tang didn’t object, but he reminded him, “You can leave, but you have to remember—you’re already taken. You’re not allowed to look at other girls, got it?”
The boy puffed up his cheeks in mock anger, which amused Wen Junnan greatly. He liked the little squirrel’s possessiveness.
The corners of Wen Junnan’s lips lifted. “Got it. I’ll definitely listen to Tang Tang. I won’t even spare other girls a glance—I’ll only look at you, okay?”
His affectionate gaze made Bai Tang realize he might have overreacted. His face flushed in embarrassment. “It’s enough that you know—you don’t have to say it out loud.”
Tang Tang was shy. The realization sent Wen Junnan’s mood soaring. “Alright, I won’t say it—I’ll prove it to you with my actions.”