We Were Just as Despicable

His Adam's apple bobbed, and a thin sheen of sweat surfaced again.

His heaving chest pulled his shirt farther open, exposing swaths of skin to the cold, damp air and making him tremble faintly.

Yu Qing had already been struggling to endure it. Now, fighting for his life, he gritted his teeth and pulled the Suppression Chain as tight as it would go!

But... the hidden squirming sounds still pierced the air, sinking into his ears like a taunt.

His heart lurched, pounding wildly. Before he could gather his wits again, the BOSS's kiss descended forcefully, pressing against his lips.

"Mmph!"

The young man gave a muffled groan, his fingertips trembling as he was forced into a stalemate.

After a long while, his grip gradually loosened...

Tears gathered at the corners of Yu Qing's eyes, and he instinctively began to struggle.

Because the BOSS had taken hold of his hand!

Those cold, deathly pale hands clasped his, their fingers nudging lightly, probing for a chance to steal the Control Ring from his palm.

Yu Qing kept his hand clenched, refusing to let go, but...

His stamina was nowhere near enough to contend with a level-seven BOSS.

Veins bulged across his hand one after another. In the eerie darkness, their breaths mingled, each harboring ulterior motives as they gambled with life and death.

Suddenly, a kiss landed on his ear.

Yu Qing froze, unable to react. Before he even realized the BOSS had released him, another light kiss brushed his ear.

The touch was gentle, softening his heart.

A tingling, resonant voice settled beside his ear, unfamiliar intimacy budding amid its icy malice. "Ba...by?"

The BOSS said it hesitantly. Clearly, he did not understand what the endearment meant, but he was trying to learn.

Feeling Yu Qing's grip loosen slightly, that large hand immediately enveloped the young man's clenched fist. A fingertip hooked the Control Ring and slowly, casually lifted...

The air went still. Their fierce struggle seemed like a string pulled taut; whoever yielded first would be doomed beyond redemption.

"Hus...band?"

The BOSS tried another endearment, his lingering tone sending tingles across Yu Qing's scalp.

Before long, he actually lifted Yu Qing off the ground and gathered his slight frame into his arms.

The BOSS lowered the temperature around them. His large palm stroked the young man's back, and without betraying a thing, he tried another form of address. "Master?"

At those words, Yu Qing shuddered all over. His hand, clenched around the Control Ring, finally opened a crack.

But that tiny gap was enough for the BOSS to exploit, snatching away the top-tier item that bound him!

Yu Qing's hand was forced open, his fingers gradually straightening before the monster immediately caught them, intertwining their fingers intimately.

He had sunk into the BOSS's trap as though into a swamp. The more he struggled, the faster he was swallowed.

"Ba...by?" The BOSS's voice sounded right in front of him, still addressing him tentatively. Yu Qing's vision gradually blurred, as though he had surrendered entirely to his control.

This rare advantage piqued the BOSS's interest. It seemed to be the first time he had held a firm upper hand since their contest began.

He was pleased.

The man swiftly removed the item binding him, then unhesitatingly drew the dazed Yu Qing closer into his arms. Generously, he offered, "Do you need me... to lend a little hand?"

The tear tracks at the corners of his eyes were deeper than before. His chest heaved, and even his breathing was beyond his control.

Yu Qing struggled to raise his eyes to him. Guided by the BOSS, his hand slowly touched something ice-cold...!!!

His pupils widened in disbelief.

Directly above him, the beautiful monster spoke in a mildly cool voice, without the slightest fluctuation of emotion. "Which one do you like? Choose... one yourself?"

"Mm..."

Broken sobs came intermittently, his breath growing weaker and weaker, like a kitten's whimper.

Everyone on the verge of death cried like that.

Outside the Detention Room, the sky gradually darkened. Beneath the black fog, the Sanatorium grew eerie once more.

The stifled sobbing continued all afternoon, growing steadily weaker. The moment it stopped, a smile immediately spread across the director's aged face. His already tiny eyes were almost swallowed entirely by his wrinkles, making him look even more terrifying than the ghostly woman on patrol.

Clap, clap, clap-

At last, the director raised his hands and casually clapped three times. Three skeletal orderlies rushed over and lined up before him, listening as he spoke.

"The one who stole the Keycard is dead. Go in after a while and dispose of his body. Eat him clean. Don't let an ugly corpse turn up in the lobby and sully Angel's eyes."

As he spoke, drool was already beginning to drip from the orderlies' mouths.

The director was very pleased with everything he saw. He walked over to the reception desk, picked up a red rag, and began carefully wiping the eerie statue of Angel in the lobby.

His eyes narrowed slightly, devout and vicious.

"Hah... hah..."

By the time the drug's effects had completely faded, Yu Qing lay limply on the floor, his eyes brimming with tears and his own shirt clenched tightly between his teeth.

He disdained making a sound, but the BOSS clearly had no intention of letting matters rest. The man slowly sat down and gathered him into his arms, pierced his own finger, then brushed aside Yu Qing's disheveled white hair and forced his mouth open.

Yu Qing tried to bite down again but failed. Then, drip-

A drop of black blood seeped into his mouth. It had little taste, but it made Yu Qing choke and cough hard twice. Then came a second drop, a third, a fourth...

At the tenth drop, the BOSS finally let go. The fragile young man swiftly turned his head aside, drenched in sweat, and coughed several times in succession.

His clothes had long since been ruined beyond decency. Once Yu Qing had fully adjusted to the blood, the BOSS's ear twitched. He heard the young man in his arms speak hoarsely. "You're cheating."

The BOSS tilted his head. "?"

After coughing, Yu Qing seemed to catch sight of something and remained stunned for a long while. Finally, he simply gave up resisting and leaned against the monster, lifting his gaze with disdain. "Sex itself is a tool you can use to cheat."

"It can skip right past the process of getting to know each other, becoming close, and falling in love, letting two complete strangers forge the most intimate connection in an instant."

"...I don't like it."

After a pause, Yu Qing delivered his verdict with absolute certainty.

The BOSS stared at the person in his arms. That dismissive gaze, as though he were looking at trash, made him increasingly uncomfortable.

Yu Qing told him, "What you're doing to me is no different from me using items against you. You and I..."

As he spoke, the young man raised his fingertips and lightly hooked his collar, his voice tingling with sensuality. "We're... just. As. Despicable."

Suddenly, crash-

The door was shoved open, and the orderlies entered. The BOSS immediately felt movement in his arms!