As 'Ruan Qing'’s gaze darkened, black mist rapidly spread in from the darkness outside the window, swirling and drifting through the air. The entire space became filled with an aura of danger and fear.
Moreover, anything the black mist touched was instantly devoured, leaving no trace behind—not even ashes. The entire process was eerily silent.
Yet, the basement where Ruan Qing was remained completely unaffected, and Ruan Qing himself did not notice anything unusual.
If Ruan Qing had turned to look outside the mirror at that moment, he would have seen that the once elegantly decorated room had turned into near ruins, and even the entire building was beginning to shake precariously.
‘Ruan Qing’ lowered his eyes, concealing the horror and menace within them. The moment he looked down, the black mist instantly retreated into the darkness, and the room and building that had been devoured by the mist returned to normal.
It was as if everything that had just happened was nothing more than an illusion.
‘Ruan Qing’ pressed his lips together and hesitantly spoke in a low voice, "I think… if I was meant to forget, then maybe it wasn’t that important after all."
Ruan Qing nodded slightly, agreeing with ‘Ruan Qing’'s statement. "I think so too."
"Besides, this feeling could have been tampered with by someone else."
The system: "……"
Unknowingly, time had already reached 5 AM, with just over an hour left until dawn.
This was the best time to search for clues because even if they encountered a vengeful ghost, they only needed to hold out until daylight to be safe.
But after a night of intense exertion, ‘Ruan Qing’ no longer had the strength to look for clues.
Ruan Qing also knew that his body was nearing its limit. Even if he forced himself to search for clues, he wouldn’t have the energy to endure until dawn if he encountered a ghost.
Tonight would have to end like this.
Due to the strenuous activity, his body was covered in sweat. After resting enough, ‘Ruan Qing’ grabbed clean clothes and headed into the bathroom, not forgetting to take a small mirror with him.
He secured the small mirror onto the wall and began undressing, showing no intention of avoiding Ruan Qing in the mirror, nor any hint of shyness. It was as if the person in the mirror was nothing more than his own reflection.
Ruan Qing had no habit of watching others bathe, let alone his own body, but he didn’t leave immediately.
Ruan Qing watched as ‘Ruan Qing’ removed his shirt, his gaze subtly falling a little lower on ‘Ruan Qing’’s chest.
There was a mole there, starkly visible against his fair, almost translucent skin—so prominent that it was almost an eyesore.
Ruan Qing was more than familiar with that mole. Besides the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye, it was the only other mole on his body.
It looked like a mole, yet not quite.
A closer look revealed that it wasn’t just a dark spot but more like an intricate pattern or tattoo.
However, the pattern was far too complex to be an actual tattoo—it was nearly impossible to replicate.
This was undoubtedly himself.
Ruan Qing lowered his eyes, hiding the emotions within them, before gracefully turning his back to the mirror.
‘Ruan Qing’ had placed the small mirror on the bathroom wall, so the sound of running water could be heard on the other side of the mirror as well. Occasionally, there were even faint movements that could lead one’s imagination astray.
But Ruan Qing had no such thoughts. He sat with his back to the mirror, holding a pen and notebook, carefully organizing the clues he had gathered so far.
This dungeon was undoubtedly linked to that kidnapping case, and the reason behind that case was likely the key to uncovering the dungeon’s core.
Ruan Qing circled the name "Ren Yanqing" in his notes.
There was definitely something suspicious about Ren Yanqing.
Ruan Qing wasn’t sure if Ren Yanqing had died in the explosion back then, but clues about the dungeon would surely appear within the explorable range of the dungeon.
The only areas accessible in this dungeon were the residential complex and the sales office. Even if Ren Yanqing wasn’t in this complex, there must be clues related to him somewhere within it.
The question was: where?
As Ruan Qing pondered seriously, the sound of running water was suddenly accompanied by soft, ragged breaths.
Not the kind of panting from exertion, but the kind from… that kind of activity.
Ruan Qing stopped writing, his face filled with shock as he turned around.
Due to the hot water, the entire bathroom was hazy with mist, making visibility somewhat unclear. But that didn’t prevent Ruan Qing from seeing exactly what the other person was doing.
‘Ruan Qing’ seemed to sense Ruan Qing’s gaze. Leaning against the wall, he lifted his eyes to look at Ruan Qing. His beautiful eyes were slightly dazed, and his breathing was noticeably unsteady. "What’s wrong?"
His voice was tinged with hoarseness, unusually low and sultry, making it impossible not to be drawn in.
The emotion in his voice carried an unmistakable sensuality, enough to make one’s heartbeat stutter.
The moment Ruan Qing realized what he was seeing, his face instantly turned red. He quickly turned back to his notebook, his voice stumbling. "Y-You… how could you…?"
‘Ruan Qing’ continued his movements while staring directly at Ruan Qing’s slender back. His breathing remained ragged as he spoke. "Is there a problem? Didn’t I used to do this before?"
His voice was as calm as ever, but his gaze grew darker and more intense, carrying an unmistakable sense of dominance and aggression that was downright terrifying.
Yet Ruan Qing didn’t turn back, nor did he answer ‘Ruan Qing’’s question.
‘Ruan Qing’ kept his eyes on Ruan Qing as he continued, "Was I asexual before?"
"But I’ve dreamed about doing that with someone before."
Ruan Qing was certainly not asexual.
He was a normal man, and naturally, he had the physiological reactions any adult male would have. Being deliberately teased by someone would obviously elicit a response.
However…
Ruan Qing pressed his lips together, feeling a bit lost. In the end, he stiffly and awkwardly moved away from the mirror, his delicate figure carrying a hint of a panicked retreat.
The moment Ruan Qing left the mirror’s view, the image and sound from the other side of the mirror vanished.
‘Ruan Qing’ watched the disappearing figure and, for once, did not have a dark expression.
Instead, he chuckled softly, sounding oddly delighted—so much so that it sent a shiver down the spine.
So cute…
Oh gosh, his other self is intense 😳Thank you for the chapter!!
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