Ning Mufeng had been more sensitive than others since childhood, his five senses sharper. Even his intuition was several times stronger than an average person's, and it had never been wrong.
So when someone wanted to kill him, he sensed it immediately.
But he didn't reveal it, nor did he pretend to notice. Instead, he used the traps set by the killer to eliminate the people he detested, one by one.
He was not a good person.
He had severe germophobia, his clothes were always pristine white, and he disliked others touching his belongings.
So, when he discovered someone had sat in his seat, and another had accidentally soiled his white shirt, he directly used the killer's traps to have them killed.
Looking at their bodies, he felt nothing.
Just as his uncle said, someone carrying the Ning family's blood couldn't possibly be a good person. He was merely adept at disguise.
No one suspected his involvement.
How could they? After all, he had never laid a hand on anyone from start to finish.
Ning Mufeng wasn't interested in who the killer was, nor why they wanted him dead. He even kind of liked the killer.
Such a useful tool was hard to come by.
Ning Mufeng looked at the corpse nearby, revealing a gentle, spring-like smile. But as his gaze swept across and landed on a figure in the corner, his smile faded slightly.
That person... was his name Wang Qing?
Next time, he'd use the killer to get rid of him too.
He didn't like the way he looked at him.
The school would always set up the stage in advance for large evening parties. Ning Mufeng noticed at a glance that the chandelier on stage had been tampered with.
It seemed the killer planned to have the chandelier crush him this time.
Ning Mufeng casually recalled the application forms for the closing performance of the party and realized that the person named Wang Qing was also participating.
Perfect. He'd take care of him this time.
With just a few words, Ning Mufeng managed to give the performance slot to Wang Qing, while still playing the victim. On the night of the performance, he deliberately left school, creating a perfect alibi.
But all of this changed after receiving one phone call. Lin An'yan said Wang Qing had fallen.
Fallen?
That won't do, wouldn't that render the killer's setup useless?
"Why don't you ask Wang Qing if he can play the piano or something? My piano is still at school, he can borrow it."
Ning Mufeng hated others touching his things, but at this moment, he agreed to lend the piano to Wang Qing. Anyway, he didn't like that piano anymore; it was a good chance to get a new one.
Just as Ning Mufeng finished speaking, his gaze froze.
He had the video call on full screen, so he could clearly see the scene on the other side. Behind Lin Yan's stood a sofa, and curled up on that sofa was a person.
That person had a slender, delicate figure. Even without looking up at the camera, his curled-up posture looked extremely beautiful.
It was like a newborn kitten, just one month old, tiny and curled into a ball.
Upon realizing that person was Wang Qing, Ning Mufeng's heart tightened, and he spoke up almost instinctively.
"Since he's injured his leg, let's not have him go on stage."
This was the first time Ning Mufeng changed his mind about a killing, and even he found it somewhat inexplicable.
But it was too late; Wang Qing had already gone on stage.
Ning Mufeng's heart instantly sank. A hint of panic even arose deep within him, as if something bad was about to happen.
This was the exact feeling he got every time he had an intuition that someone was trying to kill him.
His intuition was telling him that if he didn't rush back immediately, something he would regret was definitely going to happen.
Wang Qing... couldn't die, could he?
Ning Mufeng heeded his intuition and rushed back as fast as he could.
Before he even stepped into the gala hall, he heard a huge 'bang', immediately followed by screams and commotion.
Ning Mufeng's heartbeat nearly stopped. He stumbled, almost falling straight to the ground.
Was he too late?
Suppressing the immense, inexplicable panic rising in his heart, he rushed into the gala hall at full speed.
The person was still alive.
Ning Mufeng's heart immediately settled. He couldn't quite distinguish the reason for his intense relief. Seeing the person about to fall, he inexplicably stepped forward and embraced him from behind.
Ning Mufeng detested others touching him the most, but at that moment, that revulsion vanished without a trace. He stared blankly at the person in his arms.
Really... beautiful.
Why had he never noticed before that Wang Qing was actually this beautiful?
Just as Ning Mufeng was lost in thought, the person in his arms began to struggle, as if he were some kind of flood monster or savage beast.
Seeing this, Ning Mufeng felt a little displeased. Did this person dislike him this much?
He had long noticed that this person disliked him, but he hadn't expected it to be to this extent, to the point where he wouldn't even allow himself to be touched.
Ning Mufeng wasn't someone who couldn't read the room. Logically, since the other person disliked him so much, he shouldn't approach him anymore.
But he couldn't seem to control himself. As soon as he left, he went to investigate everything about Wang Qing.
Including his background, and also his identity at 'Huayue'.
Ning Mufeng looked at the information in his hands. His hands, holding the documents, clenched uncontrollably, almost crushing the papers.
Excellent. This person was actually a registered male escort at 'Huayue'.
So dirty.
Ning Mufeng stopped looking at the information about Wang Qing, and stopped investigating any news about him. Even when he occasionally recalled the scene from that night, he forcefully suppressed that strange feeling.
He hated dirty people the most.
However, some feelings couldn't be suppressed just by wanting to. In fact, the more he tried to suppress them, the stronger they rebounded.
So strong that his mind was filled with Wang Qing's image.
Wang Qing curled up on the sofa, Wang Qing falling into his arms, Wang Qing sitting in the interrogation room...
In the end, Ning Mufeng indulged himself, allowing Wang Qing to completely occupy his mind.
He even started to convince himself that Wang Qing simply had no choice before. If he had a choice, why would he become a male escort?
Ning Mufeng had already cast his cleanliness obsession aside, eager to see Wang Qing.
But Ning Mufeng never expected that when they met again, this person would actually be kissing Chu Yi.
A surge of anger rose from the bottom of Ning Mufeng's heart, almost burning away his reason. He laughed coldly and spoke.
"Student Wang has a pretty wide range of business, even bringing it to the school."
No, that's not what he meant to say, but the words that came out of his mouth were—
"But Student Wang, you're pretty impressive. I never expected Professor Chu to be your client."
"How is Professor Chu's technique? Can he satisfy you?"
Ning Mufeng looked at the boy's pale face and felt a pang of regret. Just as he was about to apologize, the boy spoke.
"That's not how it is."
"I... I'm dating Professor Chu."
Dating? The taut string in Ning Mufeng's mind snapped instantly, and his rationality fled once more.
"Are you serious? You didn't actually take what Professor Chu said to you as the truth, did you?"
"You're pitiful."
The moment these words left his mouth, he didn't need to imagine the consequences.
Ning Mufeng watched Wang Qing walk away in anger, feeling an inexplicable discomfort in his heart. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, but there was nothing he could do about it.
From then on, Ning Mufeng noticed Wang Qing avoiding him even more fiercely.
Lin Anran and the others had terrible attitudes towards him too, and they also coveted him, yet Wang Qing only shunned him like he was a snake or scorpion.
If everyone else was acceptable, why wasn't he?
Ning Mufeng was going crazy. Taking advantage of when the other was changing clothes in the locker room, he cornered him from behind.
If money was all it took, wasn't that fine? He was wealthy too.
Ning Mufeng pressed the bank card into the young man's hand and noticed that Wang Qing immediately stopped struggling, even seeming to seriously consider his words.
Ning Mufeng's eyes reddened with anger. So it really was just about the money.
Yet this very person had completely captivated him; he hadn't expected he could stoop so low.
Ning Mufeng expressionlessly closed his eyes, once again giving in to his impulses.
The dirty paired with the cheap – weren't they a match made in heaven?
But before he could even begin, they were interrupted by a commotion, as if even heaven was working against him.
Another person had died. This time, it had nothing to do with him, but he had no choice but to leave.
It didn't matter; there would be other opportunities.
However, what Ning Mufeng hadn't anticipated was that Wang Qing wasn't only involved with Chu Yi, but also with his own uncle.
The next time he saw them, the two were kissing on the sofa. The scene almost stung his eyes.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his veins bulged prominently.
Why.
Why does he have to get himself so dirty? Why is it that Chu Yi can? Why can his uncle? Why can so many others, but he is the only one who has to hide in the dark corners and covet?
He hates the young man, and he also hates the two people who covet the young man.
Those two are so old, what qualifications do they have to stand shoulder to shoulder with the young man? Clearly, he is the most suitable one.
This time, Ning Mufeng did not leave but waited outside the door.
He didn't want to endure it anymore; he wanted to stand openly and legitimately with the young man.
He said to the young man.
— Haven't you always been jealous of me for remaining untainted?
— You are very dirty.
— So, do you want to get me dirty too?
The young man seemed tempted. When the young man bit his Adam's apple, Ning Mufeng's heartbeat uncontrollably accelerated, telling him plainly that he was completely smitten.
Even knowing that the young man had so many others, he couldn't bring himself to give up.
It's okay.
As long as all those people disappear, the young man will have only him.
However, plans couldn't keep up with changes. The young man's affairs at 'Huayue' were exposed. Without needing to think, he knew what kind of blow this would be for the young man.
Suppressing the panic in his heart, Ning Mufeng ran as fast as he could towards the rooftop.
Don't.
Don't die.
He hasn't told him yet that he likes him, likes him enough to give up everything.
Ning Mufeng ran up to the rooftop. Looking at the person standing on the edge, his heartbeat almost stopped.
"Don't move! Don't you dare move!"
But a person set on dying cannot be stopped.
"I'm a little tired."
"Do you know why I was jealous of you?"
Ning Mufeng's heart clenched as he looked at the young man, inexplicably not wanting to hear any more.
"It's because."
"I adore you."
Hearing the young man's words, Ning Mufeng was rooted to the spot, his pupils uncontrollably dilating.
So, the young man didn't loathe him, he actually liked him?
He liked him too.
This realization caused a sudden, unbearable pain in Ning Mufeng's heart. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and he even felt a chill sweep through his entire body.
What had he done?
He had used him to kill, ignored his feelings, and even done those things to him.
He had already possessed what he wanted, had already possessed the young man's affection.
He was the one who had destroyed it all with his own hands.
The pain made it hard for Ning Mufeng to breathe. He endured the agony, wanting to trick the young man into coming down first.
But unexpectedly, the young man was cleverer than he imagined; he was also deceiving him into coming closer.
Watching his own heart being pierced, Ning Mufeng felt not a single trace of regret. It seemed this was the best possible ending.
Mustering his last ounce of strength, he leaned in and kissed the person before him.
Ning Mufeng's kiss carried no desire, no forcefulness; it held only tenderness and deep affection.
He had wanted to kiss him for a long time.
It was just a pity this kiss was too brief, tainted with the scent of coppery blood.
Feeling the person in his arms stop breathing, Ning Mufeng ended the kiss. Just as he was about to wipe the trace of blood from the corner of the young man's mouth, the aura of the person in his arms suddenly changed.
It was no longer sweet, but became something he detested.
Looking into the eyes before him, filled with resentment and jealousy, Ning Mufeng suddenly understood.
So that's why he had suddenly changed his mind, why he had grown fond of him—it was two souls in one body.
And him... was he already dead?
How cunning, to have left before him.
A gentle smile appeared on Ning Mufeng's lips as he slowly closed his eyes.
Dying with this person actually seemed like a good thing.
At least in this final moment, he was completely his.
