Chapter 7: The Awakened Appetite

In the very next instant after his shock, he suddenly felt the muscles in his calf twitch on their own, followed by a delayed wave of soreness.

Lin Jiangye lowered his eyes and endured the pain, slowly supporting himself back into his chair.

No wonder he was so easily injured. Even Jin Long, who was crouched nearby playing games, could not help but cast him a surprised look.

A University’s dormitories were designed with loft beds above desks. There were guardrails by the bed, and there had never been an accidental fall injury.

Yet he had actually instinctively rolled over and jumped down just like that, ignoring the dangerous height of a person, ignoring the flexibility and endurance of this body, and landed straight on the floor…

One could not be too lively when being human. Lin Jiangye deeply remembered this principle.

He took out the medical kit Yu Wangxiao had given him from the cabinet and studied the topical ointment for soothing muscle strains, quickly going through the possibilities in his mind.

What exactly was the reason for his body’s sudden improvement?

It could not be the health-preserving lunchbox Uncle Chen had brought. Although it was nutritious and balanced, in order to take care of the original host’s fragile stomach, Lin Jiangye had set a rather strict list of food restrictions.

A sufficiently bland diet would not give him explosive energy. This almost inhuman efficiency was extremely unreasonable.

Could it be the divination method he had hastily learned earlier?

Judging from the principle, that was also unlikely. As a trainee death god, precognition was one of Lin Jiangye’s professional basic courses.

Based on his past experience, this kind of method might be related to the strength of spiritual power, but it was more like a mathematical model that was difficult to falsify… It could not feed back too much power to him.

Since that was the case, the answer seemed very clear.

There were only a few slightly abnormal characters in this world.

For example, Yu Wangxiao at this very moment. When he saw the White Horse Club business card Lin Jiangye had sent, he said nothing and merely shared an article from a public account.

[Shocking! Exposing the chaotic private lives of male models and fresh-faced young men in major clubs!]

Lin Jiangye read it seriously, was greatly shocked by the limits of human behavior, then forwarded the article to Student Li Liang.

The dorm was too quiet, so he supported himself against the wall and moved to the balcony. After closing the door, he directly made a video call to Yu Wangxiao.

The call connected very quickly. A faint sound of wind brushed past from the other side of the screen.

Yu Wangxiao had not returned to the old residence. After getting off work, he had gone straight to Longjing Bay.

He sat on the balcony drinking tea, enjoying the evening breeze. In front of him was the surging river beneath the neon night, looking extremely leisurely.

The distance between the two of them was actually very close, less than ten minutes by car, yet the scenery they could see was vastly different.

Lin Jiangye concentrated and looked toward the man’s meticulously neat black hair.

The pink light screen revealed a slight corner, emitting an untimely fluorescent glow.

Yu Wangxiao, however, seemed accustomed to his gaze. He treated it as if he had noticed nothing, a gentle smile hanging at the corner of his lips. “Are you used to the new dorm? If you’re worried about Yu Lin harassing you, you can come back and live with me.”

“Thank you. I’ll go stay there on the weekend.” Lin Jiangye also politely curved his lips, then went straight to the point. “Could you… raise the camera a little?”

It was a very strange request, but it was not refused. Yu Wangxiao’s eyes darkened slightly, and he leisurely raised his phone a little higher.

After seeing the details clearly, Lin Jiangye’s pupils shrank.

A full 12% favorability occupied only an insignificant small section of the progress bar, yet its presence was extremely intense.

That subtle color was deeper and heavier than the cute fluorescent panel, carrying faint flesh-red shadows. It was like the crushed shell of a cochineal insect, broken and scattered as it spread out, arbitrarily drifting through the air.

How could there be such an ominous and strange phenomenon in a novel world centered around love?

“Tuantuan, is there something dirty above my head?” Yu Wangxiao suddenly asked.

He quietly lowered his voice. It was the same gentle tone as usual, yet somehow meaningful.

Lin Jiangye lowered his black eyes and met his examining gaze head-on. He explained, seemingly calmly, “I was spacing out. I suddenly really wanted to eat something.”

He was not lying.

The forced-growth-like state of health had brought him an inescapable hunger, and in these few brief moments… it had suddenly intensified.

Of course, in truth, he was not calm at all. This was the first time since Lin Jiangye came to this world that a real desire had arisen in his heart.

Appetite. An appetite awakened by a certain sense of familiarity.

He truly wanted to grip his scythe tightly, split open that pink light screen stained by red shadows, pull out the slowly moving progress bar, and swallow it into his stomach.

Like sucking down a raspberry-flavored strip of fruit jelly, like slippery condensed soul pudding, the texture would definitely be exceptionally wonderful.

Unfortunately, the current him could not bear this delicacy. He even struggled to digest slightly greasy human food.

A faint anxiety, like vines after rain, climbed and grew together with his appetite. He had to become stronger as soon as possible.

On the other side of the screen, Yu Wangxiao slid his mouse and opened an Excel spreadsheet marked with clearly divided color blocks.

It was Lin Jiangye’s complete class schedule for the semester, along with detailed quiz scores, attendance rate, and midterm results.

The few times his grades fluctuated most severely were almost all caused by conflicts with Yu Lin. His attendance rate for evening classes, in particular, had become increasingly terrible.

Because Yu Lin liked making the original host accompany him out to play. They would drive for an hour to the suburbs, camp with three or five friends, drink, race cars, lean against each other while tipsy, and enjoy the night scenery.

It sounded very youthful and beautiful. Young masters with their families backing them could naturally enjoy university life as they pleased. There was no problem with that.

But no one had ever considered Lin Jiangye even a little, including Yu Lin.

The awkward situation of not being able to get money from the Lin family. The stomach that could not touch spicy food or drink alcohol. His sensitive and humble psychological state. The A University degree that absolutely could not have any mishaps.

Lin Jiangye’s life had actually not been easy.

Even he knew these things, yet Yu Lin could not see the lover beside him who was practically drowning.

Was Lin Jiangye too humble, or was the Yu family’s education truly too terrible?

Yu Wangxiao was deep in thought. He raised his eyes to look at the beautiful young man on the other side of the phone, only for his heart and soul to suddenly be gripped by the other’s gaze.

Those indifferent yet pure black eyes were reflected in the artificial light. The pupils faintly refracted a strange silver-white halo. It vanished in an instant, impossible to see clearly, like an illusion.

The projection of desire from far too high above could give people the illusion of instantly breaking away from reality.

Yu Wangxiao had already forgotten what he had been wondering about just now.

He had a strange feeling, as if he had become an ingredient placed on a chopping board, cut and dismembered by Lin Jiangye’s nearly empty gaze, then swept into those cold and beautiful lips and tongue, chewed over and over, carefully savored.

A long-lost… feeling of being coveted. He liked it very much.

Humans had long since become the rulers of the biological world and were rarely directly regarded as “food.” Therefore, ordinary people also found it difficult to deeply experience that bone-deep horror spreading wildly upward from the spinal cord.

But once one knew the taste of it, they could never throw it to the back of their mind again. They might even yearn for it endlessly, thinking of it day and night amid sweet fear.

At least for Yu Wangxiao, “longing” was the only logically consistent normal reaction.

Even after being repeatedly counseled by psychiatrists, he did not believe there was anything wrong with himself.

Lin Jiangye was not as simple as he appeared. In the instant their gazes suddenly met, Yu Wangxiao was able to confirm it once again.

He was like an outsider wearing human skin, with poor acting skills, and even a bit too lazy to hide the small details.

He was thinking: if Yu Lin had not come to harass Lin Jiangye, would Lin Jiangye still have brought him this kind of surprise tonight?

Perhaps not. Or perhaps his methods should be a little more aggressive than they were now.

“You can’t eat anymore tonight. Sleep early and wake up early.” Yu Wangxiao curved his lips. “Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll come pick you up. Come with me to attend Old Madam Gu’s birthday banquet. You can eat to your heart’s content there.”

As his voice sounded, the fluorescent pink light screen above his head also slowly flickered. The progress bar steadily moved forward another 5%, almost bizarrely.

That strange feeling of abundant blood and energy surged again. Lin Jiangye was stunned, then regained focus as if waking from a dream.

There was no need to verify it again. The answer was already very clear.

Yu Wangxiao’s favorability toward him was actually closely related to the condition of this body.

Why could this man control his health?

Lin Jiangye silently pressed his lips together and swiftly hid his doubts in his heart. He only subconsciously asked, “If I eat too much, won’t I embarrass you? I’m actually really good at eating.”

After all, who knew how many times the original host had been scolded by the Lin family for having poor table manners, for having no dining etiquette, for being a starving wild fox from a mountain village, for eating even his own family’s food like a vulgar thief…

As for whether those words were true or false, Lin Jiangye temporarily had no way to verify it. Because the way he used to eat soul-fragment porridge definitely had not been much better.

The food treatment for trainee death gods was very average. When he was starving, he could not think of any etiquette at all.

“Don’t worry. No one will dare say a single bad word about you.” Yu Wangxiao chuckled lightly, his warm voice carrying the unique calmness of someone in a superior position. “Old Madam Gu likes juniors who can eat. With you there, she’ll give me a bit of face.”

So that was it. No wonder Yu Wangxiao was bringing him to eat delicious food. This was also part of the work content mentioned in the couple contract.

Lin Jiangye had no doubts and said seriously in a proper manner, “I understand, Wangxiao. If there’s anything I do wrong, please make sure to remind me to correct it.

“Although I’m not very good at being human, I will seriously fulfill the duties I should fulfill.”

He wanted Yu Wangxiao’s favorability toward him to rise a little, but this man was definitely not a character who could be easily pleased.

He had no clue in other aspects. Only working properly was a field he was born to be good at.

Yu Wangxiao, however, laughed. “Tuantuan, you only need to be yourself. If you live freely and happily, then I can be considered a qualified lover.”

His cold and sharp side profile became gentle in his smile, like a steep cliff shrouded in hazy clouds and mist.

At first glance, it looked like a beautiful ink painting, but if one took even one wrong step, the result would be death without a corpse.

Lin Jiangye softly responded, wearing the coat he had chosen, and exhaled a breath of cold air into the night.

The double-breasted coat was very warm. The soft, thin cashmere had an excellent shape, and when worn on his body, Lin Jiangye could barely feel the weight of the fabric.

…Except for the sleeve button, which continuously emitted a not-very-harmonious energy fluctuation.

Regarding the micro tracker and pinhole camera, Yu Wangxiao did not mention a word, as if nothing had ever happened.

Lin Jiangye could not help comparing the behavior of the uncle and nephew.

In the original text, when Yu Lin wanted to control him, he would confine him at home, use financial sanctions to restrict his steps, use intense emotions to force him to comply, and bind his wrists with chains.

Yu Wangxiao actually also wanted to control him. His attitude was already open and aboveboard, yet he still created a subtle atmosphere of closeness, caring for and soothing the emotions of the weaker party through his words.

A cold cooperative relationship had been polished into a tacitly understood ambiguity.

Was there any need for that?

Could this be the reason Yu Wangxiao was especially good at making money?

Lin Jiangye did not care about privacy issues, nor did he care about the freedom humans valued.

But if he had to choose, of course he would choose the quieter and more comfortable one. Not to mention… the strange thing above Yu Wangxiao’s head really did look delicious.

Even if he could not eat it, getting closer and smelling it could still stimulate his will to survive.

Creak—

A faint sound of friction came from the balcony door. It was Gu Jiu’an.

He was holding a basin of freshly washed clothes. His cold gaze fell on Lin Jiangye’s phone, and his eyes moved slightly.

“Wangxiao, then I’ll see you tomorrow? Remember to pick me up downstairs at Jingde Building,” Lin Jiangye quickly said.

He swiftly entered work mode, deliberately softening his voice and forcibly squeezing out a trace of coquettishness.

“Mm. Good night, Tuantuan. Sleep early.”

Yu Wangxiao’s tone was indulgent, and his acting skills were much better than Lin Jiangye’s. He even glanced at Gu Jiu’an through the screen, his smile still gentle.

“Student Gu, Jiangye is in poor health. Please take care of him in daily life.”

It seemed like an ordinary greeting, but Gu Jiu’an could hear the faint warning in it.

“Please rest assured, Mr. Yu.”

He lowered his eyes and took half a step back, instantly pulling distance between himself and Lin Jiangye. An uncontrollable chill climbed up the back of his neck.

Even though he had seen it with his own eyes, there was still an enormous sense of disharmony between Yu Wangxiao and the word “love.”

Gu Jiu’an would never be stupid enough to annoy this terrifying man.

Because, back when he was in middle school and had been living outside the Gu family, drifting around with his mother, he had once encountered Yu Wangxiao.

It was in a dim alley, with fine rain falling endlessly.

After finishing his part-time job, Gu Jiu’an had taken a shortcut home in the middle of the night. From far away, he heard heart-rending cries.

Driven by curiosity, he saw a scene he would never forget in this lifetime.

Yu Lin’s father, Yu Chaoyuan, had been beaten badly by someone. His suit was torn and he looked utterly miserable.

His face covered in bruises, he trembled all over as he knelt at this man’s feet, his head pressed down tightly by a finely made leather shoe.

The usually glamorous “President Yu” was actually crying messily. The corner of his eye was forced firmly against a burning cigarette butt on the ground, yet he did not dare struggle at all. Even his cries gradually shrank and became quieter.

A red glow flickered. The damp plum rain mixed together with the strange scent of roasted meat, while Yu Wangxiao casually bit down on a cigarette and tilted the black umbrella in his hand slightly toward Yu Chaoyuan.

He was doing it on purpose, deliberately making the cigarette burn a little longer.

It was clearly an unreasonable evil act, yet his movements were elegant and considerate, like the heavily inked silhouette of a villain in a movie.

“Little friend, do you need me to send you home?” His gentle concern was soft and sticky, like a venomous snake.

Gu Jiu’an turned pale and ran away. He had nightmares for an entire week.

Not long afterward, he heard his half-mad mother say… Yu Chaoyuan had committed a grave mistake and was completely stripped of his inheritance rights to the Yu family business, then exiled overseas for five years.

The youngest son of the Yu family, excellent in both character and studies, officially took power.