The Echo Between Xu and Ye - Chapter 3

The man outside was the same subordinate who had once plucked me out of the supply line.

Xu Qiao had come to help me escape.

Zhong Mingye had discovered that the person who appeared during his frenzies over the past year was no hallucination. He locked down the base and ordered a full search, determined to find whoever had climbed into his bed.

I hurried after Xu Qiao as ability users opened every apartment door. Terrified, I clutched the hem of his shirt and forced my legs to keep moving.

Only after I was inside a modified off-road vehicle did I dare whisper, “Why is he so angry?”

Xu Qiao shook his head. “No idea. Sit tight. I’ll send you to a friend’s base. Once Boss forgets about this, I’ll come get you.”

I nodded gratefully. I had wanted to run anyway.

But would it truly be that easy?

The silent comment barrage filled me with unease.

The road out of the base stretched long ahead. Trying to ease the tension, I rubbed my hands together and summoned my dimples.

“Why does Boss have frenzies?”

Xu Qiao showed his papers at the checkpoint, and the guards waved us through.

“Boss has always been looking for someone. Every mission ends empty-handed. His ability is unusual and hard to control.”

I nodded obediently. “I see. Thank you, Brother Xu.”

He glanced at me through the rearview mirror.

I smiled wider. “Everyone else calls you that.”

Xu Qiao gave a quiet snort and kept driving.

I settled into the back seat and watched the comments.

【He’s looking for the protagonist bottom, right? Whenever the villain kills zombies, he checks their wrists. I remember the protagonist bottom has a tiny mole there.】

【What a devoted villain. All the freaks shipping him with the cannon fodder can get lost.】

【Does nobody find that weird? A mole smaller than an ant is his identifying mark? By that logic, he could be looking for the cannon fodder. The cannon fodder has a bright red mole on his wrist.】

【No food doesn’t mean you beg everywhere. The villain is obsessed with the protagonist bottom. Stop forcing random ships.】

I silently tugged down my sleeve, hiding the red mole someone had kissed swollen last night.

The car slowed. Drowsiness crept over me, and I drifted off against the rocking window.

A knock on the glass woke me.

I opened my eyes blearily—and nearly suffered cardiac arrest.

Outside stood a man with beautiful features, porcelain skin, and a high nose. The black cloth over his eyes subdued that brilliance, leaving him cold and mysterious.

Who else could it be but Zhong Mingye?

I clung to the door, slid between the seats, and curled into the gap with my arms over my head.

Please don’t find me.

God took pity on his newest believer. The blind man did not.

Xu Qiao laughed and explained that I was a relative’s younger brother who had visited the base and was now being sent home.

Zhong Mingye answered with a chilly hum and turned away.

My shoulders sagged. I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead—then felt something touch my ankle.

I looked down.

A familiar vine looked back at me.

【Isn’t that the villain’s vine?】

【I remember it’s linked to his sense of touch!】

【And it can smell like a dog. He must know the cannon fodder was in his bed last night.】

!

This time I truly almost cried. I grabbed the vine and tried to pull it off. It grew instead, winding up my leg.

The door was wrenched open. Without anything to brace against, I toppled backward.

Pain came before the embrace. A familiar cold fragrance filled my nose as someone locked me tightly against his body.

I dared not speak. I only struggled in panic.

The man behind me clicked his tongue. I froze while he rubbed my wrist, pausing when his fingers found the red mole. His other hand moved toward my belly.

“No!”

Zhong Mingye stiffened.

He lifted me face-to-face as though I were a child. My heart climbed into my throat as I stared at the black cloth over his eyes.

Sensing my fear, he laughed softly. His usually icy voice had gone hoarse, and the hand gripping my thigh tightened.

He bent to my ear.

“A-Xu. Brother caught you.”