A Rough, Straight-Talking Guy Gets Confessed to by the Black-Magic Boy Next Door

Yan Junsheng doesn’t want to get married, find a partner, or even get a proper job. He lives in a decades-old run-down apartment and spends every day at home playing games in his shabby little shop. If you ask him why, he’ll say he’s lying flat. One day, his familiar old neighbor, whom he’d watched grow from a little kid into a teenager, suddenly said to him, “Please be my boyfriend.” The lollipop fell out of Yan Junsheng’s mouth. The boy had been a little rascal as a child, but when he was five, he came down with a serious illness. Once he recovered, his personality changed completely. He became withdrawn, timid, and silent, never leaving home or going to school. His parents tried beating him and scolding him, to no avail. They even withheld food and drink to force him outside. Yan Junsheng couldn’t stand by and watch, so he repeatedly slipped snacks through the boy’s window, keeping him from starving to death. It had been over a decade. Even the boy’s parents had given up on him, and this was the first time Yan Junsheng had seen him come out. If he turned him down, would the kid just retreat back inside? “Sure.” Yan Junsheng figured he was rescuing a poor little thing. “Take off that hood first.” The boy was overjoyed, his eyes innocent and sweet. Yan Junsheng saw his face and sucked in a breath. Well, well, what a pretty boy! One day, Yan Junsheng took the pretty boy out to get some sun, and the boy’s pale face turned bright red. When the pretty boy’s parents came home, they were horrified to see him. They grabbed Yan Junsheng and shouted, “How could you take him outside?!” But the pretty boy wrapped his arms around Yan Junsheng’s waist and trembled as he burrowed into his embrace, his voice full of fear. “Let’s go. Please, don’t listen to them. I’m scared.” Yan Junsheng had no idea what was going on. He scooped up the pretty boy and ran, but the people behind them didn’t even give chase. Then he suddenly noticed their reflections in the glass beside the road. Under the black hood, the pretty boy’s porcelain-white chin showed. Blue and purple veins rose beneath his cool-toned skin, winding into eerie patterns. A breeze lifted the hood, revealing that the innocent black eyes Yan Junsheng adored had become slitted, blood-red pupils. Fury and hatred gleamed in them, like fangs hidden behind a snake’s tongue, aimed straight at his parents. Yan Junsheng quietly looked away and faced forward. Huh??? - Wen Heyu knew that Yan Junsheng didn’t believe in gods or magic. Even when he lay beneath him, his instincts overwhelmed him with fear and left him unable to resist, he never realized why. Wen Heyu knew that Yan Junsheng’s feelings for him weren’t very deep, because of the age difference, because of their genders, because of everything… But that didn’t matter. All that disbelief would keep Yan Junsheng from seeing the cage he had woven, a cage that already bound him body and soul. Coming next: Male lead, no romance, “Can a Dodder Vine Really Become King in This World?” I’d love your support for this Western fantasy-inspired, plot-driven story. One-line summary: He’s only struggling to stay alive, so why are the NPCs placing him on the throne?! Upcoming danmei novel: “I Think I’m Raising a Death Squad.” Please add it to your to-read list. Wen Xianghe was born unlucky. He’d get hit by a car while crossing on a green light, have flowerpots fall on him, rent a place next to a haunted apartment, and bring bad luck to every company he joined. Eventually, no company would hire him… Now, Wen Xianghe would happily settle for a low salary and the life of an overworked office drone, as long as he could find a job where he felt safe. After countless setbacks, he finally broke down and poured out his troubles to a stranger nearby. The other person listened quietly, then asked, “Why don’t you try working for my company?” Wen Xianghe: “Are you recruiting me directly?” Wen Xianghe joined the company nervously, never expecting… The workload was light, the benefits were excellent, the entertainment facilities were great, and his coworkers were warm and friendly… Wen Xianghe: If I can keep working here, I’ll go through fire and water for you! Wait, am I being raised as a death squad member??! But every day, he watched different coworkers show up covered in injuries and blood, grinning foolishly at him. Thinking about his own unlucky streak, Wen Xianghe felt guilty. So he handed in his resignation. After three days of deliberation, the boss called Wen Xianghe into his office, looking troubled. “I thought you were happy with the company’s conditions.” Wen Xianghe: “I’ve never seen better benefits! I want to work here every day. I’m scared the company will disappear!” The boss gave him a complicated look and sighed. “I’ve thought it over, and I guess the only thing I can’t provide is a partner. Why don’t you take your pick from the people at the company? If you like someone, I’ll help you talk to them. Let’s put the resignation on hold for now.” Wen Xianghe was so thoroughly persuaded to stay that he fell silent for a long while. Until Wen Xianghe repeatedly caught the boss trying to strike a pose and flirt with him, looking handsome but even more like a gloomy office drone than Wen Xianghe himself. He wanted to speak, then stopped. He stopped, then wanted to speak. Theme: The night embraces the sun before anyone else