# Chapter 53 ### Chapter 53: The Mask Comes Off Xie Yu and Lin Jianyuan went to the nearest mall together. The whole way there, they debated what to eat. "Let's treat ourselves today," Lin Jianyuan said, holding up his phone and showing the restaurant app to his wife. "What do you feel like eating, baby?" Xie Yu smiled. "I'm fine with anything." "Sushi? Or hotpot?" Lin Jianyuan scrolled through the options, surprised. "There are so many trendy places here, and they all look great." Xie Yu rested his head on Lin Jianyuan’s shoulder, nuzzling his neck. "But they all have lines. Still, it's a weekday, so it shouldn't be too bad, right?" Xie Yu nodded. "I think so too." "Come on, let's check it out. If it's too crowded, we'll just pick something else." Xie Yu grinned. "Okay." They reached the fifth floor, where most of the mall's restaurants were clustered. The mall was nearly empty on a weekday. But there was a problem—it was still too early. "Number tickets start at 11:30?" Lin Jianyuan glanced inside a popular restaurant, puzzled. Inside, servers were already setting the tables. Lin Jianyuan asked, "Aren't you open already? Can we just sit down and wait? It's not like..." He checked his phone. "It's already eleven. Only half an hour to go." "Sorry, sir," the server said apologetically. "We don't open until 11:30, and we're still getting ready. You can wait nearby, and I'll put you down as number one. As soon as we open, you'll be the first to come in. Is that okay?" Lin Jianyuan looked exasperated, but agreed. "Alright." He took the number slip, then frowned. "It's for two people." "Oh, sorry, my mistake." The server quickly took it back and got a new one. Lin Jianyuan took the slip, grabbed Xie Yu’s duodenum, and looked around. The mall’s central atrium held a sprawling garden with artificial landscaping. Cherry blossoms everywhere, so fake they almost glowed. "Let's go sit over there, honey," Lin Jianyuan suggested. As they walked, he muttered, "That server must be new. Who gives a single spot when it's clearly two of us? Honestly. But whatever, he's probably nervous. I think this place just opened a couple days ago..." "Yeah," Xie Yu replied with a gentle smile. He lifted a section of intestine and stroked Lin Jianyuan’s ear. It stuck. Delirium's residue had gotten on Lin Jianyuan’s ear. That’s why he hated Delirium most of all. That idiot was supposed to be S-class, but had no self-control, leaving contamination wherever he went. And his marks spilled everywhere. If anyone deserved to be caught, it was him. Normally, even if the Bureau tore Delirium to pieces, Xie Yu wouldn’t care. But today was different. Today that idiot had shown up at his door. And left his filth and marks all over the house. Infuriating! And the cleaning robot couldn’t even handle it! He’d have to clean it up himself! If Lin Jianyuan made a mess, he’d clean it up happily, no matter how bad. But Delirium? Why should he have to clean up after Delirium? Why did that idiot get to come in and trash his home? So annoying! And now the Bureau was finally here because of it! Still, thinking about it— A warm, soft duodenum stroked Lin Jianyuan’s earlobe. Lin Jianyuan squirmed away with a laugh, "Hey, careful! It's broad daylight, we're in public!" Lin Jianyuan didn’t seem affected by Delirium at all. Why? He’d been exposed up close, with no protection, to a heavy dose of Delirium’s contamination. So why did he look completely normal? No. It wasn’t that he was normal. Under the fake cherry trees, Xie Yu "watched" Lin Jianyuan. A warm, soft duodenum pressed against Lin Jianyuan’s cheek. Lin Jianyuan smiled, pinched his esophagus, and said, "Honey." Xie Yu answered, "Hm?" "Nothing, I just wanted to call you." No, something was off. Lin Jianyuan was acting strange. Xie Yu could sense something was wrong, but couldn’t pinpoint what. He still didn’t understand humans well enough. So he chose the most direct approach. "...Mmph!" Lin Jianyuan’s eyes flew open as he stared at his roommate in disbelief. His lips parted as something warm and soft pressed in, curling around his tongue, probing. Xie Yu sucked gently. He wanted to figure out what his human was feeling. The next second, the human shoved him away! But because the esophagus was so long and the digestive system had no shoulders, Lin Jianyuan could only push away a handful of intestine—just the intestine! So their mouths were still connected! Lin Jianyuan: "..." Xie Yu: "..." It was awkward. Xie Yu quietly let go. "N-no, honey," Lin Jianyuan stammered, face flushed. "Why did you just kiss me out of nowhere? There are people around!" Xie Yu calmly expanded his domain, scanning the area. "There's no one here." Lin Jianyuan was torn between laughter and tears. "Even if no one's here, we're still outside! Isn't this a bit much? I mean, it's broad daylight—even if people are more open these days, we're still two guys, you know\..." Xie Yu tilted his "head," puzzled. "What do you mean?" Lin Jianyuan looked at him. A second later, he suddenly smiled. "You really... ah, you really..." Lin Jianyuan reached out and rubbed his throat. It started as a playful gesture, but his touch slowed. His fingertips stroked the soft lining, gentle and slow. It felt so good that Xie Yu wanted to purr. He didn’t know why. Xie Yu sensed his human's mood ease, returning to normal. But he still didn’t know why his human was upset. It had happened too fast. That kiss had ended too soon. He’d barely tasted his human’s feelings before being pushed away. It was a complicated feeling—thick as black tar, but as soft as a cloud. He didn’t understand. He’d never really understood humans. And he was a little hurt that his human had pushed him away. His human had pushed him away! Unbelievable! From the very first meeting, whether asleep or awake, his human had never pushed him away. His human had never refused to let him feed. Why! What happened! He was so annoyed! So annoyed... Why was he upset? Why was his human unhappy? Why did that make him unhappy too? It was so strange. He didn’t like it. He couldn’t even smile. Xie Yu watched his human. They sat side by side under the cherry blossoms. Fake cherry trees, blooming in riotous color. His human held up his phone, leaning in to watch short videos together. The phone played cheerful, silly music from a comedy clip. His human laughed along, chatting with him now and then. But still— Something was different. He didn’t get it. It was so strange. So strange. "Lin Jianyuan," Xie Yu finally spoke up, "today, you..." Ding-dong! A notification popped up on Lin Jianyuan’s phone. "Ah, it's 11:30! We can go in now!" Lin Jianyuan stood up with a smile, reaching for him. Xie Yu offered his duodenum to hold. The restaurant was on the fifth floor, so they took the elevator up from the first-floor atrium. Lin Jianyuan pressed the elevator button, muttering, "It's weird how empty it is here, even at lunchtime. Aren't there a bunch of office buildings nearby? Where is everyone?" Xie Yu watched his human. Since he wasn’t allowed to taste his mouth, he could only watch his eyes. He watched his lips, his every expression and movement. He watched him smile, swinging the duodenum as usual. He watched his warm heart beating slowly inside his chest. He felt the heat of his body through his clothes. "Lin Jianyuan." Xie Yu leaned in, pressing his body close. "Why are you upset? Tell me." Tell me. You won’t let me taste your mouth, and you won’t tell me. How am I supposed to know? Tell me. Ding! An irritating chime shattered the elevator’s cozy silence. The doors slid open. Behind the silver doors stood rows of armed humans in full gear. His human went rigid in his arms. Even his breath caught. "What the hell?!" Lin Jianyuan’s eyes widened in shock. Instinctively, he threw an arm out to shield his wife. He pulled his wife behind him. Xie Yu glanced down at the arm across his front. For some reason, he wanted to laugh again. "You guys..." Lin Jianyuan swallowed nervously, trying to sound calm as he faced the black-clad soldiers. "What is this, a group cosplay?" "Lin Jianyuan? What are you doing here?!" The leader stepped forward, his face hidden behind a black tactical mask, but his shock was obvious. "Get over here! Come to me!" he barked. "There's something in the elevator! Get out, now!" "Huh?" Lin Jianyuan looked around the elevator, scratching his head. "No, it's just me and my wife. Don't scare me. Wait, you're Shi Shaoning—are you guys filming something?" Shi Shaoning: "?" Everyone: "???" No? What did you just say?! No one could believe their ears. Even Shi Shaoning started to stammer. "Wait, what did you say... wife?!" Lin Jianyuan held Xie Yu’s duodenum in his hand and gave it a little shake. Lin Jianyuan even looked a bit embarrassed, rubbing his nose. "Heh, that's my wife." Everyone: "..." Shi Shaoning: "......................." Xie Yu’s appendix started to sway back and forth. He wanted to laugh again. But he still didn’t understand. What was up with Lin Jianyuan? He was acting so weird today... "You... you can see it..." Shi Shaoning had given up trying to make sense of it. Watching the S-class Aberrant wind more and more intestine around Lin Jianyuan, he stepped forward and shouted, secrecy be damned: "That's not your wife! That's an Aberrant! An S-class Aberrant! It's a monster, Lin Jianyuan, get over here!" Lin Jianyuan: "Huh?" Lin Jianyuan looked skeptical. Then shocked. He stared at Shi Shaoning, incredulous. "You’re saying my wife is a monster?!" "Yes!!!" Lin Jianyuan turned to Xie Yu. "Are you a monster?!" Xie Yu smiled. "I am." Lin Jianyuan: "..." Lin Jianyuan’s breath quickened. His heart pounded. His pupils dilated. He took a step back, reeling. "So I'm not crazy! You really are a digestive system!" Xie Yu: "..." Shi Shaoning: "..." The entire armed Bureau squad: ".................." "Lin Jianyuan! Get over here!" Shi Shaoning couldn't stand the absurdity any longer. He barked an order to the team. "Move in!" A wall of weapons swung toward Xie Yu. Those rounds were harmless to humans but deadly to Aberrants, designed to tear through their cores. Xie Yu spread his domain, annoyed. Behind him, a massive, flesh-red shadow surged like a tidal wave. "If you want a fight, bring it on," Xie Yu said coldly. "See who’s afraid—mmph!" Before he could finish, Lin Jianyuan grabbed him. He scooped up a handful of intestine and bolted! Xie Yu: "?" Shi Shaoning: "??" The entire squad: "????" "Run, honey!" Lin Jianyuan dragged the intestine to the emergency exit and kicked open the fire door. "You go! I'll hold them off!" With a shout, Lin Jianyuan shoved the whole digestive system into the stairwell— Then he turned and realized something was wrong. Because the digestive tract was so long, and Lin Jianyuan had only grabbed a handful of small intestine! So when Lin Jianyuan stormed through the fire door with his "wife" in hand— Most of his wife (esophagus, stomach, liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, colon, rectum) was still inside! The whole intestine stretched— Long— And longer— Lin Jianyuan’s eyes went wide as he gasped. Shi Shaoning: "..." Everyone: "..............." Silence. A strange, heavy silence. But it only lasted a moment. "Pfft." A quiet laugh broke the tension. A warm, soft esophagus nuzzled Lin Jianyuan’s cheek. Affectionate and gentle. His roommate’s voice, low and amused, whispered in his ear. "You’re crazy about me, aren’t you?" The next instant, a tidal wave surged up. A flood of flesh-red shadow swallowed the entire building. *** Translator's Note: Hi guys, so sorry about the long break. I fell sick and was feeling under the weather for a while. I'll be back to updating daily/every 2 days now!