Succubus, vengeful
During math class, an old ceiling fan whirred overhead. Sissy rested her chin on her hand, her pen mindlessly circling her notebook. At the podium, the math teacher passionately explained trigonometric functions, the chalk scratching across the blackboard with a harsh sound.
"So this sinx+cosx..."
Xixi's eyelashes began to droop uncontrollably. She stole a glance at Gu Tinglan beside her—the young man sat upright, his slender fingers twirling a fountain pen, his inky black eyes fixed intently on the blackboard. Sunlight streamed through the window onto his profile, outlining his perfect jawline.
She couldn't help but move closer, and her nose could smell the faint scent of cedar on him. It was strange, they were using the same shower gel, so why did he smell so good?
Gu Tinglan suddenly turned her head and tapped her forehead with a pen, neither lightly nor heavily: "Look at the blackboard."
Xixi pursed her lips and retreated, but within five minutes her eyes drifted over again unconsciously. This time she noticed the raised knuckles on the back of his hand as he wrote, and the watch dial faintly visible under his cuffs.
"Gu Tinglan..." she called softly, her fingers quietly tugging at his sleeves.
"What's wrong now?" He didn't even turn his head and lowered his voice.
"This question..." Xixi pushed the exercise book over. It was covered with crooked stick figures of demons with horns on their heads and tails behind them. "I don't know how to do it."
Gu Tinglan glanced at it and his forehead twitched: "This is Chinese homework."
"Huh?" Xixi blinked blankly, "But didn't the teacher say..."
"Last class was Chinese." He sighed helplessly and pushed his notebook over. "Copy mine."
Xixi happily took it, only to find it densely packed with inscrutable formulas. She poked his arm in frustration, "I don't understand..."
Gu Tinglan lowered his eyes, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he looked at her playfully.
She still looked aggrieved, and seemed to genuinely want to learn. But she was a succubus, and she was only there for experience, so what was there to learn?
She doesn't need to attend classes, hand in homework, or even take exams. She only needs to follow one thing: not disturb others during class.
He didn't look like he wanted to study seriously before, but now he's pretending like this, so he must have some bad idea again.
Gu Tinglan rubbed his eyebrows and leaned forward.
His warm breath brushed against Xixi's earlobe. His slender fingers pointed at the steps in the notebook, and his voice was low and deep: "Start from here..."
Sissy wasn't listening at all. Her focus was on his eyelashes, so long and thick that they cast a small shadow under his eyes. And on his Adam's apple, which rolled when he spoke and looked... very chewable.
"Do you understand?"
"Yeah!" Xixi nodded vigorously, her tail swinging happily under the chair and accidentally wrapped around his ankle.
In fact, she didn't listen at all, nor did she intend to listen, and she didn't understand. She just suddenly wanted to listen to him explain the problem.
She was obsessed with the temperature of his breath when he approached her, the indescribable fragrance on his body, his deep and magnetic voice. In Xixi's eyes, everything about him was completely different from that of others.
Xixi was sure that he must be the most perfect food in the world.
Thinking of this, her tail seemed to resonate with her, rubbing Gu Tinglan's ankle gently, as if stroking a piece of fine jade, cherishing it very much.
Gu Tinglan looked down and found that it was her tail. His ankle quickly slipped out of her control as if it had been electrocuted.
After a moment, his eyes darkened, and he pretended to be calm as he warned Xixi, "Take it back. If you are discovered, I can't save you."
Pei Song in the front row suddenly turned around and looked at them suspiciously: "What are you two whispering about?"
"Nothing." Gu Tinglan kicked his chair without changing his expression. "Turn back."
When the bell rang, Xixi's notebook was already filled with sketches of Gu Tinglan's profile. She handed it to him like a treasure and asked, "Does it look like it?"
Gu Tinglan looked at the crooked lines, which were very funny. They were a thousand times uglier than her self-portrait. He couldn't help laughing out loud. He never thought that he would be so ugly one day.
Just when Xixi was wondering why he was laughing, Gu Tinglan suddenly reached out and pinched her cheek: "If you don't pay attention in class, stay after school to make up for it."
"Ah—" Xixi wailed, collapsing on the desk. "Why do humans have to learn math..."
Although she was full of resentment, Xixi was inexplicably happy in her heart. She liked school. At least she didn't have to spend her time alone like she did at home.
Here, Gu Tinglan would put all his attention on her. As long as she pretended that she couldn't write or didn't understand, he would patiently explain it to her again and again.
The sunlight filtered through the window, stretching the overlapping shadows of the two people very long.
*
Early the next morning, Xixi learned that Gu Tinglan was going to participate in the preliminaries. Before, when she was at home, she was very unhappy about that basketball game and always asked Gu Tinglan to keep her at home for it.
She wanted to see what kind of magic there was that could make Gu Tinglan more attractive than her.
The basketball arena was buzzing with activity; the intercollegiate league preliminaries were about to begin. Gu Tinglan stood on the sidelines, adjusting his wristband, when he caught a glimpse of Xixi in the stands, clutching his coat, her legs dangling in the air.
"Sit down." He walked over and put an opened bottle of mineral water into her hand. "Don't run around."
Xixi puffed out her cheeks and took a big sip, with drops of water sliding down her chin. "Why don't you let me sit in the front row?"
"The front row is too noisy." Gu Tinglan knelt on one knee and looked her in the eye. "The view is better from this position, don't you think?"
Xixi watched for a moment, and it seemed to be true, so she gave up and said, "Okay."
After Gu Tinglan left, Xixi looked around. The scene was bustling with people and quite shocking. Her eyes were shining. After all, this was the first time she saw the basketball game that Gu Tinglan mentioned on WeChat, and she was extremely curious.
It was not until Gu Tinglan stood on the field that Xixi's eyes were fixed on him again.
The young man was full of vigor and vitality. His brow bones were very high, which made his narrow eyes look even deeper. When the corners of his eyes drooped slightly, there was always a bit of careless fatigue.
He didn't seem nervous at all, as if he had already anticipated the outcome before the game even started.
The lights on the basketball court were dazzling. Gu Tinglan made a fake move to get past the defense and was about to jump for a shot when he suddenly tripped - the opposing center's sneak kick was so fast that it was almost invisible.
"Bang!"
Gu Tinglan fell heavily to the ground, his right knee scraped open, blood seeping out instantly. The sidelines were in an uproar.
"Fuck!" Pei Song was the first to rush over. "Did you do this on purpose?"
The referee blew the whistle, but it was only a basic foul. Gu Tinglan waved his hand and stood up, his eyes coldly scanning the smug smiles of the opposing players: "It's okay, continue."
No one noticed that Sissi in the stands instantly straightened up. Her pupils shrank into a thin line, and a faint purple light shone on her fingertips.
"Gu Tinglan..." She whispered softly, feeling extremely irritated for some reason.
When the game resumed, the center who had caused the tripping suddenly felt his feet go weak, as if tripped by something invisible, and fell forward.
"ah!"
Amidst screams, his knees twisted at a strange angle and cold sweat instantly soaked his jersey.
Xixi's face turned pale as she clutched her chest. The backlash was sudden and fierce, like someone had stabbed her in the heart. She huddled in her seat, cold sweat trickling down her forehead, her tail drooping limply.
It seems that Xi Yin did not lie. Using spiritual power to hurt others at will will be punished.
Gu Tinglan on the field seemed to sense something and suddenly turned his head to look at the stands. When he saw Xixi's painful expression, his eyes changed instantly.
"I forfeit." He threw down these words and rushed to the stands in everyone's astonished eyes.
Gu Tinglan lifted Xixi up and carried her sideways. She seemed weightless, curled up in his arms and trembled. He kicked the door of the school clinic open, and the dozing school doctor was so frightened that he almost fell off his chair.
"W-What's going on?"
"Hypoglycemia." Gu Tinglan lied calmly and carefully placed Xixi on the bed. "She needs to rest."
The school doctor looked at Xixi's pale face and the cold sweat on her forehead with suspicion. Just as he was about to go forward to check, he was blocked by Gu Tinglan: "Just give her some glucose, don't worry about anything else."
After the school doctor reluctantly left, Gu Tinglan immediately locked the door and returned to the bedside. Xixi's tail hung limply by the bed, her once radiant skin now tinged with an unhealthy grayish-grey. He reached out and gently stroked her cheek, finding it cold.
Looking at Xixi who was shaking in pain, Gu Tinglan knelt on one knee in front of her and gently wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with his fingers: "Did you use your spiritual power recklessly?"
"He...he bullied you first..." Xixi was barely breathing, but still staring stubbornly, "Succubus...she will never let go of anything she has done..."
Gu Tinglan's breathing stagnated, and he suddenly hugged her tightly in his arms. His voice was hoarse: "Bullying me is not bullying you, is it necessary?"
Xixi buried her face in the crook of his neck, sniffing the familiar scent of cedar, and her tail weakly wrapped around his wrist: "It hurts..."
"You deserve it." Gu Tinglan said this, but patted her back gently, "If you do this again next time..."
"More..." Xixi interrupted him, her red eyes flashing with stubbornness, "You are the food I chose. No one can bully you. This is a provocation to me."
Gu Tinglan: “…”
Food is food, at least they took the initiative to confine him to their territory and knew how to protect him.
"How can I make you feel less uncomfortable?"
"I don't feel uncomfortable anymore." Xixi suddenly pushed him away and emerged from his arms.
"Really?" Gu Tinglan looked at his empty arms and asked with raised eyebrows.
"Yes, if I get close to you I can absorb your spiritual energy, and with spiritual energy I can heal my body's injuries."
"Really?" Her smile made Gu Tinglan feel for the first time that being protected was not a bad feeling. "Go to sleep."
He will watch over her.
However, Sissi's condition was much more serious than expected.
Gu Tinglan found that her body temperature was getting lower and lower, her fingertips were slightly abnormally purple, and her tail was hanging down weakly again, as if all her strength had been drained away.
"Xixi?" He patted her face gently, with a hint of barely perceptible panic in his voice, "Wake up."
She opened her eyes dazedly, her pupils slightly dilated, and her voice was so weak that it was almost inaudible: "Gu Tinglan... I'm so cold..."
Gu Tinglan immediately reached out to touch her forehead, which was icy cold. He frowned and whispered, "Not enough spiritual power?"
Xixi nodded slightly, raised her hand with difficulty, and tugged at the corner of his clothes: "...Hold."
Gu Tinglan was silent for a moment, then leaned over and pulled her into his arms. Her body was incredibly light, and she curled up against his chest like a young animal seeking warmth. He tightened his arms and whispered, "Will this work?"
"Hmm..." Xixi rubbed his neck gently, her voice muffled, "Tighter."
Gu Tinglan pursed his lips and tightened his grip. He could feel her soft breath brushing against his collarbone, her cold fingers unconsciously clutching his collar.
However, at this moment——
"Bang!"
The door of the infirmary was suddenly pushed open. Xixi's tail was frightened and retracted instantly. She looked towards the source of the sound with her hair standing on end.
Pei Song's loud voice suddenly exploded: "Old Gu! The coach punished that grandson to run laps. We——"
The sound stopped abruptly.
Gu Tinglan slowly raised his head and met the eyes of Pei Song, who was standing dumbfounded at the door, and a group of basketball team brothers behind him.
The air froze.
Pei Song opened and closed his mouth, then opened and closed it again, and finally squeezed out a few words with difficulty: "...Excuse me?"
The boys behind him looked at each other in bewilderment. Some gasped, some tried to hold back their laughter until their shoulders shook, and some silently pulled out their phones.
Gu Tinglan's eyes turned cold: "Delete it."
The man's hand shook and the phone almost fell to the ground.
Xixi raised her head slightly from Gu Tinglan's arms, looked at the group of people at the door in confusion, and asked weakly, "Who are they?"
Pei Song: “…”
She really came here to enjoy herself. It has been more than a week, and she doesn't even remember Pei Song who was sitting in front of her.
Everyone: “…”
Pei Song: “……?”
Is he some jerk? It's been a week, and after all, we were sitting in front of each other, and he doesn't even deserve to have his two names remembered?!
Gu Tinglan hugged her tightly with an expressionless face and glanced at them coldly: "Get out."
"Okay, okay! Let's get out!" Pei Song immediately dragged the others out, not forgetting to close the door thoughtfully before leaving. But before closing the door, he suppressed a smile and added, "Old Gu, I didn't expect you... to be so capable?"
The moment the door closed, Gu Tinglan's forehead twitched.
Xixi was completely unaware of what was happening. She just shrank back into his arms and muttered softly, "They're so noisy."
Gu Tinglan looked down at her and sighed helplessly: "Is it really okay now? Don't lie to me again."
"That's almost it. It would be even better if you could hold me and sleep for a night when we get home."
Gu Tinglan: “…”
"Don't push your luck." Gu Tinglan gently pushed her away from his arms, his hand unconsciously touching the tip of his nose, and turned his eyes away. "I'm only letting you hold me because you're helping me this time."
"Go to sleep." He said coldly.
"oh."
Xixi closed her eyes obediently, and her tail unconsciously wrapped around his wrist, as if she was afraid that he would run away.
Outside the door, Pei Song and his group of brothers looked at each other, and finally burst into an uncontrollable booing -
"Fuck! Gu Tinglan actually really—"
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
"Fuck, no wonder he hasn't been eating with us lately!"
“…”
In the infirmary, Gu Tinglan listened to the faint discussions outside, and his temples began to throb.
If this continues, then in his mother's eyes, it will really be considered as kidnapping an ignorant girl.
What's more, Ji Yunbai has not been contacted now. She seems to be too confident in her son and has been playing outside until he has lost track of time.
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