BXBX NOVEL Chapter 2.2
In the previous world, the male lead also appeared on stage before schedule, then proceeded to mess up the storyline from day one. Not only did the male lead deviate from the plot, he even changed BG to BL, causing Sui Yuan untold amounts of stress. He really didn’t expect this second world’s male lead to be so irresponsible and pop out this early again ah! Sui Yuan really feels like crying a river.
Despite how chaotic and anxious he is feeling inwardly right now, Sui Yuan has no choice but to brace himself and charge on ahead. As a hardworking and responsible supporting male lead, he will definitely stick to his script, acting his role and not stepping one toe out of line. He will shoulder the burden of setting the wayward plot back on track.
Turning his head to regard the shocked Leng Xia, Sui Yuan frowns. "Mo Xuanzhi? Do you know him?"
Leng Xia can’t help the small startle at Sui Yuan’s inquiry. Ten years into the apocalypse, Mo Xuanzhi will be a household name; presently, there is no way she would recognise that man on sight.
It’s a shame that one cannot retrieve water poured out of a basin. With no way to dismiss what she said, Leng Xia can only shake her head and weigh her answer properly before replying, "I don’t know him personally, but I know of him. He doesn’t count as someone I am familiar with, though."
Not wanting to push the female lead into an awkward position, Sui Yuan doesn’t continue to interrogate her. Merely nodding in understanding, his gaze shifts to Mo Xuanzhi, who stopped about five meters away from the group.
At the same time, Mo Xuanzhi’s eyes sweep over the gathered survivors, finally landing on Sui Yuan.
When two capable individuals first meet, there will always be a strange and mysterious atmosphere between them. It doesn’t take long for Mo Xuanzhi to pinpoint the official leader of this ragtag bunch of humans. Smiling but not, he seizes Sui Yuan up from head to toe.
Feeling his scalp go numb from the intense scrutiny, Sui Yuan retains a firm hold on his unperturbed façade and steps forward. Walking up to Mo Xuanzhi, he extends a friendly hand. "I am He Haochen. This is the first time we are meeting."
The male lead merely quirks an eyebrow, curtly delivering three words[1], "Mo Xuanzhi," before clasping Sui Yuan’s offered hand.
Although Mo Xuanzhi is not emitting a hostile air, that does not mean he is a friend or even a tentative ally. As soon as the other grips his hand, Sui Yuan can feel the hidden strength lurking beneath skin and muscles, seemingly threatening to crush his bones.
Stiffening, he subconsciously raises his power to resist. Only, it’s a pity that Mo Xuanzhi is on a completely different level from him when it comes to their abilities.
Lightning and fire engulfs their linked hands, intertwining together as one struggles to dominate the other. This silent standoff causes the bystanders to hold their breath, unease appearing on their faces. If they somehow manage to offend this formidable Mo Xuanzhi, he would definitely not hesitate to send them all to hell to accompany the zombies!
Similarly, the person currently locked in this unpleasant situation is also feeling very apprehensive. Even if he knows he will eventually be love rivals with this man, isn’t this scene of ’tiger and dragon butting heads over territory’[2] happening way too soon?!
The blandly courteous smile fades from Sui Yuan’s face as he glances up at the other party, meeting the sharp gaze that resembles a predator stalking its prey. An odd glint flashes through Mo Xuanzhi’s eyes, then the male lead releases his tight grip.
As Sui Yuan inwardly heaves a sigh of relief, the male lead no longer pays him any attention, brushing past and heading towards the group. Resigning himself to the first deviation from the storyline, he shakes out the tingles and faint aches in his poor hand.
...This world’s male lead is extremely savage ah... QAQ
5237 sighs softly, drifting over to Sui Yuan and patting his face in comfort. "There’s nothing to be done about it. All male leads in zombie apocalypse stories possess this kind of morals and conduct. Tyrannical, savage and abnormal. Bear with it for a while, and it will naturally pass. As long as you don’t make him your enemy, your life wouldn’t be at risk..."
"......I am not the least bit comforted," Sui Yuan complains childishly as he observes Mo Xuanzhi’s actions. "I don’t know if it is just me, but I feel that Mo Xuanzhi is rather familiar..."
"Your senses have gone haywire," 5237 replies lazily. "I can confirm that we have never seen this person before in this world."
"...I must be thinking too much..." Sui Yuan nods, then tosses this issue out the window, cleanly forgetting all about it.
Although everyone’s gaze is locked on his person, extremely tense and on edge, Mo Xuanzhi brushes them all off with practised ease. Having noted the positions of everyone present, he unhesitantly strides over to the female lead, commanding her as though he is not a complete stranger, "Give me food."
His imposing manner, coupled with a strong scent of blood still clinging to him after clearing the horde of undead just moments ago, causes Leng Xia’s frame to tremble slightly from how tautly stretched her muscles are. Hesitating, she glances at Sui Yuan, only to find his expression is calm as ever with no signs of disapproval. Knowing exactly how deadly this man is, Leng Xia doesn’t dare offend him, immediately bringing out a bag of beef jerky everyone yearns for and hands it over.
Taking the offered bag of food, Mo Xuanzhi saunters away, leaning against a Land Rover parked off to the side before digging in. Every action full of grace and allure, Leng Xia can’t help but feel somewhat attracted despite being well aware of that person’s ability to murder without batting an eye.
Gathering her courage, she questions, "How did you know I have food?"
Finishing the beef jerky in another two or three bites, Mo Xuanzhi lifts his head languidly, tossing the empty packet away carelessly as he replies, "Anyone with common sense will know. You smell clean and your clothes are not bloodstained. You have a position amongst this bunch and are pretty well taken care of." Pinching Leng Xia’s chin to forcibly lift her head up, Mo Xuanzhi smiles teasingly. "With your looks, if you are not being treasured by a man and leaning on him for support, that means you are useful. Since all of you don’t seem to carry a lot of equipment, it means the large bulk of it resides in your space."
Leng Xia’s cheeks flushes red, evidently angered over being frivolously made fun of, but unable to throw this man off. Although Sui Yuan, who is glad to remain a spectator, is currently feeling very gratified towards this male lead for interacting so favourably with the female lead—he has no choice but to cut in here. So with reluctance in his heart, he prepares himself to steal the main couple’s spotlight.
Swiftly walking over to Mo Xuanzhi and Leng Xia, Sui Yuan grabs the other man’s wrist forcefully as he smoothly inserts himself in the space between them. Gently nudging Leng Xia behind him, he faces Mo Xuanzhi with a frosty, polite smile, almond eyes gleaming dangerously behind his glasses. "Mr Mo, aren’t you being too impolite?!"
As soon as his wrist was grabbed, Mo Xuanzhi releases his grip on Leng Xia’s chin. Watching amusedly as the startled young woman speedily retreats a few paces before hiding behind Sui Yuan, the male lead eventually turns to him. "What? Does your heart hurt because I bullied your woman?"
"Please mind your words!" Sui Yuan coldly spits out these four words. A second later, his hard expression relaxes into something more neutral. Evidently, he doesn’t wish to offend this walking killing machine too much. "Miss Leng is just a member of my team. As the captain, I have the obligation to ensure her personal safety."
Even if this world’s male lead is someone who can be labelled a ’pirate who seizes what he fancies’ and is not an upright gentleman like Qin Zheng, who will not try to steal away a friend’s wife, the scarred Sui Yuan doesn’t want a repeat of what happened the last time. Hence, he feels that clarifying his current relationship with the female lead would be the best thing to do in order to prevent the plot from derailing.
- This female lead hasn’t been claimed yet! Please hurry up and make your move!
"Only a team member, huh?" Glancing at the lost expression on Leng Xia’s face, Mo Xuanzhi suddenly laughs like he is in a good mood.
Before Sui Yuan can react, his arm is suddenly grabbed and twisted. In a split-second, his back slams into the side door of the Land Rover, body pressed up against the cold surface.
Back aching dully, Sui Yuan opens his mouth to yell at the other party, only to find Mo Xuanzhi’s face extremely close to his.
One hand easily subduing Sui Yuan’s struggle, his free hand grabs the relatively long black hair, using it as a leverage to pull Sui Yuan’s face upwards. Slanting his lips over Sui Yuan’s, Mo Xuanzhi all but ravages his mouth, sucking and biting on the soft, red lips.
Sui Yuan’s mind blanks, shocked silly by the sudden assault.
Only when the equally-stunned 5237 finds its voice and begins screeching wordlessly does his brain kickstart.
He sends a stream of combined water and lightning to wind around Mo Xuanzhi. Although the male lead appears very engrossed in the kiss, in reality, he is well aware of Sui Yuan’s every move. Nimbly retreating three paces backwards, he deftly dodges the surprise attack. Tongue extending to lick away the blood on his lips, Mo Xuanzhi’s mouth stretches into a lustful and wanton grin. "Sure enough, the taste is very good. I have been wanting to sample it since a while ago."
Clear loathing on his face, Sui Yuan lifts a hand to wipe his mouth. The murderous light in his glare is extremely fearsome. Gaze locked on Mo Xuanzhi, he wordlessly asks why the man did this.
However, the other party has no intentions of explaining himself. Sticking both hands in his trousers’ pockets, he stares appreciatively at Sui Yuan. "Consider it as me collecting a little interest. Your remaining debts, we can count them slowly."
Saying this, he whirls on his heels and struts over towards the group of vacant vehicles. Sui Yuan stares at his retreating back, before a figurative lightbulb flicks on. "Qin Zheng?"
Mo Xuanzhi freezes mid-step, then glances over his shoulder with a displeased look. "Who are you calling? If you keep mistaking me for someone else, I will kill you!"
Then, he continues striding away, leaving a bewildered Sui Yuan behind. Slipping into the passenger seat of a random car as though he owns it, the man leans back and closes his eyes to rest.
"Haochen..." Leng Xia hurries up to Sui Yuan, carefully studying his face in concern, whilst burying her own puzzlement, surprise and speculations.
Sui Yuan’s lips thin, waving away her unasked question with a blank face. Belatedly realising he is being too cold to the female lead, he tries to placate Leng Xia with a small smile.
"Let’s continue onwards," He orders, hard gaze sweeping over still shell-shocked team. Slowly, they begin to move one after another.
"Older brother Hao, then... That..." A troubled expression on his face, one of the men discreetly points to Mo Xuanzhi lounging in the truck.
Every car in their convoy was painstakingly chosen by Sui Yuan, each of them possessing exceptional functions and capability. To lose even one car means a huge loss for the group. On top of that, the remaining vehicles will not be enough to transport everyone.
Thus, Sui Yuan can only shake his head helplessly. "If he wants to sit there, let him be. It’s not as if we can refuse him."
Recalling how easily Mo Xuanzhi dealt with that high-level horde, the others nod in agreement. Piling into the vehicles, the group sets off on their journey once more. As for this calamity star that turned up uninvited, just let him do whatever he wants...
"Haochen, your...lip is still bleeding..." Feeling rather awkward as she glances from time to time at Sui Yuan’s mouth, Leng Xia takes out a paper napkin from her space and hands it to the man sitting next to her.
Corners of his mouth turning downwards in a grimace, Sui Yuan thanks her politely before pressing it to his lower lip.
"Um...who is Qin Zheng?" Peeking sideways at Sui Yuan for half a day, she finally decides to ask.
"Just someone I knew." Sui Yuan waves dismissively. "But it seems like I recognised the wrong person."
Sensing that Sui Yuan is reluctant to say more than this, Leng Xia doesn’t press any further, simply turning to look out the car’s window, expression somewhat lost and uneasy.
However, Sui Yuan is too busy conversing with 5237 to notice her state of mind.
"I wasn’t OOC, right?" He inquires the sullen system as he dabs at his lip. As there is no scene in the original story of the male lead assaulting the supporting male lead with a kiss in public, what follows is all up to Sui Yuan, making him rather nervous.
"......It was fine," 5237 replies after a full minute of trying to smother itself. "You called him Qin Zheng just now? Did you think he is the same actor who filled the male lead’s role in your first world?"
"I am probably overthinking." Sui Yuan wrinkles his brow. "It shouldn’t be such a coincidence, right?"
"Of course not!" 5237 relaxes a little. "There are not many actors right now with the ability to make their own decisions. We must be thinking too much!"
"Speaking of...is this world’s male lead bisexual?" Fingers running lightly over the cut on his lip, his feels slightly stressed. "Wanting to take advantage of the female lead but was stopped by the supporting male lead, so he straightforwardly used the supporting male lead to extinguish his fire?"
"......Although I have no way of checking the male lead’s sexual preferences...quite a few authors are fond of creating this kind of exotic male leads. Apparently, it is because when the main leads get together, there is more satisfaction," 5237 says seriously after a moment’s consideration.
"...I feel like my three views have been toppled,[3]" Sui Yuan mumbles expressionlessly as he stares up at the car’s roof.
5237: "......This is the first time I realise you actually have three views."
Footnotes:
[1] His name in Chinese is three characters: 莫轩止
[2] Tiger and dragon butting heads over territory = the meeting of two strong rivals fighting to covet something
[3] Toppling of the three views = refers to an individual’s worldview, view on life and system of values. If someone’s three views have been toppled, it means they have accepted a view completely different from their own. Or, an individual has experienced a major event that drastically shifted their views on something.