Chapter 564: So Happy

    Gu Luoxin couldn’t help but shudder, feeling as if his impure thoughts had been seen through.

    He instinctively played dead and kept himself motionless as though he had heard nothing. But then he belatedly realized that... the howling wind around them seemed to have gone quiet? Wait, why would Noir stop all of a sudden? It couldn’t be because he had really sensed Gu Luoxin’s hidden little agenda, right?

    Oh God, please tell him it wasn’t true, or he would simply perish out of sheer mortification— right this very second!!!

    But Noir, as ruthless as ever, ripped off his pretense sadistically with a single cruel sentence, "Your eyelids are twitching like crazy, still want to pretend?" At the end, his voice gained a mirthless edge. When combined with the careless and nonchalant way he was speaking, it became all the more dangerous instead, seemingly promising a whole package of wicked consequences if the other person kept insisting on putting on such a lousy act.

    Gu Luoxin: "..."

    S-Scary... QAQ

    When Gu Luoxin recalled that his life was – quite literally – held in Noir’s hands, he had no choice but to come out of his shell. He cracked his eyelids open bit by bit, trying to make the movement appear as natural as possible, yet he had no idea that the words ’guilty conscience’ were literally written across his face in bold capital letters.

    Of course, Noir was perceptive enough to catch that. "Hm?" he arched a brow, musing. "Why are you looking at me like that? Were you..." his emerald eyes narrowed in contemplation as they held Gu Luoxin’s nervous ones, his voice dropping into a low murmur, "scheming something behind my back?"

    "N-No!" Gu Luoxin blurted out in a heartbeat, his neck shrinking back. He forced out a few light-hearted chuckles from his throat. "Of course not, Senior! What could I possibly be— woah!"

    An astonished gasp tore out of his lips as he took in their surroundings for the very first time. Along the way, he had kept his eyes tightly shut because that one brief glimpse he caught earlier had nearly given him a heart attack, hence he did not have the slightest idea where Noir was bringing him to.

    At this moment, however, Gu Luoxin’s gaze was locked on the breathtaking panorama beneath him, unable to bring himself to look away.

    The entire city sprawled below like a vast ocean of light, shimmering against the deep embrace of the night sky. The skyscrapers loomed like towering constellations, their windows gleaming like scattered stars, while the movement of cars and people on the street looked miniscule in comparison. Combined all that with delicate snowflakes drifting lazily from above, the scene was simply... breathtaking, dreamy, and out of the world. It was a heart-stopping scene he’d never thought he had the honor to view in his lifetime.

    Gu Luoxin felt his breath seized by the sheer magnificence of all, goosebumps flaring across his arms.

    Then he noticed Noir gliding toward an impressively tall building nearby. This gleaming titan of glass and steel, and this unique twisting design that seemed to slice through the sky-line... t-this was unmistakably...

    Gu Luoxin’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock. "Y-Y-Y-You brought us to Shanghai Tower?!" he exclaimed, feeling like he was about to have another heart attack.

    He couldn’t have mistaken the building’s unique shape. It just took him some more time to identify it because this was the first time he had seen it from this angle. But there was no mistaking it— this was Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in the whole country!

    And Noir did not just bring them to the observation deck, which was supposed to be one of the highest in the world and offer an incredible panoramic view of the city, but the rooftop! The thin and narrow stretch at the very top of the tower! That being said, this iconic building was in another city, and the distance from Gu Luoxin’s hometown was, like, half a province! And Noir had flown them over... just like that???

    "Yep," Noir’s attitude remained infuriatingly nonchalant as though he had not done something earth-shattering. He placed Gu Luoxin down before taking a seat beside him.

    But Gu Luoxin dared not be so casual. Help, his legs were still hanging in midair! Just a glance down from this height was enough to make him dizzy and out of breath! With his feeble heart suspended in his throat, Gu Luoxin scooted back until his entire body was safe on a solid surface and hugged his knees close to his chest.

    Just then, a chilly gust swept through, and he sensed the building beneath him sway— it really swayed1 ahhhh!

    "S–Senior!!!" he cried out and tremblingly clung to Noir’s arm for dear life, so panic-stricken that his face was drained of all colors. Seemingly afraid that Noir would shake him off, he held on extremely tight, nearly plastering his entire body to the other person. Only then could he feel a little safer and more secure.

    He had expected Noir to make fun of him for being a scaredy-cat, but surprisingly it did not happen.

    Instead, Noir pulled out the woolen hat he had kept in his coat pocket all this time and fixed it on top of Gu Luoxin’s head before patting him twice. The sudden fluffiness and warmth left Gu Luoxin momentarily stunned, even more so when Noir remarked in a languid tone, "What are you afraid of? I won’t let you fall."

    It was such a simple sentence, yet when it reached Gu Luoxin’s ears, his heart thudded hard in response. He had never expected to hear this coming from Noir, of all people, and for a while, all he could do was stare at the man’s side profile in a daze.

    The glimmering city lights reflected off his features, casting deep shadows that accentuated his sharp contours, while the breeze tousled his soft brown curls, making them appear irresistibly touchable. He looked so fine, so devastatingly gorgeous that Gu Luoxin felt his lingering fear and panic dissolve like snow under the warm sun. Despite the man’s sadistic tendencies, Gu Luoxin trusted him with his whole heart. If Noir said he wouldn’t let him fall, then he definitely wouldn’t.

    But goodness... why did that one simple sentence of reassurance sound so unbearably sweet to his ears? He hugged himself tighter, feeling an intense flutter spreading from his chest down to his stomach. Damn it, was he seriously swooning just because of that?!

    Pull yourself together, Xinxin!

    Pursing his lips tight, Gu Luoxin reluctantly let go of his hold and straightened up, though he still discreetly shifted closer to Noir under the guise of safety. He peeked at the man through his lashes and secretly rejoiced when the other person uttered nothing in refusal.

    This much... should be allowed, right?

    Hugging his knees to his chest, Gu Luoxin buried half of his face to his scarf to conceal the giddy smile on his lips. He cleared his throat before asking, "So, is this the ’good place’ you’re talking about, Senior? Do you... come here often?"

    "Mn," Noir affirmed softly, his gaze slightly distant as he took in the dazzling landscape before him. "Isn’t it beautiful? I often come here when I’m not in a good mood."

    "Are you..." Gu Luoxin reflexively blurted out. ’Are you in a bad mood now?’ was what he had intended to ask, but then a belated realization struck him like a sudden lightning bolt on a clear midday, turning his eyes wide in shock. And the words that came out of his mouth became: "Did you bring me here... because of what happened with my uncle? Because I was sad, Senior?"

    Gu Luoxin held his breath sharply, his heartbeat accelerating in pace. He had an inexplicable hunch that he had gotten it right. That Noir had indeed taken him here to cheer him up. Because he, Gu Luoxin, had cried miserably on New Year’s Eve, Noir had gone out of his way to cross half a province just to show him this magnificent scenery. This hunch was so damn strong that he couldn’t ignore it even if he wanted to.

    Yet Noir, being elusive and cunning as he was, simply arched a brow and countered, "What do you think?"

    Gu Luoxin was not deterred by the man’s vague response this time. For him, that was as good as a confirmation, making him grin foolishly.

    Oh dear God, Jesus, Buddha and all deities that existed under this plane, what should he do? He was so happy— so freaking happy that he felt like he might just float away if a breeze blew past him right now. So happy that his chest was about to burst like an overinflated balloon pricked by a sharp needle. So happy that he wanted to run around and shout and cheer like that lunatic Jin Jiuchi!

    Was it even possible for someone to feel this happy?

    The young man’s round eyes were curved into crescents, and the entire universe’s brilliance seemed to coalesce into those clear black orbs, morphing into a shimmering river of liquid stars that made the radiant cityscape behind him dull in comparison. Those fiery, expressive eyes seemed to convey thousands of unspoken words, fervent and passionate. So dazzlingly they burned that Noir had the impression as if he was being scalded.

    He looked away a little unnaturally and scoffed, while his large hand grabbed Gu Luoxin’s head to turn it to the front.

    "Hehe," Gu Luoxin did not mind Noir’s action at all. He buried his nose into his scarf and giggled, his heart soft and gooey as though it had been soaked in a jar of pure honey. Gazing at the spread of cityscapes beneath him, he released a small contented sigh.

    "You’re right, Senior..." he muttered. "It really is beautiful up here."

    The two of them sat in silence for the next while, simply basking in the quiet presence of another. Although they did nothing and there was still half an arm’s distance between them, the atmosphere seemed to carry a hint of intimacy and ambiguity that made one’s heart palpitate.

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    A/N: fyi, the tower is 632 meters (2,073 feet) tall, making it the third tallest building in the whole world ^^ I found the perfect picture on pinterest that can help you imagine how xinxin feels sitting at the very top but ugh the app doesn’t let me upload it cos it’s too large QAQ i think i will just post it on our discord gallery, stay tuned!

    Oh, and it was also on this tower that Noir made his first appearance (Chapter 77) *cough* when a cat brings you to his most favorite place, it also means... *wiggle brows* *smirk*

    Like most supertall buildings, the top of the tower can sway slightly in strong winds, but dw they have this damping system that helps counteract it so the visitors barely notice. Xinxin feels the sensation stronger because he’s sitting at the very top hahaha