Becoming the Caged Canary of a Forced Love - Chapter 51

Gu Nian’s face flushed a deep crimson, his earlobes looking as if they were about to bleed. He tried to stand up to escape Pei Jichuan’s embrace, but the other man held him tight and wouldn’t let go. Gu Nian knew exactly what he wanted, but he refused to neglect proper business in broad daylight!

Thus, he offered a valid excuse: “Your wound isn’t healed yet.”

Pei Jichuan wilted for a second before seemingly catching a hint of leeway in Gu Nian’s tone. He leaned close to the younger man’s ear and whispered a few words. Gu Nian’s eyes widened instantly, and his face turned bright red as he lunged upward to put some distance between them.

But Pei Jichuan held Gu Nian’s wrist firmly, and the sudden struggle tugged at his still-mending ribs.

“Sss—”

Pei Jichuan’s hiss of pain caused Gu Nian to stop struggling immediately and lean closer. “Are you alright?”

Pei Jichuan clutched his chest and shook his head, using the opportunity to pull Gu Nian back into his arms. “You have to compensate me. I’ll settle the score with you tonight.”

Gu Nian spent the rest of the day sitting on the small sofa reading, while Pei Jichuan handled company affairs. However, the man’s burning gaze drifted toward Gu Nian from time to time. Gu Nian sat somewhat stiffly; the words Pei Jichuan had whispered earlier were still ringing in his ears. He couldn’t focus on a single word of his book.

Night fell quickly. After washing up, Pei Jichuan stayed in the room handling the last bit of work, while Gu Nian lingered in the bathroom, reluctant to come out. Pei Jichuan closed his laptop and looked toward the bathroom; the boy had been washing for over an hour. Pei Jichuan had no intention of rushing him, but his Adam’s apple bobbed in anticipation. Finally, it’s dark.

Gu Nian eventually emerged, shuffling toward the bed with tiny steps. Pei Jichuan’s burning gaze made his skin crawl, and he tried to retreat, only to have his wrist caught and pulled forward. He ended up positioned above Pei Jichuan, his neck and cheeks flushed deep red. Having just bathed, his skin possessed a soft, pinkish glow.

The position was too taxing, and before long, Gu Nian’s strength failed him. He whimpered and tried to slide down, only to be firmly supported back up by Pei Jichuan.

The familiar nightmare returned at 3:00 AM. Gu Nian sat up, his temples throbbing with a splitting pain. His entire body was agonizingly sore, and his lower abdomen felt heavy and aching. He reached out to rub the area and cast a sideways glance at Pei Jichuan. He silently estimated a certain “length,” reaching down toward his navel.

Absolute beast! Gu Nian cursed inwardly. He was about to lie back down and continue sleeping when his gaze shifted—was there something by the grandfather clock?

The curtains hadn’t been pulled fully shut tonight; a sliver of moonlight streaming through the gap hit the side of the clock. Gu Nian climbed out of bed. Under the reflection of the light, he noticed some uneven marks on the wall.

Few people ever entered Gu Nian’s bedroom, and servants only cleaned it periodically. Because Lin Nuo didn’t like brightness, the curtains were almost never drawn back. Gu Nian gripped the curtain and looked back at Pei Jichuan; the man was sound asleep, likely exhausted from the day’s “exertions.” He lay on his side facing Gu Nian, his black hair messy and his eyelashes casting fan-shaped shadows. His breathing was slow and long, and there was a faint bite mark on his shoulder left by Gu Nian.

Gu Nian carefully pulled the curtain aside. Behind the large floor clock, there were sunken lines on the wall. Gu Nian reached out to touch them; they seemed to be words. Only one poorly carved word was visible. He narrowed his eyes, squinting to identify it.

‘Hate.’

It seemed to be that word. Gu Nian’s curiosity was piqued. He braced one side of the heavy clock and pushed it to the side. His movements were slow; the clock sat on smooth tiles beneath the carpet, so it slid without making much noise. Fearing he would wake Pei Jichuan, he pushed cautiously for a long time until most of the writing behind the clock was exposed.

He stopped and lifted a corner of the curtain, using the moonlight from the floor-to-ceiling window to see. But the moment he read the words, his skin crawled and his blood turned cold.

The mottled characters on the wall were like jagged wounds, seemingly containing all the hatred of the person who had carved them. Gu Nian’s hand trembled as he touched the surface.

‘I hate you, I hate you, I hate you’; ‘Pei Jichuan, may you die a horrible death’; ‘I will never, never, never be with you’…

His breath hitched. He couldn’t stop himself from looking back at the sleeping Pei Jichuan, who was entirely unaware of what was happening. Gu Nian traced every word; the deep incisions seemed to hold a towering, bottomless resentment. This was likely left by the original Lin Nuo. The truth was becoming increasingly heavy.

Gu Nian looked down at his own body, his chest covered in marks left by Pei Jichuan. His mind was a chaotic mess as he touched the wall with trembling fingers. He then carefully pushed the clock back into its original position. I have to find a way to get rid of these words.

He sat back on the edge of the bed, his gaze drifting back to that corner. It felt as if the ghost from the previous night had been Lin Nuo trying to tell him something. Gu Nian suddenly remembered someone: that old shaman! Perhaps he could explain these continuous nightmares and the ghost-like hallucinations.

Gu Nian gripped his phone and lay back down. He looked at Pei Jichuan, and the warm affection that had been quietly rising in his heart seemed to have been suddenly extinguished. He turned over, turning his back to Pei Jichuan, and remained awake for the rest of the night.

Pei Jichuan woke early today, but Gu Nian used exhaustion as an excuse to stay in the room. Pei Jichuan simply assumed he had pushed the boy too hard the night before; he kissed Gu Nian’s cheek and left for work, entirely failing to notice his complex mood.

After lying there for a while longer, Gu Nian got up and pushed the clock fully aside. Everything from the night before hadn’t been a hallucination—the wall behind the clock was densely packed with writing. A towering hatred loomed within the words.

Gu Nian connected his equipment and briefly explained the nightmares and the ghost to Zhou Yi, asking him to inquire with the old shaman. Zhou Yi replied quickly; the shaman was elusive, and he wasn’t sure when he could be found, but he told Gu Nian to stay calm and that he would handle it as quickly as possible. He added one more thing: the car accident seemed to be related to Pei Jichuan’s stepbrother.

Gu Nian gripped his phone. He had nearly forgotten that character. He knew from the first moment he saw him that the stepbrother was no good.

After finishing the communication, Gu Nian hid his device and moved the clock back to its original spot. This clock was an antique that had always been kept here; servants rarely moved it for fear of damage, which was why the writing behind it had never been discovered.

Gu Nian’s attitude today was strange, appearing cold and indifferent toward him again. Pei Jichuan thought it over carefully—had he hurt him last night? Unlikely; during the latter half, he had actually asked me to go ‘faster.’ It wasn’t until he was kicked out of the bedroom that night that he finally confirmed Gu Nian was truly angry.

Gu Nian slept soundly that night. No nightmares, no ghosts. His theory was proven correct.

Whenever he slept in this bed with Pei Jichuan, he would have nightmares!

He couldn’t distinguish whether these were mere dreams or the memories of the original owner. He could only hope that Zhou Yi would find that shaman soon. If they truly are memories… Gu Nian thought of the dream of his parents’ tragic deaths and his eyes filled with a deep, dark shadow.