The Companion Player Doesn’t Want a Shura Field [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 16

After saying those words, Qi Ming saw the person pressing down on him. The other man’s pupils shrank instantly. He gazed at Qi Ming in a daze, his lips parting and closing futilely.

As if unable to believe what he had just heard, Cui Yuxuan’s grip on Qi Ming’s hands, previously firm and unyielding, loosened. Unbeknownst to him, a faint red circle rimmed his eyes, and a single transparent teardrop rolled slowly from the corner of his eye.

With a soft splat, it landed on Qi Ming’s face.

Lowering his head, Qi Ming brushed away the wet mark with his knuckle. In the next second, tear after tear fell intermittently, like shattered jade beads, nearly soaking Qi Ming’s collar.

“Why are you crying?”

He raised his wet finger in front of Cui Yuxuan and shook it, his tone laced with helplessness.

Hearing this, the other man turned his head away and instinctively raised his hand to hurriedly wipe the tear stains from his face. Cui Yuxuan’s voice was trembling and raw, yet he remained stubborn.

“I… I am not crying.”

“Hahaha, really? This is the first time I have seen you drop ‘little pearls’.”

At a time like this, Qi Ming actually let out a laugh, which caused Cui Yuxuan to lose all restraint. Pouting with grievance, he protested, “Hyung, you are actually laughing at me? I am crying here!”

“So you are admitting to being a crybaby now?”

Noticing Cui Yuxuan’s reddened nose, Qi Ming arched an eyebrow. He used his hand to lift the other’s chin, inspecting him from side to side.

“With you talking like that, are you really not going to let me cry?”

“Hmm? What did I say?”

“You told me not to joke around, and said I was disgus—”

Though he did not want to relive the memory, Cui Yuxuan obediently repeated the words Qi Ming had said that hurt him so deeply. Just then, the remaining words vanished at the tip of his throat.

He felt a soft, moist sensation slide across his cheek, and his mind went blank. Cui Yuxuan tried to keep his eyes wide, staring at the face magnified before him as his steady breathing began to falter.

Applying pressure with his fingertips, Qi Ming pulled Cui Yuxuan’s upper body down. Tilting his head, he flicked his tongue to lick away the stray tear at the corner of the eye, then left a feather-light kiss on his cheek.

“True, but you cry so cutely. I suppose I will satisfy you.”

Afterward, he leaned close to Cui Yuxuan’s ear and casually rubbed the reddened, burning earlobe. Feeling the hardness of the earring against his thumb, Qi Ming whispered, “Who told Xiao Xuan to be different from everyone else?”

Therefore, I can forgive your insolence.

BOOM

The kiss was as light as a dragonfly skimming water, yet it set off a tidal wave in Cui Yuxuan’s heart. It took a long while for the stunning spell to break. He stiffly raised a hand to touch the spot on his face where he had been kissed.

“Satisfy me? Then, should that not be a kiss on the lips?”

The moment he said it, Cui Yuxuan regretted it. How could he still be so unsatisfied? Hyung had already been so tolerant of him.

Truly, he was the best person in the world.

“Eh? Did you not say a kiss on the cheek?”

“It should be the lips.”

“I recall that as long as I kissed your cheek, Xiao Xuan would keep my secret. So, are you going to tell Brother Yin?”

“I will not.” Even if Qi Ming had not done this, Cui Yuxuan would have kept his secret. He simply could not bear to see the other man look withered and listless just because he could not have his sweets.

“Ah, Xiao Xuan is really good to Hyung.”

Of course, because I like you.

Ignoring the person beside him, Qi Ming rested his elbow on the car window frame, humming softly. He allowed the wind rushing into the car to mess up his slightly long black hair.

He took in the scenery outside the window to his heart’s content.

The sun descended like ten thousand fine golden threads, plunging straight into the lake surface beneath the high bridge. The leaping ripples flowed wantonly, urged by the wind to climb onto Qi Ming’s body, illuminating his profile.

Cui Yuxuan stared at him.

Does Hyung understand his feelings or not? If he is pretending not to know, is it because he wants to reject him?

A burst of soaring music drifted from afar, rousing him from his thoughts. Colored spotlights swept slowly across, illuminating Qi Ming’s face once more.

Unlike the natural softness reflected by the sunlight under the bridge, the stage lights carried a hint of hallucination. It was as if an invisible barrier separated the Qi Ming on stage from the surrounding world.

In Cui Yuxuan’s line of sight, the lights poured down like a deluge. Countless stars seemed willing to fall for him, outlining a sacred and dazzling silhouette around him.

He was the soul of the entire group, the core of the radiance. As long as Qi Ming opened his mouth, all eyes would be drawn to him, and every focus would converge upon him.

Including his teammates.

Screams from below the stage rose and fell in waves. Qi Ming’s name alone remained clearly audible amidst the massive cheers of “Lumos.”

He was a born idol.

Shaking off the messy thoughts in his heart, Cui Yuxuan followed the choreography in his memory and stepped forward quickly. As he brushed past Qi Ming, he felt his fingers being touched by someone.

Turning his head in a hurry, Cui Yuxuan saw the other man wink at him. Sweat rolled down from Qi Ming’s temples, mixing with the star-shaped glitter stuck to his cheek before flowing into his collar.

He curled his lips into a smile.

Xiao Xuan, do not get distracted.

Hyung noticed.

After returning to the hotel from outside yesterday, Cui Yuxuan had been agonizing over Qi Ming’s thoughts. He did not realize he would actually be distracted on stage because of this.

He should cherish every opportunity to perform with Qi Ming and give it his all. Taking a deep breath, Cui Yuxuan moved to the very front of the formation.

The words of those gossips are like knives cutting into my heart. The tears I held back are all hidden within my shirt.

Cui Yuxuan brushed his black-and-red bangs back. As his body swayed, two overlapping metal necklaces clinked crisply. On his collarbone, which was not covered by his white tasseled vest, a layer of glistening sweat also formed.

Rumors are only temporary; I intend to go the distance. Holding a microphone is enough to win this war.

Before Cui Yuxuan could finish his line, an extremely tall figure blocked him from behind, obscuring nearly his entire camera angle. He frowned, but instead of fighting for the position, he took a few steps back with the flow.

What was wrong with Kim Wooseong? They had practiced this so many times; how could he still forget the timing for the position swap?

Since they returned yesterday, this kid had not said a word. He had crouched in the corner of the hotel room alone playing his Switch, not even responding when called for dinner.

Fortunately, Qi Ming did not bother him much, saying the kid was probably just too nervous before the concert and should not be disturbed.

If you did not know better, you would think he had been infected by Byeon Hyuk’s depression.

What Cui Yuxuan still found incomprehensible was how Kim Wooseong, once the shortest, had shot up to 190 cm in just a few years, becoming the tallest of the four.

Was this some kind of growth spurt after suppression?

Cui Yuxuan was very jealous.

Having intentionally swapped positions a few beats early, Kim Wooseong brushed away the orange-red curly hair blocking the corner of his eye, yet he could not brush away the look Qi Ming had just given Cui Yuxuan.

Helpless yet full of encouragement, it was mixed with something indecipherable. Just one look was enough to make Kim Wooseong’s heart swell with bitterness.

This feeling had been hovering in his chest ever since he saw the two of them return together yesterday. Even the bitter melon juice Qi Ming intentionally forced him to drink for oversleeping was not as bitter as his heart felt now.

Kim Wooseong felt as if he were about to lose something.

Regardless of what was on his mind, his dance moves were flawless. Days and nights of practice had already turned into muscle memory for Kim Wooseong.

Sweat soaked through his T-shirt, revealing glimpses of his abdominal and chest muscles. Even in white wide-leg pants, Kim Wooseong’s movements retained a powerful sense of strength.

The yellow silk scarf tied around his waist whipped through the air. The dancing gradually eased his mood, and the expression on his face became vivid again, his light coffee-colored almond eyes sparkling.

Standing at the back of the formation, Qi Ming took in the friction between the two. He glanced at Byeon Hyuk beside him and sighed silently.

What is going on? In this whole group, only this kid is focused. Fortunately, the performance had not suffered any major errors and they had all adjusted quickly. Qi Ming decided to give them a proper lesson after the concert was over.

When it was Byeon Hyuk’s turn to take the center position, the stage lights happened to switch to purple. His features, which were originally on the gentler side, had completely matured. A pair of narrow, upturned fox-like eyes were shrouded in a hazy mist by the purple light.

His deep blue bangs scattered downward as Byeon Hyuk tilted his head back, revealing a fair and full forehead.

Wandering lost in the crowded masses, Hurt by laughter, falling in the dark night. You appeared like a lighthouse, shining, shining.

Unlike his seductive and captivating features, Byeon Hyuk’s voice felt as if it carried the frost of an icy lake, seeping straight into the heart. Yet, his every articulation was like stones being cast onto that lake surface, shattering all the frost.

It was brimming with emotion.

Byeon Hyuk tilted his head, his gaze piercing through the interlacing lights and shadows of the stage to look at Qi Ming at the very back of the formation.

He was singing for him.

Without the other man, there would be no current version of himself.

Hyung, do you hear me?

Qi Ming did not hear him; he was busy responding to the passionate confessions of the girls below the stage. As he turned to swap positions, he tilted his head and winked with his right eye, tapping his ear to signal that he heard everything.

“Ahhh! Nana! Did Oppa just wink at me? Definitely! I just said ‘Saranghae’ to him several times!”

Holding her head in her hands, Lin Yunna had become numb. She never knew that a concert could be such a test for one’s hearing endurance.

In front, she heard the idols singing; all around, she heard the audience screaming.

“Yes, yes, yes. He did it specifically for you.”

After responding to Jiang Zhien’s questions for the tenth time, Lin Yunna looked up to quietly admire the beautiful face on the large screen. She was wrong. It turned out that such a perfect man really did exist in this world.

As the final note fell, Qi Ming slowly came to a halt. At that moment, the stage pyrotechnics and devices triggered instantly, spraying multicolored streamers that fluttered down like a rain of flowers.

His dark green phoenix eyes grew even brighter under the lights. Qi Ming tilted his head slightly, letting the streamers land on his hair and shoulders. Two hours of singing and dancing had left his chest heaving violently.

“Thank you all for your company along the way. Every second tonight has been satisfying. Next time, see you in Binhai!”

“Ahhh! Oppa, thank you for your hard work! You sang so beautifully!”

“Qibao, I will come see you again next time!”

“Little Wolf’s Seoul dialect was super standard today!”

“Starry, remember to weld this hair color to your head forever!”

“Wuwu, Yuanyuan, you are truly too beautiful!”

“Lumos! Lumos! Lumos!”

After bowing, Qi Ming smiled and waved at the audience as the lift slowly lowered them beneath the stage. Without the blinding lights, he tiredly pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

Someone behind him reached out, silently clearing the streamers off Qi Ming’s body. He did not move, instead turning to lean halfway against that person’s shoulder.

He did not care who it was; he was simply exhausted.

Noticing Qi Ming’s movement, the person visibly stiffened. In the pitch-black space of the lift, no one could see anyone clearly. Thus, that person reached out to wrap an arm around his shoulder, carefully pulling him into a hug.

“Hyung, where are you?” It was Cui Yuxuan’s voice.

Qi Ming was too tired to respond immediately.

“Cui Yuxuan, you stepped on me!” Kim Wooseong grumbled unhappily.

“Ah, I could not see. What are you doing here?”

Cui Yuxuan offered no apology; the two had maintained this mode of interaction for years, not to mention Kim Wooseong had intentionally snatched his position on stage just now.

So it is Byeon Hyuk. Truly he is a filial child.

A few days later, Qi Ming only wanted to say: what filial? It was all an act.

Of the four, the most rebellious and the best at faking it was actually Byeon Hyuk.

Otherwise, how could he show up inside Qi Ming’s blanket in the middle of the night, having stripped Qi Ming’s pants, with his big treasure in his mouth, while his fox-like eyes blinked innocently at him?

Qi Ming (Dead fish eyes): He really just wanted to sleep a bit longer.