The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 3

The sound of water instantly stopped. The Divine did not hear the Devil Contractor’s prayer.

Xingkong stepped out of the shower room, a towel draped halfway over his shoulder. Water droplets slid one by one down his tall body.

There were no marks visible on the skin that met the eye—none of the imagined flames, runes, scars, or glowing broken surfaces.

Even if she had the guts, Yao Yuan would never dare to pull the small towel off the devil. She swallowed hard and backed up a few steps, but her slipper slipped. The devil yanked her arm and pulled her back into his embrace.

His shirt became transparent, stained with drops of water.

“Want to wash with me?” His lips were smiling, but a cold cruelty surged deep in his pupils.

Xingkong’s fingers were wrapped around her neck. Even though he was stroking her gently in a pampered manner now, there was no telling if he would casually crush the thing in his hand the next second.

“N-no.”

“Hmm?”

“I, I came to use the bathroom. Look, there’s only one bathroom here.”

What kind of excuse was that! Yao Yuan bit her lip in embarrassment, wishing she could just faint.

The fingers around her neck moved away: “Makes sense. A [person] has three urgencies.”

“Hehehe…”

“Please.”

“What?” She raised her head innocently and saw a pair of dark red, swirling eyes.

“Didn’t you need to use the bathroom? Go ahead.” The devil sincerely stepped aside, inviting Yao Yuan to sit upon the porcelain throne.

“…Could you please go out for a moment?”

“I didn’t hear a knock earlier. You must have been too anxious to wait since you pushed the door open directly.” The devil took her hand and pressed her down onto the toilet: “I won’t mind. After all, we are [lovers].”

“Even if we are lovers…”

“Do you want me to mind? If you wish.”

Yao Yuan couldn’t figure out the devil’s thoughts and had to deduce from the worst-case scenario: perhaps the devil was angry, angry because she had intruded?

Indeed, she had walked in without knocking, fully aware that he was showering.

Based on equal terms, if she asked Xingkong not to mind this, she shouldn’t mind either—she felt completely tied in a knot!

Under the chilling gaze, Yao Yuan slowly began to lift her skirt…

Whatever it was, it was too late. Yao Yuan was lying in bed in her pajamas, a deathly expression on her face.

Click. The light vanished, and a gloom pressed in from the other side.

The single bed groaned in complaint. The perfectly tucked-in quilt slid halfway to the other side, leaving one arm exposed in a pitiful manner.

She habitually shifted twice, her calf touching silky smooth skin, which was surprisingly not too cold.

“Xingkong, why is your body so much like a human’s? Were you like this when you lived elsewhere?”

Did the devil live in [Hell] or [Purgatory]?

Devils in works of art are always covered in flames, with horns and fangs, riding through magma and darkness. Yet, the one lying next to her looked human no matter how she looked at him.

“Our true forms vary greatly. Even in the Demon Realm, manifesting one’s true form to any being other than an ally is a provocation.”

“Thank you…” Useless knowledge was added.

Forcing herself to close her eyes, she was still met with pitch blackness when she opened them again.

Yao Yuan rolled out of bed, swayed to the bathroom, and came back to the bedside. She couldn’t help but lean down towards Xingkong.

Her eyes had adapted to the dark, allowing her to make out the contours with a bit of ambient light.

A whole day of strange experiences hadn’t allowed her mind much time to process, and clarity only returned in the deep of the night.

First, she and the devil signed a contract for [a perfect lover].

At the time, she was lying in the road, covered in wounds; without signing the contract, she would have been crippled if not dead. Now, she was whole and sound, and she even gained a lover.

The price for all of this was her soul.

Judging by the contractors’ investment, they surely hoped the fulfillment period would be as short as possible, which must be why the devil was so tolerant.

Once the contract was fulfilled, she would have to offer her soul—meaning she would die immediately, right?

Who wants to die when they can live well? Moreover, what would a soul that falls into Hell experience?

The mere thought of the mythological scenes of purgatory made her tremble.

Then, what if the contract cannot be fulfilled?

Yao Yuan unconsciously clenched the hand she had extended toward the bed: [If I kill the devil, will I be free from the contract’s restraint?]

“Can’t sleep?” Her wrist was suddenly caught, and she slipped, falling onto the bed in fright. The devil took the opportunity to wrap an arm around her waist and pulled the quilt aside: “Want me to lull you to sleep?”

His breath brushed her earlobe, and the imprint ached faintly.

“No need, I can fall asleep by myself.” Her subtle struggle was useless; her waist and wrist were still restrained. Only now did she truly feel the magnitude of the strength difference between her and the devil.

As long as the devil didn’t want to let go, she absolutely couldn’t break free from the constraints: trying to defy the devil’s will and pull her hand away would probably be harder than directly smashing poured concrete.

“Ugh…” Fear surged uncontrollably, and the trembling of her body grew more pronounced.

A seductive smile appeared on the devil’s expressionless face. There was no need for a light; the fear born deep within her soul was being stirred by the smile.

The pressure on her waist suddenly disappeared. Yao Yuan fell onto the bed, her head sinking heavily into the pillow. The mattress was incredibly soft, enveloping her limbs from all directions.

The devil maintained the dominating posture, one hand propped by the pillow. The intimate action brought even more terror to the girl beneath him.

“No need to be lulled, then do you need another way to fall asleep? Don’t be afraid, it will be quick.” The distance between their noses was only half a finger-width.

“You couldn’t possibly be quick… Wuwu… I don’t want any method! Don’t! Didn’t you hear me, I don’t want it!!” Yao Yuan shrieked, turning her head as far as her only mobile part, her neck, allowed, desperately trying to get away from the devil.

The pressure on her wrist, waist, and all her limbs instantly eased. The bed returned to stillness, as if nothing had happened.

“You…” Yao Yuan tightly wrapped herself in the quilt, timidly looking at the person on the other side.

“What’s wrong?”

“…” Thank you? Sorry? Apologize to me quickly. None of them seemed right.

“You aren’t ready yet, neither physically nor mentally.”

“…”

Seeing the girl desperately shrinking back, the devil grinned, his canine teeth flashing coldly: “Even by the standards of an average lover, harmful behavior is not allowed.”

“So you do know that…”

“Of course. I will faithfully fulfill the contract. You surely won’t be thinking of interfering with the contract’s execution, right?” The devil embraced Yao Yuan’s shoulder, pulling her intimately into his arms: “Do you want to know what happens to a contractor who dares to violate the contract?”

“N-no need, I won’t…”

“Very good. That’s a promise.” His fingertip lightly traced her lip line.

Yao Yuan pressed her lips tightly together. How arrogant she must have been before, to dare challenge the devil’s bottom line. And, perhaps the devil…

Xingkong patted the person in his arms, leaning close to ask: “What are you worried about?”

“I want to ask you a question now, and I need you to give me a direct answer.”

“I cannot.” Xingkong extinguished the light. Lightless gloom enveloped the bed, concealing Yao Yuan’s suspicious eyes.

Wrapped in pure blackness, her breathing gradually steadied. The exhaustion from running around all day quickly pulled her away from her fear and back into sleep.

“Good morning.”

“…”

“Beep beep beep, time to wake up.”

The alarm clock is so strange today… Yao Yuan reached out and waved her hand twice but didn’t hit the alarm. Her wrist suddenly fell into a soft palm, and the rubbing sensation jolted her awake.

“Ah… ah, ah, ah.” Looking at the pastry in front of her, her brain was overloaded.

“Open your mouth.”

“I haven’t brushed my… Ow?!” Just as Yao Yuan instinctively refused, a toothbrush was inserted into her mouth and started moving around on its own.

“It’s better to eat sweets for breakfast and brush your teeth after, but brushing twice won’t hurt.” Xingkong casually twirled the toothbrush handle, placing the tray down with his other hand and supporting the back of her neck.

The soft bristles scratched her teeth and tongue, both numb and itchy.

“Mmm! Cough, cough, cough.” Yao Yuan pushed his hand and the toothbrush away, rushed to the bathroom to spit everything out, and rinsed her mouth with a flushed face: “Gulp, gulp, ptui. What in the world are you doing? My hands are perfectly fine, I don’t need someone to brush my teeth for me!”

“I’m not ‘someone else’.”

“Fine, fine, fine, not even a lover can do that!”

“Can’t I? This seems to be one of your requi—”

“Don’t say it! I beg you!”

“Alright.”

Miserably, she walked out of the bathroom and took a bite of the pastry: it was indeed her favorite type… damn it, that made her even more depressed…

Bang, bang, bang. The sliding door was pounded violently.