The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 7

The surroundings were filled with colorful bubbles, spinning and climbing upward.

The speed became faster and faster, as if the ocean were boiling.

Flames, crimson flames, rolled up towering waves, and crystal pearls were born from the spray…

This must be a dream. Yao Yuan stretched out her hand in the center of the magnificent colors.

Her brain couldn’t control her memory; she suddenly fell onto a fine sandy beach, her hands full of pink grit.

Countless scenes unfolded before her like a kaleidoscope, a bizarre pictorial scroll, yet every piece of memory had nothing to do with her.

An instinct whispered: golden-haired, black-haired, purple-eyed, blue-eyed, cyan, crimson—all belonged to other dimensions.

She “saw” her own instinct.

A girl in a white dress held a mirror in her hands. Clang—fragments scattered across the space.

【Please hand it over to me.】

Hand over what… 【Come back, fulfill your destiny.】

Fulfill whose destiny…

【He needs your power.】

Her heart tightened, and she plunged into an endless abyss.

I still… don’t want to disappear!

“Good morning, Xiaoyuan.” A low voice of greeting sounded.

The plummeting body stopped in the shadowy mire, scarlet light dots filled the surroundings, yet… they were not frightening.

Someone vaguely stroked her cheek, followed immediately by the sound of slippers landing.

“Still not awake?” A hint of indulgence lingered in her ear.

“I’m awake!” Yao Yuan startled, scrambling up, flinging herself off the bed, and rushing to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face.

This isn’t the rented room… is it a hotel?

The cold water washed away the confusion. Her memory stopped at the golden liquid she drank last night.

It was her first time drinking… Sure enough, with the Devil next to her, she dared to try anything. Yet the Devil was the one she should be most wary of!

“I’ll pay the room fee!” She clutched her heart, feeling the pain. She couldn’t degenerate any further.

Xingkong waved his hand nonchalantly: “It’s already been paid.”

“Wuu… how did I get here last night?”

“I carried you here. You slept soundly last night.”

Wuu wuu wuu, Yao Yuan couldn’t imagine the embarrassing sight of herself sleeping like a log, being carried into the hotel. She rolled back onto the bed, curling her toes downward, when she suddenly thought of something.

“Xingkong, did you notice anything while I was sleeping?”

The dream was rapidly fading. She wanted to ask about the specifics, but all she could remember was the phrase 【Fulfill your destiny】 and the fragmented color blocks like a kaleidoscope.

If no one reminded her, this confusing dream might dissipate into the deepest recesses of her memory.

“You slept very deeply, constantly dreaming,” Xingkong said while unbuttoning Yao Yuan’s pajamas and changing her into an outfit for going out.

“Besides dreaming? Can you read my dream?”

His fingers left the last button and gently pressed against her chest. A moment later, a beige dress completely covered her.

“I haven’t tried yet. Do you want to invite me?”

Looking into the Devil’s eyes, all she could perceive was honesty. Yao Yuan sighed: “Forget it, asking you is less reliable than asking myself.”

She jumped off the bed and quickly noticed her satchel placed aside: the Devil was considerate; even the bag she left at home was brought over.

This way, Sunday could be a seamless date… she was really starting to adapt to this rhythm, bad, bad!

She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a box of the most ordinary Tarot cards.

Some enthusiasts choose special Tarots, and some even draw their own, but she believed the accuracy of the divination mainly depended on the diviner.

She skillfully picked out the twenty-two Major Arcana. Next, she should clear her mind and shuffle the deck.

But Yao Yuan was still hesitating about the spread she should lay out: Should she strictly follow the instruction manual or… follow fate, like her Master did?

【Drawing one, two, or three, arranging them in any shape, none of it changes the fated outcome.】 her Master had once said.

Whether it was the Upright Devil she turned over or the residual traces of the nightmare, both seemed to corroborate this point.

“What do you want to divine?” The Devil’s voice was very distant, yet his hand was very near.

The twenty-two Tarot cards were a small stack, easily switched to Xingkong’s hand, who toyed with them somewhat flippantly.

It was a major taboo to have the Tarot cards taken away by someone else during a divination, but Yao Yuan didn’t care. Her mind was too scattered right now to shuffle the deck properly.

“I want to divine—” Right, instead of not knowing the spread, she didn’t know what to divine.

Future destiny?

Her destiny was tightly bound to the Devil in front of her. As a person about to die, what future was there to speak of? Telling Xingkong the truth would certainly result in his mockery: 【Your future belongs to me】 right.

No, what she wanted to divine wasn’t destiny after all.

The thing she most wanted to divine… her head hurt, and the previous conversation seemed to be fading even faster!

“You just mentioned a dream.”

“Yes, the dream!”

With a flick of his finger, two Tarot cards fell, one dragging the other.

Xingkong and Yao Yuan each caught one.

“How am I supposed to tell if it’s Upright or Reversed this way!” Catching them sideways in mid-air made it impossible to determine Upright or Reversed.

Yao Yuan anxiously flipped hers over. The Tarot in her hand was the Wheel of Fortune.

“If you can’t tell, decide for yourself. I drew—” The Devil smiled, showing his card, the World Reversed, which he casually flipped counter-clockwise.

“The World Upright.”

Despite the illogical statement, the stone pressing on her heart was moved away.

Yao Yuan followed suit, turning the Wheel of Fortune to the Upright position and covering her left eye with it: “I declare: this card is the Wheel of Fortune Upright~ my precious companion, today you decide where we go!”

“…Can I retract what I just said?”

“Are you going to tear up the agreement?”

The smile on the Devil’s face was anything but safe. Yao Yuan shook her head vigorously: “No, I’ve said it how many times before—I. will. not. buy. a. house.”

“Correct, you won’t buy a house, I will.”

The two were at a deadlock right outside the sales office entrance, which was slightly comical.

“No matter who buys it, you’ll persuade me to move in, won’t you!”

“I will invite you to live in 【our】 house. Isn’t that normal for lovers?” Xingkong chuckled: “I don’t think you would have any sense of security in your previous environment.”

“I should at least try to earn it myself—” “You’ve already 【tried hard】 enough by meeting me.”

It’s no use. No matter what she said, the Devil maintained that smiling expression.

If he controlled the pace, it would be too late. Yao Yuan had to retreat for now: “Fine, I won’t stop you from buying a house, but the cost is that you are not allowed to use any means to force me to move in.”

“Very fair.” The Devil even extended his hand and shook her fingertips.

Yao Yuan almost laughed at the solemn gesture but quickly bit her lip to hold it in.

After the handshake, Xingkong naturally took her hand and walked straight inside, only to be stopped by someone first.

“Excuse me, have you two seen this person?”

Yao Yuan turned her head. A photograph was presented before her.

For some reason, looking at the smiling girl in the purple dress in the photo, she suddenly felt a wave of sadness. Though she didn’t know the person, she felt an intense urge to cry.

“No,” the Devil’s voice suddenly turned cold, and one hand covered her eyes.