The Protagonist and the Villain Both Kissed Me [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 51

“Crying?” Mephisto reached out, his fingers brushing against his cheek. He lifted them to his eyes and saw the moisture; he was indeed crying. Why? Was it because he felt he had hurt Su Xi?

“Good children get rewards. Thank you,” Su Xi said, reaching out to affectionately wrap his arms around Mephisto’s neck. He leaned in and pressed a kiss against the other’s lips. “You’re so good. I like you very much.”

“I will stay with you forever,” Su Xi promised earnestly. In his shimmering eyes, only Mephisto’s silhouette was reflected nothing else existed.

The light was dim, hiding Mephisto’s expression in the shadows. He rubbed Su Xi’s moist lips, his pale gold hair cascading over the other man as if completely enveloping him. Every last shred of doubt in his heart vanished. His tone became soft and innocent. “Mm. I will always be good.”

As long as you never leave me. Of course, he did not voice this second half of the sentence.

Having obtained the backup device, Su Xi opened the black box and pressed the red button. He thought to himself that everything was finally coming to an end.

When he walked out of Room 139 with Mephisto, Uranus was standing there in silence, quietly watching Su Xi.

“Brother…” Uranus started to speak, but the words seemed to catch in his throat.

Su Xi gave a soft hum of acknowledgement, allowing Uranus to collapse into his arms and cry. Mephisto’s face darkened as he tried to pull Uranus away, but after meeting Uranus’s meaningful gaze, he pulled back with a look of grievance, taking a few steps away to avoid watching them embrace.

“Why are you crying?” Su Xi felt he had a natural talent for being a kindergarten principal. Facing these men who looked like adults but acted like children crying in front of him every day, he had actually become quite good at comforting them.

“I didn’t make your wish come true,” Uranus said, lifting his tear-filled eyes to look at Su Xi.

He had only told Su Xi that the backup device was in Room 139, but he hadn’t helped him get it. In the end, Su Xi had to rely on that “stinking fish,” Mephisto…

“It’s okay, you did great.”

Su Xi offered some dry comfort. He prompted Uranus to let go of him; his black robes were completely soaked, especially at the shoulder, which was drenched with Uranus’s tears.

“I want to go to the restroom.” Su Xi haphazardly stuffed the now-useless empty box into Uranus’s hands. He walked over to Mephisto, said a few words, and then headed toward the first-floor restroom.

Along the way, he checked in with the system in his mind.

“Xiao Ba, isn’t the Salvation Value full? When can I leave?” he asked.

System 1368 responded quickly: “Host, you just need to walk out through the main gate. That is the connection point. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until seven o’clock tomorrow morning to leave.”

You’ve got to be kidding. Now that the mission was complete, he wanted to leave immediately. Who knew what kind of chaos would break out if he stayed until tomorrow?

Su Xi rinsed his hands in the restroom, tidied himself up briefly, and then retraced his steps. Mephisto and Uranus were still standing where he had left them.

Perhaps because his distraction was too obvious, the looks both men gave him were complicated. Mephisto suddenly pulled Su Xi into his arms, murmuring softly, “Mine… mine…”

“That tickles.” Su Xi pushed aside the long hair brushing against his face and coughed lightly. “Mephisto, where is Xiao Yangyao?”

“Dead,” Mephisto replied flatly.

“…I don’t like it when you’re like this.” Su Xi’s brow furrowed slightly. He pulled away from the other’s intimacy and spoke seriously, “You can’t just hurt people. If you do, I won’t like you anymore.”

“I understand,” Mephisto nodded.

Su Xi didn’t know if the merman had truly taken it to heart. He looked at the Salvation Value in the upper right corner of the mission interface it was completely full. Satisfied, he feigned panic as if he had just discovered something was missing. “Mephisto, I think I left the necklace you gave me in the restroom. Help me go get it back.”

“Okay,” Mephisto complied obediently. Even though he had manifested legs, his gait was still a bit awkward, like someone who had just learned to walk; his speed wasn’t particularly fast.

Su Xi didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until the other’s figure disappeared around the corner. He turned to Uranus. “Why are you staring at me?”

“You’re leaving.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Mm.”

Su Xi didn’t deny it. He nodded in response and spoke as if making small talk: “He’s too clingy, and sometimes he doesn’t listen… It just so happens I want to quit my job at the institute. I might be reassigned to a museum or somewhere similar. Uranus, if you happen to be sent out for an exhibition, we might run into each other…”

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the sharp, piercing alarm of System Xiao Ba. “Holy crap! Ahhh! Host, stop talking! Mephisto is back! Ahhh, he heard you! We have to go, now!”

This accident happened too fast. Su Xi had clearly calculated the timing; why was Mephisto back so soon? His face paled instantly. He turned and bolted toward the main entrance of the research institute.

He looked back occasionally to see if anyone was following. Fortunately, no one was.

He let out a sigh of relief, only to turn around and collide directly into a familiar chest. The air was filled with the salty, briny scent of the sea.

“Where are you going?” Mephisto’s tone was calm. He dangled the necklace from his hand, his emerald eyes devoid of emotion.

“I… I saw something just now and got a bit scared.” Su Xi lied without missing a beat, shifting the subject randomly. “You got the necklace. Put it on for me.”

Mephisto didn’t move. He simply stared at Su Xi’s face in silence, searching for a trace of guilt. He was disappointed.

He hooked the necklace around Su Xi’s neck and fastened it. Leaning against the cold wall, he looked lazily toward the latecomers: Uranus and A04.

“…” Why are they all here? It’s not like we’re holding a meeting.

Su Xi took two deep breaths and forced a smile at Mephisto. “Let’s go back. I need to change my clothes anyway.”

“System, did he hear us or not?” He was doubtful; Mephisto’s attitude didn’t seem like that of someone who had overheard his conversation with Uranus.

“Host, maybe I saw it wrong. The Salvation Value hasn’t dropped, so he probably didn’t hear.” The system was also surprised, but fearing it would affect Su Xi’s mission, it provided an answer based on the data.

Su Xi’s fingertips gripped the hem of his shirt so hard they turned white. Mephisto’s moods were too volatile; he felt it was better to leave sooner rather than later. Lost in thought about how to escape, he didn’t notice his footing and slipped. Luckily, Mephisto reacted quickly and caught him before he could fall down the stairs.

Outside the institute, the snow was falling harder, and the howling wind swallowed all minor sounds.

Su Xi leaned back on the sofa, resting with his eyes closed. He was truly exhausted and unknowingly drifted off to sleep. By the time he woke up, it was already the early hours of the morning.

He pushed open the bathroom door and saw Mephisto, whose massive form was cramped inside the small bathtub. Sensing his gaze, Mephisto opened his eyes.

“Brother…” he called out softly.

This was the title Uranus used for Su Xi; after returning, Mephisto had suddenly started using it too. When he did something wrong, he called Su Xi “Master”; when acting spoiled, he called him “Brother”; normally, he called him “Babe”; and when angry, he used his full name.

Perhaps because he had just woken up, Mephisto’s voice was raspy. He held out his hands to Su Xi in an obvious gesture for a hug.

Su Xi crouched by the bathtub and gave him a hug. Then he said, “I’m hungry. I’m going to find something to eat. Stay here and wait for me.”

“I’ll go with you.” Mephisto grabbed his hand, preparing to climb out of the tub.

“Be good. I’ll go by myself.” Su Xi pulled his hand away and stroked the other’s hair. Anticipating why Mephisto was worried, he added, “It’s snowing so hard outside. If I try to leave, I’ll freeze to death.”

After saying this, he was pulled into a long kiss by Mephisto before finally being released. When he pushed open the lounge door, Su Xi felt weak in the knees.

“Finally, I can leave.” Su Xi stood at the main gate. He pulled his ID card from his pocket, swiped it, and prepared to step out. To his surprise, before he could exit, the heavy door slammed shut on its own.

Is there a bug? Su Xi frowned and swiped the card again.

“As I thought, you were planning to leave. Babe, you lied to me.” Mephisto’s voice rang out chillingly from behind him.

Su Xi didn’t dare look back. He bit his lip in silence and tried to force the door open with brute strength. Suddenly, a cold body pressed against his back, dripping wet with water.

“I was good, so you should be good too.” Mephisto wasn’t angry that Su Xi didn’t respond; he simply continued talking to himself.

“Don’t…” A cold palm pressed against his neck, making Su Xi gasp from the chill. He shrank his neck, trying to dodge the touch, but he was grabbed by the nape and forced to turn around. He met those emerald eyes, now filled with a frost-like chill. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

“Are you hungry? Come, let’s go back.” Mephisto’s tone was airy, yet it decided Su Xi’s fate. Ignoring Su Xi’s violent struggle, he roughly dragged him toward the upper floors.

Realizing what was happening, Su Xi panicked. Without thinking, he blurted out, “Let me go, Mephisto… Let go! If you don’t want me to die, let me go! I’m the only person left in this entire institute. Did you really think I would stay here willingly?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. But spoken words are like spilled water; there was no taking them back. He could only harden his heart and continue, “Did you hear me?”

One second, two seconds, three seconds… The massive space fell into a heavy, absolute silence.

Mephisto released his grip. His features were clouded with a violent aura, looking exactly as he did the day Su Xi walked in on the merman’s dissection the image of bloody, severed limbs seemed to flash before his eyes. Su Xi’s stomach churned painfully. Prolonged hunger had made his stomach incredibly fragile; he couldn’t help but begin to retch.

His vision began to blur and overlap. He coughed violently, as if he were trying to hack up his very lungs. The taste of iron filled his mouth. He was in agony, stumbling and leaning against nearby objects just to stay upright.

He felt so dizzy…

Su Xi’s sudden physical distress caused Mephisto’s rage to vanish. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him; he looked lost and panicked.

“Host, are you okay?” System 1368 asked worriedly. It didn’t understand why Su Xi had suddenly collapsed like this.

Mephisto felt that this scene was strangely familiar, yet he couldn’t quite remember why.

“If I let you go, will you be okay?” He couldn’t bear to see Su Xi in such pain, so he spoke tentatively.

Su Xi felt as if his stomach were on fire. He could no longer hear Mephisto’s words. In a haze, he felt himself being picked up. When his feverish body touched something cool, he instinctively pressed closer to the source of comfort.

【Ding! Congratulations, Host, on completing the task: Save the Villain. Rewards are being calculated…】

【Host Su Xi, after evaluation, this mission’s grade is A. Rewards have been issued; please check your inbox!】

【Scanning body… Anomalies have been repaired.】

Su Xi felt completely drained of strength. That strange, restless heat within him flickered. In the distance, he seemed to hear Mephisto’s panicked voice…