This Damned Thirst for Survival

Chapter 12

Under the dim lights, it was almost impossible to see each other's faces clearly. One had to get uncomfortably close to make out the contours of the other's face.

As the music shifted rhythm, the beat thumped underfoot. Men and women leaned into each other intimately, their bodies swaying, one stepping forward, the other stepping back, as if connected by lotus roots, their tentative movements hiding an unspoken passionate ambiguity.

But Jiang Luo found himself stuck at the edge of the dance floor.

With his hair let down, Jiang Luo was radiant, yet he also exuded a masculine charm. When his hair was tied up, he looked even more dashing and spirited.

No one would mistake him for a girl.

And yet, two men entering the dance floor together was somewhat awkward.

After agreeing, Jiang Luo felt he had been too hasty. Even if Chi You wanted to make a fool of himself, Jiang Luo shouldn't have agreed to accompany him in doing so.

He stood there nonchalantly, as a man with a deep, melancholic gaze watched Jiang Luo, a look that could make anyone feel guilty. "Sir?"

Jiang Luo remained unmoved.

As the music grew louder and more intense, the man's gaze shifted to Jiang Luo's right hand, simply commenting, "Your bracelet is very beautiful."

Jiang Luo glanced at his Yin Yang bracelet, the mysteriously beautiful accessory showing no reaction. He squinted his eyes and said, "Yes, I think it's pretty too."

The music reached a crescendo, and suddenly, the spotlights shifted direction.

In a brief moment of darkness, a ghastly pale hand suddenly reached out from behind and pushed Jiang Luo forward, sending him stumbling into the dance floor.

The melancholic man quickly followed, naturally catching him and leading him in a dance step.

A stranger's hand was on Jiang Luo's waist, the faint scent of an elegant men's cologne lingering at the tip of Jiang Luo's nose. The melancholic man said with a smile, "Sir, you're quite passionate."

In the darkness, Jiang Luo could see nothing. He struggled, but the person in front of him said gently, "Focus."

Jiang Luo scoffed, about to break free from the grip around his waist when the spotlights returned. Under the colorful lights, an invisible black fog behind him clutched at his wrist, as if thousands of ghostly hands were watching Jiang Luo from the shadows, their ghastly tactics brazen.

The man chuckled oddly, "Wrong move."

The ghostly hand was cold and eerie.

Jiang Luo took a deep breath, not angry but smiling instead. In tune with the music, he suddenly stepped forward, pulling hard on the man's tie, "Sir, you're not very polite."

As the man was forced to bend down by the pull of the tie, he said with interest, "Oh?"

Jiang Luo stared at the man's silhouette in the dark, his hot breath spraying on the man's face, "This dance is utterly uninteresting."

With a malicious smirk, the dark-haired young man's laughter was captivating yet venomous, "You've completely turned me off."

The music suddenly became more frantic.

The stranger laughed, holding Jiang Luo's hand, allowing him to briefly break away from his embrace. The next moment, Jiang Luo landed in the arms of another man with calloused hands.

This man, wearing a leather jacket, likely a cool guy, said, "I'm quite curious."

"What are you curious about?" Jiang Luo asked, taking the opportunity to feel the pulse at the wrist of the man in the leather jacket. The pulse was strong, indicating he was indeed a living person.