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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Twelve
Song Bunan generously admitted to his friends that he was attracted to muscular men and explained why. Initially, he faced skepticism, but eventually, everyone became more open-minded than he was. Some even helped him find potential matches. With the support of these friends, Song Bunan gradually realized that it was the muscles he liked, not necessarily the men who possessed them.
From the age of twenty-three, when his family began pressuring him to marry, until he turned thirty, he thought he could use this preference to escape his family's insistence. However, to his surprise, his mother was completely unrestrained. Upon hearing that her son liked men, her first reaction was one of devastation; she cried for three hours and condemned his choice for not producing grandchildren. Once she dried her tears, she asked in their family matchmaking group if anyone had suitable young men to introduce to him.
The abruptness of this shift left the freshly graduated Song Bunan stunned. Just a moment ago, he was lamenting the hurt he caused his mother; now he found himself back on the marriage track, albeit with a different gender in mind. He hesitated to stop his mother’s renewed excitement several times but ultimately gave up due to his own guilt. His arms could never win against her determination.
"Mom understands that you young people are unique. If there are no grandchildren, then so be it; your brother likes women, and that's enough. I know a kid from a friend’s family who is just like you; I’ll try to connect you two. He’s quite handsome and fair-skinned. What do you kids call it? Zero? What does zero mean?"
Faced with his mother's questions, Song Bunan skipped dinner that night and fled home. Back in his small room, he collapsed onto his bed, ignoring countless calls from his brother while trying to calm himself in the darkness. When the ringing finally stopped, his brother sent a message: "Why is Mom asking me what zero means? I’m coming over."
The two brothers then engaged in a deep discussion about how to live after coming out. In the end, the brother messaged their mother back, explaining that zero refers to the receptive partner in bed—and that applied to Song Bunan as well.
Their mother replied: "If that's the case, then you and that kid from Auntie's family can't be together. So when are you bringing your girlfriend home? You’re forty now; if you don’t get married soon, you won’t be able to have children anymore. I still want grandchildren." The sudden change in tone prompted the brother to decide that he needed to give his troublesome younger brother a good talking-to.
Now, Song Bunan realized he had truly met someone who was more than just a muscle-bound figure. Xin Yi was tall and sturdy with broad shoulders and a well-defined chest; even a loose jacket couldn’t hide his physique. Standing nearby radiated an undeniable sense of security. With a square jaw and thick eyebrows slightly arched, his eyes had a hint of melancholy when devoid of expression. At a farmhouse gathering, Song Bunan had the fortune of witnessing Xin Yi change clothes; his sun-kissed skin was flawless and looked even more appealing with a light sheen of sweat.
Xin Yi's physique combined with his looks hit all the right notes for Song Bunan's aesthetic preferences. He even contemplated whether to sneak a photo to show when his mother mentioned finding him a match—boldly declaring that this was his type. However, pride held him back; despite knowing that peeking wasn’t much better than taking a photo.
Since waking up, he struggled with whether or not to add Xin Yi as a friend on social media. He tried to convince himself that if Xin Yi came over in the morning, he would add him anyway—after all, even if Xin Yi didn’t like men, they could still be friends and occasionally check in on each other. Unfortunately, when morning came, Xin Yi didn’t show up; instead, Xiao Mei, Shui Su, and Uncle Meng arrived with specially made snacks. He divided the treats into two portions as an excuse for adding Xin Yi as a friend.
Now that he had added him as a friend, he found it puzzling how sparse Xin Yi's social media presence was—there wasn't even an advertisement in sight. He claimed to make a living through social media but seemed to have kicked away any opportunity for connection. After sending off his guests, Song Bunan lay on his bed feeling despondent and frustrated while mentally scolding Xin Yi.
Fortunately, he still had his brother for comfort. Aside from Xiao Mei’s presence, when this brother saw Xin Yi's empty social media profile for the first time, he burst into laughter and flooded the chat with hundreds of "haha" messages until Shui Su finally used her admin powers to stop him before he could burst through the screen with laughter.
“It's fine, there are many photos in Mighty Falcon. Just talk to the nurses; they might have some,” suggested a member of former falcon.
He was curious as to why the nurses would have photos of the members.
“Just like you, they’re probably interested in them,” came the reply, laced with a hint of resignation. “Most of them are quite generous; if you ask to take a photo, they usually say yes. However, I’ve heard that Xin Yi is an exception and not easy to deal with. But there must be some candid shots; maybe even some from physical exams when people are underdressed.”
Song Bunan immediately snapped back to reality. He hid himself away, planning to repack half a bag of snacks he intended to eat tomorrow, and got out of bed to head towards the Nurse Station, hoping for a stroke of luck.
It was already night, and the corridor lights were dimmer than those in the patient rooms. The facilities around him appeared much older than those in the office area upstairs. The room where Song Bunan was located was towards the end of the corridor, flanked by doors on either side, with the nurse's station at the front and an elevator directly across from it. According to the nurse, all the operating rooms were on the floor below, conveniently separated from the injured.
His wound throbbed faintly, and Song Bunan felt that something was off. Before stepping out, he had checked the time; it was barely nine in the evening. Last night at this time, the outside had been bustling with voices and activity. But now, there were no signs of life; not even the doors beside him were ajar, and no light shone from within. Moreover, this place’s layout resembled that tunnel he had been in before, including the lights on the ceiling.
A sense of crisis made him halt his steps. He decided it would be better to return to his room and wait for the nurse to do her rounds before asking any questions. As he turned to go back, he heard footsteps behind him—soft and hurried—pausing about a meter away as if waiting for him to turn around.
Song Bunan glanced back cautiously and caught a glimpse of a frail woman in a Patient Gown. Her long hair was neatly tied back, and she held a slender silver object in her hand—a scalpel. He took a deep breath, feigning ignorance as he quickened his pace towards the nurse's station.
His injury was on his side; any sudden movement could reopen it. Most of the patients here were members of Mighty Falcon, and confronting her directly would only make things worse. It was better to try his luck at the nurse's station.
The corridor wasn’t long; it became brighter as he moved forward. The footsteps behind him quickened as he sped up, likely because she was also jogging now. Given her apparent injury, she shouldn’t have been able to keep up with him unless she was running too. As he reached a corner, he suddenly accelerated, pressing himself against the wall while placing his snack bag on the ground just beside a broom that lay nearby.
The woman did not appear but waited on the other side. When Song Bunan reached the nurse's station, he found it empty; only a computer screen emitted a faint glow.
This felt wrong. He furrowed his brow and began to think about how he had ended up in this situation. Xin Yi had left just at dusk when the sun took away the last light from the room; it was Xin Yi who had turned on the lights for him. After that, he hadn’t moved much—just lay in bed replying to messages. For several minutes, he had felt drowsy; even his phone screen seemed distorted before his eyes. But upon reading his friends' messages, he had woken up and sat up to grab something while hearing birds chirping outside…
As he began to feel drowsy, Song Bunan understood the situation. He dropped the broom in his hand and turned to face the woman before him. The figure holding the scalpel had no face; as his gaze fell upon the smooth, egg-like surface of her skin, a wide, bloodthirsty grin spread across her features, just as the blade plunged into his abdomen. The pain combined with the wound at his waist made him feel a sickly sweetness rise in his throat.
He woke from the nightmare, still in pain. Looking out the door, he saw bright lights; nurses were bustling about with various items, and injured patients strolled leisurely by, glancing at his position as they passed. His phone screen had long since gone dark; when he opened it, he saw a chat message lingering on the words "Xin Yi is hard to get along with."
His nightmares always held some significance. This faceless woman must be a part of this place or perhaps from that tunnel. Song Bunan closed his eyes, trying to recall any details he had seen on her. He vaguely remembered a name written on the left front pocket of a patient gown. However, the memory was hazy; it seemed to contain the character for "Lin."
Why did she have no face? He couldn't make sense of it. Fortunately, the snacks on his bedside table were intact, and he could still ask if there were any benefits available.
While contemplating whether to order takeout, he noticed a new message pop up on his phone. Upon opening it, he found it was from Xin Yi. The profile picture featured a snowy mountain landscape, and the message read: "The nurse said you fell asleep and missed meal time. I bought porridge at the Nurse Station; eat when you wake up."
Ah, great! Song Bunan felt cheerful and pushed aside the questions raised by the Faceless Woman as he picked up the snacks and headed outside. After all, he was currently a patient; whatever that woman needed could wait until he was well-fed and ready to work.
The nurses at the Nurse Station were particularly attentive to this special patient. The child was adorable and sweet-tongued, calling them "sister" one after another, which endeared him much more than those rough men at Mighty Falcon. When they saw him sauntering over to offer them snacks, they practically rushed to feed him porridge themselves. Hearing him curiously ask if people from Mighty Falcon took photos, one nurse immediately pulled out their treasured photo album for him to browse.
"Those guys only have good physiques and skills; they’re nothing compared to how cute you are! We usually take photos just to check out their bodies. If you agree to be a model for us, we’d definitely put your pictures up on the bulletin board," they laughed brightly. Song Bunan joked that he would agree but wanted a photo of Xin Yi as payment.
His request received unanimous approval, and one nurse expertly flipped through the album, generously stating that anything within those pages was fair game. "Don't say just one; you can take ten!" With this royal decree in hand, he happily began selecting photos. The album contained neatly arranged six-inch pictures; one photo captured Xin Yi from behind while she stood bare-chested next to some equipment. Due to lighting conditions, her skin appeared several shades darker, but her back muscles were perfectly showcased. He could even see how tightly her pants hugged her round and full backside. There was also a tattoo on her back that resembled a flower.
Song Bunan pointed at this photo when one nurse exclaimed in awe, "No wonder it's you! This one is top-notch—take it! We'll go take your pictures!"
A photo for a photo—what a deal! Song Bunan felt thoroughly satisfied.
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