Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Nyx’s soft hands grasped Theon’s injured hand, and his heart went wild, the tips of his fingers tingling. The pain from the cut didn’t even register.
Theon wasn’t exactly trying to hurt himself on purpose, though. He’d just been a little careless, lost in thought, and sliced his hand.
With his reflexes, he could’ve stopped immediately, only cutting the skin slightly. But when he saw Nyx getting closer and closer to Zayne, he made a decision and gave himself a real cut.
It wasn’t a big deal, just a small wound, because he didn’t want to freak Nyx out by making it too serious.
Theon couldn’t figure out why Nyx had been avoiding him lately while getting all buddy–buddy with Zayne.
He guessed in his mind, ‘Is it something my uncle said during their video call that upset her? Has she grown to hate me?‘
In a desperate attempt to grab her attention, he figured if he messed something up, even if it was something silly like cutting his hand, she’d have to focus on him again–even if it meant getting scolded for being clumsy by her.
To his surprise, Nyx didn’t scold him at all. She didn’t get mad that he’d messed up. Instead, she rushed to his side like he’d been seriously hurt.
She cleaned the wound for him and looked around for medical machines. She even asked with a trembling voice, “Does it hurt a lot?”
The cut wasn’t long but deep, on his left index finger. When Nyx saw all that blood, her eyes turned red, and she looked so worried that Theon couldn’t help but feel a strange warmth spread through him.
Her eyes,
round and doe–like, shimmered with tears, filled with concern and tenderness.
Meanwhile, the viewers went nuts and started to curse Theon.
[Did she cry???? No, don’t cry, sweetie!]
[You’re disgusting, Theon!! You made Nyx cry!!]
[Is she scared of blood? Must’ve really freaked her out, poor Nyx.]
[I wish I could jump through the screen and comfort her… Zayne, you better comfort her!]
Actually, Nyx wasn’t crying, but her eyes were red from the worry. There weren’t any tears falling.
She leaned down and blew gently on Theon’s wound, saying, “Let me blow on it. You’ll feel better.”
Theon was completely dumbfounded. A warm, tingling sensation spread from his fingertips all the way up his spine, making his whole body stiff, like he was a stone, a very hot stone.
The comments exploded with more content.
[Stop babying him! He’s not in pain! He’s tough as nails! He’s just pretending!]
[It’s a tiny cut! It’ll heal up in no time!]
13:43 Sun, FOD Y
Chapter 21
Theon, drop your act
(You’ve seen blood on the battlefield and didn’t flinch, but you’re playing the injured puppy over a little finger cut??]
[Never seen a female pampering a male like this… Nyx is actually comforting him…]
[Ugh, I’m dying here. When will Nyx sec MY partner application?]
[Why does Theon get comforted?? What’s so special about him
It wasn’t just the viewers who were pissed–Zayne was seething 100.
This whole act of competing for Nyx’s attention was downright pathetic. And, what sucked, it was working.
Now, Nyx was all focused on Theon, practically ignoring Zayne.
Zayne’s fist clenched, and the sound of his knuckles cracking filled the room, but he kept his smile sweet as he turned to Nyx. “His wound’s already been treated with the mini healing device. The bandage will take care of the rest. It’ll be fully healed in half an hour.”
Nyx, still worried, looked down at Theon’s hand.
Zayne then turned to Theon, his smile turning to something cold. “Why don’t you have some rest? I’ll handle the live stream with Nykie.”
Theon wasn’t having any of that. He replied, “Didn’t you almost fail the cooking class? I can handle this. It’s just a small cut.” Zayne shot back with a sarcastic grin, “At least I can keep my hands steady. Not everyone ends up cutting themselves just trying to slice some veggies.”
Nyx thought they were just being polite and didn’t want to bother each other. But when she looked at the screen, she saw the comments were roasting both of them for being so obvious in their competition for her attention.
[Heh, they’re so young. Just two childish kids.]
[Both are great in their own right with good looks, brains, and strength. But why are they so silly when it comes to competing for a female’s attention?]
[Can’t watch this anymore…]
[That’s so obvious. Females can easily see through their tricks.]
‘Competing for my attention?‘ Nyx muttered in her mind, her eyes widening in surprise.
“You guys are overthinking this,” Nyx said to the viewers. “They’re not my partners. They’re just my guardians.”
When the chat exploded with comments like “Guardians are basically like the backup partners, aka fiancés“, Nyx puffed out her cheeks and replied, “Seriously, you all misunderstand it.”
She cleared her throat, looking straight into the camera. “Zayne has said it himself that he’s only my guardian because he wants to be part of my family.”
[…]
[Don’t buy it.]
13:43 Sun, Feb 9 B B.
Chapter 31
I swear on Beast God’s name, he’s lying.1
He’s from the Desolate Planet. Of course he has plenty of tricks to fool you. He knows how to read people and play the game.]
Probably too scared to confess, so he’s pretending he’s got no ulterior motives!!
(It’s easy to tell whether he loves you or not! Remember how cold and unfeeling Zayne was when other females were chasing him? Doesn’t look like that now…]
[He’s clearly up to something!!]
The chat went crazy, and Nyx started to feel a strange unease. It finally hit her that she fell for Zayne’s words. If this was true, then Zayne’s plan had worked like a charm–she had definitely pulled away from Theon and gotten closer to Zayne.
She frowned, the doubt gnawing at her.
Noticing how still Nyx was and how her eyes kept something was wrong.
darting to him with that suspicious, scrutinizing gaze, Zayne knew
“What’s going on, Nykie?” Zayne asked while stepping closer.
Nyx instinctively took a step back.
Zayne paused, thinking for a second. His gaze flicked to the active comments on the screen, and sure enough, he saw the viewers peeling him apart. His expression didn’t change, but his eyes darkened, the shadows deepening.
[Control Zayne! He’s glaring at me!!]
[Is his beast form a sheep? I’m gonna pass out. Is this some carnivorous type beastman bloodline pressure?]
[This is terrifying. I feel like I’m being threatened by his gaze…]
[Who said he was gentler than Theon…?]
[Maybe he’s only gentle around Nyx…]
The chat wisely dropped the subject, knowing better than to poke the bear–especially with Zayne being the live–stream admin. They were all just one wrong comment away from getting kicked out and blacklisted.
But it was too late. Nyx started setting boundaries. She wasn’t going to play favorites. Whether it was Theon or Zayne, she kept a respectful distance from both of them.
After explaining to Theon and Zayne how to make the perfect filling for sandwiches, Nyx ignored them and started to interact with the viewers.
Nyx was a good cook. Back on Earth, she used to spend plenty of time in the kitchen–even if it was forced by her family, she never actually hated cooking.
With swift, practiced motions, she placed the fried egg, tomato slices, and salad dressing onto the baked toast and finished a perfect sandwich.
Some viewers had already prepped their ingredients and were trying to follow along, but when it came time to make their own, they were complaining about how hard it was.
13:43 Sun, Feb 9 B ti B.
Chapter 21
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Meanwhile, Theón and Zayne were on the other side of the kitchen. They silently glared at each other, both frustrated and resentful.
They worked in silence while occasionally sneaking glances at Nyx’s side profile.
Zayne, who had a steady hand and a sharp eye, thanks to his medical training, had quickly mastered the art of sandwich making. After a few tries, the sandwiches he made looked nearly identical to Nyx’s.
Once he had a batch ready, he carefully placed them on a tray. Then, in the blink of an eye, he transformed into his beast form, placed the tray on his head, and strutted toward Nyx like a proud puppy.
The viewers’s eyes almost popped out.
[What the hell? He just went full beast form??]
[Females hate beast forms! Don’t tell me he’s gonna get kicked out of the kitchen…]
[I don’t care about him, but please don’t scare Nyx!!]
[Ahh, Nyx turns around! She sees him!!]
Nyx, still focused on her sandwiches, suddenly felt a tug on her sleeve. When she turned around, her eyes widened as a giant, fluffy snow wolf filled her field of vision.
Without thinking, her arms went around the massive creature and pulled him into a hug.
