Eucas_Rarlin

Yan Rui was a famous actor — rich, proud, and used to being in control.
One night, after filming a scene as a royal offering, he dies in a sudden accident… and wakes up in another world.

Now, he’s kneeling in a real temple, tied up in red silk, surrounded by chanting priests — and facing Mo Jue, a powerful and dangerous snake demon.

Mo Jue calls him “the offering.”
But Yan Rui refuses to be anyone’s sacrifice.

Trapped in a strange world of ancient empires, monsters, and deadly politics, Yan Rui must survive — and deal with the cold demon lord who watches him too closely.

But the more they clash… the more something dangerous begins to grow between them.

His Venom My Oath

That night, the Cold Courtyard was anything but cold.

Moonlight spilled like liquid silver across the stone floors. The silk curtains swayed, stirred not by wind, but by something heavier: want.

Mo Jue hadn't spoken much since the mirror. He stood near the window, half-cloaked in shadow, the gold in his eyes burning low.

Yan Rui could feel it — the pull. That dangerous, silent storm that lived in Mo Jue's veins.

But a part of him wanted to be bitten.

> "You shouldn't have shown me all that," Yan Rui said quietly.

> "You asked," Mo Jue murmured. "And I… never learned how to say no to you."

Not threatening. Not demanding. Just there — too close, too careful.

> "I brought you here," he added, "but I never forced you to stay."

Yan Rui looked up, meeting his gaze.

> "No. You didn't force me," he said, voice low. "But you… wrapped around me so slowly, I didn't realize I was already inside your coils."

And then, without warning—he touched Yan Rui's wrist. Just his fingers, tracing the skin. A light contact. But it sent fire crawling under Yan Rui's ribs.

> "I want to devour you," Mo Jue whispered, "but not with teeth."

> "Then with what?" Yan Rui asked.

Before the moment could break, the door slid open.

A figure stepped in, uninvited, but expected.

No robes of crimson tonight — just black, silk-bound and silent, the scent of cold night jasmine clinging to his sleeves.

> "Forgive me," Xuan said, voice calm. "I come with an offer, not a challenge."

Mo Jue stepped between them instantly, eyes flaring. "You're not welcome here."

> "Let him speak," he said. "He's already risked coming in without guards."

Xuan looked at Yan Rui — really looked — and something flickered behind his eyes. Not calculation. Not power.

> "Come with me," he said softly. "Tonight. Just once."

> "Beyond the palace walls. There's a gate that only opens under moonshadow. A place untouched by gods or oaths."

Xuan stepped closer, expression raw.

> "Because I remember what you looked like when you were free."

> "And I want you to remember what it feels like… to want something that isn't caged."

Mo Jue's voice cut through the air like frost.

Xuan turned his gaze, calm as a blade.

> "You're the one who burns him and calls it protection."

> "And you're the one who left him to be offered," Mo Jue spat.

> "I never stopped watching him," Xuan said.

Yan Rui stood between them now — his pulse loud in his ears.

> "I don't need to be fought over like a prize."

Later that night, Yan Rui stood alone on the rooftop, wind stirring his hair.

And then… arms slipped around his waist.

He pressed his forehead to Yan Rui's neck, breathing him in like he might vanish.

> "Don't go," Mo Jue whispered. "Not with him."

> "Then give me a reason to stay," Yan Rui whispered back.

Mo Jue's lips brushed his shoulder. Slow. Heated.

> "I will," he promised. "But you'll hate how much you crave it."

ch : 12 The Heat Between the Cold