The driver arrived in less than five minutes as he was provided accommodations by the original Feng Xinya, and they immediately departed to the nearest hair salon which was ten minutes away.

Their position in the car was the same as the previous day; Xue Yang at one end, Ye Xia in between, and Feng Xinya at the other end.

During the car ride, Ye Xia was finally at his wit's end, "Mister, what can we call you?"

Feng Xinya finally spared Ye Xia a solid glance for the first time that day without turning his head as he eyed the younger boy from the side, "Feng Xinya."

Due to his happiness over finally obtaining the name of his crush, Ye Xia blushed slightly as he mouthed his name many times to himself. Then, he intimately called him with a shy smile, knowing that Feng Xinya's bottom line was direct physical contact so he didn't dare cozy up to him, "Xinya it is, then! You can call me Xiaxia."

As to be expected, Xue Yang had not spoken a word the entire time, only directing his undivided attention to the scene speedily flashing by outside the window with an unreadable expression pasted on his face.

The hair salon was called Salon de Coiffeur. It was apparently a branch salon whose parent salon originated from A Country. It was to be expected as it was located in the most expensive district in B country that only those with status from A country could reside in. The building was built in a modern geometrical style, the metal frames were black matted giving it a muted feeling and the well-maintained windows took up a large part of the entire building. They were sparkling clean and it wouldn't be surprising if birds were negligent and bashed their heads on the transparent glass.

When the trio walked in, they were warmly greeted by the many doormen.

"Welcome to Salon de Coiffer, sirs. Do you have a prior appointment?"

Feng Xinya took out a black card, and the doormen upped their game instantly.

"Right this way, please." One of them gestured politely and led the way upstairs to the top floor where only the VIPs could enter and receive exclusive service from the world-renown stylist, Louis Alexandre Raimon.

Upon stepping into the top floor, Ye Xia and Xue Yang couldn't hide their amazement as even the floor was made of glass One could see the previous floor from where they stood, and the two floors were designed so that it would create a never-ending image or illusion that resembled a diamond or crystal with the addition of people inside of the reflection.

While they were distracted, Feng Xinya had to grit his teeth and silently bear with his discomfort as a lively and slender man with snow white hair styled into a loose, yet fashionable pompadour pounced on him and brought him into a tight embrace. He wore a pure white suit as well, and his eyes were a vibrant azure blue; clearer than the sky and full of undisguised cheerfulness at Feng Xinya's presence in his salon.

"Xin-er! I haven't seen you in so long, mon ami~" He then proceeded to smother Feng Xinya with slobbery kisses, rendering Feng Xinya's face completely black as the aura around him cooled down to an unearthly degree. The man's antics had gone too far.

However, the specter acted as if he was none the wiser and continued trailing kisses over Feng Xinya's sexy body through his clothes.

"Tres sexy! J'aime!" He kept muttering to himself in French until Feng Xinya woke him from his fantasies as he molested him.

"Louis. Alexandre. Raimon," Feng Xinya snarled through his clenched teeth that felt as if they were about to crack under the pressure.

"Oh! Xin-er, mon amour! How many times has ce monsieur told you to call lui, Louie?" The literally white man gushed as he continued to fondle Feng Xinya's body with his slender fingers and dexterous hands that did so well at their job of cutting and styling hair. They were getting increasingly unruly as they slid under his shirt and Feng Xinya inwardly shivered at the contrasting temperature of his scalding hot body and Louie's nigh frozen fingers dancing across his bare abs and chest.

"Louie," Feng Xinya breathed out along with his repressed aura, roughly grabbing those stinky hands and pulling them out from under his shirt. Then, he held them above the shorter man's head with one hand as he towered over him.

He lowered his face inches away from Louie's before eyeing Xue Yang to the side, leading Louie's own deep blue gaze to follow along.

Louie arched his delicate brow at the beauty who was obviously caught unprepared for their little show of affection as was the same with the cutie standing right beside him, then smirked at them provocatively before winking twice and licking his dark red lips--the only visible part of his body that had a tint of color and shade.

Louie was a beautiful man, albeit a little extreme in displaying his affection for his friends. He was around the same age as Feng Xinya. They grew up together and enlisted into the army together. The only difference was that after their service was over, Feng Xinya decided to stay while Louie wanted to pursue his dreams in fashion.

Directing his seductive, yet clear eyes back to his Xin-er, Louie scowled, "You want ces monsier to tend to un etranger? C'est cruel as always, mon cher Xin-er. But, because c'est toi, I will generously oblige. If you give me un bisou."

After proposing his last sentence, with a sly smile pasted snugly on his face, he held out his fair cheek less than a few centimeters away from Feng Xinya's thin lips, waiting for him to fulfill his end of the deal.

Feng Xinya would have thrown the shameless man out the window if it wasn't a breach of his character. However, he merely clenched his fist that was itching to do so tightly enough to draw blood. He let go of the wrists that were now black and blue from his iron grip and brushed the man away before seating himself at the white right arm-facing chaise lounge at the side, crossing his long legs and leaning against the back with his right arm propped up on the rest leisurely.

"I'm waiting."

"Hmph. Vous gagnez. Come here, le petit prince over there," Louie gesture with his snowy white index finger.

The two standing side by side couldn't be compared. Xue Yang was naturally "white," while Louie was purely artificial.

Louie would definitely cry if he knew Feng Xinya was thinking that in his mind.

The cut took less than an hour but Louie wanted to go above and beyond for his dearest friend whom he hadn't seen in a long time, so he took it upon himself to style Xue Yang's hair to match with the noble and regal demeanor he habitually exuded.

By the time he was finished, even he was impressed with himself. Xue Yang's platinum locks had been trimmed so that the previously neck-length hair was now short enough to reveal his delicate, narrow nape. His fringe had also been shortened to above his top eyelid, no longer concealing his pale of limpid, pale green eyes.

Ye Xia wasn't paying any attention to the two while they were busy, as he was preoccupied with the interaction he had witnessed earlier between his crush and the strange yet alluring man. He felt intense jealousy that Xinya did not push Louie away or repel him like he did to himself but tried his best to reign it in by reassuring himself that "Xinya did not seem to visit him much."

So, when Ye Xia was faced with yet another gorgeous stunner he was instantly struck dumb, but quickly looked away and composed himself while pouting. He felt even more wronged when he noticed that Feng Xinya's gaze lingered longer than it should have on Xue Yang.

Feng Xinya was aware of Ye Xia's roller coaster ride of mostly lows and lowers, but he paid no heed. The protagonist would drift to the male lead like a magnet once the male lead showed up. He was more concerned about the lesser-known existence known as Xue Yang.

The main reason he wanted Xue Yang to get a haircut in the first place was so that his eyes would no longer be obscured by his hair, He needed to be able to observe any shift in feelings and expressions from Xue Yang to account for unforeseen dangers that were not in the original storyline or just general unknowns. Feng Xinya wanted to complete all ten worlds as soon as possible so that he could return to his world and kill that bastard.

Regrettably, Feng Xinya figured out pretty quickly that it didn't make much of a difference aside from Xue Yang's outer shell being slightly more presentable. Even with his eyes uncovered, Xue Yang did not display any other mannerism aside from the calm and callous front he currently donned.

Indignant at being left out, Ye Xia burst out, "Let's take a stroll!"

To which, Feng Xinya readily agreed in order to escape "fulfilling his end of the bargain." He made sure to leave a hefty sum and tip for Louie, though the giddy man definitely did not need it.

When they stepped outside of the salon, Ye Xia gained some backbone and attempted to reach for Feng Xinya's hand only to be met with an intimidating pair of hazel eyes. He slowly retracted his hands, his large blue-green orbs watering as if he were being bullied and could not find justice for himself.

Why could that man hug you so intimately but I can't even so much as graze my finger across your skin?

***

Since the salon was located in the high-end region of B country, there were plenty of designer brand stores to window shop. The trio didn't want to actually buy anything since they'd already gotten everything settled online. They passed by Guccicci, Pradada, and Gigivenchi.

As someone who was either out killing people or chained up in his dreary cell, it would have been reasonable if Feng Xinya were interested in the outside world, but he felt nothing for it at all. Perhaps it was because he felt that this world wasn't real or that it simply wasn't his own world. Nevertheless, he focused more on the mission and therefore his surroundings, waiting for the main event to begin.

He subtly maintained a close distance behind the two teenagers as they led the way around.

Yang suddenly stopped in front of a row of stone fences, looking over them and out into the distance. The sun was at the highest point in the early morning. Where he was facing, there was only the vast expanse of blue; the ocean and the sky melting into each other at the horizon. Xue Yang's figure was basked in the rays of the sun, illuminating him so that he appeared almost ethereal like he could fade away at any moment.

Feng Xinya did not immediately stop when Xue Yang did but kept on walking forward until he was between both teens. As he was the protagonist and his direct target, Feng Xinya kept his eyes fixed on Ye Xia's figure but the rest of his senses were on high alert and keenly concentrated on their bustling surroundings--including Xue Yang.

No longer hearing the footsteps of his companions following after him as he led the way, Ye Xia stopped and turned around confused, only to meet eye to eye with those hazel orbs that never failed to mesmerize and charm him. He blushed as his imagination went wild. Although they certainly weren't alone, the current setting was perfect for...for a confession.

Sure enough, Feng Xinya immediately seized Xue Yang's hand from behind him with his right hand, interrupting the platinum blonde boy from his own trance and swung Ye Xia unflatteringly over his broad left shoulder like a sandbag. Then he jumped out of the area, narrowly dodging a rain of gunshots that descended upon their previous positions.

Xue Yang (16)