The entire spaceship was built in an oval shape, with the passenger hall at the center. All travelers who had purchased second-class seats had to find their spots here, squeezed in with a large crowd.
Those who bought first-class seats, or even higher-grade ones, were in the outer ring of the spaceship, where the space was more spacious and they could gaze at the beautiful cosmic star river through the portholes.
The front half of the spaceship housed various entertainment rooms—paid entertainment, with the bar counter offering free tissues and sparkling water.
Though it was a rundown second-class civilian ship, the ticket price was at least cheap, and it had everything it needed. The soft seats in the hall were quite comfortable too.
The ticket indicated that this was his exclusive seat for the next seven days. He could sit or half-recline, and there were some books in the pocket behind the seat in front to pass the time. He could also watch TV programs.
If he didn’t like any of that, he could go to other entertainment areas on the spaceship, though most required money.
No matter how sharp the butler’s eyes were or how far his reach extended, there was no way he could fish him out of this ship and hold him in his palm.
He was free!
The only potential issue was his neighbor, this young man named Huo Jing—the pitiful traveler who had just been taken away by security and then safely escorted back.
Xie Jianxun eyed him suspiciously, and Huo Jing merely shrugged.
He laughed. “If I were a real star pirate, do you think they would still let me board this spaceship?”
It made perfect sense, so Xie Jianxun believed him.
“Then how did you get mistaken for a star pirate?” Xie Jianxun asked.
He used the remote attached to the seat to turn on the TV program and casually switched to a channel. There was no sound, and he looked a bit puzzled.
“I have a common face,” Huo Jing brushed off.
Xie Jianxun paused, then accused, “You’re stealing my line.”
“Now you’re admitting you ran away from home, with a three-million reward?” Huo Jing leaned obliquely against the chair back, facing him directly. “Earlier, you wouldn’t admit it even if it killed you.”
Xie Jianxun held back for a moment but couldn’t, feeling a bit smug as he huffed through his nose. “No one’s coming to catch me now, for sure.”
Free from the pressure of being nabbed at any moment, Xie Jianxun finally relaxed.
He rummaged through the earphones, TV, and mesh pocket thoroughly, curiously touching every corner, as if he had no experience riding civilian airships—or any ordinary long-distance transport, for that matter.
He picked up the portable bottle of medicine for spaceship motion sickness and examined it over and over, even leaning in to ask Huo Jing how to use it—not to mention the soft seat that could adjust to various angles.
Huo Jing patiently taught him step by step despite himself, and Xie Jianxun got the hang of it right away, reclining the chair back with a whoosh.
The angle could go that far! He sincerely exclaimed, “That’s amazing!”
Huo Jing squinted at him.
In truth, he hadn’t planned to talk to Xie Jianxun at first, let alone play the good Samaritan and teach him hand-in-hand. But when this young friend turned his head with the hood on, revealing a delicate white pointed chin, it was like a small meteorite crashing down from the sky, thudding right into his heart.
He was exactly his type; Huo Jing itched to pinch those cheeks a couple times.
He had a strong premonition that he needed to get to know him—just strike up a conversation, anything—or he’d regret it.
Huo Jing spoke up. “Save it. There’s still seven days left.”
Enough time for him to get bored of it.
Xie Jianxun let out a disappointed “oh,” fiddling with his Light Brain with his fingers. Huo Jing withdrew his gaze and stopped scanning the surroundings.
But his seatmate couldn’t stop; he had eight hundred questions lined up. “Sir, I’m a bit thirsty and want some water. Do you know where to get it?”
Huo Jing glanced sideways. “First time flying?”
Xie Jianxun nodded vigorously, the little ponytail at the back of his head shaking wildly.
Huo Jing gestured for him to ask the flight attendant. When a crew member passed by, Xie Jianxun quickly spoke up. “Sister, I’m thirsty. Could I have a cup of water, please?”
The crew member pushed an empty little cart. Hearing his words, she showed no reaction.
She merely lifted her chin, pointing toward the front half of the spaceship. “Vending machine up front. Go buy some after takeoff.”
Once the crew member was gone, Huo Jing didn’t react, but Xie Jianxun frowned.
The young man drawled lazily, “That’s the service you get for second-class civilian tickets. Don’t expect more.”
But Xie Jianxun shook his head, puzzled. “That’s a bit strange.”
A natural intuition flitted through his mind, though without any basis.
A sweet female voice rang out from the overhead broadcast, urging all passengers to return to their seats. “Please fasten your seatbelts. The spaceship is about to take off. Passengers with spaceship motion sickness, please use the anti-nausea potion in advance. Wishing you a pleasant journey…”
With the roar of the engines, the spaceship lifted off from the Western Spaceport and officially entered space.
The buzzing in his ears was intense, and Xie Jianxun barely recovered.
It was his first time on a spaceship, and his reaction was quite strong. His head ached as he clutched it, only feeling marginally better once the ship stabilized.
Sounds of discomfort came from surrounding passengers, and a few were fumbling in panic to twist open the plastic caps of their portable mini potion bottles, gulping them down.
Beside him, Huo Jing didn’t put on an eye mask to sleep like the other passengers, nor did he wear earphones. He tilted his head, revealing a superior side profile with its fine lines, lost in thought about something.
No windows, no natural light. The spaceship’s white dome lights illuminated the upper half of his deep and handsome face.
Someone sneaked up beside him furtively, and Huo Jing turned back indifferently.
He met a pair of bright eyes.
He couldn’t help but pause.
Xie Jianxun pressed his hands together pleadingly. “Mr. Huo, I want to go to the vending machine to buy something.”
Huo Jing said, “Can’t unfasten your seatbelt?”
Xie Jianxun: “I don’t know how to use the vending machine.”
Huo Jing paused, then asked dangerously, “Is there anything you do know how to do?”
…
He never imagined a day would come when he turned into the kind of soft-hearted do-gooder he used to look down on.
Huo Jing thought to himself as he stood by the vending machine with his arms crossed, explaining step by step how to use it and making Xie Jianxun repeat it once.
Xie Jianxun had a sudden realization. Finally, they went around to the side of the vending machine and found a user manual written for kindergarten kids.
Huo Jing: “…”
What had he said earlier?
…He shouldn’t have come!
Huo Jing mocked, “Did you come from some rural planet? You don’t even know this?”
Xie Jianxun accepted all of Huo Jing’s comments with equanimity, shaking his head happily like a pretty, vibrant little trumpet flower.
“No way. The internet says rural planets have super advanced infrastructure,” he laughed. “They have huge fields and forests. Lots of people like going to rural planets to retire.”
Payment successful, item dispensed. Xie Jianxun marveled at it and eagerly selected the most expensive lime-watermelon flavored drink on the entire machine, pressing the button multiple times. Sure enough, a bunch of beverage cans clattered into the dispenser.
A whole bagful, which he cheerfully stored in his Light Brain’s storage space.
Even Huo Jing got caught up in it, finding the fluorescent green packaging of this cheap drink much more appealing. Suddenly, the long journey didn’t seem so dull.
“You’re buying so many. How long are you planning to drink them?” he couldn’t help but say.
Suddenly, a bottle of the expensive drink appeared before his eyes.
The little trumpet flower bloomed right at him with a pop.
“There will always be a use for them. Like this—for treating you. Thanks, Mr. Huo, for teaching me all this.”
His smile was radiant. With such a pretty face paired with vivid expressions, the impact was tremendous. “I’m usually stuck at home and don’t go out much. I’ve only seen a lot of things online. Without Mr. Huo’s help, I definitely wouldn’t have managed so smoothly.”
Unexpectedly, the young man fell silent. Xie Jianxun tilted forward questioningly, only for Huo Jing to pinch the can with two fingers.
He didn’t stand on ceremony, twisting it open and chugging a simple third of it down.
Like it was oral medicine.
After finishing, he tossed it casually into the trash and turned. “Let’s go.”
That was as good as agreement.
As Xie Jianxun was about to leave, he noticed a little girl standing behind him, her big eyes bewildered. Clearly, she didn’t know how to operate the vending machine either.
Moreover, she was quite young and short, unable to even reach the buttons.
Xie Jianxun’s heart softened. He squatted down and asked, “Miss, do you need any help?”
The little girl took a step back. She glanced longingly at the expensive lime-watermelon drink but finally whispered like a mosquito for the cheapest bottle of mineral water.
Xie Jianxun became a little teacher, guiding her step by step just as Huo Jing had taught him.
Finally, the mineral water bottle rolled out, and the big and little one cheered together.
The little girl hugged the water to her chest and thanked him earnestly.
Then, Xie Jianxun pulled a magic trick, taking a lime-watermelon bottle from his Light Brain and stuffing it to her as well, smiling. “Special today: buy one, get one free.”
The little girl blinked in stunned surprise, her eyes suddenly filled with light.
Xie Jianxun said, “Big brother learned from this brother too. Shall we thank him together?”
The little girl softly agreed, so they both made a heart gesture at Huo Jing.
Huo Jing: “…”
He furrowed his brow deeply and backed up two steps, his face screaming “keep that crap away from me.”
Once the little girl ran off, Xie Jianxun stood and brushed his clothes. He sighed contentedly. “See? Preparing ahead means it’ll never go to waste.”
At noon, passengers unfastened their seatbelts in twos and threes, heading to the front half of the spaceship for the restaurant to solve their lunch issue.
Xie Jianxun asked a crew member and learned the restaurant offered cheap fast food. He was pleasantly surprised and planned to drag Huo Jing along, but when he turned, he saw the young man heading in another direction.
Without hesitation, he skipped lunch and chased after Huo Jing’s footsteps.
“Good Samaritan sir, no lunch?” Xie Jianxun asked curiously.
He was a first-timer on second-class civilian ships, but Huo Jing clearly wasn’t—and he scoffed at the so-called cheap fast food.
He just hadn’t expected Xie Jianxun to follow.
“Twice-processed pork, vegetables, and starch—worth about that price,” Huo Jing said. “The private kitchen at the end serves business class guests. Much better taste. Of course, the price matches.”
Xie Jianxun immediately said, “I’ll treat!”
Huo Jing drawled lazily, “Young master sure is rich.”
The young man had no qualms about being treated. Upon entering, he bypassed the window seats in the restaurant and chose a spot on the neon-lit bar side.
Not exactly a quiet dining spot. A bartender came over to ask what the guests wanted.
Huo Jing nodded at Xie Jianxun. “Get him a ham fried rice and clear sake. I’ll have fire wine. He pays.”
When Xie Jianxun pulled out his Light Brain to pay, he was still puzzled.
“You’re not having lunch?”
Huo Jing said simply, “Not hungry.”
The bartender took the order without issue and sent it to the kitchen. Soon, steaming ham fried rice arrived, along with two glasses of differently colored drinks.
Xie Jianxun was endlessly curious about his drink. After confirming multiple times that he could have it, he took a cautious sip.
So spicy—it shot straight up his nose, bringing tears to his eyes. He immediately set the glass down miserably.
Beside him, Huo Jing sipped his own drink and actually laughed out loud for once.
“Don’t make that face, little young master,” he said. “It’s just special seasoning. No alcohol at all.”
As he drank, in his peripheral vision, his young friend valiantly tackled the fried rice, steering clear of the seemingly plain clear sake.
Huo Jing smiled and suddenly brought up a topic. “So, tell me—why run away from home?”
Xie Jianxun paused.
He looked up blankly, still chewing, finally swallowing before saying, “How did you know I ran away from…”
Home?
Before he finished, he realized it himself.
The missing person notice was everywhere—how could he not know?
But he had to clarify one thing. “He knows I’m at the Western Spaceport, so he only posted the notices there. Looks like he’s having people look for me.”
Xie Jianxun lowered his voice. “…Actually, it’s a threat. He knows I’m here, waiting for me to come back obediently. I had to bet he doesn’t know where I’m really going.”
After all, he’d bought the ticket on the spot that day.
“Fight with the family?” Huo Jing asked casually.
But he saw Xie Jianxun awkwardly turn his head away, unwilling to continue. Huo Jing immediately perked up; he didn’t find it awkward at all.
Under pursuit, the little young master stammered, “I… I had an online romance. I was going to meet them, elope. He found out.”
Huo Jing raised a brow. “Online romance? Doesn’t seem like it. You look so well-behaved.” He sized Xie Jianxun up and down.
Xie Jianxun: “…”
Xie Jianxun said numbly, “After he found out, he immediately cut off my internet cable, then suddenly proposed to me, saying that he was the most suitable person for me.”
Huo Jing showed the expression of someone who had just gotten prime gossip for the first time.
He clicked his tongue and commented, “He’s wilder than you.”
