Chapter 39: An Absurd Conversation Part 2

Maybe Lin Wensi was just sick in the head.

With that thought, he didn’t want to wait anymore. He pushed open the hatch and strode toward the door, intending to ignore General Lin who had been waiting who-knew-how-long. But after just two steps, he was called from behind.

“Yan Xinfeng.”

He stopped and turned back. “Something wrong?”

Lin Wensi did not speak immediately. Instead, he waited solemnly for a moment before slowly saying, “How is your Omega?”

“I just don’t get it,” Yan Xinfeng furrowed his brows. “Why are you so concerned about my Omega?”

Lin Wensi said, “Maybe because you’ve never told anyone his name.”

“He’s a person, not just a gender. You should respect him more instead of hiding him away like your personal possession.”

Yan Xinfeng simply couldn’t believe what he had heard.

He didn’t respect him? He had practically knelt and treated Wei Tingxia like an ancestor. Was there anyone in the world who respected him more?

Lin Wensi had finally been driven mad by the Empire, right? He had known that nothing good came from the Empire; even good people could be turned into fools.

After barely calming down and sorting out his thoughts, Yan Xinfeng said, “Do you know what you’re saying right now?”

Across from him, the upright and rigorous General Lin’s expression grew even more serious. The look he directed at Yan Xinfeng was no longer just simple condemnation.

He asked, “Where do you live?”

“With Wei Tingxia, of course,” Yan Xinfeng was utterly baffled. “Doesn’t he have empty rooms there?”

“Where is your omega?”

Here we go again. Yan Xinfeng was truly annoyed. “It’s none of your business where he is.”

Lin Wensi’s tone sank. “So you’re living in the Border Military District now, and you’ve left your omega somewhere else.”

Yan Xinfeng nodded. That was pretty much the current situation.

Lin Wensi’s expression turned even more disgusted.

He didn’t hide it anymore and said directly, “Before you truly arrived at the Border Military District, I respected you a lot in my heart. I thought you were a brave, upright, and extremely wise opponent who acted on your own principles and had a strong protective instinct. But now, I don’t think so anymore.”

“…”

Yan Xinfeng wanted to reiterate his previous feelings. He was completely, utterly clueless about what Lin Wensi wanted.

He had stared at him and Wei Tingxia with a strange look, suddenly cornered him outside the testing pod, and spouted a bunch of pointless commentary.

Utterly baffling.

Lin Wensi continued, “You’re greedy and lustful, no different from the alphas criticized by society. You have only possessiveness toward your own omega, no respect at all. You won’t even call him by his name; you just treat him like your property to use.”

“I’m greedy and lustful?” Yan Xinfeng raised his voice. “I only have possessiveness toward him?! Lin Wensi, have you gone mad?”

When anger reached its peak, he really didn’t know what to say. Yan Xinfeng looked around, wondering what had smashed Lin Wensi’s brain while he wasn’t paying attention.

“He’s one of the top mecha masters in the entire universe!” Lin Wensi’s voice was even louder. “He sacrificed so much for you, willing to follow by your side as a star pirate, and yet you cast him aside just because of a beautiful face. How can you face him?”

The heartbroken voice assaulted Yan Xinfeng’s senses. Lin Wensi truly seemed saddened for that omega who had hidden his identity to follow an ungrateful alpha, to the point where he looked ready to beat some sense into him.

‘I think you’ve misunderstood,’ Yan Xinfeng wasn’t angry anymore; he couldn’t muster the anger. “I haven’t let him down.”

This time, Lin Wensi sneered coldly. “I’m not blind.”

‘Is that so? You’re actually pretty blind, but we won’t tell you out of pity.’

Yan Xinfeng’s gaze was earnest. “Really. Even if you ripped out my lungs, I wouldn’t betray him. Not using his name was his idea; I’m just following it.”

Lin Wensi was skeptical. “Really?”

Yan Xinfeng nodded.

It was true, and even if Yan Xinfeng told him the name, he wouldn’t believe it.

After a period of thoughtful silence, Lin Wensi decided to end it there for the day.

“Perhaps you should keep your distance from the Second Highness. Don’t hug him or try to flirt,” he said. “I don’t discriminate against AA relationships, but you already have someone to spend your life with. You need to be responsible for your lover.”

“…”

Keeping distance from a bonded AO pair was quite a demand, but disagreeing now would mean both Wei Tingxia and Lin Wensi would beat him to death.

Yan Xinfeng said, “Okay.”

……

……

Wei Tingxia nearly laughed himself to death on the bed.

“Hahahahahahahahahahaha…”

He laughed until his whole body shook, tears streaming down his face. He forced his eyes open while laughing, unwilling to miss Yan Xinfeng’s wonderfully expressive face at that moment.

“Come on, say it again,” he demanded, gasping for breath.

Finally stopping a bit, he sprawled on the bed and arduously reached out with one hand to tug at Yan Xinfeng’s clothes. “I can’t… my stomach hurts from laughing…”

“If it hurts, stop laughing,” Yan Xinfeng said expressionlessly, though a hint of annoyance flickered in his eyes. “What exactly is your goal?”

Wei Tingxia wiped away his tears with his other hand and said seriously, “I’m too happy. I don’t want this wonderful time to pass quickly.”

“Better if it passes quickly. I already regret telling you.”

Yan Xinfeng yanked his clothes back forcefully. “From now on, I’m keeping my distance from you.”

“Ooh, afraid of betraying your omega?”

The moment he was told not to touch, Wei Tingxia got energetic instead. He pushed himself up from the bed and straddled Yan Xinfeng’s thighs.

Yan Xinfeng reflexively steadied him first, then forced himself to let go. “Yes, he gave up even his name for me. I can’t betray him.”

“But I really like you.”

Since Yan Xinfeng wouldn’t hold him, Wei Tingxia hooked his shoulders himself and leaned down to lightly peck at the alpha’s tense lip corners now and then. “Can’t you consider it? Just one night; no one will find out.”

He coaxed softly, seeking a one-night stand. His fingers caressed the alpha’s gland as the scent of desire rose from their intermittently brushing lips.

Yan Xinfeng was someone who couldn’t resist temptation. Star pirates didn’t like much else, just alphas and omegas like Wei Tingxia.

“Just one night?” he asked.

Wei Tingxia pretended to think. “Is your omega fierce?”

“Fierce, very fierce. If he finds out I did something to betray him, he’ll rip out my lungs.”

That was the truth, and Wei Tingxia laughed happily.

“Then it can only be one night. Sleeping too much might lead to feelings, and getting exposed would be bad.”

He dawdled, planting a warm, soft kiss on Yan Xinfeng’s cheek, looking both obedient and beautiful, like a flower. So it couldn’t be blamed on Yan Xinfeng for losing control; he flipped them over and pinned the man beneath him.

Their breaths intertwined as they kissed fervently, unable to part. When Yan Xinfeng’s desire blazed and his hand slid down along the waist, Wei Tingxia deftly dodged. Looking up again, the Second Prince who had just been clamoring for a one-night stand had already shifted to the other side of the bed, establishing a safe distance.

Wei Tingxia wore a pained, repentant expression. “I thought about it; we really can’t do something to betray him.”

He had deliberately teased and then fled at the last moment.

“You don’t want to?” Yan Xinfeng repeated his refusal, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He suddenly reached out and yanked the escaping Wei Tingxia back, clamping him tightly in his arms. “Too bad; you don’t have a choice now.”

His lungs would be ripped out sooner or later anyway; better to get his money’s worth first.

……

……

As their breathing gradually steadied, System 0188 took over the air purification device and swept away the lingering scent of desire in the air.

Wei Tingxia sprawled lazily on the bed, letting Yan Xinfeng firmly and steadily massage the sore spots on his waist. He reached out to open the drawer, took out a disguised potion, injected it into his arm, and waited for the effects to kick in.

In the waiting interval, a question suddenly occurred to him.

“Yan Xinfeng, what if I really were an alpha?”

Yan Xinfeng didn’t even lift an eyelid and answered directly, “Then I’d regret why I’m not an omega.”

“Really? Or fake?”

“Why would I lie to you?” Yan Xinfeng’s tone was resolute. “After regretting, I’d chase you until I caught you.”

“…”

Seeing him fall silent, Yan Xinfeng said smugly, “Don’t you think I’m a good alpha who’s faithful to one till the end? Aren’t you secretly crying tears of joy in your heart for choosing me?”

The awkward distance from the past few days had vanished from their interactions.

During these days in the military district, Yan Xinfeng had exchanged intelligence with Lin Wensi while also joining a few patrols. He could tell Wei Tingxia hadn’t been joking.

How fortunate that they didn’t end up meeting in battle. Others might not know, but Yan Xinfeng had truly felt like crying at one point; he had nearly fallen into irreversible doom.

“Yeah,” Wei Tingxia met his gaze, his lips curving up bit by bit until he couldn’t hold back a low chuckle. His shoulders trembled slightly; the laughter was genuine delight. “I’m secretly crying tears of joy right now.”

As the laughter faded, Wei Tingxia fell silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his tone had lost its earlier lightness.

“In a while, I might need to return to Capital Star.”

The hand on his shoulder suddenly paused. Yan Xinfeng looked up. “Why?”

“I received some intelligence; I want to check it out personally.” Wei Tingxia was vague. “Don’t worry, no danger.”

Yan Xinfeng didn’t speak, just stared at him fixedly. A few seconds later, he lay down too, stretched out his arm, and pulled the man tightly into his embrace. His rough palm stroked his cheek, slid down slowly, and finally rested warmly on Wei Tingxia’s lower abdomen.

It was the perfect spot for an embrace, soft and warm, rising and falling gently with his breaths. The moment he was touched, Wei Tingxia’s body stiffened, then slowly relaxed, allowing the other to draw him deeper into his arms.

“Be careful with everything.” Yan Xinfeng’s voice sounded right by his ear.

“Got it.”

By then, dusk had deepened, and sleepiness slowly washed over him. Wei Tingxia closed his eyes and let it take him.

But behind him, Yan Xinfeng’s eyes were clear and alert. His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the warm skin beneath his palm as Scarface’s words abruptly crashed into his mind:

“The base is missing someone named Lin Tao, a female beta doctor. Based on the timeline, it lines up with when Wei Tingxia left… I’m uneasy about this; weigh it yourself.”

There were no coincidences in the world. When two suspicions aligned so closely, they often pointed to a single truth.

Wei Tingxia had left to return to Capital Star and inherit his imperial prince identity, so why had he taken Lin Tao with him?

These days, Wei Tingxia’s vaguely subdued attitude and Lin Tao’s disappearance silently intertwined on the same thread.