Yu Yan didn’t reply.
He was making a scene for a reason, and he wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted.
So after You Fuzhou returned to the mothership, someone hurried over to report, “Boss, Mr. Yu hasn’t eaten anything for the past few days.”
The man sounded anxious too. “Ever since he found out you were gone, he’s locked himself in his room. We’re worried he’s developed some psychological trauma, so we haven’t dared force our way in…”
You Fuzhou frowned. He activated an auxiliary drone to handle the items he’d brought back and headed straight for the living quarters. “I’ll go check on him. You don’t need to follow.”
When the guide heard that last part, he halted in his tracks and watched You Fuzhou go.
You Fuzhou moved quickly, and his spiritual body leaped out of thin air, racing toward Yu Yan. So the first thing Yu Yan sensed was You Fuzhou’s White Lion.
He knew You Fuzhou was back, but Yu Yan did nothing. He just listened as the White Lion scratched lightly at the door, reining in its strength.
It sounded a bit urgent… Yu Yan extended his mental power and saw the White Lion pawing at the door.
It was adorable.
You Fuzhou arrived right after. When he did, the White Lion stepped aside.
You Fuzhou knocked. “Yu Yan?”
His voice had a low, cool edge to it, but there was still a hint of youthful greenness that hadn’t quite faded—probably because a twenty-year-old sentinel was just too young.
Yu Yan sat on the edge of the bed and shifted slightly.
You Fuzhou had dialed down the suppressor’s effect, so he could clearly hear the movements inside. “Can I come in?”
Yu Yan walked to the door and slowly cracked it open.
You Fuzhou’s eyes met his through the gap. Yu Yan hadn’t turned on the lights, so the darkness loomed behind him, making the single eye peering through the slit appear especially pitch-black. It carried an eerie, hollow chill that sent an inexplicable shiver down the spine.
It was a bit like a male ghost.
Yu Yan’s voice was soft. “Can we talk inside?”
You Fuzhou hesitated for a second.
It wasn’t great for a sentinel to enter a guide’s room.
But he only paused for that one second before nodding under Yu Yan’s unwavering gaze. “Sure.”
He patted the White Lion’s head, leaving his spiritual body outside, and stepped through the gap Yu Yan had opened.
The moment the door clicked shut, You Fuzhou couldn’t shake the strange feeling that he’d just plunged into an abyss.
He looked at Yu Yan, not yet saying a word, when Yu Yan suddenly pressed close.
You Fuzhou instinctively raised a hand and grabbed Yu Yan’s wrist. But before he could shove him back, Yu Yan’s body pressed against his through their clothes—
The cool warmth was a jarring sensation for You Fuzhou with the suppressor’s effect reduced.
The heartbeat and touch of another person crashed over him like waves.
You Fuzhou’s back hit the door, but he couldn’t dodge it.
Too close.
His mind went blank with a boom, forgetting what he was supposed to do.
He couldn’t think.
You Fuzhou’s eyes widened. Yu Yan was about the same height as him, drawing them even nearer. Their breaths mingled, especially with Yu Yan leaning in…
It was You Fuzhou’s instinct that reacted again.
He raised his other hand and clamped it around Yu Yan’s throat, shoving him back forcefully with both hands.
Yu Yan retreated half a step, but the corners of his eyes reddened.
In the darkness, You Fuzhou clearly saw the flash of pain on his face. Then Yu Yan lifted his other hand and grasped You Fuzhou’s wrist.
But not to pull him away—instead, he rubbed and clung to it like a snake, as if hinting at something.
“Do you like playing like this?”
Yu Yan’s voice was soft, his low, husky tone murmuring like a devil’s whisper in that moment. Yet his eyes were utterly hollow and helpless. He was truly humbling himself. “That’s fine too.”
You Fuzhou: “? ? ?”
He snapped back to his senses, his ears heating from Yu Yan’s actions. When he tried to pull his hand free, Yu Yan grabbed it before he could speak. Yu Yan gripped him tightly, and You Fuzhou didn’t dare yank away, afraid of hurting him.
You Fuzhou hadn’t even gotten a word out when Yu Yan took both his hands and pressed them to his own chest, startling him into bristling. “!”
Yu Yan’s next words left You Fuzhou flushed and full of question marks. “You can play with me however you want… Can I just stick with you? I’ll go along with anything…”
“…No.”
You Fuzhou tried to withdraw his hands, but Yu Yan only gripped tighter. Genuinely worried about injuring him, You Fuzhou let him hold on. “Wait…”
He was burning up, practically steaming. “What are you even saying???”
How had things escalated like this???
Had he time-traveled? It had only been three days of time dilation from the jump!
Yu Yan seemed to think he hadn’t understood, still speaking in that soft, fragile tone. “What I mean is, you can sleep with me however you want, play any game you like… but can you…”
“Stop.” You Fuzhou took a deep breath. He no longer felt Yu Yan’s body temperature as cool; it was hot, scorching. He was thoroughly cooked. “So why… How did we even get to talking about this?”
Yu Yan’s lashes fluttered. The corners of his eyes were still red—whether from You Fuzhou’s earlier chokehold and shove that had left him breathless, from grievance or fear, or all of it, he couldn’t tell.
You Fuzhou wasn’t a guide. No matter how clever he was, he couldn’t read emotions like one—especially with someone as complicated as Yu Yan.
Right now, Yu Yan stood before him in a particularly complex way. He wasn’t showing overt pitifulness, but it still tugged inexplicably at the heart, stirring pity so intense it felt like one might rip out their own to give to him.
Yu Yan said, “Li Santian said the Freedom Alliance’s leader is looking for you… Aren’t you going to hand me over to him?”
As he finished, a tear splashed onto You Fuzhou’s hand, panicking him completely—especially when Yu Yan added, “Please don’t send me to the Freedom Alliance… They won’t treat me like a person.”
You Fuzhou hadn’t expected Yu Yan to cry.
He especially hadn’t expected him to cry because of him.
At a loss, he stared at Yu Yan. “You… don’t cry…”
You Fuzhou raised his hand, then lowered it, clenched his fist, then opened it. Finally, he abandoned his excessive sense of distance. His fingertip gently touched Yu Yan’s cheek, carefully wiping away the tears. “I didn’t mean that. Didn’t I say so already?”
He tried to soften his tone. “You’re free here. You can go wherever you want. If there’s somewhere you don’t want to go, just tell me—I won’t force you. And it wasn’t Elada looking for me. Even if it was him demanding I send you to the Freedom Alliance, I’d turn him down.”
You Fuzhou spoke gently. “Yu Yan, I don’t trust the Freedom Alliance. They’re a bunch of politicians… I’m glad you don’t trust them either, though it makes me a bit sad that you seemed to know all along.”
Because that meant the Freedom Alliance had hurt Yu Yan before.
You Fuzhou exhaled slowly, gazing at Yu Yan, who stood there stunned and shedding tears. It was rare for him to feel such heartache.
It was completely different from the rage he’d felt hearing those sordid truths. The last time his heart had hurt this badly, to the point he couldn’t breathe, was because of Rong Yao.
“…Really?”
Yu Yan looked up at You Fuzhou with fearful eyes.
You Fuzhou nodded. “Really.”
But Yu Yan was still crying, tears falling like they cost nothing.
He cried beautifully—You Fuzhou had to admit it—but it truly gave him a headache.
He had no idea how to coax someone…
At a loss, You Fuzhou wiped at the tears. Finally, he steeled himself, reached out, and pulled Yu Yan into his arms. “Don’t cry.”
His movements were stiff—he wasn’t used to this. But his tone was gentle, like his mental fluctuations to Yu Yan.
It made Yu Yan want to scheme for even more.
You Fuzhou mimicked what he’d seen others do, patting Yu Yan’s back lightly.
He thought for a moment, then said awkwardly, “I promise you this: as long as you want it, I can protect you for life.”
That was something Yu Yan hadn’t anticipated.
His eyelids fluttered. He rested his chin on You Fuzhou’s shoulder, slowly curving his lips where You Fuzhou couldn’t see. His voice was still hoarse and choked. “Really?”
You Fuzhou didn’t hesitate. “Yeah. You can probe with your mental power to check if I’m lying.”
Yu Yan had been doing that all along, of course.
So he knew about the feelings You Fuzhou had developed for him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have thought it unfair before.
He could also confirm You Fuzhou wasn’t lying.
Yu Yan tilted his head slightly, leaning against the side of You Fuzhou’s head, making him even stiffer.
Hiding his smile, he put on a look of complete dependence. “So from now on, can I tell people you’re my sentinel?”
