Chapter 16

After You Fuzhou opened another training room, he gestured to Yu Yan: “You attack, don’t hold back.”

He wanted to see just how far Yu Yan could go.

Yu Yan pondered for less than half a second before deciding to really not hold back.

Since You Fuzhou could see some things clearly, things would turn into occasionally pretending for fun, but doing it every moment would be meaningless. It would easily become annoying.

Yu Yan took off his jacket, revealing the short-sleeved white T-shirt underneath.

Dressed like this, he didn’t look young at all; instead, he had the vibe of a mature man relaxing, exuding the charm of a seasoned guy. Paired with that face, You Fuzhou couldn’t find a single flaw.

Yu Yan was a bit too perfect.

Perfect to the point that You Fuzhou sometimes wondered if Yu Yan even existed for real, or if there was something wrong with his Spiritual World that made him hallucinate such a Guide.

After neatly setting his jacket aside, Yu Yan looked at You Fuzhou, who was standing there casually as always.

Without hesitation, Yu Yan charged straight at him.

He truly didn’t hold back—even the expression that usually softened his features turned cold and sharp the instant he moved, gaining an edge of piercing chill that looked hazardous.

But You Fuzhou dodged with ease.

You Fuzhou seemed like he was just dodging, but Yu Yan knew full well he was handling it effortlessly.

If You Fuzhou counterattacked, he could definitely subdue him within twenty moves.

Sentinels had a natural advantage in this area, enhanced by their increasingly sharp senses the higher their rank, which meant that unless a Guide used their mental power to attack, they were destined to be suppressed by a Sentinel.

Yu Yan knew how to attack with mental power, but this was just sparring with You Fuzhou—he wouldn’t go that far.

It would hurt You Fuzhou.

You Fuzhou calmly evaded Yu Yan’s fierce strikes, feeling a bit surprised.

He was even stronger than expected. Though Yu Yan lacked formal technique, it was precisely because he hadn’t had systematic training that his style was unique, often striking from tricky angles.

To put it simply, if it were an A-Class Sentinel here, they’d already be down.

After another missed side kick, Yu Yan planted his feet and stopped.

You Fuzhou raised an eyebrow slightly: “What’s wrong?”

Yu Yan stared steadily at You Fuzhou: “You’re amazing. You feel even stronger than when you came to rescue me.”

Such a powerful Sentinel… it made his heart race even more.

You Fuzhou smiled: “My mental state wasn’t great back then, so it affected me some. With your help guiding me these past few days, I’m basically back to my peak.”

You Fuzhou: “And you’re pretty impressive too. You’re the strongest Guide I’ve ever seen in hand-to-hand combat.”

He couldn’t quite understand how someone like Yu Yan got captured… Did those people use special magnetic interference on his Spiritual World?

You Fuzhou frowned.

That must have been so painful?

Gazing at You Fuzhou, who always considered him and felt sorry for him, Yu Yan’s eyes curved: “But I still can’t beat you.”

You Fuzhou said seriously: “Sentinels and Guides have different strengths. If you Guides learn to utilize your mental power properly, you’re very powerful too. Look at Ye Songhua—if it weren’t for her control during that operation, it wouldn’t have gone so smoothly. If you want to learn, you could ask Ye Songhua to teach you.”

You Fuzhou was genuinely thinking of Yu Yan: “You’re S-Class. If you learn it, you’ll be even stronger.”

Yu Yan asked: “Would it help you more?”

You Fuzhou repeated: “Don’t think about whether it helps me. Learn it to protect yourself.”

Yu Yan tilted his head slightly: “But you protect me. You promised you’d protect me for life.”

You Fuzhou: “……”

He wasn’t sure if he should be happy about this.

Of course he felt a bit thrilled that Yu Yan depended on him so much.

But he still hoped Yu Yan wouldn’t rely on anyone like this, including him. It wasn’t that he disliked it—Yu Yan needed to value himself.

You Fuzhou sighed inwardly, then heard Yu Yan suddenly say: “But I want to learn. I want to get stronger, so one day I can protect you too.”

You Fuzhou froze.

As a child, his Spiritual Core had been detected relatively late, so he wasn’t valued much for a while. Once it was confirmed and they inferred he was a high-rank Sentinel… simply put, You Fuzhou’s memories from before his Sentinel status were confirmed were fuzzy since he was young; by the time he had status and position, he’d already reached a certain height.

No one had ever told him they wanted to protect him, that they would protect him.

All along, whether in military academy or now leading his team, he was the “boss,” the “captain,” everyone’s pillar.

He had no complaints and never thought about finding a partner to protect him later.

Though he hadn’t considered it, hearing Yu Yan say this felt entirely different.

A feeling unlike the admiration from others… You Fuzhou didn’t know how to describe it. It was his first time receiving something like this.

So when Yu Yan said: “Shall we continue?”

He smiled and asked: “If I can touch you, is there a reward?”

You Fuzhou nodded at the words: “Sure.”

He agreed first, then asked: “What do you want?”

“I want to hug you.”

Yu Yan was straightforward: “Can I?”

You Fuzhou: “……”

He remembered agreeing to this with Yu Yan not long ago; Yu Yan didn’t really need to make it a bet.

But…

You Fuzhou cleared his throat lightly: “Alright.”

Yu Yan really was a great Guide.

He must have sensed You Fuzhou would feel embarrassed, so he turned it into a bet, making it easier for You Fuzhou to accept.

Suddenly hugging his Guide without any buildup? You Fuzhou couldn’t do that.

Even if Yu Yan asked for it directly, he’d be at a loss.

He wasn’t used to intimate contact with people.

The sparring resumed, but You Fuzhou could be very straight-guy at times, never thinking to go easy—Yu Yan couldn’t even graze his clothes.

If Yu Yan didn’t know You Fuzhou didn’t dislike him and was just taking the training seriously to help him improve, he’d be laughing in frustration right now.

But because he knew what You Fuzhou was thinking and his personality, Yu Yan just felt helpless and found You Fuzhou a bit cute.

A gentle Sentinel, a powerful Sentinel, a cute Sentinel, and…

Yu Yan stopped, exhaling: “I can’t… anymore…”

He really couldn’t touch You Fuzhou.

It had been a whole hour, and You Fuzhou was still completely at ease.

Yu Yan wasn’t tired; he was about to play a trick.

But You Fuzhou thought he was worn out: “I’ll get you some water.”

Yu Yan nodded. As You Fuzhou turned to fetch water, Yu Yan staggered deliberately, pretending to be too exhausted to stand—

You Fuzhou reacted swiftly, grabbing him with one hand. Worried about hurting him by pulling, he even scooped underneath, his sturdy arm bracing Yu Yan’s back as he effortlessly pulled him back with a single arm.

Yu Yan curved his lips into a smile. You Fuzhou realized it, but it was too late—Yu Yan had already wrapped his arms around his waist.

He stiffened, meeting eyes with Yu Yan, who was about the same height. They were so close their breaths mingled; he could count every lash on Yu Yan’s eyes: “Instructor Xiao You, I touched you.”

The Guide’s low, gentle voice flowed slowly, softened even more to carry an intimate, lingering ambiguity, like a hook that snagged You Fuzhou’s heart instantly: “I can hug you now, right?”

You Fuzhou: “……”

Too close—the faint scent of Yu Yan’s body, his cool-warm temperature, and that breathtakingly perfect face enveloped him like an airtight net.

You Fuzhou’s mind buzzed, unable to react.

But he didn’t push Yu Yan away. He let Yu Yan hook his arms around him, and when Yu Yan lowered his head to rest his chin on his shoulder, pressing their bodies fully together, he thought—

What was the point of asking “right?” anymore…

Hadn’t he already been hugged?