[You started fighting at age 6?]
‘Mhm. Just arrived at the orphanage. The kid king there was bullying me.’
[And then you beat him up?]
‘No. I let it slide three times.’
[And then?]
‘For a whole month, I beat him every time I saw him. After a month, he knew to run away when he saw me.’
[.]
“Hiss… gentle.” Shen Qiuxun glanced sideways at Xu Zhiyuan, who was applying medicine to his back. The cool air on his exposed shoulder blades raised goosebumps. The skin of his back and neck, where visible, was shockingly pale white.
But a large patch of purple bruising marred the overall beauty. It spread from the hollow of his neck to his shoulder, a vivid reminder of how viciously that Alpha had struck.
Xu Zhiyuan held disinfectant and cotton swabs, looking rather frazzled. He stole a glance at Shen Qiuxun, then quietly looked away, his expression stern: angry but not daring to speak.
“Who told you to charge at an Alpha the moment you see one? An Alpha, okay?” Xu Zhiyuan had never met someone like this. Normally so docile, only thinking about eating and sleeping, but when a big incident happened, he went off to solo an Alpha—oh, and a Beta was there too.
Shen Qiuxun tilted his head up, noticing Xu Zhiyuan’s slightly furrowed brow and pursed lips. He actually looked quite worried, huh. His eyes darted. “You… is your battle over?”
Xu Zhiyuan nodded, leaning closer. He applied the medicine with the meticulous care of someone extracting a vital substance in a lab. His hands were heavy, and this was truly his first time doing this. Well, it had its own unique flavor.
A once-in-a-lifetime experience, never to be repeated.
“More or less.”
“I thought it would take several days.”
“With thermal weapons sweeping through, it’s not like ancient warfare.”
Shen Qiuxun nodded, thinking the man described it pretty lightly. “That… blonde guy, is he your colleague?”
“Colleague?” Xu Zhiyuan frowned, meeting his gaze for a long moment. “No, he’s from another pirate crew… seems to have some past history with Ellie.”
A history between an Alpha and a Beta. He carefully observed Shen Qiuxun’s expression and found the other’s attitude natural. He wasn’t sure whether to be happy or unhappy about it.
“Then…”
“It’s fine, just three dead scumbags.” Xu Zhiyuan finally finished disinfecting. Next was the ointment. He swallowed hard and slowly began to rub it in, his rough fingertips stained with the clear gel, touching with precious care.
“It hurts.” Shen Qiuxun glared angrily.
“…” Xu Zhiyuan gritted his teeth, used his other clean hand to lift Shen Qiuxun’s chin, then pulled his chair closer, tilting his head to expose his own neck. “If it hurts, bite here.”
[.]
The ointment had irritating components. No matter how gentle Xu Zhiyuan’s movements were, there was bound to be a stinging pain. Shen Qiuxun didn’t hesitate, viciously opening his mouth and biting down on the clean neck voluntarily offered to him.
He bit so hard his cheek muscles ached, yet he didn’t hear a pained cry from the man.
He only let go after the medicine was applied, finding it pointless. The man’s palm cupped his jaw, then a thumb probed inside to feel his teeth. The man looked down, deeply concerned. “Didn’t hurt your teeth, did you?”
“…” Frowning, Shen Qiuxun left another tooth mark on the man’s knuckle.
Xu Zhiyuan chuckled softly, turning to find gauze. He carefully followed Dr. Shen’s instructions to bandage him, finally tying it off meticulously into a bow. The job was done.
Shen Qiuxun leaned against the headboard, looking down and pondering that ugly bow. Xu Zhiyuan watched him from the bedside, grass-green eyes brimming with laughter. “Disgusted by it?”
“Hmph.”
Xu Zhiyuan was felled by sheer cuteness. He leaned in and kissed Shen Qiuxun’s chin, a very loud, smacking sound.
‘?’
[!!!!!!]
Before Shen Qiuxun could react, Xu Zhiyuan, ears red, started tidying up the bottles and jars. “Don’t move yet.”
He took the medicine box out, then retrieved a wooden box from a cabinet in the living room. Just then, a knock came at the door.
Xu Zhiyuan glanced back, put on his coat, and went to open the door.
It was the shopkeeper from the BBQ shop. Tall and burly, his hands were clasped nervously. Seeing the door open, he looked over with concern in his eyes.
Xu Zhiyuan propped his elbow against the doorframe, leaning sideways, making sure his neck was fully exposed. He lowered his brows, looking at the man before him with an ill-tempered expression. “Can I help you?”
The man paused, his gaze lingering for a moment on the neck before quickly lowering his head. “Excuse me… is Mr. Shen Qiuxun here?”
“Yeah.”
“Well… I wanted to see him.”
“Oh, he’s a bit tired. Not fit for visitors.”
“…Is that so?” The man took a deep breath and raised his head, meeting Xu Zhiyuan’s gaze directly. “I’ll leave once I see him.”
Xu Zhiyuan laughed softly, his fingers tapping lightly against the doorframe. Something churned deep within his grass-green eyes. “I said, he won’t see you.”
A silent pressure spread through the narrow stairway. It was like Mount Tai bearing down, a god’s wrath. Their mental powers collided in the air.
In an instant, one side collapsed like a landslide. Face pale, sweat beading densely, legs trembling, he was ultimately pinned motionless to the ground by an overwhelming, thunderous force.
Just one fraction heavier, and his Mental Domain would shatter. A “bang,” like a bullet piercing through glass, breaking into a pile of garbage.
Bored, Xu Zhiyuan withdrew his mental power. His eyelids drooped, his gaze mocking. “An A-Rank, don’t come here making a fool of yourself.”
The door closed. The stairway returned to darkness and silence. The man on the ground slowly picked himself up, staring at the door before him one more time, his lips pressed tightly together. But no one cared about his inner thoughts.
On the other side, Shen Qiuxun was discussing their mission with the System.
‘I think there might be something to it.’
[Because he kissed you?]
‘Right.’
The System paused briefly. [Didn’t you say you don’t like men?]
‘?’ Shen Qiuxun rolled his eyes. ‘I’m just a wage earner. Not just a man, even if it were a little dog, I’d still go through with it.’
[.]
[Alright, let’s hope for the best.]
At that moment, Xu Zhiyuan arrived belatedly, holding the wooden box. He sat on the edge of the bed and handed it over.
Shen Qiuxun took it and opened the box under his expectant gaze. Inside were four brown, fuzzy things rolling from one side of the box to the other. Kiwis???
He looked up, meeting Xu Zhiyuan’s warmly smiling eyes. The man looked at him, eyes curved in a smile. He picked one up, examining it for a moment. “This stuff is pretty hard to find. Looks ugly.”
“What does it taste like?” Xu Zhiyuan tilted his head, looking at him.
“Sweet and sour. You have to peel the skin.” Shen Qiuxun’s fingers gripped the wooden box, his gaze fixed on the man’s hands.
[Could he have figured out your metaphor?]
‘Maybe.’
Xu Zhiyuan wondered where to start. His pale fingertip tapped the oval end. Understanding, the man carefully peeled the brown skin away, revealing the moist, translucent green fruit inside.
“It’s green,” he said.
“Mhm, very tasty… wait, where did you get the spare money?”
Xu Zhiyuan looked up, meeting those calm, clear black pupils. The corner of his mouth lifted, his face a bit red. He carefully peeled the skin and brought the green fruit to Shen Qiuxun’s mouth. “Mm… well, there’s been a war lately. Hazard pay from the top.”
Shen Qiuxun didn’t argue, taking a bite. Sweet and sour, as if a hundred flowers bloomed in spring. He felt his deadened tongue come back to life, his eyes narrowing comfortably again.
He finished the kiwi right from the man’s hand. Xu Zhiyuan reached for another one. Shen Qiuxun pressed his hand down, his eyes fixed on the brown fuzzy fruit. He restrained himself and turned his head away. “I’ll eat more next time.”
Food at the orphanage was never plentiful. Coupled with a “hardship first, reward later” education from childhood, he’d long developed the habit of suppressing his appetite. Later, when he had his own money for good food, he would still budget carefully. Before he knew it, the word “satisfaction” had somehow become synonymous with greed.
“Next time, you can eat next time’s stuff.” Xu Zhiyuan peeled another one for him, clearly much better looking than the first.
Next time?
When was “next time”?
After tucking all three into his stomach, Shen Qiuxun finally felt settled. He licked his lips, leaning back against the headboard, lax. “Alright.”
A pink tongue tip licked his lip bud, staining the pale lips with a pitiful, adorable hint of pink.
Xu Zhiyuan’s eyes burned watching this. He slowly leaned closer, pressing against his lips. Like he’d found a new treat, he nibbled the upper lip, then nibbled the lower lip, kissing stickily. Then, just as he tried to slip his tongue in, the now-recovered Shen Qiuxun pushed him away.
Goosebumps covered his arms. Shen Qiuxun heard the sound of his own chastity shattering.
Xu Zhiyuan licked his lips. His beloved was right before his eyes; how could he resist? Carefully, he cradled the back of Shen Qiuxun’s head and tilted his head to kiss him again. Pecking and sucking like a chick pecking at grain, his technique improved by leaps and bounds. Finally, catching him off guard, he slipped his tongue inside.
Like a man dying of thirst for days, desperately trying to dig out the last mouthful of water from a dry well.
By the time the man let go, Shen Qiuxun’s lips and tongue were red and swollen, numb and itching. It made the rims of his eyes redden with anger. He grabbed the man’s collar, took several deep breaths, but finally let go.
‘I’m sacrificing way too much for this damn mission.’
[Host, you’ve worked hard!]
‘Was he so smitten by my heroic display of beating up that Alpha?’
[Quite possible, woof.]
The air was still. The wind and sand outside had stopped at some unknown time, vaguely revealing the vast dark night.
Xu Zhiyuan’s ears were flushed red. He put the wooden box away properly, placing it on the steel cabinet nearby. He saw the robot, picked it up to look it over, then pressed the button on its back.
“Hello, little friend! I am Happy Robot Model 389. Very pleased to meet you.”
“So stupid.” Xu Zhiyuan put it down.
Shen Qiuxun looked up, speechless at his childish behavior. “How smart can you expect it to be?”
“Mecha, though.” Xu Zhiyuan gestured, then sat on the edge of the bed again, describing it to him excitedly. “On the Capital Planet, they have large humanoid mecha. Can fight wars and build houses. So high-tech.”
Shen Qiuxun imagined it, and the cool scene in his mind actually made him a bit hopeful. “I want to see that.”
But after thinking, he lowered his eyes again. “Can’t see it.”
“What’s so hard about that?” Xu Zhiyuan sat on the bed’s edge, closing his fist then opening it again. “I could blow up a mecha for you, just to watch the fireworks.”
‘Pretentious show-off.’
[Supporting.]
Shen Qiuxun silently rolled his eyes, his body sliding into the blanket. He closed his eyes peacefully.
Xu Zhiyuan hurriedly covered him with the blanket, carefully avoiding his wounds.
“Are you going to the pharmacy again tomorrow? Why not stay home and rest?” Xu Zhiyuan advised.
“What do you know? I can get my month-end benefits tomorrow.” He’d been anticipating this for days.
“Month-end benefits?” Xu Zhiyuan pondered for a moment, thinking of something. He raised an eyebrow. “Mm, as you say.”
He was just about to say something else when the Lightbrain on his wrist vibrated. He glanced at it and stood up. “Then you rest. I’m going to work some more.”
“Mm.”
The corner of Xu Zhiyuan’s mouth lifted again. He carefully closed the door, grabbed his coat from the entrance, and quickly left. A man’s voice from the Lightbrain was chattering away, practically screaming:
“Who told you to leave halfway without a single word? Do you even know what time it is right now?! A time where one of us lives and the other dies! What urgent matter did you have today, you damn bastard, that you had to run off for most of the day? I’m your strategist, not your grandfather! Did you really just dump everything on me? That bandit on the other side was about to pull his gun and finish me! If I die, I’m coming back to haunt you!”
“Didn’t we beat them into submission? What’s so hard about treating prisoners of war? Just execute the troublesome ones. My wife was in trouble, what’s wrong with keeping him company?”
The male voice paused. “Wife? Where the hell did you get a wife? If you’re slacking off, find a better excuse, alright? Anyway, things are blowing up back on the Capital Planet. I reckon that dear uncle of yours will make his move in a few days. You figure it out yourself. Wife, my ass. With your foul temper, you think you can find a wife? Tch.”
“Tsk.” Xu Zhiyuan curled his lip. “I get it, I get it. I’m coming now, aren’t I? Wait up.”
All this fighting and killing, how could any of it compare to the importance of his wife’s safety?
He had to work hard to get the family fortune firmly in his grasp first. If Xunxun knew he had a lot of money, Xunxun would definitely like him even more.
