After Faking a Disability, I Married the New Chief Sentinel 11

Chapter 11: Compatibility Rating

Three years ago, or even earlier, Xu Xunyue might have chosen to do something more direct. But now, he was in the role of someone with a crippling leg injury that hadn’t healed, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to move a healthy Sentinel around.

He sighed helplessly, released the hand pressing on Zhu Hui, and opened his palm to reveal a tender green leaf.

Just as Zhu Hui had said, outside of the spiritual landscape, it was just an ordinary leaf. Its most extraordinary feature was perhaps that it was very beautiful.

The veins were distinct, the color a vibrant green, fresh and dewy, soft to the touch. It was a rare sight in the Poseidon Era, and it was said that it would never wither. At a noble’s tea party in the Empire, it would surely be a cherished little trinket.

Xu Xunyue held the leaf and looked at it for a while, then single-handedly opened the book he had placed on the desk and slipped the leaf inside.

When his attention returned, he saw the young Sentinel’s eyelashes flutter.

He was waking up.

Xu Xunyue was a little curious.

He wanted to know what kind of reaction Zhu Hui would have when he woke up and discovered that he had actually fallen asleep in his arms.

In the first few seconds after opening his eyes, Zhu Hui’s brain had not yet truly awakened.

Only his senses were direct and faithful, constantly transmitting information to his cognitive organs, joyfully expressing comfort and pleasure.

His body felt unprecedentedly light, as if an invisible weight that had always been tied to his ankles had been removed. All his loneliness and pain had also dissipated in this sleep.

No one had died, no one had met with disaster, no one’s back had disappeared down the path of time.

And he was at home, warming himself by the fire like he used to as a child. One afternoon, he had been reading an old newspaper by the stove and had accidentally fallen asleep. When he woke up, his whole body was warm, and there was a peaceful and simple happiness.

He couldn’t remember how long it had been since this wonderful feeling had gone away, but once it was triggered and recalled, it felt as if it were just yesterday.

Although it was vague, it had never left.

For some inexplicable reason, he was certain that there had been a bright star in his spiritual landscape.

Although he couldn’t see it now, it must have existed, and it hadn’t gone far. It would come back again.

Also, he seemed to have had a dream.

What did he dream of?

His vision gradually focused. His amber eyes suddenly widened. Zhu Hui stared fixedly at the Guide who was so close, unable to utter a single extra word.

Only his Adam’s apple, unhelpfully, bobbed.

He remembered.

Xu Xunyue had entered his spiritual landscape, looked at his memories, and performed a mental soothing. It was just that he had fallen asleep during the soothing.

Now, they were both out of the spiritual landscape, and he was still being held by Xu Xunyue.

The embrace was very warm. No wonder he had the illusion of having slept by a fire.

At this time, Zhu Hui belatedly realized that the bonding heat that had assailed his body seemed to have dissipated. He didn’t know if it was because of the kiss, the hug, or that exceptionally wonderful mental soothing.

But he knew that the state of his spiritual landscape was better than ever before.

The snowfield was boundless, the green trees were lush, and his spiritual body could run freely within it, without any need to worry about stepping on any filth.

And in the real world, the combat gloves pressed tightly against his palms were damp with sweat. His lips were also moist and warm, and they were faintly brushing against Xu Xunyue’s.

So close.

Being so close to a Guide was very improper. Shouldn’t he back away a little?

Xu Xunyue had even launched an attack in the spiritual landscape before. He must be someone who cared a lot about a safe distance.

…But I’m his Sentinel.

Zhu Hui didn’t move.

He just secretly checked his posture, confirmed that he wasn’t putting any weight on Xu Xunyue’s legs, and continued to sit there.

Motionless.

Even his gaze seemed a little innocent, Xu Xunyue thought, finding it somewhat amusing.

He asked with a hint of a smile, “What beautiful dream did you have?”

The Sentinel’s face flushed instantly.

Alright, he knew.

Having gotten his answer, and seeing Zhu Hui open his mouth several times without being able to stammer out a complete sentence, Xu Xunyue very kindly changed the subject.

“Perhaps you could open your personal terminal. I’d like to test our compatibility rating again.”

Unlike the slightly complicated conditions for calculating a compatibility list, if one were to test the compatibility of just two people, their personal terminals would suffice.

“Okay.” Zhu Hui unlocked the terminal on his right wrist and brought it close to Xu Xunyue’s wrist.

A few seconds later, the compatibility test interface on both terminals lit up, and a large number appeared on the display.

66.01%.

Both of them were stunned for a moment.

Xu Xunyue was pondering, but he was the first to receive a look from the young Sentinel.

He followed the questioning gaze and met Zhu Hui’s eyes, saying:

“It’s not without precedent. Early records in the Empire show that compatibility ratings can indeed experience a secondary growth later in life.”

However, those examples were nowhere near as significant as theirs.

For compatibility ratings, every percentage point was precious. An increase from 60.01% to 66.01% was a full six percentage points.

Zhu Hui thought for a moment upon hearing this and asked, “Why did those people’s compatibility ratings increase?”

“Generally speaking, it’s an accumulation of small things, a change from quantity to quality.”

For example, after many years of fighting together, a compatibility rating might rise from 71% to 72%. Or, in a life-or-death moment, a burst of potential might push a rating from 79% to 80%.

And what had they done?

They had kissed, hugged, and had a mental soothing.

They had touched each other’s spiritual bodies, and the two spiritual bodies had even played together.

…When you put it that way, they had done quite a lot tonight.

But, although it sounded busy, it had only been a few hours at most, and those intimate contacts were not particularly difficult or deep interactions.

If ordinary intimate contact and mental soothing could increase compatibility ratings, this golden method would definitely be written on the title page of the White Tower’s required textbooks, in bold, black, gold-trimmed font. So many hardworking Guides and Sentinels wouldn’t have to stay in the training grounds all the time; they could just go home and kiss their partners.

Xu Xunyue had thought of all this, and Zhu Hui probably had too.

After looking at each other for a long moment, Xu Xunyue made a temporary conclusion.

“Our situation should be quite special.”

Special, of course it was special. But the increase in compatibility rating was an indisputable fact. The original value of 60.01% was something Xu Xunyue had seen with his own eyes on the compatibility list, and there had to be a reason for the increase.

With that reasoning, the most impossible possibility became possible.

The dim light of the study shone on the two of them, casting a large, overlapping shadow behind Zhu Hui, making the room seem very peaceful.

Zhu Hui nodded, not speaking.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to speak. On the contrary, he probably wanted to say something, but his thin lips moved slightly, as if he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

He felt that saying it would be like being a hooligan.

He said in a small voice:

“Then should we, mmph…”

The three words had just come out when they were interrupted by a gasp, coming to an abrupt halt.

Zhu Hui only felt something push him forward.

The force wasn’t strong, but the position was very clever.

Could it be—again?!

Caught off guard, he could hold onto the wheelchair’s armrests to keep his knees from moving, but he couldn’t stop the momentum of his upper body.

He was already close to Xu Xunyue, and now his lips crashed right into him.

Crashing into another pair of lips.

Soft, and a little sweet.

Just like he had tasted before. The second time he touched them, they were still sweet.

Such a thought flashed through his mind. Zhu Hui immediately reacted, pulling back and asking with a hint of nervousness:

“I’m sorry, did I bump you?”

“…”

The response he got was a half-smiling gaze and a deep kiss, with a hand pressing on the back of his neck.

When his mouth was once again opened and invaded, that feeling of being pressed step by step, almost to the point of being devoured, descended again. Coupled with the fact that he was already a little oxygen-deprived from the previous kiss and had some expectation of what would happen next, Zhu Hui couldn’t help but tremble.

His jaw soon began to ache, but he didn’t pull back.

Perhaps because they had communicated and had a mental soothing, this time, the meeting of their lips and teeth became even more attractive. Every cell in his body was screaming with desire, declaring that it didn’t want to leave.

In a daze, he felt one of Xu Xunyue’s hands reach behind his back, grab something on his clothes, then quickly let go, moving to grip his waist instead.

For some reason, the presence of the five fingers on his waist was extremely strong, so much so that Zhu Hui couldn’t help but picture in his mind how slender those five fingers were, how distinct their knuckles were, and at what angle they were spread, holding him there.

Ten minutes passed.

The sound of hurried breathing sounded the first second their lips parted. Xu Xunyue watched the young Sentinel gulping for fresh air, his eyelids slightly lowered, hiding a flash of golden light.

Just now—no, ten minutes ago—his spiritual body had once again nudged Zhu Hui into his arms.

Although… even without them, the situation wouldn’t have changed.

Should he praise them for being so astute?

Xu Xunyue’s way of ending the kiss was simple. He didn’t pull away from Zhu Hui, just let go of those thin lips. Even his left hand was still on the back of the other’s burning neck.

And Zhu Hui, very submissively, did not pull away. Even after being released, he stayed very close to Xu Xunyue. The sound of his breathing and the disturbed airflow all happened by Xu Xunyue’s cheek, making it exceptionally clear.

They stayed in this rather intimate position for a while. When his breathing had calmed down, Xu Xunyue extended his wrist.

“Test again?”

Zhu Hui let out a low “mm” and also extended his wrist.

A few seconds later.

66.41%.

They looked at each other.

After a long moment, Zhu Hui, his ears red, leaned over and gently nuzzled the Guide’s lips.

Xu Xunyue pulled him a little closer.

…

Thirty minutes passed.

This time, without any reminder, Zhu Hui consciously reached out and placed his wrist against Xu Xunyue’s.

66.91%.

The air fell into an ambiguous silence.