Chapter 29: “Is It Sweet?”
If he could find his brother sooner, perhaps he could have helped him in some way. At the very least, he could have been by his brother’s side earlier, Zhu Hui thought.
Anything would have been fine, as long as they had contact sooner. He had heard that his brother’s condition was a bit bad in the two years after his accident. If he had been there then, it would have been great. He really wanted to take care of his brother.
Now, his brother was so independent, not relying on him at all. He even had to trouble him to solve his problems, which always made Zhu Hui feel frustrated.
It was no longer eight years ago. In the eyes of others, he was already an object of reverence and envy, with merits and combat power far exceeding his peers. But with his brother, it seemed as if nothing had changed.
He really, really wanted to do something for his brother. It was never enough.
Thinking this, the Sentinel leaned in and kissed Xu Xunyue.
“It’s good now,” Xu Xunyue said, as if he had vaguely sensed what he was thinking. “If we had met earlier, the development might have been different. I never thought about getting married before.”
“I didn’t either.”
Zhu Hui whispered against his lips.
“But if I had known it was you earlier, I would have definitely had ideas long ago. Then, I would have tried every means to get close to you, take care of you, give you gifts, and move you with my sincerity. In the end, you would have accepted my pursuit—that’s the worst-case scenario.”
“The worst-case scenario? Then what’s the best?”
“The best-case scenario is of course that you feel the same way about me. Then we would get married in a month—a week—no, three days, three days after we meet.”
From best to worst, from worst to best, no matter what, they were meant to be bound together.
“You don’t want to be a Dark Sentinel anymore?”
“I don’t.”
Xu Xunyue had long guessed he would say something similar, but although he had guessed, hearing it for real was still different.
He really couldn’t think of anyone else he would get along with like this besides Zhu Hui.
Zhu Hui was Zhu Hui, originally different from other Sentinels.
…
This warm and harmonious atmosphere continued until they left the spiritual landscape.
In the first second after returning to the real world, Xu Xunyue found that the Sentinel squatting by his wheelchair seemed to want to do something.
A more accurate description would be that the other had suddenly moved closer without any warning, and was looking down, his gaze falling on the area below his waist.
The distance quickly closed. He felt that Zhu Hui had even touched a bit of his fabric.
Just a little.
Because Xu Xunyue had reacted quickly and grabbed the Sentinel’s chin, turning his head to look at him. “What are you trying to do?”
The infirmary was still dim, the rustling of clothes still distinct. The scent of snow had faded a little from its peak, but it still lingered around the two of them, not dissipating for a long time.
During the lunch break, students were laughing and playing as they passed by outside. Some also rushed over, only to turn to the infirmary next door after seeing the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door.
The sounds from the outside had always been there, a kind of background noise. It might not be noticeable usually, but once one’s attention was on it, it was hard to ignore. And Xu Xunyue had not blocked this sound. He had just used a little of his spiritual power to isolate everything in the infirmary from the perception of others.
He hadn’t told Zhu Hui this, which was why Zhu Hui had always been biting his lip before, his unstoppable whimpers so small, even his physiological tears falling silently, looking as if he had been bullied badly but was still trying to cover it up and protect the perpetrator’s reputation.
And now, with his movement interrupted, he obediently looked up, following the force, and met the Guide’s eyes.
That gaze was a mixture of teasing and disapproval, making him both flushed and nervous.
The presence of the outside sounds instantly became more obvious, as if the people passing by were only separated from them by a door and a wall.
Xu Xunyue’s index finger and thumb held his cheeks, and the side of his middle finger pressed slightly upward on his chin, which actually made it a little inconvenient for him to speak.
But he could still make a sound.
“I want to help you,” Zhu Hui said with a red face.
I want to make brother comfortable.
Since brother has already done that to me, it means he accepts this level of intimacy. I should also make brother comfortable in return.
Brother is so good. I can’t help brother with much right now. I can always do it in this kind of thing. I don’t believe I’ll be as pathetic as before if I use my mouth.
…I won’t allow brother to have no reaction to me!
Xu Xunyue looked at the Sentinel’s red face and red ears, his not-yet-dry eyelashes and swollen lower lip, and sighed with a bit of amusement.
He had been in Zhu Hui’s spiritual landscape for so long that he had almost forgotten that the other had just been made a mess of in the real world.
“Do you know how swollen your mouth is?” he gently stroked Zhu Hui’s lower lip with the pad of his thumb. “If you want to return the favor, you can use your hand.”
“I—” Zhu Hui opened his mouth and took his finger in. He had been a little anxious before, but now he just held it silently for a while before saying, “…It’s not that swollen. Sentinels have very strong recovery abilities. This is nothing.”
Xu Xunyue raised an eyebrow, not speaking, just watching his Sentinel continue to dance on the edge of disaster.
“And… and you can adjust my sensitivity again. You can block my pain. I won’t be uncomfortable… If you don’t want me to be in pain… I won’t be.”
Yes, he definitely won’t be uncomfortable. If I adjust his sensitivity again, he might have another bonding heat, Xu Xunyue thought.
Zhu Hui’s expression was completely like, “Brother, have you forgotten?” He probably didn’t even know how much he was asking to be bullied by saying such things.
However, Xu Xunyue generally wouldn’t bully someone relentlessly. If he didn’t really want something to happen, then the final result would be as he wished.
Even if a Sentinel’s physique was good and he recovered quickly, a broken lip was a broken lip.
Of course, with his own Sentinel, Xu Xunyue would be more tactful.
If he didn’t refuse, and Zhu Hui retreated on his own, he couldn’t possibly plead with him again.
Two minutes later.
“Is your mouth sore?” the long-haired Guide asked, hooking the Sentinel’s chin.
There was no movement in the infirmary for a long time. After a good while, a soft gasp and a swallowing sound could be heard.
Xu Xunyue looked down at the young man, who had at some point changed from a half-squat to a half-kneel, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Not speaking?
Zhu Hui had held on for a little longer than he had expected.
His willpower was indeed very strong.
Then, he might as well just turn up the sensitivity a little more.
Three minutes later.
“Do you want to continue?” Xu Xunyue asked in a low voice.
He touched the Sentinel’s once-again-moist lips with the pad of his finger and felt that they were starting to turn a little redder.
As soon as he finished speaking, a scent of fresh snow surged from the person in front of him.
At this time, the infirmary was once again filled with Zhu Hui’s pheromones.
And unlike before, the pheromones now were layered, giving the feeling of having many layers.
It was the kind of layering brought about by overflowing at different times. It was unknown how many times it had overflowed and how many times it had faded to create such an effect in a short time.
Zhu Hui also noticed the state of his pheromones, and his already red face turned even redder.
Xu Xunyue pinched his already limp jaw, and with a slight push, he moved him completely away. Yet even such a movement could make the Sentinel let out a muffled grunt and tremble all over.
Xu Xunyue’s lips curled slightly.
“I told you to use your hand,” his tone was normal, with a hint of helplessness, as if he weren’t the one who had been doing bad things just now. “If you had listened earlier, it wouldn’t have been like this.”
“You…” Zhu Hui’s voice was even trembling.
He was a little annoyed, but not the angry kind of annoyed. Even he couldn’t say what he was feeling inside. Perhaps it was a feeling of being underestimated.
He didn’t know how many times his brother had turned up his sensitivity this time. His entire mouth was unprecedentedly sensitive, as if every cell was on a stimulation point, much more so than when he had been lying on the mattress being examined with a finger.
He couldn’t take much at all. He couldn’t stand it after just swallowing a little. Not only was his saliva frantically secreting, but the most crucial thing was that he had to desperately control his teeth to avoid biting his brother.
The point of contact was clearly his mouth, and a very shallow part of his mouth at that, yet it had triggered a bonding heat.
If it weren’t for the fact that his brother hadn’t moved much and hadn’t directly stimulated him like he had during the finger examination, he might have finished again under these circumstances.
That would be too bad. His brother hadn’t finished even once. How could he do this again? His intention this time was to make his brother comfortable, so at the very least, he should let his brother be comfortable first.
But it felt like his brother was deliberately not letting him perform…
“By the way, you used to like to secretly call me brother. Now that it’s out in the open, why are you calling me ‘you’ all the time?” Xu Xunyue smiled and disturbed his Sentinel’s thoughts. “Your tone just now wasn’t soft at all.”
It was actually quite soft, but he felt that Zhu Hui was about to accuse him, so he struck first.
Zhu Hui paused as expected.
He actually thought for half a second, wondering where he had spoken just now. Was it that one “you” that hadn’t even finished? Could he tell his tone from just that one word? And he probably hadn’t…
Alright, alright. Anyway, that’s what brother said. I should just listen to him.
So the next second, he shifted his attention, perfectly skipping over the truth.
He had called him that so many times in his heart before. Now that he had to say it face-to-face, he was a little shy. After a long moment, he opened his mouth slightly, then pursed his lips, then opened his mouth again. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and then he called out in a soft voice:
“Brother…”
After saying it, he fell silent, looking up at the long-haired Guide without blinking, clearly having thrown the accusations he had wanted to make to the back of his mind.
Xu Xunyue hummed in acknowledgment, glanced at Zhu Hui’s lips, which were not more chapped, and was very satisfied with the result of his operation. He then bent down and kissed the Sentinel’s forehead, reminding him of his unfinished work.
“Continue with your hand.”
Zhu Hui nodded, very obediently continuing.
It wasn’t as if Xu Xunyue had no reaction at all. Zhu Hui had actually already smelled a hint of sweetness.
Generally speaking, a Guide’s and a Sentinel’s pheromones had no smell, but with a specific partner and the addition of specific experiences and memories, a small number of people could smell a “unique scent.”
So his brother really was sweet.
His lips tasted sweet when kissed, and his pheromones were also sweet, like the taste of candy.
For Zhu Hui, Xu Xunyue himself, the memory from eight years ago, and the coincidence and feelings of their reunion now, were all the materials for him to interpret Xu Xunyue’s pheromones, the most crucial key.
Besides, his brother himself had said that he was the only one in the world who would smell his pheromones.
It was equivalent to whatever he thought it smelled like, that was what his brother’s pheromones smelled like.
How nice. In a way, it’s also a pheromone that belongs only to him…
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard Xu Xunyue ask:
“When did you put my hair tie on your hand?”
Zhu Hui froze.
Because of what he was doing now, he had taken off his combat gloves at the beginning, and the simple black hair tie was on his left hand. Because it was a bit wide, it had slipped back a little, stopping just above his wrist.
Looking up from the ten fingers that were diligently pleasing their partner, the black hair tie, in contrast to the slightly reddish, pale skin, was extremely conspicuous.
Xu Xunyue had actually seen it long ago. After all, when Zhu Hui had tried with his mouth before, his hand had also been raised to assist, and he had noticed it then. But considering that Zhu Hui couldn’t speak at that time, and couldn’t speak, if he asked, it wouldn’t have a very good teasing effect, so he had put it aside for the time being.
Now that Zhu Hui could speak, he asked.
Although he could probably guess the answer, it was nothing more than that he liked him, so he wanted to wear his hair tie for a while longer.
“I, I… you gave it to me to keep, so I just put it on,” Zhu Hui said, then secretly glanced at the other as if he had been caught.
The older man, who always seemed calmer than him, was still calm at this time, without losing control. But compared to usual, he had a bit more of a sensual color about him.
Zhu Hui naturally felt a sense of pride, a strange kind of pride.
Brother is only like this with me.
Brother has been looking at me all this time.
Zhu Hui looked at Xu Xunyue’s face, and as he looked, his face became redder and redder. He suddenly said:
“Brother, you’re so handsome.”
Practice makes perfect. This time, he called him that very naturally.
The love and praise from the bottom of his heart were probably the most natural things in the world, so no matter how they were said, they would appear pure and sincere.
“Thanks for the compliment,” Xu Xunyue accepted the compliment with pleasure, then praised his little Sentinel back. “You’re handsome too.”
The way he blushes is very cute.
Then he said, “Do you like my hair tie?”
Zhu Hui first nodded, then, as if afraid he hadn’t seen it, he emphasized it with words.
“I like it.”
When he was a child, he had read an article in the customs section of a newspaper. The article said that in a more distant era, people would regard hair ties as a customary small object between lovers. If you wore your partner’s hair tie on your hand, others would know that you were taken.
If he wore his brother’s hair tie on his hand, everyone would know that he was his brother’s Sentinel.
And one more thing, those people would also know that he had a very good relationship with his brother, which was why his brother would give him his hair tie.
Zhu Hui’s idea was actually very simple, but Xu Xunyue gave a rather rare and even more upgraded reply.
“Then I’ll give you a better-looking one in a few days. This one is old, and the style is also quite simple,” he paused and added with a smile, “Then you can wear one on each hand, or switch them out.”
“Okay. I’ll wear it every day. I guarantee that every student at the Sentinel Academy who passes by me will see it.”
“Speaking of students… by the way, who was that Sentinel classmate who lost control and attacked you in the training room?”
Having said so much, Xu Xunyue remembered his plan from the spiritual landscape and asked casually.
“Brother,” Zhu Hui protested, “don’t mention other people’s names at a time like this.”
[He says he’s very focused, but he’s clearly not!]
[If I hadn’t reacted in time, I would have been led off to chat.]
[Is this the time to chat?]
[Could it be that what I’m doing isn’t enough…]
Xu Xunyue suddenly heard a series of grumbling emotions and almost couldn’t help but laugh.
But he held it in in the end. After all, Zhu Hui was making a secret resolution, and he shouldn’t dampen his spirits at a time like this. He said with a bit of a smile, “Alright, alright. Then we’re not allowed to talk anymore.”
Then he reached out and stroked the back of the Sentinel’s head, his fingertips moving slowly and unhurriedly until they slid to the fragile and sensitive nape of his neck, where they stopped and gently kneaded, as if he were stroking fur.
Xu Xunyue soon heard Zhu Hui’s labored breathing.
Zhu Hui himself probably hadn’t noticed that every time he was touched, he would unconsciously bend his back a little and lower his head a little.
His body was trying to reduce contact in this way, as if this would make him seem less sensitive, unable to stand even being touched on the back of his neck.
Xu Xunyue didn’t stop him from lowering his head, so the final result was—
It wasn’t that he had used his mouth to help, but it still got on the corner of his mouth.
Zhu Hui even, after being stunned for two seconds, dazedly stuck out his tongue and licked it.
The scene was exceptionally erotic.
Xu Xunyue watched him eat it and then stay in place, not speaking with his ears red. He then cupped his face and teased him with a bit of mischief:
“So is it sweet? Does it taste good?”
Didn’t you say I tasted sweet?
Zhu Hui trembled, as if he had been pulled back to his senses by this sentence. His amber eyes were covered in a thin layer of mist, and there were faint wet marks on his black uniform pants.
“Yes.”
He nodded with a red face.
“…Thank you, brother.”
