Chapter 35: Li You Only Needs to Act Spoiled Part 1

“Then you…” Li You looked at Li Ye, who was extremely close, his eyelashes fluttering nonstop. He leaned back a bit and asked softly, “You don’t just want to be my brother—what else do you want to be?”

Li Ye gazed into those eyes, his own gaze deepening as the corners of his lips tugged into a faint, somewhat helpless smile. “Nothing. Idiot.”

“You—” That subtle smile jolted Li You’s heart, sending a strange tingling sensation spreading through his chest in an instant.

His gaze followed Li Ye as he stood and walked away. He dazedly took the food that was handed to him, stared blankly at the warm bowl, then looked up at Li Ye.

“Bro.”

“Hm?”

“You just smiled.”

Li Ye crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve never seen it before?”

“No.” Li You shook his head, the bowl blocking half his face as his bright eyes blinked rapidly twice. “You always seemed so aloof before. When I was little, there was even a time I suspected you couldn’t smile at all.”

“Now you’ve seen it.” Li Ye placed his hand on Li You’s head. “Eat something first. I’m going to check on the lab area.”

“Oh.” Li You looked up. “You’re not allowed to sneak out of the research institute.”

“I won’t.” Li Ye promised him, then added, “I’m fine now.”

“Really?” Li You’s eyes lit up. “Has the Polar Night ended?”

“No.” Li Ye shook his head. “Gravity is still rising. Things are chaotic outside the research institute—mutant species are rampaging everywhere.”

“Then how are you…?” Li You looked puzzled.

Li Ye silently stared at Li You’s beautiful face for a moment before finally saying, “You were infected by an A-187X crystal before. Unless something unexpected happened, remnants of it are still in your body.”

“Probably.” Li You propped his chin on one hand and thought for a bit, frowning. “So I still have purification abilities? But without a dispersal device, how can I purify anything? Last time, it relied on the furnace…”

He abruptly stopped, sneaking a glance at his brother’s expression. Seeing no unusual reaction, he continued, “After being infected by a crystal, the human body can’t be purified directly. Even if it could, without a dispersal device, the purification effect wouldn’t be very obvious. With one, it can be amplified thousands of times over. So it shouldn’t be me who helped you.”

“No.” Li Ye shook his head and leaned in slightly, brushing the back of his hand against Li You’s cheek. “Do you feel it?”

Li You fell silent and sensed carefully. He discovered something flowing beneath the skin where he touched Li Ye.

He jolted in surprise and grabbed Li Ye’s hand to examine it. “What is this?”

“I’ve drunk a lot of extracts from A-grade crystals these past few days. It might be related. When I’m in contact with you, I can receive the purification effect from the A-187X in your body. It’s very strong and highly effective.” Li Ye told Li You, “The culprit behind those previous Illusion Realms was probably A-187X too.”

“What?!” Li You looked up in shock. After a long moment of processing, realization hit him like a thunderbolt. “You knew it was me in the Illusion Realm?! When did you find out? How did you confirm I came back to life? You, you, you…”

He was utterly shocked, his face full of disbelief as he swallowed repeatedly. He asked, “Don’t you find it scary? You’d rather believe I’m the real Li You than suspect I’m some evil person?”

Li You asked too many questions. In the end, his eyes reddened as he stared at Li Ye. “You even scared me in the Illusion Realm! You said you’d kill me. Li Ye, you bastard! Is it fun messing with me like that?”

“No.” Li Ye somewhat regretted telling Li You the truth so soon. He felt a little at a loss, cupping Li You’s face with both hands. Unsure how to coax him, he revealed his pair of ruby-red horns, sat beside him, leaned in close, and gently touched Li You’s cheek with the horn tips. He said, “I won’t mistake you. Aside from that time in the Sunlight Palace, the later instances were definitely you. I thought I was going crazy at one point. I kept verifying it but didn’t dare believe.”

“I wasn’t messing with you. I was just worried about scaring you.” Li Ye said, “It wasn’t a threat either. You know I wouldn’t hurt you.”

“You…” Li You’s cheek itched from the touch. He turned his face slightly and looked down at Li Ye, meeting his eyes. Unable to hold back, he gripped the horns with both hands and fumed cutely. “No matter how you explain it, that’s how it was. I’m mad now.”

“Mm, sorry.”

“The horns feel nice to touch.”

“Go ahead and touch.”

“………”

Li You pursed his lips and pinched his brother’s horns with his fingertips. He let his mind go blank, recalling the events from the previous Illusion Realms. He closed his eyes to steady himself, then opened them again, rationally returning to the earlier question. “So, the indirect purification and creating environments based on our memories—it was all the A-187X in my body at work?”

Li Ye nodded. “Mm.”

Li You fell silent, reviewing their conversation in his mind. He suddenly latched onto the key point.

Indirect purification relied on skin contact between him and Li Ye.

In other words, it was because they’d been rolling around together every day for the past few days…

Li You abruptly let go of Li Ye’s horns and rubbed his hands as if they’d been scalded. He picked up the large bowl again and shrank into the corner of the bed, burying his head. “I get it, I get it. You go to the lab area.”

Li Ye watched the retreating youth, his gaze lingering on his curled toes for a few seconds before withdrawing it and standing. “I’ll be right outside. Call me if you need anything.”

“Oh.” Li You didn’t look up.

They both tacitly avoided those sensitive topics from earlier, burying the chaos of the past few days deep in their hearts.

Li You ate his fill and went back to sleep. He was very tired and drowsy, sleeping until his head felt numb. When he woke, the room was dim. He lay flat on the bed to recover for a while before groping his way off it. Realizing his thighs were still bare, he slowly crawled back under the covers.

He sat there blankly for a bit, then turned his head and noticed a set of neatly folded clothes by the bed.

Though the research institute was abandoned, it had plenty of supplies, including sealed military rations, uniform lab suits and casual wear—all usable after some processing.

Li You picked up the clothes and examined them. They were the same style as his brother’s casual wear, just smaller in size.

He held them against himself. They looked about right.

Li You quickly changed into the clothes and got out of bed. It took him some time to adapt to his human body, which he hadn’t used in so long. He slowly made his way outside, opened the door, squinted against the light, then opened his eyes after a few seconds and looked around. Not seeing Li Ye, his heart skipped a beat. He shouted, “Bro! Where are you?”

A voice came from the kitchen. “Here.”

Li You let out a huge sigh of relief and walked along the wall to the kitchen entrance. He didn’t go in, leaning against the doorframe to catch his breath before grinning carelessly. “I got used to walking on four legs. Suddenly back to two—it feels so weird.”

Li Ye turned to look at him. “Want me to hold your hand while you walk?”

“No need, no need.” Li You tilted his head and looked away at the counter. “You just focus on cooking. I can walk on my own.”

He grinned again. “You used to treat the kitchen like a total no-go zone. Who’d have thought you’d be the one cooking now.”

“The taste isn’t great.” Li Ye’s gaze returned to the counter. His knife work slicing meat had become much more practiced; the pieces were no longer the uneven mess from before but neat, thin slices.

“That’s already impressive. There aren’t many seasonings here anyway. Plain flavor—who cares if it’s good or not.” Li You slowly approached and propped his hands on the counter, watching his brother slice the meat. “Look, you’re cutting it so well.”

Li Ye grunted in acknowledgment and finished slicing, plating it without tearing it into strips this time.

Li You stared at the plate of meat and suddenly asked, “Bro, did you figure out ages ago that the cat was me?”

Li Ye set down the knife. “Yes.”

“How?” Li You asked.

Li Ye stayed calm and slyly didn’t tell the truth. He stared into Li You’s eyes and made up a reason. “Your eyes.”

“Just because of that?” Li You was a bit surprised.

“Mm, very similar.” Li Ye said, “I believed the you in the Illusion Realm was the real Li You, so you had to exist in reality too. I tried to find you, and the cat was my first suspect.”

He handed the plate of meat to Li You. “As a cat, you were too smart.”

Li You couldn’t help laughing and steadied the plate in his hands. “I thought I hid pretty well.”

“You did hide well before.” Li Ye patted his shoulder, gesturing for him to head outside.

“Fine.” Li You went out, taking one step at a time to the makeshift dining table. He set down the plate of meat and turned back. “Need any more help?”

“No.” Li Ye said, “Sit down first.”

“Okay.” Li You sat, legs together and hands on his knees, staring motionless at the meat on the table. He looked extremely well-behaved.

Li Ye brought over a bowl of scalded vegetable soup and handed it to him, then fetched a purple ribbon from the room. He came behind Li You, lifted his hair, and tied it for him.

Li You was starving, his gaze lingering on the bowl of meat. Even as his brother tied his hair, he swallowed and chose to wait, leaning back a bit and tilting his head up at Li Ye above him. He shared the idea he’d thought of earlier. “Bro, the Kailenoa District is a weird place. It definitely exists somewhere. The Mutant Mirror might just be one way to get here.”

Li Ye grunted. He looked at the finished ponytail and pressed down on Li You’s shoulders. “Eat first.”

Starving and drooling, Li You immediately sat up straight. Seeing Li Ye sit across from him, he picked up a fork, speared a piece of meat, and held it to Li Ye’s mouth first.

Li Ye paused.

“First bite for Bro. You worked hard cooking.” Li You smiled brilliantly, like a little sun, captivating Li Ye’s gaze.

As Li You ate, he puffed out his cheeks like a hamster hoarding food. He looked very soft.

The youth had left at seventeen, and now he still looked seventeen—eighteen at most.

Too much time had passed, a full decade separating Li You and Li Ye. Now reunited, the difference between them was like night and day, whether in build, age, or everything else.

Li You shouldn’t have weathered hardships. He should be happy now, free and unconstrained.

Moreover, this Star Empire belonged to Li You. It was up to Li Ye and everyone else to protect it well and return a brand-new, perfect empire to him.

At the table, the youth happily devoured the meat. After eating his fill, he looked up and saw Li Ye hadn’t touched his. Puzzled, he asked, “Bro, why aren’t you eating?”

Li Ye said, “I drank pack beast extract.”

“Isn’t that heating?” Li You was shocked.

“It doesn’t affect me much. It works like a nutrient agent and fills me up.” Li Ye only finished the bowl of vegetable soup in front of him, then stood to clear the few dishes.