Chapter 29: Brown Eyes (3)

The pay from the small hotel wasn’t high—barely enough to keep Shen Qiuxun alive and not starving.

But he couldn’t really be picky. The main thing was, the job was genuinely easy. He secretly slacked off and napped every day. By the time he woke up, his shift was practically over, and he’d go back to his rental to sleep some more.

The System commented that its Host truly lived up to his original cause of death—staying up late. He simply never seemed to wake up fully.

So Shen Qiuxun picked up a side gig repairing small electronics. When he wasn’t working or sleeping, he holed up at home tinkering with these devices. As a former internet addict, he figured this could earn him even more money—maybe by starting a livestream.

No talking, no face reveals, no fixed schedule. Just a pair of hands on camera. With the System’s help, the streaming career slowly got on track—steady viewership of around thirty-plus people per stream, earning him a few cents a day.

He was getting better and better at being a corporate drone.

When Shen Qiuxun first arrived, he and the System had discussed registering under the name “Shen Dongxun.” He’d even joked with the System that next time, he could go by “Shen Xiaxun.” [T/N: Shen Qiuxun contains the character for Autumn. Dongxun uses Winter, and Xiaxun uses Summer.]

The System told him to stop being so morbid and wished it could find some pomelo leaves to purify him.

The job Shen Qiuxun had taken on this time was a bit more complex. He didn’t have enough parts at home. To save money, he tidied up and decided to scour the second-hand market for treasure. Downstairs, the man-and-System duo walked through quiet, empty alleys.

The alley was very narrow. It was autumn, and towering ancient trees from neighboring courtyards stretched their branches overhead into the alley. The wind rustled the dead leaves, creating a desolate yet peaceful beauty.

[Host, please actively pursue the Mission.]

‘You don’t understand.’ Shen Qiuxun had his hands in his pockets, his attitude completely lazy. ‘Meeting too often makes you a desperate simp. We need to maintain a sense of mystery, got it? Things that come too easily aren’t cherished.’

[.] The System thought about it for a bit. It sort of made sense.

Shen Qiuxun yawned. Just then, he heard the sound of those five men collecting protection money again, just like that other day. Shen Qiuxun had been physically unwell and mentally irritable before, but he’d relaxed over the past few days. He wasn’t too keen on meddling this time. Just as he was about to lower his cap and slip away, his eyes caught a familiar figure. His footsteps, which had just started moving, stopped.

‘Isn’t that… Fu Mingchuan?’

[Yes, Host. The time for a heroic rescue of a man is at hand again.]

‘He’s too easy to bully.’ Shen Qiuxun pinched the brim of his baseball cap, lifted it, smoothed his hair, then put the cap back on. He saw the other being forced into a corner by several thugs wielding clubs, knives, and other weapons. They looked vicious.

He thought it over for a few seconds. ‘Let’s not be nosy.’ He pulled his cap down low and silently turned to leave.

“Shen Dongxun? What, you want to help your good friend again?”

Long Yan had spotted him somehow. His left hand was wrapped in gauze, his right gripping a club. He shouted loudly at Shen Qiuxun.

Left with no choice, Shen Qiuxun stopped, pretending nothing was happening, and looked over.

Fu Mingchuan was in a white shirt today, his demeanor appearing even colder and more aloof. He stood by the wall, head lowered, looking over at Shen Qiuxun with worry in his eyes. Hurriedly, he pulled money from his pocket to plead with Long Yan: “I’ll give you the money…”

Then he looked back at Shen Qiuxun, brows furrowed, his face pale. His melancholic eyes fixed on him nervously. “You go. Don’t worry about me.”

This pretty-boy act truly made Long Yan grind his teeth. A chill went down his spine, but he was forced to play along.

Shen Qiuxun flexed his wrist, then launched himself at the ringleader waving the club, kicking him in the chest. Landing on his feet, he grabbed the man’s arm, turned, and with a perfect shoulder throw, slammed him to the ground.

“You idiot, I told you to stay out of my way.”

The System tore its attention away from the pretty boy, focusing on its Host. [So cool!]

A gust of wind from the action brushed past Fu Mingchuan’s cheek. His gaze blankly followed Shen Qiuxun. Remembering something, his eyes flickered with a hint of darkness. Unobtrusively, he moved his arm behind his back and scraped it hard against a piece of discarded, rusty steel, tearing a bloody gash into his skin.

Long Yan, grimacing in pain, was utterly helpless. He silently cursed the black-hearted pretty boy’s ancestors for eighteen generations.

His lackeys had absolutely no acting skills. Seeing their boss pinned to the ground, they exchanged glances and, while loudly shouting threats, swiftly fled the scene.

“Your memory really is terrible.” Shen Qiuxun stepped on Long Yan’s back and ground his foot down hard. “And your luck is just as bad.”

Just arrived on Capital Planet, attempted to bully people three times, and Shen Qiuxun had run into him every single time.

Fu Mingchuan stood behind him, head bowed. He glanced covertly at the tip of Shen Qiuxun’s shoe pressing down on the man. Storm clouds churned in his eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.

“Great Hero, spare me! Great Hero, spare me! I won’t dare again, I’ll never dare again!” Long Yan felt like his shoulders were about to shatter. He’d acted tyrannically his whole life, only to come to Capital Planet seeking fortune and encounter the world’s most terrifying bullying. A burly man over 1.8 meters tall, he almost felt like crying.

“Hand over all the money you have on you.”

“Spare me, Great Hero, spare me!” Long Yan’s face was ashen. “I’ll leave Capital Planet immediately, never do bad things again!”

Shen Qiuxun twisted his arm ruthlessly, impatiently thinking he absolutely had to extort him good. Robbing the robber—he was carrying out Heaven’s will. “Money or your life?”

Long Yan thought those words sounded damn familiar. In the end, suppressing his anger, he fished out the few silver coins he had left on him. Tear-streaked and stumbling, he ran away for dear life.

Shen Qiuxun bounced the silver coins in his hand, finally having a moment to turn and look at the Conquerable Target. He noticed the arm hidden behind his back, stained with blood.

“You’re hurt?”

Fu Mingchuan glanced at him, his eyes curving into crescents. He tucked his arm further behind him, lowering his head slightly, a shy smile on his face. “Thank you for saving me. You’ve helped me once again… The wound is nothing.”

The System felt, anyway you looked at it, that this guy was up to no good.

Shen Qiuxun stuffed the coins into his pocket and stepped forward, pulling the man’s arm out. Seeing the torn flesh, he couldn’t help but frown. “I should have kicked him a few more times.”

Fu Mingchuan pressed his lips together, staring dazedly at Shen Qiuxun’s profile up close. With effort, he pulled his hand back. Blood gushed from the wound like water as his arm muscles tensed. As if pained, he lowered his head, his voice hoarse. “It’s nothing. I can handle it myself. I’ve held you up, haven’t I… I can manage alone, it’s fine.”

Shen Qiuxun had been about to find an excuse to leave, but hearing this, he felt too awkward to just walk away. He didn’t have anything on him to stop the bleeding. “Here, I’ll go with you to a pharmacy. The cut is so deep… it needs disinfectant.”

Best to get a tetanus shot too, though he wasn’t sure if this world bothered with such things.

The two went to a small pharmacy nearby. Fu Mingchuan paid for his own gauze, disinfectant, and hemostatic agent. Sitting on a stool in the waiting area, he started treating the wound himself. Handling things alone was, after all, quite inconvenient.

Shen Qiuxun stood at the doorway—worried he’d be roped into paying out of awkwardness. He was way too poor.

But watching Fu Mingchuan, an injured man, clumsily fumble to apply medicine himself was truly pitiful. He sighed and reluctantly walked over, taking the disinfectant bottle that Fu Mingchuan just couldn’t seem to open. “Why didn’t you let the doctor help you?”

Fu Mingchuan looked up at him, his dark eyes bearing an almost innocent look, tinged with the shyness of receiving help. “Sorry, I’m not used to people touching me.”

The hand Shen Qiuxun had been using to support the man’s arm paused. He wasn’t quite sure what to do for a moment.

Seeing his confusion, Fu Mingchuan quickly added, “You’re fine…” He ducked his head again, his ears turning red. “You’re my savior.”

The way he said it was like a down-and-out beauty in a martial arts drama, blushing and saying to the Great Hero who saved her: “I can never repay this life-saving debt… I can only offer myself to you.”

Shen Qiuxun felt very weird about it. So he stayed silent, working like a mushroom, slowly cleaning, applying medicine, and bandaging. At the end, he tied a bow out of habit.

“Mr. Shen’s movements are very practiced,” Fu Mingchuan said, looking at the neat bow and lifting his head.

“Don’t call me Mr. Shen. Just use my name.”

He thought for a moment, then blank-faced, looked up at Fu Mingchuan and offered a fake smile. “Don’t be so formal. From the first moment I saw you, I felt you were very special.”

[??????????]

[!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

The ever-present, mild smile on Fu Mingchuan’s face faltered. His star-level expression management almost slipped. His heart skipped a beat. He swallowed, turning his face to the side, a blush spreading across his cheeks. His voice became a little sticky. “Shen… Dongxun.”

“You can drop the surname too.” Finished delivering that line, having no idea of the earth-shattering impact of his words, Shen Qiuxun bent his head and tightened the cap on the hemostatic agent he’d opened.

Fu Mingchuan squeezed his eyes shut. Afraid standing too close might expose his unsightly state, he stood up and put some distance between them. “Where were you headed just now? I’ll accompany you.”

“Hm?” Shen Qiuxun stood up too, pulling a mask from his pocket and putting it on. His voice came out a bit muffled. “Sure.”

Fu Mingchuan packed up the remaining medical supplies, then followed.

[Host…]

‘What?’

[You… you… you…]

‘Spit it out or hold it in.’

[Do you really think he’s special?]

‘Nope. The relationship guide I picked up at the second-hand market the day before yesterday said to say that.’

The System breathed a sigh of relief. [Oh, that “How to Make Your Husband Dote on You for a Lifetime”?]

‘Mhm.’

The two walked in silence to the second-hand market. Shen Qiuxun wandered aimlessly, Fu Mingchuan silently trailing behind him.

Shen Qiuxun made several rounds, finally finding the small parts he needed at a somewhat out-of-the-way stall. The vendor was a middle-aged man in a vest. Looking half-asleep, he lazily lifted his eyelids to glance at him before quoting a price.

A bit over budget, Shen Qiuxun tried to haggle. But the vendor’s heart was like iron. New to the area, Shen Qiuxun had no real idea of the market price. Half-doubting, he was torn over whether to pay or not.

That was when Fu Mingchuan, who’d been acting as a shopping companion all along, stepped forward. He adjusted his glasses, took the two parts from Shen Qiuxun’s hand, and began bargaining with the vendor.

Fu Mingchuan clearly knew his stuff, and being a familiar face, he managed to get the items for half the asking price.

The vendor smiled, packed the items, and handed them over. Fu Mingchuan accepted them.

“Impressive.”

Fu Mingchuan curved his lips slightly, looking down shyly. “It’s nothing. I’m just glad I could help.”

The weather wasn’t cooperating. The clouds had pressed down low, and now the dry ground was instantly wet. The two of them took shelter under the awning of a nearby shop.

The rain got heavier and heavier, showing no sign of letting up anytime soon.

The shop owner, whose space they were blocking, looked at them with growing hostility. Thinking it over, Shen Qiuxun suddenly grabbed Fu Mingchuan’s wrist, pulled his cap down lower, and dashed into the rain with him. “Follow me.”

Outside the second-hand market was a network of hutongs, with a few abandoned small houses. Shen Qiuxun led the way into one of these houses, the one with a large tree in its courtyard.

The side door of the house was unlocked. It opened with a push. They stepped inside, brushing water droplets from their clothes.

Shen Qiuxun took off his cap and mask, looking around. Finally spotting a black form, he crouched down and called out a few soft “meows.”

Fu Mingchuan watched as a black cat nimbly jumped down from the upper floor. It licked a front paw elegantly, then rolled over onto its back under Shen Qiuxun’s hand. The kitten had a pair of very beautiful green eyes and was extremely affectionate.

In high spirits, Shen Qiuxun rubbed the black cat’s belly. The cat hugged his hand, then opened its mouth, revealing tiny white fangs, gnawing on the pale fingers like a chew toy.

Fu Mingchuan stared at the faint bite marks on the pale fingertips. His eyes deepened, and he took two steps closer.

Alert, the black cat flipped up in a flash, staring warily at Fu Mingchuan. After a long moment, it tentatively stepped forward to nuzzle Shen Qiuxun’s hand again, then flopped back down to roll around.

“It doesn’t welcome you,” Shen Qiuxun said, giving the little cat a rub.

Fu Mingchuan touched his own arm, looking at him apologetically. He murmured in a lonely tone, “Sorry. Animals haven’t really liked me since I was young.”

“Don’t be disheartened.” Shen Qiuxun scooped the obedient black cat into his arms. He took the kitten’s paw and waved it at Fu Mingchuan, the corner of his lips hooking up. The cool smile was like the lingering chill of early spring, possessing the cold beauty of black-and-white tones. “After all, not everyone is as charming as me, so liked by little animals.”

The kitten spread its little plum-blossom-shaped paw, flexing its tiny, sharp claws.

Fu Mingchuan stared at him, dazed, a hidden obsession lurking deep in his eyes.