Thank you for the Ko-Fi Maryana!! ❤️
Xin Hexue felt like he was broken. He was dizzy, and didn’t catch what Xi Zhengqing was saying right away.
Dirty words spun around in his brain, and by the time he understood and wanted to cover his ears, it was already too late.
Xin Hexue asked incredulously, “Are you sick?”
The moment the words left his mouth, Xin Hexue realized even his voice sounded pitifully hoarse.
He furrowed his brows unconsciously and forced himself to sit up. Even that simple movement was difficult. Xin Hexue felt like he was trying to get used to a body that had fallen apart and been pieced back together again. The places that had been used were still red and swollen, and tingling with strange sensations.
Because his body’s protective mechanism had been passively triggered, it had felt good in the moment, but afterward, it was pure suffering.
He coldly demanded Xi Zhengqing, “I want water.”
On one hand, Xi Zhengqing was jealous of Pei Guangji to the point of madness, but on the other, he was very infatuated and obsessed. He thought Xin Hexue was unbelievably cute. It was cute even when calling him sick.
Maybe it was because he’d been well-raised and didn’t know other curse words, so when he insulted people, all he could say was “sick”.
Even the way he slapped him was cute…the sound was crisp and sharp.
Xi Zhengqing was sure he didn’t have any masochistic tendencies.
Before going to get water, he couldn’t resist kissing Xin Hexue’s cheek.
Xin Hexue wiped the spot with the back of his hand in disgust.
When Xi Zhengqing came back with a glass of warm water and saw the scene in the bedroom, his breath caught in his throat.
Xin Hexue was applying medicine to himself. Because of the discomfort, his delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if spring water had been stirred by the wind and created ripples.
When he saw Xi Zhengqing return, he shot him a cold glance. His fingers withdrew from the reddened area and he pulled the blanket back over himself.
Xi Zhengqing, who had just been holding his breath, finally remembered to breathe again. He stepped forward silently and held the glass to Xin Hexue’s lips. The warm water quickly moistened those lips, and Xi Zhengqing watched as the elegant Adam’s apple rolled twice in his throat.
Xin Hexue said flatly, “Mn.”
Only then did Xi Zhengqing stop feeding him water and set the glass down on the bedside table.
Like a shameless dog, he leaned in close to Xin Hexue. “Are you really done applying the medicine? I can help you…”
Xin Hexue originally wanted to call him sick again, but then he thought this guy was indeed sick, so pointing that out was meaningless, and might even excite Xi Zhengqing more.
So he simply spat out two words to show his stance. “Get lost.”
Then he ordered Xi Zhengqing again, stretching out his hand with a gesture. “Wet wipes.”
The Alpha obediently pulled a few wet wipes from the drawer and helped Xin Hexue wipe off the ointment from his fingers.
Xin Hexue’s hands were beautiful. They were slender and bony but not skinny, with clearly defined knuckles. They felt cool and soft to the touch.
His skin was as white as jade, with faint blue veins visible on the back of his hand. The fingers had rounded, pale pink nails, with no visible lunula at the base.
Xi Zhengqing wiped off all the remaining dampness and sticky ointment from the pads of Xin Hexue’s fingers and the sides of his knuckles.
“I’m tired.”
There were signs of sleepiness and fatigue in Xin Hexue’s eyes.
After he lay back down again, Xi Zhengqing helped tuck the blanket around him. He hesitated for a moment, and seeing that Xin Hexue didn’t seem to be in a bad mood, he asked, “Can I give you a massage?”
Xin Hexue neither agreed nor refused, he just turned over and lay on his stomach, his eyelashes dropping peacefully.
Xi Zhengqing took that as a yes.
The Alpha’s large hands gently pressed over that slim waist through the thin fabric of the pajamas.
Xin Hexue had a pleasant and cool scent on his body, and mixed with the warm, sun-baked smell of freshly changed sheets and blankets, It was like freshly fallen snow melting on a sunlit eave…soft, quiet, and calming to the soul.
Xi Zhengqing heard Xin Hexue ask, “Is this what you and Pei Guangji planned to do?”
Imprison him, possess him together?
Xin Hexue narrowed his eyes dangerously, with the sharpness of a predator.
Xi Zhengqing lowered his eyes and explained, “Before we came, we made a bet about who you liked more.”
He had no choice but to use the word “more” and reluctantly place himself on equal footing with Pei Guangji.
But things hadn’t gone as they expected. Xin Hexue wasn’t as gentle and obedient as he seemed. He played them both and he didn’t like either of them.
In the duel between two Alphas, the winner would be the first to enter the bedroom and negotiate with Xin Hexue alone.
He originally had a better chance of winning as his mechanically modified body had higher physical resistance than Pei Guangji’s.
But before the fight, he was shocked with electricity, which weakened his combat power.
He thought Pei Guangji wouldn’t be so beastly and shameless as to ignore Xin Hexue’s feelings and just force things. Besides, there was a strange power on Xin Hexue that he didn’t fully understand.
But when he regained consciousness in the living room, with his head aching like it had been cracked open, he heard the ambiguous sounds coming from the bedroom which meant Xin Hexue hadn’t rejected Pei Guangji.
All the blood in his body went cold in that moment. The pain from his injuries flared and all he could do was ask someone to deliver some ointment.
Xin Hexue waited for a long time for Xi Zhengqing to continue, but after mentioning the bet, he suddenly stopped talking.
Xi Zhengqing leaned down, brought his mouth close to Xin Hexue’s ear, and his warm breath sprayed over the earlobe as he spoke, “You like Pei Guangji more, right? Did he lick better than I do?”
Xin Hexue looked displeased. “Shut up.”
Two equally disgusting kidnappers, and now they were trying to compare.
Xi Zhengqing pushed himself up and continued massaging Xin Hexue’s sore waist. His tone was gentle, still appearing like the cultured businessman everyone thought he was, but he was plotting as he spoke. “Ah Xue, I’m actually a hundred, no, a thousand times better than him. I’m more romantic, not stiff or boring… It’s a pity I can’t kill him yet. It could’ve just been the two of us. Just the two of us…”
The Xi and Pei families had a closer partnership than most people imagined. Their evolution materials came from the same source, the white crystal ore mined from this very site.
They had made a pact a hundred years ago to share the mining site and jointly excavate and research the materials.
Only by joining forces could the two families hold a firm grip on the white crystal ore.
Once they swallowed up the Qiu family…
Xi Zhengqing looked at Xin Hexue, and his gaze softened.
Once he dealt with Pei Guangji, it would be just the two of them…
Xin Hexue closed his eyes and ignored him.
The waist beneath his palm was flexible and slender, like a slender willow resting quietly in his palm.
Xi Zhengqing cast aside his distracting thoughts and focused entirely on the massage, adjusting the pressure according to Xin Hexue’s reactions, sometimes light, sometimes firm, but always within a moderate range.
The young man seemed to have completely exhausted his energy and soon fell into a quiet sleep. His breathing was soft and shallow. With the rhythm of Xi Zhengqing’s massage, he occasionally let out faint, barely audible hums, like the content purrs a cat only made when thoroughly pampered by a human.
Xin Hexue turned over and curled up slightly in his sleep out of habit.
Xi Zhengqing couldn’t help lying down beside him and pulling him into his arms. The sleeping young man was much easier to handle than when he was awake. Perhaps the air conditioning in the room was set a bit too low, once he felt the Alpha’s body heat, he instinctively sought the heat source and nestled peacefully against Xi Zhengqing’s chest.
“Who are you, really…” Xi Zhengqing asked in a voice like a whisper.
Xin Hexue’s identity had always been shrouded in fog, distant and unclear, which made him feel there was an insurmountable distance between them.
………
Thanks to the body protection program, timely medication, and massage relief, Xin Hexue woke up from a good sleep with only a slight soreness left. There were no particularly adverse effects.
Pei Guangji and Xi Zhengqing took turns delivering meals to his room. Most of them were home cooked meals, and the ingredients were fresh and delicious, likely sourced directly from the mountains nearby.
Xin Hexue’s field of view from the window was limited, so he couldn’t determine whether this was the mining site or not, but he guessed it probably was.
If this was indeed a mining site, then there should be a sizable residential area nearby to support the daily lives of the workers.
This was a deduction based on what Qiu Yuan had once told him.
But he had never heard any human voices in the villa, nor did he hear any sound of machinery operating, which was abnormal.
He wanted to go out and have a look, but for now, it seemed Pei Guangji and Xi Zhengqing were not willing to let him.
They still had their respective duties for the Xi and Pei families and couldn’t stay here long-term. Sometimes, due to work, they had to leave for a day or two, so they took turns accompanying Xin Hexue, or more accurately, taking turns being a nuisance.
“How long do you plan to keep me locked up here?”
Xin Hexue only ate a small half bowl of rice today before putting down his chopsticks and met Pei Guangji’s gaze.
Pei Guangji didn’t say anything. He picked up the spoon again, held the bowl, and tried to feed Xin Hexue by hand.
When Xin Hexue turned his head to show resistance, Pei Guangji finally spoke. “You’ve eaten too little.”
Xin Hexue said coldly, “I lost my appetite the moment I saw you.”
Pei Guangji’s thin lips pressed into a straight line. After a while, he said, “Then close your eyes. You won’t see me, and I’ll feed you.”
??
Xin Hexue seriously suspected something was wrong with Pei Guangji’s brain.
Seeing that Xin Hexue didn’t speak, Pei Guangji brought over another bowl of soup. The meat had been stewed until soft, and the aroma was mouthwatering. He blew on it gently and held a spoonful to Xin Hexue’s lips.
“I’ll eat it myself.”
Xin Hexue lowered his gaze and took the bowl from Pei Guangji’s hands.
Pei Guangji said in a low voice, “I stewed it myself. Try the flavor.”
‘Hmm?’ Xin Hexue looked at him with surprise.
Cooking didn’t seem to match the Alpha sitting across from him.
It would’ve been fine if he hadn’t said anything, but once he did, Xin Hexue lost his appetite.
He didn’t even bother to hide it. Just like a cat could openly swipe fragile items off a table, Xin Hexue simply tilted his hand, and the bowl dropped straight to the floor, shattering with a loud crash.
Xin Hexue curled his lips into a mischievous smile, as if waiting for Pei Guangji’s reaction after pulling off a prank.
Pei Guangji’s expression indeed darkened. He bent down, and with a handkerchief, wiped the two spots of soup that had splashed onto Xin Hexue’s bare ankles.
Pei Guangji asked, “Did it burn you? Does it hurt?”
Xin Hexue really didn’t feel like talking to him any longer, so he grabbed Pei Guangji by the collar and yanked him close, and when their eyes met, he said, “I want to go out.”
“Not now.”
Pei Guangji, who had rarely shown firmness these days, finally stood his ground. He lifted Xin Hexue’s feet onto the bed to keep him from stepping on the mess, then began cleaning up the shattered remains on the floor.
Xin Hexue watched him coldly. “Then when can I?”
Pei Guangji looked up, his eyes calm. “When the military finishes dealing with the Qiu family.”
Xin Hexue’s expression flickered.
There was no signal in this area, so Pei Guangji took out a news video that had been downloaded and saved in advance and played it for Xin Hexue.
The Qiu family’s factories had long been a major supplier of weapons for the military. In the latest batch of Hi-tech weapons, someone finally came forward to report that the weapons failed to meet the necessary standards and couldn’t effectively or lethally strike mutant species. Furthermore, in one of the Black Snake organization’s branches, they found evidence of the Qiu family secretly smuggling weapons and selling them to underground groups. The confiscated batch was no different from the latest batch of weapons from the Qiu weapons factory. The only difference was that the labels had been removed.
The Federal Military Court decided to try the Qiu family for both the illegal biological experiments conducted by the previous generation and this recent weapons case, charging them with endangering national security. The people involved had already been arrested and detained, awaiting trial once sufficient evidence had been gathered.
Xin Hexue’s eyes darkened.
This kind of thing was indeed something Qiu Yuan could do. But he didn’t believe Qiu Yuan would be so careless as to leave such an obvious flaw.
The more likely explanation was that the Pei and Xi families had worked together to rig the outcome. Even without direct evidence, they could fabricate a case and arrange for someone to come forward with a report.
Why was Pei Guangji showing him this video?
Qiu Yuan was in collusion with mutant species and underground organizations, but what did that have to do with him?
Xin Hexue remained expressionless.
Did they also think he was a mutant species and in cahoots with Qiu Yuan? Or at least assumed he stood on the same side as Qiu Yuan?
Xin Hexue took a casual glance and saw that at the end of the video, Qiu Yuan was being escorted onto a truck heading to a military prison.
Pei Guangji stayed silent.
Until Xin Hexue suddenly covered his lips and coughed, as if he was suddenly overwhelmed with discomfort. He leaned against the edge of the bed and coughed uncontrollably, his whole body trembling. His hand gripped the sheets tightly in pain, the light blue veins on the back of his hand bulging with effort.
His skin lost all color, and his entire body radiated a sickly fragility, like he would shatter at the slightest touch.
Pei Guangji panicked. He gently patted Xin Hexue’s back and pulled him into his arms. “Are you scared? Don’t worry, you’ll be okay. I’ll protect you.”
From the sound of it, he had already determined that Xin Hexue was a mutant species, and based on his past words and actions, he deduced that he was likely sent by Qiu Yuan to dig up dirt on the Pei and Xi families.
Xi Zhengqing probably thought the same.
But the two of them still chose to protect him.
In doing so, isolating him from the world at such a critical moment meant that Qiu Yuan would no longer be able to contact him, and the military wouldn’t be able to investigate his mutant identity either.
This meant he would have to wait until the Qiu family situation was settled.
But how long would that take?
Xin Hexue couldn’t place all his faith in Qiu Yuan. Although based on his understanding, Qiu Yuan shouldn’t have ended up in such a state, still…
What if?
He had to max out Pei Guangji and Xi Zhengqing’s heartbreak values as soon as possible, and then re-establish contact with Qiu Yuan. At the moment, only the octopus’s value was still lagging far behind.
Pei Guangji continued to hold the young man in his arms, gently patting his back in comfort.
Xin Hexue turned his head away, as if he were about to cough up his lungs. Blood splattered onto the carpet, bright red and jarring to the eye.
It was as if the entire room froze in that instant.
Pei Guangji slowly lowered his gaze, his fingers trembling uncontrollably as he wiped the blood from the corner of Xin Hexue’s lips.
Two minutes earlier, Xin Hexue had already said to K: [Redeem painless world exit program.]
K: [Confirmed.]
It cost five points.
When it came to physical protection and painless exits, the prices in the system mall still appeared to be very humane.
The so-called painless exit from the world actually required a short buffering period.
During the buffer period, the host’s body would deteriorate rapidly and no medicine could cure it. Of course, just like the name of the program, there would be no pain during this process, which meant the host’s acting skills became especially important.
K wasn’t worried about that.
He asked the host to set the buffer duration.
Xin Hexue replied: [One month.]
He only allowed himself one month to cut through the mess and complete the mission efficiently, and then exit the world.
[Pei Guangji heartbreak value +1]
Pei Guangji was completely shaken by Xin Hexue’s sudden vomiting of blood.
Forcing himself to stay calm, he wiped away the blood, stood up from the edge of the bed, and said, “I’ll go get the doctor. I’ll be quick.”
Xin Hexue looked at his retreating figure and swallowed the faint metallic taste in his mouth.
This method was actually inspired by Qiu Yuan.
He had discovered that these people seemed very concerned about his physical condition.
