Xin Hexue didn’t actually resist this kind of thing.
Desire was a basic instinct of human nature, and even saints couldn’t avoid it. What he hated was when animalistic urges took over the brain, when people couldn’t control their desires and even lost their rationality to indulge in them. People like that were probably no different from beasts.
Although he didn’t resist it, he wasn’t particularly keen on it either.
In the first twenty years, he had rarely even masturbated, his experiences could even be counted on one hand.
On one hand, his body was too weak, lacking even the energy to generate desire. On the other hand, he rarely felt any pleasure from such things. He remembered that during a checkup in the palace, the royal physician had given him a preliminary conclusion of “low sexual desire”, subtly and not-so-subtly reminding the King and Queen to start considering the issue of heirs.
At that time, he was only sixteen. Although that age wasn’t considered young among the royal family, as on neighboring planets, the crown princes were already engaged by the age of fourteen.
Xin Hexue thought they were being too hasty.
They didn’t even consider whether he might live long enough to reach the legal age for marriage, and they were already thinking ahead about his offspring.
Perhaps due to the body’s protection program, Xin Hexue experienced a hint of physical pleasure from such private matters for the first time.
However, when he had close, zero-distance contact with Pei Guangji before, the pleasure was too intense.
It came in waves, one after another, not giving him any time to react or process. Xin Hexue realized that even his toes would curl and blush uncontrollably during such activities. He had never known he would react like this and felt that he had learned a bit more about his own body.
Overall, the experience of this kind of activity was fairly acceptable.
It was just that the aftermath was quite troublesome.
There needed to be cleaning, applying medicine, and massaging to relieve it, or else it would definitely affect his normal activities the next day. But since he didn’t have to handle the follow-up himself, all in all, if rated on a scale of ten, this kind of activity could barely score a six.
Moreover, it seemed to be a shortcut to brushing up love value points. After all, in everyday language, people commonly referred to this activity as “zuo/ai” (make/love), not “zuo/hen” (make/hate).
You could tell its function just from the name.
Xin Hexue’s life countdown had seven days remaining.
From this perspective, the cost-effectiveness of this activity was quite high.
Qiu Yuan was already dumbfounded, staring at the young man straddling his waist and abdomen, looking like he had lost his voice.
After a while, he stammered and asked, “Do…do what? With who? Are you saying… with me?”
He felt like he had picked up a giant meat pie that fell from the sky, only to open it and find that it was actually a delicious white cotton candy kitten filling.
“Really? With me?”
“I mean, could you say that again? The thing you just said…”
“Mutants like me generally have more self-respect and self-love. We’re not just random or casual about these things. Especially for a male octopus mutant like me. During sex, we provide nutrients to our partners for reproduction. We can even be used as food for the partner to consume afterward.”
“Of course, I’m not exactly the same as octopuses in the animal kingdom. After all, I’m a modified mutant, and you’re not a female, so you won’t lay eggs or perform incubation after…”
In other words, he could complete the grand harmony of life with Xin Hexue and still survive.
The pupils behind the sunglasses dilated slightly.
Could such a good thing really happen to him?
Xin Hexue frowned. He couldn’t hear a word this guy was saying, but it was so long winded.
Qiu Yuan’s love value maxed out at 800. Right now it was at 760, which meant only 40 points were left. In fact, he only needed 5 points of the main body’s love value to fill it up completely.
‘So long-winded…’ Xin Hexue looked at the other person with suspicion.
Did he grab the wrong person?
Was this not the main body?
“If you don’t want to do it, forget it.”
He turned over, and was just about to get off the other person and go outside to casually grab another one for testing, as a result, Qiu Yuan suddenly hugged him tightly, his hands practically crossed and locked around his waist, pulling him in with force.
The bed creaked twice, and Xin Hexue’s vision spun as everything flipped. Now he was lying on his back, staring straight up at the white ceiling.
His body sank into the soft bedding, his black hair soft and slightly messy, scattered across the pillow.
Qiu Yuan lowered his head. The sunglasses felt too obstructive and unnecessary during this activity, so he casually tossed them into some unknown corner.
His deep blue eyes, like the sea, looked at Xin Hexue deeply.
He lowered his head and buried it into the young man’s warm neck.
Perhaps because of the golden hair, Xin Hexue hallucinated a golden retriever.
The other person’s behavior was just like one, too. The wet sensation on Xin Hexue’s neck followed him relentlessly…it was Qiu Yuan constantly licking and kissing.
The lines of his neck stretched out in a slender curve, his earlobe falling into a hot and damp environment. In the absence of hearing, other senses compensated and became especially sensitive, particularly touch.
Xin Hexue almost couldn’t stop himself from trembling, his breath faltering for several moments.
Qiu Yuan sucked on the beaded earlobe, and a pink-red hue quickly bloomed over the snowy white skin, like a snow mountain glowing with the morning sun, the color like rouge.
“How can you not hear me?”
The words had barely left Qiu Yuan’s mouth before he realized it was kind of stupid to ask such a question at a time like this.
Xin Hexue couldn’t answer him anyway.
The young man only occasionally let out a soft “mm” when he felt good, serving as a response to Qiu Yuan’s endless babbling.
Qiu Yuan suddenly thought of an idea. He chuckled, and because they were so close, Xin Hexue could feel the other party’s firm chest vibrate with the sound.
Just like some lovestruck teenager in his first relationship, Qiu Yuan asked without any context, “What do you think of me? Do you like me?”
Xin Hexue had no idea what he was saying, looking at him indifferently as his mouth moved.
Qiu Yuanxin squeezed his fingers in, pressing his fingertips on the wet, hot and soft flesh.
Xin Hexue trembled all over, “Mm.”
[Qiu Yuan love value +1]
The sound of water being stirred echoed in the air.
Qiu Yuan used three fingers to rub and grind, watching Xin Hexue turn his head away, seemingly biting his lip tightly as if he couldn’t take it.
Their breaths tangled together, and a soft, lingering cold fragrance brushed past his nose.
Qiu Yuan’s eyes darkened, and the more he spoke, the lower his voice dropped. “How am I compared to them? Compared to Pei Guangji and Xi Zhengqing, you like me more, right?”
Xin Hexue: “…Mm.”
His eyelashes fluttered unconsciously like butterfly wings, the corners of his eyes tinged with a faint blush, like something had brushed past intimately.
[Qiu Yuan love value +1]
The Alpha’s eyes were a dark blue. He didn’t look directly at Xin Hexue in the eye, afraid that his gaze might unintentionally cause hallucinogenic side effects on the other person..
His voice was hoarse and he was as thirsty as a traveler who had not had water for days and nights in the desert. He leaned in close to Xin Hexue’s ear and asked, “Are you ready?”
When his fingers withdrew, there was a faint wet sound, and the soaked area between the thighs was quickly filled again.
Xin Hexue let out a muffled moan, “Mm…!”
He buried himself in the pillow, his thin chest rising and falling with his breath. His waist and abdomen, lined with thin muscles was sweaty, making him look like a decadent water ghost fished out of a river.
His skin was white with a hint of pink, and the flexible abdomen curved with a subtle arc.
[Qiu Yuan love value +1]
[Qiu Yuan’s current love value: 784]
Qiu Yuan spoke several dirty words throughout the night.
Anyway, Xin Hexue couldn’t hear them, so he wouldn’t slap him.
Xin Hexue’s consciousness floated in and out, completely missing the system’s notifications. He felt like he had fallen into the deep sea, and was tightly entangled by a monster with eight tentacles.
The monster embraced him passionately, and violated him.
Made a complete mess of him.
………
Qiu Yuan clung to Xin Hexue like a conjoined twin. Knowing that Xin Hexue’s temporary hearing loss had been caused by the explosion in the Hive, Qiu Yuan’s heartbreak value surged.
Especially since Xin Hexue’s health had worsened lately, Qiu Yuan wished he could just tuck him into his pocket and carry him around.
But in the end, he couldn’t do that. The battle at the frontline was tense. In the early stage, due to the already chaotic management in District Three and lack of official forces, they were able to advance with ease and occupy District Three without much resistance. However, the closer they got to the core zone, the more severe the situation became. The mutants and military forces entered a stalemate.
This battle might drag on for several years.
Qiu Yuan had prepared himself for a long campaign.
Sometimes he was very busy and had to leave Xin Hexue’s side for a short while, but he tried to arrange all work during Xin Hexue’s sleep.
However, often by the time he rushed back, Xin Hexue still hadn’t woken up.
Qiu Yuan had consulted many doctors, including witch doctors from the black market in District Three, but all were helpless and unable to find the cause.
Qiu Yuan was anxious and flustered. When Xin Hexue looked at him with doubt after seeing so many doctors, he could only crouch down in front of him and say, “Lately, you seem to sleep a long time every day.”
Afraid that Xin Hexue would overthink, Qiu Yuan could only chalk it up to his own needless worry. “But it’s normal to feel sleepy in spring and tired in autumn.”
After all, autumn had arrived.
Each autumn rain brought a chill.
Xin Hexue still couldn’t hear and replied calmly, “Mm.”
He was even in the mood to pat the golden retriever’s head comfortingly.
Qiu Yuan could no longer deceive himself.
Because Xin Hexue’s condition had deteriorated to the point that he could no longer walk for long periods and often needed a wheelchair.
[Qiu Yuan heartbreak value +10]
Qiu Yuan rested his forehead on Xin Hexue’s knees, where a thin wool blanket had been laid. Perhaps the wool blanket retained enough heat, it was so warm that even his eyes felt hot.
He stayed there for a long time, motionless, like a statue.
By the time he stood up again, his legs were numb.
Someone came looking for Qiu Yuan.
Qiu Yuan only had time to call Number One to bring the mechanical cat over to keep Xin Hexue company.
Sometimes he entrusted Number One, sometimes Pei Ying. Even though he didn’t like Pei Ying very much, at least Pei Ying and Xin Hexue had some history. People who were familiar to each other spoke the same language more easily.
The next night, we encountered the Perseid meteor shower, which was said to occur only once in a century.
But the mutant base was closer to the sea, and the humidity was high. Even though Qiu Yuan pushed Xin Hexue to a higher slope on the mountain on the other side, the stargazing effect still couldn’t compare to the highlands.
Qiu Yuan stopped the wheelchair on a flat area and sat down on the grass beside it. He plucked a few foxtail grasses and twisted them around idly in his hands.
Ever since Xin Hexue lost his hearing, he spoke even less.
Qiu Yuan had heard that many white cats in nature were deaf. Now, Xin Hexue was like a white cat who couldn’t hear, sitting upright with a long tail curled, isolated from the world.
Trying to coax a cat to talk was also difficult.
Even if he typed to communicate, Xin Hexue barely responded.
Qiu Yuan lowered his head until he heard Xin Hexue say, “Meteor.”
He suddenly looked up. Sure enough, a meteor shower flashed across the dark blue sky, white threads streaking by like zither strings.
Qiu Yuan suddenly said, “Do you remember the last time I took you to the beach? The forecast that night also said there would be a meteor shower, estimated at ten o’clock. But as soon as it was ten, you fell asleep.”
Xin Hexue turned to look at Qiu Yuan, saw his lips moving, and figured he was speaking. He had just enough energy to respond tonight and said lazily, “Mm.”
Qiu Yuan’s tone carried some helplessness. “I was just thinking, how can an adult fall asleep at ten at night?”
Xin Hexue: “Mm.”
Qiu Yuan: “I brought you back, and Xi Zhengqing glared at me in anger. He almost slammed the door in my face and even threw the jacket I lent you out the door.”
Xin Hexue: “Mm.”
Qiu Yuan: “Honestly, he’s a bit petty.”
Xin Hexue: “Mm.”
Qiu Yuan: “The first time I saw you was at the Pei manor. You electrocuted two of my tentacles and they rushed into the sewer. Do you still remember?”
Xin Hexue: “Mm.”
Qiu Yuan: “It took them a month in the nutrition cabin to grow new flesh. You were quite fierce.”
Xin Hexue: “Mm.”
He kept rambling on. In the end, Xin Hexue got annoyed by all the “Mm’s”. He didn’t understand why this person had so much to say and just responded perfunctorily.
The last meteor fell.
Qiu Yuan looked at the night sky which had returned to its dark blue color. The skyline had a faint and colorful glow from the neon lights in the distance.
Out of boredom, he twisted the foxtail grass into a little ring. Before his legs went completely numb, he stood up again, turned to Xin Hexue and suddenly said, “I love you.”
“Mm.”
Qiu Yuan half lowered his eyes.
When Xin Hexue looked up, he happened to meet his gaze. “I know.”
Qiu Yuan froze, staring in a daze as the young man reached a hand out toward him and tilted his head slightly to indicate something. His palm, now damp with sweat, wet the foxtail grass ring.
Qiu Yuan threw the grass ring away, quickly and anxiously wiped his hands on the outside of his pants pocket, then took something out again. His hands trembled so much he nearly dropped it several times.
Only then did he manage to put the ring he had prepared long ago on Xin Hexue’s finger.
[Qiu Yuan’s love value is full]
He didn’t dare say things like “we’ll get married when the battle is over”, because usually, lines like that were the prelude to tragedy.
So after putting the ring on Xin Hexue, Qiu Yuan stood up, bent down, and pressed a strong kiss to Xin Hexue’s forehead.
Xin Hexue couldn’t hear. He had only judged what Qiu Yuan said by lip movements.
But Qiu Yuan’s kiss was so firm Xin Hexue thought the sound it made must have been like firecrackers going off.
This comparison actually made Xin Hexue laugh at himself.
Qiu Yuan followed with a goofy smile and he pushed Xin Hexue back with great joy.
That night, they lay down together again, clinging to each other and drenched in warmth.
The autumn night didn’t feel cool, but rather stiflingly hot.
………
Xin Hexue passed away the next evening.
At that time, Qiu Yuan happened to be away. It was Number One who first noticed the young man in the wheelchair had gone into cardiac arrest.
A doctor with a laboratory background said to Qiu Yuan on the day of the young man’s burial, “He was not a mutant species.”
But…
How could that be?
The Alpha in a black suit stood in the rain. His soul had already left his body, and his mind was like an old toy with broken clockwork. The surface was covered with rust and he was unable to think.
He couldn’t figure out why.
Maybe it was the shockwave from the Hive explosion, or maybe it was a sequelae that couldn’t be detected.
Or maybe… it was just because autumn had turned cooler and his lover was too afraid of the cold.
Or was it that winter had already come?
Qiu Yuan looked up. The sky was filled with dark clouds, maybe gathering for a heavy snowfall.
Winter was coming, and his lover was only going into hibernation.
But how long would this snow last?
Qiu Yuan stretched out his hand. The autumn rain struck the lines of his palm, so cold it pierced to the bone.
………
This battle lasted for three whole years.
The mutant species won legal citizenship for themselves.
The newly organized political machine issued the latest equality and rights laws for mutant species and humans. Genetic modification drugs and mechanical augmentation were all subjected to various strict limitations.
Whether the underlying conflicts had truly been resolved or not, at least on the surface, the districts of the Federation bustled with prosperity and renewal.
The original heir of the Xi family vanished on the battlefield. The name of the head of the Pei family had already appeared in the headline reporting the explosion and destruction of the Hive three years ago.
Due to the lack of strong successors, the two great conglomerates in the core zone crumbled and disintegrated like loose sand. A reshuffling of power would still need years of accumulation.
The Cutter still remembered the first time he met Xin Hexue.
It was in a hospital.
The child he was possessing was hesitating at the door about whether to go into the ward to visit a friend, muttering “likes me” and “doesn’t like me”, nearly tearing all the petals off the flowers in his hands.
The young man squatted down and said to him that the petals of the cosmos flower were even-numbered. As long as you started counting from “doesn’t like me”, the final answer would definitely be “likes me”.
The area in front of the young man’s grave was very clean and quiet, so quiet that only the sound of waves crashing against the cliff could be heard.
The Cutter and Pei Ying brushed past each other. Neither of them greeted the other.
The Cutter planted clusters of cosmos flowers in the garden. This flower, also known as “the flower of the universe”, had vigorous vitality and would thrive even without much care.
He placed the freshly picked cosmos flowers from this morning in front of the grave.
He remembered the story Xin Hexue once told him about the cosmos flower.
A princess was cursed with eternal loneliness, trapped in the high tower of a castle. Only when a knight from afar fell in love with the princess did the curse break and her loneliness be dispelled.
The Cutter thought, the knight wouldn’t bring the princess happiness, and the princess wasn’t lonely either. Because there was a monster guarding the castle, and it would never let the princess feel alone.
Mutants did not have the concept of death.
The Cutter had completely broken away from human thought and could no longer understand the idea of death.
The wind lifted the cosmos flowers in front of the grave, and the petals scattered and drifted away.
The Cutter knelt before the grave and kissed the black-and-white photo reverently. Blue blood flowed continuously from his body, and he leaned against the tombstone, quietly closing his eyes.
He wasn’t going anywhere. His pure and only beloved was right here.
